In which Gloria makes an impression and the authors give a callback.
Galar Mine No. 2 was darker than the first, so Victor told his friend to stay right behind him. She could see the path a short distance in front of her just fine, despite what her own Pokémon thought, but Hop had warned them about the Stunfisk army that liked to hide underground. She admitted that those might be a bit more difficult for her to navigate, and so allowed Victor to lead.
So when he stopped walking, she almost bumped into him. Looking over his shoulder, she saw a familiar shape in familiar colors.
"Bede," Victor hissed, though if it was an explanation or a mere angry exclamation was hard to determine.
"Victor," Bede said in the same tone, before looking slightly past him. "Girl."
"Wooloo head," Gloria replied in a polite-sounding tone. "What do you want?"
"I want a challenge," Bede answered, surprisingly calm for someone whose hair had been compared to a Wooloo. "None of the trainers or Gym Leaders so far have given me any difficulty at all."
"Not even Victor? Who defeated you?"
"Only because I went easy on him."
"What about me? If you're really so tough, you shouldn't have a problem with my team." She smiled innocently. "After all, I don't have an endorsement."
Bede was apparently smart enough to catch on. "It sounds like you're the overconfident one," he pointed out. "So sure you could...what was it? Defeat my team with only one Pokémon?" He shook his head. "As tempting as it is to merely brush you off and focus on your friend, I suppose it's an act of mercy to crush your delusions. I accept your challenge. I hope you have the money to pay me, my dear."
The smug smile even Gloria could see just made her more angry and annoyed. "Very well. I'll choose Rogue!"
As Rogue appeared in front of her trainer, Bede almost laughed. "Type advantage isn't everything. I suppose I'll just have to beat that into you, too. And remember, you can't use another."
"I won't need to," Gloria announced.
Rogue swished her tail in agreement. Bede sent out his Solosis, which rolled around in preparation for the fight. Victor just sat down on a rock and prepared to watch the show.
Bede had lost all smugness, and was now staring at the Thievul that had just defeated all four of his Pokémon. The girl was right. She did indeed sweep his whole team with only one Pokémon.
Oddly enough, he had mixed feelings about it. Rage, fury, frustration...and, though he would never admit it, admiration.
Gloria gave him a heart-melting smile, holding out her hand expectantly. "I hope you have the money to pay me, darling," she said, emphasizing the last word in the same mocking way he had called her 'dear.'
Bede clenched his teeth and handed over the agreed money, making Gloria giggle like a child as she stuffed the money in her wallet, then the wallet in a different pocket of her bag than usual.
"How did you plan on beating Allister's Ghost-types if you're a Psychic-type user?" Victor asked.
"I have a plan," Bede insisted. He looked over at Rogue, then frowned. "I merely underestimated your friend. I assumed that a lack of endorsement meant a lack of strength. I was wrong, and I will admit it. She doesn't lack strength - she lacks talent, tact, and genral pleasantness."
Gloria stuck out her tongue. "Still got more than you."
Bede ignored her. "And as for you...I suppose our rematch will have to be postponed to another day." He moved past them, muttering to himself about more Wishing Stars.
"What a jerk," Gloria said quietly, but she didn't say it meanly enough for it to be completely insulting. It sounded a lot like the tone she used when calling Hop and Victor stupid.
Victor would have to ask about that some other time. At the moment, a wild Scraggy had decided that he was the perfect target for headbutt practice, and Victor had to send Corvisquire out to defend himself.
Bede wasn't the only person Victor and Gloria encountered in the mine. It would have been much better if he had been, because at least Bede had two brain cells to rub together. The same, they knew, could not be said for Team Yell.
"Marnie can't win if that Victor kid keeps showing up," one grunt was complaining to his friend.
"Or Hop," said the other grunt, clenching his fist. "The Champion's brother isn't going to give up easily. But Marnie can take care of them. What's the harm in letting her have a few competent rivals as long as she wins in the end?"
"I didn't think I made that much of an impression," Victor joked, getting their attention.
However, instead of being angry, they were impressed. "The challenger himself," one of them said, amazed. "You're one of my number 2 favorites, you know. I hope you make it to the Champion Cup so we can watch Marnie take you down."
"Really? You were on the verge of a compliment, and you say that?"
"Hey, just making it that far is an honor."
Victor acknowledged that. "You're right. And I don't blame you for wanting Marnie to win. We all have challengers we're hoping end Leon's reign."
"Not me," Gloria insisted. "I'm cheering for Leon to keep the title again."
"Gloria excluded," Victor finished.
"Then let's have a battle!" the second grunt insisted. "You need practice if you're going to catch up to Marnie!" He cackled. "That is, if you have the determination to keep going after I beat you."
"He can if I help out," Hop's voice called, and Victor stopped to stare at him in confusion as he walked up to the group, not bothered at all.
"Where did you come from?" he asked, genuinely surprised. "It's a narrow cave."
"It's not my fault you're extraordinarily unobservant," Hop pointed out, as if that explained everything. Then he spoke to the grunts. "You want Marnie to win, then? Best be prepared to face her biggest competition. And Victor."
"Thanks, mate," said Victor, only mildly sarcastic.
The battle began, Dash and Wooloo against a Thievul and Linoone.
It was harder than they had come to expect. Wooloo had gone down in the fight thanks to the Pancham, and Dash being ganged up on took him out, too. Luckily, Chewtle had stepped in, and his evolution was exactly what Victor needed for his next badge.
He made a note to borrow Ace again, just in case, but pinned most of his hopes on Drednaw.
"That's exactly what I thought would happen," the first grunt admitted sadly.
"Maybe we should battle with Marnie to get her stronger, instead," the second grunt suggested.
And the two smartest grunts in Team Yell left the cave, hanging their heads in shame. The friends all shared a look, then decided not to give it much thought and followed them, heading through the rest of the mine trading jokes and laughing so loudly that Wimpod and Noibat zoomed away before they were even spotted.
Naturally, the Pokémon weren't the only ones who could hear them. Gym Leader Kabu was training by the entrance, with the Team Yell grunts that Victor and Hop had defeated.
"I understand how excited your group gets," Kabu was saying to them, "but that's no reason to disturb a Carkol."
"We're not disturbin' it!" a grunt protested. "We're givin' it encouragement! Cheerin' it on!"
"Go cheer somewhere else," Kabu ordered. "You're distracting us, and we can't give our best effort against the trainers endorsed by the Champion if you interrupt us all the time."
As if they had never thought of this before (probably because they hadn't) the Team Yell grunts finally quieted, and sheepishly left. Kabu facepalmed and mumbled something to himself. Victor approached to eavesdrop.
"...haven't been this disappointed in anyone since Flannery lost her hand in marriage in a poker game," Kabu finished, before looking up to see a teenager in torn jeans staring at him. "Hello, Victor," he said, louder, as if he didn't know Victor had been listening.
"You know Gym Leader Flannery?" Victor asked, not even pretending not to listen. He knew of Flannery - Gym Leaders from around the world occasionally made news on celebrity gossip websites, and Victor was a fan of Pokémon battles in all regions. Still, Flannery was rarely reported on, something about a hoax that made the press lose all trust in her and her family and her PR team. All stories about her were confirmed through honorary Champion Brendan, so if Kabu knew Flannery, Victor could possibly learn more about her.
Kabu, unfortunately, refused to speak much. "I am a Fire-type specialist from the Hoenn region. Of course I've met her. But I am the one you will have to face in battle, Victor, so I see no point in discussing her here."
Victor admitted that he had a point. "So what were you doing in the mine? There are Pokémon to train against closer to Motostoke."
"True," Kabu admitted, "but there are more Water-types here. I train against them to give myself a challenge."
"I see," said Victor, who was now making plans to focus on Drilbur for his next important match. She needed the practice, anyway. Drednaw and Ace could be used as her backup.
Kabu left the mine after promising to battle them tomorrow. Hop and Gloria, who had been standing behind and watching the conversation, finally approached.
"I might need to borrow Ace," Hop told Gloria. "I can't use Jojo in a Fire-type Gym."
"Victor already claimed him," Gloria pointed out.
"Just for an hour," Hop begged. "I'll take him out for more experience! And then Victor can take him while I take Dash, and we'll all have each other's starters for a bit. It should be fun!"
"I don't have any badges to make Jojo listen to me."
"All I have to do is give an order."
Hop looked so hopeful. Gloria wished she really was as blind as her friends joked about, because then she wouldn't have been able to notice, which would mean that she would have been able to resist their puppy eyes. "Fine," she said, "but I want Dash, instead. Let Victor hold Jojo while you face Kabu."
It said a lot about their friendship that the boys didn't even ask why.
Victor: Dash (Raboot) Corvisquire, Drednaw, Drilbur
Gloria: Ace (Drizzile) Dishwasher (Galarian Zigzagoon) Rogue (Thievul)