A/N: Team Roster: Jackson (Raboot), Sap (Charjabug), Hudson (Mudsdale), Rosa (Oddish)

Chapter 8 - Sun in the Mine

A crack of thunder split through her unconscious and Dolly woke with a start, gasping for air. It took her a moment to process where she was, who she was, what was going on. She heard someone let out a breath.

"You're up," the voice said. "You had us all quite worried out there."

Her eyes adjusted and she recognized Kabu sitting in a chair beside her. Water dripped off his sleeves as he rested his elbows on his knees.

Dolly furrowed her brow as she began to sit up. She tried to swing her legs off the bed and flinched - it was like the lightning tore through her head, ravaged and throbbed by her temple.

"Take it easy," another voice said. "You hit your head pretty hard on the pavement,"

Dolly looked to this new voice and saw Sonia sitting at the end of the bed. Both Kabu and Sonia shared the same, furrowed expression.

"Sonia too? Where am I?" she asked, slowly taking in her surroundings. The furnishings were sparse, but high quality. A few red chairs, some picture frames on the wall, a corner of a nightstand beside her. She had seen these things before.

A door opened and a flash of dark red and gold came running in.

"How is she?"

Leon came up to Dolly and knelt beside the bed. He gingerly ran a hand across her forehead, and she winced again as the lightning struck outside.

"How you doing, little Dolly?" Leon asked. "Some mess out there, huh?"

"I guess so," she said. She couldn't look him in the eyes. He probably thought she was disgusting, too.

He gave her a smile, brows furrowed. He looked to Sonia, then to Kabu.

"I chased off that mad mob," he said as he removed his hand from her head and clenched it on the nightstand. His shoulders were shaking. "I don't know what that bloody group was thinking, attacking a young girl like that... Shouting all those obscenities at her, surrounding her like a pack of wild Mightyenas."

He pounded a fist on the table and her head pounded with it.

"Leon," Dolly managed to get out. "Will I be disqualified from the Gym Challenge?"

Leon whipped his head around to her again. The anger melted from his face.

"No...no of course not, Dolly. Please don't worry about that, you're not disqualified," he said. A grin began to spread across his face. "In fact, I fully expect to see you and your Pokémon on the Champion pitch with me by the end of this,"

Although her innards felt like sludge and her mind felt like mud, something about the way he smiled at her was comforting. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she certainly felt safer with him there. He chased off an entire mob through a thunderstorm then cared enough to come visit her here. Dolly never had any siblings, but she could imagine this is what it would feel like to have a kind, protective, doting older brother. Hop was lucky.

"Dolly," Kabu said abruptly. "You must rest. I will not battle you until you are fully healed,"

Dolly looked at her hands folded in front of her. The skin around her fingers was red and raw - she hadn't realized she had been picking at them.

"I know, you said that on the pitch."

"I mean physically, mentally, and emotionally. This has been quite the ordeal. Not any way for decent people to behave, and unfortunately you were on the receiving end of that misbehavior. When you are feeling better, we must have a conversation. Meet me in Galar Mine No. 2 when you are ready."

Despair sank into her heart at the sound of it. She barely managed through the mine each time she had gone into that forsaken place, and she had vowed to never step foot in it again. Kabu left and closed the door before she could respond.

After a moment, she looked around again. She was lying in a bed of crisp linens, though they were damp where she and Sonia were sitting. Her jacket was laying on the chair by a desk, her bag was set on the dresser across from her. She glanced to the window. Through a crack in the curtains she could see the night rain pattering against the glass. Sonia sat at the foot of her bed, and Leon was kneeling beside it.

"Where's Hop?" she asked.

Sonia snickered and Leon heaved out a sigh, looking to the ceiling.

"That little brother of mine was a proper mess," Leon said, rubbing his forehead. "Utterly useless as getting milk from a Tauros. Kept nattering on about Ninetails and Pecha berries and you and a Deerling, he was making the rest of us panicked too. So, I sent him on an errand to heal up your Pokémon for you, worried he was using up all the air in the room with how much he was talking."

"Oh don't make her feel worse, Leon," Sonia huffed. She softly looked at Dolly. "He just cares about you, yeah? We all do. That's why we were pretty worried with that mad group screaming at you in a bloody thunderstorm,"

"Sorry to be such a bother…" she said, looking at her thumbs. The despair settled again, leaking into her veins.

Useless. Pulling in these kind, intelligent, and established people because she couldn't handle herself. Sonia could be continuing her research, Hop could be heading to the next Gym, and Leon was literally the Champion of the region and could be doing a thousand other things right now. And there they were, wasting time in an Inn with a useless Trainer. A sopping wet rat. Wasting their time with a monster, a freak, a murderer.

"Oh, no," Leon said, pulling her from her thoughts. "Don't you go feeling sorry for yourself again. You're safe and sound here, you're going to rest up, then you're going to face Kabu again soon. Got it? That's an order from Galar's Champion, and a request from a friend,"

Sonia nodded and walked to the closet.

"I know both me and Leon have only known you for a little bit, but we both care about you a lot, yeah? You've become something like a little sister to the both of us, and we're glad to see you safe."

She took out a fuzzy blanket, walked over, and furled it around Dolly's shoulders with a smile. She tucked it around her snuggly, then tapped Dolly on the nose. Leon nodded alongside Sonia as she spoke. He gently patted Dolly's hand and flashed a grin.

"Yeah, I've been asking my mum for years for a baby sister, since all I got was Hop. Figure I know everything about you anyway from how much he talks about you,"

Dolly let out a laugh despite her throbbing head.

"Um, thanks," she said, as a small, genuine smile bloomed on her face.

Little sister…? She certainly felt little. Even if she didn't fully understand why they cared, she did feel safer with the both of them there with her. Those people outside wouldn't come in and yell at her with them protecting her. Perhaps they were being honest, otherwise why would they be here?

"Speaking of Hop," Leon muttered, looking to the door. "I swear that little brother of mine sprints everywhere he goes, not sure what's taking him so long now."

As if on cue, a banging came from the door. Dolly jumped and conveniently refreshed her headache. The second Leon opened the hotel door, Hop burst in.

"How is she? Where is she? Is she up? Is she awake? How is she?"

"Right where we left her, Hop," Sonia laughed.

Dolly smiled weakly at her friend. She watched as his shoulders relaxed and he heaved out a sigh. Her own shoulders relaxed when Sonia stood up, and he clambered to her spot at the edge of the bed.

"Why are you so determined to give me a heart attack? Keep this up and I'll be in the hospital for cardiac arrest at the ripe age of eighteen," he joked, clutching his chest. "I've got your Pokémon all healed up for you."

He held out the Poké Balls before her. She took them and set them on the nightstand beside her, then glanced at each of them. They were all gazing at her, sopping wet, and smiling. A blush crept up on her cheeks at the care each of them exuded.

"Thanks again," she said. "To all of you."

She nodded at each of her friends, holding eye contact with Hop another second as she watched a small smile appear. Although Sonia and Leon did make her feel safe, it was nothing compared to Hop. He wasn't new, and she wasn't confused as to why he would be there. She felt a little better, sat a little taller, now that he was in the room with her too.

Sonia and Leon looked between the two Trainers, then swapped a brief glance with each other.

"Well, I'm sure you two are famished, Leon and I will go and pick up some dinner for us,"

"Why can't we just get something deliver-hrrk," Leon grunted as Sonia shoved her elbow into his ribs.

One of Dolly's Poké Balls rolled off the nightstand, so when she bent to retrieve it she missed Sonia widening her eyes, flicking them between Dolly and Hop, then Leon breathing out an 'oh.'

When she sat back up, Dolly heard her stomach gurgle. It seemed everyone else heard it too and Hop's eyebrows pulled together.

"Sounds like you've got an Exploud in there."

"Stuff it, you," she said, then stuck her tongue out at Hop.

Sonia smirked and she and Leon shared another look.

"Alright you two, we're off," Leon said as he and Sonia headed out the door.

"Make sure it's something good, Sonia!" Hop yelled at the pair as the door was closing. "Leon has no taste in anything good," he grumbled, more to himself than anyone.

"Thanks for healing up my Pokémon, Hop," Dolly said, slowly sitting up against the headboard of the bed. Hop mirrored her, and kicked off his shoes and sat cross-legged across from her. Her stomach growled again, and he set his hands on his hips, suddenly stern.

"Dolly."

She looked up at him guiltily.

"Seriously, when was the last time you ate anything? You're going to wither away. Are your Pokémon eating enough?"

"Yes! Of course they are," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm not going to let them starve, what kind of Trainer would I be?"

"So you won't starve them, but you'll starve yourself?" Hop sighed again, his eyes tracing along her face. "If you can't take care of yourself for your own sake, at least do it for theirs...and for mine."

Dolly watched his brows furrow, his shoulders slump. Oh man, guilt trip.

"Alright, alright," she sighed with a hint of a smile. "If that'll get you to stop looking at me like a sad little Lillipup."

"Excellent, just what I wanted to hear." he grinned. Her heart quickened.

Dolly tugged her blanket around herself, gazing again out the window and into the night. As she rested her head on her knees, she watched the rain splatter against the paned glass. Hop followed her gaze, also watching as the dark water trailed down the panes. Lightning flashed and the boom of thunder followed. Dolly heaved in a sigh, still feeling small, still feeling raw, as flashes from earlier shot through her head like the lightning outside.

"Hop?"

He looked at her, golden eyes darting about her face in the yellow light of the room.

"Can I have a hug?" she asked softly.

It didn't even take a second before he crawled over and wrapped his arms around her. Instinctively she sighed, curling her arms around him in return. Even though the yelling and the flashing and the thoughts that tore through her mind shook her reality, when he wrapped his arms around her like, that she felt grounded.

The rain was softening, now only tapping against the glass as Dolly's eyes fluttered closed. She listened to it and the sound of Hop's heart thrumming in his chest. The combination was oddly soothing. She breathed out a sigh, wisping away a few strands of platinum hair that had settled on her face. Hop sighed as well.

"I'm so glad you're okay," he said from beside her ear. "When I came out of the stadium, I just saw a bunch of people standing in the rain, I had no idea what was going on. When Lee told me and then I saw Kabu with you, I... I…"

He sighed again and hugged her closer.

"I'm just glad you're okay."

Dolly nodded as her consciousness started to slip. The rain and his heartbeat by her ear were like a lullaby, a sweet melody luring her into sleep. Her eyelids were heavy as his voice rumbled against her again.

"I know I said it before, Dolls, but I'm real proud of you. You're my best mate, and my best rival, and I need you to be there with me when I beat my brother in the Championship match. So... I'm...I'm glad you're okay."

She breathed out a hum of agreement, her head starting to feel heavy as well.

"You should consider yourself lucky," Hop said after a while. "Not many are blessed with so many Hop hugs in a day."

She snorted, torn from her half-conscious state. She finally pulled away, tucking the blanket around her shoulders again.

"I'll think about that next time I'm attacked by a mob,"

"That's all I ask. Now," he said, reaching into his pocket. "Although Hop hugs are known for their healing qualities, I know of only one other whose hugs are superior to mine..."

In a flash of light the bed sank as a Wooloo appeared beside them.

"No one can feel sad after hugging my Wooloo! Go on, mate," he grinned, shooing Wooloo over to her.

Dolly held out her arms for the Wooloo, an easy grin spreading over her face.

"Hi there, Dolly," Wooloo bleated. "Happy to be of assistance." He turned around three times and plopped onto her lap as she let out a feminine 'oof.'

"Well anyway, I know what else will make you feel better. I was thinking I've gotta show you this Challenger's match and you can tell me what you think," Hop said, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

He crawled next to Dolly, sitting up against the headboard of the bed as well. There the two sat, watching and critiquing a fellow Gym Challenger. He moved closer when she mentioned she couldn't get a good look at the match over Wooloo's wool. It wasn't until Sonia and Leon buzzed back into the room that she noticed half of her body was resting against Hop's, his arm slung behind her head on the top of the headboard. Dolly hid her face in Wooloo's coat after she saw the sly grin that appeared on Sonia's face and the look that she shared with Leon.

The two older Trainers spread out an extra sheet and their meal on the bed, everyone kicking off their shoes and settling in for some grub. It didn't take long for Dolly to laugh again as the two brothers bickered back and forth with some sarcastic commentary from Sonia and herself. After their dinner, Sonia mentioned how she was dying to play this new game she had heard about on a podcast, and the four of them spent a surprising amount of time trying to guess what Pokémon Leon was trying to pantomime. Dolly would have thought he'd be better at acting out a Charizard.

Near the end of their final round, Dolly's eyes were slowly dropping closed. As she gazed around at her odd bunch of friends, she smiled just a little, much more peaceful and confident than she had been earlier that day. Sonia noticed, they all cleaned up their mess, then she shooed the two boys out. She had to shove Hop out with her shoulder.

"I'm right down the hall if you need, Dolly," Sonia said in the doorway. "And Leon and Hop are right next door. Call on any of us if you need anything,"

Dolly gave her a nod.

"I mean it. No more of this 'Ooo I don't want to be a bother,' nonsense. You can pull that with your other friends and what have you, but not us," she said, pointing at her own eyes, then swiveling her two fingers to Dolly.

Dolly laughed and nodded as Sonia closed the door. The affection for her friends was overwhelming as she rubbed at her chest where her heart beat. She had known Hop for forever, but her appreciation for Sonia and Leon grew ten-fold that night. She smiled despite herself, feeling a bit safer in the world knowing those two were looking out for her. She met Sonia only a short while ago, but the woman had gone out of her way time and time again to be a support beam for her - fixing her up after the Wild Area, fixing her up again when they sat at the pier in Hulbury, and now tonight.

And not only that, she was glad that her stupid infatuation with the Champion had shifted, seeing him now as just another person she could finally have a normal conversation - and he was just as weird as his brother. It was actually a bit fun watching him chew with his mouth open and suck at charades without the weight of the world on him. She smiled at the thought of having a new older brother, so willing and ready to look out for her. She chuckled again to herself, and it didn't take long for the sound of the rain to finally lull her to sleep.

~later~

Dolly took in a breath and stepped into the mine. She wandered through the glittering cave, the gemstones sparkling and shimmering against the sandy floor. Although once she found the silky purple sand beautiful, now it made her stomach churn. Kabu was standing in the center of a clearing near the end of the cave. He was facing away from her when she walked up to him.

"Hi Mr. Kabu," she muttered. Her voice echoed meekly throughout the cavern.

The only recognition that he gave her was a slight tilt of his head.

"What do you see here, Dolly?" he asked, gesturing toward the walls.

Dolly paused in her steps toward him. She looked past him, wondering if there was something specific he was talking about. Nothing seemed astronomically different from the last handful of times she had been in the mine. The same rocks, the same gemstones, the same minecart, the same tools left on the ground.

"A wall...?"

Another curt nod.

"What else?"

"Gemstones...dirt...rocks…" she listed off, brows furrowing. If this were a test, she felt her marks were rubbish.

Kabu started walking closer to her, past her, and up to one of the walls behind her.

"And here?"

Dolly turned. Again, nothing seemed different about this wall then the rest of the walls around them. She crossed her arms, trying to hide her huff of frustration.

"Is there something I should be seeing here, Mr. Kabu? I don't see anything different, it's just a bunch of rocks."

"Come closer,"

She obeyed and walked up to stand next to the Gym Leader. As she was standing closer, she realized that the wall still looked like a conglomerate of rocks. Not very impressive rocks, either. They were gray, brown, ridged. Pretty lackluster, as rocks normally are.

Kabu took a deep breath. Dolly unconsciously did the same.

Suddenly, he slammed the palm of his hand against the center of the wall in front of them. A section of the wall cracked, and a puff of dust floated into the air around them. Kabu plucked something from the wall and placed it in Dolly's hands. Dolly waited for the dust to settle as she rubbed it from her eyes.

"It's...just a rock?" she said, a sigh of defeat escaping her lips. Great.

"It does seem so, doesn't it?" Kabu said.

He took a step towards her and picked the rock back up. He observed it, turning it as he spoke.

"To the untrained and ignorant eye, this stone is common, dirty, even ugly. It is surrounded by glittering and shining gemstones that are much more beautiful than it, things that people would much rather look at. It is easy to ignore, and it is easy to be disappointed when you receive this in your hands with so much magnificence around you. Stones like this can be thrown to hurt others, to break windows..."

He met her gaze.

"They can be used to murder."

Dolly's posture deflated.

"Why are you telling me this? I already feel like rubbish, Mr. Kabu…"

"But," he continued, looking her in the eyes. "They can also be used as a structure. They can be used to skip across lakes, placed in a garden to protect the plants within it."

As he spoke, he began to rub his hand across the surface of the stone. Pieces and flecks began to crumble away.

"And, only with pressure…"

A crack appeared, and with two hands, he broke the halves apart. Surrounded by the gray and brown stone, brilliant oranges and reds glimmered.

"...can you truly see what lies within." he said as he placed one of the halves into Dolly's hands.

"A Sun Stone…" she whispered.

"A beautiful gemstone is not easily found, Dolly, but when it is, it may decorate walls or adorn the head of royalty. A stone like this may be sought after, chased, and yet, sometimes ridiculed when one has it and others do not. It's uniqueness may be what causes some to hate it, and causes some to hate those who have it."

Dolly gazed at the stone in her hands as she processed Kabu's words.

"You are not the only one with your condition, Dolly. There are others like you," he said.

Her eyes grew wide. She clutched the stone as she looked up to Kabu.

"You mean there are more people with the Nuzlocke Curse?"

The Gym Leader nodded. He motioned to a bench beneath some of the most lustrous gemstones. She followed and sat beside him. He leaned his elbows on his knees, and his gaze grew distant.

"When I lived in Hoenn, I knew a Trainer named May," he began. It was like Kabu wasn't looking at his hands in front of him, but into the past. The weathered and seasoned man beside her seemed to become a boy the same age of seventeen. He continued after a pause.

"She was much like you: determined, skilled, clever. She was magnetic to the people and Pokémon around her, even if she did not realize it. We traveled together for a while and she would always be victorious in our battles together. She never lost. That was, until one day, she was overconfident, overzealous, and faced a Pokémon Gym before she and her Pokémon were ready."

His head tilted downward.

"Her team was destroyed. She rushed to the Pokémon Center, but there was nothing they could do. The nurse said they would never wake again." he said as he raised his head to the ceiling, eyes closed. "She, in turn, was destroyed. The knowledge of her carelessness and the memories of her teammates would haunt her for the rest of her life."

Dolly's throat tightened.

"No one knew why, either," he continued. "May had never lost before, so no one could know that this would happen. As news spread that a Trainer's Pokémon did not only faint, but perish, people began to talk. Everyone thought she pushed her Pokémon too hard; that she was abusive and a terrible person - a monster. She became the poster child against Pokémon battles. Eventually, the more she was called a monster, the more she started to believe it."

"Mr. Kabu…" Dolly started. The tears began to prick in her eyes, as her soul sank when she thought about her own team members that perished, two in this very mine.

"She could hardly stand to look at Pokémon after that. After a time of mourning though, she began to ask questions. With the help of her friends, family, she began to look beyond what happened and began to ask why. Why was it that when others lost Pokémon battles, the Pokémon could easily be revived with medicine or a trip to the Pokémon Center? But hers were gone forever?"

Dolly looked to Kabu. She hadn't noticed before, but there were tear tracks on his face and spots of darkness on the ground beneath him. He still looked like he was gazing into years and places she had never seen. She felt like she knew this May. She could relate to the pain and tragedy she had experienced: her, being full of life, only to have it ripped away, then living with the guilt of surviving after her partners hadn't.

"It was then that she remembered a vision she had, something she had passed off as a fever dream when she was sick years before. A dream that told her to listen to her intuition, to trust Pokémon, and achieve greatness beside them."

Dolly gasped and her eyes grew wide. Her heart raced as she was sucked back to her own vision in the Slumbering Weald; to those exact words that were spoken to her through the mysterious mist.

"Through tumultuous research and much, much opposition, she discovered how to reverse her Curse, the very same Nuzlocke Curse that flows in your blood."

"It can be reversed?!" Dolly gasped, springing to her feet.

Her startled exclamation caused a group of Swoobat to fly from their perches to outside the mine. Kabu leaned against the wall behind them and folded his arms across his chest.

"She realized she was cursed when she was a child. She doesn't remember who, or how, only that it happened. She was blessed with incredible talent and the ability to communicate with Pokémon - but not without a price. If she could train and grow with a team of Pokémon to achieve greatness, she would be granted one wish by the protector of the region. For her, it was a Pokémon called Rayquaza…"

"...So she did," he continued. "She started from scratch, and through trials, tribulations, and much more loss and defeat, she emerged victorious. She overcame the obstacles facing her and her country, halted the most furious weather changes the region had ever seen, became the Champion, and was granted the opportunity to face Rayquaza. She bested it and it granted her one wish."

He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall behind them.

"To this day I do not know what she wished for. I do not know if she wished away her Curse, because before I could ask, before I could say goodbye, she disappeared. I never heard from her again."

Dolly looked to the Sun Stone still glimmering in her hands.

"Her story and yours are uncommon, but not unheard of," Kabu said from beside her. "Other regions have Trainers who walk the streets, carrying the burden of the Nuzlocke Curse and the memories of their lost Pokémon. And, just as theirs was, your future is yours to decide, Challenger Dolly. You have been given this Curse, that much is determined. What isn't, however, is how you react to it."

He took one of her hands and placed it over the other, enfolding the Sun Stone in her palms.

"Because of the hand you have been dealt, you will always face opposition. You will always face those who disagree with your actions and how you choose to face the future. Even then, amongst the challenging dirt, the confusing dust, and the ugly words people will say about you..."

He opened her hands and the Sun Stone shone. It glimmered in the sunset sun that was shining through the exit of the mine. Its brilliant reds and oranges shone and glistened, speckling the walls and floor around them.

"...Even beyond these things," he continued. "You can find greatness."

As he said this, he closed her hands over one another over the stone until its shine gleamed only on her fingers. Kabu stood and walked to the exit of the mine, leaving Dolly to gaze at the potential for greatness that lay within her hands.