TEAM: Twigs (Rillaboom) & Zap (Toxtricity), Spike (Drednaw) & Tilda (Vileplume), Hook (Galarian Slowpoke) & Cress (Vikavolt)

Author's POV

The once docile air of the town of Stow-on-Side came to a trembling halt when the quaking scraping noise against rock echoed around the area. As troubled townspeople kept their distance from the sudden commotion, there were a select few who had a hunch this wasn't just an impromptu construction intervention.

Joining the alarmed crowd were Flare, Sonia, and Nikki, whose pace carried them up the set of stairs on the western side of town. Up that staircase led to the brown mountainous wall that bordered the town, meant to be a display of a historical mural for all to marvel at. But a certain pink-sweatered trainer seemed intent on changing that.

"Said to be a deep work of art, hmm?" The trainer remarked with a scoff, running a hand through his hair as he gave the impatient Steel type next to him an impatient glare. "Tch, looks more like an oversized finger painting to me. Surely the people wouldn't mind if I tore this down if it meant we found more Wishing Stars out of it."

Sonia was the first to stop and gasp as she noticed the huge Pokémon clawing away at the mountain wall. "That Copperajah! It couldn't be…"

Nikki appeared to come to the same realization. "Isn't that the Chairman's Pokémon?"

However, Flare was more focused on a different aspect of familiarity on the scene. Her upset pace was set ablaze as she rushed ahead of the crowd and towards the silver-haired trainer.

"Bede!" she exclaimed sternly.

A brief moment of surprise took him as he heard that familiar, lighthearted voice, although Flare's tone implied otherwise. Still, the Psychic type trainer turned around, wearing his smug smirk as he tucked a hand into his pocket.

"Oh, it's you, Flare," he said, sounding unsurprised. "You seem troubled. Though if it's a squabble you're looking for, I'm afraid I'm in the middle of something right now."

"You… you have some explaining to do!" She wanted to scowl. The adrenaline from just being in a Gym Stadium still rushed within Flare. She remembered well Hop's recent loss of confidence was partially caused by the very trainer standing cockily in front of her. "With the mural… with Hop… everything!" She tried her best to stand her ground despite the audience that gathered in the tense air around them.

"Oh, Hop? So it's personal, is that it?" Bede stopped to laugh. "I'm sorry, but if you intend on stopping me, you'd be out of luck. Gathering Wishing Stars is important work, I'll have you know." He paused for a moment to narrow his eyes and flash a taunting grin. "But… if you do want a fight, perhaps that could be arranged…"

There was a brief moment of silence around the area after Bede's invitation. While the Stow-on-Side locals wished they could put a stop to whatever this mural destruction act was, they froze in their tracks at the sight of the Copperajah. If it truly was Chairman Rose's Pokémon, there was no way they stood a chance against a Pokémon that strong.

But Flare kept her focus elsewhere. That being defiantly matching the stare of the person in front of her. And in response, she quietly pulled out a Pokéball.

Bede quickly noticed and kept his smug expression. He glanced back at the Copperajah before looking back at her. "I suppose a quick battle would entertain me for the time being." He scoffed once before pulling a Great Ball out of his pocket, tossing it over his head before catching it with his other hand. "I'll make sure to best you this time. My Pokémon have evolved, so a different outcome is all but assured."

Flare tightened the grip around her Pokéball, determined to wipe that confident look off Bede's face. "So have mine."

"Duosion!"

"Cress!"

Both trainers were quick to use the open area of the viewing spot as their battlefield. Their Pokémon zipped and hovered around each other with as much intensity as their trainers' commands held.

"Reflect!"

At the command, the floating Psychic type swerved backwards defensively, forming a translucent barrier that started to shape around itself. Cress was quick to close the distance with her flight, mandibles at the ready.

"Bug Bite!"

Just as quick as they opened, the sharp blade-like mandibles of the Vikavolt closed around the gooey opponent with a violent squeeze, breaking through the barrier and damaging it directly. With the Duosion squirming helplessly in her gasp, Cress performed a swift swooping somersault before releasing to chuck her foe away. The Duosion didn't have enough strength to disorient itself from splatting onto the Copperajah's face in the middle of one of its trunk swings.

"Agh!" Bede cast a surprised look at the irritated Copperajah as he hurriedly returned Duosion into a Great Ball. He hastily attempted to calm the big beast down before angrily turning back to face his opponent. "Now what was that all about?!"

Flare's gaze remained unwavering as Cress hovered back to ground level, the conviction in their stares identical. "Stopping you from striking someone or something else to the dirt again."

The unusual defiance in Flare's tone came as a shock to her pink-sweatered foe. For that brief moment, he felt he let his guard down against someone who wasn't usually on the offensive. His frown deepened as he pulled out another Great Ball, gripping it tightly. "If you insist, then you leave me no choice but to fight fire with fire. I don't intend on losing this bout."

"Neither do I."

Next came Bede's Gothorita, who attempted to hinder Cress' defenses with a Fake Tears technique, but the act did little to stop the Vikavolt from doing the same thing. Bug Bite squeeze followed by a toss to the Copperajah. Needless to say Bede's Pokémon didn't take the super effective Bug type attack alongside the impact against such steely hide very well.

Bede gritted his teeth as he tried to attack with his Ponyta, only for the same outcome to happen again. The Copperajah by his side only grew more irritated as the swings it was commanded to do continued being interrupted. The Psychic type trainer shared the need to scowl as he brought out one more Great Ball.

"This is ridiculous!" Bede felt the need to say as he brought out his Hattrem. "I can't lose to you again, not after how hard I've worked! Why can't you just mind your own business?!"

Flare's unflinching gaze met his from across the area. For once, she felt true conviction, where she was willing to go all out for what she stood for. Or rather, who. "Because this one's for Hop."

Bede scoffed again. "Bringing him up again? Being a sore loser on his behalf won't do you any good, you know! Perhaps it'd do us both some good to cut that feistiness down to size!" Bede snarled, commanding his Hattrem forward. "Looks like we have no choice but to finish you off the same way we did with him! Fringe, Psybeam!"

Flare was quick on the draw to call out an attack of her own. "Cress, Thunderbolt!"

Between the Vikavolt's mandibles shot a violent beam of electricity that met the Hattrem's Psybeam head on. Both lingering blasts continued clashing against each other with shared intensity. Both trainers stood their ground alongside their Pokémon, equally as unwilling to let up.

"I just don't get it!" Bede screamed over the attacks of the two Pokémon. "What's there to justify in this battle?! Why must your vengeance burn so brightly?!"

Flare felt the need to clench her fist. Vengeance? Maybe that's what it was. The conviction continued blazing within her, crackling like the electricity that kept Cress' Thunderbolt going. All the aftermath of loss, sorrow, and Bede's own irony kept that flame burning.

With one vicious step forward, she responded. "Because one of his Pokémon bloody died!"

And at that very moment, the colour seemed to drain from Bede's face. "His Pokémon… w-what?"

The drain in fighting spirit seemed to affect Fringe, who let her guard down in a brief moment of concern. However, that only led to Cress' Thunderbolt overpowering the Hattrem. The powerful electric strike carried the Pokémon through the air, over Bede's head until it hurtled into the Copperajah's side.

The horror only remained on Bede's face as he scrambled to catch the delicate Pokémon that fell into his arms. He kept muttering something panicked under his breath as he cradled his Hattrem before returning her into a Great Ball. The trainer kept his head low as he got to his feet, fists still shaking.

Flare cautiously took a step forward, ready to set the adrenaline aside to accept her victory. But she didn't get to move an inch before Bede lashed out once more.

"I haven't lost yet!" His shaky voice declared with an outburst. His desperate eyes moved to the giant Steel type beside him. "To my side, Copperajah! Leave them speechless! "

Flare and Cress suddenly stopped in their tracks when the looming Steel type briefly stood with a trumpeting roar before approaching them in a stomping frenzy. As the ground rumbled and the shaking grew louder and louder towards her, Flare briefly froze under the might of the Copperajah's furious and glowing red glare.

"Cress!" Flare hastily called out. "Thunderbolt!"

Her Vikavolt quickly flew forward and let loose a quick electric burst, but the Copperajah was even quicker to deflect it towards the wall with its sturdy, metallic trunk. It proceeded to use that same trunk to promptly swat at Cress, impacting her shell with a horrid crunch. The blow knocked the unfortunate Bug type into Flare in the process. The weight of the impact and having to catch her Vikavolt knocked the trainer off her feet.

While briefly dazed, Flare only had little time to come to as the Copperajah continued to approach her with ferocious stomping intent. By the time she was given the opportunity to focus, the Steel type beast had already lifted up its front legs and was ready to crush her and Cress.

"W-Wait! I order you to stop!" Bede cried out from nearby, but the Copperajah didn't show any signs of slowing down. "This wasn't what he said the command would do! I didn't mean to-"

Flare could only shut her eyes helplessly as she braced for impact. But what instead followed was the blinding light of a Pokéball flash, much to her surprise. Even the Steel type aggressor looked surprised to have suddenly stopped in its tracks, legs still suspended midair.

"Don't… hurt… my friends…"

Hook stood his ground the best he could between his trainer and the Copperajah. The Slowpoke outstretched a paw towards the steel titan, mustering all his psychic energy to throw the large elephant off balance. But try as he did, it seemed all he could do was stall the stomping motion, only briefly being able to hold the large foe in place. And just as the Copperajah did, Hook didn't budge either.

That was, until the Steel type got over the initial shock of psychic intervention and fought back against the force with steely resolve. Hook strained himself, mustering as much force as he could while the elephant's front legs slowly started descending again. In one last ditch effort, he promptly jerked his paw to the side, concentrating all his energy in such a way that it shoved the Copperajah in that direction. With two of its legs suspended, the beast was caught off guard by the sudden shove, forcing it to lose balance in such a way that it started to fall towards its side. Its hefty hide ended up colliding with the rock wall before it collapsed to the ground by virtue of its sheer weight.

Though exhausted and now gasping for air, Hook was still breathing, and that was enough for him to feel relieved. "Are you two… quite alright?" he asked as he turned around.

In response Flare quickly sat up and threw her arms around Hook's neck in response. While the Slowpoke was surprised by the sudden gesture, he let his faint smile show. Flare tried to speak her thanks, but was still in the process of regaining her fleeing breath, so she just settled with a smile and hug instead.

Cress weakly buzzed nearby before perching onto Hook's head with a sigh. "Think that swing battered my wings up bad, but I'm fine. You did good, big guy."

Hook stifled a chuckle, feeling truly glad at the confirmation. "It's my pleasure."

"Young Bede… It pains me to say this, but I am truly disappointed."

Flare looked up at the sound of the voice just in time to see the fallen Copperajah being returned into its Ultra Ball. An Ultra Ball held in the palm of Chairman Rose.

There the prominent Galar figure stood, at the head of the staircase where the crowd of onlookers parted for his entry. And following the displeased Chairman were two staff members bearing the uniform of the Galar Pokémon League. Immediately all eyes were drawn to the letdown frown the portly-presenced Chairman cast down on Bede. As Flare was telekinetically helped back to her feet by Hook, she tried her best to listen to what was going on.

"... and your public ruckus caused even Gym Leader Bea to end up contacting me." Rose pinched the bridge of his nose as he slowly shook his head. "Had I known this was what you'd do with my prized Copperajah, I would've reconsidered my trust in you, Bede."

Bede still looked shaken up, catching his breath as if he was about to keel over. His frantic and still frightened eyes looked over to Flare and then back at Rose. "I swear it wasn't my fault! I didn't mean anything! A-And look! She's still fine, no damage done!"

"No… damage… done?" Chairman Rose's tone slowly rose in anger as he brought a knowing stare to the crater where his Copperajah fell. "Directly attacking another Gym Challenger is one thing, but there was also the matter of this!" He quickly swept his arm up towards the mural, the deep gashes and scratches absolutely evident.

Bede glanced up at the severely damaged rock wall with disbelief. "Wha-"

"To shamelessly damage such an important historical landmark. Clearly you hold no love for Galar or its culture." Rose continued uttering with disdain, cautiously stepping across what parts of the area were still left undamaged. "Young Bede, such careless damage to public property among other violations is too much to let you off with just a warning. And to think I saw such potential in you. But now, with great sorrow in my heart, I will have to remove you from this year's Gym Challenge."

At that point, several gasps erupted from the crowd of onlookers, but that was all the noise they dared to make. The loudest outburst still came from Bede's absolutely shocked response.

"Removal?! That's disqualification!" The desperation started to leak into his voice as he continued trying to explain himself. "You...you must be joking, right? There are a hundred different ways we could sort this out... Why are you choosing the worst possible option?! N-Not to mention you were the one who endorsed me!"

Rose's looming presence was enough to shut down Bede's attempt to stand up for himself. "Just as I endorsed you for the Gym Challenge, I can also revoke that endorsement. To have taken my Copperajah and caused an insult to history with my very own Pokémon is truly despicable. We can only hope the mural is still in one piece after all this."

"In one…?" Bede raised an eyebrow before raising his voice again. "But you told me-"

"That's enough, Bede." Rose spat, turning his back to him as he started to walk back towards the stairs. He slowly lifted an arm to snap his fingers. "Take him away."

"W-Wait, no, stop!" The pink-sweatered trainer tried his best to flail himself free from the pair of League Staff members who grabbed him by the arms. But his thrashing and kicking only proved futile against the much taller adults who ended up hauling him back down the stairs.

While Bede was sent off and out of sight, his cries and constant pleading were seen as whining to the onlookers present. But not to Flare. She could only feel uncomfortable chills as the echoes of Bede's attempts to justify himself fell on deaf ears. The burning spirit that compelled her to do battle did spur her to victory, but to see Bede lose this hard wasn't part of the intended outcome. The pity still remained. She couldn't help but wish he and his Pokémon would still be alright after everything.

At the very least, Flare's returning breath and the Pokémon still by her side gave her the all clear that she was still alright, fortunately. Even if it felt like her knees were still knocking. As the crowd around the area started to thin, she started to hear the sound of her own breath again. Her eyes trailed downward to the large crater that vaguely resembled the shape of a Copperajah. She still couldn't believe she managed to get out of such a scrape.

"Flare!" With the departure of the crowd came the worried words of Sonia and Nikki as they approached her.

"That Bede really struck my nerves using the Chairman's Copperajah like that… Direct engagement against trainers really is a rule breaker." Sonia slowly shook her head with a frown. "I would've helped you against that scrap, but my Pokéballs were bugging out for some reason."

"It's okay, I'm fine, really." Flare breathed out, trying to reassure them with a smile. Though that bit about Sonia's Pokéball not working did strike her as odd. "Hopefully the mural is still okay."

Flare looked towards the rocky wall of a mural, which seemed to depict a sword and shield basking in the sun like a simpler version of that last Hammerlocke tapestry. Though she found herself with a disappointed look when the illustration was hard to make out with the damage that was done. Even if Flare managed to survive that scrape, it didn't look like the unfortunate mural didn't visibly withstood much of the scraping part, what with the cracks that crawled all across the stone. And were still crawling, actually.

Right before their very eyes, the creeping craggy cracks culminated with the rocky wall reaching its limit. First the pebbles started peeling off like rubble, then came the larger rocks that signaled a landslide. Luckily, before the impact came, Flare and the others managed to dive out of the way as the falling rocks ended up bunching around the Copperajah-shaped crater on the ground.

Flare was stuck in a bit of a coughing fit as she realized how close she was to a face-sized boulder near her feet. Though as she waved away the dust of the debris, sudden intrigue caught her eye as she noticed that the rock wall gave way to what looked to be a hollowed out opening in the rock that housed looming statues. She was quick to realize she wasn't alone in the sudden discovery when she heard and caught a glimpse of Nikki's camera flash beside her.

"No way…" Nikki held her excited stare as she slowly lowered her gaze to the Dottler beside her. Her voice held much awe. "There's no way this was just hiding here this whole time… They even look like those ancient Diglett sculptures in front of the town. What even are these statues?"

Flare shared a similar degree of curiosity as she narrowed her eyes at the giant structures that resembled figures. "Two people and… two Pokémon?" Standing in front of two humans looked to be two wolf-like Pokémon, each brandishing a weapon in their mouths. It wasn't until she recognized them wielding a sword and shield did something click. "Wait, Sonia, the tapestries from Hammerlocke!"

At first, the assistant professor stayed silent, keen eyes studying the scene before her as if deep in thought. It wasn't until Flare piped in that Sonia perked up and snapped her fingers eagerly.

"With the sword and the shield, it makes so much sense!" Sonia nodded, eyes scanning the very items behind held in the maws of the two Pokémon. "The two kings, the sword and shield, and now these mysterious Pokémon… this is definitely linked to the Darkest Day incident. A commemorative monument dedicated to the heroes, perhaps!"

With the mention of the tapestries and the enigma of those obscured wolf Pokémon, Flare was starting to catch on quickly. "Right, so those Pokémon must've been the ones in the tapestry…" Though her stare became inquisitive as she studied the detailed features of the wolves' faces. "Wait, those Pokémon, could they be…?"

"Erm, sorry to feel out of the loop, buuut…" Nikki sheepishly spoke up from nearby, evidently clueless despite the beaming grin on her face. "... what's all this Darkest Day stuff you're yammering about?"

"I suppose it is a bit of a historical enigma, so it's understandable." Sonia turned to her with a know-it-all smile as she twirled her hair. "There's a pamphlet in the Budew Drop Inn that should give you the basics. Dynamax Pokémon running wild, hero statue with the sword and shield… I'll fill you in later. That being said, it just begs the question." She narrowed her eyes once more on the curious statues that differed greatly from the one in Motostoke. "These depictions of those wolf Pokémon, any signs of them… It's as if they were deliberately hidden. Could the Pokémon be the reason? What if they're the origins of the weapons that felled the Darkest Day? What if it's something else? So many questions… now that really clogs my gears."

The two could only watch as a perplexed Sonia continued pacing in circles, descending back into the depths of thought. Though Flare couldn't really blame her, getting wrapped up in a whole ancient mystery was something she couldn't properly fathom. "If only Hop were here," she spoke up with a sigh, recalling how enthusiastic he was at Turffield. "He'd probably have some better insight about this."

"Knowing him he'd definitely pull some bright ideas from that noggin of his." Sonia stopped and nodded. "How is he, anyhow? It's been a hot minute since I heard from him."

"Ah…" Flare briefly hesitated with a surprised smile, recalling how swept up he was in recent misfortune. It didn't seem like he stopped by Stow-on-Side again either. "He's still… recovering, training up, busy like that. But you should definitely try to contact him about all this. It'd make his day for sure."

"I understand." Sonia's smile softened as she looked back up at the two kings and the two wolves. "It was awfully convenient that your scuffle with Bede helped unearth something this major. Speaking of recovering and training, aren't your Pokémon still a bit banged up?"

"Oh…" Flare found herself embarrassed once again at another thing slipping her mind. "Right, right, I really need to go to the Pokémon Center now." Especially embarrassing to forget considering her Vikavolt and Slowpoke were still waiting by her side.

"Was wondering when you'd remember we were here." Cress breathed out a chuckle, still perched on the Psychic type's head. "I think Hookster here strained himself badly using that psychic stuff earlier."

"It's… no big deal." Hook slowly nodded. "I was simply just protecting you guys."

Flare gave him a glad look as they followed her down the stairs. "Didn't you call us your friends?"

"Protecting is kind of a friend thing to do." Cress added smugly.

Hook paused for a second, furrowing his brow before resigning to the fact. "Very well…"

The Vikavolt peered down at him. "Protecting the people you care about is what friends are for, buddy. Come on, you would know."

That got the Slowpoke to finally crack a smile. "That I do."

Flare's POV

Well, that was an ordeal and a half. At this rate, I was starting to believe I couldn't go one Gym Badge without something happening. I didn't think that going on a Pokémon journey like this would turn out that exciting, but I wasn't exactly complaining. Though I was starting to think we needed a good moment to properly mellow out.

A quick stop by the Pokémon Center told me that maybe we should take it easy for a while. Cress' wings were badly damaged, Hook was actually super tired, and a checkup with Nurse Joy showed that Tilda was still woozy from that G-Max Chi Strike to the face. They wouldn't be doing any battling for a good while, which meant I'd at least let them rest in their Pokéballs for the time being.

Hopefully the next town had a cooler place we could stay at. With Stow-on-Side's desert weather and all the tough battles we just went through, I was sweating bullets.

As if by magic, hurrying out of the sandy outskirts led me into this dense forest of murky foliage that completely eclipsed the sky. All I had to help me see were these weird glowing green and pink mushrooms along the path. I honestly forgot where the desert stopped and this weird magic forest began.

"Glimwood Tangle…" I looked at the stray light my phone emitted as I read the name on the map. "This should be the way to the next Gym, I hope." I also hoped we wouldn't run into anything too dangerous along the way, given the state of my team. Though thankfully I did still have a pairing who were well suited in guiding me here.

I looked at Zap, whose electric frills had a bright yellow glow that helped see quite a bit around us. It helped that he didn't seem that scared of the dark, more curious about his surroundings than anything. With all the mossy green on the path and trees, I couldn't blame him.

"Been a while since we've been in a proper forest, aye?" Twigs spoke up beside us. Her large shadow loomed over us, almost protectively, though she definitely looked the part for it. "To think I was still wee with the one stick. How long ago was it?"

Slumbering Weald. That was the weird forest that started this whole journey, sorta. "Was it… a few days?" Even the answer felt weird as I spoke it.

I caught my Rillaboom's eyes widening at my answer. "Coulda sworn it was at least a few weeks. Plenty wack if you ask me."

There was something about all that stuff that didn't sit with me. It lingered on my mind as we walked through the weirdly grassy paths. Has time really passed by that quickly? Or… slowly? "I can't say for sure," I replied with a sigh. "Right now my thoughts are probably as foggy as that forest."

Twigs chuckled. "Whatever the case, at least now I'm grown enough to take on whatever that fog monster was. Bloody thing won't know what hit 'em now that I got two sticks. And speakin' of protectin'..." Twigs stopped to nudge me. "I would've loved to give that Copper-what's-it's-face a piece of my mind. But for some reason I couldn't leave my damn ball."

Zap stopped his scamper to stare at us worryingly. "Me too! Ball… stay closed!"

"Actually, yeah, that was botherin' me too." As if this sudden mystery wasn't enough, I almost jumped at hearing Spike's voice suddenly nearby. "I don't think Pokéballs are just magically supposed to stop working. It's certainly the first I heard of it."

"Yeaaaaah!" Then came Tilda. "I wanted to… to punched it in the face!" Tilda teetered, clearly still fatigued from being punched in the face.

"Come on, you need to rest up Tilda." I recalled her before she could go tumbling into a patch of tall grass. I sighed as I looked at her Pokéball in my hand before looking at everyone else who's out. "At least it looks like your Pokéballs all work now. Hopefully this… whatever this issue is doesn't happen again."

Though that still struck me as odd. Didn't Sonia just say the same thing about her Pokéballs not working?

Twigs gently placed a hand on my shoulder. "Whatever it is, we'll still be here to protect you, lassie."

I nodded at her, feeling reassured by that. With the thought of company alongside the comforting glow of Zap nearby, it was hard to feel alone in these kinds of muddling hardships knowing I had a team with me.

"You know…" Spike slowly stepped towards us with a raised eyebrow. "This is the first time I've heard you mention this mysterious foggy forest. I've heard plenty from wildies about how foreboding it is but no one I knew actually went there."

"Oh, the Slumbering Weald?" Now that he mentioned it, it wasn't exactly something we talked much about. Then again it was for good reason. Sheep running in there, only for Sheep to be home the whole time, but my mom still believed me anyway? "It was weird. And there was a lot of fog."

"And it was comin' from these wild beasties! Never saw the likes of 'em before, either!" Twigs declared, sounding determined about all of it. "They were these big hounds, like that one Boltund, but bigger and stranger looking, and they somehow fogged the place up and disappeared without a trace! I still dinnae know what that whole bit was about."

"Ooh, what if they were ghoooosts?" And there Tilda went popping out again. "I've always wanted to know what's the deal with ghosts. Like… how do they eat? What's the difference between a ghost and a non-ghost? So many questions!"

"Maybe just hold that thought for now. Back in the ball, you." I returned my pesky Vileplume back into her ball again before she could go looking for a ghost to ask. Didn't want her tripping away into the darkness. "I think I've had enough questions to deal with for one day…"

Spike suddenly stopped mid-conversation with Twigs to look up at me. "Wait, Flare. Dog-like Pokémon we haven't seen before? Pardon my overhearing from the inside, but didn't you and those other ladies just talk about this?"

I paused. Everyone's eyes were on me for this, which made sense, because they weren't out to see what I saw. "Those two wolf Pokémon…" The image of those armed quadrupeds lingered in my head as I hurriedly took out my Rotom Phone again. Narrowing my eyes, I peered at the image of the tapestry with the two mysterious Pokémon tucked away. Two Pokémon, two weapons, for two heroes… "Could it be… wait, no, this doesn't make sense. Even if those were those same Pokémon, what kind of business did they have with me and Hop?" The realization boggled my head some more as I tried to recall that day. "All I can remember is blacking out after that and… maybe hearing some voices. Maybe I didn't." It was really hard to say when I went in for a Dubwool that was apparently never there.

"Aye, you heard those voices too?" Twigs tilted her head at me. "I heard 'em. It sounded like they were judging you lot, mostly good things. Think I remember a third voice too, but I was still stuck in my ball so I couldn't see who it was."

I was still hung over the part where it seemed like our Slumbering Weald visit actually meant something. "For the longest time I thought that was a weird hallucination." I couldn't help but hesitate at the thought. Finding the wolves involved in a mysterious legend in a foggy forest, right next to my house of all places? "There's no way anyone would believe this kind of story."

"I would." Zap happily beamed at me.

"Heh." Spike chuckled. "Same here. Seems like the more exciting answer anyway."

Twigs nodded beside me. "I'm sure that wasn't just some dreamed up nonsense. Whatever this wacked up plot is, if you're a part of it, you bet your locks I'm gonna actually be there to defend you when the time comes."

My smile softened in the soft light of the company that surrounded me. "You guys…" Literal light, thanks to Zap clinging to me.

"Oi, I was wonderin' where you were!"

I didn't have much time to take in the moment before I turned to the familiar voice calling for me. A voice that was reserved but definitely sounded like she had plenty to say.

It took me a good second to find her before I realized her head was poking out of some foliage. "Wait, Marnie? I didn't even know you were here!" It was at least relieving to find a familiar face in a place like this. "Uh… how long have you been there?"

"Long enough." She took a second to step out and shake all the leaves off her dark hair and coat. "I know I train up Dark types, but gettin' through this place is somethin' else, even with William's help." It took me a second to realize that her Morpeko, who was also glowing with electricity, stepped out beside her too.

I looked down at her eager but relatively tiny Morpeko before looking back at Zap, who seemed to be better at emitting light in comparison. "To be honest, it doesn't seem like I've made much progress in this trek either." I shrugged with a sheepish grin. "Guess you could say I'm feeling lost in more ways than one."

I heard her chuckle as she sauntered her way to my side. "Looks to me we got a bit of catchin' up to do." Looked like she had a faint smile on her face, but it was hard to say. "What say we stick together for the time bein'? If you want, of course."

I gladly nodded at her. "Sounds good to me." Considering we haven't seen each other since Motostoke, I thought it'd be nice to see what's happened since then. And we quickly got going on that front.

Even though we still couldn't make heads or tails about this Glimwood Tangle, we still had our own back and forth as we walked and talked. Our Electric types led the way while our other Pokémon kept themselves occupied as they followed us. Turns out Marnie still had matters keeping her busy around the time of the incident, even if it wasn't in the same way that affected me and Hop. At least for that, I found myself fortunate for her.

"You mean you were in the center of that Dynamax storm when it happened?" I caught Marnie's eyes widening even in the dark of this place. "The one that was in the news and everythin'?"

"That's right." I felt my heart sink a bit at the mention, but I quickly steeled my spirit and pressed forward. "I don't entirely know what caused all that, but one thing's for sure, I'm not gonna lose anyone again."

"You're a right toughie, Flare." Marnie smiled at me before slowly shaking her head and clutching her sleeve. "I dunno what I'd do if I was there. Might be weird to admit, but I'm kinda thankful I was busy drivin' off those Yell numskulls while that was all goin' on. Had to say a lot of sorry's on their behalf, but I think this is the first time they've done me any good."

Right, Team Yell. I know I recently had an encounter with them, but it still caught me off guard to think there were that many people dedicated to Marnie's cause. Did they always keep themselves busy by bothering other Gym Challengers? "You know, I actually ran into them a while ago. They were surprisingly helpful, believe it or not." Even if I did decline their human ladder.

"Did they now?" Marnie raised an eyebrow. "Least they seemed to get my memo to not bother you guys." She stopped to stretch. "I've been knackered enough goin' all around Galar makin' sure my brother's folks have been stayin' outta trouble."

For a moment, I did want to bring up how they've been seeing some 'shady blokes' playing a part in recent incidents, but a certain part of what she said caught my attention. "Your brother's folks?" I don't remember her saying she had a brother.

"I…" Marnie blew out a long sigh as her shoulders sagged. "Guess I was bound to tell someone eventually."

She took a moment to look around herself before finding a log on the ground and sat on it. She cocked her head towards me, motioning for me to join her, so I did.

Marnie took a second to stare at me before speaking, as if mustering her words. "It's no secret that Team Yell are from my hometown Spikemuth, yeah?"

I nodded. I remembered hearing about how Spikemuth was on the far east of mainland Galar, but I didn't know that much about it, other than its Gym Leader. I mainly had Hop to thank for whisking me into the Gym Leader enthusiasm he had growing up. "Dark types must really be popular there, huh?"

Marnie had a faint smile. "Undoubtedly thanks to Piers." She looked… oddly grateful about that. "It was nice bein' endorsed by him. He did help me get a Pokémon and all so I can set off on this whole Gym Challenge, but I'd prefer if his pals weren't so… overbearing."

Wait… "... Piers is your brother?" I had to pause at the realization. Now I was the one staring at Marnie. "I knew he mentioned having a little sister in some of his early interviews but… that's you?"

Marnie looked a bit red in the face before she turned away from me. "Come off it, you." She sounded a bit flustered about the fact. "Yeah, he's my brother, but he should really know I don't hold myself together well under all this sudden attention. Yours included."

"Oh, okay." I decided to back up a bit, though I still found myself giggling at her. "Guess that explains… quite a bit."

"It's not like I'm ungrateful or anythin'. I love my bro, I really do. He's not responsible for how they're behavin', but at least he knows I find all this support a bit much. His friends on the other hand, they're plenty embarrassin' to be around when they're like this." She hesitated for a second before looking back at me. "I would've thought you'd be a bit more worked up about this like the rest of 'em. You know, me bein' the little sis of a famous Gym Leader?"

"Yeah, about that…" I chuckled as I let it sink in properly. "I kind of grew up with someone who's the Champion's brother. I'm used to this stuff by now." Wouldn't be the first time I met someone who was endorsed by someone important and popular. "I think that stuff is really cool."

"You think so?" Marnie still looked a bit flustered, but I caught her smile. "You're being awfully understanding 'bout this, which I'm real glad about. Family support is nice, but I think I like bein' cheered on by my own friends more."

I smiled gladly at her, wholeheartedly indulging in the sentiment. I don't know what I'd do without my mom supporting me from the sidelines, but I know it'd be overwhelming if she went overboard with all the attention. Even if Leon insisted my mom could've endorsed me for some reason, I'm still grateful helped me and Hop get properly started with this journey. I'm sure Marnie feels a similar way with a big brother like Piers. I supposed family's love really does play a huge part in how we all started and are still going.

Which made me feel horrible at how that "family's love" turned out for Bede. Was I the only one he told about everything he lost at a young age?

I hope his Hattrem is still okay…

"You seem bothered by something." Marnie's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "I don't often see you feel down. Somethin' the matter?"

I gave her the most earnest smile I could muster. "I'll be fine." I hope Bede will be fine too. After that whole scuffle, I couldn't help but feel bad about all that, or at least feel like he didn't deserve it. I genuinely got the impression that he didn't mean anything.

It was at that moment that I felt a sudden aching and groaning. That was when I realized I haven't eaten anything in a while.

"No worries, I'm sure I've packed enough to have somethin' for you." Marnie seemed quick to pick up on that and started rummaging through her dark maroon backpack. Though she only looked up from her pack with narrowed eyes and a frown. "William, did you snag all the snacks again?"

The little glowing Morpeko nearby chuckled nervously at us. "Maaaaybe…"

My glowing Toxtricity nearby came to our side holding a bunch of berries in his hands. "They're from Twigs." Zap handed me an Iapapa Berry before giving one to Marnie as well.

I gratefully chomped into the fist-sized item, though I quickly started to regret biting so heartily when the sourness of it made my face want to scrunch up. A quick glance at Marnie's surprised expression told me she made the same mistake as well. After we swallowed those initial portions, we had a good giggle to ourselves before quietly and cautiously finishing the rest of the thing.

After that we took a moment to sit in silence and just take in the view. For being a tangly labyrinth of trees and glowing mushrooms, the atmosphere felt nice, mystical even. And it seemed like a relatively docile place to just hang around, which was especially true with how we spent a good while watching our Pokémon lounging around and doing their own thing. Everyone seemed to be fond of Twigs' new food stash especially.

"Y'know, I've always found Toxtricity cool," Marnie spoke up. "Maybe I'll ask my brother to get me one sometime."

"But Toxtricity isn't even a Dark type…?" I joked, raising an eyebrow at her.

She crossed her arms at me and pouted. "I just think they're cool, okay? Plus I also have a Croagunk, who's also cool. I'm real proud of all my Pokémon, just so you know."

I looked again at the team she brought out, which definitely seemed bigger than last I remembered. Did she always have a Liepard? "Did you happen to train a lot recently?"

Marnie nodded. "Had to do somethin' while I was lost here. Even caught a helpful new member." She briefly leaned closer to the ground to grab one of her Pokémon that happened to be scurrying by. The little pink Impidimp in her hands squirmed for a bit before smiling at her and then me. "This little guy's called Nightmare."

"'Ello." He curtly introduced himself with a goblin-esque voice and a wave.

I gingerly waved back before he wriggled free and scurried off to chase William. What a lively bunch her Pokémon seemed to be, though I shouldn't be surprised after spending so much time with mine.

I let out a sentimental sigh as I watched them all mingling with each other around the clearing. "I honestly never thought I'd see myself with such a weird and wonderful team like this."

"I felt the same way for good while, actually." Marnie chuckled. "Bein' the shy type in a place as murky as Spikemuth meant I couldn't really go anywhere, but luckily my brother helped me with that. He even helped me catch William, though we had to sneak out to do so."

I raised an eyebrow at her. "You snuck out? Of your house, right?"

Marnie's little smile caught a hint of mischief. "Out the town, more like. The great outdoors were considered mighty dangerous, so my brother told me about this secret pathway where we could head in and out of Spikemuth without bein' noticed. Led to some excitin' escapes, that's for sure."

"Wow." I widened my eyes in admiration. Now I really felt like I was missing out by growing up without a cool older brother. "I don't think I did anything remotely as daring. Maybe staying up past my bedtime counts?"

Marnie shrugged. "I'd say you oughta get out more, but by the looks of things you already got that covered. What with you takin' part in this Gym Challenge and all."

"You could say that…" I sheepishly chuckled at the thought of being in all this. I mainly joined because my mom encouraged me too and I thought it'd be fun. Which it has been, but… "... I'm not sure about this whole 'becoming champion' thing." I know I was beating these Gyms and collecting the badges, but I never saw myself ever surpassing Leon. Especially knowing Hop and Marnie and even Bede were aspiring so hard for that position.

Marnie scoffed. "I bet that's what they all say! I'm not goin' to get caught off guard so you can get the upper hand against me!" She leapt to her feet and held her head high as she declared that. "Mark my words, I'm gonna be the one to claim that champion spot and do Spikemuth proud!"

I just sat in my spot and smiled up at her. "Okay. Sounds good to me." Even outside the fact, I honestly couldn't contest such a blatant and admirable display of her passion like this.

And also despite what she just said, it looked like my answer unintentionally caught her off guard. "You… really mean it?"

I nodded. "Definitely." Plus it sounded like she had a much more noble cause than anything I could come up with.

"Well… well that's rubbish!" She crossed her arms and pouted. "I don't want you givin' up this type of challenge that easily. We're rivals and all that! We're walking down this windin' road together and pushing each other to do better! Least, that's what Hop told me rivals do. I plan on winnin' this thing, but I don't wanna see you losin' either!"

Her words of encouragement were very flattering, even to the point where I felt myself blushing a bit. "I know I'll probably figure something out along the way." I was honestly more interested in seeing what would become of everyone else and just being there for the ride. As long as the ride didn't spin.

Marnie definitely seemed more determined than I was, even if it showed more in her voice. "I dunno what your plans are, but I do know it'd be a shame if I didn't get to see my friends at Wyndon Stadium with me!" She held her hand out towards me. "Come on then, promise me you'll be there when the time comes!" Her expression wavered for just a second. "I-If you want, of course."

I giggled a bit at seeing her shy side come through for a second, not as if I needed any more convincing. "I promise." If it meant getting to see all my friends reach the peak, I didn't mind the idea of sticking around throughout all of it.

I smiled and accepted Marnie's hand, which I half-expected she would use to pull me back up, which was what she did. What I didn't expect was for her to immediately step behind me and start pushing me from my back.

"H-Hey, what's-"

"Come on, off with you, then!" I could practically hear Marnie's pout as she continued pushing me towards whatever path we were supposed to walk on. "You're not gonna get to the stadium without those Gym Badges, and you're definitely not gonna get those badges if we're just dallyin' about!" Pushing turned to dragging as Marnie resorted to stepping ahead of me and pulling me by the hand towards what she supposed was the right way forward.

But we were supposed to take things easy now—! Though I didn't really have much room to complain as I watched the rest of our Pokémon who were lagging behind us desperately try to catch up.

Not to mention this was the first time I got to see Marnie this fired up about anything. All alone like this in the Glimwood Tangle, I felt like I met a version of Marnie who was much more expressive than before. All the other places I've seen her, the crowded areas of Motostoke, those were all bustling places where I mainly saw her reserved side and her feistiness was rare. But in a quiet place like this, she managed to make all the noise here.

She still had that cutesy punk demeanor she wore so well, but both her actions and her words spoke the loudest here. Maybe it was the right environment, or maybe she really did grow more confident around us over time. The way she carried herself and spoke, and- was she frolicking?

Whatever it was, I wasn't really in the mood to complain when she was hauling me along with an energy that would soon rival Hop's. Both in contagious enthusiasm and competitive spirit.

Hopefully I was able to keep up. "Are you sure rushing this is the right idea?"

Marnie looked back at me with a confident nod. "I saw what your team's like, you got a lot of big and strong Pokémon for this! Well, except for one. I know I'm not in any place to talk about tall Pokémon, but bit short for a Toxtricity, innit?"

I knew she was joking about how Zap was weirdly short for his species, with how he was barely able to reach my shoulder. But still, I rolled my eyes at her. "Come off it, you."