A/N: It's officially been a month of posting! I hope you all are enjoying the story. Just sending another note of thanks to all of you, I truly appreciate the views, follows, reviews(!), favs, etc. So, thanks for all that, and thanks so so much for reading :) - missusk
Team Roster: Jackson (Raboot), Sap (Vikavolt), Hudson (Mudsdale), Rosa (Bellossom), Mateo (Riolu), Dia (Meowstic)
Chapter 11 - Stone Crowns
"What happened with Bede, Hop? You don't seem like yourself..."
She didn't like this one bit. Hop had never been so downcast, with a crease in his brow the entire time she was with him in Stow-on-Side. Even when she pointed out a child wearing a Bronzong as a hat, he barely cracked a smile.
He had asked her to battle him, that maybe trying all kinds of different things against her would help him figure out what worked. Then, he looked at the ground, still avoiding her gaze - he wasn't even looking at her. What could that idiot Bede have done to cause her energetic, sunshine-y best friend glare at the ground like that?
When he didn't respond, Dolly sighed again. What he could use was a win against his rival, she was sure that would cheer him up. But, as much as she would like to see Hop smile again, that wasn't something she could give him. Dolly reached out to her friend, only to have him jerk his arm away, and her eyebrows pulled together. He had never done that before.
"Hop...?"
He clenched his jaw before scuffing his shoe on the ground.
"Bede really wiped the floor with me when we battled," he finally said. "And don't get me wrong, I can take a loss. Battling means you've got to lose sometimes,"
Hop looked into the sky, letting out a downcast sigh.
"But he said I was dragging Lee's good name through the mud and making yours even worse, being so rubbish as I was. I just can't get those words out of my head! If I'm weak, then people'll think Lee's weak too. They'll think the Champion is useless because his little brother is useless... and that's just another reason for Lee to not care about me."
Dolly's heart dropped at the words. She let out half a breath as her friend glared at the sky.
"Hop, Leon cares-"
"Let's just battle. Please? An all-out battle with my true rival will help get my head on straight."
"Well, alright," Dolly said, brow still furrowed.
They found their way to the center of the plaza, a few onlookers already taking their seats to watch the two Gym Challengers battle. The sun beat down overhead, its harsh light enveloping the dusty town of Stow-on-Side. The rays glinted on Hop's Poké Ball, then he tossed it out.
It took Dolly a moment to register who this new Pokémon was, because they certainly weren't his trusty Wooloo. Before her stood a Cramorant, staring blankly ahead. Throughout their battle she was continuously surprised at who Hop tossed out, each throw adding to the furrow in his brow. A Cramorant, a Silicobra, a Toxel. Where was the rest of his team? Where was Wooloo? The only one that was consistent was Thwakey.
Her heart sank each time his Pokémon hit the ground, as each time his shoulders grew more and more tense. As much as it hurt her to do it, she couldn't risk her own Pokémon's health, so she went as all out as she could.
Thwakey returned to his Poké Ball, and their battle was finished. The handful of onlookers clapped and started off to continue with their days, walking around Hop as he stood there, shoulders still tense, glaring at the ground. The dust from their battle had settled, though it rose again when he kicked at the ground.
"My strategy goes right to pot when I've got all these bad thoughts running through my head," he growled.
Dolly walked up to him, tucked her hands into her pockets, and begrudgingly resisted the overwhelming urge to reach out to him.
"I tried switching my team members in and out to max out their potential in every match-up but...we just couldn't get it together somehow...maybe that's why I'm still so weak," he said as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "Lee really is the greatest Trainer, and I don't want people laughing at him all because his little brother is rubbish."
Then, Dolly flinched as he tore his hand through his hair in exasperation.
"It's not enough! I've got to try harder! And harder and harder 'till no one's laughing!" he said, then he finally looked at her. "I'm off mate, off to find the Pokémon I can really draw the strength out of."
Hop turned, not allowing Dolly another chance to speak. She watched him as he trudged down the dirt path, kicking a few rocks along the way and she let out a breath, her heart leaving with him. Hudson was still out from their match and nudged her shoulder with his head.
"Leave him be," he said. She gave him a pat and sighed.
"I'm just worried about him," she said, stroking his mane. "I've never seen him like this before."
Hudson lifted his head and let out a sigh as well. "The lad's certainly been knocked down a few pegs, perhaps it'll be good for him to think some things through."
"I know, but he's always been there for me every time I've been upset. He would just hug me and tell me everything's okay, then everything would be okay."
"You're only remembering the times he was there - there have been plenty of times that you've needed time to yourself. People all work through things differently, Dolly, and you can't be there for everyone all the time," he said. "Sometimes people need to figure things out for themselves."
She sighed again and nodded solemnly, patting his nose. That wasn't an answer she liked. Did Hudson even see how Hop was glaring at the ground? How angry he was? Did Hudson even notice how he barely looked at her or how he flinched away when she tried to comfort him? She let out another sigh. No, that wasn't an answer she liked, but it was one she would have to try to understand.
She made her way to the Pokémon Center, healed up, and headed back to the Gym. Her eyes darted around, watching for that head of purple hair. The worry was slowly squeezing at her heart when she remembered back to when he yanked his arm away. Hop loved hugs and physical affection. Never in her life had he yanked himself away from her like that. Never in her life had she heard him say things like that. And what he said about Leon not caring about him… that couldn't be right, she must have misheard. There was no one in the world that Leon cared about more than Hop.
Her worry for Hop had to take a back seat as she gazed up at the stadium looming before her. The dark purple coloring throbbed against the orange background of the cliffs and Dolly took out her ring of Badges, clutching it in her fist.
"Here goes number five," she breathed, stepping through the double doors of the Ghost Gym.
She had every intention to elegantly and gracefully make her way through the Gym to make up for her blunders in Motostoke, but in all reality, it pretty much sucked this time too.
She nearly jumped out of her skin countless times thanks to the horrifying Ghost Pokémon coming out from the walls. After a barrage of battles, her blood pressure spiking, and a hearty dose of vertigo, Dolly stumbled out of the Stow-on-Side Gym with the Ghost Badge and her head still spinning.
"Ugh, that was the worst Gym mission they could have plotted… Allister is one demented child," she muttered to herself.
Her heart was still racing from that nightmarish Gengar, her memory was infiltrated by its huge, horrible mouth, that G-Max Terror… she shuddered at the thought. She probably wouldn't be able to sleep later that night.
It was off to the Pokémon Center, then through the forest titled 'Glimwood Tangle,' then to the village of Ballonlea. Dolly's heart kicked at the thought. It was said there were plenty of Psychic and Fairy-type Pokémon in the forest, and she was itching to catch one. Her team already had some good variety, but she didn't know how long Dia, her new Meowstic, wanted to stick around. Although it was common for Meowstic to be aloof, it was taking longer than Dolly hoped for her to get along with the rest of her team members... Rosa and Jackson in particular.
Dolly trotted down the steps, focusing on not tumbling down, because if she tumbled down these steps her eyesight would be permanently spinning, and she'd probably lose her lunch...again. She grimaced as she thought about how that less-than-graceful moment was broadcast across all of Galar. Spinning round and round like a bloody ping pong ball...they had to pause the mission for a while to clean up the platforms. She hoped it wasn't on repeat in slow-motion, at least... The media did a strangely good job of following her every mistake, so that hope faded as quickly as it came.
The marketplace was just as lively as it was the day she arrived in Stow-on-Side. People and merchants bustled about, and she had to side-step past a few Maractus carrying bundles of goods. Music from a guitar drifted through the air and she tossed a few coins into the case of a Toxtricity as she stopped to stock up on supplies. Her eyes wandered over the colorful textiles, glittering jewelry, and ripe fruits that laid out over the tables and stalls of the market. After buying a basket-full of roasted Pomeg berries, she popped one into her mouth as she let Jackson and Mateo out of their Poké Balls to enjoy the sunshine with her.
"Oh man, that last Gym battle was so awesome!" Jackson enthused.
"Yeah, probably because you're so awesome!" Mateo said, pumping his fists.
"What're you talking about I'm awesome, you're awesome! Let's race!"
"What, you hungry? 'Cuz you're about to eat my dust!"
"Not if I eat it first!"
"Wha-? Hey, that's cheating!" Mateo yelped as Jackson ran behind Dolly's legs.
Dolly rolled her eyes at her two Pokémon shoving at each other at her feet. Her mind drifted to Hop as she watched them race around the streets, kicking stones back and forth to one another, weaving through the legs of the people walking through the marketplace. He was the next scheduled Challenger after her, but she hadn't seen him sign in after her battle. Her head was over a toilet for a while though, to be fair.
"Not too far, lads!" she yelled as she started to lose track of their weaving. She could hear the laughter of her Raboot and Riolu echo through the bustling streets and she smiled to herself. She was happy to see Jackson have someone to play and let some energy out with. Mateo was a good addition to the team, and perhaps he could teach her Raboot some manners.
After haggling for new supplies, more roasted Pomeg berries, and shelling out some coins for a bandana for Mateo that he 'reeaally' liked, Dolly started back up the steps to the Gym, doing her best to corral her two most rambunctious Pokémon. It was always a challenge getting them to calm down, but they needed to get their energy out before the forest. No way she was going to let them run around with a bunch of tricky Fairy-type Pokémon out and about in the maze of a forest. As she reached the top of the steps, a Yamper darted about her feet.
"Hi Sonia, fancy seeing you here," Dolly grinned as the tall red head trotted up to her.
"Looks like my Yamper really likes you, huh?" Sonia replied. "I was actually just about to go looking for you, glad you're here. Care to come look at some ruins with me? I'm sure you raced right into the Gym without even taking a second to think about the historical landmarks here,"
Sonia squinted her eyes playfully, and Dolly let out a sheepish laugh and a shrug.
"Gotta stay consistent for the fans,"
"You tend to have surprisingly sharp insight, so I was wondering what you might think when you see the ruins."
The pair started heading up the steps next to the Gym when the ground started to shake. At first it was only faint tremors, but then an explosive crash came from the top of the stairs. Dolly stumbled into Sonia, the both of them barely catching their footing.
"What in the world was that?!" Sonia gasped. "Let's have a look!"
Dolly followed Sonia as she rushed up the steps, taking them two at a time. They had to weave around other people gripping onto the railing of the stairs when the ground shook again. A booming Pokémon call trumpeted through the air, and Dolly winced as the noise cut against her eardrums. When they finally reached the top, they were met with Bede and a huge Pokémon beside him.
That certainly didn't look like his normal dainty Psychic-types, Dolly thought, as she gazed upon the massive Copperajah. Its turquoise body surged forward, the sun glinting off of the steel ridges on its trunk.
"Destroy it! Destroy it all! We're going to find those Wishing Stars!" Bede called, motioning the Copperajah forward.
It trumpeted loudly, shaking the ground again. Sonia and Dolly rushed forward, stumbling as the Copperajah smashed against the wall, and Sonia gasped.
"That's the mural!"
Dolly's eyes widened as the Copperajah swung its trunk against the colorful painting on the rock. She surged forward as the ground shook again.
"Bede! What do you think you're doing?!"
Bede turned, and smirked upon seeing her.
"Oh my," he said, holding his hand up to pause the Copperajah. "You again…How's your Eevee doing?"
"Shut up," Dolly growled, her fists clenching. "What're you shaking the whole earth for? You're destroying a historical landmark!"
Bede ignored her and folded his arms over his chest.
"So, you think you can start collecting Wishing Stars now and get in the chairman's favor? Think that you can charm him into keeping you in the Gym Challenge? That's the way of things, is it? I see. So, you do have some cunning in you. But I won't have it! I won't allow anyone to stand in my way!"
Suddenly Dolly was thrown into battle. Bede had thrown out his Psychic-type Duosion, and Dolly tossed out her own Poké Ball. So that Copperajah wasn't his? Where did he get it from?
As the Duosion attacked with a powerful Psybeam, Dolly's mind was catapulted back to her last battle with Bede. The glittering gemstones that fell to the floor, the silky dark sand from the mine, those images tore through her mind, behind her eyelids, as Duosion unleashed another attack. She opened her eyes again as the colorful rocks from the mural fell around them, the light orange sand wafting through the battlefield.
Her Vikavolt darted about, taking down each of Bede's Pokémon with ease. Dolly had to focus, she had to shake out the thoughts that were slowly starting to swarm.
She should have used her Vikavolt last time.
She knew about the type advantage, and she used Posey anyway.
She used Posey and then Posey died.
She was a careless Trainer.
She was a monster.
She was a murderer.
Sap defeated Bede's Gothorita, and then he threw out his next Pokémon.
It was Ponyta.
Dolly's mind flashed again to the shock of light that burst around the mine, flashed back to how it shattered the sapphires off the walls as Posey hit the ground. Sap darted forward, attacking and dodging as the Ponyta tried to do the same to her. After another few hits, the Ponyta was defeated, and it was like Dolly could breathe again.
Her hands were shaking as Sap battled through Bede's final Pokémon, then she heaved out a sigh when his Hattrem hit the ground. She returned Sap to her Poké Ball, and Bede took a step back as they heard a thundering of footsteps behind them. Dolly turned to see Rose, Oleana, and a few League staff rushing up behind them.
Dolly stood aside and watched as they went back and forth, Rose and Oleana unpleasantly calm as Bede spit insults at them. Her eyes widened when Rose called for his dismissal from the Gym Challenge.
"You...you must be joking, right? You're disqualifying me from the Gym Challenge?" Bede whispered. "But you're the one who endorsed me! There are a hundred different ways we could sort this out, why are you choosing the worst possible option?!"
Then, he pointed to Dolly.
"And what about her?! She's literally killing Pokémon, and you're disqualifying me for trying to support you?"
"We will decide what to do with you later. For now, you will return to Hammerlocke," Rose sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
After another barrage of insults, Bede was escorted away from the ruins.
It all happened so quickly. One second Bede was before her, a strong rival in her Gym Challenge, and now he wasn't. Rose turned to her and Sonia as they both stood in shock at the scene before them.
"Terrible shame, all this," Rose said. "An absolute disaster. I never wish to see us lose Challengers for this sort of reason. Yet we do what we must do to keep things fair and sportsmanlike. And you, Dolly,"
Dolly's eyes shot to Rose's.
"Don't worry about what Bede said. Although we weren't aware of your condition until recently, the board has discussed it, and the majority ruled in favor of allowing you to continue your Challenge."
Dolly nodded, still thinking of Bede being so unceremoniously carted away. What would he do now? Even though he was a pain in the neck, even she wouldn't know what to do if she was disqualified. It was just one incident, too, and if Bede was being honest about helping Rose, why wouldn't he give him another chance?
"And I must say I am excited to see how you and Challenger Hop will fare - both of the Challengers Leon endorsed are kicking up quite a storm," he said with a charming smile.
Dolly nodded politely at his words, though something seemed to be hiding behind his light green eyes. Perhaps Rose wasn't everything she thought he was. He excused himself and Sonia turned back to Dolly, her brows knitted together.
"I thought you had a huge crush on Rose?" Sonia said. "Not like you're ever real elegant, but I'm surprised you weren't drooling over him this time like you did in Hulbury,"
Rude.
"Bede and I have never gotten along well, but even I think that disqualifying him may have been harsh…" Dolly shrugged.
"Rose is a complicated man," Sonia said. "And so is Bede. I heard during one of his matches that he doesn't have any family,"
Dolly's shoulders slumped. So, the Gym Challenge and Rose was probably all he had. No wonder he was a proper arse, she would be too, if she had no family. Her eyebrows pulled together. And Rose still disqualified him after one mistake? Bede was probably just trying to help Rose, trying to get some attention or love from a father-figure he admired. He was working so hard for Rose, just to be disqualified. There was no mercy, Rose took no time to teach Bede what would have been proper, but instead cast him aside simply because he 'showed no love for Galar.'
A frown ghosted her lips. No, perhaps Rose wasn't everything she thought he was.
"But what an awful turn of events…" Sonia said, breaking her from her thoughts. "I hope the mural survived all that."
As Sonia spoke, the ground began to shake again, and the wall of stone began to crumble. Dolly and Sonia both lurched backwards as rocks fell to the earth, tripping and falling as dust exploded around them. They coughed, waving the debris away as the dust settled.
Dolly's jaw dropped - what was once a colorful mural was now a gaping hole in the side of the cliff and within it, a deep chamber.
The back of the chamber curved, directing her eyes toward an archaic set of statues. Two tall stones stood, gazing beyond the chamber like kings. Crowns of rock adorned their heads and grand carvings framed their shoulders. Standing in front were two more statues, creatures regally posed as they too gazed into all of Galar.
Dolly's eyes were drawn to the statue in front, it's eyes and the shield it bore hauntingly familiar. Even though it was formed of rock, it was as if it's gaze was piercing into her.
"Shield of Galar…" she whispered.
The Slumbering Weald. The vision. The figure that stood before her, was it this?
"Look at that," Sonia whispered too, eyes flicking beyond the rubble before them and into the chamber. "Those things are Pokmeon! Not only that, but they're holding a sword and shield as if they were using them - the sword and shield were actually Pokémon!"
"The Pokémon from the Darkest Day?" Dolly asked, eyes still glued to the shield Pokémon. "But then what? They just faded from history?"
"I'm not sure...Why would these ruins be hidden if their story was depicted in those tapestries, in artwork?" Sonia asked, scratching her chin.
Dolly nodded, still taking in the statues before them. That shadow lumbering before her in the Slumbering Weald...was it this? Was it a Pokémon? Did the voice and the call come from the Pokémon before her?
"My vision said Shield of Galar…" Dolly wondered aloud. "I wonder if it has anything to do with this Pokémon. If they are connected, that would make sense as to why I could hear it speak and Hop couldn't."
"I feel like we made quite the discovery here," Sonia said after a moment. "I've got a boatload to research now, thanks to Bede, and I'm sure you've got quite a bit to ponder as well. I'll let you know if I run into anything about the Curse."
Sonia and Dolly made their way back down the steps, stopping in front of the Gym.
"You're off to Ballonlea, huh?" Sonia asked, twirling her hair around her finger.
"Yep, then off to get my fifth Badge."
"Make sure you've got your Pokémon healed up proper. I've researched the Glimwood Tangle a bit. Careful you don't get lost for too long," Sonia warned as she looked around to see if anyone was listening. She stepped closer to whisper. "They say if you're in the forest too long, a Duskull will come to steal your soul..."
Dolly's throat tightened. Not more Ghost Pokémon...
"R-really?" she whispered back, unconsciously lifting her hand to her chest.
Sonia's eyes grew wide as she slowly nodded, and Dolly swallowed again.
"They hide in the shadows of the trees," she whispered, face grim. "Waiting for the next unassuming victim… so, if you see a red light moving back and forth… Don't look at it too long, or else... it'll… GETCHA!"
Sonia shot her hands out and grabbed Dolly's sides. Dolly screamed, and as soon as she did, Sonia burst out, doubling over laughing.
"You should have seen your face!" she laughed, mimicking Dolly's face a second before. It was quite the exaggerated caricature, with her eyes wide and mouth hanging open.
"Oh, stuff it, Sonia!" she yelped, pushing her arm as heat flared in her cheeks.
"You'll be fine, Dolly, you've got quite the team with you. Duskull don't even live in the forest," Sonia said, still laughing.
"Oi, what're we laughing at?" a voice asked.
Dolly turned to see Hop running up the steps behind them, her heart still pounding.
"Just that Dolly's scared of Ghost Pokémon," Sonia smirked.
"Am not!" Dolly yelped defensively.
"Duskulls especially."
"Whatever," Dolly said, hiking her bag further up her back. "I've got a forest to traverse through, so if you lot will excuse me."
She gave them a decisive nod and turned. Dolly had already started marching off, so she didn't notice the nudge Sonia gave Hop, nor the flick of her head. She also didn't notice the confused look, the exasperated groan, nor the shove Sonia gave Hop towards the forest. She did notice, however, how Hop seemed to trip a bit as he fell into step with her.
"I'm off to Ballonlea, too, mind a traveling partner?"
"Just as long as you don't race off ahead,"
"Why, you scared of the dark spooky forest?"
"N-no," she said, mentally smacking herself for the unintentional stutter. Hop let out a laugh.
"No need to worry. The handsome, brave, and incredibly fit Hop is here to protect any young damsel from a villainous Duskull," he grinned, puffing out his chest. He walked stiffly, flexing his arms in front of him and waggling his eyebrows.
"You're certainly feeling better," she grinned. "I was pretty worried about you back there."
Hop's bravado deflated as they crossed over the threshold of the Glimwood Tangle.
"I trained up a bit and beat Allister in one go," he said as they wove their way into the forest. "I guess I've also been thinking more about my team, good strategies, things like that. Cleared my head a bit. I might even find a nice Ghost Pokémon in the forest,"
Dolly rolled her eyes as Hop grinned sideways at her. Despite herself, Dolly couldn't help but let out a sigh, the tension in her shoulders fading as Hop walked beside her.