"Our heroes had finally made it through Circhester Bay, with a musical interlude bringing Victor and his Toxtricity closer. Now our heroes had set out for Spikemuth and Victor's seventh Gym Badge, however…"
"Marnie's Story"
Victor and Gloria, among a bunch of other Trainers, are standing in front of the blocked gate to Spikemuth.
"Closed?!" Gloria calls out. "How can an entire town be closed?"
"It's been like this for days," a male Trainer rubs his hair in annoyance.
"And just when I'm ready to get my seventh badge," a female Trainer angrily says.
"Perhaps we should send a complaint to the Pokémon League," another female Trainer suggests, crossing her arms.
"I already did, but Chairman Rose's office said they were too busy," another male Trainer says.
"I never heard of this happening before," Victor looks around.
"I heard that the Spikemuth Gym was relatively new, I wonder if this is part of the Gym Challenge or something…" Gloria wonders, with a finger to her chin.
"I don't know," Victor looks to the side to see a Morpeko standing between a couple brushes.
"Morpe," Morpeko says, before waving over.
Victor watches the Morpeko, before it turns and runs past the brushes.
"I think that Morpeko wants us to follow it," Victor starts to run after Morpeko.
"What Morpeko?" Gloria asks, watching Victor running before running after him.
Victor and Gloria follow Morpeko past several trees, reaching the sidewall of Spikemuth.
Morpeko suddenly stops running, with Victor and Gloria stopping and watching it.
After a few seconds, Morpeko turns to face them as it switches to Hangry Mode," Morpe!"
"What?!" Victor calls out, as he and Gloria are startled.
"Morpe!" Morpeko starts to shoot a series of seeds from its mouth.
Victor and Gloria barely avoid the attack.
"Is this an ambush?!" Gloria asks.
"Don't know, but we better counter," Victor says, before throwing a Poké Ball. "Go Arctovish!"
"Tovis!"
"Morpe!" Morpeko shoots a series of seeds from its mouth.
"Arctovish, use Water Gun!" Victor calls out.
"Tovis!" Arctovish lowers its head and fires a blast of water from its mouth, which collides with the series of seeds, with the two attacks blow apart.
"Morpe!" Morpeko starts to run ahead, with a colorful wheel forms around it, colliding with Arctovish.
"Tovis!" Arctovish is knocked back.
Arctovish stumbles back, as Morpeko lands a couple feet in front of it.
"Morpe!"
"Morpeko!" suddenly a cloaked figure throws a couple berries.
"Morpe!" Morpeko jumps up, catches the berries and starts to eat them. It switches back to Full Belly Mode and happily calls out, "Morpe!"
"So… guess that is over," Gloria says.
The cloaked figure approaches them, "Sorry about that, I was a little late feeding Morpeko today."
"That voice," Victor looks over to the cloaked figure.
The cloaked figure rips the cloak off, revealing its Marnie.
"Marnie?!" Victor realizes.
Gloria places her hands on her hips, "You must be here because Spikemuth is all closed up."
"You're partly correct," Marnie says, as Victor holds out a Poké Ball, with Arctovish turns into red energy and flies back into it. "I'm also partly the reason why Spikemuth is all closed up."
"You what?" Victor and Gloria ask together.
Deep inside Spikemuth, Jean and Paul are in front of Eric.
"That was genius of you, Eric!" Jean yells.
"Blocking the entrance will surely keep all the wannabes away!" Paul yells.
"I appreciate the spirit, but you don't have to yell everything," Eric says, with a hand to his ear.
"Has a Challenger made it yet," someone in the shadows asks.
Eric turns to the person in the shadows, "No, she hasn't arrived yet."
Back at the side of Spikemuth's walls, Marnie, Gloria, and Victor are seated around, with Morpeko in Marnie's lap eating a berry.
"What do you mean, you're partly the reason for Spikemuth being closed?" Gloria asks.
"Basically, Spikemuth is my hometown…" Marnie starts.
Years ago, a young Marnie was running through Spikemuth, passing several people.
"Spikemuth has always been a small town, but it does have its love of music…"
Little Marnie stops to see a teenage Piers playing a guitar.
"Heralded by my older brother, Piers."
"Wait, your older brother is the Spikemuth Gym Leader?!"
"Please, Gloria, do you mind not interrupting?"
Little Marnie smiles happily, as teenage Piers continues to play his guitar.
"As I was saying, Piers was a gifted musician…"
As teenage Piers plays his guitar, a Galarian Zigzagoon runs past him and dances in time with the music.
"But was also a gifted Pokémon Trainer."
Little Marnie continues to watch Piers.
"I had always looked up to him, more so as we got older."
"As Piers got older, he did some traveling and playing concerts."
A slightly older Piers is playing his guitar alongside a Galarian Linoone on a music stand, to cheering fans.
"Unfortunately, he learned something upsetting…"
Piers, with his guitar over his back, walks by a couple people, with his head turned toward them.
"He learned that some people have looked down on Spikemuth, due to it lacking a Power Spot. Which means Dynamaxing isn't possible."
Piers is instructing his Linoone to slash its claw against a Kantonian Mr. Mime, who holds up its hands in defense.
"After that, Piers decided to try and become a Gym Leader, setting up a Gym in Spikemuth. Hoping it will give the town the respect it deserves."
Piers holds his defeated Linoone, with scratches on it.
"As you can imagine, he faced a number of challenges along the way."
Piers is walking ahead, with several people behind him whispering, as the words "No Power Spot" and "Won't work as a Gym" made it out of the whispering.
"Including those who didn't think Spikemuth having a Gym would've worked, since it lacked a Power Spot."
In the center of Spikemuth, Piers, with him covered in shadows, holds up an arm, surrounded by people cheering him on.
"Nonetheless, months before the current League season began, Piers succeeded and became a Gym Leader."
Marnie, as she appeared currently, holds Morpeko in her arms, like she's hugging it.
"Around the same time, I had become old enough to be a Pokémon Trainer, and I chose a wild Pokémon that I had befriended as my partner."
"Morpe!"
Marnie is reading a letter, with Morpeko in her arm, as it chews on a berry.
"I also received an endorsement to enter the Gym Challenge. It seemed random, but I have to assume it was because my brother's a Gym Leader."
Piers, covered in shadows, is tuning his guitar, as several people watch from the back.
"Unfortunately, while everything seemed to be going well, that was also when problems started to arise. Because Piers is a such a new Gym Leader and in a town that doesn't possess a Power Spot, a lot of people in Spikemuth felt pressure…"
Several people, including Jean, Paul, and Eric, dress in Team Yell attire, holding up their arms.
"Pressure for Spikemuth to prove itself as a worthwhile town and better than other cities. So, a number of the civilians formed Team Yell to support Piers and to cheer on me, the first Gym Challenger from Spikemuth.
Marnie instructed Morpeko to run a breakneck pace at Gossifleur in the Turffield Stadium, with members of Team Yell cheering on in the stands.
"I chose to ignore Team Yell and work on the Gym Challenge on my own…"
Marnie was seated in a Gym's locker room, with Morpeko looking up at her, concerned.
"But I have to admit, I was feeling the pressure of being the Gym Challenger from Spikemuth."
"And while I was ignoring Team Yell and letting them do whatever they wanted," Marnie says, as she looks at Morpeko in her lap.
Morpeko looks up at her, as it finishes its berry and smiles, "Morpe!'
"I started to realize they were going too far in their mission to prevent anyone from 'getting in my way', as they put it," Marnie continues.
"Like locking up Spikemuth?" Victor asks.
Marnie looks up at him, nodding her head, "Since its so close to the days of the League's Champion Cup, most Gym Challengers would be getting ready to challenge the seventh Gym, the Spikemuth Gym."
Marnie looks up at the city's wall, "So they lock it up, not allowing anyone from getting in except for me."
Marnie looks down, obviously trying to stop herself from crying, "It's wrong. Stopping hard working Trainers from getting further in the Gym Challenge. While I am afraid of failing as the first Gym Challenger from Spikemuth, I didn't want to stop anyone else from following their dreams."
"How does Piers feel about all of this?" Gloria asks.
Marnie looks up to face her, "I'm not sure."
Deep within Spikemuth, Piers is seated in shadows, slowly tuning his guitar.
"I know the process to become a Gym Leader was exhausting for him, and he wasn't able to practice his music much, so he might've decided to let Team Yell do whatever they want without oversight."
"Marnie, why are you telling us this?" Victor asks.
"I had let this go too far to do anything to stop Team Yell or free up Spikemuth," Marnie explains. "But you might be able to stop them."
"M-Me?" Victor's surprised. "Why me?"
"To prepare me for anything I might face, I have watched other Gym Challengers' Gym Battles that had been recorded, including yours, Victor," Marnie says, as she starts to think about each of Victor's Gym Battles. "I have seen you grow from a nervous and inexperienced Trainer to someone who can defeat opponents more powerful than yourself."
"I believe that if anyone could free Spikemuth from Team Yell's ill-intentions then it's you," Marnie continues. "Would you help me?"
Victor looks surprised, as he looks down slightly, with Gloria looking at him.
"What are you gonna do?" Gloria asks.
"I need to challenge the Spikemuth Gym if I'm gonna make it into the Galar league, and it isn't fair that everyone else isn't allowed to challenge the Gym," Victor turns to face Marnie. "I will help to the best of my ability."
Marnie smiles, "Thanks, Victor."
The three Trainers get up, with Morpeko in Marnie's arms, as they start to talk.
"Learning the truth about Team Yell, and their connection to Spikemuth, our heroes are ready to free an entire town from their influence. But will they succeed, and will Victor earn his seventh Gym Badge?"
"Find out, as the journey continues…"