For the rest of the journey to Hulbury, Timothy trained his Pokémon with every opportunity he got. He would put his Pokémon in hard training sessions during lunch or dinner breaks and sometimes in the morning before it was time to ride. He focused mainly on Electchu and Knightblade since he planned to use them for the next Gym Battle. Blitzwing and Knightblade would continue to spar whenever they had the chance. Usually, they would obey Timothy when he said to stop training, but sometimes they would be so lost in the training that Shockwave would split them apart using Psychic.
When the group made it to Hulbury, it was late at night, so they booked a room at the Pokémon Center. As soon as they entered their room, Gwen made sure she got to take a shower first, after not having one in over a week. While waiting for his turn to take a shower, Timothy looked up to when the gym would be open the next day with his Rotom Phone and set an alarm for nine in the morning. As soon as they had their showers, Timothy, Coovers, and Gwen went to bed with Electchu sleeping on Timothy's bed and Winnie sleeping on Gwen's, all five of them happy to be sleeping in comfortable beds for once.
The next day, Timothy's alarm went off, and after breakfast, they exited the Pokémon Center and walked down the road to the gym. By then, dozens of citizens were in line outside the stadium to get their seats, and several other Gym Challengers were in a separate line. Timothy sighed and turned to Coovers and Gwen.
"Well, it looks like we're getting in separate lines," he said.
"Looks that way," Gwen said.
"Are you feeling ready for your second badge?" Coovers asked.
"Yeah, I am," Timothy said, smirking. "After all, it's just the second Gym, and I've been training the whole journey here. If I secure a Gym Battle that takes place earlier than last time, we should be good to pick up lunch and be out of here, easy-peasy."
Gwen smiled and said, "That's what I like to hear. It would be nice to be a little ahead of my schedule."
"Teddiursa," Winnie agreed.
"I had a feeling you'd say something like that," Timothy said. "Anyway, we'll see you guys after the battle."
"Raichu," Electchu said.
"Knock 'em dead, Timbo," Coovers said with a thumbs-up and a grin.
"You can count on me, Coovers," Timothy replied.
With that, Coovers, Gwen, and Winnie walked to the back of the line to get their seats, while Timothy and Electchu got on the smaller line with the other Gym Challengers. After a couple of minutes, the doors opened, and the citizens wasted no time rushing over to the ticket booths on the other side of the lobby. The Gym Challengers walked to the entryway between the ticket booths, where a female League Staff member was waiting for them with a tablet. Timothy and Electchu waited ten minutes before they got to the front of the line, and the employee scheduled Timothy for a battle fifteen minutes after twelve. Timothy and Electchu furrowed their brows, wishing they had an earlier battle, but Timothy ultimately shrugged, accepting that they should leave earlier next time. After Timothy changed into his uniform, he and Electchu walked down the hall to the waiting room with the other Gym Challengers. They found an empty bench to sit on and waited for the gym battles to begin.
"Ready to get this show on the road, Electchu?" Timothy asked.
Electchu nodded and said a series of "Rai" and "Raichu"s that made Timothy roll his eyes.
"Don't worry, pal, I'm going to hold up my end of the bargain," he said. "Although, you do realize you will have to go back into your Pokéball when it's time for you to Dynamax.
Electchu squirmed and looked away, grumbling. Timothy gave his partner a sympathetic look, knowing it did not like going in its Pokéball and wishing there was a way around it. After a few seconds, Electchu sighed.
"Raichi Rai Rai Rai Raichu." it said.
"That's the spirit," Timothy said. "We're just gonna have to bite the bullet. It's just for when we are in Galar, and it's for the mission and coming one step closer to accomplishing our dream. "
"Raichu," Electchu agreed half-heartedly.
"You!"
Timothy and Electchu looked up to see Venarge in his uniform standing a few feet away from them within an irritated look. Timothy rolled his eyes as Venarge stormed towards him and Electchu.
"What do you want?" Timothy asked.
"What do I want? Is that any way to show respect for the future Galar champion?" Venarge snarled. "You're lucky I'm only here to get my second badge. Otherwise, I'd be challenging you to a battle to get payback and make sure you show some respect."
"Respect for whom? A short-tempered man who can't act his age?" Timothy asked with a mocking grin.
Venarge clenched his teeth, resisting the urge to do anything that might get him in trouble. At that moment, a ding was hurt from the speakers up on the ceiling.
"Number 26, Venarge, please proceed to the field entrance. Number 26, Venarge," an announcer said from the speakers.
The announcement made Venarge grin, and he gave Timothy a mocking look.
"Make fun of me as much as you want. My battle is the first one, and Nessa is no match for me," he said. "I'm going to crush her and be out of here to get my third Badge long before any of you idiots make it back to Motostoke. Until then, you better watch yourself because I learn from my mistakes."
"We will see," Timothy said, unfazed.
With a grunt, Venarge stormed out of the waiting room. Timothy and Electchu watched him go down the hall with severe looks. When the maroon-haired man was out of sight, Timothy sighed and turned to his partner.
"You know, when I decided to ease up and be open to having rivals again during the Battle Frontier, I thought I would never have to deal with anyone like Trent again," he said. "Guess I just got super lucky with Ash and Alain."
"Raichu," Electchu said
"Hey, Timothy!"
Timothy turned his head and saw Ned walking to him in his number thirteen uniform with a cheerful grin. Timothy smirked and stood up to give Ned a first bump.
"How are you doing, Ned?" Timothy asked.
"Ready for badge number two," Ned answered. "When are you battling?"
"At 12:15. You?" Timothy asked.
"2:30," Ned answered.
"2:30? Why so late in the day? You left Turffield before us," Timothy said.
"I kinda overslept," Ned said, scratching the back of his head. "Spent the whole night training yesterday, so I slept for too long that I could only get here to reserve a 2:30 battle at the earliest."
"I see. I hope you learned not to do that for the next Gym," Timothy said.
"Don't worry. I have," Ned said. "Honestly, I'm more concerned with whether or not I'm going to see my sweet Ezria battle."
Timothy furrowed his brow and looked around the waiting room.
"Now that you mention it, I haven't seen her since Coovers, Gwen, Electchu, Winnie, and I left Turffield," he said. "She had to stay for supplies when we left, so maybe she's not battling until tomorrow for much later today."
But Ned stared at Timothy instead of responding with his mouth hanging open. Timothy tilted his head, wondering if his friend was okay. He then saw a couple of men standing several feet behind Ned giving him similar looks and then looked around to find every Gym Challenger staring at him.
"What? What did I say?" Timothy asked.
"You have met Ezria?" One of the guys asked.
"The future Champion of Galar?" A woman asked.
"Yeah," Timothy answered, feeling uneasy.
Another guy approached Timothy with a suspicious glare and asked, "What were you doing with Ezria?"
"Uh, nothing special. We just talked and had a Pokémon battle." Timothy said.
The Gym Challengers surrounding Timothy, Ned, and Electchu chuckled as though Timothy said it to sound impressive.
"No doubt she kicked your butt in battle." one man said.
"Actually, I won." Timothy said.
Once again, everyone was staring at Timothy, astounded, and another woman shouted, "You defeated Ezria in battle?!"
"You liar!" A third man hissed. "No one in the world can beat my Ezria in battle even in their wildest dreams."
"Hey, she's not yours. She's mine!" Another guy snarled.
"No way. Ezria and I are destined for each other!" Another man barked.
"Guys, guys, settle down," Timothy said with his hands up. "Why is it such a big deal that I've beaten her in a Pokémon battle? I barely won against her."
"Well, that much is plausible," one of the women said. "And the big deal is Ezria's the most beloved trainer next to Galar's Champion."
"And she is gorgeous too," another woman said with a sigh. "She is so beautiful that it makes me jealous. I wish guys would look at me the way they look at her and compete over her even if none of them have a chance."
"You don't say," Timothy said before turning to Ned. "Seems like you have a lot of competition, Ned."
"You're not wrong," Ned said. "Honestly, many of us know we don't have a prayer against her in the Galar League, so we're trying to do well enough that she might notice one of us."
"You're in the Gym Challenge with no hope that you'll win? No offense, Ned, but that's a poor reason to compete in a Pokemon League," Timothy said. "You should focus on doing your absolute best and trusting your Pokémon with all your heart. You're not going very far if you doubt your potential with your Pokémon together."
"Easy for you to say, assuming you actually beat Ezria," One of the men said. "You probably think you have a better chance than any of us just because of that."
"I assure you, I don't think of Ezria that way at all. I'm not even interested in dating anybody, for that matter. I have more cause to root for Ned with getting together with Ezria simply because he's my friend," Timothy said.
"Aw, thanks, Timothy." Ned said.
The other men scoffed, sneered, or gave Timothy suspicious looks. Then the first man said, "If you're serious, then you're a fool for not wanting to try anything. Either way, stay out of our way if you know what's good for you."
"Whatever you say, pal," Timothy said.
With that, the other Gym Challengers walked away from Timothy, Electchu, and Ned, though some were still glaring at Timothy. Timothy sighed and went back to sitting on the bench with Electchu and Ned sitting on opposite sides of him.
"Thanks for having my back, Timothy," Ned said.
"Don't worry about it, Ned," Timothy said. "Just focus on getting your second badge. Let these guys think too much about Ezria."
"Don't worry. My Pokémon and I are completely prepared for anything Nessa has in store with her water Pokémon," Ned said. "I'm gonna win my second badge for sure."
"That's the spirit," Timothy said.
Just then, a roar of applause was heard from the field, and Timothy and Electchu frowned, knowing it meant Venarge had won his match. A few minutes later, the maroon-haired man walked back down the hall to the waiting room and stopped at the entrance to give Timothy and Ned a dark look. Ned resisted the urge to whimper while Timothy glared back at Venarge. Venarge stared for several seconds before he scoffed and exited the waiting room from the other side. Timothy kept his gaze on Venarge until he couldn't be seen and turned to Electchu.
"I don't know about you, but I'm glad Ezria approved of me teaching her brother a lesson," he said. "Still, we better be careful with him. I feel he might try something to get revenge, and we can't let him get in our way."
"Raichu," Electchu agreed.
For the next two hours, Timothy, Electchu, and Ned waited patiently while Gym Challengers had their gym battles one by one. Most of them returned triumphant with the guys feeling confident of their chances with Ezria, but now and then, someone came back devastated, having lost their battle. Ned grew uneasy from seeing the defeated Gym Challengers, but Timothy patted him on the back and gave him an encouraging smile to assure him that he would be fine.
Finally, 15 minutes after noon, they heard a ding, and the announcer said through the speakers, "Number 7, Timothy, please proceed to the field for your battle. Number 7, Timothy."
"Guess that's me,'' Timothy said as he and Electchu stood up from their seats.
"Good luck, Timothy," Ned said.
"Thanks, Ned,"' Timothy said as he and Electchu walked down the hall.
Everyone in the crowd cheered as soon as Timothy and his partner entered the field. The two of them waved at the crowd, wondering where Coovers, Gwen, and Winnie were as they walked over to their spot in the field. Nessa, who stood at the other side of the field, and raised her eyebrow at Electchu.
"A Gym Challenger with his Pokemon already out? How unusual," she said.
"Electchu doesn't like being in its Pokéball," Timothy replied.
"Raichu," Electchu said, nodding.
"Is that a fact? Well, I hope you aren't too confident that you will beat me so easily with an Electric type Pokemon like your Raichu." Nessa said.
"Actually, that's exactly what I'm expecting to go down," Timothy said with a smirk.
"Confidence, I like that in a Gym Challenger," Nessa said, smirking. "But don't say I didn't give you a word of warning. No matter what kind of plan your refined mind may be plotting, my partner and I will be sure to sink it."
"I'd like to see you try," Timothy said.
The gym leader chuckled as a referee flew over to the field on a platform attached to his Aegislash.
"This will be a three-on-three battle between Nessa, the gym leader, and number 7, Timothy, the gym Challenger," he said. "The battle will be over when all three Pokémon from either side are unable to continue, and only the challenger can substitute Pokémon. Are the contestants ready?"
"Ready." Nessa said.
"Ready." Timothy replied.
"Then let the battle begin!" The referee shouted.
The crowd applauded once again. Timothy and Nessa took out their Pokéballs, with Electchu giving his partner a sour look, knowing what would happen.
"Goldeen, come on out!" Nessa shouted as she threw her Pokéball into the air.
"Knightblade, let's go!" Timothy shouted, throwing his Pokéball.
Both Pokéballs opened to reveal Knightblade and a Goldeen appearing in the field. Nessa looked at Knightblade, confused, and shook her head.
"Well, if he's not starting with his Raichu, that's his decision," she said to herself. "Goldeen, use Water Pulse!"
"Dodge and use Night Slash!" Timothy shouted
A blue sphere of energy appeared in front of Goldeen, and then it fired the sphere at Knightblade. The sphere exploded into a wave of water, but the Royal Sword Pokémon flew up to avoid it. Knightblade took out its sword with the blade glowing light-purple and it slashed at Goldeen. Goldeen shouted in pain upon impact and was sent flying a few feet into the air with a large cut on its side.
"Goldeen, don't give up! Use Whirlpool!" Nessa shouted.
Goldeen raised its head, and a large whirlpool appeared in front of it. It pushed the whirlpool with its head, and it moved toward Knightblade, but the attempt made Timothy smirk.
"Knightblade, destroy the Whirlpool with Shadow Claw, followed by Shadow Claw again on Goldeen!" He instructed.
Knightblade's sword turned black with a purple outline. It cut through the center of the whirlpool in a linear swipe, and the whirlpool collapsed. Nessa and Goldeen stared at what was left of Goldeen's attack in shock before Knightblade hit Goldeen again with its Ghost type attack.
"Now, finish it off with Sacred Sword!" Timothy shouted.
The blade on Knightblade's sword turned from black with a purple outline to blue as it hit Goldeen one more time. The Goldfish Pokémon was sent flying several feet into the air before it crashed into the ground with swirly eyes.
"Goldeen is unable to battle! Knightblade wins!" The referee declared.
The crowd cheered as Nessa returned Goldeen to its Pokéball. Timothy smirked as Knightblade floated over to him and Electchu.
"Nicely done, Knightblade," Timothy said while taking out a Pokéball. "Now, return."
"Aegislash!" Knightblade shouted, holding its shield up with pride before it returned to its container.
"You're switching your Pokémon?" Nessa asked, confused.
"I only wanted to use Knightblade for your first Pokémon before Electchu and I take down the rest of your team." Timothy explained.
"Raichu!" Electchu shouted with a grin.
"I see. Well, you won't beat my Pokémon as easily as you think," Nessa claimed as she took out another Pokeball. "Arrokuda, come on out!"
She threw the Pokéball at the center circle, and an Arrokuda came out. Timothy and Electchu stared at the Pokémon, befuddled, before Timothy took out his Rotom Phone and scanned it.
"Arrokuda. The Rush Pokemon. A Water type," Rotom said. "If it sees any movement around it, this Pokémon charges for it straightaway, leading with its sharply pointed jaw."
"Fascinating," Timothy said before turning to Electchu with a smirk. "But it's still a pure Water type, and that's good enough for me. How about you, pal?"
"Raichu," Electchu said with a grin.
"Alright then, let's go, Electchu!" Timothy shouted.
Electchu ran over and gave Arrokuda a battle-hungry look with electricity coming out of its yellow cheeks. Arrokuda responded with its battle-ready look before Nessa made her move.
"Arrokuda, use Aqua Jet!" She commanded.
"Dodge and use Thunder!" Timothy shouted.
Arrokuda surrounded its body in water, and it shot itself like a rocket toward Electchu. The Mouse Pokemon waited until its opponent was close enough before it jumped away and hit Arrokuda with a large beam of electricity, making it howl in pain.
"Now, use Electro Ball!" Timothy shouted.
"Stop it with Whirlpool!" Nessa shouted.
Electchu jumped into the and an orb of electricity appeared from the tip of its tail. At the same time, Arrokuda created a whirlpool in front of itself and pushed it toward its opponent. The Whirlpool hit Electchu just as it was about to throw the orb of electricity, and it sent the Mouse Pokémon spinning around at the center until it was at the top of the whirlpool. Electchu was sent high into the air, and it hit the ground with a thud. Timothy looked at its friend, surprised as it stood up with a couple of scratches before looking back at Nessa with another smirk.
"Managing to land a hit, unlike Milo. Now, that's more like it," he said to himself.
"Arrokuda, use Bite!" Nessa shouted.
But her command only amused Timothy more as he shouted, "Electchu, wait for the right moment to use Iron Tail multiple times!"
Arrokuda pounced at Electchu with its mouth wide open, but Electchu's tail glowed white, and it waited until Arrokuda was close enough to smack it in the side of its face with its tail. The rush Pokémon was sent crashing into the ground, and it lifted its head only to be smacked on the top of its head again.
"Now use Thunder again!" Timothy shouted.
"Dodge it!" Nessa shouted.
But Arrokuda was too incapacitated from repeatedly getting hit on the head. Nessa could only watch as her second Pokémon screamed in pain from the Electric attack until it passed out.
"Arrokuda is unable to battle! Electchu wins!" The referee declared.
The audience cheered again for the challenger, and Nessa looked up at Timothy, who was still smirking.
"I gotta admit, that use of Whirlpool was clever." Timothy said.
"Thanks, but I've saved my best Pokémon for last," Nessa said. She took out another Pokéball and threw it into the air. "Go, Drednaw!"
The ball opened, and a Drednaw came out roaring, ready for battle. The audience cheered again, knowing that Nessa was going to Dynamax her Pokémon, while Timothy took out his Rotom Phone again to scan Electchu's opponent.
"Drednaw. The Bite Pokemon and the evolved form of Chewtle. A Water and Rock type," Rotom said, briefly showing an image of Chewtle. "With jaws that can shear through steel rods, this highly aggressive Pokémon chomps down on its unfortunate prey."
"I see," Timothy said before he put his phone away and smirked again at Electchu. "Well, Drednaw being part Rock doesn't make it any less weak to Electric attacks, so we have this in the bag."
"Raichu." Electchu agreed, grinning.
"I doubt you will. We're gonna flood this stadium and make it our ocean." Nessa said as she returned Drednaw to its Pokéball. "Time to Dynamax!"
The audience cheered again as Galar Particles went inside Nessa's Pokéball, and it grew to nearly half her size. She threw it toward the field, and Drednaw came out ginormous as it roared again. Timothy stared at Dynamax Drednaw before turning to Electchu with a sympathetic look.
"Alright, pal, time to bite the bullet," he said as he took out Electchu's Pokéball. "Are you ready?"
Electchu bit its lip as it hesitated before it put up a brave face and gave Timothy a nod. The Mouse Pokémon begrudgingly returned to its Pokéball and Galar Particles came out from Timothy's Dynamax Band into the Pokéball. Timothy once again nearly dropped the ball as it grew big before he threw it. The Pokéball opened, and Electchu came out as tall as Drednaw. Sparks came out of its cheeks as it glared at its opponent. Timothy scanned Dynamax Electchu to see what moves it had.
"Let's see, Max Strike, Max Steelspike, and Max Lightning. It looks like it does depend on what moves you have before being Dynamaxed," he said to himself before putting on a competitive smirk. "No matter. The Electric move is all we need. Electchu, use Max Lightning!"
Dynamax Electchu released a bolt of yellow electricity from its body into the sky. A storm cloud formed in the sky and released a massive lightning bolt that struck Dynamax Drednaw from above. Dynamax Drednaw roared in pain as Electric Terrain covered the field.
"Drednaw, use Max Darkness!" Nessa shouted.
Dynamax Drednaw lifted its head and roared again as two beams of dark energy emerged from opposite sides of its head. The beams flew over to Dynamax Electchu and wrapped around the Mouse Pokemon before exploding in a ball of dark energy. Dynamax Electchu screamed in pain, but it didn't receive as much damage as its opponent.
"Electchu, use Max Lightning again!" Timothy shouted.
Electchu unleashed another massive bolt of lightning from its body, and it struck down on Dynamax Drednaw. The bite Pokemon's body was covered with electric burns and was panting heavily. Nessa frowned, knowing her partner couldn't take another hit.
"Drednaw, use Max Geyser!" She shouted.
"Dodge and use Max Lightning one more time!" Timothy shouted.
Dynamax Electchu took a step back, preparing to move away, but stopped upon realizing it was too slow and had no room to move. Dynamax Drednaw unleashed a massive stream of water from its mouth at the opponent, hitting Electchu in the stomach. Dynamax Electchu groaned from the pain before giving Dynamax Drednaw another glare. With a loud "Raichu," it unleashed another bolt of lightning that fell on its opponent. Dynamax Drednaw screamed until its legs gave out, falling on its stomach. With a red flash, the Bite Pokémon reverted to regular size, lying down with swirly eyes.
"Drednaw is unable to battle!" The referee announced. "Electchu wins, which means the victor of this match is number seven, Timothy!"
The audience roared with thunderous applause. Nessa sighed as she returned Drednaw to its Pokéball and walked over to Timothy. Electchu returned to its regular size and ran over to Timothy, who knelt down to pat it on the head.
"Excellent work, Electchu," he said.
"Cha," Electchu squealed.
Timothy's smile grew as his partner enjoyed the affection. He noticed Nessa walking over to him and Electchu from the corner of his eye, and he stood up to face her.
"Congratulations, Timothy. My Pokémon and I were no match for you and your team." she said.
"Thanks. I must admit your Pokémon put up a better fight than Milo's Pokémon did, even with the type disadvantage." Timothy said.
"They sure did, and I wouldn't want it any other way. After all, giving it everything you've got is key for a Pokemon trainer. I hope you will continue to seize victories in the Gym Challenge with your Pokémon," Nessa said as she reached into her shorts pocket and took out a badge. "Until then, I present to you the Water Badge as proof of beating me in battle."
"Thank you, Nessa." Timothy said.
Timothy took the badge from Nessa's hand and then took out the ring containing the Grass Badge. He attached the Water Badge to the ring and raised it into the air for everyone in the stadium to see. The crowd cheered again before an announcer was heard through the speakers.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we will again take a short break for Nessa's Pokémon to heal before the next battle starts. Until then, let's hear it once again for number 7, Timothy!"
The crowd cheered one more time, and Timothy and Electchu waved as they walked to the exit from their side of the field. As they walked down the hall back to the waiting room, Timothy looked at the ring containing his two Gym Badges. The edges of his mouth curled up slightly before turning to Electchu.
"Feels a little nice collecting badges again," he said. "Brings back memories of collecting badges for other Pokémon Leagues."
"Raichu," Electchu said with a smile.
They walked to the end of the hall, where Ned was still sitting on the bench in the waiting room. Ned played with his fingers until he heard Timothy and Electchu come in. He lifted his head up and immediately saw the Water Badge attached to Timothy's ring, and he stood up, beaming.
"Alright! I knew you would get your second badge," Ned said as he lifted his hand up to high-five Timothy. "Didn't seem to take you long."
"I had the type advantage for most of the match, so it's no big deal," Timothy said.
"Raichu," Electchu said proudly.
"Awesome. I wish I had a type advantage for my battle." Ned said.
"Don't think too much about it, Ned. Just give it your best," Timothy said. "Having a type advantage is great, but it doesn't guarantee a victory. Remember that."
"I'll try," Ned said. "Are you, Coovers, and Gwen going to stay to watch the other battles? It would be awesome if you guys could watch me battle."
"Love to, Ned, but we plan to leave as soon as my battle is over," Timothy said.
Ned frowned and said, "Probably because Gwen has her schedule, no doubt?"
"Pretty much," Timothy said. "But best of luck to you out there. Hope to see you for the third badge."
"Count on it," Ned said with a grin.
The two men fist-bumped each other before Timothy and Electchu left the waiting room, waving to Ned as they left.