Chapter 7:
After our group got to Hulbury, we then saw that it was only just beginning to get to sunset and that, right in front of us, we saw something that I decided to listen in on from afar. It was Bede talking to someone in one of the most ridiculous getups I'd ever seen with a woman wearing a lab coat and red skirt standing right next to the weirdly-dressed man. As for what he was dressed in? A sunhat, shades, a white t-shirt, sandals, and the silliest pants ever, them being blue colored with yellow flowers patterned on them.
"Bede, I am sure you will be great in the next Gym Challenge. But do not forget that you also need to find as many Wishing Stars and Wishing Pieces as possible. We need them for the future of Galar," the guy said, me actually being shocked when I recognized the voice. The guy was Chairman Rose, the one who announced everything at the opening ceremony! So why was he dressed like such a buffoon?! It made a smile form on my face the moment I saw him.
"Of course, Mister Rose... I won't let you down. I'll find them by any means necessary," Bede said with his usual brash seriousness, me waiting until Bede went to the north to what looked like the Hulbury gym and I then approached Rose from behind.
"Hey, uh, mister chairman? Why are you dressed like such a loon right now?" I asked, that getting the man and his female assistant's attention and them looking at me with a tiny bit of hostility before they saw my armor and all of my Pokemon on my team. And then Chairman Rose simply chuckled lightly.
"You're that G-Max Jo, right? The one from Ransei?" Rose asked, me nodding at that while some of my Pokemon giggled at his appearance, those being Pheromosa, Steenee, and Kirlia. I decided to have Pancham be the one to go back to the professor to leave space for Pheromosa. "I've been hearing some very interesting things from you, such as how any Pokemon you Dynamax becomes Gigantamax, even those that haven't been known to do so," Rose smirked at me.
"Yep, it's true... so why are you dressed like this? You look a bit funny in that garb," I asked honestly and bluntly.
"That's because I'm incognito right now. I am a very famous person in Galar, so I need to wear a disguise when going out to enjoy some spare free time," Rose said, me smiling at that. "Have you met my assistant, by chance?" Rose motioned to his female friend, her looking a bit bored with the situation.
"No, I do not believe so... though I have encountered Bede before," I said with a frown.
"It's nice to meet you, G-Max Jo. I'm Oleana, Chairman Rose's Vice President and managerial assistant at Macro Cosmos," Oleana said, her having a very heavy accent that I could deduce as coming from my nation, me being surprised at that.
"I beg your pardon, Oleana, but do you happen to be from the nation of Pugilis, by chance?" I asked, her actually smiling at that.
"I had a feeling you'd ask me that... my family does come from Ransei, but we don't have the ability to link with Pokemon, so there was no shame felt when Rose found me and my family on the streets, us being serfs and being extremely poor... he gave me my first Pokemon in the form of Trubbish and offered me a second chance at his place of employment. It's been roughly 20 years since that day," Oleana smiled widely.
"And you say that you know Bede, correct?" Rose asked, me frowning at that.
"Yeah, I have. And I have some things to say about him," I said, ready to absolutely destroy his reputation with Rose by revealing that he was a no-good thief... but then Rose spoke.
"Well, there is a lot to talk about regarding him. I found him wandering the streets of Wyndon, him being in a very poor situation. He was nothing but skin and bones, had dirt all over him, and he lived off of scraps. I encountered him after he tried to take my wallet and Oleana was ready to chew him out for that... but I took pity on him and offered him a place to call home. He accepted and got back to good health and, after I gave him his starter in Hatenna, he's off to the Gym Challenge and proceeding smoothly," Rose said, me being a bit taken aback by those words that Rose spoke... He spoke with such passion and pity to Bede and said he came from a rough upbringing in Wyndon... and from what I remembered on the map, Wyndon was the furthest city north of Galar and where the most technology was at as well as the most wealth... I then decided it best to remain quiet.
"I see... well, though I am not happy to learn he was a thief at that point in time, I will admit that you have great qualities to have seen potential in him, even as he robbed you," I said with a smile on my face, being completely truthful.
"Yes, I'd heard from Oleana that Ransei warriors absolutely detest thievery of any kind," Rose smiled.
"We Ransei folk are pretty level-headed with most other scenarios, but if someone has a thief steal something from them, we stop at nothing to bring the criminal to justice. See, Warlords are kind of like the rulers, the military, and the cops all at the same time... it's pretty cool," I smiled.
"I'm sure it was..." Oleana said, her looking at Rose with seriousness, yet boredom. "Mister Rose, I do believe we should get going back to Wyndon now."
"Ah, but of course. I expect to hear good things from you in the nearest future, G-Max Jo," Rose said, me nodding at that.
"You better believe it," I smirked at him as I then went ahead into the Pokemon Center and looked at my Pokemon and I saw that they were all smiles at me.
"That was a very good thing you did, Jo. I know I wouldn't have been nearly as forgiving of a thief's actions," Pheromosa said, me smiling at her.
"Thanks, Pheromosa... and thank you guys, too for not disagreeing with my words," I said, them nodding at that and Primarina giving a little trill of happiness. "So... just out of curiosity, do you guys wanna go and take on the next gym before having some fun?" I asked, my teammates smirking at that widely and cheering afterwards.
"Okay, let's get you healed up and then we'll be on our way to the Hulbury Gym," I smiled at them as I then used my Warlord powers to heal them to full and we then left the Pokemon Center and went due north to a very watery area as I then looked at Pheromosa with a smile.
"So, Pheromosa... what was this Necrozma? Was it a Legendary Pokemon, by chance?" I asked her.
"Yes, as well as one of the strongest. If it consumes enough light energy, it can turn into its Ultra Necrozma form, which is strong enough to fell even the strongest of Ultra Beasts such as Guzzlord, Buzzwole, and even Celesteela," Pheromosa said, me looking at Rotom with confusion.
"Would you like me to access my databases and tell you about these Ultra Beasts Pheromosa mentioned?" Rotom asked with a smile.
"That'd be appreciated. And we can do that on our way through the gym challenge," I said as I then arrived just in time to see a certain person finish up their gym battle and them looking to have the shy smile as well as a couple masked people next to her. It was Marnie and her cheering squad.
"Hey, how are you doing, Marnie?" I asked, her smiling calmly and nodding.
"Well, I won this gym effortlessly thanks to Morpeko. He's Dark and Electric type, so he helped secure a win... are you hoping to go next?" Marnie asked, me nodding at that.
"That's what I was planning on," I smirked. "And I wish you good luck on your way back to Motostoke," I said, Marnie nodding at that.
"I'm going to need it. I've heard Kabu's gym is the first real challenge to those in the gym challenge. The one that is the hardest of the starting gyms to overcome," Marnie said, me smiling at that.
"I expect nothing but a tough fight with him, then. I heard that he's from Hoenn, and I know that place is full of cities near or around water, so his fire types are sure to be tough cookies," I smiled.
"By the way... who is this Pokemon you have right here? Her smells are... a bit intoxicating," Marnie said, me smirking and looking at Pheromosa and her nodding.
"I'm Pheromosa," she said, Marnie and the two masked cheerleaders gawking at her speaking. "Yes, I can speak English... I was taught by others where I come from, that being Ultra Space," Pheromosa smiled, Marnie looking at me in confusion afterwards, her face best described as 'what the hell is this?' face.
"I was just as surprised as you are. I actually saved Pheromosa from a grizzly fate, as she had fallen off of the bridge connecting this city and the western Route. I had to ask Vespiquen to fly down and carry her to safety, since she was out of reach and on the support pillar. It was way too high to jump and way too far of a drop," I explained.
"How very mysterious... I think that, if you want to wow the crowd, you should use Pheromosa when you G-Max this time, since she's a very unique Pokemon," Marnie smirked as she and the cheering squad then left and I then went to the registration man and took off my armor to show my gym challenge attire.
"I see you're already raring to go challenge Nessa, aren't you, G-Max Jo? The fans have been very eager to see your fight with her," he smirked, me nodding at that as he then let me through and I saw that the challenge at hand was a bit more complex than before, as there was a ton of water all around, as well as giant water spouts with levers that were color coded.
"G-Max Jo, correct?" the coach asked, me nodding at that. "For this Gym Challenge, you'll need to use your brains to find a path through these water-spewing pipes. When you reach the end, push the button and you'll be allowed to face Nessa. The trick is to find out what buttons to press and find the pattern required. Good luck. Your Gym Challenge begins... NOW!" the guy said, me smiling at that and proceeding forward as Rotom then started to speak about the Ultra Beasts that Pheromosa mentioned as well as show their images on his screen.
"Guzzlord is a dragon type Ultra Beast with a large body and a gaping mouth. Stories claim that it could eat anything and everything without ever feeling full," Rotom said, the picture for Guzzlord looking quite intimidating. A giant mouth with giant arms that fed stuff to it.
"Looks more like a dark type than a dragon type," I admitted, Pheromosa smirking at that.
"You have no idea how many Ultra Space people have guessed that typing along with you," Pheromosa smirked as I got a lever pulled that was colored red, then a yellow one, and then the same red one in order to move forward along the trail. Rotom then showed a picture of a very intimidating and buff Pokemon coated in red with a long needle-like nose.
"Buzzwole is a bug and fighting type, the same as Pheromosa. Buzzwole is so strong, it's able to wreck apart a steamboat with just a single punch," Rotom spoke as I then saw a mind trick ahead that required a bit of thinking. After some careful thought, I went forward and activated a yellow lever and then a red one, which ended with the way being cleared for passage shortly after, me smirking at that.
"Sounds like a Pokemon I wouldn't want to encounter in a foul mood," I said bluntly. Rotom then showed a picture of a very tall and bulky Pokemon colored silver with a tiny head and thin neck, but the rest of it being giant in comparison. And the final puzzle awaited me, that being where I had to flip three different switches correctly, all colored differently to make it easier on me.
"Celesteela is a grass and steel type Pokemon with amazing firepower. One Celesteela was capable of firing off a concussive blast from its arms that was so strong, it managed to shatter fifteen giant cherry trees into a bunch of splintered wood on contact," Rotom said, me gulping at that.
"Geeze louise! I knew that Pokemon could be strong, but that's something that no human could survive," I gawked.
"Believe it or not, most Ultra Beasts are very fond of humans and would do anything to protect them from Necrozma's wrath... in Ultra Space at least... I'm not going to lie, when I first arrived in this world, I was so scared that I was debating whether or not to destroy the bridge I found myself stuck on because of how scared I was," Pheromosa admitted, me smiling at her.
"I just hope you can prove how strong you are in the near future, because you'll be partaking in the fight against Nessa," I smirked, Pheromosa smiling widely at that as we then got the puzzle figured out and I went up the steps and pushed the button, the challenge being completed as I then went through the door and I arrived in the stadium, me going forward and seeing Nessa walking onto her side of the arena with grace and elegance.
"So you're this mysterious G-Max Jo that I've been hearing about, huh?" Nessa asked, her voice being just as smooth as the water, as expected. "And not only that, but you come from Ransei with hopes that becoming champion will make Ransei a regular region instead of an island?"
"All true," I smiled at her.
"As you know, I'm Nessa and I am the gym leader of Hulbury. I try to have my gym challenge be fair, yet tricky, which you seem to have conquered effortlessly. Now you'll need to fight me. Three Pokemon for each side, so choose carefully... and try not to choose any grass types to defeat me, since I spend my free time defeating Milo in exhibition matches," Nessa said, me smiling at that challenge as I then looked at my team and decided I'd use Pheromosa, Vespiquen, and Steenee with Steenee being the secondary pick.
"Okay, Nessa. Let's have a roaring match," I smirked as I went to my side and had Pheromosa out first as Nessa then held her leg super high and then threw out her Pokeball to send out a pretty tough-looking fish Pokemon that was colored brown with a toothy grin. And like most fishy Pokemon, it hovered in the air on a conjured bit of water... poor Magikarp is the only one unable to do such a thing. "Get in there, Pheromosa and we'll show her the power of an Ultra Beast," I smirked, Pheromosa smiling as she then took the fray and I then saw that she had the moves Low Kick, Silver Wind, Stomp, and Quiver Dance, all very good moves. "Use Stomp," I smirked, Pheromosa then rushing forward and smashing her foot into the fish Pokemon so quickly that I could barely keep track, and Nessa gawked at that.
"Whoa! Impressive speed! Arrowkuda, use Whirlpool," Nessa commanded, the fish Pokemon then trying to trap Pheromosa in the whirling and raging waters, her smirking at that and looking at me.
"Counter with Silver Wind!" I said, Pheromosa emitting the powerful gusts of bug dust which not only destroyed the Whirlpool, but it also inflicted enough damage to make Arrowkuda faint, me smirking at that as Nessa then returned it to the Pokeball and she smiled at me as she then sent out another fish in the form of Goldeen.
"Goldeen, use Horn Attack," Nessa smiled, Goldeen then rushing forward and connecting her sharp horn into Pheromosa, me seeing it was a pretty tough Goldeen, managing to do a fourth of Pheromosa's health down in one hit!
"Pheromosa, use Quiver Dance," I said, Pheromosa then doing the dance and gaining a boost to attack and speed.
"Goldeen, use Water Puilse!" Nessa commanded, the fish Pokemon trying to connect it, but Pheromosa dodged it effortlessly and I smiled at her.
"Use Stomp on the fishy," I said, my lovely bug Pokemon rushing forward and smashing her foot into Goldeen's body, it being tough enough to make it faint, me smiling at Nessa as she then smiled at me.
"My final Pokemon, huh? Time to prove my worth," Nessa smiled as she then took out her next Pokemon and I saw it was a very imposing one with a giant jaw and a very thick shell, forcing it to be on all fours. I then smiled as I could feel the anticipation in the crowd. "Okay, Dreadnaw. Time to flood this stadium and wash the challenger away! Dynamax!" Nessa exclaimed as she then made her Pokemon go into its Pokeball and then made the ball grow big before then throwing it behind her for Dreadnaw to grow gigantic, its cry echoing throughout the entire stadium as I then heard the crowd chanting me and me smirking.
"GO! JO! GOGO, JOJO! GO! JO! GOGO! JOJO!" they exclaimed, me smiling at that.
"Let's give the crowd what they want, Pheromosa! Time to Gigantamax!" I exclaimed, touching the stone on my bellybutton and feeling my powers resonating with Pheromosa, her body immediately growing taller as well as her changing her form slightly! Her dress grew to an even more elegant dress, she gained two more arms on her sides that she held to her hips, her head gained a large tiara on it, and her form looked overall super elegant as well as being at least a hundred feet tall!
"GIGANTAMAX!" Pheormosa exclaimed, me smiling at the crowd then chanting the best part.
"GIGANTAMAAAAAX! GIGANTAMAAAAAAAAAX!" they chanted, me looking at Nessa with a smile.
"Okay, Pheromosa, time to show her the beauty of your strength! G-Max Pheromone Blizzard!" I exclaimed, it being a powered-up version of Silver Wind! And when Pheormosa used it, it managed to take a giant chunk out of Dreadnaw's health as well as do something I didn't expect. It made him infatuated, almost like it had been victim of the move Attract, and it had its evasion drop sharply!
"Dreadnaw! Snap out of it and use Max Geyser!" Nessa exclaimed, Dreadnaw managing to stay in control of its thoughts and let loose a large laser of pure watery destruction at Pheromosa, her looking a bit battered by the blast as I saw the stadium fill with rain!
"Finish it off with Max Strike, Pheromosa!" I exclaimed, her then connecting a powerful blast of energy at Dreadnaw, forcing him to shrink back down and for him to retreat to his Pokeball, declaring me the winner as Pheromosa then shrunk back down and she simply looked at the back of her fingers with a small frown, me smirking at the vanity she showed off as Nessa then looked at me with a smile.
"I'm impressed by your Pheromosa, G-Max Jo. I'm going to be blunt, I never expected to ever be able to battle an Ultra Beast in my entire life, given how rare they are around here. You've shown your worth when battling the waves. Please, accept this Water Badge as well as the TM for Waterfall," she said, her holding them out and me taking them with a handshake, the crowds roaring happily with cheers as I then added the Water Badge the the collection and I smirked at Nessa happily. "I wish you good luck when combating Kabu, the Fire Type Gym Leader of Motostoke. You can probably make it there by nightfall if you go through the mines to the east of Hulbury," Nessa said, me smirking at that as I then left the stadium happily and put my armor back on just in time to see Hop and Gloria arrive.
"Hey, how'd yer fight go, Jo?" Gloria smiled at me.
"I passed with flying colors thanks to my new partner, Pheromosa," I smiled, Gloria smiling at me widely as she looked at Pheromosa with intrigue.
"Well, whadaya know?! It's one o' them Ultra Beasts, ain't it? I 'eard tales o' them havin' somefin to do with Alola," Gloria smiled, me looking at her with a smile.
"You mean that region that I'm super jealous of because of it being recognized as a Region instead of a chain of islands?" I asked, Hop smiling at me.
"You're really dedicated to you getting Ransei recognized as a region, I can tell. But sorry to say, but I'm gonna be the one to win the championship! I want to face Nessa next!" Hop smiled.
"And while you two do that, I'm going to have me and my partners make our way back to Motostoke through the mines," I smiled, me then having my team leave happily.
