A/N: This is the THIRD instance of me thinking I can get everything in one chapter and then realizing that what I want to do is way too much for just one chapter. Am I too wordy? Yes. Will I stop soon? Absolutely not. You can't stop me. But you CAN enjoy the chapter!

"So, this is Galar Mine #2," Victor said.

"Lee said this place was rough," Hop said, nodding. "Says that it's one of the places where the more serious trainers tend to flock to for training. Lots of tough battles that even he had trouble with."

"If you get scared, you can always hold my hand," I suggested dryly. The three of us stood in front of a cave opening, much larger than the one just south of Turffield. It tore through the cliff face like a terrible scar, and though it was dimly lit inside, it was not filled with the technicolor gems that the other mine was filled with. The lights were a fluorescent white-blue, cold and industrial, and though we could still see the occasional sparkle of a gem, they were few and far between Victor had mentioned over breakfast that these mines were largely abandoned by Macro Cosmos a couple decades ago. While there were still some workers in the area, it was mostly those hoping to keep the caves themselves from caving in. The danger, in turn, attracted those strong trainers, who probably didn't do much to help the structural integrity.

"You sure this is the fastest way back to Motostoke? Maybe we can all pool for a Corviknight Cab?" Victor asked, his voice quivering.

"Those things aren't cheap, mate, and we can't waste our traveling stipend on luxury," Hop grinned darkly. "You want to travel fancy, get yourself a brand deal or something. I'm going in because I want to battle." He steeled his resolve and sprinted inside, Victor and me following at a slower pace.

The unnerving lights were bright enough that we never lost our way, though the rocky path constantly took sharp turns and quickly rose and fell in elevation. The walls around us were about as consistent as well; sometimes we would have to squeeze through passages one-by-one, and other times we could only make out the walls when we saw the glint of a wild Pokémon's eye from a few dozen feet away. Very few Pokémon bothered to stick around the second they saw us, and other than their occasional scurrying away, the only sounds we could hear was the echo of our footsteps.

"Kinda peaceful, innit?" Hop asked us, still a few yards ahead.

"Kinda creepy, to be honest," Victor said quietly. I said nothing, choosing instead to focus on a new light source, ahead even of Hop. There was some shouting and Pokémon cries. Perhaps we had reached the trainers?

Hop seemed to have read my mind and sprinted ahead of us, grinning wildly. Victor and I followed, and soon sound began to fill the empty cavern. The cries became more distinct, and sure enough, as we rounded one last corner, we heard multiple trainers cry out moves for their sparring Pokémon.

There was not one specific light source, but several, from whirring Rotom-dexes taking video of each battle as it progressed, several lanterns and Lampents resting on rocks and floating through the musty air respectively, and at least two dozen flashlights and electric torches pointed straight up, casting the massive opening in the caves in an uneven but surprisingly bright glow. Every few hundred feet or so, the walls of the cavern opened up into a small tunnel, I could see a similar glow at the end of those as well. Overall, there were forty other people scattered about the room. Most were clearly trainers, some of which I recognized from our gym battles or just along the pathways between, but there were plenty of people who were just here to watch. Some looked like regular fans, some looked like mine workers on break, and even a couple people were here with microphones and camera crews. One of the camera operators, a stocky man in his mid-40s, was the first to notice us. He nudged the reporter who was there with him, a professional-looking woman in a white blazer and blonde hair sprayed heavily so it could stick in a graceful swoop no matter the air conditions, and the two lumbered over to us.

"Look who we have here," said the reporter in a slick Unovan accent. "The champion-endorsed trainers. We were wondering when we'd finally see you in the Trainers' Cave! Veronica Summers for Unova Channel Five News."

I took a step back and felt my tongue dry up as the cameraman zoomed in to my face. "Uh, yeah, we're, uh, we're on our way to Motostoke to fight Kabu?"

She smiled warmly. "Still a little camera-shy? Don't worry about Mac, he's just setting up the shot. We'd love to get an interview with Leon's chosen, and maybe some footage of you as well?"

"Uh…"

"I think our battles will speak for themselves!" Hop laughed, pulling out a Pokéball and smacking it with his other hand before jogging around asking for trainers.

"I'd rather you speak for yourself!" she called out to him, but to no avail. He had already met with one of the older trainers and was setting up a battle.

"He's like that," I said, trying not to let the camera bother me. "Very excitable."

"All you gym challengers are," she said with a faux annoyance. "You wouldn't mind saying a few words? Nothing crazy, it's just going to be a puff piece for tonight's 6:00 news."

"S…sure," I said.

"Just act like I'm not here," Mac said, lowering a giant boom mic far too close to my face for me to follow the direction he had just given.

The reporter was right, it was easier than I thought, and soon, Victor and I were caught up in a long string of pickup battles alongside Hop. I battled by myself, alongside Victor or Hop, and even alongside trainers I had never met before, getting to see all sorts of unique and fantastic Pokémon and strategies in action. Trainers weren't just coming in from around Galar, either. There was a trainer with black hair and a red cap from the nearby Kalos region, who had an elegant Fletchinder who could fly so quickly even Boltund had a hard time keeping up. One trainer from the Johto region training up her Eevee so she could join the ranks of the Kimono Girls of Ecruteak City. A blonde-haired girl hailing from Alola describing something called a Z-Move as her silver Alolan Vulpix nuzzled up against her legs. The three of us spent hours in the series of caverns battling and chatting with trainers, and thanks to plenty of wandering Berry Vendors and resting areas, our Pokémon never got too tired. Victor managed to do fairly well for himself, although he still lost about a third of his matches. Hop and I on the other hand, quickly made ourselves known as the trainers to beat. No one could come close to us. Raboot in particular was in rare from, sending blazing kicks with almost perfect accuracy, and Hop's Wooloo had perfected its Pinball Tackle strategy, slamming into opponents from all angles. Meanwhile, Mac and Veronica documented almost all of it, as we won ten matches in a row each. I was hoping for win number eleven, against a young trainer from Turffield and his silver furred Minccino.

"Alright, Stufful!" I cried as the panda readied himself. "Hold steady and let it make a move!"

"Minccino! Use Swift!" The small furry rodent hopped into the air in a spritely front flip, conjuring a handful of star-shaped orbs which launched themselves at Stufful with laser-precision. I had seen this move plenty of times; these stars never missed a target, no matter how much they tried to outmaneuver them.

"Don't worry about dodging, just charge ahead and use Flail!" Stufful immediately lurched forward and ran towards the Minccino, letting the stars bash into its fur relentlessly, I honestly didn't know how he could take such a beating and keep dishing out damage, but I wasn't about to complain. As the last star exploded into his fur, Stufful raised up onto his hind legs and waved his arms recklessly, catching the Minccino with not one, but two wild swings and sending the Pokémon skidding back toward its trainer, unable to move.

"Minncino, you've got to get up!" the trainer cried, but to no avail. After a brief analysis, our Rotom phones called the match and the crowd who had gathered to watch my battles let out a cheer. Another one bit the dust.

"Stufful, you were just as amazing as always!" I cried, crouching down and extending my arms, waiting for him to come rushing into my hands. Instead, as Stufful turned back around and cried happily, it jumped up onto its hind legs again and started to glow bright white in the tell-tale signs of an evolution. His glowing form grew bigger and bigger, as the small crowd around us continued to scream in glee, until I found myself looking at a titanic Bewear, who let out a low grumble before rushing at me to accept his victory hug.

"Ah! Stuf—Bewear, let's not—oof!" I cried, as the once tiny and lovable Pokémon picked me up like I was made of cardboard and squeezed me tightly, as if afraid to ever let me go again. His grip was incredible as he swung me from side to side for a solid ten seconds before he finally let me go so I could catch my breath.

"Alright, buddy," I croaked weakly. "We might need a new method of celebration post-battle." Raboot, who had been watching the bout from the sidelines, came up and sniffed at the newly evolved Pokémon before nodding curtly in approval. Boltund kept her distance but looked curiously onward. Victor and Hop rushed me to give me big hugs of their own, but they were both much gentler.

"Gloria! Wow, what an evolution! We got that, right? Please tell me we got that, Mac," I heard Veronica shout from the sidelines.

"Bit weird for you to wait until after the battle to evolve, but I'm glad you're changing up the strategy a bit," Hop laughed, clapping me on the back.

"I've never seen a Bewear this close that wasn't trying to kill me," my opponent said, a little on edge.

"Actually, they're very docile usually," Victor piped up, reaching his hand out and scratching Bewear on the neck. "They're incredibly friendly; they just don't always know their own strength."

"I'd believe that. Great battle, by the way. Your Minccino's spunky as all hell," I said, offering my hand to shake.

The trainer took my hand. "It was my pleasure. We need some harsher training before we go out looking for a Shiny Stone to evolve, ourselves. But once we do, I'm calling for a rematch. You won't be so lucky next time!"

Bewear grunted his acceptance, and I gave a short laugh. "We're both looking forward to it. Alright, you lot, we had a long day of training. I think we're about done for the day, what do you think?" My team looked back at me, and though they were still in great shape, I could tell that they didn't want to push themselves too far either. I really was quite proud of them after today. Boltund was much faster now that she had evolved, and Raboot was really coming into his own with a surprising amount of moves to cover up for his weaknesses. And with Bewear holding up the back end, we had the makings of a team that could go all the way to the Pokémon League.

"Shame you've already called it quits. You almost looked strong enough to be a challenge," came a cold voice behind us. I whipped my head around just in time to see Bede strolling through one of the many holes in the walls, wearing his now trademark violet trench coat and his finest sneer. In his arms was a bag full of gems of some sort. He tossed his curly hair confidently and came to a stop in front of the three of us.

"Bede," Victor said coolly.

"I see you're still around. Shocking you've made it past a single badge," Bede sniped.

"Whoa," Hop interrupted, raising his hands in a stopping motion.

"Ah yes," Bede shot back, "the latest in the Nambarek Battle Dynasty, or whatever. Eight wins today? Not bad, I must admit."

"How many have you won then?" I asked.

"Only fifteen today. Sixteen if you're not scared."

"Maybe I do want a rematch," I said, feeling my face flush in anger. Bewear and Boltund both growled behind me.

Bede laughed. "That hot head of yours is going to get you in trouble one day."

"Stop talking to me like you're my parent or something, jackass," I yelled.

"Language," Bede scolded, wagging a finger. "It's not very becoming of a young lady."

"Oh, I am going to fight you myself, you little worm!" I grumbled, rolling up my sweater sleeves and balling my hands into fists.

"Won't look good on your trainer card if you get disqualified for brawling," Bede spat. "You want to spar; you can try to beat me if you want. But that oaf of a Pokémon won't stand a chance against me."

Bewear growled again, but I knew Bede had a point. Bewear was a fighting type, and if Bede still had three psychic types, maybe even more, and they could hit Bewear harder than anything else we'd faced today. I'd have to be a bit more careful if I was really looking for a battle.

"Tough words, mate," Hop snickered. "Gloria will wipe the floor with you. Tell 'im, Glor."

"Let's get this over with," I muttered.

"I agree. I'd rather watch you lose quickly than pretend to know what you're doing. We'll battle over here." Bede gestured over toward the hole he crawled out of and walked back where he came.

"Gloria, didn't you say you were done?" Victor asked.

"Bewear and I found a second wind," I said bluntly, as I stalked after Bede. Boltund and Raboot followed behind, a bit uneasy at my change in mood.

"Well, he was at least right about the hot head," Hop said, running up to me. I glared at him, but his eye contact didn't falter. "Guy's a real piece of work, sure, but you let someone like him get into your head, you'll lose focus, and you'll lose every time."

"Thanks, Hop," I said. I blinked a couple times to try and get the red out of my vision. He had a point. I had to cool off and keep my head clear if I wanted Bewear to still win at a disadvantage. The two of us walked in silence, with Bewear and Boltund leading a crowd of curious trainers in a bizarre parade to wherever Bede wanted his battle to be taking place.

The crowd slowly filtered through the tunnel and into an opening that was smaller than the main cavern. It was a junction of sorts, with three equally dimly lit passageways at the far end, once again lit with the small fluorescent lights. Bede's pale skin glowed almost blue in their light, and his violet eyes gleamed maliciously as he turned to face me.

"You up for this, Bewear?" I asked. He looked at me and nodded.

"Set your stakes, Gloria," Bede jeered.

"One on one," I said bluntly. "Bewear against whoever you think can take him."

"Deal," he said, and we typed the info into our Rotom-phones. The phones then shot out of our hands and spun around the makeshift arena. Behind me, the crowd slowly started piling in, bringing in some warmer lights with them. Bede's eyes glowed brighter but his face was like a stone, watching me. He plucked a Pokéball from his pocket and held it lazily in one hand. I looked to Bewear and nodded. He walked towards Bede, who in return threw the Pokéball high into the air, sending out his Hatenna, who started humming softly, singing along to a tune that sounded familiar, but I couldn't quite recognize.

"Let him come to you, Bewear," I instructed. Bewear spread his legs in a readied pose, preparing for whatever the Hatenna would try first.

"I thought you were eager to fight," Bede scoffed. "Disarming Voice."

"Let it come and go for Payback!"

Hatenna stood up on its tip toes and screamed, sending an aura of pink shock waves directly to Bewear, who shuddered as they washed over his body. "NOW!" I bellowed, and Bewear rushed the Hatenna, swinging his arm violently toward the little pink Magician's cap.

There was a loud smacking noise and Hatenna went flying, but it landed daintily on its feet and began to hum yet again. Its voice sounded a bit ragged. The dark type move clearly was doing a lot of work, but Bewear looked rough. He had already fought in a lot of battles today; no doubt he was pushing himself a bit further than he should have been. I frowned; I'd have to end this one quickly.

"Flail, Bewear!"

"Psybeam."

Bewear lurched forward again, running directly at Hatenna as it fired off a volley of blackish violet psychic energy, managing to land a hit before Hatenna could hit him with the entire force of the blow. Hatenna flew backward a second time, but this time twisted around so it hit the wall feet first, somewhat cushioning it from the blow. As it did, a loud rumbling erupted all around us and the floor began to shake.

"Bede, what are you doing?"

"I didn't do a thing, you fool!"

"Bewear! Are you still alright?"

The rumbling ceded for a second, and Bewear looked back at me. He was clearly running on fumes at this point, and I don't think Hatenna was doing much better. It fell to the floor, landing on its feet again, but it was no longer humming. Instead, it was frantically running around, completely disregarding any of us.

"Hatenna, pay attention!" Bede screeched. His flare of temper was shocking, and Hatenna suddenly began rushing around even further.

"Perfect!" I cried. "Now finish it off with another flail!"

But Bewear was also feeling very unsure of itself. Instead of rushing the Hatenna, he instead took a couple steps backward, shakily. He spun around and looked at me again, just as the entire arena floor began to shake violently.

"Wha—what's going on?" I shouted.

"Gloria!" I heard Victor yell. The rest of the crowd started screaming and running back the way they came. Raboot and Boltund rushed to my side, and I turned to look back at Bede. He had lost his footing and instead was crawling toward his Hatenna, who at this point was cowering near the edge of the wall.

"Bede, we gotta get out of here!" I yelled, but I couldn't overpower the rumble, which was almost deafening. Suddenly a gigantic rock tumbled from the ceiling and crashed to my left, I screamed, and Bewear rushed toward the three of us. I stumbled with my hands to recall Raboot and Boltund to their Pokéballs just in time for Bewear to leap above me and ram into another rock, keeping it from falling directly on top of me.

"GLORIA!" Hop screamed, but I could barely hear him as more and more boulders started to fall. I watched as Victor grabbed him and pulled him close, avoiding another large boulder, as I felt Bewear grab me again, yanking me harshly to the right. He started pulling me further away from my brother and Hop, and further away from the rest of the crowd.

"Bewear—let go—we're going the—the wrong way!" I screamed as I tried to wriggle free, but his arms did not budge as he turned around and started sprinting away from the falling rocks. The last thing I saw of it before the other side of the cavern was separated by falling rocks was Victor's terrified face, slowly disappearing beside the growing pile of debris and the flicker of the dying lights.

Bewear took me all the way to the wall and gingerly placed me next to Bede and Hatenna. Rocks continued to pelt us, bouncing off Bewear's fur and my head and shoulders and cutting through our skin. Soon, the noise and chaos started to recede. The lights were completely off now, but there was a faint red glow emanating from Bede's bag. A familiar pink glow of Dynamax. In the soft pink glow, Bede looked up to me, and instead of anger, bitterness, or disgust, the only emotion I could see in his eyes was pure fear. He clutched his Hatenna tightly and stared at me and Bewear. From above, I heard a loud crack as one last giant rock loosened from the wall, falling directly on top of me. My ears began to ring loudly, and though he was moving in slow motion, I saw Bewear lunge over me to protect me from any other rocks. Slowly, the ringing and the glow from Bede's bag started to dim, and soon it was completely black.

And that's the end, folks! Gloria and all her friends have perished tragically. Rocks fall, everyone dies. Okay, I'm kidding. See you next week! Enjoy Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl if you're playing it! I built up a buffer of about six chapters just so I can play and still update regularly!

NEXT WEEK: A SHAKY TRUCE