"Victor had earned his seventh Gym Badge, but as our heroes make their way back to Hammerlocke, an earthquake almost brings their journey to an untimely end. Fortunately, Raboot refuses to give up and evolves to save its Trainer from a tragedy. And now…"

"Facing Fears"

Victor and Gloria are walking down a route, with Gloria keeping on looking at her friend, before starting to walk backward while facing him.

"Victor, are you sure you're okay?" Gloria asks. "Do you need to rest? We can rest."

"I'm fine," Victor says. "The rescuers that helped us did give me a clean bill of health."

"I know, but you did go through quite an ordeal," Gloria says, as she turns back around. "Maybe we should've accepted Leon and Sonia's offer to fly with them back to Hammerlocke."

"I'll be fine, Gloria," Victor says. "Though it is going to get dark soon. Perhaps we should set up camp."

A slight klink caused the two to look ahead to see a gentleman seated at a table, drinking a cup of tea.

"That's unexpected…" Gloria says, as she and Victor look ahead surprised.

"Oh, look like I have company," the gentleman notices the two Trainers, as he places his tea cup next to a Chipped Pot. "My name is Caden."

"I'm Gloria and this is Victor."

"Are you two Pokémon Trainers?" Caden asks, as he stands up. "Nothing is better after a lovely cup of tea than a Pokémon Battle."

"I'm up for a battle," Victor says, as he holds up a Poké Ball.

"Are you sure you shouldn't rest first," Gloria says, with Victor looking at her with a sweatdrop.

"I'll be fine," Victor says, before he throws the Poké Ball. "Let's go, Pikachu!"

The Poké Ball opens and shoots out red energy, which forms Pikachu, "Pika pi!"

"Very well, I choose Passimian!" Caden throws a Poké Ball, which opens and shoots out red energy, forming Passimian.

"Passi! Passi!"

Victor's Rotom Phone flies up, "Passimian, the Teamwork Pokémon, Passimian live in groups of 20, with each member performing an assigned role. Through cooperation, the group survives."

"But even individual Passimian are strong," Caden says, before holding out a hand. "Let's show you. Passimian, use Bulk Up!"

"Passi! Passi!" Passimian calls out, as its muscles seem to bulk.

"Bulk Up increases the user's Attack and Defense," Victor realizes. "Pikachu, try and use Discharge!"

"Pika Pika Chu!" Pikachu shoots out electricity all around it.

"Counter with Fling, Passimian," Caden instructs.

"Passi! Passi!" Passimian charges ahead, through the electricity, before jumping slightly and throws its large berry. "Passi!"

"Pika!" Pikachu is knocked back by the berry, as its electricity dissipates.

"Now, Take Down," Caden instructs.

"Passi!" Passimian catches its berry, before charging ahead. "Passi! Passi!"

Passimian slams its body against Pikachu, knocking it back.

"Pika! …Pika!" Pikachu lands hard, before pushing itself up.

"Passi… Passi…" Passimian stops running and tries to catch its breath.

"Passimian damaged itself with Take Down, but it's so fast and powerful… Our only chance might be to use speed." Victor realizes. "Pikachu, Quick Attack!"

"Passimian, Bulk Up!" Caden instructs.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu starts to run at a breakneck pace.

"Passi! Passi!" Passimian calls out, as its muscles seem to bulk.

"Pika! Pika!" Pikachu starts to get closer to Passimian.

"Now, use Close Combat!" Caden instructs.

"Passi! Passi!" Passimian slams its berry down, with Pikachu barely jumps back to dodge, before Passimian punches Pikachu, then slams it with its berry and then punches it again. "Passi!"

"Pikachu, Electro Ball!" Victor calls out.

"Pika! Pika! Pika! Pika! Pika!" a ball of electricity forms on Pikachu's tail, as it is midair.

"Counter with Fling!" Caden calls out.

"Passi!" Passimian starts to throw its berry.

"Chu!" Pikachu whips its tail, launching the ball of electricity.

The berry and ball of electricity collide, causing an explosion of electricity.

Suddenly, Pikachu runs ahead at a breakneck pace, "Pika! Chu!"

Pikachu slams against Passimian and knocks it far back.

"Passi!" Passimian slams hard on the ground, before slowly trying to push itself up, then falls down with its eyes whirling. "Passi…"

"Alright Pikachu!" Victor runs over to his Pokémon and picks it up.

"Pika!" Pikachu calls out.

Gloria sighs, relieved.

Caden stands next to Passimian, as it pushes itself up.

Caden smiles, "It was a good battle."

Unaware to the group, a pair of glowing eyes are watching them from some brush.

Later on, two more tents had been set up a couple feet away from Caden's, with Gloria walking over to Victor as he finished his tent.

"Victor, are you okay? Do you need any help?" Gloria asks.

"I'm fine, Gloria, really," Victor stands up. "But I think I will settle down for the evening. Night."

"Night," Gloria says, as Victor enters his tent.

Gloria turns away, as Caden approaches her, "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything… fine," Gloria claims.

"Really, because you seem very concerned about Victor," Caden says.

Gloria sighs, "Recently Victor was in danger, and I might… be overly concerned for his safety."

"Gloria, such fears are normal, as long as they don't overwhelm you," Caden tells her.

"Overwhelm…" Gloria says to herself.

"Now if you excuse me, I think I will also settle down for the night," Caden starts to turn away. "Good evening."

"Yeah…" Gloria says, before turning over to Victor's tent.

Shortly later, Gloria is sleeping in her tent, when she hears a rustling noise and quickly sits up with a start.

"Wha…" Gloria says, before looking around and then sighs. "It must've been my imagination…"

Suddenly, a large shadow appears outside her tent, with Gloria screams in response.

Gloria, Victor, and Caden run out of their tents.

"What's going on?" Victor asks, quickly.

"I-I saw something, outside my tent," Gloria explains.

Caden looks around the tent, "I don't see anything."

"Are you sure?" Victor asks.

"Great, my fears are messing with me now…" Gloria places a hand on her head.

"What fears?" Victor asks. "Are you talking about ghosts?"

"Just… nevermind," Gloria says, with a sigh. "Let's just go back to sleep."

Gloria is sitting in her tent, slowly tightening her hands, thinking about the collapsing tunnel and how exhausted Victor and Cinderace were.

A tear runs down Gloria's cheek, when suddenly, four red beams shoot out of her backpack, forming Inteleon, Orbeetle, Sirfetch'd, and Impidimp. The four Pokémon then hug her.

Gloria smiles, "Thanks… I need this…"

Suddenly a shadow appears outside the tent, when Gloria screams and the shadow immediately vanishes.

Gloria starts to look, "Great, my stupid imagination…"

"Intel, Intel," Inteleon looks ahead, at where the shadow was.

"Inteleon, did you see it too?" Gloria looks at her Pokémon.

"Intel, Intel," Inteleon looks at its Trainer and nods its head.

Gloria looks at the rest of her Pokémon, "Did you all see it?"

Sirfetch'd, Orbeetle, and Impidimp nod their heads.

"Gloria. Gloria, are you okay?" Victor asks, outside the tent.

Glorian and her Pokémon exit the tent.

"I'm okay, Victor," Gloria says.

"I heard you scream," Victor says.

"I saw something again, and my Pokémon saw it too," Gloria says, with her Pokémon nodding their heads.

Suddenly, a shadow moves past one of the tents.

"What's that?!" Gloria calls out, as Inteleon and Sirfetch'd chase after the shadow.

"Intel!"

"Sir Fetch!"

Victor throws a Poké Ball, "Silicobra, use Dig to cut it off!"

The Poké Ball opens and shoots out red energy, which forms Silicobra, who digs into the ground, "Sili!"

After a few seconds, Silicobra bursts out of the ground, in front of the fast moving shadow, which turns away, as Silicobra yells, "Sili!"

Inteleon and Sirfetch'd continue to chase after the shadow, when they all run into Caden's tent. The tent shakes, before finally collapsing.

Victor, Gloria, and Silicobra run over.

"Is everyone okay?" Victor asks, as Inteleon and Sirfetch'd pop out of the collapsed tent.

Caden pops out of the collapsed tent, "What's going on here?"

Caden's Chipped Pot then falls out of his bag.

Suddenly, the shadow flies out of the collapsed tent, before taking form, "Sinis, Sinis."

"Is that a Sinistea?" Gloria asks.

Victor holds up his Rotom Phone, "It doesn't appear that Sinistea is from Route 7."

Caden walks up, "It must've followed me all the way from Glimwood Tangle."

Gloria stands next to them, "How could you not notice a Pokémon following you?"

"Sili…" Silicobra sighs.

"Sinis, Sinis!" Sinistea forms dark orbs before firing them, with everyone dodging out of the way.

"Watch out!" Victor calls out, as they continue to dodge.

"Intel!"

"Sir Fetch!"

"Sili!"

After ducking under a dark orb, Victor holds up a Poké Ball, "Perhaps Cinderace could stop this…"

"Wait, I'll battle," Gloria holds down Victor's hand, before pointing ahead. "Go Impidimp!"

"Impi!" Impidimp jumps ahead.

"Okay, Impidimp use… Sucker Punch!" Gloria calls out, thinking for a moment.

"Gloria, wait," Victor says.

"Impi!" Impidimp throws a punch at Sinistea, but it just goes through it.

"Sinis, Sinis," Sinistea laughs, as Impidimp falls down.

"Sinistea's a Ghost-type, Physical Attacks doesn't affect it," Victor says.

"Maybe if I…" Gloria says.

"Here, let me help," Victor starts to hold up a Poké Ball.

"Wait, don't, Victor," Gloria grabs Victor's Poké Ball hand and lowers it.

"Why won't you let me help," Victor says.

"Because I don't want you to get hurt!" Gloria yells.

Everyone around stops and looks at Gloria.

"Gloria…" Victor says, as Gloria lets go of him.

"Sinis," Sinistea suddenly flies over to the Chipped Pot and touches it, it then glows and grows in size, before stops glowing. "Polt-geis!"

Gloria looks over, "Sinistea evolved?"

Gloria's Rotom Phone flies over, "Polteageist, the Black Tea Pokémon, Trainers Polteageist trusts will be allowed to experience its distinctive flavor and aroma firsthand by sampling just a tiny bit of its tea."

"Polt-geis! Polt-geist!" Polteageist says as it starts to form dark orbs, firing them.

Everyone starts to dodge the attacks, before eventually Victor trips and falls down. He then turns to see a dark orb flying toward him.

"Victor!" Gloria drops to her friend and starts to shield him.

"Intel!"

"Sir Fetch!"

"Sili!"

"Impi!" Impidimp jumps back before holding back its hands then brings them together, shooting swirling dark energy.

The swirling dark energy collides with the dark orb, which explodes.

Their Pokémon run toward the two Trainers, as Gloria seats down.

"Gloria, why…?" Victor asks.

"Victor, you're my best friend and I almost lost you…" Gloria says, with her head down. "I don't know what I'll do if…"

Victor places a hand on Gloria's shoulder, with her looking up.

"Gloria, I'll be fine," Victor says, before smiling. "Because I know I have you and all of our Pokémon to protect me. Just like you have me and our Pokémon to protect you."

With small tears in her eyes, Gloria nods her head, "Right."

"Impi," Impidimp says.

Gloria wipes the tears out of her eyes and turns to her Pokémon, "Thanks Impidimp. And good job on learning a new move."

"Impi," Impidimp smiles.

"Polt-geis! Polt-geis!" Polteageist calls out, as it floats in the air.

"Okay, Impidimp, let's do this," Gloria stands and turns, with Impidimp turning with her.

"Impi!"

"Polt-geis!" Polteageist starts launching dark orbs.

"Counter Shadow Ball with Dark Pulse!" Gloria instructs.

"Impi!" Impidimp holds out its hands, firing swirling dark energy.

The attacks collide, causing a large explosion, before more dark orbs fly through the ensuing smoke.

"Impi!" Impidimp jumps up, dodging the dark orbs as they hit the ground.

"Quick, using Dark Pulse again!" Gloria calls out.

"Impi!" Impidimp, in midair, fires swirling dark energy down at Polteageist, blasting it.

"Polt-geis!"

Impidimp continues to fall down, falling through Polteageist's body, before landing on the ground, "Impi!"

"Now, again!" Gloria instructs.

"Impi!" Impidimp fires swirling dark energy straight up, blasting Polteageist.

"Polt-geis!"

"Impi…" Impidimp lowers its hands and watches, as Polteageist slowly turns to face it.

"Polt-geis."

Suddenly Caden claps his hands together, causing everyone to turn to see him and Passimian standing next to a table and a couple chairs, with several tea cups and berries sitting on the table.

"I think that's enough," Caden says, before looking over to Polteageist. "I remember you seemed very interested in the tea I had in Glimwood Tangle. Perhaps, you want some of my tea."

"Polt-geis!" Polteageist happily nods its head before flying over.

Victor, Gloria, Impidimp, Inteleon, Sirfetch'd, Orbeetle, and Silicobra slide over, with surprised expressions, as Caden and Polteageist are drinking tea and Passimian is eating a regular berry.

"I guess… we're done," Gloria says, as her Pokémon, Victor, and Silicobra nod their head.

After a few seconds, the two friends and Pokémon start to walk over to the others.

The next day, Caden, Passimian, and Polteageist are waving goodbye at Victor and Gloria, as they are walking away.

The two friends look ahead, before Victor glances at Gloria.

"Gloria, if anything ever bothers you again, you should really tell me," Victor tells her.

"I know, and I will," Gloria says. "Do you agree to do the same?"

"Of course," Victor smiles.

"Y'know, we are almost back at Hammerlocke," Gloria says.

"I know, hard to believe," Victor says.

"About a race to the city?" Gloria says, smirking slightly.

"You on," Victor says, before the two friends start to run down the route.

"Gloria learned that while it's okay to be worried about the safety of people she cares about, she must also remember that true friends look out for each other. Now, with their friendship stronger than ever, our heroes are almost to Hammerlocke, where Victor will challenge for his eighth and final Gym Badge. Will he succeed?"

"Find out, as the journey continues…"