A/N: Hey everyone! Still feels oh so nice to be back with these characters, and there's a couple important ones we haven't seen since the break! Enjoy the chapter.

The next morning, I awoke to a surprisingly cool breeze coming from the open window of our sleeping room. I pulled myself up to a sitting position and yawned, and out the window I could see that the streets of Hammerlocke were already filling, as if despite everything that happened in the past twelve hours, nothing had really happened at all. Marnie and Morpeko were still passed out in the twin bed next to mine, snoring softly, and when I rose from the bed fully with a creak, neither stirred. I yawned again and grabbed at my bag, hoping for a fresh set of clothes but not being rewarded. With a grimace, I changed quickly and quietly from my pajamas to streetwear, doing my best to keep the posts of the bunks between me and the still sleeping Marnie as I slipped my sports bra back on, just in case. I grabbed my Pokéball belt and quietly slipped out of the room.

I had only made it a couple steps when I saw Victor, two paper cups in his hand, turn into the hallway and sigh. "Good, you're up," he said. "I was afraid I'd have to send Nuzleaf in to wake you up. We gotta get going if we want to meet Sonia in time."

"You know I need my beauty sleep," I sneered.

"Yeah, well you sleep like a Snorlax, and you look much worse, so something must be going wrong," he teased. "C'mon. Got you a cup of tea for the walk."

"Did Hop ever come back?" I asked, choosing to ignore the remark.

Victor shrugged and checked his phone, then shook his head. "Must still be with Leon," he said. Marnie had told us after the press conference that he had left the Pokémon Center with his brother before Victor and I had returned. He still had not reached out to us.

The lobby was still busy when we walked in. The shattered windows had thin blue tarps over it, so any light from outside was coming through the space where the doors had been. The door frames were currently being measured by a pair of Machoke, and behind them I could see some new glass panels ready to be installed immediately. Victor and I shouldered through them and stepped out into the light.

"Gloria, you might want to bring a friend," Victor whispered. As he did, he tossed out a Pokéball and Growlithe appeared next to us.

"What do you me—oh, for the love of—alright, Bewear!" I groaned as I watched two reporters emerge from a nearby news van that seemed to have been parked there all night. I tossed out Bewear's Pokéball, and the minute he appeared, both reporters stopped, exchanged a glance, and quickly retreated to the doors of the van.

"Wish I had a Pokémon as scary as your Bewear," Victor laughed.

"Oh, we know Bewear's just a big baby," I cooed, scratching Bewear's stomach and receiving a happy rumble from him in response. "Why do these guys want an interview anyway? Shouldn't they be pestering Rose?"

"Glor, those are tabloid reporters," Victor snorted. "You and Marnie having that big damn kiss was like blood in the water to a Sharpedo. Add on to that the fact that you went toe to toe with Raihan's strongest Pokémon while it was going completely berserk, and it's made you a bona fide celebrity."

"That…that thing was Raihan's?" I asked, feeling a chill run down me. "I mean, it came from his gym, so it makes sense, but…wow."

"I know," Victor agreed, taking a sip of his tea. "When we were helping it back to the gym, Raihan was telling me that it was the only Pokémon that's managed to best Leon's Charizard. And even then, Leon still had another team member able to take him down."

"If this challenge starts up again, we're going to have a hell of a time finishing it," I said.

"Well, Raihan wasn't chosen by Zacian or whatever, so you've got that going for you," Victor mused. "Speaking of, d'you think we should tell her about that?"

"I…I kinda did," I said.

"And what'd she say?"

"We got interrupted," I replied. "I honestly don't know what she thinks on the matter. Probably thinks I'm just crazy, like you do."

"Honestly, I'd believe almost anything now," he admitted as we turned a corner leading to the city's outer borough. "Pokémon Dynamaxing in broad daylight, what seems to be some sort of historical cover-up, you becoming buddy-buddy with a deity, who knows what other crazy stuff is happening we never even noticed."

We spent the rest of our walk together mostly in silence. As we walked, I became more and more aware of how everyone was pausing to stare at us. Friends and family members would see us from the other side of the street and whisper to each other excitedly. They were mostly content with keeping their distance, but a few were brave enough to step forward. Anyone who got too close would get a stern look from Bewear or Growlithe and most immediately returned to where they were. Almost all of them made sure to get a picture of us as we passed. It was like walking out of a gym battle, in a way.

"I feel like Leon," Victor joked with an awkward smile as he waved toward a couple onlookers.

I inched closer to Bewear as I noticed a much older man staring at me with intense eyes. "I'm starting to understand why Leon keeps Charizard out of his Pokéball so often."

The further we got from the heart of the city, the fewer people we passed on the streets, and once we got to the Train Station where I had brought Sonia before the storm, there didn't seem to be any civilian presence at all. Instead, there was a group of strong-looking men and women in hard hats, evaluating any damage to train station itself, which was completely closed off with yellow tape. Across the square we finally located Sonia's frizzy red mane. She was sitting hunched over at a table next to the café near the station, which miraculously seemed to be completely untouched by the Tyranitar attack the night before. I recalled Bewear and Victor and I jogged over, Growlithe tailing us.

"Hey, Sonia!" Victor said with a wave.

"Please, don't yell," she said, looking up at us.

"Jeeze, Sonia, you look awful," I said. And she did. Her wild and frizzy hair did not have that intentionally messy volume it usually had and was instead haphazardly pulled back into a ponytail. Her sunglasses hung crookedly on her nose and did nothing to cover up the dark bags under her eyes. She tried to smile at us, but it came out looking more like a grimace, and with a groan, she motioned to the three empty chairs next to her at the table. Victor and I took the two closest to her.

"Yeah, apologies on that," she groaned. "Don't worry about me. Give me a couple hours and a hearty breakfast and I'll be right as rain in no time." As she spoke, the door swung open and Hop walked out with a large, steaming paper cup in each hand and a medium-sized brown paper bag in his mouth, hanging from his teeth. He nodded at the two of us and quickly walked over to the table, sitting down at the fourth chair.

"Hop, you're okay!" I said.

"Yeah, we all crashed at Raihan's last night," Hop explained as he dropped the bag to the table, shifting his eyes to Sonia. "Some of us crashed a little harder."

"You know I had good reason," Sonia grumbled. "Gimme that coffee already." Hop gingerly set the cup in front of her. She was about to take a sip but lurched forward suddenly with a hearty retch. "I am…wow I am not in Uni anymore, am I?" she said with an uncomfortable laugh.

Hop snickered then turned back to us. "I shoulda tried to get ahold of you, but in all the chaos last night, my phone broke. Lee's taking me to get a new one after this, and then he and I are gonna do a spot of training to blow off some steam."

"So, you're not quitting?" I asked.

"You were quitting?" Victor asked, dumbfounded.

"I…haven't told him," Hop admitted, frowning and looking away from us. "I couldn't find the words before Rose's presser, and after, once we were all back at Raihan's, it just…it didn't seem like the time."

"You're gonna have to pull that bandage off eventually," Sonia chided, taking a cautious sip of her coffee, grimacing, and reaching for a couple sugar packets in a ceramic container on the table. "I'm telling you, Hop, he's not going to be upset."

Hop sighed and took a sip from his cup as well. "I know, I know," he said, "but he's Lee! And he held off endorsing me for the challenge the past few years because I 'wasn't ready yet,' and I…I dunno, I just don't want to prove him right, especially during all this." Victor started to protest but Hop held his hand up. "Look, it's my own problem," he assured us, "and I'm working through it, but that's not why we're here anyway. Just, I dunno, bear with me for a bit longer?" He looked right at me and smiled weakly.

"Of course," I said. He smiled at me and pulled three croissants out of the bag and handed two to Victor and me. Then he tossed the bag over to Sonia, who pulled out a hearty egg sandwich. She heaved a bit as the smell of eggs hit her nostrils, but she forced herself to take a bite, and once she swallowed it, she took a big sigh of relief.

"First bite's always the hardest," she informed us. "Anyway, I'm sure you're surprised to know that Chairman Rose is a scumbag, but rest assured he is."

"Hell of a way to talk about your employer," I joked.

"Ex-employer," Sonia growled. "And my only severance package was a week's pay and this hangover."

"He sacked you?" Victor cried.

Sonia ripped another bite out of her sandwich, starting to get her usual energy back. "Yeah, he bloody sacked me! After I run around half the damned region researching the Darkest Day for him, too! Officially it's because he 'has to reallocate funds' from Project Eternamax, but something's not adding up."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, for one, for a man putting so much money into a 'bold new kind of energy,' he's not paying me all that much to research," she explained. "And for two, that man has been jumpier than a Bunnelby since that Bede kid tore up that mural at Stow-on-Side."

Victor frowned. "He did seem pretty shaken up about the whole affair."

"The mural is still shut down too," Hop added. "Authorities aren't even letting people into the park at all, let alone anywhere near those statues."

"Exactly," Sonia said. "And when I showed him what I showed you in the Pokémon Center last night, he damn near burst a seam. Something about Zacian and Zamazenta is freaking him out, and I don't know what it is. Maybe there was something else in that sealed up cave. Who knows? But I guess none of that matters anymore, so why the hell should I care?"

"That's so awful," I said quietly.

Sonia gave me a weak smile. "Don't worry, Gloria, I'm like a Litten; I always land on my feet and have a fire that can't be put out that easily. Besides, you lot have more to worry about than my job prospects. That's really why I wanted you to come."

Hop, Victor and I looked at each other nervously. "What's going on?" Victor asked.

"Rose is going to be breathing down your necks from here on out," Sonia warned. "Especially you, Gloria."

"What? Why?" I asked.

Sonia leaned in and looked at me, eyes serious. "You know about Project Eternamax, you were at the Mural when it was destroyed, and you're definitely the kind that would be a thorn in his side if we ever figure out what the hell he's up to with all this Dynamax nonsense."

"And you're one of the top trainers in the league," Victor added. "You have the platform to stick it to him if you really want to."

"What could I even say?" I sputtered. "This is literally the first I'm hearing of this, and I still can't make heads or tails of any of it."

Hop sighed. "That may be, mate, but as jumpy as he has been, he's had a watchful eye on you basically since we got our Water Badges."

I gulped. "How do you know that?"

Sonia and Hop looked at each other, and then in unison gave me the answer. "Leon."

"What?"

"Him, me, Sonia, Milo, and Nessa were all at Raihan's last night and they more or less confirmed it, mate," Hop explained. "Lee can't really say much because Rose has him and an entire inner circle under a pile of about 700 NDAs, but what he can say is that Project Eternamax isn't quite what it seems and that it's related to all these storms that have been going on."

"Why wouldn't he just like, call the police?" Victor asked, scratching the back of his neck.

Sonia rolled her eyes. "He says it's still under control, and that Rose is just a little too 'enthusiastic' about the project, but you had to have seen the way Leon was looking at him during the presser. I've heard of 'staring daggers,' but that man was staring Aegislash."

"He used to be so excited about knowing Chairman Rose, too," Hop said.

"He soured on him a lot quicker than you know, little man," Sonia said with another weak smile. "He's just not so good at showing that 'happy-go-lucky champion' face these days. But Gloria," she added, turning to me, "like I said, Rose's eyes are going to be glued on you. I'm surprised he hasn't made a point of reaching out yet. So, uh, watch out for that, I guess."

I laughed uneasily. "Cheers," I replied, finding it hard to maintain any cheeriness of the sort. Victor looked like he was having about as much fun with this information as I was.

"But it's not all bad, I promise!" Sonia said suddenly. "You still have ol' Sonia in your corner, both of you. I'm sure I can find a way to help out if you ever need me. I already used the company card he gave me for a couple last-minute purchases for you." As she said this, she pulled out a small box and handed it to Victor. "For you, Vic, the best research assistant a slightly more experienced research assistant could ever ask for."

Victor opened the box and gasped. Inside were two stones. The first was one was a mostly clear stone that had bright red and yellow wisps of geodes inside that twisted and turned unnaturally. With any slight movement of my head, it even looked like the wisps were alive, flickering like tongues of fire. The other was plainer, a matte green. It was far from smooth; in fact, it was so lumpy and riddled with divots that at first glance it seemed to be covered in a thick olive-colored moss. "Sonia, you're kidding!" Victor cried. "A fire stone and a leaf stone! These are dead rare, where did you find them?!"

"I know a couple good jewelry hookups," Sonia said coyly. "Figured it's about time you got to see Growlithe and Nuzleaf really pack a punch. And as for you, Gloria, I'm afraid it's not quite as exciting…yet, at least."

"What is it?" I asked.

"I'm going to double-down on this Zacian and Zamazenta thing. Something's really not right in Hammerlocke, and if you're seeing visions of legendary and forgotten heroes, maybe we could learn a thing or two about 'em, right?" As she finished her last bite of sandwich, her phone buzzed. "That'd be Leon," she said, glancing at Hop and pulling her phone out. "Hello? Yeah, we're over by the train station. No, the one on the East side. No, the East side. No, the sun sets in the West, you...Look, don't move; we'll find you." She looked back to the three of us and rolled her eyes. "What? Oh, yeah, they're here with us. Yes, they know, they—oh. Wow. That's…not a subtle bribe. Alright, I'll let 'em know. See you soon."

"What was that all about?" Hop asked.

"Rose, to help aid trainers and citizens displaced from the storm, is giving people hotel rooms while he brings in teams from across Galar to aid in city cleanup. And you three managed to get a room at the Hotel Diancie."

"Sounds expensive," Victor breathed.

"Remember what I said about him trying to keep a close eye on you," Sonia warned, pulling her bag to her shoulder and rising from the table. "C'mon, Hop. Your brother's lost again."

"See you at the Hotel tonight then, I guess," Hop said with a smile.

After finishing up our pastries, Victor and I grabbed another two for the road and headed back to the Pokémon Center. As soon as we started walking, Victor tossed out Growlithe's Pokéball and pulled out the fire stone Sonia gave him. It began glowing brilliantly as Growlithe approached, and after giving it a quick sniff, Growlithe barked once and began to glow as well. A couple seconds later, the two of us were looking up to a keen-eyed Arcanine, who towered over us and barked again happily. A couple passersby got to take a few photos but the second the dog turned to see what the noise was, they immediately shrunk back and crossed to the other side of the street. "Must not be dog people," I joked, knowing full well that if Arcanine was ever angry at me, he could end it all in a second with his massive jaw and razor-sharp teeth.

The three of us walked back together, and though some brave fans came up to talk to us or ask for autographs, most took one look at Arcanine and found themselves happy to keep their distance. We soon found ourselves at the Pokémon Center we had stayed the night at. The two Machoke had managed to fit a new pair of glass doors and were working on one of the windows on the left. Leaning on the wall to the right and looking bored, was Marnie. Morpeko had climbed up onto her shoulder and Marnie was scratching her chin absentmindedly as she scrolled through something on her phone. Both looked up to see us approach. I saw Marnie smile widely, and then course-correct a bit so she still looked aloof. Victor and I picked up the pace but before we could get too close, the Pokémon Center doors burst open violently, along with a very angry scream to accompany it.

Bede stalked through the doors in a blind fury and quickly spotted Victor and me. Victor took a small step backward and Arcanine growled. "You!" Bede screeched at me, stomping toward us. "Of course, you show up, now of all times."

Marnie pulled herself off the wall and Morpeko dropped to the ground. I could see little yellow bolts of static electricity in the small mouse's cheeks, but neither of them stepped closer - they seemed far more interested in watching the show.

"What do you want, Bede?" I growled.

"I want you to stop following me!" he spat. "Can you really afford to be wasting time, following me around to bask in my misery?"

"I can budget for that," I grinned. "Sounds like fun."

Bede seethed for a second but took a deep breath to collect himself. "Fair enough. You must have more time now that you no longer have to worry about catching up to me."

"Yeah, wild how all I had to do to be better than you was not be an arse," I jeered.

"And we're not following you," Victor added. "We spent the night here." Arcanine took another step forward and lowered his head, growling menacingly. I could see small wisps of grey smoke filtering out of his mouth.

"Oh, feeling big and tough with that mutt of yours, eh?" Bede shot back with a violent grin. "We can see how tough you are. I'm—"

"PINK!"

"I—what?" Bede asked, snapping around just in time to see a Togekiss gliding toward him, Opal quickly following behind. He took a step back in surprise, but Opal scurried up to him and pinched his cheeks.

"My…my dear, just look at all of this pink!" Opal cried again, circling him and staring him down, prodding his back with a bony finger.

"I—er—I'm sorry, Opal—have we even met?" Bede stammered. All the anger of his voice had evaporated, replaced by confusion. Marnie and Morpeko relaxed a bit, and I could just barely make out a small smile on Marnie's lips.

"Oh, my child," Opal went on, completely ignoring Bede, "so sincere and straightforward and yet so twisted and misguided…I like it! That's the kind of thing that gives people some depth!"

"What—what the hell are you on about?" Bede asked defensively.

"Pink! Pink! And Pink!" Opal exclaimed with glee as she finished circling him and pulled him with surprising force toward her so that their faces were only inches apart. "It was you that they were using, to gather the wishing stars, wasn't it?"

"I—"

"What a tragedy, and what a meaty role!" Opal said warmly. "Oleana and Rose, they had you working so hard, only to throw you away like rubbish once they were done with you…Come with me, child. I might be able to help."

"Is—is this a test?" Bede asked, looking back to Victor and me, only to find us looking just as confused as he was.

"I can't believe it's taken you this long to challenge my gym! To think I would even hold auditions when you were clearly the only one cut out for the part! Time for my gym challenge, child!"

"I—but—I lost my endorsement; I'm out of the league!"

"You think that stuffy little prick in a fancy suit is the only way to get seen in this world?" Opal laughed maniacally. "Oh, Togekiss! A little help getting this young man to places, please!" Togekiss bumped up against Bede, first softly, but then incessantly, finally getting him to stumble away from the Pokémon Center, confused and angry at the whole situation.

"Uh…" I said, watching the two leave.

"Oh, don't be upset, dear," Opal said. "I told you that you didn't have the pink, although a little jealousy would certainly get you some. Don't you worry about him, I'll whip him up into shape and shine that attitude of his right up!"

"Do you really think you can do that?" Victor asked.

"I'm a director," Opal said with a sly grin. "I get results. Goodbye, now! Enjoy the rest of your gym challenge!" And with that, she quickly hobbled away after Bede and Togekiss, turned a corner, and was gone. She did not once look back at us, though if she did, she would have had a great laugh at our gobsmacked faces as we watched her go.

"What…what was that?" I asked.

"Looks like it was her finally getting me off her back about 'pink,'" Marnie answered, strutting over to us. "Damn, Vic, an Arcanine now? Impressive."

"Thanks," Victor said with a smile as he recalled Arcanine.

"Anyway, I'm meeting up with a few Team Yell members in a bit," Marnie continued. "Couple of 'em you might remember. You're both welcome to come along, but Gloria, someone's waitin' for you, and I think it's best you don't ignore her."

"Who is it?"

Marnie shook her head. Instead, she pulled me in for a quick kiss. "Text me after, 'rival.'" Then she and Morpeko walked off, leaving Victor and me alone. We exchanged a glance and walked into the Pokémon Center. Inside, it was buzzing like a hive of Vikavolt. Trainers were walking around with slips of paper in their hand, and a couple of Macro Cosmos employees had stationed themselves near the desk, handing the slips of paper out. There was a sign on a table next to them that read "Hotel Vouchers." At first, I wasn't sure exactly who Marnie was talking about that was waiting for me, but I saw Victor tense up and point to a far corner of the lobby, where a woman sat in a booth in the shadows, staring at the two of us, sitting between two other Macro Cosmos employees. I gulped and walked over. As we approached, the two employees grinned at the two of us. One pulled out a TM of something and a permanent marker, stopping Victor so he could sign it. The other one said something to me, but I was too focused on who was sitting in the booth. She was well-dressed as always, in a blood red blouse cased by a sharp black blazer. Her long golden hair was smooth and silky, not a single strand of it out of place.

"Good morning, Gloria," Oleana said. "I'd like to have a little chat."

A/N: So I'm making more liberal use of the cliffhanger, get off my back okay?

Also, I know I go on and on about how much I love writing Marnie, but honestly Sonia might be just as fun to write, too. She's going to feature a lot once Gloria and co. get back on the road in a couple chapters, so you'll definitely have that to look forward to. In the meantime, let's hope Oleana doesn't want anything too...drastic.

NEXT WEEK: THE PROPOSAL