~{Author's Pre-Notes}~

(Mimikyu standing around a table of differently colored crewmates)

Hey everybody! Good to see you all again! As I've said, chapters are taking longer than usual to do because of school, yippee. Luckily, I'm still using some of my time to write, especially since my classes aren't too bad. But yeah, I'm surprised that I'm bringing out chapters this long and in this amount of time, because I honestly think it would take other people so much longer to post chapters with much thought and length into it.

(Crew members split, with Mimikyu heading down.)

So anyway, in the previous chapter of ya boi's journey, we had the rest of the squad finish their battles against Motostoke's burning Gym Leader, Kabu, and they've done it! We left at our favorite model and baby-faced man showing up to spend some quality screentime with our group! What will they do with their time? Where will they go? What's going on with Bea now that she's lost? Let's find out!

(Walks in electrical and sees red crew next to cyan crew corpse)

...

...

You serious? We... We literally just started.

Answered Comments (Oldest to most recent)

Perseus D. Uzumaki: To be fair, I don't really think Piers would be the type to get too deep into another person's affairs unless they have something to do with Marnie, heh. But yeah, maybe I could've finished that talk a little bit better.

yeekit000: I always try to write good battles with unique moments that make you think (hey, that'd be cool to see in an actual pokemon anime.) Glad you enjoyed reading!

KingPlotBunny: I mean, I wouldn't call the previous chapter as a complete filler, as we have to see at least glimpses of Victor's rivals and their growth. THIS chapter, however, will actually be a complete filler, one that I really enjoyed writing and hope you do too! It'll at least set up for the future chapters though. I just hope you enjoy reading this as much as previous chapters!

IanAlphaAxel: *Tips fedora* Thanks as always.

A Random Earthian: I know Marnie is strong as a trainer and a person. Why I made her shyer? Because I really feel like for someone who was isolated and isn't used to much social interaction besides her own fans, it would make sense for her to be shy and nervous around new people she wants as actual friends rather than fans. But as time goes on, people have more experience and she'll be stronger through her journey, making her much more confident in the future. So... she's shy because character development will make her more dominating basically.

Lelouch of Zero: Yup, Bea's basically triggered after her loss against Leon, as you'll see from this chapter. Happy reading!

lonelyboi69: I always try to make my chapters long. Glad you enjoy reading and commenting!

Astrogamer: For Gloria's Scottish dialogue, I actually look at some of Marnie's text in the pokemon games and had Gloria's text match in particular words since Marnie also speaks somewhat Scottish. As for the full-on Scottish moments, I actually use an English to Scottish translator to help me write her speech out, but with small changes too. Thanks for loving Scottish Gloria!

VS2: Hm, what do you mean by 'try out' Phasmophobia? Do you mean tried implementing the fear of ghosts onto one of my characters? I don't really understand what you mean by that. Unless you're talking about that one game I've watched some people play... Again, I'm not sure, but if you mean the game, I haven't played it.

Guest: *shrug* Who knows? We don't really know what's happening to him.

Lildeevil: Ugh, yeah, 100% agreed...

Jak: Yeah, that music video was beautiful in that direct... It actually made me cry after recalling just how many games, how many stories you play through, and remembering all the pokemon you've caught and named. It may even be suited as an opening for my fic? Lol.

Wolfy365: Milo and Nessa appear in the game after you beat Kabu, but only to see you off. I wanted there to be more than just both of them seeing Victor off, so that's what this chapter is for! I hope you enjoy the shenanigans that our favorite characters go through this chapter!

Guest: I really can't wait for Bea to meet Victor either, which is SO frustrating because I don't just wanna rush Victor to run into the Wild Area just to meet her on his own. There should still be moments with everyone else, get me? But yeah, Bea meeting Victor is going to be something I'm so excited to write!

Drayde: Yeah, there's gonna be gym leader screen time and the power of wholesomeness throughout this entire chapter! Even a bit of development for Kabu through funny means! I do agree that there should be so much more to gym leaders than just beating them, just like in Black and White where they actually have jobs in addition to being gym leaders! I hope you enjoy!

Anon Omega: I'm just wondering when is she gonna bring out the ZA WARUDO!

ninfamespinal: I can't wait either, I really can't. Sometimes I want to rush to that part, but I KNOW I have to take things at a good pace. I know you can't wait, but you're gonna have to, heh.

Silent Master of Winds: First of all, I love your name. Second, I'm really glad you're enjoying the fic so far. It's one of the only things I really try to work the hardest for! I hope you comment in the future and continue to enjoy everything I write, thanks for reading!


~{Motostoke Streets-11:25AM}~

"Aw, man... I ended up missing it!" Victor pouted as he stared down at his phone while moping.

"I can't believe we forgot about Leon's exhibition battle..." Hop sighed from Victor's right, also on his Rotom phone to only see the battle results.

"I guess we were all just kinda focused on beating Kabu." Gloria muttered from Victor's left.

"Pay attention to where you're walking, young challengers. You don't want to run into something, do you?" Kabu grinned from the front of the pack.

Nessa came from behind Victor with a grin and rustled his hair through his beanie, "Come on now, you could always watch his battle later on Galar's main page."

Victor rose his head and fixed his beanie while Gloria stared at Nessa with a dead gaze. "But I like watching Leon's battles live. Otherwise, I end up getting anxious while watching and get tempted to skip to make it faster! Sometimes, I even just skip to the end because I can't take it anymore!"

"It be like that sometimes." Milo chuckled.

"I-I don't usually feel nervous watching Leon battle... I just accept that he'll always win... until he faces me, that is." Marnie timidly added.

"Heh, you can beat him after I become champion." Hop grinned.

"As if you'll be it." Gloria rolled her eyes.

"So cold!" Hop deadpanned.

The group walked through the streets of Motostoke, or in Kabu's case, jogged through. Passerbys couldn't help but be surprised as they eyed all the unique individuals coming by. After all, three of Galar's Gym Leaders walking with the three children endorsed by the champion is quite the sight. Not only that, but it was even more shocking to see Marnie, one of Spikemuth's considered ringleaders, also accompanying the group.

"Alright, you young lads and lassies! We're here!" Kabu came to an abrupt stop and turned on his heels so that he faced the group behind him, waving a hand to present their destination.

Victor looked up at a sign that read, The Battle Cafe, and saw a logo of an orange background with a white design of a man's head right next to a steaming cup of coffee.

"So this is it? Looks small." Gloria muttered.

Kabu, Milo, and Nessa just grinned at her first assumption.

"Well, let's not waste any time now! Let's go in and get some proper meals for you kids!" Kabu urged them as he turned around and held the door open for them.

The large group rushed inside, where Victor curiously glanced around at the cafe they were in. He saw light and dark brown tiled floor and saw wooden floors around the cafe's seating area. There were red chairs and square wooden tables, some purple carpet spaces for most likely pokemon to hang around, and the walls were painted in a tan brown color.

Hop glanced around, a rather look confused on his face.

"Um... Are you sure we're in the right place?"

"Of course, I am. Why do you ask, Hop?" Kabu answered and asked him.

Hop scratched his chin, "Well... Lee told me all about the Battle Cafe, but what I'm seeing doesn't really match what he said..."

Kabu grinned with his eyes menacingly flashing. "Oh? So Leon did tell you about that part of the Battle Cafe?"

"Eh?" Victor, Gloria, and Marnie uttered with question marks above their heads, while Hop just tilted his head.

"Oh! Are we gonna head there!?" Nessa asked in visible excitement.

Kabu was already heading to the front.

"Kabu! It's great to see you back here!" The male cashier in the front smiled. "What'll it be?"

"The usual Battle Combatant Meal!." Kabu declared in confidence.

The cashier raised an eyebrow as he glanced past Kabu and at the young Gym Challengers. "Are they with you?"

"Indeed! I'm here to share with them the true beauty of this place!" Kabu boomed.

"Easy! Easy Kabu! Remember, we don't want just anyone learning about it!" The cashier nervously motioned to lower the volume.

"Ah, my bad." Kabu lowered his voice. "But I do want to take these young ones and introduce them to the experience."

Milo and Nessa came from behind with similar smiles as the older man. "We want these kids to have some fun!"

"Why does this sound sketchier by the second?" The four Gym Challengers behind them deadpanned.

The cashier nodded, "Alright then. Please follow me." He stepped away from the counter as someone else came to take his place, then proceeding to lead the group to a door saying 'employees only.'

"Guys...? You wanna explain what's up?" Victor piped up.

"Oh, you'll see soon, Victor." Nessa grinned as she wrapped an arm around the boy's shoulder while pointing at the door being opened. "Once we go through there, you'll be brimming with even more excitement than at the Lake of Outrage!"

"Sounds promising." Victor admitted with a big smile.

Gloria once again had a dead gaze directed at Nessa's casual contact.

The group followed the cashier through a gray hallway, the teenagers looking both nervous and excited as they wondered where they were going.

They soon came upon double doors where a number pad was on the side. After a few quick inputs, the cashier grabbed the handles and glanced back at everyone with a smile.

"Enjoy yourselves."

Once he pushed open the doors, the challengers' eyes widened.

Inside was an enormous room full of many battle courts, several of them currently having Pokemon battles going on. At the end of the room were several tables set up with chefs cooking all sorts of meals.

"OOO! What's all this!?" Hop shouted with sparkling eyes.

The three Gym Leaders turned their heads to the young ones.

"This here is the true meat of the Battle Cafe. The public assumes that it's named this way to honor the Gym Challenge or pokemon battles as a whole, but here is the real reason why!" Kabu proudly shouted.

"Do we battle for food!?" Victor asked in excitement.

"Your intuition is on point!" Milo laughed with a thumbs up. "Trainers can come in here and battle for meals!"

"How does that work?" Marnie uttered while her Morpeko's eyes sparkled from picking up the scent of meals in the back.

Nessa rose a finger as she explained, "Well, normally anyone could buy meals in the first part of the Battle Cafe, but it's here where there's the good stuff."

"Again, the wording just makes it sound suspicious." Victor deadpanned.

The model continued, "The meals here are all made by high-class chefs and are the absolute best. However, it's not like they could make meals for everyone. Each one takes time and effort to do. So long that they're starting to make it even now while so many people are battling."

She pointed at a board all the way on the side of the room.

"Over there is a menu of everything. Besides each item will contain many people who are interested in the same item. Only a limited number of people can actually get the item, so it's decided who gets them by having them battle one another like in a rank system."

"So whoever is at the top of the rankings for any specific dish ends up getting it?" Gloria asked, her interest piqued.

"Not exactly. It's not like there's a leaderboard for each meal. There's an overall ranking board." Milo answered as he pointed at another board farther to the right of the menu. "Trainers can only order up to three things from the menu at a time each time per event. And the top trainers on the board are the ones that get the meals they want. But there is an additional feature, the top one ranking by the time lunch starts will-"

"-GET THE CHAMPION PARFAIT!" Nessa suddenly cut him off with stars in her eyes. "Topped with whipped cream, a border of strawberries, pocky sticks, ice cream, and chocolate... beautiful chocolate!"

Marnie and Gloria started to drool with sparkling eyes.

"Chocolate..."

"Haha, you women and your chocolate." Hop chuckled.

"I'm guessing you want that the most, Nessa?" Victor chuckled.

"Of course! You can't get it anywhere else in Galar since it's a secret recipe!" Nessa boomed.

"Wait... but were you not just listing off the ingredients?" Victor sweatdropped.

"The way it's made is a trade secret! I heard that the ability of precision the chefs have are characteristics that trainers would love to implement in pokemon battles." Milo pointed out.

"Wait, how would that even work?" Victor wondered as he looked down.

"U-Um... M-Milo?" Marnie spoke up nervously.

"Cute." Everyone thought while brightly shining.

"What is it, lassie?" The large man chuckled.

"Y-You said something about being on the rankings by lunchtime, right?"

Milo's eyes widened in realization, "Ah, that's right! We gotta hurry! Lunch starts at 12:30, so we've only got a little less than an hour before the fighting ends! So some last bits of information! Your ranks go up and down depending if you win or lose and if who you're facing is a higher or lower rank than you! And those in the above-average rank must answer any challenger requesting a battle! You can heal your pokemon in the machine in the corner of the room, and you kids have to sign up at the desk by the menu before you start battling!"

"Anything else?" Hop asked, making sure they got everything.

"Um... Er, oh-right! Pokemon battles are always one vs one with no Dynamaxing! You can't even use Dynamax in here anyway." Milo added.

"Good luck! I'm gonna wash everyone away and claim my Champion's Parfait!" Nessa beamed with a carnivorous look.

"Sorry, Nessa, but it'll be me who gets it!" Kabu beamed.

"Huh!? Ya wanna go old man!?" Nessa growled.

"To use my age as an insult shows just how immature you are! I'll burn you to a crisp!" Kabu snapped back.

"Well... They be getting into it." Gloria sweatdropped.

Milo awkwardly chuckled, "They get really serious whenever they're here together... But I'm just here to have fun battling."

"Awwwww..." Victor couldn't help but feel his heart warm by how genuine and innocent that sounded from the baby-faced man.

"C'mon guys! Let's sign up quickly!" Hop tugged Victor and Gloria's hands.

"Mor! Mor!" Morpeko urged Marnie to hurry forward.

Victor grinned as they made their way to the registration.

"I don't really know what I'll get here... but whoever I face, I'll make sure I win!"


~{Meanwhile-Stow-On-Side Stadium}~

Bea stood in the middle of the same dojo-like room she had been in the previous night, where she and her pokemon had used their last moments to train before facing Leon the next day. They trained for so long, using nearly every day to build themselves up and prepare for having another battle against the champion of the world.

But despite their efforts, they lost.

Bea had left immediately after her battle, arriving back in her personal room within her stadium. Around her was her official League Battle team, which she had used for her battle earlier that day.

Her Sirletch'd looked down in disappointment. Not at Bea, but at himself. Despite having trained with his trainer for so long, he had ended up losing to Leon's bladed pokemon, Aegislash.

Her Hawlucha, a bipedal pokemon with a mask-like face that resembled a wrestler, had his arms crossed with his back against the wall. He was looking down at the ground, also recalling when he had gotten knocked out.

Bea's Hitmontop, a brown and blue vaguely humanoid pokemon with a point on its head to spin on, was sitting on the ground with his head hanging too, not dancing around like normal.

A group of Falinks, a collection of six yellow, red, and black individuals usually in a straight line, sadly glanced around at their companions, feeling just how moody everyone was.

Then there was Bea's Grapploct. A blue and black octopus pokemon, who appeared to be the angriest among his peers. He was currently bashing a punching bag to vent his frustration of losing yet again to the champion.

And finally, there was her Machamp, the only female in the group besides the trainer herself. She seemed to feel the most devastated compared to the others, feeling as if she failed her trainer at the most crucial moment ever.

Bea herself was staring ahead at the window, hands balled into fists while shadows obscured her eyes, clearly thinking of only one thing, her recent loss.

"We have to get stronger... We were so close there... If we were only a little stronger, then we would've won right there..."

Her Grapploct stopped letting loose on the punching bag and glanced his head back to his trainer, narrowing his eyes as he listened.

Bea raised her fist in front of her with an intense-looking glare.

"We have to go even further beyond..."

She glanced around at her pokemon, whose eyes were focused on her.

"We're going to the Wild Area to train... We'll make sure next time... next time we'll win!"

Some of her pokemon nodded, while others looked more worried. Training was all they were ever doing these days, and day by day, Bea had been getting visibly stressed all the way up to her battle with Leon. And now that she actually lost...

There's no telling just how far she'd this time in the outdoors.

*Knock!* *Knock!* *Knock!*

Everyone's eyes turned to the door, to which Bea lowered her fist as her expression returned to her normal emotionless gaze.

"You may enter."

The door slowly opened up, where a familiar boy wearing a mask peered in.

"H-Hi Bea..."

"Fa!/Fa!/Fa!/Fa!/Fa!/Fa!" All six individual Falinks happily ran together in a straight line to the newly arrived Allister.

"Hey there, little guys..." You could detect a hint of happiness in his voice as he crouched down and gently patted each individual Falinks. The rest of Bea's pokemon formed small smiles, as they liked the boy just as much as the Falinks did.

"Allister..." Bea muttered as she fully turned her body to face him. "What are you doing here?"

The young boy could pick up the frustration from her voice and could see it not just from her but from all of the pokemon in the room.

"I... Well..." He looked down, "I-I wanted to say that your battle with Leon was amazing... You really tried your best..."

Bea couldn't help but frown a little, thinking of the outcome of her battle.

"A-And... You said that after your battle, m-maybe we could do something, right?"

"..."

Bea was silent for nearly a good minute, staring down at the small boy. She remembered thinking of the possibility, to maybe go out and keep Allister company, but after her most recent loss... that changes things.

"Sorry, Allister, but... there are things I have to do." Bea responded as she lowered her head.

The Falinks next to Allister all had their eyes drop in sadness.

Normally, right here would've been when Allister would just accept what Bea said and leave in disappointment, but at this point, even he could tell that things were just getting worse.

"Do... Do you mean more training?"

The fighting prodigy nodded. "Yes... I have to make sure I beat Leon the next time I fight him."

"B-But Bea! All you've been doing is training!" Allister rose his timid voice a small bit, even taking a step forward. "Y-You tried your best and nearly beat Leon! You don't have to go back to training already!"

Bea's pokemon couldn't help but stare sympathetically at the boy, as they understood that he might feel lonely. Bea was the only close friend he really had, after all.

"Allister... You don't understand. I was so close... Right there was when I was supposed to beat Leon... But I wasn't able to, I wasn't strong enough..."

"You're plenty strong, Bea! But I don't think you lost because you weren't strong enough! I-I just... D-Don't you think you're focusing on winning a little too much?"

Bea narrowed her eyes as she rose her head to stare at him, "I lost because I wasn't focused enough on my goal, to beat Leon right there. I know you're a good trainer, Allister, so I'm sure you must've noticed it too. The moment I relaxed, Leon's Charizard took my victory away... It wouldn't have happened if I was stronger as a trainer."

"B-Bea..." Alister nervously approached the girl and looked up at her. "W-We all make mistakes, m-mom always told me that. A-And just b-because you made one doesn't mean you're weak! Y-You should just take a day to relax, to clear your head..."

Bea just shook her head, "No, Allister... As of now, I'm going back to the Wild Area to continue training."

Allister saw through Bea's eyes that her decision was final, so no matter what the boy would say, there would be no changing her mind.

"Wh-Why...?" His voice squeaked.

He took a step back, with Bea's pokemon looking a little concerned now.

"A-At least take a day... One day... s-so we can go somewhere together..."

Bea sighed, "Allister..."

"W-We never do anything anymore... All you ever do is train! E-Even my mom and dad are worried!" Allister rose his tiny voice.

"Allister-!"

"Why can't we just be like back then!? You were always smiling before! Why can't you give more time for things other than training!? If you keep doing this, then you'll just keep losing-!"

This seemed to hit a nerve.

"ALLISTER!"

Bea's outcry shocked everyone else in the room, including a now frightened Allister, who instinctively took several steps back while trembling as he saw the look on the fighter's face.

The fighting-type Gym Leader was glaring at him.

"Stop it, alright!? I can't waste my time anymore like before! I have to focus on what's important! For what I was forged for!"

She moved a fist close to her chest.

"I have to prove to everyone that I'm the strongest warrior! I have to be the strongest! So just forget it, Allister!"

Bea's pokemon stared at their trainer in disbelief that she actually yelled, while Allister became completely frozen as he stared at the angry look Bea was giving him. He listened to the words she was saying. He repeated them in his head several times, now feeling... shattered.

*Sniff*

The moment Bea heard that sniffle, her glare was wiped clean, her eyes widened, and her expression matched her pokemons' now forming looks of both shock and horror.

She took a step forward, "Allister?"

The ghost-type user looked down at the ground, taking a step back from Bea when she moved forward.

"I-I-I..." Allister pulled his hands into his baggy sleeves as his voice started cracking. "I'm sorry, Bea... I-I just... *sniff* I'm sorry..."

He took another step back.

"I... I won't get in your way a-anymore... I-I... *sniff* I'll..."

Allister almost looked like he would fall over at any minute.

"I-I'll let you focus on... wh-what's more important..."

Bea took another step forward, reaching her hand out. "Allister, I didn't mean it like that..."

"Y-You won't see me again..."

Bea froze as she processed those words, "Huh? Allister-?"

She took a step forward and reached out closer, but the boy spun around and bolted to the door.

"Allister! Wait!"

"Hawl!" Bea's Hawlucha reacted leaped towards the door to stop Allister from leaving, but at the same time, Allister's shadow formed two red eyes full of fury.

"Gengar!" From Allister's shadow emerged his closest pokemon, his Gengar. It's roundish, dark purple pokemon, one who looked rather angry at the moment as he opened his mouth.

"Gen-!" A dark purple Shadow Ball formed, which was then blasted from his mouth. "-gar!"

"Hawl-!?" The attack collided with the flying type and an explosion of dust spread in the room, with Hawlucha being sent flying into Machamp's arms.

"Machamp!?" The four-armed pokemon held him in worry.

"Hawl..." Hawlucha grumbled as he rubbed his head, feeling dizzy after that surprise attack. He didn't expect that one of Allister's pokemon, whom they were considered close friends with, would actually blast him out of nowhere.

Bea had covered her eyes with her arm due to the dust kicking up, but peeked forward the first moment she could, only to see the door open with Allister nor his Gengar there.

"Allister!" Bea ran out the door and turned right to see the boy riding on top of his Gengar, the ghost pokemon floating above the ground as he zoomed towards the end of the hall.

"Gengar!" The ghost-type fired another Shadow Ball and blasted away an opening into the wall, which he and Allister then used to fly out.

Bea ran down the hall until she made it to the opening created, then stopping as she stared outside at Gengar moving quickly away.

"..." She let out a sigh and looked down as the rest of her pokemon arrived.

"Grap?" Her Gropploct appeared beside Bea and narrowed his eyes, one of his tentacles pointing out towards the Gengar at a distance.

Bea shook her head, neutral expression returning to her face. "No... He'll get over it soon enough... For now, we have to get going. We need all the time we can get to train for the next World League coming up."

She turned around and started walking, but surprisingly, her Machamp stepped into her path.

"Ma! Machamp!" The female pokemon used two of her upper arms to point at the hole.

Bea just frowned, "He'll. Be. Fine. He's a kid. They all don't accept the way things are. I was like that before I straightened up, so let's go."

Machamp remained still for a moment, but once again saw the same eyes Bea had when she told Allister her decision to go back to the Wild Area.

She looked down and reluctantly stepped aside, so her trainer walked past, the rest of Bea's pokemon all having mixed negative expressions of worry or contemplation.

"I'll talk to him when I get back..." Was her final thought.

At the same time, Allister had his body sprawled out on his Gengar as he traveled atop him by Stow-On-Side's buildings, still sniffling with a hand reached under his mask.

"Gengar... *sniff* Y-You shouldn't have hit Bea's Hawlucha like that... He wasn't going to hurt me..."

Gengar's eyes and mouth dropped into a sad look as he continued floating from building to building. "Gengar?"

"And... *sniff* y-you shouldn't have destroyed that wall... W-We're gonna get in trouble for that..."

Gengar looked more guilty as they stopped on top of a certain small house, where he then sat down with his trainer still atop him.

"Hm...?" Allistered looked down at the roof below him, recognizing the area. "We're... home?"

"Gengar." The Shadow Pokemon nodded, still looking sad.

"..."

Allister rose himself and comfortably sat atop of his Gengar, looking down while staring at his hands.

"Mom and Dad are on another trip... So they'll be gone for... another month. And they think Bea is going to look after me, but she'll be gone too..."

Gengar felt Allister shift as he let out a sigh.

"So..."

Allister hugged his legs and placed his head in them.

"We're all alone..."

"Gen..." Gengar said, gloomily.

There was a moment of silence between them before Allister raised his head and looked up at the sky.

"We... don't have to stay... do we?"

"Gengar?" The ghost-type was confused about what he implied, but his eyes glanced up.

"We're... usually alone anyway... Mom and Dad leave, then Bea calls one of her staff to watch me while she keeps training... And then we just end up stay cooped up in my room... Or even scare them off sometimes..."

Gengar listened to his trainer, wondering where he was going with this.

"I... I didn't tell Bea that I was left by mom and dad yet, so..."

He glanced down at his pokemon.

"Should we... just go away?"

"Gengar?" Gengar blinked in confusion.

"It feels like... no one wants us anyway... No one cares if we're around... So... I don't think anyone would notice if we were gone..."

Gengar's eyes dropped.

Allister started fiddling with his fingers, thinking about where to go.

"We... could go to the Wild Area? We have plenty of friends in the cemetery..."

A big grin formed on Gengar's face.

"Gar!"


~{Battle Cafe-12:21PM}~

"Well then..." Victor stared across at who would be his final opponent before lunchtime would hit.

"Um... Hi." Gloria awkwardly stood across from him on the small battle court while others battled in the background.

Both teens held a Pokeball in their hands.

"I guess you're my last battle then?" Victor smiled. "Come to think of it, this is gonna be the first time I battle you alone, right?"

"Yeah..." Gloria had a stern look on her face, "Even if we're both only using one pokemon..."

"Well, should we get to it then?" Victor had the same look he always had before a pokemon battle, the look of confidence, determination, just giving off a blazing aura that told everyone around him that he knows he'd win.

Gloria had her own dangerous expression in the form of a glare, her own aura bursting into a rather hostile intensity, telling everyone around her that she's gonna beat them down.

"Oh, wow, her game face has gotten a lot more intense." Victor grinned.

Both then tossed their pokeballs.

"Come on, Ace!"

"Knock 'em out, Bubbles!"

Both pokemon came out at the same time. Victor's Raboot and Gloria's Drizzile landed on the ground and intensely stared across at each other.

"You ready, Gloria!?"

"Ta win? Hell yeah!"

Gloria pointed forward.

"Sucker Punch!"

The moment Victor heard that move, he shouted, "Jump!" just as Bubbles vanished.

Ace immediately leaped up as Bubbles appeared and tried to punch him at blazing speeds, only to miss her target.

"Drizz!?" Bubbles turned around in shock that Ace avoided her.

"We already fell for that move before! Not this time!" Victor laughed as Ace landed back on the ground.

Gloria frowned, "Bubbles, Water Pulse!"

"Bleeeee!" Bubbles opened her mouth and fired a pulsing blast of water towards Ace.

"Agility!" Ace had landed and charged up, his body visibly vibrating before he vanished.

"Toss water balloons and cover the ground!" Gloria reacted.

Bubbles narrowed her eyes before her palms used the moisture secreting in them to form balls of water.

"Drriiii!" She then rapidly spun in place while sending these water bags all over the place.

Ace was running quick enough to avoid the several projectiles heading at him, only to find himself slipping on all the watery puddles created in the process.

"Raboot!?" He tumbled onto the ground and got covered in water before coming to a stop, his fur damp and dripping as he slid on the ground.

"Ace, you alright!?"

Gloria didn't even let Ace answer his trainer, already going on the offensive.

"Water Pulse again!"

Bubbles stopped her spinning and once again opened her mouth, aiming at Ace.

"Bleeeeeh!"

"Protect!"

Ace turned to the oncoming attack and rose his arms, forming a transparent barrier in front of him.

The blast of water connected to the barrier and simply pushed Ace back a few inches due to the slippery floor.

Which gave Victor an idea.

"Now Quick Attack on the water!" Victor grinned.

Ace peaked back at his trainer as the force of Bubble's beam started dying down, knowing already understanding what he meant.

"Raboot!"

The moment Ace let down his barrier, he started glowing white before suddenly blazing at unviewable speeds. With the increased speed from Agility earlier and Quick Attack, he slid using the water on the ground and instantly arrived right in front of Bubbles.

"Dri-!?"

"Double Kick!"

"Ra-!" Ace used his momentum from sliding to spin while swinging his foot.

"-boot!" He nailed Bubbles right on her face with the first kick but then moved like a blur as he immediately jumped, spun, and swung his other leg again to kick her upwards this time.

"Bubbles!" Gloria shouted as she saw her pokemon sent flying backward.

The Water Lizard pokemon actually flipped herself in the air and landed on her feet, feeling her face with an eye closed in pain.

"Are ya alright!?" Gloria shouted.

The water-type nodded.

"Ace, get in close with Quick Attack again!" Victor pointed.

"Raboot!" Once more, Ace blasted forward and used the water to slide across, sending water splitting by how fast he moved.

"Sucker Punch!"

"Drizz!" Bubbles vanished from the spot.

Victor grinned.

"Protect now!"

In the middle of sliding, Ace crossed his arms, and a transparent barrier formed. Bubbles appeared and had been swinging her arm to clothesline Ace as he passed, but instead...

"Drizz-!"

Her punch had simply bounced off the barrier, with Ace pressing forward and ramming into Bubbles said barrier.

Ace had basically turned into a battering ram, pushing against Bubbles before skidding to a halt, the force sending the water-type flying backward all the way to Gloria.

"Gah!" The girl actually opened her arms and caught her pokemon as she slammed into her. Despite the force of the impact, Gloria remained on her feet.

"Ah! Gloria, you alright!?" Victor shouted, running over to her and forgetting the battle while Ace shook the water off him.

Gloria was slightly hunched over with pain in her stomach, then falling to her butt on the ground.

"Ugh..." Despite the pain, she managed to look down at Bubbles and see swirls in her eyes, a sign that she fainted.

Victor got in front of Gloria and crouched down to her, staring at her.

"Hey, you okay?"

Gloria looked up, and much to Victor's surprise, she simply had a pout on her face.

"I lost..."

Victor blinked before looking down at the unconscious Drizzile, realizing she was out for the count.

"Oh... I was too worried about you to notice."

A referee watching the battle raised his hand.

"Gloria's Drizzile is unable to battle. Therefore, Victor wins! The scoreboards will now be updated!"

Victor just kept his attention to Gloria and her pout.

"Erm... Sorry about hurting you."

The girl just stood up, still pouting, and returned Bubbles to her Pokeball.

"I ain't really mad about that... I'm mad cause I lost..."

Victor blinked at her declaration, then giving her a small smile.

"Heh, I would say I'm sorry for beating you, but... I'm really not."

Gloria's cheeks puffed even more as she lightly punched him.

"Meanie..."

"Hey, guys!"

"KYAH!" Compared to the playful punch Gloria did to Victor, the sudden voice behind her caught her off guard, causing the girl to turn around while her hand cocked into a fist.

A comedic bell sound from a boxing ring played as if a meter of hers had been fully charge, to which the girl then swung her fist with all her power.

"DORYA!" She performed a powerful K.O uppercut right underneath someone's chin, her punch echoing in the room as Victor's eyes widened to see Hop with a black and red lightning deadly blow effect around him.

Before the boy got launched straight up.

"GAH!" Hop spiraled several times in the air, catching everyone's attention to stop what they were doing and gaze up in shock.

Victor had a blank face as he watched Hop crash down into the ground and kick up clouds of dust.

He then turned his head to his other friend, maintaining his expression to the girl.

"Um... Gloria?"

The girl panted with a small blush of embarrassment, "I-I didn't mean ta hit him that hard! He just scared the shite out of me!"

Another bell rang, this time, to signal the time reaching 12:30.

"Alright! Time is up, folks!" An old, leading chef among everyone smiled with a clap of his hands. "The official results will be declared in a moment, so heal your pokemon, heal that poor boy, and then we'll eat!"

"He mentioned Hop so casually..." Victor deadpanned.

Everyone started to gather around each other, to which Victor and Gloria used the chance to help bring a dizzy Hop to his feet.

"You alright, Hop?" Victor asked him.

"Ugh... I felt like I was struck by a truck, so... nothing new." Hop awkwardly chuckled.

"Sorry..." Gloria grumbled beside him.

"Whoa, Hop, you okay? You were sent flying!" Milo said as he came upon the group with Nessa and Kabu beside him.

Hop just waved it off with a smile as Victor and Gloria let go of him, making sure he could support himself. "Don't worry, I'm used to this." He playfully laughed.

All three Gym Leaders turned to Gloria with blank expressions.

The girl flinched at their gazes, "I-I mean-! Well-! He-! Um-!"

"Anyway-!" Hop said, getting everyone's attention before turning to Victor and Gloria. "I saw you guys battle each other! I didn't think Victor would have Ace slide on the water left from Bubbles! That was neat!"

Gloria managed to calm down her panic, but her mood dropped to a pout yet again, "Yeah... It sucks that I lost..."

"As long as you had fun, then you should be happy about it!" Milo smiled.

"Mor! Mor!"

They turned to see Marnie approach the group with her Morpeko cheerfully walking beside her.

"Hi..." The girl mumbled.

"Marnie! How'd you do?" Victor smiled to see her.

"Well..." The girl turned her head and looked back at where she came from.

The rest of the group followed her gaze to see several people with depressed auras in the corner of the room.

"I... think I did good?"

"I think you just ended their careers..." The group sweatdropped when they saw how devasted the people in the corner of the room were.

"Attention everyone, thank you for coming to partake in our daily battle challenge! I'm sure you're all hungry, so let's not waste any more time and show the rankings! Just keep in mind that even if you don't win the meals you desire, there will at least be complimentary meals to make up for your time, at least. Although they aren't as exquisite as the top rewards, they're still quite a delicacy!" The chef in the front called everyone.

"Oh, they didn't mention that." Victor thought.

The chef then clapped his hands, and a green-camera Rotom came flying down in front of everyone, then projecting a scoreboard.

Victor expected what he saw. His group of friends were, of course, the highest among everyone, which made sense in his eyes. But what did surprise him, though, was the person at the very top of the list.

"Marnie?"

"M-Me?" The girl uttered in genuine surprise as her eyes remained glued to the scoreboard.

"NOOOOOO!" Nessa shouted with a look of comedic horror to noot be on top.

"Ha! Better luck next time, Nessa!" Kabu laughed.

"Whoa! Marnie made it to the top. How'd you do it!?" Hop asked with sparkles around him.

"Um... I don't really..."

"Did you do the quick knockout trick with your Croagunk?" Victor asked, already having an idea about how the girl racked up so many wins so fast.

"Knockout trick? Ah! I remember! That little combo you used to take out my Gossifleur right off the bat? It was quite impressive." Milo chuckled as he recalled his battle with Marnie in his gym.

"I-I mean..." Marnie looked down with a small blush. "Yeah..."

"Knockout trick? I'll have to be careful if I ever fight Marnie..." Gloria thought with a curious expression.

"We seem to have several new people here! In the top rank, out of everyone, is Marnie!" The chef yelled, giving her applause.

Both Gloria and Nessa fell to the ground on their hands and knees, sulking.

"The parfait..."


~{A Few Minutes Later}~

Marnie's eyes sparkled, and the horned-tufts of her hair fluttered repeatedly. She stared at the large parfait in front of her, captivated by its size and colorful presence.

The rest of her friends sat at the same table as her, plates full of food.

"Mmph! Mm! Thmph ismp mmmp!" Hop mumbled as he shoved his mouth with food.

"Whoa there, slow down there, Hop!" Milo laughed in the seat next to the boy.

"No one is going to take your food, young challenger." Kabu grinned from across.

Victor took a bit of perfectly seasoned beef on his plate, smiling in bliss, "I guess right now we're having 'brunch,' but with food this good, it doesn't even matter."

He turned to his right and saw Marnie taking small spoonfuls of her parfait with brimming happiness, her Morpeko also digging into her own small bowl provided for her.

At the same time, Nessa and Gloria both ate their meals with depressed auras surrounding them, keeping dead gaze while chewing slowly.

"They really wanted that parfait..." Victor awkwardly chuckled.

Marnie seemed to notice the two's state of depression as well, pausing her eating and looking somewhat guilty.

"U-Um... hey." She called to them.

Gloria and Nessa slightly rose their heads with blank gazes.

"Th-This m-might be a little too much for me s-so..."

Marnie slightly pushed the parfait to them.

"I-If you don't mind... sharing together..."

Gloria and Nessa's aura changed from black to pink as flowers mysteriously started forming around them. To which both started comedically crying.

"Awwww." Victor thought with a look of adoration.

Hop swallowed his food, "So what are we doing after this? I doubt we're just gonna stop after eating!"

"Ah! If you children are interested in buying new items, then let's check out all of Motostoke's shops!" Kabu grinned. "I'll lead you to the best ones!"

"Ooo! Shopping!" Nessa gleamed as her spoon was dug within Marnie's parfait.

"Thank you, Marnie..." Gloria comedically cried as she also took a spoonful of Marnie's parfait and ate it with a look of bliss.

Victor smiled as he glanced around at everyone around him.

"This is gonna be fun."


~{Motostoke Boutique Shop}~

The group was now in Motostoke's Boutique Shop, a store filled to the brim with all clothing sorts. Everyone but Milo was just outside of a dressing booth, the group waiting for the farmer Gym Leader to come out.

And when he did, he looked rather eye-catching.

"Um... It's a bit tight." Milo awkwardly chuckled as he came out of the dressing booth wearing a black suit with a white dress shirt underneath. In addition, he had on black loafers, his hair was combed back, and he had a green tie on. However, due to his rather large muscles, his suit looked as if it would explode at any moment.

"Wow! You look great!" Victor beamed with bright eyes, taking several pictures at different angles with his Rotom phone. "We got a man who can do both!"

"What?" Milo had a question mark over his head as he wondered what Victor meant.

Kabu had a hand on his chin and was nodding with a smile, "Agreed. To be able to pull off the look of a hardworking farmer and also a high-class businessman with an innocent babyface, it's impressive."

"I need to figure out how to get muscles that big." Hop thought in awe as he could see Milo's guns practically bulge out from his clothes.

"I wonder how Victor would look with muscles that big?" Gloria drooled.

Marnie was covering her eyes with a red face, for some reason feeling flustered from how the clothes looked on Milo.

"Looking good, Milo!" Nessa clapped. "But I think you should change out of that before you end up tearing it!" She laughed.

"While he does that, let's move on to someone else! So who's next?" Kabu grinned.

"Oo! I actually have an idea!" Nessa beamed.

The female Gym Leader suddenly grabbed Marnie and Gloria by their hands. "Come on, you two!"

"EH!?" Marnie and Gloria were shocked as they were dragged into the dressing booth.

Victor had a question mark on his head.

"Huh? Both of them?"

Milo chuckled as he walked back into his own dressing booth, "I should change quickly. I get the feeling I won't want to miss this."

The three boys left behind waited patiently while hearing some things from within the booth the three females were in.

"Wait... You want us to WHAT!?" They heard Gloria shout.

"Shhh! Don't be so loud!" Nessa shushed her.

"D-D-Does hers even fit me?" Marnie stammered.

Victor got more curious by the minute as they waited, with Milo joining him and the others as he came back out with his normal clothes on.

Soon, Nessa poked her head out from the curtain with a big grin.

"You boys ready?"

"Yeah!" Victor didn't hesitate.

Nessa's grin grew bigger.

"Then feast your eyes!"

The Gym Leader pulled the curtain open, and it was as if she just let the sun in. It was a simple change, there weren't even any new clothes from the store, but the sight was still shocking.

The gray hoodie, magenta button-up dress, green socks, and brown boots from Gloria were now on Marnie instead. In addition, the black gothic jacket, pink mini-skirt, and black boots with spiked heels from Marnie were on the opposite girl. Even Marnie's black choker and Gloria's green beanie were swapped, with Marnie's tufts of hair undone while Gloria's hair was tied into two-horned tufts to resemble how Marnie did them.

Kabu actually let out a booming laugh, "I did not expect this!"

"That's so adorable." Milo preciously smiled, a hand holding his cheek.

"Wow, it's so weird how it suits you guys." Hop remarked with a hand on his chin, deep in thought as he stared at the two.

"Right!? I knew they'd fit perfectly into each other when I saw them side-by-side!" Nessa happily beamed behind both girls.

Marnie and Gloria were equally red as Magikarps. Both stared down at the ground and held their different skirts in embarrassment, completely regretting going along with Nessa but emitting off bright sparkles.

"Her dress feels so light!" Gloria thought as she examined the clothing on her. "But her jacket feels rough!"

"H-Her clothes feel so warm..." Marnie thought at the same time, feeling heat mainly due to Gloria's green bonnet.

Both girls awkwardly glanced at each other, feeling their embarrassment growing and in clear disbelief at the fact their attires perfectly fit each other.

"Oh, no... They're too cute!" Victor closed his eyes and clutched his heart, even leaning over a bit with his head down. "Must... suppress... the Hnnnggg!"

Gloria's eyes then slowly came upon the first person she wanted to ask about her clothing.

"H-H-Hey Victor...? H-How... do I look?"

Victor opened an eye and peaked at both Gloria and Marnie, both girls staring at him with both embarrassed yet hopeful eyes. As neither wanted to feel like idiots for wearing the other's clothing.

He closed his eye again and took a deep breath.

He released it.

Then once again, he breathed in.

And then...

"HHHHHHHHNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGG!"

"Ah!? What's wrong!?" Gloria uttered to hear this from him.

"You both look, TOO, cute!" He groaned as if there was actual pain coming from his heart.

Both Marnie and Gloria's heads poofed and turned red all the way to their necks.

"Cute... He thinks I'm cute!" Gloria suddenly had a big, goofy smile on her face as she looked down and held her cheeks. "Heh, heh, heh..."

"She sounds so creepy, pfft!" Hop muffled a laugh as he heard Gloria happily breathe harder.

On the other hand, Marnie covered her face with both of her hands after being called cute, flustered once again.

"Again... He called me cute again... And he says it so calmly too... I-Is he just being nice? O-Or is he saying he l-l-l-!"

"You're both so adorable!" Nessa squealed as she wrapped her arms around both girls' shoulders, hugging them close.

"Mor! Mor!" Marnie's Morpeko was on the ground next to her trainer, looking up with a big smile.

"Aw, even Morpeko thinks Marnie looks amazing." Victor heard.

Milo then patted Victor's shoulder, "You wear something next. I'm sure that'd make these lassies happy."

"OO! I have the perfect thing!" Nessa grinned, suddenly pulling a blue bag out of nowhere. "I bought something for him just a few moments before we started trying things!"

"Wait, you bought something for me? But you didn't even check with me with anything!" Victor exclaimed in surprise.

"It'll fit, trust me! And I think it'll look great on you! Go on, try it!" Nessa dumped the bag into his hands and pushed him into a booth, closing it and stepping back to wait.

"You seem oddly excited about this." Kabu smiled.

"I bought something I thought matches his character." Nessa beamed.

Hop looked up with a hand on his chin, "Hm, so a nice, selfless, and confident lad that helps others no matter what?"

"You know it!" Nessa laughed as she pointed finger guns at him.

Marnie and Gloria, still awkwardly in each other's clothes, couldn't help but feel incredibly curious as to what she meant.

Victor peaked his head from the curtain with an unsure look.

"Erm... Could one of you help me?"

Gloria had nearly bolted forward if Kabu hadn't raised an eyebrow and walked first.

"I could help." He stepped through the crack of the curtain before fully closing it. "Oh? So this was what she meant? Haha! Now I completely understand! Here, they go on like this."

Everyone else became even more curious.

Luckily, they didn't have to wait, as a few moments later, the curtain was yanked open with Kabu's voice booming.

"Presenting the outstanding Victor!"

Victor stepped out, looking more brighter than ever.

He had on black dress pants, a six-buttoned double-breasted tailcoat, a white dress shirt, and even a dark blue vest on it. In addition, he had on black dress shoes, white gloves, a black tie, and one of his biggest smiles ever.

He had both the matching outfit and aura of a butler.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen." Victor held an arm across his chest with his back straight, then politely bowing down with his eyes closed.

"Wha-Wha-Wha-!?" Gloria stared at Victor with her eyes engrossed to him, and her mouth wide open.

Hop let out a long, impressed whistle.

"He looks even better than I thought he would! Playing dress-up is so much fun!" Nessa squealed as she stared at the boy.

Marnie blinked several times with a blush as she gazed at Victor, dumbfounded by his appearance.

"What a wonderful day we're having, aren't we?" Victor's voice had suddenly changed from the usual excited and confident tone he had, to a calm and respectful voice full of even more sincerity than normal. "To be in the presence as such wonderful and beautiful saints such as yourselves, I truly am blessed. I am at your service for whatever you desire..."

His gaze came upon the three females, giving them a white smile and a sparkling wink.

"Ma lady."

An arrow pierced through each of the three females there, their hearts stopping for a moment as comedic lightning struck behind them.

"BLUUGH!" Gloria suffered the worst blow as she jerked her head back, with blood suddenly gushing out of her nose.

"AH! Gloria!?" Victor completely broke character and stared in comedic horror at his friend laid in a puddle of her own blood.

Hop muffled his mouth and dropped to the ground before being unable to keep himself composed, resulting in him bursting out in laughter while pointing at them.

Marnie grabbed her Morpeko from the ground and used her to cover her face, breathing in and out hard to calm herself, much to her pokemon's shock.

"Mor!? Mor!?"

Nessa found herself sweating nervously as she wiped her forehead.

"You know what? H-He might be a little too dangerous in that..."

Milo and Kabu grinned as they took pictures.


~{Motostoke Exercise Gym}~

"I can't believe you actually have a tennis court in the city!" Hop grinned as he held up a green tennis racket. The boy was currently wearing his gym uniform again, using the outfit as exercise clothes while standing in the blue indoor court.

Beside him was Kabu holding an orange racket, wearing the same usual gym outfit he always wore.

"Indeed, Motostoke's exercising gym is one of the only ones in Galar, made under my request. Not only is there the standard equipment like weight lifting, treadmills, and such, but there are even courts to play different sports like soccer, basketball, and this here tennis!"

"Geez, I ain't heard any sports mentioned for a long time." Gloria said in wonder, wearing her own white uniform on the other side of the net and holding a blue racket.

"Yeah, people don't really talk about human sports anymore... It's always about pokemon." Nessa said next to the Scottish girl. Surprisingly, she had changed out of her normal gym uniform and now had on a tennis uniform consisting of a white polo shirt and a blue skort with white stripes.

Yes, not skirt, skort.

In addition, she had on white tennis shoes and a blue athlete cap with her hair tied into a ponytail going through the back of it. She held up her own blue tennis racket and got a good feel of it in her hands, even swinging it around a bit.

In his usual attire, Milo was sitting in the tall judge's chair with a water bottle beside him while looking over the court. "Yeah, human sports used to be much more popular in the past."

"Indeed..." Kabu sighed, looking visibly disappointed as he glanced down at his racket.

"Why did they out?"

Victor asked this as he and Marnie stared at everyone behind the tennis court fence, both in their gym uniforms.

Kabu glanced over at Victor outside the court.

"Well, as time went on, everyone wanted to choose to be trainers. It's the most profitable and fame inducing job anyone in the world can get. After all, pokemon battling is the most-watched sport globally, and below that are sports that still involve pokemon like Extreme Pokemon Racing or Mantine surfing. And even normal human sports like baseball are played with pokemon in them."

"So... It's like the entire world just revolves around keeping pokemon?" Marnie questioned, her Morpeko sleeping away in her arms.

"No... I think he means that the whole world functions on working with pokemon." Victor mumbled.

"And with Leon's popularity through being undefeated for ten years since winning the world league, it's all everyone raves about these days. They either want to watch him battle or attempt to take him on through the league. Human sports just aren't that popular anymore." Kabu finished.

"Do you like them, Kabu?" Hop asked curiously.

"Indeed, I do! To test the human body to the limit, to show that humans could be capable of doing amazing things themselves without relying on pokemon! Whenever I exercise, I bring some of my gym staff with me to compete in sports!" The elder proudly shouted with fire in his eyes.

Victor smiled from the side. "Maybe you should try getting human sports trending again? You're a famous Gym Leader of Galar, so I'm sure you'll have many fans that'll try and compete with you if they're trying to take after you! You should make a competition and even compete in it! Then it could spread from there!"

Kabu formed a small smile, but his eyes dropped, "I can't be starting a career in sports right now. I'm afraid I may be too old for that."

"You can never be too old for something if you're actually able to do it just fine! In fact, I can prove it now!" Victor declared.

Kabu raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Enlighten me."

"Just do what you guys were gonna do! Play a match!" Victor grinned with a fist up.

Kabu and Hop glanced at Gloria and Nessa on the opposite side of the net, the model grinning while the teen gazed at her racket.

"Gloria, if you win! Then you can make any request for me!" Victor shouted.

The girl's eyes flashed red, and a powerful yellow aura suddenly burst from her, her hold on her packet turning into a death grip.

"EEP!" Nessa recoiled back with frightened eyes.

Kabu was taken aback as he felt an overwhelming amount of pressure coming from the Scottish girl, firmly holding his ground with a serious look expression.

"Victor, are you bloody crazy!? Don't you remember the last time you told her something like that!? She sent four people to the hospital!" Hop shouted to him.

"I still never understood what happened since I was at home while you guys went to that competition! All I asked her was to get me that Charizard plushie!" Victor shouted over to him.

"It was the top prize for that competition! Gloria tore through everyone just to get it! You weren't there, man! You didn't see the things I've seen!" Hop said as he then started hugging himself with a dead gaze.

"Why does it sound like he survived a war?" Milo sweatdropped from his seat, actually holding onto his hat so it wouldn't get blown away from the gusts created by Gloria's pressure.

"Well, if Gloria gets super serious, then great! Let's push Kabu to the limit and show him what he's capable of!" Victor laughed.

"A-Are ya sure they'll be alright?" Marnie stammered.

"Don't know!" Victor said innocently.

"I see... So you intend to have me fight skin and bone? So be it! I'll extinguish that girl's burning flames with my own!" Kabu shouted with a raise of his racket.

"Nessa... Ya'd better try ya damn best." Gloria's words were full of a threatening venom as she turned her menacingly glowing eyes to the model.

"I-I will, alright!?" The model stuttered.

"Alright then, game start!" Milo clapped.

Hop was the one holding the tennis ball, stepping to the back of the court despite looking nervous.

"I've got a bad feeling about this... But when I play, I play to win!"

He then tossed the ball up and swung it hard with his racket.

"Hi-yah!"

The moment Hop had sent the ball flying over the net, Gloria swung her tennis racket almost like a bat.

"ORA!"

The moment her racket hit the ball, a powerful shockwave echoed around the court before the green sphere was launched back, surrounded by fire. It blasted downward at the ground, bounced off, and then crashed into the wall behind Hop and Kabu, both males turning black and white with shocked expressions.

"Glad I'm not her opponent." Nessa giggled as she rested her racket on her shoulder.


~{About Thirty Minutes Later}~

"ORA!"

"Yah!"

"Nope!"

"Ka-chow!"

"Ka-chow?" Victor repeated with a blank expression.

Marnie and Victor both stared at the dangerous sight of a flaming tennis ball zooming back and forth so fast that the court looked like a war zone with bullets flying all over the place. All four players on the court moved as blurs in desperation to not let the ball get passed them.

"I... didn't expect it to be this intense." Victor muttered.

Marnie nervously shivered in fear as she caught glimpses of Gloria bashing the ball with a dangerous aura around her.

"I-I don't think I'd wanna join that..."

"Matchpoint!" Milo raised a hand when the ball bounced on the girl's side a second time.

Both sides stopped for a moment to catch their breaths. All four of them had sweat soaking into their clothes, their movements were getting clumsy, and you could hear how tired and frustrated everyone was by how hard they were breathing. Nessa's ponytail had become undone, leaving a tangled mess in her hair, Gloria had tired eyes that still expressed fury, Hop was panting hard but didn't show signs of backing down, and Kabu was grinning excitedly at the last stretch of the battle.

"I... *huff* *puff* didn't think I'd be able to keep up. I guess these old bones of mine are still as fit as a Machamp!" The elder laughed.

"I'll be damned if I lose 'ere." Gloria growled.

"It's *huff* been a while since I've done this!" Nessa giggled.

Gloria firmly held the tennis ball in her hand, glaring across at Hop, who was in the back.

She tossed the ball up before slamming it down.

"YAH!"

Hop dove to the side and swung.

"Don't think so!"

The ball traveled high at Nessa, to which the model jumped and swung her racket overhead.

"Pow!"

The ball shot straight down.

"Hi-yah!" Kabu swung his racket at the perfect timing as the ball shot down, managing to send it back across.

Gloria's eyes flashed red as the ball came to her, an image of fire coursing around her rocket.

"ORA!"

She swung the racket with all her strength and blasted the ball back with a frightening spin, flames coursing around it.

It went right in Kabu's direction, the elder's eyes narrowing in determination before he pulled his racket back.

"Take THIS!"

His racket connected to the ball, but surprisingly, it didn't get launched back. Instead, it rapidly spun against Kabu's racket, pushing the elder back.

"Nngh!" He felt his arms aching as he tried to keep pushing back, smoke coming from his racket due to the friction of the rapidly spinning ball.

"You got this, Kabu!" Hop shouted.

"You can do it!" Victor cheered.

Hearing their encouragement, Kabu grinned.

"I may have lost to your storm in our pokemon battle, Gloria, but I'm not letting my flames be put out here!"

He then gave one last push.

"RAAAAAA!" He swung the racket and sent the ball back in blue flames.

"Wha-!?" Gloria managed to react and swing her racket, but it shattered into pieces the moment she did. Her eyes widened as the ball continued on and bounced all the way to the wall, leaving scorch marks behind.

"Game, set, and match! Kabu and Hop win!" Milo clapped enthusiastically.

"Wow, that was awesome!" Victor cheered.

"Damn... I really didn't think he'd have it in him." Nessa mumbled, staring in awe at the black mark against the wall while catching her breath. "I guess even an old man can be pretty strong."

"Do you not watch anime!?" Hop laughed across the net, then falling on his back out of exhaustion.

Gloria stared at her broken racket with emotionless eyes, taking in what just happened.

Then she fell to her hands and knees, where a comedically blue aura of depression manifested.

"I-I lost..."

She let her head touch the ground.

"She looks so devastated..." Hop sweatdropped with an awkward chuckle as he used an elbow to slightly push himself up. "But I'm pretty sure Victor would do anything for us if we ask him anyway."

Marnie and Victor got onto the court, with the latter running to Kabu in excitement.

"See! I told you, Kabu! You still got it in you!"

The elder breathed heavily after that last swing, smiling proudly at himself for his accomplishment.

"I... *huff* I guess I do."

He rose his racket straight up.

"It was truly a match of burning passion! I'm grateful to have had such an amazing experience with everyone!"

"You guys were all really scary playing. I-I actually couldn't keep up just watching." Marnie nervously uttered.

Kabu lowered his racket and faced Victor proudly.

"Thank you, Victor, for providing me with such a challenge to demonstrate my capabilities. I will consider trying to bring back human sports... But only if you compete in them with me!"

"I actually don't think I should do that..." Victor awkwardly chuckled to himself, recalling his unnatural abilities. "Maybe... If you actually start something up."

"I promise I will!" Kabu boomed.

"I'd actually be interested in joining too." Milo grinned as he stepped down from the judge's chair and approached the group. "It'd be great to work out while having fun than just pushing barrels of hay all day."

"Count me in too! I know I'm beating everyone in swimming!" Nessa added.

"Wowie, I think this is nice and all, but I really need a shower." Hop declared, managing to stand up and feeling his soaked shirt.

"The showers are back near the lobby." Kabu told them. "I'm sure we all need them after all the battling we've been doing today."

"Oh yeah, I did sweat a bit during Kabu's battle. I hope I don't stink." Victor thought as he secretly sniffed himself.

"I need to fix my hair. A shower will easily help with that." Nessa smiled, looking at her messed up splits on her head.

"Then, onward!" Kabu smiled.

As the group started leaving, Victor glanced over at Gloria, who was still on the ground in her own self-loathing.

He walked over to her and crouched down, smiling as he brought a finger up and poked her cheek.

"Boop."

Gloria rose her head to reveal her comedically watery eyes.

"Hey, now, don't be like that. You were amazing." Victor chuckled as he reached a hand and rubbed her head.

"But... I lost..." She pouted.

"It's okay. You did what I wanted you to do anyway. I'll buy you a stuffed animal later, one of the ones you don't have." Victor reassured her.

That made Gloria turned slightly red and looked down, being reminded that Victor that part of her room.

"O-Okay..." She whimpered.

"So cute." Victor thought with flowers around him.


~{Motostoke Exercise Gym-Ten Minutes Later}~

Victor came out of the locker room, sparkling after his shower and feeling more refreshed than ever.

"Phew, that was nice. Did you guys wait long?" He asked the other three males who were waiting.

"No, we finished just a few moments ago as well. Besides, the girls are still in the shower, probably for another hour." Hop chuckled.

"Keep in mind, Hop, indeed it takes most women longer to take their showers, but that's usually because they wish to take delicate care of their hair. It's our job as men to respect this and be patient! Aaaaaaaand maybe plan ahead, so we're never late for anything..." Kabu stated with an awkward chuckle.

"Oi, them normal lassies may like ta waste time with lookin' all poofy, but it ain't matter with me."

The four males turned their heads and saw Gloria already next to them with her arms crossed, back in her usual attire.

"You say that, but whenever we're going out to meet Victor, you take about an hour in the bathroom..." Hop sweatdropped.

Victor's nose picked up on a particular scent he recognized, having him approached Gloria and gently grabbed some of her brown hair.

"Eh?" The girl blinked.

*sniff* *sniff*

"KYAH!" She suddenly jumped about six feet away from Victor, blushing madly and panting hard in disbelief. "Wha-What the bloody hell!?"

"Oh! So you're still using the Oran berry shampoo I gave you?" He smiled innocently, picking up on the clear scent of the unique berry.

"Victor, you gotta learn some common sense..." Hop stared blankly at him.

"It might not be about common sense. He could just be so familiar around Gloria that he doesn't think too much about what he does around her. You all grew up together, right?" Milo asked Hop.

"Yup, all of us in Postwick. Gloria was... 'interesting' to grow up with." Hop chuckled.

"Hey, everyone!" Nessa came out of the female locker room with Marnie beside her. Both females' hairs were still visibly wet but had been done into their usual hairstyles, both also back into their usual clothes.

"You're out already, Nessa? I assumed you'd take another thirty minutes!" Kabu laughed.

The model rolled her eyes, "Ha, ha. But I already took a shower this morning, so I didn't have to spend too long washing just the sweaty feeling off me."

Marnie was quiet as she stepped with the group, her Morpeko in her arms as usual.

"Well, it seems we've got everyone here." Milo smiled.

"And as much as it pains me to say, it appears I may have to split..." Kabu sighed as he glanced down at his Rotom phone.

"Eh!? Already!? But it's only-!" Victor glanced down at his phone before forming a look of surprise. "Oh wow, it's three already? But it's still pretty early!"

"I have some challengers lined up for my gym. It appears that after they witnessed me lose multiple times in such a short time, some are believing that my flames are turning into flickers." The elder grinned.

"But it seems you're gonna teach them a lesson?" Hop smiled.

"Indeed, Hop, indeed." Kabu put his phone away and then bowed to the group. "I apologize, but I must take my leave! Challenger Hop, Marnie, Gloria, and Victor! I wish you all luck on your next part of your journey!"

"Thanks, Kabu! We'll make you proud!" Hop jumped, looking more pumped up.

Kabu nodded before then turning around and jogging away.

"Burn them up, old coot!" Nessa laughed as she watched Kabu go through the door.

"I think I'll be heading back to my gym too." Milo said as he adjusted his straw hat. "If I'm gone for too long, then my flock Wooloo tends to get so jumpy that they end up escaping their pens."

"Heh, good luck wranglin' them up." Gloria chuckled.

"Hey, we don't know if they got out... yet." Milo smiled before turning around. "I can't wait to see all of you at the league! It'll be so much fun fighting all of you!"

"Thank you." Marnie managed to say as she politely bowed.

Milo then took his leave through the door, leaving Nessa behind with the challengers' eyes turning to her.

"What about you, Nessa?" Hop asked.

Nessa put a hand to her chin in contemplation.

"Well... I don't really know..."

She then saw Victor smiling with bright, hopeful eyes, waiting for her to answer.

"Urk!"

Nessa didn't wish to just shatter that image right there, so she gave him a big smile.

"You know? There aren't really any more challengers coming to my gym ever since that whole winning streak I had. Heh, guess I scared the lot." She giggled. "So how about I come with you guys to the Wild Area until I get called back? I could even show you the good paths to take!"

"That'd be nice." Marnie answered with a nod.

"That'd be great!" Hop jumped.

"I'd love to have you around!" Victor cheered brightly.

Gloria just had a blank gaze, not exactly thrilled about it.


~{Macro Cosmos Office}~

"Training in the Wild Area?"

Oleana was at her desk with several books and papers stacked around her and her computer, clicking away with her mouse with one hand as the other kept her phone to her ear.

*Yes. So the Gym will be left unattended for a few days.*

"I see..." Oleana simply replied.

"Bea?" Chairman Rose questioned beside his secretary, sitting at the corner of the white desk with his hands in his pockets.

Oleana nodded as she continued listening to the fighting Gym Leader.

*I'm sorry for the short notice.* Bea said respectfully.

"It's quite all right. Thanks for letting me know. Bye." Oleana then hung up the phone and placed it next to her keyboard as Rose started to twirl his hair with a chuckle.

"That's so like her... Losing to Leon must have really hurt her."

Oleana didn't look up from her computer, maintaining her stoic expression as she typed away.

"I just hope she doesn't push herself too hard and get hurt."

At the same time, somewhere in the Northern Wild Area, Bea turned off her phone and set it down beside her, keeping stuck to her seat despite her ride's rocking.

She was in a Corviknight taxi, the large flying-type carrying her carriage struggling not to be suddenly pushed over by the strong winds of a sandstorm around them. The storm was so dense that you couldn't see a few yards in front of you, and sand was blowing all over the place, but Bea wasn't very worried about that. She at least had a black cloth wrapped around her head to keep sand from her head and had on sandals so her feet wouldn't burn too much.

Bea peeked outside at the sandstorm going on, not looking too fazed by the harsh conditions as she waited patiently for her ride to reach a certain point. She was unconsciously glaring as she remembered why she was out here and why she came to the Wild Area.

Her loss... In her loss against Leon, in which she foolishly let her guard down, it was clear to her that she needed even more training than ever before.

"Cor!" The Corviknight above suddenly jerked to the side, forcing Bea to grab on to the door handle.

Bea narrowed her eyes as she felt the time was right. She turned around and grabbed a backpack with a duffle bag, metal bottles, and other items attached to it.

She opened the door to the taxi.

"I'm getting off here!"

She leaped right out of the carriage and landed onto the desert sand.

"Miss Bea! Are you sure this is where you want to be!?" The taxi driver shouted over the intense storm.

She didn't even answer him, already pulling out six small Ultra Balls and holding them between all of her fingers.

"Hi-yah!" With a shout, she flung them all into the air, the spheres growing to their normal sizes before all clicking open to release Bea's entire league team.

"Grapploct/ Falinks!/Hawlucha!/Sirfetch'd!/Hitmontop!/Machamp!" All six of her pokemon shouted as they came out, looking determined for their trainer.

"Let's go!" Bea took off, running into the sandstorm while all of her pokemon chased after her.

"I'm not gonna lose to him again..."

Bea panted as she used an arm to protect her face from the sand.

"I won't!"

She furiously kept running through.

"I'll make sure I don't! Never again!"


~{Author's Post-Notes}~

(Mimikyu standing in the security room, staring at the computer screen as crew members waddle around.)

Hm, so he's there... He's over there, and there's no one on the left side...

(Turns to you.)

Oh, you're back! Some time has passed, there's only a few of us left now. But yeah, we kicked that red guy out, he was sus. But more importantly, it appears that a lot of stuff happened in this chapter, even if it was a filler chapter. I found it a really enjoyable chapter, if I do say so myself. I mean... HNNNNG! Who can resist such a cute sight of Marnie and Gloria in each other's clothes!? HNNNG! *Ahem* Anyway, let's move on to other things... *GASP!* ALLISTER! NOOOOOOO! Wha-How-!? How can you be cruel to such a precious boy!? Argh! To feel so lonely and have the one person you talk to suddenly push themselves away from you, it... it hurts man. It really sucks. He needs someone to help him out, and we all know who that is. And damn Bea... She's getting a little too obsessed with strength. But like she said, she's in the Wild Area to try to 'fix' herself into becoming the strongest... I wonder if that's gonna go well? But now we leave off with our group of friends going to head out to the Wild Area once again, and with Nessa this time! *Claps energetically!* But... Don't expect her to be there too long, she'll at least have a nice walk with our heroes. So now I leave you all once again to play the waiting game. Thank you to everyone continuing to read. Leave a like and comment if you haven't, I always love to see them! And until next time trainers!

(White crew member walks in.)

Hm? Um... hi?

(Doors close behind him.)

Um...

(Red lights flash and alarms start blaring.)

Ooooooooh... Oh well.

(Shrugs and tail brings out a knife, then slicing white crew in half.)

And by the way, it wasn't red.

(Hops into vent.)