A/N: Alright, it's time for our trio to take on Bea! But there are a couple surprise appearances this chapter...

Bea's gym was sparsely decorated, a bit of a change from the first three gyms we battled at. Its walls were clean and blank, and their only decorations were the occasional screen showing information about previous and upcoming battles. One of the screens was playing a recap of Bede's gym battle against Bea. I watched as a Dynamaxed Hattrem shot a strange wave of psychic energy directly at Bea's Pokémon…was that a Machamp? I gulped. This would be a difficult battle for sure. I grazed my bag with my hand and felt a lump where Marnie's TR was and felt a wave of relief that I had one extra trick to deal with her team.

We made our way to the registration table, where a bored-looking Pokémon League official sat, picking her teeth and watching the match's highlights. Her legs were crossed and resting on the table, and she made no rush pulling her feet off the table once we arrived.

"Got one opening for tonight," she said, looking at each of us expectantly.

"I'll go tonight then," Hop said, stepping forward. "Name's Hop—"

"Yeah, yeah," she said, motioning him to stop talking and hunching over a keyboard. "Found you. Current team of Cramorant, Thwackey, Silicobra, uh, Toxel? Any changes, or will you lock in with this team?"

"Locked in," Hop said, puffing out his chest. I frowned. Where was Wooloo? And when did he catch a Silicobra? What even was a Toxel? I had never heard of that Pokémon before.

"Hop…"

"And you?" the official asked, turning to face me. "You two registering as well, or does he have a fanbase, too?" She seemed to be disgusted at the concept of Hop's fanbase. Surely, Bede's and Marnie's more excitable fans had left a negative taste in her mouth.

"We're both entering," Victor said, before I could even respond.

"Right, well, we have two slots tomorrow, one at 11, one AT 7, either of you want to jump in at a specific time?"

Victor looked at me and shrugged. "I'll take 11," I said.

"Right. Locker room is that door on the right, and only one participant at a time. Check in when you come back, I'm going on break, come back tonight." She quickly stood up, nodded, and walked briskly out a door to the side before we even had a chance to respond.

"Well, I guess that's settled," Hop said. The three of us exited the lobby.

"What happened to Wooloo?" Victor asked.

Hop shrugged. "Gotta change up the strategy a bit. Wooloo's rolling tackles are a bit too predictable. Plus, I got a couple new catches. Figured they should get a chance to shine too, right?"

"Speaking of," I interjected, "When did you get a Silicobra? How come I haven't met it? And what about—"

"No one should know all my secrets," Hop said quickly, with a confident grin, "especially not my greatest rival."

"Okay," I laughed, "But once we both beat Bea, we're having a proper battle and you better make me sweat with this new strategy."

Hop laughed and started to pull away in a jog. "In that case, let me go get a little last-minute training done. I think you'll like what I've got planned." After a few moments, he was gone, leaving Victor and me alone in the stadium plaza.

"He seems a bit more like himself," Victor said hopefully.

"Can't blame him. Seeing anyone beat the hell out of Bede would make anyone happy," I replied. "Speaking of, let's see where Marnie went off too. We can all watch Hop's battle from the stands."

That evening, Marnie, Victor, and I made our way back to the stadium, alongside everyone in the town. Word traveled fast once the Gym Challenge started picking up speed, and news that Leon's Brother was going into a high-profile battle, with a brand-new team, in an attempt to course-correct a serious losing streak had generated quite a buzz. As we got closer to the stadium, we saw a long line of cars and Corviknight taxis all converging near the entrance.

"Ugh," Marnie grunted. "I knew we should have come here early with him. We could have avoided all this."

"These people can't be any louder and more obnoxious than those Team Yell Punks," Victor commented slyly.

"That's…that's different," Marnie shot back, sticking out her tongue.

"Wouldn't mind Mohawk Man and Pink Pyroar helping us through this, actually," I said quietly.

"You call them that?" Marnie asked, snorting. "I bet they'd love that."

"Well, I don't know their real names…"

"Trust me, yours are better," Marnie replied. "They're really sweethearts once you get to know 'em."

"Sure," I said, not fully convinced. We skirted around the back edge of the crowd as best as we could, but once some of the fans realized who we were, they got a little too close for comfort. Victor was surprised at his growing stardom, although he was more than happy to call out Kubfu, who was even more popular. Marnie held back a lot, and most of the fans and challengers in the crowd would quickly lose interest when she didn't answer most to any of their questions. Eventually, we made it through the opening gates and through stadium security, and we finally had a bit more elbow room to ourselves.

"Hey, there's a special box at this stadium for press and challengers," Victor said, pointing to an informational sign. "Probably be useful for us to get some peace and quiet."

"I don't think it's that much better…" Marnie said slowly, but Victor was already heading off in that direction.

"Come on, Marnie," I said warmly. "The other challengers have all been so nice, and the press isn't so bad. I remember talking to a couple reporters who were so kind."

"Don't get me started on reporters," Marnie said with a nauseated tone.

"I agree, we're just the worst. Veronica Summers, Unova channel five."

The two of us whirled around to see a familiar (at least to me) face. Veronica was standing with her trusty cameraman Mac right behind her, holding a large paper platter of snacks for the upcoming battle. He nodded warmly and bit into a tortilla chip.

"Hi!" I cried in excitement.

"Thought I recognized you. We had that interview in the mines just before they collapsed!" Veronica said. "Heard you've really been makin' a name for yourself since then, too. I'm technically only here to report Hop Nambarek's battle, but I figured you'd be battling Bea sooner or later if he showed up."

"Tomorrow morning, actually."

"Fantastic. I'd love to get some time to interview you before and after your battle, if you don't mind. And hey, you must be Marnie—"

"I'm not doing an interview," Marnie interrupted, face blank. She stalked ahead toward the viewing box.

"Damn, didn't even get the question out," Veronica said.

"She's not…the most talkative," I agreed.

Veronica sighed. "Don't I know it. My producers have been on my ass to get an interview with the top trainer in the league since she hit number one a couple weeks ago. No one's been able to get her alone in a room. But hey, you seem to be on her good side. If you can get in a good word for me, I'll go easy on the reporting if you lose."

"Wow," I said. "Okay, then."

"It's a joke," she quipped, rolling her eyes. "I'm a journalist. Do we ever lie?" Mac gave a little cough, and we walked over to the challenger and press box, where Victor and Marnie were waiting for me. Marnie saw that Veronica was amicably chatting with me, rolled her eyes, and stepped inside. Veronica smiled at Victor but didn't greet him with the warmth she greeted me with.

"She not remember you?" I asked after she passed through.

"I think she just doesn't think I'm news-worthy," he meekly replied.

"She's right, you are kind of lame."

"We'll see about that tomorrow," Victor said slyly, and shut the door behind us. "Hey, Sonia's here!"

Sonia whipped around at Victor's voice and smiled at us. "Victor! Gloria! Fancy seein' you here!"

"You join the challenge late or are you trying your hand at journalism?" I asked. In reply, Sonia jerked her head to her side, indicating Chairman Rose and Oleana, who were both eyeing us.

"Good to see you again, Mr. Chairman, Oleana," I mumbled.

"I knew you two would be close behind if Hop was challenging Bea. I made sure to clear all our schedules so we could all watch the two of you battle. Oh, and I hope you don't mind us crashing the press and challenger box. Come! Sit with us!"

I glanced around the room. There were a few trainers looking at us with jealousy. They were nowhere near Rose, Sonia, and Oleana, likely from to Oleana's doing. Marnie was sulking in the corner. We made eye contact and I gestured to Rose and Oleana, but she made a huffing noise and leaned against the wall next to her instead. Victor walked over and sat down next to Sonia without a second thought.

"Actually, Vic, that's Leon's seat. He went to go find Hop and give him some…coaching," Sonia said apologetically. Victor nodded immediately and slid one chair over.

"Gloria, come on! I assure you; we don't bite. Why don't you sit on the other side of Oleana?"

"I'll just sit down by Victor," I said, not wanting to tell him how his Assistant scared the living hell out of me. Oleana tilted her head quickly to show she had heard me and looked onward onto the battlefield. Once I sat down, I looked back at Marnie and patted the chair next to me. She rolled her eyes yet again, but after a moment, slowly walked over and sat down next to me, avoiding any eye contact with the other people in our row of seats.

"Keeping close with…other top trainers, I see," Rose said amicably. "I saw your battle with Bede. You are truly a skilled trainer. It must run in the family."

Marnie grunted in reply, not showing any indication she wanted to continue the conversation. Rose paid no mind to her, as if he was only speaking to her as a formality. Marnie's, or more likely Team Yell's, reputation had preceded her.

"Sonia, excuse me," Rose said, moving to the chair between her and Victor. Victor shrunk back a bit, but he paid no mind to him either. "Gloria, I noticed that you chose the earlier time slot tomorrow for your gym battle."

"Uh, yeah," I said.

"I, well, frankly, I think you should have taken the evening slot. You see, Bea here is a bit of a hometown hero, and you're one of the hottest names in the challenge right now. A lot of people are looking forward to watching your match tomorrow, and I think it would be much easier for them all to view—"

"You mean your ratings will get a boost?" Marnie asked sharply.

"Well, yes," Rose laughed, gritting his pearlescent teeth. "But think of it this way. A win against Bea would surely help you out in maintaining such a high rank, especially with the visibility of a prime-time win. It's a bit of a 'scratch my back and I scratch yours' situation."

"Um…" Victor said quietly.

"Yeah," I agreed. "We already signed up for our times. I guess you'll just have to see her battle Victor."

Rose's eyes darkened. "Miss Dixon," he said, suddenly very stern, "I'm afraid I must insist—"

The doors then burst open. "Alright, it's time for a champion battle!" boomed Leon as he sauntered into the room.

"Leon!" Rose said, face brightening immediately. "I suppose that means your brother is about to start the battle?"

"Yes!" Leon beamed. "I can't wait to see how much he's improved since he's started. Gloria, Victor, excellent to see you." He waved at us, and at the other gym challengers in the room, who were overcome by their fear of Oleana and rushed him immediately.

"He know that 'champion' isn't even an adjective?" Marnie huffed.

"You sound jealous," I teased.

"It's fine," she replied. "He won't be champion for much longer." She patted Morpeko's head confidently.

"You can't even beat me in a battle," I snickered.

"I can beat Bede, though," she shot back, eyebrow raised. I stuck my tongue out at her and she allowed herself a quick laugh before looking out at the stadium below us.

"Please welcome to the Stadium, hailing from Postwick, HOP NAMBAREK!" boomed the announcer's voice. The stadium burst into cheers. Leon, hopped away from his crowd of admirers and bounded to the glass of the window, eager to not miss a moment of Hop's battle. Victor and I also stood up and looked out the window. Hop was jogging to the center of the orange field of the pitch excitedly. I wondered what terrain my battle tomorrow would be on. Much like Kabu's gym, there were no obstacles or platforms – Bea must have opted for a completely empty pitch as well.

"And now, for everyone's favorite—" the roar of the crowd completely eclipsed the announcer's voice. Even through the thick glass windows, it was almost loud enough to make me want to cover my ears. Bea walked out quickly. She walked as fast as Hop was jogging. She nodded a couple times to the roaring crowd, but otherwise looked focused. I glanced up to the stands and saw her face on a massive LED screen. Much like Marnie and Oleana, her face was blank, but I could see such a fierce determination in her eyes it sent a chill down my spine. This would not be an easy battle for any of us.

"You're telling me you wouldn't want a crowd this size cheering for you all night?" Rose said, walking up behind me and placing a hand on my shoulder.

"I have a feeling you won't take no for an answer," I said with a nervous laugh.

"I'm afraid not. You'll be battling at 7 PM tomorrow night," he said, digging his fingers into my shoulder ever so slightly. As the roar of the crowd died down ever so slightly, and all of us except Leon took our seats. Leon was staring avidly at his brother, his forehead pressed against the glass.

"Why don't you watch my battles like that?" I asked, giving Victor a nudge. Marnie stifled a laugh while Victor stuck his tongue out.

Hop and Bea threw out their Pokéballs and with a new roar of the crowd, the battle began in earnest. Hop led with Cramorant, who started quickly flying all around the pitch, trying to disorient Bea's first Pokémon, a spry looking Hitmontop. The Hitmontop looked nonplussed, and with a quick order from Bea, it hopped onto its head and spun in an opposite pattern to Cramorant, eventually colliding and knocking the bird to the ground.

"Come on, Hop!" Victor and I cried.

"That Hitmontop was a pain when I battled it," Marnie said quietly. "Kid's in for a rude awakening, thinking that or anything Else Bea has planned for him is gonna be tricked by some fancy flying. Just as she spoke, Cramorant hopped up and, under Hop's command, shot a strong gust of wind toward Hitmontop. Hitmontop skidded back a couple yards and shook its head to clear its mind a bit. Hop took the advantage and ordered another attack. Cramorant zoomed straight toward it and began to peck at it repeatedly. Hitmontop tried to dodge or push it away, but Cramorant seemed to be moving just a bit too fast for it.

"Alright!" I yelled, as Hop called for Cramorant to back off. Cramorant flapped backwards, but this time Hitmontop was prepared, and lunched at Cramorant with devastating force, knocking it back to the ground.

"Ah!" I heard Leon grumble. I told him to watch out for Hitmontop's Counter!"

Cramorant looked a little wobbly, but otherwise was still good to go, yet Hop called it back to its Pokéball, then clicking it against his wrist.

"Hold on," Victor said, leaning forward.

"Is he really…" Sonia asked.

"Why on earth…?" Leon asked.

Marnie rolled her eyes.

A whirl of pink energy surrounded Hop, and his Pokéball grew in size. He was Dynamaxing his Pokémon already? There was no way Cramorant, or any Pokémon for that matter, would be able to stay in Dynamax form for the rest of the battle. Cramorant burst out of its ball, fifty times its usual size, and immediately swept Hitmontop up in a powerful gust. Hitmontop was carried off the pitch and crashed into the wall. A ref ran over and immediately raised his hand. Hop had taken an early lead.

"That's certainly…a strategy," I said.

"I think his plan is to build up a lead so great, Bea won't be able to top it, even with a Dynamax move," Victor said. "It's bold, if anything."

"It's not," Marnie said, leaning back in her chair. "He's already lost." Leon tore his eyes away and glanced at Marnie, then me. His expression was hard to read, but I knew that he thought the same thing.

Bea wasted no time, calling out her second Pokémon – Pangoro. Though it was still much smaller than Cramorant, it was a large Pokémon, standing menacingly at seven feet tall with white and black spotted fur that seemed to drape behind him like a cape. It rushed at Cramorant, but before it could even land its first blow, it was wrapped in another powerful gust of wind and sent straight to the wall. The ref raised his hand again.

"Two KOs in two hits," Leon said, scratching his goatee. "It's mad, but maybe he can actually pull it off."

"I dunno," Sonia said, leaning back. "Even you never pulled such boneheaded strategies in your gym challenge." As she spoke, Bea's face flashed on the big screen. She didn't even look remotely worried as she picked out her third Pokéball. Her face still was a slate of determination. She leaned back and tossed her third ball out.

Appearing in front of Cramorant was a bird of silky white, carrying in its wings a sturdy looking green shield and holding aloft a gigantic leek like a broadsword. As Sirfetch'd readied itself for battle, I laughed at the sheer silliness of the small Pokémon. Marnie looked over at me, eyebrow cocked. "You laugh now," she warned, "but that bird means business."

And sure enough, as Cramorant flapped its gigantic wings to create a third powerful gust of wind, Sirfetch'd flipped its leek upside-down and shoved it deep into the orange ground and swung its shield forward. The wind bounced off it, and though some dirt particles slipped through the cracks of the shield, Sirfetch'd was unharmed from the attack. Its grip also remained firm around the hilt of its sword, so as the winds finally died down, it hadn't lost a foot of ground. Sirfetch'd then drew the leek sword from the ground and leapt forward with incredible speed. With a quick low swing, its sword swept Cramorant off its feet, and when the Dynamaxed Pokémon fell to the ground with a loud crash, Sirfetch'd hopped up into the air and brought the sword down on Cramorant's beak.

There was a massive explosion as all the pent-up Dynamax energy left Cramorant's body, kicking dust up everywhere and obscuring the two. When that dust finally settled, Cramorant was prone on the ground, while Sirfetch'd was walking slowly back to its side of the battlefield calmly, leaning its sword on its shoulder. The crowd burst into applause at Bea's triumph, and on the big screen, I can see that even Bea let herself enjoy the moment as well.

Hop didn't seem too fazed, and quickly sent out Cramorant's replacement, Thwackey. Thwackey pulled at one of the branches tucked away in its hair and held it forward like a sword as well. Sirfetch'd quickly accepted the invitation, and the two swung their plant swords at each other. However, Sirfetch'd leek was so much longer that Thwackey's branch was not even in range of Sirfetch'd by the time the Leek caught it directly in the side. Thwackey picked itself up and charged again, but Sirfetch'd deftly blocked it with its shield and pushed upwards in the same motion, leaving Thwackey wide open for another powerful blow. The green monkey did not get up from the second hit. In less than a minute's time, the battle had swung back into Bea's favor. Leon gritted his teeth.

Oleana whispered something in Rose's ear, and he stood up quickly, checking his phone. "Well, I'd hate to miss the hometown hero add another victory to her record, but it turns out I have to take this urgent call. Leon, I think this concerns you as well."

"Can…can it wait?" Leon said, glancing back at us. "Even if Hop loses, I still want to support him."

Rose looked at Oleana, then back at Leon. "Unfortunately, no. I don't think it can. You know how the brothers Buckingham are."

Leon sighed. "Those two again? I think they can wait just a few—"

Rose again looked at his assistant. "They cannot wait, and may I remind you the terms of your contract, Leon?" Oleana said stiffly. Rose shrugged and placed a hand on Leon's shoulder, guiding him away from the window. Leon first resisted, but Oleana cleared her throat sharply, and he finally gave in. He frowned at both Victor and me before being led out the door.

"Tell Hop I'll give him a call tonight," Leon sighed, bringing a hand to his head and rubbing his temple, and the three quietly left. We heard another roar from the stands, and as we gazed to the field, we saw Hop call back a fainted Silicobra.

"I don't think I can watch this," I muttered.

"It won't be that much longer," Marnie said, leaning back in her chair and checking her phone. I glared at her for a few seconds until she looked back at me. "What, am I wrong?"

Another burst of cheers came from the audience. Bea's Sirfetch'd had already struck the first blow on Hop's final Pokémon, a small purple cross between a baby dinosaur, and that was all she needed to secure the victory.

"We…should probably go cheer him up," Victor said, rising from his chair.

"Why don't I treat you all to some Casteliacones?" Sonia asked with a smile. "Can't ever feel sad when you've got a Castliacone in hand! Go on, I'll catch up in a bit."

I nodded and looked at Marnie. She made a performative sigh and dragged herself up from the chair, and the four of us quickly left the box. Veronica tried to get a couple quick questions in as we passed her, but Marnie silenced her with a sneer only someone from Spikemuth could muster.

"I…I guess we'll just circle back tomorrow," Veronica told me nervously. Mac snickered behind her.

The three of us made our way back down, sifting through fans that were equal parts happy about Bea's victory and disappointed that the brother of champion had lost so quickly.

"I almost feel like I wasted my money on this ticket!"

"He's really falling off, hard."

"The only reason he got past Hitmontop was because he Dynamaxed. No way he's finishing the challenge now."

"Who even dynamaxes right away? What was he even thinking of?"

I had to hold my tongue as we squeezed through the crowd. Soon, we found ourselves at the door to the locker room just as Hop was leaving. He made eye contact at me and winced, as if he was hoping he could have left before we caught up to him, but then smiled weakly and walked over. His eyes were puffy.

"Not quite how I'd planned it, mate," he laughed meekly.

"She seems really tough," I said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, you better watch out on that, guys," he replied.

"Why'd you Dynamax so early?" Marnie asked. Victor and I both turned at her in shock, causing her to shrug. "What? Genuine question. Most people wait to Dynamax, just tryin' to get a read here."

"Marnie, come on," Victor scolded.

"Naw, mate, she's right," Hop said. "I dunno what I was thinking there, really. Cramorant got hit so hard right away and I just panicked."

"Well, try not to do that," Marnie said awkwardly, as if she immediately realized how unhelpful her advice was.

"I'll try not to," Hop muttered, hanging his head.

I pulled him into a tight squeeze. "Don't worry," I told him. "Bea's tough, but you're tougher. We'll figure out a strategy and you can take her on again."

"So many people lose two or three gym battles on their challenge, this is nothing," Victor added, patting him on the back.

"Lee didn't," Hop said flatly.

"Oh, that reminds me. He was going to call you tonight," I said, letting Hop go.

"What? He was here? He saw that embarrassment of a match?"

"Yeah, he and Sonia and Rose bought their way into the press and challenger box," Marnie replied.

"And he didn't…come down with you guys?" Hop's eyes started to water.

"No! No!" I hastily explained. "Rose had to pull him into some meeting or another, he was being super secretive."

"Yeah, Rose…Rose does that a lot," Hop sighed. "I hope that's why at least."

"Well Sonia's going to treat us all to Casteliacones if you—"

"I'm not hungry."

"C'mon, Hop," Victor begged.

"I said no," Hop said, turning and walking out to the front doors. Victor tried to go after him, but Marnie held up a hand.

"Let him be. He wants to be alone. Respect that," she said bluntly.

"I just…"

"She's right. He'll come around," I said, but deep down, I felt like I was only trying to convince myself that he would.

A/N: Man, Hop can just not catch a break, can he? Hopefully Victor and Gloria have better luck when they face her tomorrow. Hoping to get them both in one single chapter, so next week's will probably be a long one! Thanks for reading!

NEXT WEEK: THE BEA'S KNEES