A/N: Team Roster: Jackson (Raboot), Bella (Yamper), Sap (Charjabug), Hudson (Mudbray), Fay (Noibat)

Chapter 6 - Hubris

Dolly's team remained at five.

The next few days went by in a haze. No one really knew what to say. Her teammates all reacted differently: some cried, some yelled at her, some only nodded in silence. She wasn't sure which she hated most; Lacey unable to contain her grief as her small body racked with sobs, the screams tearing at her from Jackson's harsh and honest words, or the stoic silence from Hudson as she watched him retreat further and further within himself.

Fay, the Noibat who joined in Galar Mine No. 2, left just as quickly as she came. In her distracted state, Dolly sent her out against a Pokémon she wasn't sure of the type. Another critical hit, and the same scene repeated itself.

Rush to the Pokémon Center again.

The nurse shakes her head and says "I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do," again.

Looks of fear, suspicion, fury, from the people in the Pokémon Center again.

And a second tombstone beside the first.

Dolly sat on the pier of Hulbury, kicking her legs over the side as the lighthouse watched over her. She tossed tiny pebbles into the water and heaved out a sigh.

She had already cycled through everything she could have done, should have done, to not be sitting on the pier alone. She should have quit after the second Gym. She should have quit after the first. She should have never gotten on the train, should have never accepted any starting Pokémon. She should have never gotten off her couch that day. She didn't feel anything anymore, physically or mentally. The numbness in her arms and chest had yet to dissipate, magnified by the two deaths so close together.

Her eyes were dry, hollow, as if she had run out of tears altogether. Her body was dried up, withered, empty.

Idiot, idiot, idiot. She was wasting her time playing dress up, pretending to be a Pokémon Trainer, pretending to be someone normal, someone who could actually do anything. She embarrassed herself by fawning over two successful and passionate men like she was some stupid, starstruck preteen. She was ashamed of her naivety, her audacity, to think that she could actually do this, that she could actually do something with her life. The mediocrity slithered into her skin again, the sludge staining again the parts that were so raw, so beaten. She was probably just hallucinating in the Slumbering Weald. She was no shield, she bore no defense for her Pokémon. The Curse couldn't be broken, and she would live with it forever - doomed to either mediocrity, or risking the lives of others. Doomed to be bored or to be selfish.

She sighed again, resting her chin on her hands and she tossed the last pebble into the water.

Even if the vision was a hallucination, she couldn't deny the fire that blazed within her every time she battled. She couldn't deny the life she felt well within her every time she tossed out a Poké Ball or issued a command. That was the most real thing she had ever known. But that didn't matter - what was her wanting to chase a selfish desire compared to the lives of friends? The guilt tore at her insides. She'd been sitting like beige wallpaper for years, and soon she would return.

She reached to pick up another pebble. She felt a shudder from her bag and Jackson appeared beside her. He took a seat next to her, dangling his legs over the pier as well.

They sat in silence as the sun shone over them, casting sparkles onto the water. She couldn't bring herself to look at him after their screaming match. He had screamed at her, and she had screamed back. But he was right, she should have warned them all. She didn't tell any of them they could die.

She felt a weight on her thigh. Jackson had laid his paw on her leg, still overlooking the sea. After a moment, she lay her hand over his.

They sat like that for a while, still neither saying a word, but speaking volumes. Dolly let out a sigh, and Jackson did the same.

So she told them. She told them all. She used Posey and Fay as examples of what could happen to them. Some of her Pokémon left immediately - the Bunnelby she caught was gone, Bella her Yamper was gone, and only four stayed.

"You can't sit here forever, you know," came a voice from behind them.

Trainer and Pokémon turned to see Sonia standing behind them, arms crossed.

"The world still turns, Dolly."

She slung her legs over the side of the pier as well, taking a seat on the other side of Dolly. She rested her head on her arms on the railing in front of them.

"That's probably the hardest lesson I've ever had to learn. That someday, somebody you love will die, and everything else will seem irrelevant. Nothing matters anymore."

They watched Wingulls flap over the sea.

"And yet," she continued. "The earth still moves. People continue about their day, normal as ever, while your life has changed forever."

Jackson crawled on Dolly's lap, the trio still gazing at the sea.

"I lost both of my parents a few years ago," Sonia continued. Dolly finally looked at her. "That's when I started living with my gran instead. When that happened, nothing else mattered. I didn't care about anything for a long time, and even until this day it's still hard sometimes. I did nothing, I felt nothing. But, I allowed myself to grieve. Then, I allowed myself to move on. Because that's when someone told me what I'm telling you; that the world still turns."

Sonia turned her head and her eyes peered into Dolly's.

"I don't know what you're fighting for, Dolly. I don't know why you started this journey, and you don't have to tell me. But, what I do know is that there's something. There's something within you that burns brighter than anything I've seen in a Gym Challenger in a long time. You wouldn't be able to battle like that if there wasn't. The control, the grace, and the passion you have when you work with your Pokémon is like nothing I've ever seen. Rose and Leon said so too," she said as she gazed again over the sea.

Dolly looked down to Jackson sitting in her lap. She stroked her hand through his fur.

"One day I realized something," Sonia continued. "My father and mother will never be coming back in a way I was used to, but I knew that they wouldn't want me sitting around forever feeling sorry for myself. Allow yourself time, yes, but don't forget why you started out in the first place. Your friend wouldn't want you sitting here like a husk, not having showered or eaten in days, because of her. What do you think she would have wanted for you? What they would have wanted for you? What would she have said?"

Dolly continued looking out over the sea.

Her mind flashed to Posey, to Fay, to her Faline in the forest.

"I still love you," Dolly whispered.

Sonia nodded, and Dolly willed herself to speak again.

"That I should continue on. Maybe even... break this Curse."

"Right, and to have fun and enjoy life while doing it," Sonia smiled from beside her. "We're learning, Dolly. We're learning more about this Curse day by day. Perhaps one day, we'll find out about that thing in the Slumbering Weald. Perhaps we'll find out that what it said was true - that you can overcome this Curse, and that maybe you really are the Shield of Galar."

Sonia stood and brushed off her legs. She stood for a moment, as if saying a silent prayer, and left Dolly and Jackson to sit together gazing at the sea. They sat there, time unimportant, as the port town behind them bustled and the sun began to set. It wasn't until Jackson's stomach grumbled that they both jerked back to life. Dolly let out half a laugh and scratched between his ears.

"Probably about time we get going," she uttered, voice hoarse.

He nodded, stood from her lap and stretched, his back cracking as he reached to the sky. She stood as well, dusting off her leggings and skirt. She pulled her hair into a ponytail, hands greasy from the residue it left.

It was time to head home.

All the way home.

She was right from the beginning, should have left it at one Gym and quit. What Sonia said was kind, but it was too late. She already decided: Back to her house and her couch and her beige wallpaper.

She didn't want to decide between the routes. Should she travel past the graves of her Pokémon or past the mine that sent them there? Jackson said they should go back past the graves, and perhaps they could lay some flowers down.

Jackson walked beside her the entire time, a silent support as they made their way past Turffield, past Route 4, past the first mine, past Route 3, and into the Budew Drop Inn. A shower and sleep, then she'd finish her trek home.

As she opened the doors to the Budew Drop Inn, someone was walking out.

"Oh, heya Dolly,"

It was Marnie, smiling softly at her.

"Out givin' it your all, even this late, huh? You okay?" she asked, taking in the bags under Dolly's eyes and her unkempt clothes.

"I'm dropping out of the Gym Challenge," she sighed, unable to filter her words to the soft and unassuming girl before her.

Marnie's brow furrowed, and she pulled Dolly aside. The dusk cooled her skin, breezing through Marnie's pigtails as they stood by the front of the Inn. Dolly picked at her fingers as she watched a couple kids playing hopscotch with their Pokémon.

"What're you talking about, dropping out?" she asked, setting her hands into the pockets of her leather jacket. "We only just started?"

Dolly shrugged again, looking to the ground. Her loafers were caked in mud and dust, as were her ankles. Her bangs were clumped from grease, and she was sure her entire body had a layer of grime on it. She looked like a right mess, just to match how she felt inside.

"How 'bout a Pokémon battle? Maybe that'll change your mind?" Marnie asked, smiling sweetly. "After watching you on the telly for your matches with Milo and Nessa, I've been itching to have a chance at you. None of the other Challengers battle in the way you do,"

"I don't know, Marnie," she said with a sigh. "I can't…"

"Can't what? Wait to lose?" Marnie smiled, twirling back and forth.

Dolly let out a smile despite herself. Perhaps Sonia was right, perhaps she did need to move on. She still planned to head back to Postwick, but she didn't want her last battle against a Trainer to be Bede. She'd much rather win against sweet Marnie, then quit Pokémon forever. She nodded.

"Fine. One more, then I'm done."

Marnie smiled again and clenched her fists.

"Wicked. And right here's the perfect spot," she said as she led them further from the Inn entrance until they were standing in the plaza before it.

A few pedestrians noticed the two Challengers and took their seats to watch the battle. Dolly fished her four Poké Balls out of her bag, heaving out another breath. One more battle, then she was done. Back to Postwick, back to her home, back to her couch, and she'd figure out something else to do with her life.

That thought contradicted everything she felt the second she threw her Poké Ball. She hadn't battled anything in days, and she didn't realize what effect it was having on her. Immediately it was like her heart beat again, her eyes opened again, and the wind started to blow again. Marnie must have sensed it too, as she called across the bricks between them.

"Let's see what kind of Trainers Postwick can spit out, Challenger Dolly!"

Dolly ordered her Pokémon forward, her commands flawlessly executed as if they had never stopped. Marnie grinned the entire time during their battle, even as her Pokémon fell one by one. That friendly competition that burned between them ever since they first met roared to life.

Dolly tossed out Lacey. She was due to evolve any minute, and the experience from this battle was exactly what she needed. If she evolved, Dolly was sure Lacey would fit well with the Dubwool in Postwick.

Lacey appeared before her, eyes blazing in determination. She took her stance sturdily, her faithful partner ready for instruction. Dolly could feel her blood pumping again as the wind blew against her, the cheers from their makeshift crowd wafting through the air. It was like she gained power the louder they chanted her name. She stood taller, readier, determined to face life again as the sludge of mediocrity slowly began to slide.

Her Wooloo and Marnie's Morpeko scattered back and forth across the bricks, dodging and attacking, biting and tackling, until Lacey emerged victorious. Dolly wiped the sweat from her brow as Morpeko hit the ground.

"Wow, Dolly, pretty impressive for someone from a small country town," Marnie smiled from across the way.

And the same to you," Dolly said with a nod.

"But I'm not finished yet," Marnie grinned, tossing out her final Poké Ball.

A Croagunk appeared before them, grinning at Lacey devilishly. Lacey reared back, ready again for her Trainer's command. The Pokemon wove back and forth again across the bricks of Motostoke, and Lacey still had the upper hand.

"Croagunk, use Poison Jab!"

The Croagunk sprinted forward, the ends of its arms glowing purple. It reached Lacey and stabbed its fingers into her heart.

Again.

Again.

And again.

"Stop!" Marnie yelled, rushing up to her Croagunk. "Croagunk that's too much!"

It only laughed as Lacey hit the ground. Then, it reared forward and Marnie had to launch herself on top of her Pokémon.

Dolly rushed forward too, dreading the next few seconds. She collapsed to the ground, setting Lacey's head in her lap. She scrambled into her bag, tearing through clothing and Poké Balls to get to her potions. No potions.

"Miss Dolly?" Lacey whispered. "Why do I feel like this? My veins hurt…"

Poison heal, poison heal.

Dolly's fingers started to tingle.

No poison heal.

Marnie was struggling to hold back her Croagunk, it's crazed eyes still fixed on Lacey.

"Miss Dolly?" Lacey whispered again as her eyes started to close.

"Yeah," she responded, eyes wide, still tearing through her things. Her fingers were numb, and it was getting harder to feel around her bag.

Pecha berry, Pecha berry.

"I'm real glad I got to be your Pokémon," she smiled.

No Pecha berry.

Dolly's head whipped around, eyes frantically searching for the glowing red beacon of the Pokémon Center.

"I love you," Lacey smiled. "And thank you for the adventure."

"This isn't goodbye," Dolly tried to smile, only letting out a grimace. "This can't be, it can't be, Lacey,"

Lacey closed her eyes and let out her final breath.

The tingling in Dolly's fingers erupted yet again. The stabbing spread through her fingers, her arms, and shot into her chest.

She sat, clutching Lacey in her arms as the tears began to fall again. She winced as she felt the stabbing in her heart.

Number three.

So soon.

So close to the others.

She was a monster.

She stood, returned Lacey to her old Poké Ball, and ran.

Pushed through the crowd.

Pokémon Center.

Nothing they could do.

She ran again, hair whipping her face, grease and tears lining her cheeks.

Get out, get out, get out.

Through the dark.

Down the lift.

Across the bricks.

Pushing, sprinting as fast as she could.

Down the steps.

Her foot caught on the stone, and Dolly tumbled.

Tumbled down the last few steps, landing into the dirt of the Wild Area.

And there she lay, dirty, pathetic, and sobbing at the base of the steps of Motostoke City.

The dust settled around her as she hugged her arms around herself, hiding her face in her jacket. Unprepared. Irresponsible. It was all her fault. Idiot. Idiot. Idiot. Monster. Monster. Monster.

She sobbed in the dirt, pitifully, mournfully, alone.

How could Lacey love her. How could anyone love such an idiot, such a monster. She was not worthy of friendship, she was not worthy of love.

One by one flashes erupted around her. She felt a paw take Lacey's Poké Ball from her hand as her Charjabug crawled up to her torso, wiggling herself into Dolly's jacket. Hudson lay on her other side, resting his chin on her trembling shoulder. Through the shakes of her sobs, she pet her Mudbray on the nose and curled her arms around Sap.

After a time Jackson returned, paws caked in dirt, and Lacey's old Poké Ball was nowhere to be found.

Someone approached them as Dolly lay still on the ground, her cries growing softer as she clutched Sap to her chest. Hudson reared, blocking the approaching man from getting any closer to Dolly. Jackson bore sharp teeth and took a flaming stomp forward. The man stood back and held his hands up.

"Hey, sorry, sorry. I don't mean any trouble, but lady, you can't lay here, they've got homeless shelters in Motostoke if you go back up the steps."

Dolly flicked her eyes up, swallowed her sob, and nodded, slowly rising from the ground.

"Sorry," she muttered, still holding onto Sap.

She slowly trudged away from Motostoke, using every ounce of energy she had left just to lift her feet. Her team followed along behind her until she returned them all to their Poké Balls, knowing she couldn't stand to risk losing another to fate. Jackson refused, however, and stood stubbornly on the final stair to Motostoke.

"Where are we going? The next Gym is in Motostoke, isn't it?" Jackson finally asked as Dolly continued onto the grass.

"I'm going home."

Jackson watched her back as she trudged further off. He squinted his eyes, then ran beside her again.

"What do you mean, you're going home?"

"Not sure how to make that more clear,"

"We can't stop now!" he protested, pulling at her sleeve. "We were doing so well!"

She whirled around to her Raboot.

"Doing well? What are you talking about? We just lost three team members within days of each other," she retorted, eyes wide. "If that's doing well I don't want to know what doing poorly is."

She continued, walking into the darkness of the Wild Area.

"Yeah, but what about the rest of us?" he called at her retreating back. "Don't we matter too?"

She paused, turned, and tossed out her other two Pokémon. Jackson, Sap, Hudson - the only three remaining.

"You're all free to go," she said.

They looked at her, brows furrowed. She waved at them with her hands, shooing them off.

"Go on," she huffed. "You can all leave, I'm not your Trainer anymore."

They all stood, staring at her, taking in her words.

"You're all smart Pokémon, you can find your way back. Can't die if I'm not your Trainer."

None of them moved.

"I said leave!" she called, voice raising. "Go on, scram! Back to your lives, back where you're safe and away from a freak like me."

Her voice cracked at the end of her sentence and her shoulders slumped as they silently watched her.

"...Don't you understand?"

The Wild Area was quiet. Only the rustling of grass whispered in the air as Dolly blinked back the sting in her eyes, but then, the silence was broken when Dolly stomped forward.

"If you stay with me, you'll die!" she shouted. "You saw what happened to Posey, to Fay, to Lacey just now! That'll happen to you if you stay with me!"

None of her three Pokémon even flinched. They only gazed up at her, big eyes taking in the tears falling from their Trainer. Then, Jackson sat. And Sap sat. And Hudson sat. They all nonchalantly sat in the dirt, unmoving, unwavering, still gazing up at her.

"I'm a death sentence. I'm a monster."

Her breath came out in ragged heaves as she watched her Charjabug wriggle towards her, little sparks flitting in the air. Dolly let out a whimper as Sap pawed at her, trying to climb up her leg. She let out another sob as she plopped to the dirt with a thwump, opening her arms as Sap clambered into her lap.

Jackson and Hudson plodded over to her as well, climbing into Dolly's lap. She cried into Jackson's fur as he held onto her, the four of them making an odd picture sitting there in the dirt of the Wild Area. Hudson smeared the tears off her cheek with his nose.

"We're not going anywhere."

"We're a team now, a family, whether you like it or not," Jackson said, holding her face in his paws. Her bottom lip quivered as she looked to her three remaining team members.

"You gave us a chance to leave, and we chose not to," her Mudbray continued. "You've given us all the information you could, described every scenario, and it's up to us to decide. And this is our decision."

Sap squeaked in agreement, a shock of electricity coursing through Dolly's fingers as she pet her Charjabug.

"And we want you to respect us enough to continue this Gym Challenge," Hudson finished, resting his hoof on her knee.

"Yeah, Dolly, when you said to go home, I couldn't think of anywhere else to go." Jackson said, still gazing into Dolly's eyes. "So going home means staying with you."

Dolly let out another sob as she clutched her Pokémon close to her heart. The moon cast a glow over them, enveloping them in soft light as fireflies flit about the Wild Area. They stayed there for a while, holding each other as Dolly's sobs softened, as her breathing turned from cracked huffs to a soft sigh.

"I agree with Jackson," Hudson said after a while. "You saw how I was when you first caught me: bored, meandering, looking for something to do. When you came along with that dirty, smiling, vagabond group of yours, it's like I finally had something to fight for... To fight alongside."

Dolly looked to her Mudbray, who was gazing into the night sky.

"Fighting with you has given me purpose, Dolly, and I don't want to go back to the life I was living."

Dolly patted Hudson's nose and scratched behind his ear. His words resonated in her heart. She didn't want to go back to the life she was living either. She didn't want to sit and ignore the throbbing in her chest every time she even glanced at a Pokémon. She didn't want to have finally found her passion, her calling, only to toss it to the side and bury it under the dirt.

But at what cost? Risking the life of another Pokémon? To bury them under the dirt instead?

"There's gotta be a way to break this Nuzlocke Curse," Jackson pondered, scratching his chin with his paw. "So just do that and we can battle together forever!"

"That orange hair lady said something about a book, right?" Hudson asked. "So there's got to be other people who know about it. If we learn about it, if we're all more careful, get stronger, and break that Curse, then we won't lose anyone else ever again. Problem solved."

Sap squeaked in agreement, and Jackson hopped off her lap and pumped his fists.

"Well no use sitting around here picking our butts! Trust your Pokémon, Dolly, because I know the next step to figuring this out!" he grinned, turning towards Motostoke. "It rhymes with 'Flabu's Snire-type Gym,' and I'm sure my Ground-type mate here is ready to rumble."

Hudson nodded in agreement as she looked to her rag-tag team. She let out a sigh.

Trust in your Pokémon. Overcome the Curse. That's what that voice in the Slumbering Weald said, and now was a good a time as any to follow through.

"Alright folks," she started. "We're in it for the long haul then, huh?"

Jackson ran up next to her and placed his hands on his hips.

"Yeah! No more messin' around!" he quipped, puffing out his furry chest.

"We have to train. Hop said Kabu is the first real roadblock in the Gym Challenge, and I'm not risking anything again, so you all better be ready for some serious grinding."

"Leave it to me," Hudson nodded, flexing his shoulders. "Whatever you're fighting for, we'll fight with you."

Dolly set her Pokémon on the ground and stood, the moonlight enhancing the new light in her.