Sorry it's short, but there's more fun coming up later.
Much to their disappointment, there wasn't much in the vault.
Raihan warned them about that when he let them in, and even though there were plenty of trophies to catch the eye as they entered, there wasn't really much of interest until they ran into Sonia.
"It's brilliant," she said to herself, as the teenagers got closer to see what it was that had her attention. A series of tapestries, ancient and carefully preserved, depicting two people watching a Wishing Star, a disaster, a sword and shield, and the two being crowned as kings. "The history of Galar, all in one place."
"Two heroes?" Gloria asked, taking a step closer to the tapestries out of curiosity. "Back at the inn, there was just one statue."
"Forget that," said Victor. "Was that the Darkest Day?"
"I assume so," said Sonia, her eyes twinkling even in the dim light of the vault. "This place is nearly empty. No one bothers to come here, they hear the legends and think that's all they need to know."
"Isn't it, though?" Victor asked, and Sonia shook her head, still grinning.
"I don't think so!" she cheered. "To think that a whole second hero was lost to common knowledge! I'll have to have a look at the tapestries a bit longer, if you're interested..."
"Not really," Victor and Gloria said together.
"Then I guess I'll be alone." She waved as they turned around, and wondered if playing to her love of history was her grandmother's evil plan from the start.
By the time the two left Hammerlocke, Team Yell was already there. They were cheering on a Silicobra, who was not, as Victor had hoped, in a fight with another Pokémon, but it was taking a nap on the bridge. They let an old woman pass because she promised to be quiet, but of course, when Victor tried the same...
"You're too loud," the grunt explained, in a normal talking voice. "And you are, too. And you." He finished this by pointing at Hop, who leaned back, startled.
"I just got here!" he protested, and was immediately silenced. He turned to Victor and Gloria, confused. "What."
He mouthed the word instead of using his voice, but they could tell that it wasn't even a question. Gloria shrugged. Victor rolled his eyes dramatically and spoke anyway.
"They're being hypocritical and loudly cheering Silicobra. For sleeping."
"Seriously?" Hop groaned, facepalming.
"You're bein' too loud!" the male grunt insisted, stamping his foot. "We can't have you stomping through! And you're wearin' those challenge bands, anyway. We don't like you!"
"Feeling's mutual," said Victor, and sent out Excadrill before they could reply.
One short battle later, Team Yell ran away, accusing Victor of waking up Silicobra and how he was a terrible person. Victor watched them go, more confused than ever before.
"So I take it they aren't the grunts who want me to come in second in the Gym Challenge," he said, and Hop laughed.
"Sorry, mate," Hop said, clapping Victor on the shoulder. "We've got to both pass Marnie now. Nothing against her, but everything against Team Yell."
"You're right," Victor agreed reluctantly. "So now we have to be the last two in the competition. Give Team Yell and Bede their well-deserved beatings."
"Bede." Hop clenched his fist, and his ever-present smile disappeared. He looked over at Gloria. "He's no good for you, Gloria."
"Figured," she answered at once, very used to Hop's shipper tendencies by now. "What did he say to you?"
"He told me that I was dragging Lee's name through the mud," he admitted, and Victor himself couldn't stop the reflex of wanting to punch Bede in the face. "That if I'm weak, people will think Lee's weak, too."
Gloria suddenly cackled, startling the boys from their justified anger. "Well, that's rubbish. You've got three more badges than I have, and I beat Bede's whole team with a single Pokémon. If he can't stand up to a Thievul, who is at her core an early-route Pokémon and has limitations no matter how much I love her, it seems that he just got a lucky break. You'll beat him next time, Hop."
Hop had previously been on the verge of tears, but they were quickly wiped away. "Thanks," he said, sincere. "Not sure how much I can get from that, since you turned down your endorsement and could have had three badges, but I'll take it."
"I could always take it back."
"No need," Hop said with a shaky grin. "I know I'm amazing. Let's go, Victor, we can't be late for the finals!"
And he left. The Silicobra, done with its nap after sleeping through everything, left too.
And as soon as he was gone, Victor heard a strange voice. "You're one of the Gym Challengers endorsed by Leon, aren't you?"
Victor turned, finding himself face-to-face with Gym Leader Opal. An odd old woman, with a pink and blue dress and a large mound of purple feathers around her neck.
"Hello," Victor said, as politely as he was able. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, just regular old woman things." An obvious lie, but Victor immediately decided that the less he knew, the better. "I want to see how you are when you go all out. Don't drop the challenge before you come to me, boy."
She was clearly joking, but even Victor could tell that there was something serious in it. She even looked over at Gloria for a moment, then walked off, muttering something about pink.
They didn't mind. They'd get there eventually. For now, Allister was on their minds, and how Victor could face the ghosts.
Victor: Dash (Raboot) Corvisquire, Drednaw, Excadrill
Gloria: Ace (Drizzile) Dishwasher (Galarian Linoone) Rogue (Thievul) Hattie (Hatenna)