~{Author's Pre-Notes}~

(Mimikyu walks through a dark forest with tall trees all alone, shining a flashlight ahead.)

Well, this is creepy. Can't say I enjoy walking around here even if I'm a ghost type. But anyway, so last time on ya boy's adventure, Victor had a nice meal with Galar's Chairman, his blunt uncaring secretary, and the ginger beauty. It went well, but... Shouldn't that blackout have meant something? Oh, then Victor met with Bede in the mines, then they battled! Of course, he beat him, because pfft it's Victor, after all? But what' gonna happen now? Who else are they gonna meet in the mines? Let's see how the story progresses.

(Seeing a tree with a paper on it.)

Hm?

(Rag hand reaches and picks it up, reading it.)

"You Suck."

...

Motherfu-

Answered Comments:

Masquer Q: Er, actually, the name 'Twilight' I chose comes from the Pokemon Twilight Wings anime. There is a Corviknight taxi in every episode, and the name was kinda in honor of him and to express how much I loved the anime.

Jak: I try to be fast bringing these chapters out.

Astrogamer: Oho, I wonder where he'll go next?"

Lelouch Zero: Yeah, I love writing character interactions. I just hope they had more of them and character development in the actual pokemon games.

yeekit000: Thank you for reading both of them!

fishboy21: Only the best! (Not really)

FanFictionReaderIne: Thanks for reading and commenting! Just trying to fix the developments that the original pokemon game should've had, lol.

Madko Ota Sanchez V2: Yeah, the one thing you don't want to do is push a nice guy too far.

IanAlphaAxel: Thanks for commenting as always! I would prefer if I got more of your thoughts on what you liked and disliked.


~{Galar Mines- 9:45PM}~

"Watch your step." Victor pointed.

"Wha-? I-I mean, I can obviously see it!" Bede snapped, narrowly avoiding stepping on a sleeping Galarian Stunfisk camouflaged on the ground.

"To your left." Victor casually pointed again.

Bede nearly tripped as he frantically stopped his foot and turned his body to avoid another Stunfisk.

"You're welcome."

"No, thank you! I saw it already!" Bede shouted again.

"Uh-huh." Victor sighed as he and his pokemon rolled their eyes, knowing that wasn't the case.

Bede and Victor continued to walk deeper into the Galar Mines No.2, the innocent young man following the arrogant teen through the beautiful areas illuminated by crystals. They've been walking for about five minutes since their battle, and Bede was already getting irritated once more.

"Would you stop following me!?" The platinum-haired teen fumed.

"Oh come on, Bede. I've got to follow this path to get through the mines too! Plus, all your pokemon are knocked out, so it'd be dangerous if you got into trouble without them!" Victor told him.

"I don't need you here! If you don't have any Wishing Stars, then I have no use of you!" Bede huffed, marching ahead.

Victor just continued to follow him as Ace and Midori followed behind with frowns.

"I didn't find any yet... But maybe I can right now!"

"Hmph, as if. I've already spent the entire day looking through every corner of these mines. I doubt you'd find any before I did." Bede scoffed.

There was a moment of silence between the two, with Victor looking around him to see if he could somehow conveniently spot any Wishing Stars.

"So... Bede? How was trainer school for you?" Victor asked curiously.

Bede just remained silent, continuing to walk.

Victor focused on Bede with a frown, but his stare turned into a curious look as he saw the boy have a familiar golden watch.

"Hey, doesn't Rose have that same watch? Did you get it from him?"

Bede stopped and turned around, pointing at Victor with a glare.

"Stop. It." He demanded slowly. "Stop trying to get to know me like we're friends!"

"Oh, come on!" Victor pouted. "I don't get why you're so caught up in rejecting my friendship!"

"Who the hell even says it like that!?" Bede shouted back with cross-veins popping out.

"Do you even have any friends!?" Victor continued.

"I don't need them! They would only slow me down, they'd get in the way of what's important! I have to find the Wishing Stars, I have to win this Gym Challenge for the Chairman, for Galar! I don't need any distractions! The Chairman chose me out of everyone to endorse! So I'm the most important, and I don't need someone giving some half-assed friendship because of that!"

Victor was stunned by his words. "Huh? What do you mean!?"

Bede was already back to marching ahead.

"Wait! Where did that come from!?" Victor walked after him.

"Shut it, challenger." Bede panted, looking more pissed than ever. "I shouldn't have wasted any time on you in the first place. Just leave, me, alone."

Victor's walking slowly came to a stop, watching in a mixture of sadness and frustration at the boy ahead.

"Geez... He really is something."

Midori went beside Victor and nudged him. "Kirl... Kirla."

"I know I'm probably getting a little too nosy to know about his life... But how else am I supposed to figure out what's wrong? He's one of the most stubborn people I know!"

"Raboot?" Ace narrowed his eyes.

"...Okay, so maybe I don't really know too many people, but still! I can tell that he really is too stubborn! And it's not good to be stubborn about not making friends!"

Victor started to hurry ahead, realizing that Bede disappeared around the corner of the path.

"Let me through you brutes!"

Victor turned the corner and saw two Team Yell male grunts in front of Bede, blocking his path.

"Ha! As if, mate!" One of the Team Yell grunts shouted with a grin.

"Yeah! We ain't lettin' ya through here! If anythin', we're gonna knock ya right out of this Gym Challenge for our Marnie!" The other grunt yelled, pulling out his pokeball.

Bede backed up with a glare, knowing fully well his pokemon were already knocked out.

"Oi! Wait, wait, wait!" Victor quickly rushed forward and got between Bede and the grunts. "What gives!?"

Both grunts were shocked to see him.

"Oi! It's the lad who casually held our Marnie's hand in that Inn!" One of them pointed at Victor in anger.

"Ya perverted bastard! Marnie's never held hands with anyone but Piers!" The other grunt shouted.

"Eh?" Victor blinked with a straight expression.

"We wanted to knock off any challengers walzin' up here, but now we've got the chance to off this lad! Get em'!"

Victor raised his hands in surrender, "Wait, hold on-!"

"Thievul, rip em' apart!"

"Linoone, Night Slash!"

Both grunts tossed their pokeballs and out came out the Fox pokemon Theivul and the Rushing pokemon Linoone, both of them jumping right at Victor with growls.

"Guys!" Victor called.

His two pokemon were already on it. Ace jumped forward while Midori stayed back and took a deep breath.

"Ra-BOOT!" Ace swung his legs and performed a Double Kick right onto the Linoone, the four times super-effective fighting move knocking the pokemon back in immense pain.

"KirliAAAAAAAAAA!" Midori performed a Disarming Voice, firing off a wave of pink hearts right at the Thievul and knocking it back as well.

Both dark types instantly crashed back on the ground, completely unconscious, unable to take the super-effective attacks.

"Ah, this is pants! He's got type advantages!" One of the grunts shouted.

"Don't worry, we both got another pokemon!" The other said.

They both tossed returned both unconscious pokemon and tossed out two more.

"Go, Liepard!"

"Come on out, Pancham!"

The Cruel pokemon and Playful pokemon both came out.

"Lie!"

"Pan!"

"Fury Swipes!"

"Low Sweep!"

Liepard leaped forward with its claws out while Pancham ran on the ground with a grin.

"Again!" Victor shouted.

Ace jumped up at the Liepard and flipped over him, swinging his legs and kicking it down with a powerful slam.

"LAAAAAAAAAAA!" Midori fired another beam of hearts at the Pancham, the double super-effective attack knocking it down.

Both pokemon were unconscious as fast as they had come out.

The grunts nervously returned their pokemon.

"W-We got floored..."

Victor sighed before turning his head left, "Bede, you alri-?" He stopped as he noticed that the boy had completely disappeared. "What the-!? Did he leave while we fought!? Oh, come on!"

He gave up trying to rush ahead to follow him, knowing that he needed to address the two males of Team Yell in front of him.

"So..." He turned to the grunts and crossed his arms with a pout. "Sit."

Both grunts got on their knees in a nervous, respectful stance.

"I know you guy's like Marnie and all, but really!? Just lashing out to me because I held her hand!?"

That actually seemed to make them angry.

"Huh!? What are ya saying, ya bloke!? No one's ever touched our Marnie but Piers! But then ya just grabbed her hand like it was nothing, even though ya didn't know anything about her!"

"Okay... Look, I see you're saying that I might've been a little too casual with Marnie even though we just met, but I still think you guys are overthinking it. I mean, didn't Sonia hold her hand too?"

"That's different! It was clear that it was a formal handshake! You just went all up on Marnie and grabbed her!" One of the grunts snapped.

"Er, I think that sounds a wee bit disturbing, saying it like that..." The other grunt told his friend.

Victor facepalmed and let out a sigh. "You guys... What's this really about?"

The two curiously tilted their heads with question marks.

"I refuse to believe that you're really attacking me for holding her hand. So can you guys tell me what's really wrong?"

Both grunts stood up, "Huh? What makes ya think we have any other reason-!?"

"I'm gonna have to tell Marnie you guys came after me..."

"PLEASE DON'T!" Both grunts bowed to Victor all the way to the ground.

"Well? Then what's the actual reason?" Victor tapped his foot and crossed his arms as he waited.

Both grunts nervously sat up.

"We... We're just worried you'll make Marnie sad..." One of the grunts confessed.

"Yeah..." The other agreed.

Victor raised an eyebrow, "Huh? What makes you think I'll make her sad?"

"Not just you... We were thinking the same about the others... The champion's little brother, that scary lassie, and that tall ginger babe."

"But... why?" Victor asked in genuine concern, sitting down to be at the same level as the Grunts.

Both looked down at the ground as they spoke.

"Our Marnie ain't... She ain't ever had a friend outside of Spikemuth. When we followed her out as she went to take on that dang old Gym Challenge, we started hearing wankers saying all sorts of pants about her. Everyone looked at her like she was bad... Team Yell is used to the looks and words, but ain't nobody should be thinkin' of our precious Marnie like that!" Grunt one said.

Victor couldn't help but feel both sad and angry as he thought about people being so judgemental, but he moved on to ask a question. "And... did you think the same about my friends and I?"

The second grunt answered. "We were thinking ya were like all those other folks, judgin' bastards... And we thought ya were tricking Marnie by actin' nice."

The trio remained in silence as Victor maintained a neutral expression on his face.

Then the corners of his mouth went up.

The grunts felt their heads get gently rubbed, looking up in shock to see a radiantly shining Victor giving them a reassuring smile.

"You guys really care about Marnie, don't you?" He asked in a calm, soothing tone.

Their eyes widened as they felt genuine warmth from him.

"I haven't known Marnie for too long, so I understand that you guys don't trust me or my friends. But know that I wouldn't do anything to make her sad... The last thing I'd want is to make her feel down."

He removed his hands and backed up, looking down now.

"I know about Spikemuth... And I know Team Yell ain't bad. You're passionate for your home, and all of you really care about Marnie, maybe a little too much. But I care about her too like I do for anyone else, I already think of her as a friend. And as a friend, I promised her that we'd get along, so I intend to keep that promise. I give my word that I'll take care of her, make her happy, and make sure that everyone knows that not just her, but all of Team Yell really do belong in Galar."

The grunts stared in awe as Victor's sincerity seemed to shine in the dark caves.

"What... What do you think of Marnie?" The first grunt asked him, eyes not moving off the boy.

In an instant, Victor's eyes flashed and he raised a fist, getting super pumped up and excited.

"She's a treasure! The first time we met, she was saying stuff like 'What's going on here?' with a glare, so I thought she was a little scary! But when I tried talking to her, that wasn't the case at all! Instead, she was a good girl who would apologize if she caused you any trouble! On top of that, there's hardly any girls who look that good in studs with a shaved hairstyle! I definitely know that no one could pull off her coordination between a leather jacket and a one piece! Her personality really shines through! Her twinge of an accent is fresh too! Her aura and her sugar sweetness! The way she's not arrogant and undertaking the Gym Challenge with me as an equal! All that just has me like HNNGGHH!" He squealed.

Both grunts stared at Victor like he had just descended from heaven, listening to him describe Marnie so perfectly without any hesitation between any of his words.

"H-He gets it!" They both thought.

The two of them turned to each other with stunned expressions.

"Bro, is he-!?" The first grunt started.

"He is, bro!" The second answered.

They both turned back to Victor with stars in their eyes.

"He's a man of culture!" They shouted in sync.

Both stood up and bowed in 90-degree angles.

"Forgive us for attacking you, our new bro!"

"No problem at all! Let's all cheer for Marnie together!" Victor shouted with his fist up, not minding at all being called 'bro.'

"YEAAAAAH!" The two grunts yelled, pulling out their Y-shaped horns and blowing through them.

Ace and Midori stared blankly at the group in black and white, wondering what the hell just happened.

"Bro! Take this!" Both grunts pulled out an extra horn and banner of Marnie. "Use it to cheer on Marnie!"

"THANK YOU BOTH!" Victor shouted in deep appreciation as he received the horn and the banner of the adorable Marnie.

His pokemon facepalmed.


~{Meanwhile-East Lake Axewell}~

"Easy, G-Gloria, calm down now." Hop gently massaged his friend's shoulders as she sat cross-legged with her arms crossed as well. A glare was on her face through some lifeless eyes, still think about watching Nessa casually hug Victor right after he had finished his gym battle.

Luna was sitting on the ground beside her trainer, nervously watching as Hop tried to calm her.

"When did they get so close...? When did they get so close...? When did they get so close...?" The girl repeated several times.

"Oh, come on, Gloria. We both know that Victor can get along with anyone! So him becoming friends with Nessa shouldn't be a surprise!"

Some of Gloria's color returned in her eyes, but she pouted.

"I know, but... This was one of the reason's why I wanted to stick with him through Galar..."

"Because you're worried he'll get close to another girl?" Hop questioned with the role of his eyes.

Gloria shot to her feet, catching Hop off guard as he nervously stepped back.

"Yeah! Victor's the only good guy around-!"

"Not true, and I'm kinda offended, but carry on." Hop waved it off, not looking too fazed by her claim.

"S-So, I'm sure any girl would try to go after him!"

"Then why the bloody hell haven't you confessed to him yet!?" Hop asked, putting his hands on his hips.

Gloria froze, but her legs visibly shook.

"I-I..."

Hop then watched as the girl comedically started crying a waterfall.

"Waaaaaaaaa!"

"HUH!? Why are you crying!?" Hop backed up in shock.

"K-Kirlia!?" Luna cried out in worry.

Gloria started rubbing her eyes, "*Sniff* I-I wanted to tell em'. I wanted ta tell em' so many times... B-But every time I tried I-I-!"

She covered her face with both hands.

"I-I just get really scared... I know Victor ain't really seem the type to like someone like 'that'... All he thinks about is helping people and pokemon, he never gets flustered, and he doesn't think anything when I hug him... S-So it makes me think if I tell him... Th-Then h-he'll just... treat it as if it was nothing or things would change between us!"

"Er, I-I get it, you don't have to force yourself!" Hop frantically said, seeing a depressed aura form around the girl. "So... When do you plan to tell him then?"

Gloria nervously shivered as she sat on the ground again.

"I-I was thinking that after I b-beat him and become champion... Th-Then I would confess right in front of everyone..."

"Huh!?" Hop was shocked at that claim. "In front of everyone!? Won't that just make you evenmore nervous!?"

"I-I think that by the time I become champion, th-then I'll have enough confidence..."

Hop pouted, "Well, there's something clearly wrong with that!"

Gloria looked up at him, staring intently as she wondered what Hop would say.

The boy pointed a thumb at himself.

"I'm gonna become the champion! Not you! So you need another plan!"

Gloria was straight-faced after hearing him say that.

She then shot up to her feet while looking pissed.

"Huh!? What the bloody hell makes you think you'll become champion!?"

"Because I wished it!" Hop declared proudly.

"That's it!? Sorry, but ain't no way you're becoming the champ! That's my job!" Gloria shouted while pointing at herself.

"Aiming to be champion isn't a job! Anyone can go for it! But it'll be me who becomes it! And when I do, and you still haven't confessed, then I'll tell Victor mysel-!"

Hop was cut off as Gloria suddenly tackled him down, both of them created a comedic cloud where punches were being pulled.

"If you do, then I'll KILL YOU!" Gloria shouted in this fighting cloud.

"AGH! UGH! OOF! I think you're already killing me!" Hop shouted.

"K-K-Kirl?" Luna nervously shivered as she watched her trainer violently let loose on her friend.

"U-Um..."

Gloria and Hop suddenly stopped, the cloud dispersing to reveal Gloria sitting on Hop's back while pulling his leg. The two of them and Luna turned their heads and glanced at who the new voice was, discovering that Marnie was standing there.

The timid girl and the Morpeko in her arms nervously shivered in fear as they saw Gloria tightly holding Hop's leg.

Despite his leg being pulled back in pain, Hop gave a big smile.

"Oh! Hey, Marnie!" He waved to her with a laugh.

Marnie was more nervously focused on Gloria and her tight hold on a very bruised, torn, and overall beat up Hop.

"P-P-Please d-don't k-k-kill him..." She stammered.

Hop and Gloria blinked before their heads turned to each other, then realizing how the situation looked.

"O-Oh!" Gloria jumped off him and frantically flailed her arms, "No! I wasn't-! I mean I kinda-! I didn't do all of that to him!"

Hop shakily got up from the ground and chuckled.

"Don't worry, Marnie. All these injuries were from an Onix." Hop said, pointing at certain areas on his body. "But these injuries-"

"Were from another pokemon!" Gloria cut him off with a nervous smile. "A-Anyway, it's good to see you again!"

Hearing that they actually seemed happy to see her, Marnie perked up, and the horned-tufts of her hair seemed to flutter.

"R-Really?" She asked with a light blush and nervous look.

"Kawaii!" Hop and Gloria both smiled with their eyes closed, feeling Marnie give off some mysterious warmth.

Luna stared at them with a tilt of her head with a question mark over her.

Marnie's Morpeko chuckled at both trainers' reactions while her own trainer looked around, noticing that two others weren't there.

"Um... Where's Victor... and m-miss Sonia?"

"Oh! Sonia is probably off somewhere looking through Galar's legends. And as for Victor, he just had his awsome battle against Nessa! So he might be sleeping in Hulbury since its kinda late. Which reminds me, Gloria, do you know if Kabu is back yet?"

"Eh? Back?" Gloria turned to him, confused. "He isn't at his gym?"

"I fought him earlier today. He was in his gym." Marnie answered, her expression returning to her usual cold look due to now being composed.

"Aw man, I must've missed him when I came back... Oh wait, you fought him already!?" Hop got excited, putting on a big grin. "Was he really strong."

Marnie got a little nervous again but answered calmly. "Y-Yeah. I'd say he's strong. He got me down all the way to my Morpeko..."

Morpeko proudly smiled in Marnie's arms. "Mor! Mor!"

"Oo! Nice! I can't wait to battle him! I hope Victor gets here and watches me!" Hop jumped with a pumped fist. "Kabu's the main reason a lot of people end up giving up on the Gym Challenge! He's really tough!"

"Well, you prob won't fight him today, it's gettin' kinda late... So maybe we should hit the hay and check tomorrow?" Gloria suggested.

Hop looked a little disappointed. "Yeah, I guess we should... We can head into the Budew Inn again! I really need a shower!" He said, getting excited again.

Morpeko looked up at her trainer with a curious look, as if asking if they would go to bed already.

"I'll go in with ya guys, but I don't think I'm goin' ta bed just yet."

"Well then let's head on to the Budew Inn! Race you two there!" With that, Hop took off running up the stairs that led into Motostoke.

"Would you stop turning everything into a race!?" Despite saying this, Gloria and Luna still ran after him while Marnie was left behind.

The girl just maintained a neutral expression as she walked up the stairs, holding out her Morpeko and turning her so they faced each other.

"Mor?" Morpeko tilted her head curiously.

"Do... Do you like them, Morpeko?"

Morpeko raised a tiny paw and gave her trainer a 'give or take' hand gesture.

"Oh... What about that Sonia lady?"

Morpeko seemed to shrug.

"What... What about Victor?"

This time, Morpeko started thinking. Specifically, she thought about when she had reluctantly let Victor pet her so that he and the others wouldn't be distanced from Marnie.

"We'll be good friends with her. Thank you for your consideration."

Something was off about those words from the boy to her. It was as if... Victor knew what she was thinking.

She put on a curious but at the same time, suspicious look.

"Mor... peko."

"E-Eh? Not him, either?" Marnie asked. She was worried that Morpeko didn't seem fond of any of their new acquaintances, but at the same time, she could understand why. Morpeko just didn't really trust anyone outside of Spikemuth, knowing fully well that nearly everyone they've seen has spread bad things about Marnie because she was from Spikemuth and had Team Yell follow her.

She stopped for a moment, just staring at her pokemon.

"But... You'll at least try to get alon' with them, right?"

Morpeko saw Marnie pleading to her with her eyes, clearly wanting her to give these people a chance.

Morpeko nodded with a smile, obviously not wishing to get in the way of her trainer's happiness.

"Mor! Morpeko!" She raised her paws cheerfully.

Marnie formed a tiny smile. "Thanks, Morpeko..."

She hugged her tightly, getting a soft cooing from her pokemon.


~{Back At The Mines}~

"I'm glad those guys seem to trust me now!" Victor happily hummed as he walked through the mines with Ace and Midori still following him. "I hope they find their way back."

After Victor's encounter with Team Yell, the two males cheerfully started heading to the mines' entrance rather than deeper ahead with Victor.

However, they promised to spread his name through Team Yell as a fellow brother of culture, even saying that they'll bring him a Team Yell uniform to wear... which Victor couldn't help but feel curious about.

And now here he was, continuing deeper into the mines to either catch up with Bede or encounter Kabu somewhere in here like Sonia had mentioned.

It didn't take him too long, as he already heard a bit of a commotion up ahead.

"Thank you for helping out with my training, Team Yell. But I must say-!"

Victor turned the corner and came upon the sight of two more Team Yell grunts right in front of a Carkoal and a familiar fire-type Gym Leader.

"-it's unforgivable for you to get in the way of a Carkol at hard work!" It was none other than Kabu, the ever-burning man of fire, frowning at the two Team Yell grunts. His voice was loud and proud, clearly fitting for a trainer with a fiery passion for battling.

The two Team yell grunts looked angry.

"We weren't gettin' in its way! We were tryin' to cheer it on!" The first grunt said.

"Still, you did a number on us in that pokemon battle, so... it's time for Team Yell to scarper and give a morale boost elsewhere!"

The two grunts turned around and bolted away, leaving Kabu behind with a sigh.

"Cheering is one thing, but one shouldn't get in the way of honest work!" Kabu called to them as they left.

"Kabu!" Victor ran forward and approached the flaming man, prompting the Gym Leader to turn around curiously at who called him.

A smile formed on his face.

"Well, if it isn't one of the three endorsed by Leon? Victor, am I right?" Both of his hands held the towel around his neck, still sweating after clearly having some sort of intense workout. He was still in his red gym uniform, as it was perfect for exercising in any way.

"Yup! That's me! It's so good to meet you!" Victor bounced in excitement to meet yet another Gym Leader.

The two shook hands as Kabu chuckled.

"The pleasure is all mine. But isn't it a little late for you to be this deep in the mines?" The fire user asked him.

They let go as Victor answered with a proud smile. "I've gone to sleep much later than this! I want to get back to Motostoke to see how my friends are doing! Oh! Speaking of which, have you fought them yet?"

Kabu looked up in thought, "Hm... You're referring to your two fellow challengers endorsed by Leon, Hop and Gloria, correct? Sorry to say, but I haven't faced either one of them yet."

"Oo! Then that means they must still be in Motostoke! Are you gonna head back? Stong trainers always need their rest!" Victor said, noticing that Kabu seemed to sweaty and spent.

"Hm, I suppose I should pack it in for the night. I guess training for several hours does tire one out... But hey, it's the only way that I'll ever feel tired!" Kabu laughed.

He then turned to the Carkoal with him, who was simply waiting patiently.

"Can you get home by yourself?"

"Car! Car!" The Coal Pokemon shouted confidently, then taking another path into the mines by itself.

"Now then..." He turned back to Victor, eyeing him and his backpack. "I don't suppose you'd be able to keep up my pace wearing that, would you?"

Victor adjusted his backpack as Ace and Midori stretched their legs a little, knowing what he meant.

"You bet!" The boy grinned.

"I like your answer! I would love to know someone who's caught Leon's eye, so let us be off!" Kabu turned around and started jogging ahead, with Victor and his pokemon following from behind.

Victor sped up a bit so he was side-by-side with Kabu.

"So, Victor. When did you formally meet Leon?" Kabu asked as a conversation starter.

"I actually met him a day or two before the Gym Challenge's opening ceremony. Heh, I remember heading to Hop's place and then hearing him say that we should go out and find Leon before he gets lost on the straight path to his house."

That brought a laugh from Kabu, "Ah, yes. Leon's sense of direction is one of Galar's greatest mysteries."

"Kinda like where Nessa keeps her pokeballs?" Victor asked as the two turned a corner.

That question prompted an ever harder laugh from the Gym Leader. "So you've heard of that one too?"

"No, I just really wondered that when I fought her." Victor chuckled.

"Speaking of which, how was your battle against miss Nessa? I would've watched it if I hadn't been training in these mines."

Victor turned his head to him with a happy expression.

"She was great! She had the brilliant sparkle in her eyes that really showed how much she was enjoying our battle! Kind of like how I see the fire in your eyes when you're battling, Kabu!"

"So you do pay attention to the emotions of your opponents in battle? I believe that is needed in a trainer, to be able to tell not only how your pokemon feel, but how your opponent and their pokemon are feeling as well! Only then can you spark the flames and have a blazing battle!" Kabu said with a pumped-up fist.

Victor grinned, "Heh, I've had amazing battles so far! And even Nessa says that you will definitely want to battle me as I am right now!"

"Oho? I can't wait!" There was a pause as Kabu and Victor went through a skinnier tunnel. "Actually, I think I should wait... We both need our rest if we want to be at our peak performance for battling tomorrow."

"Heh, yeah, I guess so." Victor agreed with a nod.

The two then caught sight of the light from the outside just up ahead, prompting both of them to speed up a little as they felt a breeze come inside the mines.

"Are you always training here, Kabu?" Victor asked next as they neared the exit.

"Of course! My motto is to keep learning and training as long as I'm alive!" He declared proudly.

"But... you take breaks, right?" Victor asked, getting a little serious as he recalled Nessa and her workload.

"But of course. I eat proper meals and always make sure to get a good night's rest, and I'm always sure to even take some naps or treat myself to something."

Victor's smile returned as the two got out of the mines and into the moonlight shining down above them. They just kept jogging as Ace and Midori breathed a little harder behind them as they kept up, yet, also appreciating the beautiful colors of the night.

They ran along a dirt path with tall grass on the sides, pokemon scurrying to hide in them when they saw the fire-type leader running by.

"Why do you train so much?" Victor asked curiously as they continued jogging. "The media always sees you either in the gym or running somewhere with your pokemon. You must have a goal in mind if you're training so hard, right?"

Kabu's breathed out of his mouth at a steady pace with his jogging.

"Well, I wasn't always training this hard. *huff, puff* I grew up in a small town in Hoenn. *huff, puff* Battling started off as a hobby for me, *huff, puff* but I realized that it was felt the most *huff* amazing *puff* thing to do."

He and Victor slowed down their pace a little as they continued to follow the path.

"Phew... I was the strongest trainer in my town. *huff, puff* and Chairman Rose somehow caught *phew* sight of that. *huff, puff* I ended up getting visited by him. *Huff, puff* He invited me to Galar as a Gym Leader, *huff, puff* feeling that my fiery passion perfectly fits with Galar."

"Oh, wow, really?" Victor lightly breathed as he jogged. "Rose actually went to Hoeen? *huff, puff* What for?"

"I don't know. *huff, puff* But I believe it related to *huff* looking for energy. *huff, puff* I lived near an energy plant when he *phew* caught sight of me."

"Was Rose looking for an answer for Galar's crisis even back then?" Victor thought, appreciating how long ago the Chairman was convicted to save their region.

The two trainers ended up on the brick bridge that would lead into Motostoke's East entrance, still chatting as they felt the gentle breeze push against them.

"Nice. *huff, puff* And how was battling when you *huff* went to Galar?"

Kabu seemed to brighten.

"Outstanding! *huff* As a Gym Leader, *huff* I had to chance to fight the most powerful trainers! *puff* There were even a few times where I was close to becoming champion! *huff* But alas, *puff* victory always seemed to elude me at the last moment... *phew* So I tried adopting a no-holds-barred approach to battling for a time, *sigh* but even that didn't bring the results I wanted. *huff* I became disheartened and lost confidence in myself *puff* that I even dropped to the minor division. *huff*"

"Really? *huff* It was that bad? *puff*" Victor asked, surprised to hear that the fire master's flames had been put dimmed at one point.

Kabu nodded, still focusing his gaze forward on the path.

"Yes... *huff* But then after a fantastic battle with Leon. *puff* I regained faith in my own potential! *huff* That's when I changed my motto to always train every moment I could! *puff* With breaks, of course. *huff* And now here I am, considered feared by many that I'll end their careers!" He actually laughed at that last part, then breathing harder to regain his pace.

"You must have so much experience! *huff*" Victor said excitedly, "Any advice for me? *puff*"

Kabu turned his head to Victor with a smile, breathing out his nose as he raised a pumped fist.

"The same advice I try to tell everyone else!" His breathing through his mouth returned. "Experiment with every possibility of your pokemon! *huff, puff* Moves, abilities, items! *huff* Try everything, and there's sure to be a path forward!"

Victor felt the burning passion behind the trainer's words, feeling enlightened by just hearing them.

"Man, now I really can't wait to battle you!" He exclaimed, fire in his eyes that Kabu noticed with glee.

"As can't I Victor, as can't I." Kabu answered as he turned his head forward once more.

By now, after all that constant jogging without stopping, Victor and Kabu arrived into Motostoke. Yet they continued jogging all the way to the Gym Leader's stadium, getting some pictures taken of them from citizens along the way.

The stopped in front of the stadium doors, where Kaabu turned to Victor and caught his breath.

Ace and Midori arrived a few seconds later, then falling on their behinds in exhaustion.

"Raboot..."

"Kirl..."

Victor heard them whine and glanced back at them, raising an eyebrow.

"It looks like we'll need to do more general exercise than just fighting."

"I must say, Victor, I'm impressed." Kabu smiled, using his towel to wipe his sweaty forehead. "I honestly didn't expect you to actually keep up the entire way with me, especially with that large backpack on you."

Victor wiped just a bit of sweat from his own forehead, chuckling. "Oh, it was nothing! I actually do exercise myself!"

He slightly raised his shirt and showed Kabu a decent six-pack for his age.

"See? It even shows a bit!"

Kabu crouched down with a hand on his chin, looking impressed by his physique, "My, to have these sorts of muscles at a young age, you must've started exercising when you were even younger. You must join me when I head to get exercise in a gym sometime!"

Victor lowered his shirt and chuckled, "A human gym? I've never been to one before!"

Kabu stood back up and smirked, "I wonder how you'll fare there? Let's discuss it another day. For now, I wish you a good night, Gym Challenger Victor. May you show me the fiery passion of your pokemon tomorrow. I will see you then."

Victor walked backward and playfully saluted him, "You too, Kabu! It was great talking to you! Let's run again sometime!"

"I would be glad to invite you!" Kabu waved back with a big smile.

"Oh, and it's just Victor!" Victor finished.

The fire Gym Leader chuckled before stepping inside his nearly empty gym, intending to head to his private room to shower and sleep for the night.

"Hm, I can already see why Leon chose that boy. Such confidence, and being able to interact with others so well... That can apply to both people and pokemon."

He grinned as a faint fire reflected in his eyes.

"Can his flames outlast mine, though?"

While Kabu walked into his stadium, Victor walked to the middle of the city path and looked around, seeing if he could catch sight of his friends.

"Hm, I guess they all must be sleeping in the Budew Inn by now..." He thought, looking up at the moon and stars illuminating the sky.

He glanced down at Ace and Midori, both looking rather exhausted not by the time of day, but by constant jogging they weren't used to doing.

"Hm... Let's heal you guys up in a pokemon center and head off for the night. Twilight's still down from that fight with Bede, after all."

His pokemon agreed and they made their way to the Motostoke Pokemon Center that was passed the Budew in, Victor glancing at the Inn for a moment before arriving at his destination.

Once inside, Victor healed his pokemon at the nurse's desk. But as he was about to leave, his eyes stopped on the Pokemart, making him remember Nessa's advice for him.

"I noticed you had your pokemon, 'Midori' use the same moves a lot. Don't you think about using any TMs or TRs for him or your other pokemon?"

He smiled, approaching the man in a blue uniform.

"Ah! Gym Challenger Victor." The man recognized him immediately.

"Just Victor, please." Victor insisted with a friendly wave. "Do you guys happen to have any TMs or TRs?"

The man smiled as he turned around and grabbed a box from the shelf, placing it on the counter.

"For now, we only have the TMs that are always in stock at this specific Pokemon Center. We don't have any TRs right now, as those usually get bought quickly when we find them and put them up for sale. But you may take a look through these TMs!"

Victor looked in the box and at the disks' names in cases, muttering them aloud.

"False Swipe, Round, Light Screen, Reflect... I don't even think my pokemon can use most of these..."

He pulled one of the cases out.

"I guess I'll buy Protect and a few potions."

"Wise choice, it's never a bad idea to give Protect to a pokemon." The male staff smiled as he priced the items.

Victor removed his backpack and opened a small compartment that contained a large amount of money. Money provided from Hop's family due to Leon managing to earn them so much.

As he and his now healed pokemon exited the place, Victor curiously fondled the small case that contained the TM.

"Hm... I guess I can give all of you Protect since I can use a TM as much as I want, but I don't think it'd be smart to just give you guys every move you're able to learn..." He managed to slide TM behind him into his backpack as he walked to the Budew Inn now.

Ace and Midori both nodded in agreement that he shouldn't just repeatedly use the item just because he can.

Twilight was perched back on Victor's backpack now, looking vigorous now that he was healed up. While Tesla was still sleeping in his cozy spot in Victor's backpack.

"I'll think about moves later." Victor smiled as he got to the Inn's entrance, the doors opening automatically as he walked in.

He then stopped as he saw a familiar person standing in front of the Inn's golden statue.

"Marnie?" Victor's eyes brightened upon seeing her, making Ace roll his eyes.

The girl turned around with a neutral expression, but some light shined in her eyes when she saw the boy.

"Victor..." She muttered meekly despite keeping her cold look. "Were you out travelin' this late?"

Instead of answering, Victor approached her with a flowery aura.

"Marnie! It's so nice to see you again!" He laughed with a brightening smile.

That seemed to make Marnie lightly blush.

"Is... Is it really?"

"Well, yeah! Why wouldn't it be-!?" Victor suddenly stopped himself as he suddenly remembering words, depressing words.

"Well... People believe that everyone from Spikemuth is dangerous, and this is because of rumors that have been spreading for quite a while now." He recollected Chairman Rose telling him in Hulbury.

"Our Marnie ain't... She ain't ever had a friend outside of Spikemuth. When we followed her out as she went to take on that dang old Gym Challenge, we started hearing wankers saying all sorts of pants to her. Everyone looked at her like she was bad... Team Yell is used to the looks and words, but ain't nobody should be thinkin' of our precious Marnie like that!" He remembered the first Team Yell grunt just earlier.

"We thought ya were like all those other folks, judgin' bastards... And we thought ya were tricking Marnie by actin' nice." He recalled the second grunt adding these words.

Victor's smile slowly started to fade, something that Marnie noticed and became slightly nervous.

"Wh-What's wrong?"

Victor scratched the back of his head, avoiding her gaze as he thought about what to say.

"Er... Can I ask you a few things?"

"Um... Yeh, of course." Marnie answered, despite feeling worried about Victor's change in tone just now.

Victor's pokemon knew that this conversation might last a bit, so Ace, Midori, and Twilight went away from them and explored the room, leaving the kids to themselves.

Victor focused his gaze back on Marnie, lowering his hand from his head.

"You're... from Spikemuth, right?"

Hearing those words instantly brought some dread to Marnie. She suddenly found herself recalling so many things said about her, things keeping everyone away from her.

"Wait, ain't she the one on those banners Team Yell carry around?"

"I think she is, so she's the reason they're always making trouble?"

"She looks kind of scary... Don't look at her."

"Isn't she from Spikemuth?"

"It'd be bad to get involved with her..."

"Wait, that's Piers' little sister, isn't she?"

"Oh dear, no wonder all of Team Yell is causing havoc for her then..."

Marnie lowered her head and found herself shaking.

"W-Well... Y-Yeah... It... It should've been obvious..."

"Yeah... Um, did you grow up there your entire life?" Victor then asked.

Marnie weakly nodded, not looking up at the boy out of worry of seeing any disgust or caution on his face.

Her Morpeko frown and actually changed colors, the yellow of her body changing to black as her eyes turned into a hostile red.

"MOR!" She threatened with black sparks of electricity forming on his cheeks.

Victor didn't acknowledge the hostility from her pokemon, instead, saying something.

"I'm sorry..."

That wasn't something Marnie nor Morpeko expected to hear, making the pokemon pause her anger while her trainer looked up in shock by what he meant.

Then her eyes widened, catching sight of how Victor was looking at her.

What she saw wasn't disgust, it wasn't fear, nor was it anger. It was a look that she had never seen anyone outside of Spikemuth give her before.

It was a sad but sympathetic smile.

"It must've been hard for you... right?"

"Wha... What?" Marnie found herself unable to speak, wondering what Victor was doing. At the same time, her Morpeko still remained in her hostile, Hangry phase, being wary of anything Victor would say to hurt Marnie.

Victor kept his gaze on the girl as he continued speaking.

"Um, I learned a few things while traveling... I heard how people think that you and Team Yell are really dangerous. They think you guys destroyed your town's Power Spot or moved to Spikemuth because it didn't have one. But... That's not true, right?"

"YELL, NO!" Four Team Yell grunts, two males and two females, suddenly appeared behind the Inn's gold statue, all of them holding either Marnie banners or Y-shaped horns. "We did no such thing!"

Marnie turned around, shocked, "Y-You guys were there!?"

"Of course we are! We'll always be around supporting our goddess!" One of the grunts shouted.

The four of them suddenly passed Marnie and gathered around Victor.

"An' from what we heard from two of our bros, they told us that ya wanna be friends with her! Is that right!?" One of the female grunts yelled.

"H-Huh!?" Marnie was bewildered by what she was hearing.

"Of course I would!" Victor declared with a pumped fist and glimmering smile.

"So it was bloody true then!? Welcome to the club!" Team Yell yelled, welcomingly.

"H-Hang on-" Marnie started.

"Man, I didn't think that the two I met in the mines would tell the rest of you guys so fast." Victor expressed his surprise.

"Team Yell always gets everything done on the double! And we've even got a uniform for ya!" One of the female grunts grinned as she pulled out the pink and black set of clothing.

"Oo! I wonder if I'd be able to pull off a punk look?" Victor laughed.

"MORPEKO!" Marnie's Morpeko, still in Hangry mode, shrieked at the group, getting their attention so they'd focuse on Marnie.

The was girl blushing timidly as she asked;

"Wh-What's going on?"

Victor realized that the interruption from Team Yell derailed him off track, "Oh! Sorry, um... How do I explain this?"

He paused in thought for a moment before speaking with a confident smile.

"As I was saying before, I know that Team Yell never really did any of the bad things people say they did. Well, other than annoying challengers, that is. But everything they've ever done was for you, right?"

"Oi! For Piers too! He was the one who formed our family!" Team Yell shouted.

Victor just continued before he'd get distracted again.

"And... I met up with some of Team Yell in the second Galar Mines. They told me that people outside of Spikemuth tend to say bad things about you. Things I'm sure aren't true. It's sad, but most people will always be judgemental of others first glance."

He chuckled as he reached both arms and patted the shoulders of both male grunts beside him, the two not minding it.

"But I know you guys aren't bad at all! I know that Team Yell can go... 'overboard' in expressing their support, but they're not bad people! They just want to support an amazing person!"

"Yeah!" Team Yell shouted as they blew their horns and held up banners of Marnie with comedic tears.

"Y-You... became friends with Team Yell?" Marnie asked, clearly in disbelief at how he casually interacted with them.

"..." Victor turned left and right to the group, then putting on a smile as he shrugged. "I guess I did? I don't know any of them individually, but I'd love to have them as friends!"

Marnie gulped, then asking something else timidly.

"Wh-What... What about... me? W-Would you... be friends with me?" She almost sounded scared to ask.

Hearing that, everyone's eyes focused on Victor, with Team Yell staring rather intensely as if warning him.

Victor just smiled as he stepped forward so he was right in front of Marnie, looking slightly down due to her slightly shorter height.

"Weren't we already friends?"

Marnie's eyes widened as she remembered previous words Victor had told her.

"We'll get along! We'll be great friends, I promise!"

"*Sniff*"

Everyone turned black and white with comedic lightning striking in the background.

"Eh?" They all thought in unison.

Tears went down the corners of Marnie's eyes. Her Morpeko turning back in his black and yellow colors while looking up at her trainer in worry.

"Mor? Mor!?"

"Look! Ya made Marnie cry!" One of the grunts yelled to Victor, making the rest have fire in their eyes.

"OH GOD! I'M A MONSTER!" Victor shouted even louder than them, surprising the grunts. He clutched his own head with a look of comedic despair, knowing he made a girl cry.

"Only the worst kinds of men make girls cry!" He recalled his mother saying before.

"N-No... *sniff* I'm... not sad." They heard Marnie speak up.

They looked up as Marnie's rubbed her eyes with an arm, still holding her Morpeko with the other.

"I-I'm... I'm just..." She moved her arm out of the way to reveal her slightly watery eyes. "I'm so happy... I... I never thought I'd really have a friend o-outside of Spikemuth. I...I thought you would try to avoid me l-like everyone else does... I thought you were going to do that wh-when you asked if I was from Spikemuth..."

"Of course not! There's no way I'd avoid someone like you, Marnie! You're an absolute treasure!"

"Yeah! He really gets it!" Team Yell all shouted in proud sync.

"Hop and Gloria must already know this too! They'll be glad to be friends with you too if they're not already friends! I'm sure of it!" Victor declared. "I'll make sure you have plenty of friends!"

Marnie looked down as she let out some more sniffles.

"Th-Thank you..."

Morpeko stared up at Victor, watching his eyes of care and concern remain on Marnie. The pokemon couldn't help but smile as she felt how happy her trainer was, judging by how she was held in her arms tightly.

Perhaps the boy could really be nice.

"Go, Marnie!" Team Yell shouted, proud that their goddess had obtained a good friend.

Victor smiled sweetly, "If you ever need anything, Marnie, anything at all, then just let me know!"

Hearing that, Marnie looked back up, her eyes still a little watery.

"R-Really?"

"Of course! Friends always help each other!" Victor stated, putting a hand on his chest proudly. "Hop and Gloria would do anything to help me, and I would do anything back! So of course, I'd do the same for you!"

The horned-tufts of Marnie's hair fluttered, the girl clearly having something in mind.

"U-Um... Th-Then..." She nervously fidgeted in place. "Are you and your pokemon tired?"

"Nope! I usually stay up pretty late! As for my pokemon..." He turned his head to his awake three pokemon, who were simply admiring the room while their trainer talked. And Tesla was still sleeping peacefully in Victor's backpack as always. "They seem pretty awake."

"In that case-" Marnie piped up, looking a little anxious. "H-Help with somethin' for a sec. I want t'see if I'm ready for the next leg of the Gym Challenge!"

Victor tilted his head, curiously. "Hm? Help you how?"

"H-Have a battle with me!" The girl answered, looking pumped up but still slightly blushing as she asked this of him.

Victor's eye reflected surprise in them. "Really? Right now? Isn't it really late?"

"That's why I asked if ya pokemon were tired. My pokemon and I are used to bein' up late. I-If you don't wanna battle..."

"No, no, I'd love to have a battle with you!" Victor smiled reassuringly.

Marnie's eyes sparkled, "Really!? Thank you so much! It'll be the first time I battle a fellow challenger!"

Victor grinned, "I gotta warn you, I never hold back."

"I'd be mad if ya did." Marnie pouted.

"GO MARNIE!" Team Yell shouted with their banners up.


~{Wydon Stadium- 11:04PM}~

Leon walked through many halls higher up in the stadium, head looking in all directions as question marks appeared over him.

"Dang it... One moment you're in the lobby, then as soon as you look for a vending machine, you're completely lost." The champion awkwardly chuckled as he walked through the many halls of inside the large stadium.

He checked many rooms to see if he could find the breakroom where he knew someone would be waiting. He failed to find the room quickly, opening door to door to several other rooms, most of them leading into meeting rooms.

"Lost again, Leon?" A voice chuckled down the hall.

The champion closed the door to another empty meeting room when he heard a familiar voice, turning his head to see the Chairman walking towards him with Oleana by his side.

Leon smiled, "Rose! I was just about to find my way to the breakroom to meet you!"

"We both know you'd never find your way into the breakroom unless someone helped you." Oleana pointed out without any hesitation.

"Ouch, still as blunt as always, Oleana." The champion laughed as he rubbed the back of his head.

Rose joined in with a chuckle, "We went to find you since it's always faster."

"Well... Here I am now. So why did you want to see me?" Leon asked him.

Rose turned around to go back the way he came, "Walk with me as I explain."

Leon complied and walked beside the Chairman, the two males speaking with Oleana following behind.

"I assume you've heard the message I sent to Galar this morning?" Rose started, keeping a small smile despite the subject.

Leon's own smile just seemed to fade. "Yeah... Team Rocket, right?"

"Rainbow Rocket now." Oleana corrected from the back.

"Yes... It appears that they've grown rather large in size in a short period of time. We don't know how that was the case, but apparently, there were sightings of their members in several other regions apart from Kanto, such as Sinnoh, Hoenn, and Kalos. So we can assume that perhaps they obtained their new members through these regions and, for some reason, might've all gathered in Galar."

"Huh? What makes you think these guys all came to Galar? Don't you think they would've stayed in Kanto since that's where their organization originally formed?" Leon asked him.

"There have been many sightings of them here... A little too many. People have been ambushed by several members at a time, they've been spotted nearby towns, and we've arrested many of them, yet, they keep coming. So either their organization has grown so large that they can expend thousands of trainers, or their main group has settled somewhere in Galar. And I'm choosing to believe its the latter."

"But... What'd they even want here in Galar?" Leon asked, clear worry on his face at the thought of the large organization invading his home.

"There are several possibilities... But all of them have the same concept that they're looking for something." Rose answered while scratching his beard.

"But what are they looking for?" Leon asked next.

"There could be several things that can catch their attention... There are rumors of powerful pokemon within the area known as the Crowned Tundra, a supposed recipe at the Isle of Armor that allows pokemon to Gigantamax, and more. But we haven't received as many sightings there, so I believe they're looking for something around the main parts of Galar."

The group made their way into a private room that looked like a spare office for Rose. Oleana closed the door behind them as the two males made their way to a couch in the room and sat down.

"And... Do you have any idea what that 'something' is?" Leon questioned next.

That made Rose's smile falter, actually having an idea of something in mind. He thought about the power plant in Hammerlocke, remembering something... Something sleeping there that was leaking power, helping all of Galar remain energized.

"But how would they know of something like that? No one has ever known about 'it' but Oleana and me... As well as the other previous chairmen. Would they really...?"

"Chairman?" Leon called to him.

"Hm? Oh, I was just thinking about the item they're looking for is... I can't say I have a clue." He awkwardly chuckled.

Oleana peaked up from her clip to steal a glance at the Chairman, knowing that wasn't the case.

"I see..." Leon said, not questioning him as he leaned back on the couch with his legs crossed.

He looked up and let out a worried sigh, "Why did they have to come the year my brother chooses to take on the Gym Challenge... I hope he doesn't run into any of those guys..."

Rose pat him on the shoulder reassuringly, "Hop is a strong lad, he'll be fine. And that brings me to what else I came to tell you about. I wish to ask of your assistance in apprehending any groups of Rainbow Rocket goons spotted in Galar."

Leon turned to him with an eyebrow raised, "Really? My help?"

"Leon, of course I'd like the champion's help. With your abilities, we're sure to put away many more Rainbow Rocket members to make the public feel safer."

"I don't know... I'm busy enough as it is." Leon pointed out.

"Don't worry. Other than battles, I'll make sure that you're free from any other events people wish to bring you into. That way, you can travel with my staff around different areas of Galar to hunt any goons spotted."

"Hm, I guess it should be alright then. At least it means that I still have that match against Bea tomorrow." Leon grinned, looking excited.

"Ah yes, Bea... The most antisocial of our Gym Leaders." Oleana sighed.

"Really? Not Piers?" Leon joked. "And I'm sure the role is gonna be taken by that Allister kid when he becomes a Gym Leader. "Never have I met anyone so adorably shy." He laughed.

Rose chuckled, "Yes, we're simply deciding on where to put his gym... I'm hoping that one of these days, Galar will have a gym of every typing to show the world that it's the region to truly test your strength."

"And we got Gordie to agree to be a Rock-type gym leader in the future?" Leon asked him.

"Gordie always agreed to be another Gym Leader, but Melony wishes that he'd inherit her gym of ice typings..." Rose pointed out.

"Heh, good old disagreements between family. I remember when my mum was all against the idea of me taking the Gym Challenge. And yet, here I am now, the strongest in the world!" Leon grinned.

"Yes, but back to Bea, I've actually been meaning to bring her up with someone." Rose said, getting Leon's attention from his past. "Have you ever tried speaking with Bea outside of battle?"

Leon looked up in thought, "Well, sometimes she'd ask how I'd train. Then she'd wish to head right back to her gym to continue training... The only time I've really seen her do something not related to training or battling is when she watches over Allister."

That made Rose sigh, "All she truly thinks about is battling... It worries me. She never really interacts too much with any other Gym Leaders. Even Piers seems to get along with you and Raihan."

"You mean when we endlessly drag him around Galar to have fun?" Leon chuckled. "We thought about kinda doing the same to Bea, but... There's no way any of us want to take her fighting moves to the face."

"Hm..." Rose looked down with a hand on his chin. "I've tried telling her to take more time for herself, but my words never seemed to get through to her. Allister himself has tried to have Bea relax, but he's never able to keep her for too long before she's right back to training again... Although, I am curious to see how much stronger she's become compared to the last time she's fought you..."

"Heh, no matter how strong she's gotten, I'll make sure to win again!" Leon grinned with a thumbs up.

Rose smiled as he knew what Leon said was innocent enough, but what he said was also the very thing that worried him.

"After all that training Bea does, if she loses to Leon again... then just much will that bring her down? I hope she won't do anything rash..."

He leaned back on the couch as he gently scratched his beard.

"I wonder... Could there be someone who could provide the experience Bea needs? To just let her find things to enjoy and stop training so much?"

He then found himself thinking of a particular boy that managed to get Nessa back on her feet after the model had faced her own predicament. The boy that always seemed to brighten up the room, showing the signs of selflessness and confidence.

Rose smiled assuredly, crossing his arms as he closed his eyes.

"It'll work out."


~{Stow-On-Side- 11:15PM}~

A young warrior sat alone in a dark room that was only illuminated by a few candles. She was cross-legged on a mat on the wooden floor of a dojo, eyes closed and hands together on her lap.

She breathed deeply as the candles around her flickered from the air coming from the open windows behind her. She was completely absorbed in her senses, sharpening them as she listened to everything surrounding her. She heard the candles' flickering, the gentle breeze of the outside, and small movements in the same room as her.

In the shadows, faintly lit brown eyes watched the warrior from afar, narrowing his sights on her as swiftly moved around the room with barely any sound.

With her sharpened senses, the warrior was able to pick up on the faint movements, yet making none of her own yet.

It wasn't until she heard a woosh heading right to her when her eyes snapped open in a sharp look.

She shot up and swung her leg upward, the force causing the several candles around her to be instantly put out, leaving the only light source to be the moonlight behind her.

"Hi-yah!" She stuck her leg up in a high kick, and the heel of her foot connected to a very large stalk, one that was shaped to be like a lance. Their impact seemed to somehow ignite the room for a split second, revealing who the stalk belonged to.

A proud pokemon resembling a white duck narrowed his eyes on the young warrior in front of him. He had a yellow beak, eyebrow-like markings, and matching yellow legs and webbed feet. The items in his hands were of a large leek held in two parts, the lance-like stalk in his right, and the hard leaves of the leek in his left.

This was Sirfetch'd, the Wild Duck Pokemon.

His trainer was actually the very warrior in front of him that had intercepted his attack. A slender, but fit young girl with tan skin, grey eyes, and grey hair cut into a bob. She had on a signature skintight black bodysuit with her uniform consisting of a cut-off white shirt with a black collar and a pair of white shorts with orange and black details on them, along with a black and orange glove. She had no shoes on, mostly preferring to be barefoot when she battled, and she maintained a stoic expression always seen by Galar.

This was Bea, the Karate Prodigy of Galar.

Sirfetch'd pulled his lance back and landed on the ground, then swinging his weapon horizontally.

Bea jumped right over the swing and spun her leg.

"Hi-yah!"

Sirfetch'd rose his shield and the trainer's attack collided with it, but the pokemon firmly kept himself in place as he then pushed his shield forward, sending Bea slightly upward in the air.

Bea backflipped before landing in a crouching position, the moonlight now fully shining down on her to reveal her emotionless expression.

Both fighters maintained fighting stances in silence. The candles still had traces of smoke blowing gently, and the room was now in silence once more, aside from the gentle breeze blowing.

The two then stood up straight, with Bea putting her fist into her hand right in front of her chest, and both bowed respectfully to one another.

"Good." Her voice was calm and also a bit quiet. She and her pokemon raised their heads back up, with Sirfetch'd then walking to the fighting beauty confidentially. "I believe we're ready."

Her pokemon kept his sword and shield close.

"Sir-Fetch!" He said proudly, indicating that he felt ready.

Bea turned her back to him and walked to the room's open windows, peering outside at the small town of Stow-on-side.

"Tomorrow... We'll finally end Leon's streak. We'll take him down and become the strongest there ever was."

She thought about all the training she's done, everything she's been working for, it would all be for tomorrow. Even if it's just an exhibition match, she knew that her skills should be at their peak to finally make Leon lose for the first time.

The fighting-type leader heard the door of the room open, letting light shine in.

"B-Bea?" A quiet and timid voice called.

The karate prodigy turned around and saw a short boy all too familiar to her.

He was an 11-year old boy with pale skin and fairly short black hair with a curved cowlick. His face was covered by a white mask with large holes for his eyes and mouth, yet additional darkness in these holes somehow hid these facial features.

"Allister? What are you doing here so late? You should be sleeping." Bea declared as she walked over to him with her Sirfetch'd beside her.

"I-I told you this before... I-I don't really sleep." Allister shyly answered.

Bea paused in front of him, staring down at his attire. "What are you wearing?"

Allister had on an outfit that Bea immediately recognized to be a gym uniform of some kind. He had on a long-sleeved black shirt and shorts, both of which shared a light purple dot-like pattern with the addition of a pair of purple rings on ends of both sleeves. His right sleeve had the Galar League symbol, the same spot where Bea's symbol was. On the center of his shirt was a design clearly meant to resemble the ghost-typing, and on his left hand is a purple glove with black fingertips.

"You have a gym uniform?" Bea questioned with a tilt of her head.

Allister nervously fidgeted in place, "Y-Yeah... Since I might become a Gym Leader like you, R-Rose already made a uniform for me... H-How does it look?"

"It looks fitting for a uniform. But again, why are you here so late?"

Allister looked down, a little sad from Bea's response. "W-Well... I know that you have that match against Leon early tomorrow... So... I just wanted to say g-good luck..." He quietly said.

Bea was quiet for a moment, then reaching down and gently petting his head despite maintaining her blank look.

"I appreciate it, but I don't need luck. I'm going to beat Leon using all the training I've been doing. Now come, let's get you to bed."

She got up and returned her Sirfetch'd into his pokemon, then walking past the small boy and picking up a duffle bag lying beside the door.

"..." Allister remained still as he watched her go to the exit and turn to him, expecting him to come with her.

Seeing that he wasn't moving, she called to him.

"What is it?"

Allister looked down and nervously fiddled with his fingers.

He spoke with small pauses. "Um... Bea? When you... finish your battle against Leon... do you... w-want to... d-do something... together?"

Bea raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"Y-You know... L-Like we used to do? Like... go shopping together? P-Play somewhere? W-We used to do it whenever you had a break..."

Bea stared at him as she thought about what he said, but then thinking more about her training.

She turned her back to him.

"Maybe. Let's just head back right now."

Allister looked down at his feet in defeat.

"Al...right..."

He followed her out of the room, his sad expression hidden behind his large mask. He heard this several times before, asking Bea to do something with him, the girl staring at him without a hint of emotion, and then would answer him with that same word, 'maybe.'

And whenever she said maybe... it never happened.


~{Author's Post-Notes}~

(Continues walking through the forest.)

HNNNNGH! Marnie is just, too, PRECIOUS! God I love her. It's so fun writing things with her. But now Victor's finally back in Motostoke to catch up with his good friends after a nice chat with Kabu, naturally bonding! Oh! Bea!? It's BEA! OH AND ALLISTER! *Squeals!* Aw yeah, it's all coming together. Oh but he's... sad. Before I cry, I wonder how Bea's battle is gonna go against Leon? I'm sure she'll do fiiiiiiiiiiiine.

(Sees another paper on a tree and scoops it up.)

But as for the next time on Galar's Secret Miracle, Victor's gonna give Marnie the battle she wants! Oh? Actually, it seems like the part will be all about our precious girl! Until next time, I'll see you again in the next chapter "Lass Of Spikemuth."

(Reads Note)

"omae wa mou shindeiru"

N-NANI!?

(Turns around to see a tall man in a black suit with no face.)

*High Pitched Noises*