EDITOR'S NOTE: "I was going to try with this chapter, but the internet went out as we were working on it, so...here's what you get. It's not bad, it's just not great."

Milo told Victor that Hulbury was his next stop, so the two hurried off as soon as possible. According to the Gym Leader, it was only past a nursery and over a bridge. It should have been a straight shot.

Naturally, Team Yell was there to interfere with every challenger not named Marnie.

"Give us that bike!" a man was shouting at a tired-looking guy. "We're gonna use it to chase around Gym challengers! It'll be a scream!"

It probably would, Victor admitted, but he didn't want to be the first one chased down. "Knock it off, you lot," he ordered, trying to remember Marnie's exact phrasing. "Let the guy keep his bike."

"We don't care about the bike!" the other Team Yell grunt insisted. "We want the device!"

"What device?" Gloria asked, and the man shook his head.

"I worked with a team to create a device for a Rotom help its trainer with common problems," he informed them. "In the form of a bicycle, it could double the output of pedaling, cutting into the length of time for a single trip. But these people don't even have a Rotom. It would just be them riding normal bike."

"So why do you even want it?" Gloria demanded. "If you don't have a Rotom, it's useless!"

"It's not about using it," the grunt said, as if Gloria was the stupid one here. "We just want to make it useless to everyone else!"

Victor, Gloria, and the inventor all went silent. "That is dumb and illegal," said Victor.

"Shut up and battle me," the grunt shot back.

So he did. It did not end well for the grunt.

The man gave Victor the device, though he admitted that Gloria probably deserved one, too. Gloria cheerfully announced that she couldn't afford a bike, which made the man uncomfortable, but soon enough our heroes were crossing the bridge, collecting feathers, and mocking Team Yell.

"After Rocket and Galactic and such, think they wouldn't call themselves 'Team' anything," Victor commented as Gloria snorted.

"Best to leave that out of the discussion," she said, pretending she was serious.

"What? That 'Teams' are always out getting destroyed by children and shouldn't be taken seriously?"

"No," Gloria insisted. "Thinking. Not something associated with Team Yell."

Victor's laughter echoed, and Gloria's smile told him it was worth it. The mood wasn't even dampened when they found Hop at the other side of the bridge, preparing for battle.

"Where were you?" Hop asked. "I was waiting in Hulbury, but you never showed up."

"We had to deal with a Team Yell infestation," Victor explained. "Marnie didn't show up, either."

Hop made a sympathetic noise, but changed the subject quickly. "I was going to challenge you to a battle," he admitted, "for training. After all, we're the next Champion and his most promising rival. But if you don't think you can face my team..."

"We can face anything," Victor insisted. He picked out Drilbur's ball, figuring she was going to sit out two Gyms in a row so she might as well get some training in. "Choose your Pokémon, Hop. The next Champion is waiting."

Drilbur and Wooloo had a pretty even battle, but she managed to win through pure luck. As usual, Victor switched to Corvisquire to handle Hop's, and Dash to take care of Jojo.

Unlike the many other times Hop lost to Victor, this time, he actually showed his disappointment. "We both have only one badge," he said to himself, "so why are you so much stronger than me?"

No one had a good answer. Luckily, Hop was quick to recover, and charged off to fight Nessa and get strong enough to beat Victor next time.

Hulbury wasn't a busy town, but it wasn't a small one. As soon as the group entered the town, they saw Chairman Rose, dressed in a sweatshirt and blue shorts that Gloria's near-sighted brain was convinced were his boxers.

Luckily, she kept her mouth shut, even as Bede approached the chairman to proudly announce that he completed his mission.

"Well done, Brad," Rose said, his voice so full of pride that Bede had a moment of debate before correcting him.

"My name is Bede, sir," he said, and the awkward expression on Rose's face was probably going to be staring at them from every celebrity magazine cover the next day.

"Bede," Rose corrected himself. "I'm sorry, I'm not good with names."

"I understand," Bede promised. "You're a busy man. You meet people all the time." The slight disappointed tone in his voice was something both our heroes picked up on, but they kept quiet, neither liking Bede enough to actually feel bad about the man who endorsed him forgetting his name.

"Thanks for understanding," said Rose, before looking to the other teenagers. "And I see that Vincent and Carol came along with you!"

"Victor," Victor corrected him, "and Gloria."

"Right, right." Rose turned to the small group of cameras following him, giving them a smile. "Well, then! Two of the most promising challengers and their friend!"

"She's not my friend," Bede insisted.

"Give it time," said Rose, before returning to his interview. "Two of the most promising challengers, and a friend of the Champion." No one objected to that. "Our interview here is finished, ladies and gentlemen. But I promise you that no matter who comes out on top, Galar will have a Champion Cup to remember."

The gang of people disappeared, except for the woman dressed in red and black standing with the chairman. Instead, she pulled a small notebook from the pocket of her white coat. "We have ten minutes," she warned, and Rose brushed her off.

"I know, I know." He turned to face Victor. "I have a meeting with the owner of the Captain's Table restaurant, one of the sponsors for the Champion Cup this year. After you get the Water Badge from Nessa, meet me there."

Victor agreed before he fully processed what was being asked of him.

Victor: Dash (Raboot) Corvisquire, Chewtle, Drilbur

Gloria: Ace (Drizzile) Dishwasher (Galarian Zigzagoon) Rogue (Thievul)