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

Flare's POV

Mmmmmrphh…

After everything that happened today, I think I deserved a good nap. Or two. These beds were still so sooooft, I couldn't help it. Definitely Dubwool wool, I remembered how soft Sheep and Buddy were.

I got up to the sound of my phone buzzing. Speak of the Dubwool. I must've missed all the other times it buzzed because I was greeted to a whole flood of messages from Hop. And I had to scroll through a lot before it ended at-

"nvm marnie told me everything"

Phew. I didn't want him to worry any more than he usually does, so I made sure to reply as I hopped off the bed. He immediately responded with a gasping Pikachu as soon as I replied, so instead of putting my phone away I continued messaging him back. I snickered as I sent him a pic of a bewildered Rowlet.

I was so focused I didn't realize I wandered in front of the TV, and I almost jumped back at the sound of rapid chirping. Turns out my Pokémon were watching something without me.

"Oh, hey guys." I quickly stepped away when I realized I was blocking their view. "Whatchu watching?"

"Wheel of Kricke-fortune," Tilda spoke up from her spot on the carpet. "Guessing things are fun. Also we like the sound it makes it when it spins."

The sound of rapid Kricketune chirping played from the TV once more. I started to see what they meant.

"I'm just glad they don't actually stick a guy on the wheel." I heard Cress mutter. "Sure could've fooled me when it sounds like that."

I looked at the TV for a second, wondering if I should take a seat as well, until my phone buzzed again. "Oh, sure," I spoke it out as I typed it, stepping away to retrieve my satchel.

"Going somewhere?" I caught Spike's sneer. "Heading off into the night after texting a certain someone, it can only mean one thing."

"C-Come on, you guys," I responded sheepishly. Even before I turned back to face them I could feel all their eyes on me. "It's just Hop. You know, my friend. Offered to pay for a dinner out. And Marnie is there too." I worked up my own confident smirk to combat my Drednaw's. "So ha." Nailed it.

"Dinner, eh?" Twigs sat at her spot on the couch, Zap on her lap. At least she didn't sound like she was teasing me. "See if you can get that Hop to pay extra for some takeout, alright?"

"I will!" I didn't want my team to go hungry, so of course I obliged.

I left them to their guessing game program and headed out the door, the elevator, then the main entrance. Hammerlocke looked a lot different at night, with the dark brick streets leaving the vintage torch lights to stand out even more. I looked back down at my phone to double check the place Hop said we'd meet at. It wasn't the Battle Café at least, which I was a little thankful for.

Hole in the Wall? As in, is that the name of the place or is that just the saying?

Turns out it was both, and it took me a lot more aimless wandering than I'd like to admit before I found it. The contrast from the super classy hotel to this vintage looking restaurant must've gotten to me. It didn't exactly stand out as much as I expected it to.

Even if this place didn't seem as lively as Bob's Your Uncle, the smell of good food still welcomed me when I stepped in.

Mmm… chippy.

I found my way over to the round table where Hop and Marnie were, and as I did so, a box of biscuits slid my way.

"Some snacks." Hop grinned at me from across the table. "Been a while, hasn't it?"

I smiled back with a chuckle as I plucked a Wooloo cookie out. "You betcha."

Marnie reached for a biscuit as well, handing one to William on her lap. "I can't say no to a free meal, but where'd you head off to, Hop? This was the first I've seen or heard of you since Motostoke."

Hop's grin wavered, and I caught his eyes darting to me for a second. "It's… complicated. But I wanna hear about you fellas, first!" He leaned forward on his seat and stared at both of us. "What happened with the Dynamax Storm?! You know, the one with the mad Pokémon on Route 7! I saw Lee on the news, but I caught glimpses of you guys there too! Tell me everything!"

Hop's sudden concern paired with his energy had me hesitating for a second. A glance at Marnie revealed she reacted similarly. Well, considering how Leon reacted, I shouldn't be so surprised…

"I-I don't think I'm the one you should be askin'," Marnie stammered out first. "You should've seen Flare! She saved my butt and fought like nothin' I've ever seen before! She was usin' all her Pokémon at once!"

"E-Er…" I felt a bit flattered but still surprised to be put on the spot. "Oh, you mean my Maractics?"

"... huh?"

"My terrific team tactics that I came up with after catching a Maractus," my flustered self spoke quickly. "The name's a work in progress." I tried to play it off modestly, though it was hard with the way they were both staring at me. "... can we order yet? All that… Maractics left me winded and I don't think I've eaten much yet."

Hop chuckled. "That's fair enough." He turned away and looked to call for someone. "Alrighty, what'll you guys be ordering, anyway?"

"I've been to this place plenty of times before, so I know what's good." Marnie nodded at me. "I'll take a battered sausage."

"Burger," William piped up, peeking over the table.

"A chippy meal, please," I spoke up.

"Got a bunch of hungry Hippopotas over here, do we?" Hop's bright eyes glazed over us as his proud grin returned. "I'm just glad you managed to get out of that scrap safely. I don't want this to get too touchy feely, so let's just say this meal is to celebrate my newly obtained sixth badge, my treat!"

He nabbed a biscuit and raised it forward above the table. Marnie and I chuckled at each other for a brief moment before doing the same, grabbing our own cookies so that they met at the center in a 'cheers' gesture.

"To my six badges!" Hop proclaimed eagerly, tossing his little biscuit down the hatch.

"And to my four." Marnie hesitated before she did the same.

"And my seven." I followed suit similarly. So much for modesty.

Even with my reluctant boast, I noticed Hop and Marnie weren't as embarrassed about me being so ahead, which was good. I felt a bit prouder after that, which helped fuel my zeal for when my meal actually arrived. I happily dug in, and despite the modest presentation, I found the meal an absolute delight to sink my teeth into. Maybe it was too much of a delight, because I had to swat William away on several occasions with how insistent he was on getting a bite for himself. Not my fault he wolfed his burger down too quickly.

I listened in as Hop and Marnie caught up with each other while my mouth was too full to join in. It really has been a while since we last got together with each other like this, but their laughter in the air was a good sign.

"You mean to tell me you got knocked around by some guy who looks like a grandma?" Marnie sounded surprisingly astounded. "I don't know what's more unbelievable. Getting tread on by a guy with questionable fashion sense or still getting ahead of me despite it all."

"Yeah, when you put it like that, it is plenty wack." Hop scratched his head before clenching his fists. "It took me a bit of help and a bunch of figuring things out to get back on my feet, but I'm back in the game!"

I caught Marnie's smile. "That's the spirit! Fightin' for a reputation is somethin' I'm familiar with, so bouncing right back is the way to go! I… know I really shouldn't be encouragin' my rivals like this but… it makes me feel good, I'll admit." She backed down into her seat. "I could be huntin' down the badges I'm missin' now but instead I'm having a chin wag with you lot. Not that I'm complainin' of course."

"I'm sure we can still make it worth your while. Actually…" Hop paused to take his phone out. "I got a whole bunch of tips I've collected myself. Articles, recorded matches, stuff that I think'll be real helpful if you wanna know exactly what you're up against in those Gyms." He looked up from his phone to flash a proud grin. "You're heading to Ballonlea next, right? Just so you know, I got a perfect score there."

I was so impressed by what he said that I had to speak up before taking another bite. "No way. Opal told me Leon didn't even get a single one right, were you cheating?"

"Cross my heart, mate! Even in my state I went through and did it with pure Hop skill!" He crossed his arms with a determined look in his eye. "And besides, just because I'm Lee's brother doesn't mean I'm gonna flounder at everything he does. I'm not just gonna be the next champion, I'll be better, mark my words!"

"Bold claim." Marnie sneered at him. "You're gonna have to get past my brother next. And don't think for a second that all this butterin' me up will let him or me go easy on you when the time comes. I'm the next champ, got it?"

"We'll see what happens in Wyndon, mate!"

And there they go again, leaning over the table and bickering about that champion title. At least Marnie's outcry was enough to make William join her side so he could do some yelling too. Now I could enjoy my food in peace. Then they started arguing about whose brother would win in a fight, not a battle, like the competitive bunch they were. I started to wonder if they noticed how I cared more about my chippy than getting that champion spot for myself.

No fair, I don't have a big brother to brag about. I pouted from my side of the table and also at the realization of my empty plate.

"The deadline's pretty generous, innit? Slow and steady wins the race, so wouldn't that make me the underdog to win?"

"Maybe, maybe." Hop crossed his arms and shut his eyes, like he does when he's in thought about something. "I can't say much for myself, but honestly speaking, I think it might be Flare."

I almost spat out my drink at the sudden mention of my name. "Me?"

"I think it makes sense." Hop nodded. "I spent my life growing up with Buddy ever since he was a little Wooloo. Marnie, didn't you grow up with that Morpeko of yours?"

"Mhm."

"Right, that's what strikes me as odd." Hop slightly cocked his head. "Flare, you've never had a Pokémon before Twigs, but you seem to be a natural at this. Even more than either of us, actually!"

I stuttered at his observation. "W-Well…" I had no idea either how I even achieved this much so quickly. "You know my mom has a Munchlax and Dubwool I grew up with, right?"

Marnie gave me a pitied look. "That doesn't count. I should know, the responsibility of watchin' William here was much different than just bein' around my brother's Linoone."

I gulped. "Then… I guess I just got lucky?"

Hop snapped his fingers. "I would call Tauros on that, but that might just be it. I mean, after you got your first Pokémon, a whole bunch of lucky things happened, like those Wishing Stars and… the time your mum's Dubwool jumped the fence." He gave me a knowing look, and I knew what he was talking about. "Now if only I could call Sonia about this to see if this is something science-y and accurate and stuff."

"I don't think luck would be too off the mark, either."

When I turned to look at Marnie, I immediately froze when I saw her intrigued stare fixated directly at me. Was she sitting closer?

"O-Oh, sorry." She quickly turned away with a flustered tone as I faced her, inching back to her seat. "I just… wanted to thank you again. Again, again. You're a real natural at this stuff, with what you did back there and all. I didn't know what my folks in Spikemuth meant when they thought Dynamax Pokémon were so dangerous, but I think I understand now."

My expression softened up when I noticed she seemed to be speaking quieter. "I wondered why Spikemuth was so worried about Dynamaxing as a whole," I said carefully. "What's up with that?"

She sighed. "The reason my brother and the whole lot of Team Yell have been so overprotective is because my parents are gone. It was another one of those Dynamax accidents, and that's why Piers doesn't wanna move his Gym to a place with a Power Spot, why Spikemuth has that barrier, everything." She poured her words out quickly, and I didn't have enough time to gasp before she finished, emotion drained from her face and tone.

Hop's grin faded. "Marnie, that's… that's a pretty heavy load. I don't know what it's like to lose family, but…"

"I'm not bothered none. Really, I'm alright." She mustered a smile. "I was very young when it happened, so I didn't know 'em well. Didn't think it was a big deal but… thinkin' about earlier still left me shaken up. Me an' my Pokémon were lucky enough to make it outta there unscathed and all."

I tried imagining what that'd be like, losing someone you care about to an accident and then almost going through the same thing. My heart tightened as I sucked in a breath. "Marnie…"

"N-Now don't get the wrong idea, alright? Just because Piers and the rest of Spikemuth are stayin' away from Dynamax doesn't mean I will too!" Her clenched fists peeked out of her sleeves as she gave us an affirmed nod. "Even if he's been tellin' me our whole bloodline's had bad luck with big Pokémon or somethin' like that, I don't care! Parents or none, at the end of the day, I wanna be champion for myself, too!"

Her voice spoke more volumes than her emotions did, and with the way her eyes kept darting back and forth at us, I had the feeling she still needed a bit of reassurance. I still remembered the terror in her voice when she called for help. I glanced at Hop, who glanced at me, and we both nodded. We both moved towards her at the same time, enveloping her in a hug from both sides. She seemed startled, so I tried my best to make my embrace gentle as I leaned my head on her shoulder. Hop did the same.

Hop spoke first. "I know what it's like when you need to act all tough and stuff. You don't need to worry none, we're here for you too."

"You can be yourself around us, Marnie." I gave her sleeve a little pat. "We're your friends. You can always trust us."

"You lot… you absolute softies…" Marnie's voice wavered for a second, but her hesitation didn't last before she quickly brought one arm over each of us. "Thank you."

"It's my pleasure." I couldn't see her face from my spot despite how close I was, but I could tell she was smiling, and that was good enough for me.

"You know, you lot really like your hugs, I've noticed. Not that I'm complainin', you're really good at 'em."

"That's just the Postwick guarantee, mate." I could tell Hop was smiling too.

I noticed William hopping onto Marnie's lap, joining in on the group hug as well. It was a nice moment, all of us together like this, all comfortable and reluctant to pull back, until I saw that William was the first to leave. He started to peek and sniff over the table before suddenly leaping into Hop's lap. Hop quickly recoiled into his seat with a wheeze, and from there, William leapt onto the table.

"William, no!" Marnie suddenly cried out, lurching an arm after him. "My battered sausage!"

"Speak for yourself…!" Hop grunted, clutching at his trousers.

As Marnie frantically reached her arms towards her scrambling Morpeko while Hop dramatically pretended to pass out, I failed to resist a laugh at the display of it all. I definitely wouldn't have gotten anything like this if I had never gone on my Gym Challenge, and every day I was given another reason to be thankful for it. I've been seeing Marnie come out of her shell the more I meet her, and there was a certain sincere maturity in Hop I don't think was there before. My rivals really had no right to be so much cooler than I am.

It wasn't just because my food was safe, but to have such comforting and encouraging and genuinely sweet friends like this, I felt like the lucky one here.

We all learned a valuable lesson about the dangers of a certain hungry Morpeko that night. I thought I was safe from William's rampage, but after Marnie almost snagged his foot, he thought my hair would be a safe perch away from her. My glasses fell off in the panic that followed so I didn't really have a good idea of what happened next. Must've been my payback for laughing, but it was absolutely worth it. At least my glasses were still okay for the most part.

Time really does fly when you're having fun, because before I knew it, the food was gone and it was time to go. Just like when we last met up in Motostoke, we had to split up again, with Hop's hotel room being in Circhester while Marnie planned to hit the road and camp somewhere. I was a bit sad at the thought of splitting up again with how much fun I was just having, but I was happy to see them off.

Hop held his hands behind his head as he got up from his seat. "Gotta hit the hay as soon as I can for the next Gym. Route 7 is closed for repairs, but luckily I can take the long way to Spikemuth through Circhester Bay."

Marnie let out a reluctant sigh. "I got a marathon of my own ahead of me. I'm several Gyms behind, and my first stop is that old Opal bat in Ballonlea."

… Opal, huh? I quickly remembered something about her and perked right up. "Hey, Marnie? When you stop by the stadium, say hi to Bede for me, will you?"

Hop's eyes lit up. "Right, he should be there, shouldn't he? Give him a hello, hello from me too. You're looking for the guy with the weird grandma hairdo, big pink sweater, punchable smirk, can't miss him."

Marnie looked at us with an amused scoff. "What, am I supposed to deliver messages to this loose bead guy? D'you want me to bring him a cold beverage while I'm at it?"

I had the feeling she was being sarcastic, but… "Good idea, actually. An iced tea would be nice, I think."

I gave Marnie the money for it before we split ways. We stepped out of the restaurant and the two left, Marnie going one way and Hop the other. I would've liked to properly wave goodbye or even watch them both go until they were gone, but it was hard when I was carrying a warm styrofoam box on my head.

I was kinda really hoping I'd get a plastic bag or two for this…!

Before we left the Hole in the Wall, I made sure to order takeout meals to bring back to my team back at the hotel. However, what I didn't expect was that I had to carry six whole boxes of food by hand. And because I didn't want to get in the way of Hop or Marnie's progress, I declined their offer to help carry it. As I staggered my way through the Hammerlocke streets alone, awkwardly cradling flimsy styrofoam boxes in my arms while balancing one on my head, I regretted not accepting that assistance.

"May we help lighten your load?"

The rough voice behind me made me leap, and I half expected the box on my head to drop back onto me. Instead, after I flinched for nothing, I turned around to see two familiar guys in black and pink, one of which was holding my box.

Seeing the Team Yell colours here in the dark under a dim streetlight immediately put me into panic mode. I fumbled with one of the boxes in my arms, keeping my eyes wide and trying to stand my ground as I pointed a plastic fork at them. "No shivving today! I may not have my Pokémon with me, but I just barely survived a rabid beast trying to rip my head off! You don't wanna mess with me!"

"M-Mercy!" One of them cowered before me. Good.

"Wait, shiv?" The one that was holding my meal froze. "Mate, you're confusin' us with Jimmy from Spikemuth! It's me, boombox guy, again!"

Oh. I quickly calmed down after that. I don't know why, but these guys seemed to have a smile I could trust, as trustworthy as Team Yell guys could look. For a guy called boombox guy, you haven't been carrying your boombox around lately…

The other guy groggily got back to his feet. "Look, I know we might seem real suspicious comin' out to ya at an hour like this, but hear us out! We're not here for Marnie or anythin', we've actually been lookin' for you!"

"That's right!" The boombox guy who was actually holding my meal box scratched his head. "We would've come at a better time, but we just saw you strugglin' with those boxes, and well…"

I smiled at them. "Okay." They weren't usually the types to be all nervous for no reason, and given what I knew about them, Team Yell weren't nearly as bad as I initially thought they were. Well, except Jimmy.

They offered to help carry the food back to the hotel with me, which I gladly accepted. I remembered how my trip to Stow-on-Side went, and I definitely wasn't gonna say no to a little extra company along the way.

"So… that Dynamax Storm, yeah?" One of them hesitantly brought it up. "We were lucky and all it didn't last as long as the other one. Still, we would've liked to help, but us at Spikemuth were real frightened."

"We got here on behalf of Piers, actually," the other continued. "Wanted to thank you for saving Marnie. So we figured helpin' you out with somethin' like this would be a bit of a way to repay you."

I chuckled. Earlier today I was worried about getting mugged by these guys, and now they're being charitable. "It's no big deal, really." I tried not to recall the memory of those Dynamaxed roars in too much detail. "On one hand… I do like being able to help people. On the other hand, I really wish they'd figure out what's causing these storms so they can stop."

Their footsteps beside me suddenly picked up. "You mean those shady blokes, don't ya?"

"We actually saw 'em before things went nuts, real sure it was the same ones from before, too! Happened to be wearin' those league staff uniforms, actually!"

That caught my interest. League staff? "You're talking about the guys you told me about earlier, right?" Something didn't sit right with me. "That does sound suspicious, but the league wouldn't do this on purpose, would they?"

"They're… real weird lookin' buggers, actually." The guy cleared his throat. "We've been given our fair share of restrainin' orders, so we know what normal league staff look like, and them folks ain't it."

"It's always the two of 'em, like they're joined at the hip or something, and they look near identical with their quirks, y'know? Their hats don't look like they fit right, and instead of the sporty shades the normal guys wear, they're wearin' these really suspicious dark shades."

… wait, shades? Their descriptions weren't exactly ringing any bells, but their mention of it had me thinking of something else. I quickly leapt at the opportunity, almost dropping my box in the process. "Wait! Did you happen to see another suspicious looking man at the scene? Say, black hoodie, blue shades, big black helmet?"

I was hoping they'd have more answers, but my enthusiastic asking just left them with boggled looks.

"Oi, you sure you're not talkin' 'bout a construction worker?"

"N-No!" I quickly tried to recall everything else I remembered. I didn't want this slipping out of my grip. "He was actually there, battling the Pokémon too! He's… a man, I couldn't see his hair but from his voice I know he's a man, and he had a Sirfetch'd! And I think he had an Eldegoss, and a Boltund too, but that was from the last time…"

The two looked at each other before sighing. "Mate, sorry, don't think we've seen anyone like that. We weren't even around that long."

"Booked it as soon as we saw those two shady blokes sprinkling that weird red dust. Them flashing red glows are as good as flashing red flags, so we didn't stick around. Same as it was before, though the worst part is that I still don't think people will believe us when we say they're up to somethin' illegal."

I sighed. Well, it was worth a try. Mystery man continues to be… weird and mysterious. With the way things were going, I had a feeling this was something I had to resolve on my own.

Still, the grunts continued talking about it. "Won't deny he sounds pretty shady though. You said he had a large helmet or somethin'?"

"Must be a big helmet if you couldn't see his hair. Definitely hidin' something."

"Probably hidin' how bald he is."

"His getup sounds pretty weird lookin' to me." One of them stopped to tap my shoulder. "Oi, y'sure the guy in question ain't just one of 'em weirdos who stalk Gym Challengers?"

It was a weird example, and I opened my mouth to point it out, but instead I kept quiet and resorted to narrowing my eyes at him.

He caught on. "Point taken."

We didn't exactly get anywhere after that. Well, in terms of speaking, but we did end up making it by the hotel entrance, and with all my food intact, no less.

They both stopped a few meters away from the doors. "This is as far as we go. Y'know, restrainin' orders and stuff."

Well that's unfortunate, even from a place like this? "It's no biggie, I can just carry the food back up myself."

"Actually…" Before I could get my meal boxes back, one of them stopped to reach into his coat pocket. "'Ere, you can have this."

What he pulled out unfolded to be a hot pink tote bag, a rather large one at that, and my eyes shot with intrigue when I noticed the Marnie design printed on it.

I accepted the draped handles, still in disbelief. "This is for me?"

"Got that right!" The two shared proud grins. "Just a new thingamabob we've been makin' at the souvenir shop. You can have that one free of charge for bein' so good to Marnie."

I was speechless, and for a moment, I almost didn't want to burden such a pristine product with my styrofoam boxes. Finally… actual merch!

That picked my spirits up, and seeing me happy must've cheered the two grunts up as well. As they scurried off back into the night, I wondered if there was a process to go through if someone wanted to be a proper Team Yell member. Just in case.

Taking careful care of my new tote bag, I stepped back into the hotel and waited in the elevator. The day's been long and exhausting, but I couldn't deny the exhilarating feeling that lingered in my heart. Dynamax Storms and mystery men were a thing of the past now, at least, I hoped so. With the amount of times I've been here, Hammerlocke felt familiar, but I knew there was one last thing I'd have to do here once and for all.

Nowhere to go but up.