A/N: Aaaaaaaand we're back! I uhhhhh completely forgot about this chapter so no battle against Raihan yet but I *promise* it'll be the next one. Just had to tie up a loose end quick and get the band back together. Enjoy the chapter! It was a fun one to write!


"Gloria, the Corviknight isn't gonna be perching here all night, you know!" Mum called from outside, her voice not even bothering to hide her annoyance.

I shoved a final pair of socks into my shoulder bag and grumbled. "Not like I have any other ways to fly to Hammerlocke," I muttered under my breath, knowing far better than to argue with mum in peak irritation. But then again, it was probably best I didn't have Flygon jet me there; I'd need him fighting fit to take on Raihan, and as cool as it would look to show up in Hammerlocke on his haunches, the last thing I'd need was one of my Pokémon out of commission purely for a stylish entry. I zipped the bag up and pulled it onto my shoulder with a grunt, swiped my belt of Pokéballs, and was almost out the door before I noticed the small box on my bedside table. Marnie's gift from when we went our separate ways. I swore quietly, and then pocketed it, stuffing it into my sweater pocket alongside my Rotom Phone. I didn't know why, but something was telling me that I shouldn't leave it in Postwick. Satisfied that I had everything, I bounded out my bedroom door and out the front door into the autumn day, where Mum was waiting with Hop and the Corviknight cabbie.

There was a burst of wind, blowing a pair of errant orange leaves across my face and filling my nostrils with crisp harvest air. In front of me, there were two Corviknight waiting to take flight, and while Mum seemed stressed about the timing of it all, the cabbie was deep in conversation with Hop, examining the Corviknight that was not currently perched atop a black cartridge.

"No doubt it's a fine bird," he was saying. "No such thing as a bad one. These steel feathers're a bit heavier than mine, see? Probably makes 'er a bit slower in flight."

"She's quick when she needs to be," Hop argued, "besides, a bit more armor is never a bad thing in a bat—oh, Gloria! 'Bout time you came down!"

"Sorry about that," I muttered sheepishly.

"Don't mention it," the cabbie said, turning around and smiling jubilantly. "Not every day I get to talk shop with a fellow Corviknight enthusiast and two top-ten challengers!"

"Comin' for number two, Gloria," Hop smirked. "You're on borrowed time, mate!"

"What, with this hunk of metal? Cinderace would fry 'er up for a morning stew before you got a move in!"

"She's got you there!" chuckled the cabbie. "All set for the ride then, Miss Dixon?"

"Whenever you are," I smiled. "And please. Just Gloria."

"And one more thing…"

"Yeah?"

He held out a Pokéball and a marker. "Would you sign this? There's a Yamper in here, going to be a gift for my daughter. She's been watchin' your every move since you battled Milo, been beggin' me and the wife to get her a Yamper for her first partner. It'd mean the world."

"Er, of course, gladly!" I said, taking and signing it and trying to not blush nearly as brightly as I was while Hop, snickering, climbed into the cab.

"You're my favorite to win, you know," the cabbie said as he took the ball and pen back. "Might even make Leon break a sweat."

"You didn't say that to me!" Hop whined sarcastically from the seat as I clambered into the cab after him. I waved to Mum and shut the door tightly with a loud clunk. Soon we were lurching into the sky and on our way to Hammerlocke.


"Nervous?" Hop asked after a while.

"What?" I asked, snapping back to attention. I had resigned to staring out the window, thumbing Marnie's gift inside my sweater pocket.

"You've been zoning out, mate," Hop laughed. "Can't blame you, though. Every time we're in Hammerlocke, it seems like the world's about to end."

"Only twice," I chuckled, looking back out the window. "Besides. Leon and Raihan have Eternatus under control, right? We should be safe to finish up the gym challenge, shouldn't we?"

"In theory," Hop said with a shrug. "But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't also a bit nervous. But maybe it's just the battle with Raihan that's got me so jumpy."

"Oh, I know we can handle him," I retorted, rolling my eyes.

"You'd think," Hop said. "But the thing is, after seven badges, Gym Leaders can organize the battle however they want. It's s'posed to be a final challenge or sorts. It's not standardized by the

"We can still take him," I said. "I know my team and what they're capable of."

Hop grinned. "Me too, but don't get too cocky. I'd hate for you to lose that precious second place so late in the challenge, at least without me takin' it from you."

"Dream on," I replied, rolling my eyes even harder than the first time.

"Sounds like a good idea, actually," Hop replied with a yawn. "Hard to stay awake in these, innit?" And soon enough, he was asleep, snoring in rhythm to the steady beat of Corviknight's wings above, and I was left to my own devices. I wasn't tired, so I took to playing with Marnie's gift again, this time pulling it out and taking it out of the case. It was only here that I noticed that it was attached to a fine silver chain, thin enough to be from a Joltik's web. Despite its apparent frailty, it felt strong, and even giving it a little tug, it remained unbroken. I smiled and wrapped the chain around my neck. The claw fell and came to a rest between my collarbones. Much like when I first touched it, it was cool, nearly ice cold to the touch, and I could feel its sharp edges scrape across my skin with the slightest movement – leave it to Marnie to give me a gift that could kill me if I wasn't careful. I pulled out my Rotom phone, opened the camera app and looked at it. It seemed to suit me, though I was never one for Jewelry. I wondered what possessed Marnie to give it to me but couldn't think much on it when I got a notification for a text onscreen.

Victor: Gloria did the pic go through?

"Damn," I whispered, opening up our chat log. In all the excitement the day before, I plumb forgot about Kubfu's mysterious evolution that Victor had alluded to. The chat log pulled up and sure enough, there was a picture that Victor had taken of himself with his newly evolved Pokémon. What had he called it? Urshifu? I took a closer look.

The bear was massive. As a Kubfu, he might have been up to my waist at the tallest, but now he was positively lumbering over Victor, and though I couldn't get a good read on his size due to the angle of the selfie Victor had taken, it easily dwarfed him by two or even three feet. Gone was his cute, kind of grumpy face, instead replaced by a sharp and long snout that looked sturdy enough that it might have been carved out of gravel. Urshifu's fur pattern was also much whiter; what had been a white tuft upon his chest had stretched down to his belly, looking almost like a knight's tabard.

I frowned. Something about this bear looked oddly…familiar. Maybe it was the angle of the photo? I frowned. It almost looked like a Pangoro. I had seen a few, even battled a couple on my journey. They had similar fur patterns, but, no, I couldn't quite place it. Looks cool! Can't wait to see him in person! I typed back. I settled back into the seat and let the flapping beat lull me into a daydream.


After a few hours, I could sense that the Corviknight was ready to slow his descent. I blinked away the daydream, a bit of a battle plan against Raihan that I had been formulating and looked at the land splayed out below me. Sure enough, we were getting close; the fields around Postwick were long gone, replaced by the rocky crags just to the south of Hammerlocke. The Corviknight took a quick gust, shaking the cab just slightly, and as the giant bird twisted to get back on course, the city finally came into view.

The first thing I noticed was the tower and its distinct lack of crystal standing on top of it. The framework that held it up was all that remained, and it looked almost like a lamp without a lightbulb or a lampshade on it. I held back a snicker as my eyes followed the spire downwards to the rest of the city. There was still a fair amount of damaged property all throughout the city; a good chunk of it already covered with scaffolding, but otherwise, it looked surprisingly peaceful. I allowed myself one sigh of relief. If the people of Hammerlocke were living their lives normally, perhaps the threat of Eternatus was not one I had to worry as much about.

The Corviknight hooked another right and started its descent proper, and soon enough, I could see the train station. It miraculously was still standing, though it was missing half of its roof, and I could even see a train pulling into the station. I wondered if that was Victor's train; I knew we had planned to arrive at about the same time. As we got closer and closer to the plaza, I could start to make out more details. People milling about eating, talking, but one in particular that I honed in on was the figure of a girl in all black, looking up at the incoming Corviknight taxi. I couldn't see them yet, but I knew those emerald eyes were trained on my window already. My heart skipped a beat, and I adjusted my shirt so that Marnie could see that I was wearing her gift the second I would get out of the cab.

"We there yet?" Hop asked groggily.

"Yeah, just a minute more, maybe," I replied, unable and unwilling to hide my excitement at seeing Marnie's figure below.

"Guess you've got someone waiting for you then," Hop said, and I swear I could hear his eyes spinning in their sockets. I didn't care, and right as the cab came onto the ground with a dull clunk, I pushed the door open and hopped out onto the pavement.

"Gloria, you're worse than a Yamper," Marnie groaned as I jumped at her, pulling her into a big hug, and when I finally loosened my grip, she pulled me back into a hug, bringing her lips to mine and kissing me with a warm welcome.

"Yeah, good to see you too, Marnie," Hop said with a grunt. "Can you loosen your hooks on her for a sec, Gloria? You've got some luggage to attend to."

I let out an exaggerated sigh and let go of her, whirling around to help Hop with the bags. Marnie's eyes darted down to my chest, and she squinted her eyes at the claw around my neck. "You've still got that around then?" she asked quizzically.

"Of course," I said with a grunt, shouldering my bag and walking back up to her. "You got it for me, and it looks nice, so…"

"I told you before," she said, withholding a snicker, "it ain't for you."

"But you—"

"Here, you twit," she sighed, grabbing the claw and pulling it gingerly off my neck. "Where's Sneasel?"

"Er, right here, lemme just—" I said, tapping the button on Sneasel's Pokéball from atop the bag. There was a flash of bright light and Sneasel stood before us. She crouched low, ready to battle, but upon seeing it was just Marnie, Hop, and I alone together in the plaza, she eased up a bit and eyed Marnie warily. Marnie knelt so she was at eye level and extended her arm out, handing the claw to Sneasel. Sneasel glanced at Marnie, then at me, and took a couple steps back.

"You both don't know what this is, do you?" Marnie said, trying even harder to withhold that snicker.

"Gimme that," I grumbled, swiping the chain from her hand. "Sneasel's not one to take things from strangers. C'mere, it's for you," I said sweetly, beckoning Sneasel to come forward. As she stepped toward me, I could feel the claw grow ever colder, even though it was dangling from the bottom of the chain eight inches from my arm. Sneasel's eyes glinted in recognition, and she looked up to me hesitantly.

"Marnie, what is this thing?" I asked,

"It's called a razor claw," Marnie said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the universe. "I know I had no issue trouncing Raihan, but if you want Sneasel to compete at her best, you might want to let her have it."

"I don't think the league would approve me bringing her on with a knife," I said dully.

This time it was Hop who withheld laughter. "It'll help Sneasel evolve, dummy," he explained. "You ever hear of a Pokémon called Weavile? Bloody nightmares if you ask me, mate. If your Sneasel evolves, she'll be so much faster and so much stronger."

"Oh, right!" I cried. "Embarrassing for me, huh? What do you think, Sneasel? You up for it? We could always use a little more power!" I waved the claw closer to her. Sneasel took another step back and looked at me, scrutinizing me. Then she took a step closer to the claw. There was something strange in her eyes, a look that I hadn't seen much of since I first captured her.

"What's the wait for?" Hop asked.

"Not sure," Marnie said. "Just give her the claw, Gloria. You want the fire power, don't you?"

"Of course, I do," I replied. "C'mon, Sneasel? You want in on this?"

Sneasel looked hard at me, and I felt a separate chill, completely separate from the one radiating off the razor claw. Sneasel stared at me like that for two seconds before she broke her gaze off me. She looked down at the ground, gave the tiniest of sighs, and, dragging her feet, walked over to me, reaching out for the claw. Even as she reached for it, she didn't take her eyes off the cobble of the street.

"Hold up," I said, yanking it back towards me. Sneasel stopped in her tracks. Marnie and Hop both looked at me quizzically, but I paid them no mind. "Sneasel, I want you to be fully honest with me. Do you want this?"

"Why the bloody hell not?" Hop muttered. Marnie shushed him, not taking her eyes off me.

Sneasel kept her eyes on the ground and brought her small claw closer to the razor claw in my hand. She was close enough now that I could see she was trembling. Just as she was about to touch it, Sneasel darted her eyes up to me. There was determination in them, but perhaps determination wasn't the right word. There was just the slightest glint of fear right behind them. I ripped the claw further away, folding my arm into my chest. The claw was like ice against my ribcage, but I ignored it.

"You don't want this, do you?" I asked.

"Why the bloody hell n—OOF!" Hop's outburst was quickly silenced by a precision jab in the stomach from Marnie, who still was staring at me. Sneasel looked back at me, and that determination that I thought I had seen just a second ago was gone, replaced entirely by the fear hiding behind it.

"Sneasel," I said slowly, quietly. "I'm not your first trainer, am I?"

Sneasel shook her head slowly. Her eyes darted to me, then Marnie, then Hop, and then back to me.

"That's what we figured," I sighed. "I dunno why you lost your first trainer, but I think I'm starting to put some pieces together now. They didn't think you were strong enough; didn't think you were worthy to keep around, is that right?"

Sneasel paused and looked back down to the ground again. She reached out for the Razor claw again, but I stuffed it into my pocket, so it was out of sight.

"Do you think you're strong enough?" I asked flatly.

Sneasel looked back up to me with such sadness that I could feel it in my chest. I crossed my legs and sat in front of her so that we were eye to eye.

"I don't know what your last trainer was thinking, but I do know that's a load of rubbish," I said stiffly. Sneasel cocked her head, and I cleared my throat to continue. "Me saying otherwise probably won't change your mind any time soon, but it's rubbish I tell you, and you are perfect and strong and fast just the way you are. If they couldn't see that it's on them. You should evolve when you're ready to, if you even want to, not just because I want you to be however much stronger you would be in theory. You don't need to change a thing for me to keep you around."

Sneasel's eyes softened, and she looked around at the three of us again. She then looked at my pocket, where my hand was still clutching the claw inside.

I slowly let go of the and pulled my empty hand out. "I can keep the claw nearby whenever you want it or feel ready to evolve. But it's your call." I held the empty hand out to Sneasel, who slowly placed her claw in mine before taking another step back, signaling her answer. "Right," I said. "No go then." I stood up and smiled at her. Sneasel blinked a couple times, and then her sharp eyes finally brightened, and she hopped up with her typical devastating speed and nuzzled her muzzle underneath my jaw before hopping back to her Pokéball and tapping it, disappearing inside with a flash of red.

"Never met a Pokémon that didn't want to evolve," Hop said. "You do know that might make the difference between you beating Raihan or not."

"It will," I said, turning to Marnie. "After all, someone once told me that power isn't everything in a battle. I'd rather have a Sneasel that fully trusts me than a Weavile who's only what she is because of obligation. Sorry, Marnie, I may have to hold on to that gift for a bit—"

Marnie pounced, wrapping her arms around my shoulders and kissed me intensely. When she finally pulled away, her face was beet red, and her eyes were twinkling.

"Er, glad you're not too mad about it, then," I giggled, feeling my face grow just as hot as hers.

"Sorry," Marnie gulped. "Somethin' kinda clicked and I…sorry."

"No, definitely do that whenever you want," I insisted, giggling again. Marnie smiled softly and planted another one on me for good measure.

"I, er, hate to break up such a beautiful moment, but one of you do owe me the fare," the cabbie said suddenly, walking up from his Corviknight.

"Right!" Hop said, digging around for his wallet and blushing as well.


"So, what's the plan with the gym battle then?" Marnie asked as we waited for Victor on a bench some twenty minutes later. Hop was out at the café next door, grabbing us a snack while we waited.

"I dunno, but I feel like Sneasel will come through for me," I replied with a shrug. "Otherwise, full steam ahead. It's not like I had been planning on having a Weavile for the battle anyway."

"You think she'll even want to use the claw?"

"She'll let me know," I said with a smile. Just then, the glass doors of the station slid open, and a new rush of people walked out, fresh from their journey, among them I saw a young boy in a scruffy looking gray knit cap and medium brown hair come out. "Vic!" I called out, standing up from the bench and waving. He looked around for a bit before spotting us, gave an excited wave, and jogged over to greet us. I jogged up to meet him and gave him a tight squeeze.

"Easy there, Bewear," Victor chuckled, prying me off of him.

"Oh, you know he's going to hug you when I call him out next," I warned with a grin.

"You saw the picture with Urshifu, right?" Victor asked.

"Yeah, did you not see my reply?"

"No, I mean, oh, you'll find out soon enough."

"Vic," Marnie grunted, walking up behind me.

"Good to see you again too, Marnie," Victor grinned. "Wow, it's like we've got the whole band back together, huh? Where's Hop? Eating? I got a surprise for him." He pulled out a Pokéball and tossed it up and down in his hand.

"Am I really that predictable?" Hop asked, jogging up with a bag of snacks.

"Sure are," Victor said. "Better learn to switch it up, or else I'm gonna knock you out of the Pokémon League."

"That's a lie," Hop scoffed with mock offense.

"Want me to prove it?" Victor challenged, clutching the Pokéball firmly in his hand and holding it up to his face.

Hop blinked. "You know what, yeah, let's do it! Right here! One on one!" He pulled a Pokéball off his belt and held it up, so it was right next to Victor's. "Got a surprise for you, too! Not even Gloria knows about this one!"

"Knows about what now?" I asked, glancing at Marnie, who shrugged.

"Let's make it official then," Victor said, pulling out his Rotom phone. Hop did the same, and soon, their two phones zipped into the air, circling about and scanning the area. Victor and Hop jogged out to each end of the plaza while the people milling about stopped and looked over curiously. They quickly realized who was about to battle and started to murmur excitedly.

Hop was the first to call out his Pokémon, and in a flash of white light, Thwackey stood, ready to fight, only it was much taller and meaner looking. Gone was his short, lime green fur, and in its place was course brown fur that covered his limbs and only his limbs, exposing a greyish-brown torso rippling with muscle. Like the leaves of a jungle, his hair tumbled wildly down from his head, and underneath his mop of hair, he glared out towards Victor with patient yet intimidating eyes. He had evolved into a Rillaboom.

"What an ugly mug," Marnie grimaced, though I could tell she was impressed.

"Hop, what the hell, when was this?" I cried in excitement.

"A couple weeks ago," he bragged. "We were doing some private training and I was planning on saving this surprise for our next battle."

"Bet you five quid that he plum forgot to tell you," Marnie said dryly. I snorted.

"Alright, surprises abound," Victor said, tossing his own Pokéball out. "C'mon Urshifu!"

There was a flash of light and Urshifu was there in the fur right in front of me. My eyes widened. The picture Victor took truly did not do the Pokémon justice. Hop's Rillaboom was certainly a tall Pokémon, but even it was dwarfed by Urshifu, who looked around calmly at his surroundings before eyeing his opponent. Rillaboom twitched, ready for his first command, but Urshifu did not look even the slightest bit fazed. Instead, he grinned, as if relishing the challenge, and after a deep breath to center himself, he spread his legs, settling into a combat-ready position and brought his fists up.

I blinked. No, it couldn't be. I definitely recognized that Pokémon before. There was a fluttering in my chest. I couldn't explain how I knew, but Zacian also was stirring inside of me. She recognized him too.

"Are you kidding me right now?" Marnie asked. I looked over her and saw that her eyes were wide in shock. She hadn't seen Urshifu in dreams before (that I knew of), but she must have recognized him as well. After all, she was with us near all the giant statues. She and I watched Bede break the wall down from the shade of the giant bear statue. The giant Urshifu statue.

"Hop! Do you—" I began to ask, but I could also tell from a glance that he also had figured out what the big surprise was. His jaw wasn't on the ground, but that was not due to a lack of effort. He stood, arms at his side, completely gobsmacked.

"It's no Zacian or Zamazenta, but I think he can hold his own," Victor chuckled, clearly pleased with himself that he had surprised the lot of us.

Hop shook his head and brought his hands to his face, clapping his cheeks so he could focus up. "You can't rattle us like that. C'mon, Rillaboom, let's kick up some Grassy Terrain!"

"Aerial Ace!" Victor shouted, and the battle commenced. Rillaboom roared with all his might, and as he did, sprouts of weeds sprung up from in between the cracks in the cobble. I couldn't believe how many there were, but on closer inspection they seemed to be an illusive effect, as if Rillaboom had created a patch of grassy energy across the entire battlefield. Urshifu, however, was not paying attention to the terrain change and instead landed a couple powerful blows across Rillaboom's chest, knocking him back a few feet, before hopping back and assuming his ready position.

"Pretty quick, huh?" Victor grinned.

"I'll show you quick, Vic!" Hop cried triumphantly. "Now Rillaboom, Grassy Glide!"

Before Urshifu or Victor had a chance to react, Rillaboom was on top of Urshifu, sliding across the terrain as if he were an ice skater on a rink, almost as quickly as maybe Boltund or Sneasel, and easily as powerful. With a powerful body check, Rillaboom knocked Urshifu off his feet, but Urshifu quickly recovered, and with the order from Victor, countered with a Brick Break Attack. His fist crashed into Rillaboom, sending him skidding toward Hop after the powerful exchange of blows.

"Damn, how are either of them still standing?" I asked, amazed.

"It's the Grassy Terrain," Marnie explained. "This aura has small healing properties. The technique is just about the only thing that keeps Milo from bein' the lowest rank gym leader consistently."

"Grassy Glide again!" Hop cried.

"Detect, then Ice Punch!" Victor roared.

Rillaboom launched itself forward with that same devastating speed, but this time Urshifu was able to handle it, leaning forward and changing his center of gravity so he could take minimal damage and keep on his feet. As he did so, his right fist glowed white as snow and he lurched forward, sending a punch at point blank range. "Watch out!" Hop yelped, and Rillaboom leapt backwards, but Rillaboom wasn't quite as fast this time around, and though he missed the brunt of the blow, Urshifu still managed to graze his chin, sending tiny icicles scattering to the ground.

The two continued to trade blows, chipping away at each other with devastating speed and power. A small crowd began to form, and great cheers erupted from them every time Rillaboom made a decisive hit. Urshifu, however, still refused to yield, and as the battle wore on, I noticed that Victor was keeping him defensive, waiting for the perfect time to strike. Finally, that moment arrived, as the green aura around the two Pokémon's feet slowly faded away.

"Now, wicked blow!" Victor cried suddenly.

"Let's end this! Wood Hammer!" Hop roared.

Their two Pokémon charged at each other, but now that Rillaboom didn't have the speed advantage with his Grassy Glide, he was wide open for a hit. Urshifu took the opening and punched with a wicked uppercut, landing square in Rillaboom's chest with a dense thud that almost knocked the wind out of me and sending Rillaboom into the air from the force. I saw Hop grimace, but his anxiety was quickly replaced with triumph. I looked back just in time to see Rillaboom raise his arms high in the air, each massive fist glowing with green energy, and with gravity pulling him back down to the ground, he swung with all his might, crashing both fists into Urshifu. Urshifu quickly toppled over, and Rillaboom stood above him, howling wildly and beating his chest. Urshifu lay back, breathing heavily; he knew when he was beat. Victor quickly called him back into his Pokéball and the two Rotom phones zipped back to their owners, tabulating their new ranks.

The audience, now twenty or thirty strong, roared in excitement as Hop and Victor shook hands. Marnie and I jogged up to them as well.

"Bloody hell, for a sec I really thought we had you," Victor said weakly.

"I got a little nervous myself," Hop admitted, clapping a hand on Rillaboom's shoulder, "But I knew I could count on Rillaboom. He's been through it all with me, he has, I didn't doubt you for a second, mate!" Rillaboom grunted warmly as Hop returned him to the Pokéball. "But I will say," Hop continued, his face darkening a bit, "You, er, mind telling us about this Urshifu?"

"Looks just like the one that keeps showing up in those Darkest Day stories, huh?" Victor said excitedly.

Hop and I exchanged a glance. "Yeah," I said. "He, er, plays a big part."

"Something I should know about what happened in the Weald?" Victor asked.

"I would also like to not be out of the loop anymore," Marnie said pointedly.

I laughed nervously. "I think…I think there's a lot we need to catch you both up on," I said.


A/N: Gloria then sends her a link to SWORD AND SHIELD: The Would-Be Champions and tells her to read up. But actually, most of that conversation is happening off-screen, because there's something much more important coming up.

NEXT WEEK: TAMING THE DRAGON TAMER