A/N: Alright, let's get this bit over with. Just a bit more and we can finally go face Raihan and then the Pokemon League! ...and also Eternatus. Something's up there, maybe we should check in on that...
I awoke awkwardly the next morning, head tucked at an odd angle between the cushion and the armrest of Hop's living room couch. Mind foggy from sleep, I stiffly pulled myself up to a sitting position and looked around. Hop was lying face-down on the floor, breathing evenly. I vaguely remember telling him that he should sleep in his own bed, but after hours of trying to deliberate everything that happened to us the night before, he clearly decided that it wasn't worth it to get off the floor.
Hop stirred, letting out a groan. "You gonna answer that, or no?" he mumbled. I blinked, and then finally I heard it – or rather I acknowledged it – the loud buzzing of my Rotom-Phone on the wooden nightstand next to the couch. I grabbed at it and felt a prick of electricity – the Rotom inside had clearly been buzzing a while at this point. I turned the phone over and saw Victor's name on the screen.
"Hey, Vic," I yawned as I brought the phone to my ear.
"Gloria!" he cried. "You're never going to believe it, but Kub—no, you know what you'll just have to see for yourself."
"What are you talking about?"
"I'll send you a picture. There was a whole test, and a tower, and a—"
"You did this just now?"
"What? Yeah, it's like noon, did you just wake up?"
"Hop and I had a really long night," I explained. "It's—"
"Tell Vic I say hi and then shove off, I'm trying to sleep," Hop grumbled. He had not moved from the floor.
"Go sleep in a bed like a normal person, you git," I teased, but I still pulled myself up off his couch and made my way to the front door.
"Where are you?" Victor asked.
"I'm at Hop's, we crashed in the living room."
"Yikes," he exhaled. "What the hell even happened last night? You finally get to see Zacian and Zamazenta?"
"More or less," I said, letting out an uncomfortable laugh. "We had a nice long chat that really wasn't all that nice at all."
"Any news on Eternatus?"
"Frustratingly little," I sighed. "But listen, there's a lot we got wrong about the Darkest Day and the Hero of Galar."
"How much is a lot?" Victor said slowly.
"How much time you got?" I asked, opening Hop's front door and slipping out. The sun was shining, brilliant yellow against the bright blue sky, just barely more brilliant yellow than the leaves just starting to fall from the trees. Autumn was really getting going.
"I had a feeling something was up. I woke up to like six missed calls from Sonia. She's next on my list; do you want to give me the rundown or should I let her tell me?"
"I'll give you the tl;dr," I laughed. "But hey, you called about Kubfu?"
"Oh! Right! That's a whole thing, too!" Victor cried, his voice. "Actually, there's a lot you'll have to catch up on, but I'll be able to fill you in tomorrow, when I…" He stopped, to drum up excitement. "…when I come home!"
"You're coming home tomorrow!" I cried. "Blimey, Vic, it's about time! So, you're done with this training thing?"
"Yeah, and my team's gonna look pretty different when I see you next!"
"Finally got rid of that Slowpoke, eh?"
"SlowKING, thank you very much, and no he's still here."
"No way, I missed an evolution?"
"You missed two!" He cried. "That's what I've been trying to tell you! Kubfu evolved! It was wild; we had to go to the other end of the Isle, climb this huge bloody mountain and weave through caves, and then there was this massive tower at the end and—"
"Victor, calm down," I laughed. "You can tell me more about it when I see you tomorrow. And Kubfu, too."
"He's called Urshifu now," Victor corrected, his voice seeming more serious, "but there's something else you should probably know. I'll send you a picture and you'll know why I had to call you. Oh, bloody hell, Sonia's calling me again, why do you guys sleep in for so long? What did you do last night?"
"Shit, I never told you everything—"
"Don't worry about it. Sonia can fill me in. I'll talk to you later, or maybe tomorrow when I get back. I'm taking the train to Wedgehurst first thing tomorrow morning, so have Mum roll out the ol' welcome wagon for me, okay?"
"Alright, Vic. And send me that picture!"
We said our goodbyes and I turned to go back into Hop's house only to see him opening the door.
"Mate, I'm starved, and Sonia just shot me a text about making breakfast. Said Lee's even gonna be there. We gotta go."
"Leon's coming?" I asked. "He actually got away from Rose for two seconds?"
Hop shrugged but slipped his jacket on. "Only one way to find out!" and he tossed out Corviknight's Pokéball. "Want a lift?"
"Not when I can ride a dragon," I said. "Flygon's at my home, and I should probably check in with Mum and tell her where I'm going anyway."
"Right, meet you back here in five?"
"Right." I jogged out of the yard and down the street to my house, just a couple buildings down the way. Right when I had slowed my pace, I felt a vibration in my hand. A new picture message from Victor. I slipped it in my pocket; I would be able to check it once we got to Wedgehurst.
We touched down just outside Magnolia's lab twenty minutes later, with windswept hair and pink cheeks from the cold breeze we were flying with. I recalled Flygon, and Hop recalled Corviknight, and the two of us turned around to see Leon and Sonia both in the doorframe, both looking quite serious.
"Lee!" Hop cried as he rushed over to him. "'Bout bloody time you finally showed up! You owe us a thousand explanations!"
"I know, I know," he groaned. "Gloria. Victor not coming?"
"I told you," Sonia chided, "he's been out—"
"Right, right," Leon said, bringing his hand to his face and squeezing the bridge of his nose. As I approached, I could see that he was in pretty rough shape. His long violet hair hung limp and frazzled, somehow looking overgrown and undergrown at the same time. His eyes, while still gleaming their fiery hue, seemed to burn a little cooler, and his entire face seemed to sag. On his chin, replacing his usually tightly shaved, razor thin line of black facial hair was the beginnings of a patchy beard.
"Are…are you alright?" I asked, stopping next to Hop, who was also giving him a concerned once-over.
"It's been a long month, mate," he admitted with a yawn. "Come on then, in we go."
"Gran's got a pot of water boilin'," Sonia said warmly. "I gave him the rundown of last night as best as I could remember, but I might need you to fill in the holes."
"That's not important right now," Leon said, waving his hand while walking toward the bedroom. "These two should probably hear about Eternatus."
"In the bedroom?" Sonia asked. "Lee, the parlor is…"
"Right!" Leon said with a forced smile. "Come on then!" And with a thin façade of renewed vigor, he tramped into the next room over.
"I've never seen him like this," Hop said. "I mean he usually can't make heads or tails of where he's going, but inside a house?"
"You've never seen him like this?" Sonia said, popping an eyebrow as she looked over to him. "This is hardly new. Especially once he first became champion, Rose had him pulling long nights all the time. Promotions and League business mostly, but, well, I think we're all aware that Rose has some interesting side hobbies by now."
"I've never seen him look so worn down before," Hop said, his voice barely a whisper. "Not around me, Mum, or Dad."
Sonia shrugged. "Lotta pressure bein' the best, I guess. He probably didn't want to worry you all too much. Shall we?" And she followed him into the room without skipping another beat. Hop looked to me, but all I could offer in return was a shrug, and the two of us walked inside the room as well, seeing a couple fluffy purple armchairs and sitting down in them. Yamper bounded in from the kitchen and hopped up into a couch on the opposite side of the room, wedging itself right between Sonia and Leon.
"So," Leon sighed heavily. "First things first: Eternatus. It has taken the better part of the month, but Raihan and I have finally been able to mostly get it under control, and Macro Cosmos is running tests on its power levels. As much as we may not like to admit it, Rose's idea of it being a power source seems to be right on the money. That dragon has enough Dynamax Energy radiating off it that it's basically powering the entire Power Plant just by living there. It's something no one has seen from any Pokémon. Ever. And as long as the experiments remain controlled and no one does anything stupid, our days of massive Dynamax Storms are likely behind us."
"Is Rose finally going to tell someone about it like said he would?" I said grumpily, folding my arms.
Leon let out an enormous sigh. "Yes, and off the record, convincing him to do it was more exhausting than pacifying Eternatus. There's a big press conference later today, and he has given me his word that he'll explain everything."
"How good's his word?" I challenged.
Leon bit his lip, took a deep breath, and spoke slowly. "It's good," he pressed. "Especially as things are going according to his plan. It's more the inevitable backlash from the public we're worried about."
"You telling me that you think 'we kickstarted a regionwide natural disaster for an energy crisis that doesn't exist' won't sit well with people?" I asked. I could feel my temperature rising with every word.
"Gloria," Leon pleaded. "I did not say that I agree with him on his methods or even his theories. But it is what it is, and we have to make our best out of it."
I looked away, though I wanted to say more. Hop shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "You're not going to be at this presser, then?" he asked. "You were at the last two."
"That's the second thing," Leon explained. "I am going to be there, because we will also be announcing that it's full speed ahead with the Pokémon League. Raihan's going back to the gym full-time, and honestly, I think it's for the best. It'll be a return to normalcy, and now that Galar knows their energy crisis is behind them—"
"You're looking for a distraction, you mean," I interrupted, turning to face him. "Rose put you up to this, didn't he? He knew I wouldn't listen to him, but I might listen to the great, unbeatable champion?"
"You're wrong," Leon shot back, and I could feel his temper rising as well. "Well, not fully. You're right that Rose is using the Pokémon League as a way to, er, for lack of a better phrase, soften the blow of such intense news. But I'm not here on Rose's request; I'm here on Raihan's. He's going to be there too, and he's going to personally challenge both of you live on-air. Especially you, Gloria. He wants this battle. Bad. Well, he's wanted it ever since you thrashed Melony without Dynamaxing any of your Pokémon, but that's not just it."
"What are you talking about?" I asked.
Leon leaned forward, rubbing his hands together. "Look," he said, "I've known Raihan since the start. Better than anyone. The only reason he's never beaten me in battle is because I know when he's got some crazy card up his sleeve and when he's about to play it. Well, right now he's got that card, and I think he's about ready to make the play. He seemed to think, especially after the night Eternatus came back, that you, Marnie, Hop, and Victor wouldn't want to stick around in this tournament, but he seemed to think important that the four of you stick with it."
"Really?" Hop asked.
"And, if I may make a request as well?" Leon asked, looking between me and Hop.
"What's that?" I asked.
"Hammerlocke needs trainers like you two right now. Galar needs trainers like you two. I think Hammerlocke would be a lot safer with you two there to keep it that way, at least."
"I thought you didn't want us to get involved," I smirked.
He looked up at me and slowly, a smile spread across his face. "You've more than proven your worth."
"Glad the guy who endorsed is finally endorsing us, eh, Hop?" I asked. Hop and Leon both let out a snicker before Leon stood up.
"Your wit's sharper than my Aegislash," Leon joked, stretching his back with a series of loud cracks. "Well, I best be off, if I'm to make it back to Hammerlocke by this evening, Charizard's got some fancy flyin' to do."
"Oh, leaving already?" Professor Magnolia asked as she shuffled into the room, bearing a plate filled with stacks of pastries and a gleaming ivory China set. "And after I made all this trouble over these cakes!"
"If I know anything, Hop will eat enough for me and Charizard," Leon said with a sly look at his younger brother. "Sorry, Professor, but I really do have to get going. But you'll see me soon enough when we're looking over the results from these tests."
"Perhaps," she said, deflating a little and letting him pass by her and out the front door. There was the sound of a Pokéball opening, a distinct roar from Leon's Charizard, and the sound of beating wings. The steady beat faded into silence before anyone moved. It was Magnolia who broke the silence, shuffling about in her slippers and handing off cups and a pastry to each of us before coming to a seat where Leon had been sitting. "Well, I'm glad you lot at least decided to stick around for little old me," she said with a harumph.
"Of course, Gran," Sonia said warmly. "You're family, so I'm obligated to, at least. Besides, I think Gloria and Hop wanted to pick your brain about some things about Eternatus." She shot a pointed look to both Hop and me.
"Oh, that bloody monster," Magnolia groaned and shivered. "I've seen a lot in my studies, but nothing has filled me with more dread than that…that thing. Don't tell me it gets worse."
"Well…" Hop said shakily, and then he looked at me.
"There's a lot we should tell you," I said, and together, Hop and I recounted everything, from our first night chasing Wooloo in the Slumbering Weald, to the dreams and visions of Zacian and Zamazenta, all the way to the revival of Eternatus at the Power Plant and then our most recent excursion into the Weald the night before. There were many times Hop fell silent and let me do the talking, hearing for the first time my account of finding the wishing star in the Hammerlocke alley and Bede breaking through the mural. Professor Magnolia was silent the whole time, taking in all the information attentively and only responding with nods and facial expressions. Our tea and cakes lay on the tray the entire time, unnoticed.
Finally, we finished our tale and sat back in our chairs. Magnolia took a long pause, then slowly began to nod. "Well, it seems like I missed all the bloody fun, didn't I?" she said finally with a heavy sigh.
"I'd hardly call it fun," I laughed, scratching the back of my head and finally reaching for my cup of now cold Earl Grey.
"Not to mention missing all this information that I should have been looking into from the start," Magnolia continued. "All this, right under my nose for decades, and I ignored it. To think my life's work was replicating this…"
Sonia frowned and placed her hand on Magnolia's knee. "Oh, Gran, don't look at it that way!" she comforted her. "The whole point of science and research is to expand on what we know. You've said that what, a billion times maybe?"
"And here you three are, proving me right," Magnolia replied with a weak smile. "If training doesn't work out for you two kids, my granddaughter could make great use of you as her assistants in the field."
"Really," Hop said, looking down as he considered the prospect.
"Don't get too excited," Sonia said with a slightly embarrassed smile. "Took a whole conversation just to get Vic to help out, and even then, it's only because I said he didn't need to be paid for it. Also, don't get too upset, but if I'm ever to the point of hiring staff, he gets priority."
"None taken," I grinned. "You nerds have your fun."
"Well, I think that time's coming much sooner than later, my dear," Magnolia said, turning her attention back to Sonia. "All this nonsense with Eternatus, and Zacian and Zamazenta, it's a bit too exciting for this old bat."
"It's nothing you can't handle," Sonia said.
"This is that little side-project you were working on, this whole time?" Magnolia asked her. "I knew that zest for research was only another journey away for you. But this just about sells it for me. I think it's high time I pass the torch on to you."
Sonia blinked. "Hold on, what?" she asked, taken aback. "Jus—just like that? Gran, you're kidding. Hop, Glor, she's kidding, right?"
"How are we supposed to know that?" Hop asked, a smile forming on his face.
"I'm not kidding," Magnolia said indignantly. "I'd always planned on giving this whole thing to you, right when you said you wanted to do research with me after your gym challenge went awry. I just wanted to make sure your heart was still in it."
"It—it is, but, oh wow," Sonia stuttered, her face flushing a brighter red than her hair. "I—er, of course I'll do it, but wow, oh wow, this is so sudden!"
"Oh, calm yourself, girl," Magnolia chuckled. "I'm not going anywhere yet. I imagine I'll have to see this business with Eternatus through to the end, but by year's end the lab will all be yours, I imagine, Professor Magnolia. I mean, goodness, you're in there more than I am now, it's basically yours already."
Sonia quickly shattered into a heap of nervous excitement as Hop, Magnolia, and I partook in the tea and cakes. Magnolia asked us a few more questions about Zacian and Zamazenta, but otherwise the conversation quickly left important things and became jovial talks about whatever came to mind. Hop and I brought out our teams and she checked in on them, eager to meet Bewear and Flygon on my end, and Snorlax on Hop's. Hop and I had quick sparring session between his Thwackey and Sneasel, who after a month of training, was able to perform quite well. Her speed was more than enough to avoid the worst of Thwackey's attacks, and she quickly wore him down with some well-placed Ice moves. Hours passed, and eventually, Magnolia called us back in to watch this press conference, with a slight dread in her voice.
The television was already on as we crowded onto a couch on the other end of her house, tuned to a News station. "…rities say that the artifacts were quickly returned to the bath house a day later, almost immediately after being reported missing. No one is sure who originally took them, who returned them, or any of the reasoning for this strange caper," one reporter was saying. Behind him was a picture of the bathhouse statue in Circhester.
"Strange indeed, but Gym Leader Melony insists that the sword and shield of the Hero will be returned to the statue soon, once checks are made to the facility to address the holes in the security system. And, oh, speaking of strange, it seems like Chairman Rose Legatum of the Pokémon League has entered the room for his announcement about the scourge of Dynamax Storms that plagued the region just one month ago. We take you now to the Hammerlocke Power Plant."
The camera feed cut and was replaced by another, this one showing a translucent glass lectern supporting three microphones alone on a makeshift stage in front of a pack of reporters. Behind the lectern was a deep burgundy curtain. Immediately, three men walked onto the stage. The first was Raihan. His face was blank, but I did see him sneakily wink at one of the reporters who was in the front row. Second was Leon, who bore the same gruff facial expression that he wore just hours ago, though he had shaved to make himself look a bit more presentable. The two of them stood at opposite ends of the lectern, looking uncomfortable as the third man, Rose, walked up to the lectern, his face jovial. "Good afternoon, everyone," he said into the microphones, positively beaming. "I do have a wonderful announcement to make in a moment, but I believe Raihan in particular has something he'd like to say. If you could?"
"Would I ever!" Raihan exclaimed, his face immediately breaking out to a wide grin and showing his teeth in a display that seemed a little too fabricated. He quickly took to the lectern, grabbing the lectern just as Rose stepped out of the way. "First, and most importantly, the Pokémon League is back on! Due to the extended pause, we will be pushing the final tournament an extra month, which means, Gym Trainers, that you have one extra month to try and take on my dragons! I'm talking specifically to you, Gloria Dixon, and Hop Nambarek. Leon's endorsement won't get you as far as you think it will!"
This was met with cheers from the reporters and Hop and I shared a knowing glance at each other. Truth be told, I was looking forward to battling Raihan myself, especially now that I had Sneasel to fall back on. But there was something that just wasn't sitting right with me about the announcement, and as I glanced back at the TV, I just caught a glimpse of Raihan sneaking a peak at Rose, who nodded discreetly. I thought back to what Leon had told me and wondered what this card Raihan had to play was.
"That said, due to some certain restrictions, I can only accept a limited number of battles a day, so with Rose's permission, I will only be accepting battles from Gym Challengers with six or more badges. Which, let's be honest, is what you'd need to stand a chance against me anyway." This was met with mild laughter from the reporters, though I could sense some murmurs spreading in the crowd.
"I thought he and Leon had been able to calm Eternatus down," I said. Hop opened his mouth to comment but was quickly silenced as Rose took over for Raihan on the screen.
"Thank you, as always, Raihan. Gloria and Hop, I'm sure you're watching, and please know that I am more than happy to see your shining faces in this wonderful city again. It's been too long."
I gulped. "I don't like that one bit," Hop said, saying what all of us were thinking.
"Now," Rose said. "As I had stated a month ago, the night of that terrible Dynamax Storm, Macro Cosmos has found a link to the rise of these storms and pacified it. I had told you all that we would have more information in good time, and I do think that time has passed. If you will, Oleana?"
Oleana, from offscreen, must have done something because after a second, the curtain began to quickly pull apart, and in seconds, the entire region of Galar was privy to Rose's big secret. Behind the curtain was a long stretch of machinery, whirring calmly. I think they were some sort of electricity conductors, but I could not tell what their purpose was, nor did I care to. My focus was on the center, where a gigantic translucent orb sat, propped up in a sea of wires and beams. Inside, writhing around like a Gorebyss in water was Eternatus. What seemed to be its head stopped for a moment, taking in all the new information, and then writhed even faster. On the corner of the screen, I saw Raihan and Leon both wince, but Rose paid no mind to anything going on behind him, instead glowing from the constant flashing of cameras at the terrifying sight. Gasps shook the entire room, and murmuring turned into buzzing. After a few seconds, Rose held his hands up to silence the crowd.
"Please, allow me to explain," he cried, almost giddy from the hold he now had on his audience. "This is Eternatus, a Pokémon that is both new to us, and older than any of us could have ever imagined. My team of crack scientists have been chasing the cause of the Dynamax Phenomenon for years, after Professor Magnolia's landmark discovery all those years ago, and we have found its cause. I will be able to explain everything in due time, but the jist of it is that this right here, is the answer to everything. This powerful being has resided in Galar all this time. Raihan and Leon here have aided me in taming the beast; it was no easy task, let me assure you! It has grown angry in recent years, with our hazardous ways, ruining our wonderful region's environment for energy, but we mean to quell this beast's anger in time, by utilizing its own Dynamax Power—"
The television immediately cut out. I whirled around to see both Magnolias sitting on the couch angrily, the remote in Sonia's hand.
"His team of crack scientists?" the elder Magnolia scoffed. "More like his team of bums, they're damn near useless."
"I told you that man was nothing but lies," Sonia cried. "Blimey, what was the point of us even tuning in. I knew he wouldn't tell it straight. And what's with that weird call out for you two?"
"I think it was a threat," I said, shivering. "Or a challenge. Almost like he's daring us to try and refute him."
"Speaking of challenges, are you going to take Raihan's?" Sonia asked. "With everything that's going on, I can't blame you for takin' some time off."
"I think we should," I said, looking to Hop, who grinned at me. "Besides, if we need to find the sword and shield of Zacian and Zamazenta, where better to look than the city where they last used 'em?"
A/N: FINALLY we're back on track. And just to be cruel, it's been 20 chapters, so I'm allowing myself another week break. But this is my last break in the story! I promise! After next week, it's weekly updates til the end! And then, who knows, I'll finally be free of this chaos and I can enjoy reading fanfic again lmao. See y'all in two weeks for Raihan's big battle!
NEXT TIME: TAMING THE DRAGON TAMER
