A/N: Finally, Marnie's back. I'm going to be having her in a lot more going forward, because she's very fun to write. I decided to scale back a bit on the rival battle with her in Motostoke, and a lot of the other rival battles going ahead so the gym battles and big story moments feel more explosive and make the story a bit less repetitive. It also makes room for more fun character interactions, and I think we all win there.

"—the nature of the explosion still has not been fully revealed, but the ongoing investigation has revealed that its source was an old Macro Cosmos mining facility, up until now thought to be abandoned—"

Click.

"—real tough break for Piers, especially right after the big league announcement, isn't it."

"It's certainly a real hang-up, Malva. Though he has no formal connection to Team Yell—"

Click.

"—was bloody horrifying. I was watching that Gloria Dixon battling someone and it felt like the entire world was about to swallow us up! Her Bewear was so scary, I damn near thought that was what caused the earth—"

Click.

"Chairman Rose could not be reached for comment, but instead posted this message on all Social Media platforms: 'It is a grave worry that Macro Cosmos had created a situation so dangerous with their reckless mining. This is just all the more reason for our scientists to pursue more sustainable—"

Click.

"—never seen anything like it. She just fell in fan rankings, despite performing so well in her first three gym battles. I bet Marnie really wishes she had culled some of her cantankerous fans back when they were just a few outspoken punks—"

Click.

"—incredibly fortunate that no lives were lost, and the worst are well on their way to recovery. But it still begs the question: is the gym challenge too dangerous? More at seven."

With one final click, I turned the television off and slumped back on the bed, groaning. It had been three whole days since we had left the mines and it was still all anyone could talk about. I had been dying to get out with my Pokémon and train some more now that my concussion had gone, but Hop, Victor, and I could hardly leave the Budew Drop Inn once we had checked in due to press trying to get an inside scoop. Macro Cosmos had been surprisingly helpful, putting all of the trainers caught up in the cave-in in the Budew Drop Inn at no charge, as well as providing a little extra security to keep the hotel relatively quiet and free of prying eyes, but even their presence was a little unsettling now. I was aching for Kabu to announce that he was taking gym challengers again, just so I could get out of the city and on with my life.

There was a soft beep and click as Hop entered the room, arms stuffed with food from the continental breakfast from downstairs. "Gloria, you gotta try these waffles, they're driving me mad!"

"Hop, we had some every morning we've been here," I laughed.

"Doesn't keep 'em from getting any better," Hop snickered, and handed me a plate. "Oh, also, Marnie's here, she's—"

"She's what?" I asked, jerking out of bed just in time to see her file in after him. Her face sported the same bored expression as always, but the Morpeko in her arms was almost vibrating with enough excitement for the both of them. It hopped from her hands and sped over to me, hopping on top of me and running up to nuzzle my face. Its yellow and black fur were bristling with static electricity, but it was careful not to shock me too much.

"He likes you," Marnie said plainly, though the corners of her mouth twitched just enough to suggest a smile.

"You—he's very cute," I said, blushing.

"I thought you lot were somewhere in here. Heard you caused the cave-in with your Bewear, Gloria. Wicked stuff, that."

"N-no!" I said quickly, but this time she actually smiled, laughing.

"I'm just messing," she said. "I dunno what would've caused that, but I spent a week battling in those caves and no Pokémon could do that much damage."

"What about Team Yell?' I asked.

Her smile quickly vanished. Her face turned pink for a brief second but returned to its pale state after she took a deep breath. "Those numbskulls couldn't do it if they found dynamite and rigged the whole thing."

"I was just—"

"Don't tell me you lot believe that," she snapped. The red in her cheeks flared a bit and her eyes narrowed, digging into me and Hop.

"N-no, I was just kidding!" I squeaked, turning beet red. "I don't think it was them either."

"Good," she said huffily. "Wait, sorry. I shouldn't have…they've just been draggin' my brother and me through the thick of it because Macro Cosmos blamed Team Yell for the cave-in."

Hop stepped in. "Well, Kabu did see—"

"He didn't see anything," Marnie growled. "They've been giving Team Yell this rubbish for years, and like, they're a bunch of wankers but they're not criminals or nothing."

"Hop, shut up," I whispered.

"I don't know, I've heard they're a bunch of—"

"Hop!" I said a little more forcefully.

"I was going to invite you two out to train, maybe have a chin-wag, but I've changed my mind. C'mon, Morpeko." She stomped out, and Morpeko followed her uneasily."

"Wait, what just happened?" Hop asked.

"Just eat your waffles," I groaned, jumping from the bed and rushing out the door behind them. Marnie was a quick walker and seemed to speed up when she noticed I was following her, but she had made the mistake of turning left, down the hallway toward the elevator instead of right to the staircase. I caught up with her after she hit the button.

"What do you want?" she said, not looking at me.

"I—I wanted to apologize for Hop, and take you up on that training session?"

She turned around slowly and looked at me carefully. Her vibrant green eyes were glassy, and I could see her hands, balled up into fists and trembling. "Sorry," she said slowly. "Dunno why I got so worked up. I just—"

"No, I get it!" I said quickly. "You can't be expected to be responsible for Team Yell, right?"

"Right."

"I…I don't hold you responsible for them."

She stared at me, studying my face carefully. Morpeko, who had climbed up onto her shoulder, nuzzled closely to her, as if trying to protect her.

"I swear, I was just joking about Team Yell just now."

"Lot of jokes aren't really jokes in my experience," she said quietly.

"Well, you were taking the piss about me and Bewear, so I thought…"

"Guess you got a point," she said. "Guess I could let it slide."

The elevator door opened, and she stepped inside, tapping a button on the inside of the elevator. The two of us looked at each other for a couple seconds, until the doors clicked and started to close. I wanted to say something, but nothing came out. For a brief second, I saw her eyes narrow, then immediately widen. She reached out and caught her hand on the doors, causing them to open back up.

"Why don't we have a battle?" she asked awkwardly. "…Morpeko wants to."

I smiled and nodded. "Let me go grab my Pokéballs."

"Just bring them. Don't bring your friend."

"Hadn't crossed my mind." My heart skipped a beat.

Behind the Budew Drop Inn was a large courtyard, surrounded by tall deciduous trees that formed a natural barrier from the outside world. The sun was still high in the sky, burning in its late spring heat, but almost the entire courtyard was bathed in cool shade. There was a branching stone path that wrapped around the entire courtyard, surrounding a flat lawn of freshly trimmed grass, emerald and waving softly in a weak breeze that slipped between the trees. Marnie and I stood near the edge of the courtyard, next to a sign that said, "no ground-type moves on the grass." A couple trainers stood at the far end, leading two Eevee through a makeshift agility course made of sticks and stones. They looked at Marnie nervously.

"So…" I said after a couple seconds. "What kind of battle here, one on one? Full team? Or…"

"Oh, none of that official bollocks," she said. "Left my phone upstairs."

"Worried I would win and tarnish your ranking?"

She flashed a small grin. "Feeling a little cheeky, I see. No, way I see it, you can learn about a person from the way he or she battles. I wanna get a feel for you."

Marnie slowly walked down to the other end of the courtyard. When she was in the center, she stopped and whispered something to Morpeko, who dropped to the ground and let a few excited sparks fly up in the air. She glanced back to me, her eyes cool and calculating, before she continued to the other end of the yard. The other two trainers quickly realized what was going on and herded up the sticks and stones. Meanwhile, I squared up at the edge of the courtyard and tossed out Raboot's Pokéball.

In a flash of white light, Raboot landed and lazily walked over to me, paws stuffed into the folds in his fur that resembled pockets. "How you feeling, mate?" I asked. He chirped, glancing at Morpeko confidently.

I knelt down to meet his eyes. "Alright, bud. It's been a few days so I'm sure you're itching to go. Let's show her what you can do." He nodded and strutted out to the middle of the courtyard.

"You good to go, Gloria?" Marnie called, having reached the other side. "Don't keep me waiting here all day." Another soft gust swept the battlefield, causing her pink dress to rustle a bit. She stood firm, her face once again a blank slate.

"Alright, Raboot, let's start it off with a Double Kick!" I called. Raboot lunged forward and hopped up, poised to strike.

"Quick attack. Aim for his feet!" Marnie called. As Raboot came down, Morpeko shot forward, a yellow and black blur, colliding with Raboot's foot and knocking him off-kilter. Raboot skidded into the grass, where he lay dazed for a couple seconds before picking himself back up off the ground. Morpeko came to a halt a few yards away and stood tall, shooting off a couple triumphant sparks, but otherwise, waiting for Marnie to instruct it further. Marnie did nothing, choosing instead to watch me.

"Alright, Raboot, try again! But stay lower to the ground!"

"Quick attack! Go high!"

The two Pokémon sped toward each other again, and as Raboot pulled back for his first kick, Morpeko jumped into the air, crashing into his face and bouncing into the air. Raboot was ready this time, and while he still took the force of the hit, he continued his kick, knocking Morpeko up into the air with the first kick. Then, in an incredibly agile display, Raboot turned around and lashed out with his other foot, hitting Morpeko square in the stomach and sending the mouse flying ten yards closer to Marnie, where he bounced once and skidded to a halt at her feet.

"Awesome!" I cried. Raboot walked smugly back to his spot. He was containing his excitement pretty well, but I could tell that he was very pleased with himself.

"Fair play," Marnie admitted. "Morpeko, Bite him."

"Huh? Raboot…what?" I stopped dead in my tracks as Morpeko pulled itself up from the ground. His eyes glowed fiercely, and his once fur bristled as if a massive jolt of electric energy was flowing through it and singing it, leaving the once-yellow fur a deep violet. Morpeko's smile was gone, and it angrily shot toward Raboot, jaws open wide in a frenzy.

"Dodge and use Flame Charge!" I said, but it was too late. Morpeko's teeth clamped down on Raboot's arm, causing him to yelp in surprise and pain. Raboot swung his arm wildly and after a couple seconds, Morpeko finally let go and rolled to a stop a few feet away, where it sprung up again, fur bristling. Raboot took a couple steps toward Morpeko uneasily but balked, as if afraid to go near.

"Come on, Raboot, Flame Charge!" I yelled again. Raboot snapped out of his funk and sped toward Morpeko again, kicking up embers in his wake.

"Thundershock," Marnie said coolly, and as Morpeko began to charge up its attack, I could see the strange bristling of his fur start up again. The fur on his back slowly began to regain its yellow shine, and the almost frenzied look in his eyes faded back into their usual bright brown. Raboot, caught off guard by the second change in form, slowed down, and it was just enough to allow Morpeko to finish charging his attack, letting loose a surge of electric energy that slammed into him. Raboot's momentum was all that was letting him finish the attack, and as the two Pokémon collided, there was a tiny burst of flame.

Raboot took a couple steps back and wobbled uncertainly. Morpeko stepped back too, but his eyes were triumphant, despite weary from the continued battling.

"Cool trick, huh?" Marnie said. I nodded dumbly. What even was that? I knew Pokémon could change forms and even types, but I've never seen a Pokémon change its from mid-battle, let alone, mid-move.

"Let's not let it mess us up this time, Raboot," I said, feigning confidence. "Flame charge again!"

"Quick attack," Marnie said. Once again, the two Pokémon sped toward each other, and I saw Morpeko's fur begin to change color yet again. His eyes took on that hungry look again, but before he had fully changed, Raboot crashed into him in a burst of fire that was much hotter and stronger now that the form change hadn't caught us by surprise. Raboot circled around and jogged back to me. He was limping ever so lightly; Morpeko had managed to do some damage in the collision as well, but it was nothing serious. The mouse wavered and fell to its knees, exhausted. His fur bristled one last time, back to yellow, and he dropped to the ground fully with a groan.

"You did it, Raboot!" I cried, jumping in the air. Raboot joined me and pounded my hand with his fist before catching himself and trying to regain his aloof look with some difficulty. Marnie walked to Morpeko and scooped him off the ground, cradling him gently. The two trainers clapped at the outcome of the battle.

"Seems I underestimated you," Marnie said with the hint of a smile as she walked back toward me. I blushed and grinned. "Your battle style is a little aggressive for my tastes, but you get results."

"You're pretty good yourself."

"Good trainin'," she agreed with a shrug. "But you do understand that if this was a full battle you wouldn't have stood a chance, right?"

"Why don't we have a full battle then and prove it?"

"Like I said, a little aggressive. We'll battle again soon enough, don't worry." She looked at me, those emerald eyes cutting right through my bravado.

"I…uh," I said, feeling my blush get a little stronger.

"Bit of a nice change of pace," she said, brushing past me. As her leather jacket caught the edge of my sweater, I could feel a jolt shoot through my body. Was it Morpeko…or…? Marnie stopped too, as if the static electricity caught her as well, and she turned and looked at me again. For just a brief second, we locked eyes. Her glance was softer, and I could swear that there was a little more color on her face as she glanced down and spoke again.

"I…er…I already got my badge from the Motostoke Gym," she said, running her hand through her black hair. "Kabu's tough, but I'm pretty sure you've got what it takes. I'll stick around to watch your battle, if you don't mind."

I was inundated by the scent of fall leaves again, as I opened my mouth to speak, but couldn't make noise. She looked back up at me and subtly bit her lower lip. "Y…yeah, sure," I finally managed to squeak out.

"Don't lose your cool like that in front of him, then you'll definitely lose," she said dryly, smirking. "Gotta hit the P.C. now, after you doing a number on Morpeko here. Maybe let's battle again after you get that third badge."

She walked back into the hotel, leaving me standing next to Raboot, who looked up at me expectantly. "Oh, she is trouble," I said to him. He smiled, as if he was just as aware of it now as I was.

"How was the battle?" Hop smirked as I re-entered the hotel room.

"It was fine," I said non-committedly. "I won. No big. Where's Victor?"

"Dunno, haven't seen him since this morning. I think he was going to the Gym for a little training. I told him to let us know if Kabu finally opened up some battle slots for us."

"Hope he does," I sighed. "I don't know how much longer I can take waiting for him to start taking challengers again."

"We could always head north and fight the other gym leaders. We've still got five others, you know. But hey, can I ask you a weird question?"

"I guess," I said. I looked at him. His smirk from just a few moments before had vanished and he looked at me sternly, not unlike the way Leon had looked at us a few weeks ago when he found us in the Slumbering Weald.

"This…this is gonna sound mental," he started, but then he paused, lost in thought.

"What?" I asked.

"Nah," he said, shaking his head and waving his hand at me.

"Hop, you can't just say you have a question and not ask it; don't be a turd," I laughed.

"No, it really sounds crazy," Hop muttered.

"Well now I really want to hear it," I pressed, sitting down on the bed next to him.

He faced forward and licked his lips, drumming his fingers on the burgundy duvet, trying to figure out his thoughts. "Do you ever…do you think much about that time you and I chased down Wooloo in the Weald?

"Uh, yeah, that was some really crazy shit," I said. Immediately the dream I had in the mines flared in my mind. Had Hop had a vision too?

"Yeah, I know!" Hop said. "Just absolute chaos. But those two beasts we saw. They were Pokémon, right?"

"I guess," I said, shrugging. "I've never seen anything like them though."

"They seem really familiar to me," Hop said quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"I…" he furrowed his brow and stood up. In a quick set of movements, he walked to the window of the hotel room and looked out. "I feel like I've seen them somewhere before."

"Like…in a dream?" I asked pointedly. He whipped around and stared at me, eyes wide.

"You've dreamt about them too?"

"You have?" I asked. "I only had one, it was when I was knocked out in the mines, but I dreamt I…"

"You were one?"

"Yeah!"

"You were one of them and you were chasing us, the real you and me that is, you were chasing us across the Weald?"

"Hop, when did you have this dream?"

"A couple times, mate. That's…that's really wild." He leaned back against the wall; his brow furrowed even more. "I…I asked Sonia and Professor Magnolia if they knew of any Pokémon who lived in the Weald."

"What did they say?" I asked.

"Nothing of any real use," Hop muttered. "Same thing we've always known. The Weald is haunted by that weird mist. Magnolia said she used to hear howling coming from there as a little girl, but that doesn't do us a load of help exactly."

"Did Sonia know anything?"

"Nah, and she's too busy with her work with the Dynamax Phenomenon to research it. She told me that I was probably just reliving a traumatic experience, but it felt so…it felt so…"

"So real," I agreed.

We stayed there, him leaning on the wall and me sitting on the bed for some time. Neither of us spoke. After what felt like ten minutes, Hop finally spoke.

"Do you…D'you think it means anything?"

"No idea."

"Hmm."

Just then there was a soft beep and a click as the door opened. Victor, back from his day of training, rushed in excitedly. "You lot!" he cried.

"What?" Hop and I asked in unison.

"Kabu's taking challengers now. And he wants to see us first thing tomorrow morning!"

A/N: That's right kids, it's time for Kabu. And let me tell you it's going to be a battle. Can't wait for you guys to read it next week; it was one of the most exhausting chapters to write yet but I'm really proud of it.

NEXT WEEK: THE THIRD GYM BATTLE