TEAM: Twigs (Thwackey) & Crumbs (Greedent), Spike (Drednaw) & Tilda (Vileplume), Hook (Galarian Slowpoke) & Cress (Charjabug)

Author's POV

The sudden mass power outage, while brief, was the first of its kind to happen in Galar for as long as anybody could remember. For a region with its uniquely innovative power source, the recent blackouts, spontaneous at that, had the people need a word. And words were spoken, all questions pressed on by the press dealt with by the chairman.

Of course, after the choice of appealing to the appeasing of the people, the chairman had some choice words reserved for other individuals.

"... you've seen the reports. I thought I told you not to tap within the vicinity of our power plants!"

While the Pokémon League itself wouldn't be affected by the random outage, the chairman's words still rang furiously over the phone at a specific league staff member. Said staff member somewhat stood out from the others, notably from his choice of eyewear. The typical league staff wore identical white jacket uniforms and caps bearing the league insignia, but instead of the sporty yellow shades, this fellow in particular wore black shades. There was also the matter of his abnormally long hair that drooped well below the back of his head.

"Yes sir, chairman sir," he spoke, emotionless to the fury he was receiving over the call. "We'll see it done with, worry not."

"I can only hope so. We're already allocating plenty of our resources to your little proposition. I expect to see some results soon. You should know that this conundrum has forced me to prepare a seminar to take place in Hammerlocke."

"Yes, sir." And the call ended shortly after.

He looked to his colleague, the staff member he was patrolling the Wild Area with, who also had dark shades and unusually long hair. A smile crept onto the former's face.

The colleague smiled back. "Well?"

"Yes, well. I'd say things are going pretty well." The former replied. "Everything is going according to plan. Yet, we're receiving less Wishing Stars than I've expected. It appears someone may be trying to beat us to the chase."

The colleague frowned. "If that is such the case, we have yet to encounter them. But things are going smoothly, no? To rile is to result! What say we get to why we've trekked here in the first place."

"Well put!" He stopped to admire his surroundings. "Galar's Wild Area… so open, so vast. The chairman wanted us to be discreet, so this should be perfect. There is still much we can do with what we have."

"Quite, quite. I suppose for our next step, we can afford to cause some more ruckus."

"You read my mind. If it's for the sake of our grander outcome, a few sacrifices are just what we need."

Motostoke Stadium's lobby saw much bustle that morning. The recent commotion did cause some alarm but ultimately didn't affect the Gym Challenge much. Every trainer was lining up in the lobby in their uniforms like nothing happened, still eager for a shot at that third Gym Badge. A certain trio in particular were very eager as they waited for their turns to be called inside.

"Look at us three! We're a real proper Pokémon posse, that's what we are! A real trio of rivals!"

"That's what you said last time we were here, Hop." Flare said with a chuckle.

Marnie couldn't help but smile as well. "From the looks of things you're as chuffed as you were yesterday. Do you ever even get tired?"

Hop wore his trademark smile, holding his hands behind his head. "Nope!"

Flare sheepishly smiled at Marnie, gaze briefly drifting elsewhere. "He does, sometimes. There was this one time when we were staying up watching movies and then he-"

"N-Now's not the time for that, mate! We have to talk about what we're gonna do for this Gym!" Hop eagerly butted in. "I burnt a ton of midnight oil looking up how to not get burned today!"

Flare smiled. "Alright, alright."

The trainers' Pokémon were all nearby, out of their Pokéballs and mingling amongst themselves as they waited for their chance to maybe battle. Or not, for some.

Twigs' eyes were fixated on the warm orange decor. "If this place isn't a Fire type Gym then I don't know what is. Pretty obvious we won't be seeing any use here. Not that I mind, really."

The Greedent next to her was more focused on the sleeping Toxel in his arms. "Aw shucks, I wasn't really in the mood to do any fighting."

Twigs smiled as she watched Crumbs gently cradle the softly snoring baby. "You big softie." Her attention was caught by the Drizzile listening in nearby. She quickly hopped to his side. "And y'know, speaking of softies, I know a Gym like this is a right fit for you, lad! Break a leg, will you?"

Sev sheepishly chuckled. "Y-Yeah, I'll try. Preferably not my own though. I'll probably have to do most of the heavy lifting this time, anyway. I guess it's fair considering Heart did the same last Gym."

"Oh yeah, the lass is a Boltund now, ain't she?" Twigs started looking around. "Where is that partner of yours, anyhow?"

From one small group of Pokémon to the next, a certain trio were lounging closer to where their trainers were waiting, awaiting their time to shine.

"... don't worry about it, Heart. You're an Electric type, shining is kinda your thing." Spike said with a chuckle.

The relatively large Boltund tried to calm herself down from her sitting position. She still found herself fidgeting. "I don't know, Spike… What if I have to Dynamax again?"

"But why wouldn't you wanna Dynamax?!" Tilda hopped in between the two, her large petals casting shade on the two of them. "It's so cool! You get to be big and awesome, and… well, I had to see an ugly Drednaw up close, so maybe it's not so cool."

"Yeah alright." Spike quickly nudged Tilda away. He tried to keep his composure as he went back to talking to Heart. "Just don't mind her. She doesn't know what she's talking about." At the very least, Tilda's lighthearted interjection got Heart to lighten up a bit, chuckling in response. Spike took this in stride. "Anyways, aren't you partnered up with that Sev kid? I'm sure you can rely on a good Water type like him."

Tilda nudged herself back in. "Spike is right! I know from experience!" Spike nudged her away again.

The Drednaw chuckled a bit before nodding at the Boltund. "I know you got this. Just give it your all, alright?"

His words gave Heart the reassurance she needed and she nodded back, more at ease.

An announcement suddenly rang out through the lobby speakers. "Calling Gym Challengers 189, 71, and 960. Challengers 189, 71, and 960, please proceed."

Hop sprang out of his seat, already pumped. "That's us! We oughta get going, I hope you all brought Burn Heals!"

Marnie chuckled. "Isn't that a Kanto thing? I thought this Kabu chap is from Hoenn."

Flare called Spike and Tilda to her side, but she still wasn't sure about something. "So wait, why are the three of us going all at once?"

Hop smiled. "You didn't know, mate? Come on, you'll see!"

Flare's POV

As we all entered the room where the Gym Challenge would take place, I was surprised to see what this place had in store for us. I didn't even know we could take this part in trios. For starters, it was smaller than I expected, just a single open room instead of a maze or a long obstacle course. And for a Fire type Gym, there was a surprising amount of tall grass around. The three of us were quickly debriefed by a staff member that we would be allowed to proceed if we catch or beat enough of the Pokémon here. Hop and Marnie were quick to get to the objective with their Pokémon, and I wasn't planning on falling behind again.

I looked at my Pokémon. "You guys sure you don't mind being used for another Gym so soon?"

Spike seemed more confident than ever, surprisingly. "This is a Fire type Gym, it's like I was made for this. I'm as ready as ever to kick some Fire type butt." I don't think I've ever seen him this energetic.

Tilda was excited too. "Ooh, can I do the same!"

I chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Maybe try not to get into too many fights. Spike can handle most of the work here."

"Aww, okay."

I just had to treat this like another route, another patch of grass to go through, though with more battling than traversing. I had to compete with Hop and Marnie in tallying up points, so now I really had to show what I was made of.

"Spike, Razor Shell!"

My Drednaw tucked himself into his shell and started spinning rapidly, enveloping himself with water. He sped forward, spinning across the ground towards a patch of tall grass. The violent water rotation caused some of the grass to shred and fly into the air, Spike knocking away a few lurking Fire types in the process.

I heard a ding and looked to see a scoreboard up by a nearby wall. Points were being tallied up below my challenger number.

My face lit up as I looked ahead again. "Good going, Spike!"

Tilda was skipping by my side, looking even more excited as she saw Spike effortlessly dealing with the Fire types in the grass. "That looks cool! Is there anything I can do, Flare?"

I thought about it for a moment and took out a Great Ball. "Well, the rules said I could get more points if I caught a Pokémon too."

She seemed thrilled at the suggestion. "Yay! I'll help!"

Tilda tried to frolic away, but I reached my hand out to stop her before she could get far. "Let's just find something that'll be easy to catch first, okay?"

My Vileplume nodded, all smiles. "Okay." I was surprised at how eager she was for a Grass type in a Fire Gym.

What followed was me and Tilda cautiously navigating the room as I looked for what would I thought seemed like an easy target to catch. It proved to be a bit tricky considering I still had to take Tilda's typing into account, and also because Spike kept ricocheting around the room, probably blindly. I heard he caused a bit of commotion from both Hop and Marnie, probably from getting in the way of their battles. Accident or not, it was still amusing to hear.

Eventually, I heard Hop's cry of triumph. "Alright! Got that Heatmor in the bag!"

I quickly glanced at the scoreboard to see that his point count was catching up to mine. I tried to hasten my search.

"There's gotta be something easy we can catch here…" I said below my breath.

"Well, if you're looking for an easy catch, you're not getting it from me! I'm too epic for that!"

My attention was suddenly caught by a shrill and lively voice from a nearby patch of grass. I slowly approached the spot where the noise came from and saw a small flaming figure emerge. A Litwick.

"Oh, you're approaching me?" She spoke, smirking. "Instead of running away, you're coming right to me? You better think twice, because I'm Gym quality for a reason!"

I just stood there, somewhat dumbfounded, as this Litwick stood before us with an air of potentially misplaced confidence I was somewhat familiar with.

Tilda just stood and stared in silent awe, stopping for a second before pointing at the Litwick. "I like her. Can we keep her?"

"K-Keep?! I don't lose easily! You can't say you've won that fast!" The little candle said in an outburst, flame flaring larger. "And I have a name! It's Lumos!"

The exchange made me chuckle a little, making me notice the sheer size difference between my Vileplume and this Litwick. "Well, go ahead, Tilda."

"Yaaay!" She suddenly leapt into action, catching me off guard since I didn't even think of a command. "Now it's my turn to go spinning!"

"Tilda, wait!" I tried to call out, but she didn't hear me.

Tilda quickly assumed a spinning position, twirling on one leg with the other outstretched as she sped towards the Litwick's position. The Litwick must've been surprised too, because she didn't even try dodging Tilda's clumsy spin.

"W-What the ba-" The little candle ended up being knocked back by Tilda's kick, while Tilda ended up falling over after a dizzy stumble. I immediately noticed the cloud of pollen hovering above the two and shielded my face. I noticed the Litwick wasn't getting up and decided to chuck a Great Ball at it. The ball briefly bounced off before encapsulating the little Pokémon, leaving little shakes before it clicked for a successful catch.

I waved the pollen away and managed to help Tilda back up, even if she was still dazed from her Spike imitation. As she stood, she swayed for a bit before coming to. "Did I wiiiin?"

I just chuckled. "Sure you did, Tilda." I picked up the Great Ball containing Lumos, warping it away with the Pokémon Box Link in my bag. As I did so, I heard another ding come from the scoreboard.

"Challenger 71, you are clear to proceed. Gym Leader Kabu will be waiting."

"Yes!" I whooped with victory and noticed the doors up ahead opening up for me. I called for Spike and Tilda to join me as I kept my pace.

The doors ahead ended up leading me to a separate locker room where I could recuperate before stepping ahead to the stadium battlefield. I decided I might as well wait here for Hop and Marnie since I wanted them to catch up at least. Plus, I would have to end up waiting anyway because both my Pokémon were dazed silly.

"Did you really have to overdo it with the Razor Shell?" I said half jokingly to my groggy Drednaw.

Spike's eyes still darted to and fro. "Well, can you blame me? This place is pretty much free game for me." As bizarre as it was to see someone as solid as Spike this disoriented, I couldn't help but notice how unusually pumped up he was to jump into the fray. Guess he really did wanna kick some Fire type butt that badly.

I smiled, patting Spike on the head. "Maybe try not to go overboard next time."

Spike chuckled. "Alright, alright."

It wasn't long after until Hop and Marnie caught up and joined me. Out of breath, it seemed, probably from trying to hurry it up.

I just smiled and offered them a seat by the bench here. "How'd you guys do?"

Hop grinned. "Took a bit to rally up more points, but I'd say it was worth it! I caught a Heatmor! What did you two catch?"

I was a bit surprised at the thought of a species that large hiding in the grass of this place. "I caught a Litwick."

Marnie shrugged. "I just resorted to beatin' everything up, which took more trouble than I'd liked. Besides, if it's not a Dark type, I ain't catchin' it."

I sheepishly chuckled. "Yeah, sorry about my Drednaw." I blinked. "Wait, don't you have a Croagunk?"

She nudged my arm. "Jamico's cool, alright?"

Hop nodded. He was still pumped, still somehow having more energy than either of us. "By the way, aren't you gonna fight Kabu, Flare? We can let you battle him before we do."

"Suppose it is fair with how you got here first." Marnie added.

I sheepishly took their words in pride as I mulled over the thought. "I guess I should get going then. Meet you back outside!"

I got up and briefly waved goodbye, right before calling Spike and Tilda back to my side and stepping through the doors.

Once again I was greeted with the familiar sight of a long corridor leading to the open stadium ahead, the sounds of a crowd in the distance.

"Well, here we are again." I spoke aloud as I stepped forward with my Pokémon. "You know, I think I'm used to the anticipation by now."

"Heh, you better be confident." Spike scoffed. "I'm ready for my big moment."

As we pressed onward, I noticed something. I peered ahead, trying to narrow my eyes to get a better view of the stadium, suddenly finding myself confused. "Where's the Gym Leader?"

Then, as if on cue, I heard the sound of sneaker footsteps beside me. "You… you are Challenger 71?"

I looked behind me to see Kabu himself, the steadfast older Gym Leader jogging up to my side. I was a bit surprised when I heard him speak for the first time, a distinct foreign accent I haven't heard in the flesh before. I remembered hearing about how Gym Leader Kabu was from Hoenn.

I nodded, trying to keep my cool. I was still not quite used to meeting Gym Leaders in person like this. "Yep, that's me."

Kabu smiled. A smile of friendly admiration. "Your name… Clare Flannery Eon, yes?" He let out a huff of a laugh. "You remind me of someone I knew."

I just smiled back. I don't think I have personally met him before, but I could take solace in how he gave off a nostalgic sort of smile as he said that. "It's an honour, mister."

He laughed again. "Come now, no need for the formalities. Let us proceed."

We both proceeded to jog onto the center of the field where the crowd could be heard at its loudest. Once again the area was designed with its theme, a battlefield designed red in colour. Glowing cracks were designed around the stadium, radiating intense red. I looked to Kabu to see that he's assumed a serious look, clutching the towel around his neck.

"Welcome! I am Kabu, the Fire type Gym Leader." He spoke with a firm tone, sounding used to this. "The fact that you have earned two Gym Badges thus far proves you've been working hard. But as your opponent, I assure you I've also been working hard. Let us see which one of us can unleash our true potential, shall we?"

I nodded, trying to match his tone of confidence. The people around us were already roaring with ferocity, waiting for it all to begin. We both walked to our respective corners.

"Motostoke citizens, it's time for another burning hot Gym Battle! Challenging our ever-burning man of fire, Kabu, here comes Challenger 71!" The audience cheered again.

I glanced behind me. "Spike?"

"At the ready."

Tilda eagerly looked up at me. "What can I do, Flare?"

"Er… moral support."

"Yay! Moral support!"

I caught a glimpse at the glowing red Dynamax Energy on my wristband. I looked back ahead, mentally preparing myself.

"Trainers… begin!"

Author's POV

Flare sent Spike forward as Kabu energetically chucked an Ultra Ball forward, revealing a Ninetales.

"Ninetales, Will-O-Wisp!" Kabu was quick on his feet, already calling out a command. The nine-tailed fox was even faster, darting back and forth on quick feet while creating floating fireballs that homed in on Spike.

There wasn't much the Drednaw could do against the incoming barrage, leaving him overwhelmed and singed in his tracks. Seeing this, Flare quickly scrambled for an item, but Spike spoke her way.

"I got this." He revealed a Rawst Berry and bit into it, the flames pestering his shell disappearing almost instantly.

"Okay!" Flare got her head back in the game. "Now Spike, use-"

A sudden vortex of fire erupted below Spike, catching the Drednaw in its pull and leaving him suspended within the burning whirl of a Fire Spin.

Kabu's voice echoed through the stadium. "What will you do when the heat is too much for you to handle? Even the hottest flames can't be doused!"

Flare could only watch as Spike struggled within the flaming tornado. 'Doesn't this look familiar?' She quickly thought of something. "Counter it, Spike!"

Spike immediately knew what to do and tucked into his shell, preparing his own Razor Shell attack as he spun in the opposite direction. The water generated from his spin slowly started to take over the fire of the vortex, leaving him more in control. In response, the Ninetales angrily stomped, causing an even more intense tornado of fire to engulf Spike. The force blazed with such intensity that it caused Spike to be flung out and into the air.

Flare smiled with triumph, knowing well this was what she was waiting for. "You know what to do!"

Both Ninetales and Kabu stood surprised as Spike regained his composure above them. He tucked into his shell and spun once more, this time using his Razor Shell as a swift diving attack. His speedy impact against the ground combined with his weight caused the pent up water to be unleashed as a shockwave that the Ninetales was too disoriented to outmaneuver, knocking it out.

A smile came onto Kabu's face as he returned his Ninetales and took out another Ultra Ball. "I admire your skill, young Clare. But I assure you, this is far from over."

Flare just smiled at the compliment. "You can just call me Flare, but thanks!" The crowd seemed to go wild at that.

Kabu sent out an Arcanine, a larger foe that towered over Spike.

"Will-O-Wisp!"

The Arcanine was relentless, spewing out a barrage of flames that clouded Spike's view with smoke and left him singed.

Flare was quick to the draw. "I got this!" She took out a Burn Heal and managed to spray away the flames.

However, amidst the smoke, Arcanine lunged through before Spike could react, bringing its fangs down to Bite Spike's neck. Spike's sturdy hide stopped the attack from drawing any blood, but he still flinched nonetheless. He frantically tried to tuck himself in his shell, but the Arcanine's obstruction stopped him from moving his head much.

Arcanine growled fiercely, jaw still clamped around Spike's neck, preparing another swell of flame to spew. Spike just smirked. "Pooch doesn't wanna take a bath, huh? In that case, let's rock."

Spike stomped one of his hind legs, the force causing jutting rocks to erupt beneath the Arcanine. The Rock Tomb struck the Arcanine in the stomach and caused it to recoil, knocking it away and releasing its grip on Spike in the process.

With some distance created between the two, Spike had a satisfied look on his face. "That's more like it."

He quickly tucked into his shell and picked up speed, hurtling at the Arcanine as it was still recovering. The Fire type couldn't do much against the incoming Razor Shell and got knocked off its feet, briefly getting launched into the air before it landed, knocked out. The crowd cheered louder at Spike's second triumph.

The Drednaw skidded to a stop and looked at the crowd. He stood with a satisfied smile and took a second to take in the atmosphere of being in the spotlight. "They actually love me. It's been a while."

"Yeah, go Spike go!" Tilda tried her best to make her voice heard as well. "You're so cooool!"

Kabu kept his expression neutral as he withdrew his fainted Arcanine. He brought out a final Ultra Ball, resolve solidifying in his gaze. "Light that fire and get your mind moving, Kabu. There still must be a path to victory." He muttered under his breath.

The crowd waited with bated breath as they waited for Kabu to pull out his signature. Flare noticed the shift in mood. "Here it comes, Spike."

Kabu tossed it forward to reveal his snaking centipede finale, Centiskorch. The bleacher witnesses grew louder, knowing well what would come next.

Both trainers immediately withdrew their Pokémon, letting Dynamax energy flow into their Pokéballs.

Flare looked at the ball in her hand and smiled, hugging it. "You've been doing good, Spike. Don't forget, Tilda's still rooting for you."

"Yeah!"

Kabu held the ball close to him and took a deep breath. "Burn bright, Centiskorch." He opened his eyes, his gaze fiercely flaring to life. "Let Gigantamax change your size and your form!"

The crowd's cheers started roaring as the two Pokémon were sent out, the Dynamaxed Drednaw and the Gigantamaxed Centiskorch landing on the field simultaneously.

As the dust from their combined landings cleared, Flare had to stare wide eyed at the altered Centiskorch form ahead. She'd seen it on TV before, but she never thought she'd fight a Gigantamax Pokémon this soon.

Spike stood in brief awe at his magnificent size and quickly grew determined as he stared down his fiery foe. "Here we go."

Kabu didn't hesitate to call out his move. "Flames always burn upwards, and so we'll always aim to go higher!" He pointed skywards, a gesture that the audience went wild for. "Go, G-Max Centiferno!"

The giant Centiskorch slithered about in its elongated form, coiling itself up in such a way that its undersides were facing ahead, glowing ring patterns vibrant as it resembled a giant wall. Its entire body proceeded to glow a blinding yellow, radiating levels of heat hotter than ever before. The spectacle was such a sight that even Dynamaxed Spike found himself wanting to shield his eyes from it.

"Block it!" Flare called out, using a hand to protect her view. "Max Rockfall!"

Spike slammed a foot onto the ground, using a similar technique to Rock Tomb, but this time causing a larger than life pillar of stone to rise from the ground at his will. He hid behind the massive structure as the Centiskorch used the culmination of all its heat to form a giant fireball.

The Dynamaxed Drednaw toppled the pillar forward as the Gignantamaxed Centiskorch fired its fireball ahead. Both attacks met head on, but the impact of the fireball crumbled the rock pillar like it was nothing. Spike ended up having to take the fireball head on, leaving him scorched by the heat and covering the ground in glowing rings that continued to burn him. He charged up a Max Geyser and fired it at the ground in an attempt to rid himself of the scorching rings.

"Spike!" Flare called out, noticing another violent glow from Kabu's side. "It's going to use another move! Knock it over!"

Spike quickly understood what Flare was thinking and changed the angle of his Max Geyser so it was competing against the fireball being formed by the Centiskorch. He walked forward as he did, continuing his constant spew of water until it fully extinguished the burning projectile and struck the Centiskorch directly. The vicious torrent knocked the Centiskorch off balance and caused it to drop its formation, leaving it to uncoil and stagger as it tried to reorient itself. However, as it did so, Spike closed the distance between them so he was standing right in front of his foe.

The Drednaw smirked. "Going up."

Spike slammed both his front legs onto the ground, erecting a rock structure from the ground that caught the Centiskorch in its ascent. With another stomp, Spike caused the pillar to crumble, leaving the Centiskorch to plummet back to the ground as the rubble from his pillar fell onto it, leaving it buried and defeated under all the rocks. The end of the battle accompanied with the red shrinking glow of both Pokémon left the audience cheering at what just ensued.

"What a battle, folks! Kabu's Centiskorch is down for the count, leaving Challenger 71 as the victor!"

Flare sighed with relief as she and Tilda ran ahead to catch up to Spike, who seemed equally as relieved.

Still, the Drednaw couldn't hide the proud look on his face. "What a rush. You have to make me do that more."

The trainer chuckled, feeling proud as well. "Sure."

Spike and Tilda were left to celebrate over their victory as Flare stepped forward to meet with Kabu. The older trainer looked spent, but he came to meet Flare with an enthusiastic hearty laughter.

"I'm often regarded as the first real roadblock of the Gym Challenge, and yet you defeated me! The fact that you've impressed me proves that I still have much to learn."

Flare just sheepishly smiled, not quite used to receiving compliments like this. "It's my pleasure."

Kabu's smile of admiration returned. "I'm glad I could battle you today. I know you and your Pokémon will become a fantastic team one day. Here is your Fire Badge."

He handed the shiny badge to Flare, who was still getting used to the idea of praise from such a figure. Flare held the shiny emblem of fire, admiring it for a second before putting it into her bag. She then met Kabu for a handshake.

The fire in Kabu's eyes had calmed to give way to the warmth of respect. "It's young trainers like you who help keep our Dynamax culture alive. If your performance was any indication, I have faith you can also help it become something better. We adults will be the pillars for you to build on." He paused for a second. "Pun not intended."

Flare had a good chuckle at that, still surprised she was met with much praise from a Gym Leader. She did feel like Kabu gave off the impression of a friendly grandpa, even if his posture indicated he must've been younger than that, surely.

"And just like that, Centiskorch falls to the Max Geyser! Challenger 189 wins!"

"What an upset, people! Still barely hanging on, the Max Lightning comes in and takes Centiskorch out! Looks like Challenger 960 clutched out this one!"

The trio of Flare, Hop, and Marnie all walked out of Motostoke Stadium, already changed out of their uniforms and taking in the success of their new Fire Badges. They all felt ecstatic at their recent victories and were gushing over each other's battles.

Of course, most of the enthusiasm was carried by Hop. "Both your battles left my jaw dropped, you two! But you know Marnie, I'm even more surprised you didn't come in with a Water type like we did."

She shrugged, a bit of a cocky smile on her face. "What can I say? William's reliable. If it ain't broke don't bother fixin' it."

Flare exchanged a good share of chuckles with the group as she pulled her phone out, opening up the map. "Okay, so we're supposed to head back to the Wild Area from Motostoke."

Hop nodded. "That's right, out the way we got in. Now that we got three badges, we can head to the second half of the Wild Area and reach Hammerlocke! Smack dab in the center of Galar!"

Marnie had a confident little smirk on her face. "One step closer to my champion title."

Her remark got Hop trying to match her with a determined grin. He pointed a thumb towards himself. "Think you're mistaken on who's getting that champion victory, mate."

Flare sheepishly chuckled as she watched the two of them go at each other. She knew it was all just friendly poking, but she felt like she had to step up with her retort at championship as well. "Y-Yeah, me too."

Hop had a good laugh at it all. He noticed that they were nearing Motostoke's exit. "That settles it, then! Goodbye Motostoke, Hammerlocke here we co-"

The sound of blaring rock from a phone speaker cut the group off. Marnie quickly took her phone out and answered the call.

"Mhm? … oh you've gotta be kiddin' me. Not again." She sighed and brought a palm to her forehead. "Alright, I'll buzz 'em off."

Both Hop and Flare looked at her curiously. The latter of which was quick to catch on. "Why does this seem so familiar?"

Hop thought about it too and crossed his arms. "What's the deal, Marnie?"

The trainer had a resigned look in her eyes. "Let's just say a certain other prop preposterous Pokémon possums got to the rest of Galar before we did." Marnie looked disappointed. "Sorry again, you guys. Those hooligans really won't stop with their ruckus."

Flare paused, giving Marnie an empathetic look before mustering a smile. "Maybe we can-"

"No need." Marnie had a bit of a sad smile as she spoke. "I can handle this on my own."

"You sure about that?" Hop tried to reassure her with a smile of his own. "I don't mind laying low to help a friend out."

That got Marnie's spirits lifted up. "Don't worry about me, you two. I'll just catch up like I always have."

Flare spoke with a tinge of sadness. Still, she saved face. "Well, if you say so."

Hop just grinned as he's always done. "We'll be seeing you later, then!"

The two waved Marnie off as she headed back to the upper levels of Motostoke, where the Flying Taxis were parked.

Hop held his hands behind his head. "Guess that just leaves the two of us, then." He grinned. "Hammerlocke, here we-"

"Hmph. You two." A voice spoke from nearby. Bede revealed himself as he emerged from the shade of a nearby building.

Flare blinked in surprise. "Bede…" She blinked again. "Wait, how long have you been waiting there?"

He was briefly caught off guard by her question. "Irrelevant." Bede hurriedly composed himself. "I see you two have also gotten yourself some Fire Badges."

"Oh Flare, it's this guy again!" Hop eagerly looked between the two before waving enthusiastically. "I remember you! Any chance you wanna join us?"

Bede scoffed, deliberately casting his gaze aside. "I don't need the help of any champion-endorsed trainers this time. I was endorsed by the chairman himself, I'll have you know." He made sure to emphasize that point. "It's not like having some weaklings tag along is gonna do me any good."

His comment immediately swatted away any good vibes Hop and Flare had.

Flare raised an eyebrow. "I thought you lost the last time we battled."

Bede's cocky demeanor slipped away for a split second. "I-Irrelevant."

Hop frowned. "Come to think of it, I still need to get back at this guy for beating me last time!" He took out a Pokéball without a second thought. "Square up, you and me!"

"Tch. Feisty, are we?" Bede's smirk returned. "I initially stopped by to send you off with some much needed best wishes, but I suppose I could spend some time crushing you. But if we must fight, can we perhaps take this somewhere up ahead? Lest your foolishness cause you to belittle yourself in front of the common citizens here."

Hop's look grew competitive. "Oh yeah, mate? I'll take you on up ahead then! But watch out, I'm not getting belittled! I'm taller!"

Bede seemed mildly irritated at the fact. "Very well."

The two stormed off ahead, down the stairs of Motostoke and out of sight, all before Flare could get a say in any of this. She quickly tried to take chase, entering the view of the Wild Area once more, but already lost them.

Flare sighed. "I still don't know what that guy's deal is… Guess I'm all alone now."

A light burst from one of her Pokéballs, a Thwackey popping out next to her. Twigs gave her a reassuring grin. "Told ya not to say that, lass. You got me, and the rest of us, too!"

The mention of it got Flare smiling again. "You're right."

Twigs eagerly looked towards the river and bridge separating both halves of the Wild Area. "So that's where we're headed, I take it? Now this I'm lookin' forward to."

The sound of Twigs' agreement got Flare's resolve to return. She nodded. "Hammerlocke, here we come."