A/N: Team Roster: Jackson (Scorbunny)

Chapter 2 - A Mysterious Encounter

Dawn had barely broken, the sky was still pale, as Dolly and Jackson traveled down the well-beaten path. Rookidees were chirping, Jackson was humming, and Dolly was stomping through the dirt. She rubbed at her eyes and vehemently fought back the yawn that kept trying to escape. Hop texted her at the ass-crack of dawn to get her to come back and get an endorsement with him from Leon. The furious vibrating from his thousands of texts rumbled her phone off her nightstand, onto Jackson's head, who then bolted awake, yelped out in shock, and caught her curtains on fire.

As she scuffed at a few pebbles, she repeated her plan in her mind: Get the endorsement, beat the first Gym, release her team, drop out. She wouldn't let herself be persuaded otherwise, not even by that beautiful smile or golden eyes. Dolly walked up to the two brothers in their front lawn again, and the two were chatting amicably as the sun rose higher in the sky. When Hop smiled at her, Dolly glared daggers in return.

"Good morning, Dolls,"

"Hrmph."

Leon chuckled and set his hands on his hips.

"Understanding your new Pokémon alright, you two?"

"Course we have," Hop said as he crossed his arms. "Grookey, Wooloo and I are like three peas in a pod. Seems Dolls has made fast friends with her Scorbunny, too,"

Suddenly a fire seemed to blaze in Leon's eyes. It was that same passion that he exuded during every match she had ever watched, and every bit of it was tangible in the air as he looked between the two of them. When those passionate, dazzling, golden eyes stared into hers, Dolly was certainly much more alert.

"Then listen up, new Trainers. Trust in your Pokémon, trust in yourselves and each other, and someday," he said as his piercing golden gaze fixed on Dolly. "You may even become worthy rivals for me, the unbeatable Champion."

Her throat tightened. Surely he couldn't be talking about her, right? Perhaps his eye was only good for deciphering how tall Hop had grown. Dolly briefly wondered if he could read her mind when she thought about dropping after the first Gym and giving Jackson back to him. Hop's voice tore her from her thoughts.

"What're you looking at her for, I'm the one who'll be coming to challenge you!" he said, then he turned to her with a devilish grin. "If you think she'll be strong enough to challenge you, then I guess she's my first rival! And either way, just having a Pokémon with you doesn't make you a real Trainer, you know."

Leon laughed from beside them.

"And you think you're a proper Trainer? How about you and Dolly here have a match, and I'll be the judge of that. What do you say?" Leon asked. Hop nodded, and Leon turned to Dolly. "Willing and ready to take Hop on in the first-ever Pokémon battle of your life?"

Dolly looked between the two brothers, one blazing with expectant confidence, the other with supportive assurance. Would it be fair? This wasn't her first-ever Pokémon battle, but neither Hop nor Leon knew that. She hadn't battled in years, though, and if the Curse was still afflicting her then…

"C'mon, Dolls, unless you're scared me an' Grookey will pummel you into the dirt?"

...there was no way she could lose. Something started to burn within her, sparking something in the dusty and rusted light switch that had been turned off and unplugged years ago. The competition that burned Hop's eyes was contagious, and it fueled the fire that she had attempted for years to quell. Before she could stop herself, she answered.

"There's no way I can lose."

They made their way to the makeshift pitch and Hop pumped his fists.

"I've watched every match that Lee's ever had, read every book and magazine he's left behind, and I know exactly what to do in order to win!" he grinned as he took his spot across from her.

Dolly could only nod because her mouth was too dry to speak. Her heart was throbbing throughout her body, the blood pulsing and rushing through her ears. This was it, what she had been avoiding for so long. Just one battle couldn't hurt, right? If it went too far, perhaps she could cut it off and declare Hop the winner. And, something inside of her longed for battle, wanted it more than anything she had wanted for ages. It was like life itself had finally started to bubble within her again. Her doubts were quelled the second she ordered Jackson forward.

Suddenly the flame roared to life. The fire she had snuffed out over years of denial burned within her, blazing in every corner of her skin. She and Jackson moved in one fluid motion, her commands seamlessly executed as if their minds were one. In three short hits Wooloo was down, and out came Grookey.

Dolly grinned as she looked between her Fire and his Grass-type Pokémon. She had only been ordering Tackle on Wooloo, but something about the way Jackson was hopping back and forth with spurts of fire exploding on the ground with each step, posed an idea in her mind.

"Jackson, use Ember!"

Fire spit from his mouth directly into Grookey's chest, knocking him backwards. Hop ushered his Pokémon forward again and looked to Dolly in disbelief.

"Did you already know about type advantages?!"

She nodded as she sent Jackson forward again, and in one swift motion, Dolly won their first battle. Hop looked at her incredulously as he returned Grookey to his Poké Ball. After a moment he stood tall again with a huff.

"Well that was a shock. Guess now I know why Lee agreed to give you a Pokémon too,"

Leon grinned as he looked at Dolly, and that same ferocity burned in his eyes as she felt in her skin.

"I've got a favor to ask of you, Dolly," Leon said. Dolly nodded at the sheer force of will before her. "Be a real rival to Hop, would you? Push him, and make the both of you stronger. And," suddenly he turned, looking stern as he looked between the two of them. "If you want anything to do with Galar's fiercest Pokémon competition, you two better look at getting a Pokédex first."

"Right right, Pokedéx, we're on it," Hop replied, waving his hand. He trotted to his front gate, Dolly in tow. "Better tell your mum we're off to the Pokémon Research Lab, don't want an earful from her, of all people."

As the pair made their way to Dolly's house, a crash erupted from somewhere beyond her front lawn. They looked at each other, then raced toward the source. The fencing, which Dolly had only ever seen closed, was broken open with the path to the Slumbering Weald laid bare. Splinters and clumps of white wool littered the path and trailed into the forest. Her mind jumped to the suspiciously quiet Wooloo that had been tackling the fence the day before. Hop seemed to be thinking the same thing as they approached the fencing.

"We've got to save it," Dolly said, urging Hop along.

"That's what I was thinking," he replied as they both broke into a jog. "Even if this place is off-limits, we can't just let that Wooloo get hurt!"

The pair made their way into the Slumbering Weald and the forest immediately thickened. She had gazed upon the forest a thousand times from her window, but she never dared to actually enter it. Even at Hop's incessant prodding when they were younger, they never let their curiosity get the better of them for fear of what might be lurking inside - and for what their mums would do to them if they found out.

It was as if a wall of fog pummeled them and blanketed itself over the dirt path. No birds chirped, the grass barely whispered, and the only sound came from the crunching of leaves beneath their shoes. Dolly discreetly gravitated towards Hop as their eyes peered past the dark shapes that loomed around them. After a while they slowed, and a faint purple glow enveloped the mist. Something about the mist felt familiar, nostalgic, even, as they trekked further into the trees. The crunch of the leaves was laced with a strange hum, as if the sound was enveloped in the mist. The tone reverberated louder the further they walked.

"Do you hear that?" Hop asked.

They paused, waiting for the noise again. It was silent, as not even the leaves under their feet rustled. Dolly could only hear her heart beating in her ears until a muffled cry pierced the air, and they broke into a sprint.

The further they ran, the thicker the fog became. It enveloped them like a blanket, and the strangely familiar sensation covered every inch of the forest. It slithered over their skin, whispered through their hair, thickened the further they ran. After a while Dolly could barely see her hand in front of her face, let alone Hop beside her. His voice was her only landmark as he called out to her.

Then, his voice was lost in the fog. She spun around, looking for any semblance of her friend. Something was moving toward her, rocking back and forth as it walked. The leaves beneath its feet were silent.

The hair on her neck stood on end as it grew taller the closer it moved. Yellow eyes pierced through the fog and Dolly stumbled backward as the shadow loomed over her.

"Dolls, you alright? I can't see anything!"

She motioned to call back to Hop but her voice was muffled by the strange fog. It slid down her throat, strangled her call, and pushed her into the ground. When a piercing howl cut through the fog, her vision went black.

All she saw was the mist, swirling in darkness.

"Shield of Galar."

Dolly whipped her head around. That certainly didn't sound like Hop. It was almost as if the voice was embedded into every particle of mist that was swirling around her.

"Shield of Galar, your arrival here signals the beginning."

"...What? Who are you?" she called into the mist.

"Overcome the Nuzlocke Curse. You are called to greatness. Trust in yourself. Trust in your Pokémon."

Before she could call out again, Dolly's eyes shot open, and the trees of the Slumbering Weald were swaying above her. The mist had lightened, and the shadow was nowhere to be found. She looked around for the source of the strange voice, only to see Hop beside her on the ground.

Feet came pounding across the dirt, and suddenly the Champion was standing before them. He helped them both to their feet as his eyebrows pulled together.

"You two had me worried sick, I'd been waiting for ages and you never showed!"

The pair tried to splutter out an explanation as the Wooloo came waddling forward. They both let out a sigh.

"The little chap's fine, though all of you had fainted by the time I found you here. You know this place is out of bounds," Leon scolded, though his scowl quickly softened as he looked between the two. "But... then again, it took courage to come in here all the same. And I can understand well enough why you did it."

The two nodded and followed Leon as they made their way out of the forest.

"Glad that Wooloo's fine," Hop said. "My arse is right sore, though, some mad shadow shoved me over but I couldn't get a good look at it through all that bloody fog,"

"You saw it too?" Dolly gasped, and grabbed at Hop's sleeve. "Did it say anything to you?"

Hop's brow furrowed as he shook his head.

"I didn't hear anything. I think I hit my head on something and passed right out. Why, did you?"

"Something about the Shield of Galar," she explained, scratching her chin. "Not sure what that means, though."

Hop shrugged as Leon turned to them, and his brow furrowed to match his younger brother.

"What're you two talking about, mad shadow, Shield of Galar?"

"That's probably what knocked us out," Hop explained. "Not sure what it was - a Pokémon, maybe? Whatever it was, it just had this sort of presence…"

"The fearsome Pokémon they say live in the Slumbering Weald…" Leon muttered, more to himself than the other two. "Could they be illusions? Well, either way, perhaps if you two get strong enough you can be the ones to reveal the truth someday. Especially now that I've decided to endorse you both for the Gym Challenge,"

Leon ended his sentence with a sly grin, and their eyes grew wide.

"You mean it, Lee?" Hop asked, and his voice echoed through the trees.

Leon nodded and grinned as his little brother jumped up and down.

"You've shown a bit of prowess in battle, and a right bit of courage here doing what you did today," Leon said with a curt nod. "I think I'd be interested to see how you two fare in the Gym Challenge. After watching you two battle and seeing you put your neck out for a stray Wooloo, I'd say you both have what it takes to become proper Trainers."

The sun shone warmly on their skin as the trio exited the Slumbering Weald, the mist and the strange vision far behind. Hop stretched in the sun, then turned to Dolly.

"Better tell your mum we're off to Wedgehurst again, she'll go spare if we run off without telling her. I'll meet you at Route 1 when you're done."

Dolly nodded, and quickly started turning over in her head how on earth she was going to convince her mum she wanted to run off with her best friend to travel through half of Galar. She wouldn't be too long, though, just to the first Gym and back.

As she opened the door to her house, she found her mother putzing about the kitchen, compiling ingredients and bread into a paper bag on the table.

"Mum? What's all this?"

Her mum looked guiltily to the table, which upon closer inspection had quite an assortment of things: some fruit, a map, even a collapsible tent.

"I had a feeling this day would come again," her mum sighed.

Dolly looked to her mum in confusion. She could see her eyes start to glisten.

"That was the only thing I've ever seen you have passion for, Dolly. Pokémon, that is," she said, walking up to her daughter. She set her hands on Dolly's shoulders, blinking back the wetness from her eyes. "I know you've faced many trials with Pokémon in the past, dear, but ever since you came home with that Scorbunny it's like you came back to life."

Dolly scanned her face. So, she had felt it too.

"I know how this Nuzlocke Curse has taken such a toll on you, but I want you to know that I fully support you going out and trying again. To see that light in your eyes that had faded for years, even if it's only been two days, well, I think it's worth it," she said, pulling Dolly into a hug. "It's like I finally have my daughter back."

"Mum…" she whispered.

"Be safe out there, love," her mum said into her hair. "Know that I love you, and your Pokémon will fight for you and protect you always, so take good care of them. You'll always be my little Pecha berry."

"I love you mum. I..." Dolly started. Her eyes stung as she tried to blink back the looming tears.

She contemplated telling her she'd be back just after the first Gym, but something about the mixture of the look in her mother's eyes, the mysterious voice in the Slumbering Weald, and the ever-growing calling in her heart, made her feel that telling that aloud wouldn't feel right.

"I'll do my best."

Her mum held her at arm's length and gave her shoulders an encouraging squeeze.

"I know it, love. You always have a home here. Remember, east or west, home is best," she said with a smile, tapping Dolly's nose. Then, her eyes widened. "Oh, yes! I've got something for you."

She disappeared and returned with a box in her hand.

"No matter what you said when you were little, even with everything you've been through with Pokémon, I always knew this day would come when you would return to them," she said as she held the box out. "So here, something to remember home and healing by."

Dolly took the box. She lifted the lid and inside was a delicate chain with a small gold charm on the end. It glinted as Dolly turned it over in her fingers, and the gold sheen reflected the light of their kitchen lamp.

"It's a Pecha berry," Dolly breathed.

"It's something I was holding onto until you turned eighteen, but I figured a little early wouldn't hurt."

Dolly nodded. Home and healing.

"Well," her mum said, and curtly turned back to the table. "Since I knew this would happen, I've taken the liberty of gathering a few other things for you."

She scooped up the materials on the table. She listed off the contents, dumping them into Dolly's bag one by one. Much to her chagrin, Hop was right when he said her bag would fit a Snorlax, as even a weeks' worth of food and an entire camping set fit in her bag with room to spare. When she was finished, her mum turned her by her shoulders.

"Off you go, then. Don't run yourself ragged, let your Pokémon and your friends help you when you need. Especially that Hop, me and his mum have been rooting for the two of you since you met," she ended with a grin.

Dolly's cheeks flared red.

"Mum! Don't make it weird! He's my best mate, that's gross,"

"Alright, alright, no need to fuss," she laughed. "He's just such a cutie, and so fit now that he's older."

Dolly gagged and her mum rolled her eyes.

"And I know he's such a good friend to you, Dolly."

With a flustered retort and a final wave, Dolly trotted down the steps from her house and met Hop along Route 1. They meandered their way through the route, into Wedgehurst, gathered their Pokedéxes from Professor Magnolia's self-proclaimed assistant Sonia, and were then again heading to the Wedgehurst train station. It wasn't until Hop had the revelation they should fill their teams a bit, then he was running off to Route 2. With a sigh Dolly followed, managed to catch another two Pokémon to add to her team, all the while with that same fire burning within her. An excitable Yamper named Bella joined her and Jackson, and a Wooloo to match Hop's. Two more was good for now, and that's all she could catch anyway.

As she and Hop reached the end of Route 2 in a heated discussion about the thickness of Wooloo wool, two glimmering streams of light shot through the sky.

"Did you see that?" Hop gasped, following the trail of light with his finger. "It looks like they landed near Professor Magnolia's house!"

The pair ran to the end of the route and searched around the grass for the fallen balls of light.

"Over here!" Hop called, beckoning Dolly over to him.

Before them lay two glimmering stones. Each emitted a warm red light, that only glowed more powerfully as they reached for them.

"They're Wishing Stars!" Hop said again as he turned the stone in his fingers.

"And not a lot you can do with them in that state," a voice said.

The pair turned to see an elderly woman walking towards them.

"Hand them to me, dears, and I'll get them usable for you,"

"Professor Magnolia, thanks!" Hop grinned, elbowing Dolly.

"Y-yes, thanks!"

The pair took a seat on the bench overlooking the lake near Professor Magnolia's house. Dolly swung her legs back and forth as they waited for her to finish tinkering with their Wishing Stars.

"They say Wishing Stars appear for someone who has a true and burning wish in their heart," Hop explained, looking over the water. "Makes sense for us, since my wish is to be the greatest Trainer ever."

Dolly set her head in her hands as she watched Wingulls flap over the water. Made sense for him, sure, but she certainly didn't care about becoming the greatest Trainer. Did she have a wish in her heart? She thought back to her Pokémon, to Jackson, to Bella, and to her new Wooloo named Lacey. Then she thought even farther back. Perhaps she did have a wish in her heart.

She was pulled from her thoughts as Professor Magnolia appeared behind them again and handed them two white bracelets. With a brief explanation from the professor and another round of thank-yous, the pair were officially off to their grand adventure. At least, that was what they thought until their train to Motostoke was stopped prematurely.

They looked around the station and Hop pulled aside a rail worker.

"What gives? This isn't Motostoke," he said as he set his hands on his hips.

"Righto chap," the worker said with a nod. "Wooloo on the tracks, can't move forward. Either back to Wedgehurst, or walk through the Wild Area."

A grin spread on Hop's face as he turned to Dolly.

"This is brilliant!" he exclaimed.

"Brilliant?"

"Absolutely!" he replied, and started pulling Dolly along outside the station. "The Wild Area is filled with awesome Pokémon waiting to be caught."

They followed the brief path out of the station and up to the railing of the dirt plaza.

"Look at that!" Hop continued, leaning on his heels with a whistle. "That's Motostoke, waaaay off that way! And, between there and here, are countless new Pokémon waiting to be met,"

Hop was vibrating in anticipation as Dolly gazed beyond the fencing into grand fields, lush green grass swaying as far as the eye could see. Little ponds and rivers dappled the landscape, with bright blue water bubbling through. Dolly breathed out in wonder at the beautiful show of nature before them. They heard someone approaching from behind, and Hop turned with a grin.

"Well, if it isn't Sonia," he said.

A tall woman walked up beside them, twisting at her hair with a huff.

"My gran gave me a proper earful, in her own way… said 'Those two young Trainers are setting out on a journey, but what are you doing with your life?'" she said, and her sentence was punctuated with another huff.

"Yeesh, that sounds rough," Dolly said.

"Don't worry about it," Sonia replied, waving her off. "Either way, I'm excited to be on the road again. And, I'm curious to see what else I can find out about that Pokémon you two met in the Slumbering Weald, so really the timing works out well."

Hop was bouncing between his two feet as Sonia spoke.

"Well," he started. "I'm off to go stick my head in as many of those red glowing dens as I can find. I'm going to battle the snot out of a bunch of Dynamax Pokémon and fill in another page in the tale of my legend. I'm off then, see you in Motostoke, Dolls!"

And with that, he sprinted off into the rolling fields of the Wild Area.

"Ugh, what cheek!" Sonia huffed as they watched their friend disappear into the grass. "You better be careful out there, Dolly, Dynamax Pokémon are on a whole 'nother level. Either way, though, the Wild Area is waiting for you. This is the start of your real adventure!"

After a wave, Sonia trotted into the Wild Area herself.

Dolly looked out at the rolling fields beyond the fence post. They seemed to stretch until the end of the earth, with Motostoke but a blip in the distance. A lump formed in her throat as she watched clouds rolling across the plains and lakes beyond her.

Hesitate.

Wait.

Go back to Wedgehurst, home to Postwick.

She shook her head fiercely as if to slap the thought away and into the ground. She took a breath in.

"Well," she said as she tossed her three Poké Balls out. Jackson, Lacey, and Bella all stood beside her, looking on with curiosity.

"Guess it's time for an adventure, huh? No more mediocrity."

Dolly took one step, her foot hovering before it hit the ground. She looked at the ground in front of her and her leather shoe she bought in Wedgehurst years ago when her mum and her moved. It was a little worn, a bit beat up, weathered, but sturdy all the same. It was the nights of crying herself to sleep, the nights she heard her mum cry down the hall. It was the 'never being a burden,' never being 'too much.' It was being the freak, the weirdo, being called names until she turned into nothing, a nothing that blended in so well with her surroundings. It was the halfheartedly trying only some things on, for fear of the unknown, for fear of what she would do if she dared to look greatness in the eye.

With a breath, she set her foot down. With another breath, she took another step forward. Step. Step. Step. Until she was jogging. Until she was running. Running beyond the train station, running beyond Wedgehurst and Postwick, running beyond moving houses and running beyond her past. Running beyond this Curse and running beyond her insecurities. She felt those memories and feelings and burrs dripping off of her skin as she ran faster and faster. The mediocrity was sliding of like sludge, dripping behind her.

But, she was finally running. She wasn't sitting on her couch, staring out the window. She wasn't watching her phone and quelling the throbbing in her chest when she watched each and every Pokémon battle. This is what she had been waiting for. This is what she had been missing. The faint memories of the feeling of freedom started to well again within her soul. They bounded along beside her as she recalled the wind in her hair, the Pokémon by her side. They danced like her Wooloo, Scorbunny, and Yamper did, bounding and dancing along with her as she ran into the hills, into the fields, into the unknown adventure. Out of mediocrity and into greatness.