A/N: Gonna tone it back on the battles for a bit after that last one took so much out of me. Don't worry, I'll find some more ways to add drama ;)

I had only taken two steps out the locker room door when I was attacked by a flash of bright orange hair. "GLORIA, THAT WAS WICKED!" Sonia yelled in my ear as she squeezed me like a Kingler's Vice Grip. "You blew us all away in the stands!"

"I told you she'd win," I heard Victor's voice say, though I couldn't see him through Sonia's mane until she finally let go.

"Cheers, you guys," I said. "All right now, Vic?"

"Actually, yeah," Victor sighed with a soft smile. "I'll…I'll tell you in a bit." He looked over at Sonia, who beamed back at him before turning back to me.

"Gloria, everyone from Postwick is here, your mum, Hop's parents, Leon, everyone!" she said excitedly. "Leon says 'Gratz,' by the way. He wanted to stick around for Hop's battle, but I couldn't wait, I was so buzzing!"

"Mum's here?" I asked Victor.

"Mum's here," he confirmed, rolling his eyes. "Expect the usual questions."

I laughed and followed them as we walked past the entrance to the stands and towards an elevator bank. "Leon's invited us to his personal box," Sonia explained. "A fitting place for you now that you're a celebrity and all." She pressed a button on the wall and immediately one set of elevator doors opened and the three of us clambered inside.

"So, what's up, Vic?" I asked, noting that he still had a faint smile on his face. "You look pretty chipper for someone who just had a big loss."

"First of all, rude," Victor said, frowning. "Second of all—"

"Second of all, Leon and I pulled some strings and he's headed to the Isle of Armour with me next week!" Sonia cried excitedly, clapping him on the shoulder. Victor blushed and smiled at me, almost apologetically.

"The…what?"

"The Isle of Armour," Victor said. "It's an isle off the coast of Hulbury. Super secluded."

"Gran's Dynamax Detectors have been goin' haywire with readings coming from out there, so Rose is having me run off and do some research. I asked Victor if he wanted to come, as he's still technically got my only Wishing Star and it's bloody boring out there all by your lonesome."

"Plus, Leon said something about a dojo where I could do some more focused training, and after that loss, I'm going to need it if I ever hope to stand up against you and Hop," Victor said.

"So, you're not giving up the Gym Challenge yet?" I asked, furrowing my brow.

"Of course not!" he laughed, before looking down, a little embarrassed. "You know I'm not as strong a battler as you or Hop. I barely beat Nessa, lost a bunch in the mines before they caved in. It's…it's for the best. And it's only for a couple weeks, Sonia says it'll probably take that long just for you to get through the Wild Area for your next gym battle anyway."

"I just assumed we'd do this together, you know?"

"We still are! Just…"

"Just not for a while."

There was a ding as the elevator door opened to another long hallway with a long string of doors on our right side. Sonia quickly walked ahead of us and turned into the third door, eager to not be a part of the conversation anymore.

"Gloria, if it means that much to you, I can keep on this journey with you two," he said quietly as he stepped off the elevator. "But battling just might not be my scene. Maybe I'm better off at something…else." he trailed off.

"It's fine," I quickly sputtered, "just sudden, is all."

Victor nodded and stepped out the door. "I probably could have told you earlier, but I'd been wondering since we lost to that Bede kid back when we started…"

"You can't let that little Pyukumuku get you down, Vic, he's a right—"

"Yeah, no, he's a lot of things, and all of them are awful," Victor interrupted, "but you and he clearly are much better battlers than I am. Leon said that he went to the dojo when he started his journey and that his unbeatable streak started after he came back, so the least I could do is give it a try, right?"

"And if not, you'll have Sonia all to yourself," I muttered with a wink.

"Still on me about that, huh?"

"Like you want to be on—"

"Alright, enough of that," Victor groaned. He opened the door that Sonia had run through and held the door for me as I walked in, giving me a soft punch in the shoulder for good measure. The box was small, yet luxurious in a way. The walls were a flat, muted red and covered evenly with small burgundy insignias of a Samurai's helmet; the logo for the Motostoke Gym. There were twelve cushy seats in three rows, but only three in the first row had anyone in it. I recognized the bald crown of Hop's father, and was that his mother? Had her hair always looked so gray? And next to them both, I saw Mum's thick brown hair. She was laughing at Sonia, who was playfully trying to drag Leon back to a seat. Leon had his hands and face on the glass, eager to watch Hop's gym battle below.

"He's not even—on—Lee, he's not even on the pitch yet!" Sonia said between spurts of laughter. "Oh, here's the lady of the day now! You two alright?" She seemed a little nervous, as if she was expecting a bigger blowout between the two of us.

"Never better, and Victor's definitely going to be al—Ow!" I said, wincing as Victor punched me a second time. "Damn, Victor, looks like you should fight your battles instead of your Pokémon."

"Gloria—"

"GLORIA!" Mum cried, spinning from her seat and rushing toward me like she was part of a scrum pack, nearly knocking me out of my boots in a big Bewear Hug. "Love, you were amazing, I never knew you'd battle so well! Spitting image of your dad, you are!"

"Tha—Thanks, Mum," I squeaked, barely able to breathe.

"Had to admit I was a bit worried after Vic lost…"

"Right here, mum," Victor said, annoyed.

"Yes dear, I know, but I was afraid both of you weren't ready, but you, Gloria, what a job you did on his Pokémon!" She pulled back and looked at me up and down, eyes watery. "I'm so proud of you, dear."

"Mum…" Victor sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, you know I'm proud of you too, Vic," she chided, reaching over and pulling the two of us into another embrace. "I told you I only got two on my first and only time doing the challenge. Fought four different gym leaders, trying to get that number 3, then old Miss Opal finally talked some sense into me. Great old bat she is, even when she was young, she looked like a bat…"

"And much like bats, she's nowhere near as scary, and incredibly sweet. Can't wait for you to meet her," Leon said, having finally pulled himself from the window to extend his hand to me for a shake. "Bang-up job out there, Gloria. You're already making quite the name for yourself, but to beat Kabu without losing a single Pokémon? There's only one person in recent memory who's done that and you're shaking his hand right now."

I laughed. "Well, I don't think Bewear or Boltund would have been able to last much longer; Kabu is really strong."

Leon grinned mischievously. "Maybe so, but the thousands of people in the audience and the thousands more at home don't know that. Might want to check your standings in the app when you get the chance."

He let go of my hand just as the PA system crackled to life. "And now, for the third and final gym battle for the day, please welcome to the pitch, currently ranked at number six…HOP NAMBAREK!" Leon hopped back to the window excitedly, and this time, he was joined by his parents, who aside from a quick nod and smile, had otherwise barely noticed I was there.

"Wait, Hop's ranked sixth?" I asked in shock. I whipped out my phone and opened up the app and ranking list, and sure enough, snug between someone named Gordie at number 5 and Bede at number 7 was a graphic of Hop's League card, with a little pixel graphic of a Wooloo, his most-used Pokémon. I scrolled down to find myself, but I didn't have to scroll down nearly as far as I had expected to. "Wait, I'm ranked fourteenth?"

Victor nodded. "And I'm still in the two hundreds, and this is before the Gym battle is accounted for, so those numbers are going to change in the next hour or so. See what I mean about the Isle of Armour?"

"I really need to get a leg up on checking these rankings, don't I?" I asked, thumbing through the other top names. I noticed Marnie sitting snugly at number 8, but no one else I had battled recently had even cracked the top 20.

"Yeah, probably," Victor said. "So, we're square? You're not mad about me leaving for a bit?"

"It'll be weird," I admitted with a sigh, "but you better put in the effort, okay? And you'll call often?"

"Can't promise about nightly," Victor shrugged. "Dunno what this dojo's whole deal is, but I'll keep you in the loop."

"Good."

Victor smiled. "Besides, it's about time I started doing things on my own instead of letting you and Hop go on all the adventures."

I laughed and drew him into a hug. As I did, the audience roared; Hop and Kabu had sent out their first Pokémon. Victor and I moved to the window, next to Leon, and watched as the battle heated up.

"Hop, you were brilliant!" Sonia yelled as she tackled him just as she did for me. Victor, Leon, and I held back a bit, smiling proudly. Of course, Hop had beaten Kabu, but much like mine, it was a gruesome match, going down to the wire between his Corvisquire and Kabu's newly revitalized Centiskorch. We almost thought he'd go down, but a well-timed jab from its Dynamaxed beak managed to break through the Centiferno that Kabu had set up.

"Thanks, Sonia," he said, hugging her back. "That had to be the hardest battle I ever fought! Really touch-and-go for a bit there, but I knew my team would get me through!" I studied his face closely as he spoke and clocked something I wasn't expecting and couldn't describe. There was relief in his tone, for sure, but his voice faltered for just a brief second. Did Hop, of all people, finally have a moment where he was lacking confidence?

"Nice one, really," I said warmly, clapping his shoulder with my hand once Sonia let him go.

"Cheers, Gloria," he said, with a bit of a forced bravado. "Couldn't have you showing me up in front of all those people." He grinned, but his golden eyes didn't flash the usual way they did when he was bragging to me. Was he really that thrown off by Kabu's battle?

"No one would have thought that," I chuckled.

"I would have," Victor joked. Hop shot him a look of confusion, then laughed it off.

"Excellent job, Hop," Leon said, smiling broadly. "You really have grown so much in such a little time."

"Really?" Hop asked, his eyes lighting up just a little.

Leon laughed heartily. "Of course! Looks like watching all my battles has taught you well!"

"R-right," Hop said.

Leon cocked his head to the side and squinted at his brother. "Watch the long face, bro. Kabu's tough, you and Gloria are one of maybe ten people who've beaten him first go, that's nothing to be ashamed of. A win is a win, no matter how down to the wire it gets!"

"It wasn't down to the wire for you," Hop mumbled.

"Ha! Well, not everyone can be me," Leon said. "And with a trainer like Gloria hot on your heels in the ranks, no doubt even a battle against Kabu will be a walk in the park for you!"

"Yeah, she's definitely been keeping me humble…" Hop said, trailing off into unenthused laughter.

"Hey," Hop's father chimed in. "How about we all head out and get a late lunch. I think Victor has some news for you, son."

"I do? Oh, I do!" Victor said in surprise.

"Yeah, let's hear it then," Hop said, smiling again. He looked glad to take his mind off battling; something I never would have expected from him.

"Wish I could stay and eat," Leon said, grimacing, "But Rose and I need to head to Spikemuth for some official league business, so Charizard and I are going to have to get flying now if I need to get there in time."

"Spikemuth?" Mum asked with a hint of disgust. "Why on earth would you need to go to that run-down dump?"

"It's not that run-down," Leon said defensively. "In fact, there's been a bit—"

"Oh, I'm sure it's important, but nothing good ever came out of that city. It's just not a…nice place. Please be safe."

"Don't worry. With Charizard by my side, even the thugs out in Spikemuth would think twice about trying to get a piece out of me!" Leon turned around, his red cape flapping melodramatically in the breeze of the industrial fans that were cooling the hot stadium air. He whipped up his hand triumphantly in his trademark pose, held it for a few seconds, and dashed out the door, through legions of fans. Our families collectively rolled their eyes at the over-the-top gesture and followed him out.

Much like when we entered the stadium, fans started to flock to us the minute we appeared. Many had questions to ask about our teams, our thoughts during the battle, what our next destination was on the challenge. I still felt a little awkward answering all the questions and signing paraphernalia, but it seemed to have pulled Hop out of his funk immediately. There were fewer people hanging around Victor, and I could see the relief at that all over his face as he hung back with Sonia and Mum.

Eventually, the crowd dispersed, and we were able to move freely, but we had only gone a few yards when a familiar squeak started closing in on us. I turned around just in time to see Marnie's Morpeko leap at me, smacking me square in the chest and making me stumble a bit before regaining my composure. "H-hey there, Morpeko, I was wondering when you'd show up," I said, scratching it just under its chin.

"Looks like he's got a crush on you," Marnie said as she slowly walked into view. "Hope you don't mind me waiting til the crowd was gone. Never cared for 'em."

"You watched our battles?" Victor asked.

"I promised Gloria," Marnie shrugged. I looked down quickly and squeezed Morpeko, who wriggled even closer into me. "Have to scope out my competition, and all," she added quickly.

"So, how'd we do? Up to your standards?" Hop asked, playfully standoffish.

"Honestly, you three are better than most of the chumps in the league this year. Glad I'll have some competition in the league."

"Uh, sweetie, who's this?" Mum asked.

"Oh," I said. "This is Marnie, my …friend?" I asked, glancing at her quickly.

Marnie looked at me with an eyebrow raised and her bottom lip twitched. "Yeah," she said, raising a hand. "Pleasure."

"Any friend of Gloria and Victor's is a friend of mine." Mum took her hand and shook it warmly. Marnie jerked her hand back a bit soon and dropped it to the side.

"Are we friends, too, Marnie?" Hop asked, grinning.

"Jury's still out," she sighed. "Victor, you're alright." Hop frowned, while Victor snickered.

"You're doing the challenge, too, Marnie?" Mum asked, ignoring the boys. "Where are you from, then?"

"Spikemuth," Marnie said in a strangely defiant tone.

My mom opened her mouth and paused, as if choosing her next words carefully. "Say, you do look familiar! I think I saw your face on the TV during a highlights reel!"

"Maybe."

"Well, you're quite the battler. Better watch out, Gloria, she's good," Mum smiled.

"I know," I said, nuzzling Morpeko one last time before handing him off to Marnie.

"And let me say, it's so impressive to see you rising above to do so much good for yourself, dear," Mum added.

Marnie's eyes immediately narrowed. "What do you mean by that?"

"Uh…" Mum sputtered. "Well, I…I know it's a tougher area in Galar, and a lot of…"

"A lot of what," Marnie said. Morpeko scuttled up her arm and around her shoulder, sparking with anticipation.

"You know…"

"No, I don't know. Why don't you tell me then?" Marnie growled.

"Mum…" I said uneasily. Victor and Hop took a step back awkwardly.

"Sorry, I…I think we're getting off on the wrong feet here," Mum apologized, laughing awkwardly. "It's just…you know…"

"A rough town?" Marnie concluded coldly.

"I didn't say that…"

"You didn't need to," Marnie spat, and spun around, stalking away, leaving all of us looking at each other awkwardly.

"Yikes," Hop said after a few seconds had passed.

"I didn't mean to hurt anyone's feelings…" Mum said awkwardly. I took a step towards Marnie's retreating figure before she grabbed at my shoulder. "Gloria! Where are you going?"

"I…I want to see if she's okay," I said.

"Gloria, we're going to be late for lunch, come on."

"We don't have a reservation," I said, shaking off her hand and jogging a few steps away.

"Gloria, come back here!" I heard Mum cry, and I faltered, coming to a stop just as Marnie turned a corner. She glanced back at me, and though she was 20 feet or more away, I thought I could see the shine of a couple tears on flushed cheeks. She looked pointedly at all of us with a stare that said, "don't follow me," and disappeared behind a brick wall.

The rest of the day was a little awkward after Mum's interaction with Marnie, although we didn't let it get to us too much. Victor and Sonia hashed out their plan for the Isle of Armor. They were leaving tomorrow and would be returning in a couple weeks' time. Hop and I went shopping to stock up on supplies for our return to the Wild Area while Mum and Victor went to get him ready for his trip out, and when we all reconvened at the Budew Drop Inn, we saw a couple Team Yell mooks leaving with packed bags. I thought about running up to them, but they looked like they were ready to fight anyone who dared step too close, so I kept my distance and went into the hotel with Victor, Hop, Sonia, and the three parents.

"Glad they're leaving, too," Mum said with open disgust. "Couple of 'em were down the hall from me and they blasted their rubbish music almost the whole night."

"Mum…"

"Don't start with me, Gloria," she scolded. "I know that Marnie girl seems nice enough, but Spikemuth is full of lousy skivers like that Team Yell. She should know it just as much as I do; she lives there!"

"It's still her home!" I shot hotly.

"Well, you'll see what I mean eventually, and then you'll agree with me."

"What?" I asked.

"Didn't you hear about the final gym for the challenge? They announced it yesterday."

"I was a bit occupied with a head wound, Mum. Did you know about this?" I asked, looking at Victor and Hop, who both shrugged.

"Honestly, you kids need to pay more attention to the world around you," Mum laughed.

"Spikemuth is where the new Gym is going to be for the challenge," Hop's dad explained quickly.

"They were going to do a big to-do tomorrow about it," Hop's mum added. "I imagine that's why Leon had to run off to it tonight. I would have figured the challengers would have heard first."

"It's alright," Sonia said quickly with a laugh. "It was only in a press release, Arceus knows you three had plenty going on instead."

"Who's the gym leader?" I asked, glancing around.

"Uh, Piers, I think," Hop said after a second. "He's a weird one, kinda keeps to Spikemuth. He runs the Dark-Type gym."

"Another reason to avoid it, if you ask me," Mum said sourly. "Those Team Yell punks have practically overrun the city; I don't know what the chairman was thinking there."

I thought back to Mohawk Man and Pink Pyroar. They certainly were frustrating. A downright pain in the arse every time we crossed paths. I wondered why Marnie put up with Team Yell so much, and why they seemed to love her so ardently. I was so lost in thought that I barely noticed where I was going and nearly toppled into the fountain in the center of the lobby. I looked up to the statue of the Legendary Hero. The man stood, staring forward and bracing himself against the monstrous Pokémon on the Darkest Day. The blue gem inside his sword glittered brilliantly, as if inviting me closer. I blinked and shook my head; surely it was just a trick of the light. My eyes shifted up to the hero's face and I jumped back in surprise.

He was looking right at me with cold, blue, familiar eyes.

I rubbed my eyes quickly and looked back up, only to see that he was once again staring forward, and his eyes had returned to their empty golden color. I swiveled around and looked to see what he was looking at now, but it was just the spot where the walls met the ceiling. I slowly turned back around. The statue remained still, and its eyes remained empty.

"Gloria?" I heard Victor call hesitantly. I looked over to see him and Hop at the elevator bank next to Mum and Hop's parents, all waiting in an open elevator. All of them looked at me with confused expressions except for Hop, who looked at me with recognition. I hurried over to them.

"Sorry, just a little tired," I lied. Mum and Hop's parents muttered something, and we rode up to our rooms in silence. After a quick good night, Hop, Victor and I retired to our room. Victor made a Combee-line to the bathroom and Hop hopped onto one of the two double beds in the suite. I followed him and sat next to him in the bed.

"Hop, that statue…"

"You saw its eyes move too, didn't you?"

I nodded. "Is it weird that I recognized those eyes from somewhere?"

Hop shrugged. "I'd remember red eyes like that if I had seen 'em anywhere else."

"Red eyes?"

"Yeah, his eyes glowed red when I saw them," he explained. "Like that gemstone on his shield?"

"They were blue; like the one in his sword."

We sat in silence for a second.

"Hop, this is really spooky."

"I think you're right; we must just be tired."

"When did you see the eyes light up?" I asked.

"When we left for the stadium," he answered.

"You were tired then?"

"Nah," he said. "But I was really focused on winning the battle."

"Maybe that's it."

"Maybe."

Victor came out of the bathroom. "What's wrong, you two?" he asked. "You look like someone just died. Come on, my train leaves for the Isle of Armor tomorrow, we should get some sleep." Hop and I agreed and the three of us settled into the two beds. Hop slept on his side, not facing us, and Victor and I shared the other bed, furthest from the door. I looked out to the window, watching the many lights of Motostoke glisten like the stars in the sky. I wasn't tired; not anymore. I couldn't get those bright blue eyes out of my head.

The next morning the three of us finally checked out of the Budew Drop Inn and walked Victor to the train stop. The ancient building stood right next to Kabu's stadium, resting snugly against its dark red brick walls. Sonia was already waiting for us, alongside Professor Magnolia, who came to see her granddaughter off. Mum also was next to Sonia, and judging from Sonia's surprisingly unenthused expression, the young academic had just gotten quite a lecture about how to ensure Victor's safety.

"Glad you're finally here, you lot," Sonia said as soon as she saw us. Her face brightened, happy to have Mum lecture someone else for a change. "Ready to head out, Victor?"

"Y-yeah, I think so," Victor said with a smile.

"Got Butterfree with you?"

"Sure do!" Victor patted a Pokéball at his waist for extra emphasis.

"And you'll call me when you get to the station?" Mum asked pointedly.

"I don't think Lee was even allowed to use his phone when he was training at the Dojo," Hop said. Mum's face turned white.

"W-well, times change, dear," she said. "Victor, you will call me."

"Of course, Mum," Victor laughed.

"And I'll keep a close eye on him. He probably won't die," Sonia added, clapping him hard on the shoulder and pulling him tightly next to her. He blushed a little and tried to hide a goofy smile. Hop and I snickered.

"That's…that's not something I have to worry about, is it?" Mum asked nervously.

"Mum, it's fine," I said, walking up to Victor. "However, I will kill him myself if he doesn't call me." We smiled at each other and shared a tight hug. "That is a threat and a promise," I whispered in his ear.

"Miss you, too," he whispered back as we pulled away from each other. He and Hop shared a quick hug as well, and once the two boys drew back, we stood next to each other for a few awkward moments.

"Well, we best be off, ourselves," Hop said. "Victor's not the only one who needs to get some training in. We got our work cut out for ourselves, Glor."

"Alright then," Mum sighed. "C'mere, Gloria, and give me a hug. I have to catch a train back to Wedgehurst, too."

"Victor!" came a cry from behind us. I let go of Mum and spun around just in time to see Leon rush up, quickly followed by Charizard, Kabu, and…was that Nessa and Milo?

"Phew! Glad we caught you!" Milo said. "Great to see you three again."

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked, smiling.

"You aren't the only one here to see anyone off," Nessa said, walking up to Sonia and giving her a quick hug. "Take care. Let me know if you see any rare Water types. Gotta diversify my teams after these three trounced me so easily."

"It was pretty embarrassing. I don't know if I could bear to be seen with you in public anymore," Sonia said with a sideways glance. Nessa punched her affectionately in return.

"I came to see you though," Milo said, smiling at Hop and me.

"You did?" Hop asked.

"Kabu's idea," Milo replied.

"Indeed," the older leader said. "I make it a habit to see off notable trainers before they continue their journeys. Since you will be continuing up North for the rest of the league, I assumed Milo and Nessa would like to see you off as well."

"It's a nice little tradition my predecessor at the Turffield Gym started," Milo explained. "Told me it 'kept the spirit of sportsmanship,' or something."

"No doubt, we'll see you three in the league finals," Nessa said, turning back but still keeping an arm around Sonia.

"But I lost my battle against Kabu pretty bad," Victor said. "I don't know if I'll—"

"Nonsense," Kabu said shortly. "You battled valiantly and possess great skill, even if your fire was too weak yesterday. "Victor, Leon tells me you'll be joining the dojo at the Isle of Armour."

"Well, I'm thinking about it…"

"You should. And Gloria, Hop, if you'd like, I recommend it. The leader there is an accomplished battler and has taught most of us everything we know."

"You wanna get me in, Lee?" Hop asked.

Leon laughed and scratched the base of his neck. "It was enough of a favor to get Victor in. Maybe in a few months."

"Oh, okay. Well, I never needed it anyway! Come on, Gloria, now we have to train even harder to show him we don't need a bloody dojo! See you around, Vic!" And with that, he bolted towards the entrance of the city.

"Never change, Hop," I said quietly, getting a laugh from the gym leaders. "Well, I should probably run after him. Thanks for seeing us off, Kabu, Milo, and Nessa."

"Think nothing of it," Kabu said. "And here. A gift from the three of us." He tossed me a small package, carefully wrapped in brown parchment paper and tied with a string of twine.

"Something to help you make it through the long slog north," Milo explained.

"Now boarding, 9:30 train to Wedgehurst," said a robotic voice over a loudspeaker.

"Oh, that's me," Mum said. "Come on, Vic, let's get us all situated."

"I was kidding about the dying thing, by the way," Sonia said, giving Nessa a quick squeeze as the two followed my family inside. Victor waved goodbye and the door swung close behind him.

"Milo, would you mind joining me for a quick training session?" Kabu asked.

"You know I'm always down for that!" He replied, and the other two gym leaders walked toward the stadium, leaving me alone with Leon and his Charizard.

"Well, guess I gotta go watch your brother," I said awkwardly.

"Hold on a mo," Leon said, returning Charizard to his Pokéball.

"Uh, yeah, what's up?"

"First off, wow, you are really growing fast as a trainer. You've even got me working up a sweat this year! Very few trainers can say they've done that."

"Thanks…"

"But also, about Hop. Thanks for going on this trip with him."

"Leon, if anything, I'm tagging along with him," I said, laughing.

"I know it seems that way," he said, smiling. "But I am his older brother, and I'm always going to worry about him. Keep pushing him. He's lucky to have you."

"Gloria, come on!" we heard Hop yell from down the street.

"You gonna be okay here on your own? Not afraid you'll get lost?" I asked.

"Only my family can make those kind of jokes to me, Gloria," he replied intensely. He then narrowed his eyes, and cracked a grin. "Good thing I consider you to be part of it."

"For a second there, I was afraid you lost your sense of humor, too," I snickered.

"Don't push it, Dixon."

"Right."

"Now get out there, go have a champion time! I'm eagerly waiting to see your next gym battle!" He didn't need to tell me twice. I humped my pack up on top of my shoulder and started to jog towards Hop.

"Lee say anything weird?" Hop asked.

"He needed directions to the stadium," I said, and the two of us laughed at the joke and started toward the ancient city gates together. As we finished rounding the corner, however, an unfortunately familiar face stood sneering at us under silvery blonde bangs.

"Look at you two. Finally got three badges to your name."

"Hey, Bede," I growled. "I guess it's too much to hope for you to not be a pile of—"

"You should watch your language," he sneered.

"Gloria, is this guy still on your case? Come off it, mate," Hop said, frowning.

"Quiet. I'm not here for you, discount champion," he spat.

"Discount…?" Hop said. A fire was starting to burn in his eyes.

"Gloria, we ought to finish our match."

"Forget it, Bede. Get out of our way."

"Afraid?" he asked, but I groaned and walked past him, making sure to hit him squarely with my shoulder as I passed.

"You know, the great Leon never turned down a challenge; how do you think he feels about you giving one up? Bad form, if you ask me."

"I'll take you on," Hop growled.

"Don't make me laugh," Bede spat. "You could hardly handle a little fire from Kabu."

"Like you could do so much better?"

"I can, and I did," Bede answered, opening up his violet trench coat and showing us not three, but four badges. "Got this one from Bea. She's even easier; even you two could probably even win against her."

"Hop, let's go."

"Honestly, as much as I'd love for you to actually fight back, that might be the smartest thing I've ever heard you say," he said, sticking his tongue out.

"Alright, that's it!" Hop cried. "You and me, mate. Full teams out! We're going to see who's better once and for all."

"I told you, I'm not here for you," Bede said.

"Then leave us both alone," I growled, "because I sure as hell am not accepting company at this time. Hop, let's go."

"Weak," Bede laughed.

"Gloria, let me fight him. I'll put him in his place. If you think you're so good, Bede, why don't you try battling someone with the blood of a champion in his veins."

Bede looked at Hop icily for a second, and then he smiled maliciously. "Fair enough. I think it's time you realized you can't get anywhere with the 'blood of a champion.' See you at the outskirts then. Gloria, if you'd like, you can prepare a eulogy for your friend here." And with another sharp grin, he turned and walked away.

"Hop, I hate the kid too, but don't get too cocky. He's a good battler," I said. "You battling him is just going to make him worse."

"No, battling him is going to show that he's wrong, and it'll finally shut his trap up." He stalked after Bede, fists clenched. I sighed and followed behind.

A/N: For any interested parties, Marnie was not supposed to show up in either of the last two chapters but OOPS SHE'S JUST TOO FUN TO WRITE and I'm definitely not trying to find a way to sneak her back into the story well before the game does. Also, I was going to originally have a bit of this story take place on the Isle of Armour, and even had a (very) rough plot outline for it, but I decided to scrap it since it really would bog down the pacing and wouldn't focus on Gloria, which is not really the thing to do to your protagonist. Victor will be back in a few chapters, and if there's any interest, we can have a fun little spin-off of his time there down the road - it would make for a fun story. Anyway, it's about time for Hop to get his shit wrecked by Bede. See you next week!

NEXT WEEK: HOP CRASHES DOWN