"A camp out bought our heroes face to face with the ghost of a Pokémon, but Gloria was able to face her fears temporarily to help it to move on. Now arriving in Stow-on-Side, will Victor be able to win his fourth Gym Badge…?"

"Round the Block"

Victor and Gloria just arrived in Stow-on-Side, with Gloria stretching her arms. The two look at each other and smile.

"Yamp! Yamp!"

They look ahead to see a Yamper running up to them, excitedly.

"A Yamper?" Victor realizes, before looking to his friend. "Do you think?"

"Of course, it's Sonia's," Gloria realizes.

"I should've known," Sonia approaches the group. "No wonder Yamper got so happy. It senses some old friends."

"Sonia, I forgot you said you were coming to Stow-on-Side," Gloria says, as Victor knees down to pet Yamper.

"Yeah, and I guess you came here for Victor's next Gym Battle," Sonia says.

Victor nods his head and stands up, "It would be my fourth Gym Badge, if I win."

"I'm sure you'll do great," Sonia tells her friends.

"So, Sonia, how's your research into the Darkest Day going?" Gloria asks.

Sonia smiles, "See for yourself. At Stow-on-Side's mural."

Victor and Gloria look at each other.

Sonia, Victor, Gloria, and Yamper walk up a flight of stairs to see a painting on a cliffside, showing a sword and shield, surrounded by what appeared to be flowers and under what resemble a sun with a black line over the sun.

"This is the mural?" Gloria asks.

"It's actually a modern depiction of the ancient artwork that once was here but faded over time," Sonia explains. "It's supposed to represent the Darkest Day, or at the very least related to it."

Sonia crosses her arms, as Victor takes a step closer, "There's a sword and shield, just like with the tapestries in the Hammerlocke Vault."

"And the statue in the inn, back at Motostoke," Gloria adds, taking a step up to Victor.

"Obviously a sword and shield is the one thing all these depictions got in common, relating to the Darkest Day," Sonia says, before looking at the top of the mural. "That must be the sun, with dark clouds over it, just like the storm all the stories of the Darkest Day mentioned."

"But what with the flowers all over the place?" Gloria asks, tilting her head.

"They could represent the peaceful aftermath of the Darkest Day, or the king, or kings, that saved Galar, another possible, they aren't flowers at all," Sonia suggests.

"If they aren't flowers, then what are they?" Gloria asks.

"Perhaps, Wishing Stars," Sonia answers.

"Wishing Stars?" Victor looks over to his friend.

"Yeah, they were first found in the Galar region after the Darkest Day," Sonia explains.

Victor looks back to the mural, and whispers, "Wishing Stars…"

Gloria's Rotom Phone flies up in front of her, "What?! Victor, the time."

Victor looks over to her.

"If you're gonna make it to your scheduled Gym Battle, you need to go now," Gloria says.

"Oh, right! I almost forgot," Victor says.

Sonia smiles, "I'm sorry, if my little endeavor distracted you. But I'm looking forward to watching your Gym Battle."

"Thanks," Victor says, before looking back to the mural. "This is it. My fourth Gym Battle."

In the Stow-on-Side Stadium, seating among the stands are Gloria, Sobble on her lap, Sirfetch'd and Orbeetle in seats to her right, and Sonia and Yamper in seats to her left. Gloria and Sonia share smiles, before they look ahead at the arena.

In the center of the arena, "To everyone who doesn't know me, I am Dan the referee of the Galar League, and it is my proud duty to referee this match. Now…"

Victor stands out at the top of a long slope, next to a large teacup, with a wheel at the center of the teacup.

"In this Gym Mission," Dan's voice continues to be heard over a loudspeaker. "The Gym Challenger, Victor, must navigate his way through an obstacle course inside a spinning teacup."

Victor looks to the teacup, as Dan's voice continues, "Victor is also allowed the use of any one of his Pokémon to assist him."

Gloria tilts her head slightly, "Kinda sound like the Rotom Rally Race."

Sobble looks up at its Trainer, before looking back ahead, "Sobbl."

Victor sits in the teacup, "Doesn't look too hard."

Suddenly, a seat belt locks in around Victor's waist, before he lays his hands on the wheel, with the teacup starting spinning on its own. The teacup starts sliding down the slope, continuing to spin.

The teacup is spinning toward a couple thin pillars sticking out of the ground, with Victor panicky turning the wheel, to motion the teacup away, but it bumps against the side of a pillar, and spins to the side, hitting the wall. Victor tries to turn the wheel again, but the teacup bumps against some pillars, then spins to the other side and bumps some more, before bumping against some more pillars.

"This is getting me nowhere," Victor holds up a Poké Ball. "Maybe this will help." Victor throws the Poké Ball straights up. "Go, Scorbunny!"

A beam of red energy shoots down onto the teacup, forming Scorbunny, "Scor!"

"Scorbunny, jumps onto the obstacles and uses Double Kick to knock the teacup away," Victor instructs.

"Scor!" Scorbunny nods its head and jumps off the teacup.

Scorbunny lands on a pillar, as the teacup spins toward it, before Scorbunny jumps up, spins around, kicks the teacup once, spins and kicks it again, "Scor!"

The teacup is knocked away, before Scorbunny jumps off the pillar and lands on another. It then jumps up, spins around and kicks the teacup twice, knocking it back.

"Scor!" Scorbunny jumps off the pillar, lands on another, then jumps back up, spins, and kicks the teacup twice, knocking it away.

"Alright, Scorbunny, we're doing it!" Victor turns the wheel.

Suddenly, a ghoulish hand on a spring pops out of the wall, and slams into the side of the teacup, knocking it away, with Victor screaming.

"Scor!" Scorbunny calls out, before it jumps off the pillar it was standing on.

"C'mon, just need to get it under control," Victor turns the wheel back and forth.

Another ghoulish hand springs out of the wall the teacup is heading toward.

"Scor!" Scorbunny jumps through the air, spins around and kicks the ghoulish hand, knocking it back slightly, before turning back around and kicking the side of the teacup, knocking it back. "Scor!"

Scorbunny then jumps off the ghoulish hand as it bounces back.

Scorbunny lands on the teacup, with Victor looking at it, "Good job, Scorbunny."

"Scor," Scorbunny rubs the back of its head.

The teacup slides to a stop at the bottom of the slope.

"Gym Mission is completed!" Dan is heard announces, as Victor stands back up. "Victor passed!"

"Sobbl," Sobble happily says.

Gloria smiles, "I'm glad Victor passed the Gym Mission."

"I'm glad that I don't have to do something like that, I would be dizzy all day," Sonia jokes.

Gloria and Sonia share a laugh.

Unaware to everyone, the wild Silicobra comes out of the entrance at the top of the stands, nervously looking around at all of the people and Pokémon, before starting watching the arena.

"Now, it is time for the moment everyone has been waiting for!" Dan announces, over a round of applause. "First, is the Stow-on-Side Gym Leader, Allister!"

Allister enters the arena, waving his arms at his side as he moves.

"And now, the Gym Challenger, Victor!"

Victor enters the arena from the other side. Victor raises a hand at Allister, on the other side of the arena, with Allister nodding his head in response.

At that moment, transmitters start to emerge from the ground around the edge of the arena, before bright lights emerge from them, creating a large dome-shaped barrier around and above the arena.

"Both opponents use three Pokémon, but only the Gym Challenger could switch his Pokémon," Dan says, before he raises an arm. "Now, let the Gym Battle begin!"

"Go, Pikachu!" Victor throws a Poké Ball.

"Pika Pi!"

"Go… Mimikyu," Allister throws a Poké Ball.

"Mimi…"

"What is that?!" Gloria screams, before she sees Sonia looking over to her, with Gloria then looks down, blushing.

Victor's Rotom Phone flies up, "Mimikyu, the Disguise Pokémon, It wears a rag fashioned into a Pikachu costume in an effort to look less scary. Unfortunately, the costume only makes it creepier."

"Pika…?" Pikachu tilts its head slightly.

"Mimi…"

"We will start with the first move," Allister starts. "Mimikyu, use Shadow Sneak."

"Mimi…" Mimikyu's shadow stretches out from under its rag, to behind Pikachu and stretches out of the ground, striking Pikachu in the back.

"Pika!"

"Pikachu, we need to move fast, use Quick Attack," Victor instructs.

"Pika!" Pikachu starts running ahead at a breakneck speed.

"Mimikyu, continue with Shadow Sneak," Allister says.

"Mimi…" Mimikyu's shadow stretches out and strikes at Pikachu, who runs left to right, dodging each attempted attack.

"Alright, Pikachu, you almost got it!" Victor calls out.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu runs ahead.

"Mimikyu, Slash," Allister instructs.

"Mimi…"

A claw-shaped shadow lunges out from beneath Mimikyu's rag, with Pikachu leaps over Mimikyu, before slamming its body against Mimikyu. Pikachu hops over Mimikyu, who holds back its body, with its head going limp to the side.

"What is wrong with its neck?!" Gloria yells.

Gloria then looks around, as people and Pokémon are staring at her, before she looks down, blushing.

Sonia looks over to her friend, with a sweat drop, "I think Pikachu just busted Mimikyu's disguise."

"We get one hit in, we can get another, Pikachu, Thunder Shock," Victor instructs.

"Pika Pi, Chu!" Pikachu calls out, as blasts of electricity shoot from its cheeks.

"Mimikyu, dodge," Allister instructs.

"Mimi…" Mimikyu moves left to right, dodging blasts of electricity, and then turns around, continuing to dodge.

"Having its disguise busted isn't slowing it down," Victor realizes. "Pikachu, gets in close while using Thunder Shock!"

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu runs ahead, while continuing to shoot blasts of electricity from its cheeks.

"He's trying to close the distance, without giving us a chance to counter…" Allister realizes. "Clever. Mimikyu, keep on dodging… and use Hone Claws."

"Hone Claws?" Victor repeats.

"Mimi…" Mimikyu moves left to right, dodging electricity blasts, as a pair of claw-like shadows come out from the rags and glows.

"Allister's trying to raise Mimiky's Attack and accuracy," Victor realizes. "Pikachu, give one large blast of Thunder Shock, then switch into Quick Attack!"

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu shoots a blast of electricity from its cheeks, before starting to run at a breakneck pace.

"Mimi…" Mimikyu moves to the side, dodging the electricity blast.

"He's moving from one attack to the next, not giving us much time to act…" Allister says under his breath. "Not a bad idea…" Allister raises his head, "Mimikyu, use Slash."

"Mimi…"

A claw-shaped shadow stretches out from beneath Mimikyu's rag, with Pikachu dodging to the side and then jumping up.

"Now, Pikachu, Electro Ball!" Victor calls out.

"Mimikyu, Shadow Sneak," Allister instructs.

"Pika!" A ball of electric forms on Pikachu's tail. "Pika pika pika pika pika…"

"Mimi…"

A shadow shoots from beneath Mimikyu's rag, as Pikachu whips its attack, launching the ball of electricity, "Pika-chu!"

The two attacks collide, with the Pokémon inches apart, as a large explosion erupts between them. Victor and Allister watch as Pikachu and Mimikyu are thrown back.

"Pika… Pi…" Pikachu says, before it suddenly collapses with its eyes swirling.

"Mi… mi…" Mimikyu collapses to the side.

"Pikachu and Mimikyu are unable to battle, this is a tie!" Dan announces.

"Wow, this is close…" Gloria says.

"Not just that," Sonia starts, with Gloria looking over to her. "Victor was able to adapt on the fly by switching from one attack to the next thanks to Pikachu's speed, but Allister was inspired and did the same."

Victor holds out a Poké Ball, as a red beam flies out, recalling Pikachu, before he looks at the Poké Ball in his hand, "Allister appeared to be younger than me, but he's still a powerful Gym Leader." Victor looks ahead to see Allister looking at Mimikyu's Poké Ball. "We both still have two Pokémon we can use, how am I supposed to beat him…?"

"Victor had finally arrived for his fourth Gym Badge, but Allister is giving him the challenge worthy of a Gym Leader. Can Victor find a way to beat Allister and his Ghost Pokémon?"

On the outskirts of Stow-on-Side, arriving in town is Bede, who is standing next to a Copperajah, with Bede grinning.

"Find out, as the journey continues…"