This was really, really bad.

Hop Dande had known Professor Magnolia since he was in nappies. She'd been a family friend for what felt like forever, and almost all of his earliest memories included the woman in some capacity. It felt like she was just another part of his extended family, despite her fame and celebrity.

He also knew that she was really, really smart. All professors were, obviously, but Professor Magnolia's knowledge went beyond science. When she looked at him, it was if she was seeing right through him, rather than merely interpreting his words. Like she knew what he was going to say before he even said it.

This was bad for two reasons. One, there was absolutely no way she would ever believe Cassius was an actual trainer if she saw him in action. The average schoolboy could likely tell as much. Two, she would without a doubt inform his brother of the mistake if she were to find out. She had nothing against Lee or Galar as a whole, but she was a very big believer in consequences. "Humans cannot progress or learn not to do without consequences," she had once told him. "Corruption, greed—we would not know these things to be bad were there not consequences in this world," he remembered her telling him once, when he was much younger. "Remember, Hop. Mistakes happen, and it is important that you make plenty of them. The feelings that come from the consequences of those mistakes are what drive us as a species to be better."

Hop could already imagine the consequences from a slip-up like this, and they would not be pretty. Even so, Professor Magnolia would deem them necessary to growth. And he'd be lying if he said that he couldn't see the lesson in this entire debacle.

So, priority number one would be to throw the genius professor of the entire region off their trail. And he was not gonna be the sorry sod who threw the spanner in the works. But what could he deflect to? He looked to Gloria and Cassius for ideas, but the former seemed on edge while the latter seemed spooked.

"No point in hiding it, children," the traveled professor spoke calmly, like they were discussing the weather. "I've already got a good understanding of what might have happened. You're safe to talk to me."

Wait, they were? She didn't mind? But surely she should have. It went against her entire philosophy. "You... are?"

"Naturally. I'm curious about it myself, after all. It would be most informative to hear an account from someone who was actually there."

And now she wanted details? Not only was she okay with it, but she was apparently intrigued enough to want a full recount of the entire thing? What had happened to this woman in the brief time he hadn't seen her?

Wait... were they even talking about the same thing? "Professor... what are you referring to, exactly?"

"Come now, Hop, I believe I told you playing dumb was hardly necessary," the woman softly admonished. "I know you all have come into contact with the strange Pokémon hiding within the fog of the Slumbering Weald."

His wariness was put on pause at hearing that sentence. "Wait, how do you know about that?"

"Through the grapevine," the professor shrugged, as if it were common knowledge. "I've heard rumors from the people around Postwick that they've seen glimpses of a mysterious creature lurking within the Slumbering Weald. Reports vary, but they all have one thing in common—the creature is always shrouded in a thick mist."

Just like when he and Cassius had seen it. He shot the boy a look, and for once he didn't seem put off by the topic of conversation. It helped that it took away from the possibility of the professor finding out about their secret.

"Hold it," Gloria turned to him. "You've seen it too?"

"Wait, you've seen it?"

"Then we've all seen it," Cassius deduced.

"I have not seen it," Professor Magnolia added helpfully.

"Okay, okay," Hop waved his arms, attempting to restore order. "Gloria, when did you come across it?"

"'Bout less than a week ago. Was in the weald, mindin' my business when it just got mad foggy all of a sudden," the girl recounted as she leaned back in her chair. "It just showed up in front of me, out of nowhere. Scared the piss outta me."

"And what did you do?"

"Nothin' at first. Honestly, I was pretty spooked. Thought it had plans of eatin' me or somethin'." Her voice was uncharacteristically small. There must have been legitimate fear involved if the incident had managed to quell Gloria's normally unshakeable spirit.

"It just kept... watchin' me. I dunno. It didn't move or nothin', just stood there and stared at me, and eventually left. I passed out, woke up in the weald and everythin' was normal again." Her eyes were distant. "I've never, ever seen a Pokémon like that. If it was even a Pokémon to begin with."

"And what happened after you woke up, dearie?" Magnolia pressed.

"Went home. Tried convincin' myself that it was all one loopy dream I had tricked myself into thinkin' was real. But I never forgot it—and I suppose you two didn't either."

"Fascinating," the professor had procured a notebook from somewhere, and was jotting notes down as Gloria finished speaking. "That might be the clearest testimony I've heard regarding this debacle." Her gaze landed on the two young men present. "Though, suppose I'll withhold judgement until after the gentlemen have pleaded their cases."

Hop retold he and Cassius' run-in with the strange creature, the Unovan chiming in with a few key details now and again. Though, Hop was careful not to reveal the whole truth—he purposefully omitted Hyla having anything to do with the incident, since the public version dictated that it was a wild Deino that had spooked the Wooloo into stampeding, and not a strange Pokémon that had chased them throughout the weald. In retrospect, it seemed rather obvious that a creature such as that would scare the local Pokémon into something as rash as running into a human settlement.

Hop couldn't make sense of it all. For all his knowledge of Pokémon, he hadn't come close to figuring out what exactly it was that had chased him and Cassius. He'd almost managed to completely forget about the mystery, what with all that had happened in the past few days, but now that his mind was back on that specific train of thought, it was almost impossible to reach an answer that wasn't within the realm of the supernatural or extraordinary.

"I see..." the professor scribbled a few more notes before returning to Hop. "And you said none of your attacks showed any visible signs of landing?"

He shook his head. For the sake of maintaining the lesser facts amidst the overarching lie, Hop had replaced Cassius' Deino with his own Wooloo to provide an account of an actual battle against the creature. "No. I mean, I only had my Wooloo attack once, but it phased right through it. Like it wasn't even there."

"Do you believe it was a Ghost-type?"

"Maybe. Hard to say for certain. The way it acted... I've honestly no idea what it could've been."

A brief silence filled the room as his words hung in the air. He almost thought he'd put everybody off before the professor spoke up. "This is a most odd case, but as with all things, there is an explanation to be found in this. Perhaps it was simply a Ghost-type Pokémon never before seen. Or simply one you personally have never come across before in person." Her eyes drifted toward Cassius. "You could even assert that it was simply a trick of the eyes, and that it was the Deino who was responsible after all."

Hop saw Cassius' eyes narrow slightly. He figured the foreigner was about done with all the assumptions regarding his Pokémon. He could understand the frustration from that viewpoint, to an extent.

"But I suppose that wouldn't satisfy you three, would it?" The lack of an immediate response was telling, prompting the woman to continue. "I think the fact that you three specifically have had direct confrontations with this creature is no accident. Fate, you'll find, is a fickle thing, but most often very deliberate. Especially regarding people and Pokémon."

She stood from her seat slowly, hobbling over to a nearby window. Hop's eyes never left her, and she spoke again. "With that in mind, I've a favor to ask of you three. Not as trainers, but as... involved parties, let's say."

Involved parties? "What do you mean, professor?"

"I'd like you to look further into this creature, if you would." Her gaze remained on the window. "Though, please don't misconstrue my request as a demand. I'm sure you'll have your hands plenty full with the Gym Challenge, among other things. I'm simply asking for your assistance in looking for clues, should time allow."

"What're we even lookin' for?" Gloria asked.

"Potential hints regarding what it was you three saw. Textbooks, written testimonies, word of mouth—anything that could provide insight into this incident."

That didn't seem too difficult. Though the challenge would likely have them slightly pressed for time, it wasn't as if they'd have zero time to themselves. Still... "Why the sudden interest, ma'am? Outside of Postwick's potential involvement."

Professor Magnolia hummed, thinking to herself. Then, "curiosity, maybe. Some parts worry."

Worry? "And why's that?"

This time, an answer didn't come immediately. Withered fingers rapped slowly against the grip of her cane. The elderly woman's face was neutral, betraying not a single expression or thought.

Hop was beginning to think she hadn't heard him before she eventually spoke again. "No need to bother. For now, anyway. Just the musings of an old lady." Hop's mouth set itself into a line. That response was... ominous, to say the least.

As quickly as it came, the professor's brief bout of silence left. "Obviously, I won't leave you three to this task alone. I've a group of trusted subordinates scouring the region as we speak, on the lookout for potential leads. I'll also be sending Sonia to particular points of interest. She did mention to you that she'd be in Motostoke, yes?"

"Hulbury, actually."

"Both will do. She's to leave later today. You might even come across her at some point, should luck spare it." Hop swore he saw Cassius tense up slightly, but he hadn't spared a clear look before the professor continued. "So, can I count on you three to assist me?"

That strange creature he saw... something about it vexed him to no end. Oddities aside, its harmless pursuit and general presence was unlike anything he had ever seen before. He thought he knew everything there was to know about Pokémon—this newest phenomenon seemed determined to prove him wrong.

The way it looked at him had stuck with him, even after the run-in, and the following incident later that day. Its eyes felt like they did more than merely look at him. There was a sentience, a feeling of intelligence and deliberate action behind the gaze of whatever it was that had chased him and Cassius.

He was curious, to put it mildly. And if there was one thing Hop Dande could count on to draw his curiosity, it was any and all things Pokémon. This was no exception.

"I'd be happy to help, ma'am," Hop answered. "Though, I wouldn't anticipate receiving a surplus of information from a few wandering teenagers."

"Again, that's hardly an issue. Even an extra set of eyes will do wonders." She turned to the other two trainers in the room. "And you two?"

"If I have the time," Gloria agreed after a moment. She seemed to have gotten over whatever had gripped her for that brief spell. "I can spare a quick look."

"Cassius?"

"Uh, sure," the boy didn't seem quite as confident as Gloria. Then again, hardly anyone ever was. "Can't say I know what exactly to look for, but I'll ask around, I guess."

"That's more than enough." The professor seemed satisfied with the three's answers. "Oh, one last thing. I know the nature of this request inherently involves asking around, but I would ask that you try to keep knowledge of this to a minimum. I fear what would happen should rumors of a strange beast roaming the Slumbering Weald reach the ears of the public." Her frown became slightly more pronounced. "Or worse, the press."

Hop grimaced. Yeah, that wouldn't go over particularly well. "We'll keep that in mind."

"Excellent. I figure that's enough conspiracy for today." The woman's expression softened. "Now, I imagine you're all curious about those gifts I promised." Hop liked to think he could keep his excitement down, but the look the professor gave him indicated he was doing a rather poor job of it. "Wait here a moment, I'll be back in a jiff." The woman made her way to a room further ahead in the house, leaving the three alone.

The three waited to make sure they were alone before speaking. Surprisingly, it was Cassius who spoke up first, his voice low. "I get the feeling we're messing with things far beyond our control here." Perhaps even more surprising was Gloria's response. "For once, I agree."

Hop could understand Cassius being hesitant, but Gloria's reservation—and he hadn't dreamed of a day in which he'd thought of using that to describe her—was almost shocking. "Gloria, you serious?"

"Don't be dumb, Hop. Think about what we're doin' here. We're bein' sent on some wild run-about and askin' folks about a Pokémon that either no one's ever seen, or simply doesn't exist." The skepticism in her tone was hard to miss. "I agreed to help, but I'm not investin' too much into this."

Were the other two just not as curious about the creature as he was? Or were they scared? "And in the event that this Pokémon that you've seen with your own eyes does exist?"

"Then we leave it to someone else—someone more qualified—to handle it. We're a bit busy, in case you forgot."

"Hop, I don't know what you saw that has you so curious, but I know what I saw." Cassius said. "That... thing, whatever it is, could have probably killed us at least ten times over if it wanted to. There's no telling if we'll be fortunate enough to come out with our heads still attached if we somehow run into it again."

It was frustrating to admit that the two were bringing up valid points. Even so, he would not yield. "But it didn't kill us. On purpose, it feels like. Doesn't that tell you anything?"

"That we're lucky, more than anything else."

"Don't you want to discover something new and fascinating? What if we're lucky enough to have found a new legendary Pokémon?"

"I'd rather not mess with forces beyond what I know," Gloria maintained.

"Legendary Pokémon destroyed Unova centuries ago, and recently almost did it a second time." There was an unease with which Cassius spoke. "If there's anything I hope comes from this, it's that we don't discover a creature with the power to demolish an entire continent."

He understood their concerns. Really, he did. But they'd already promised to help, and he wasn't intent on going back on his word. Not when the favor she had asked of him had him this curious. "All we gotta do is ask around, yeah? If it ends up being tame, then we tell the professor that, and we're cut and dry of this whole thing. At the very least, can I count on you two to come with me when I start looking?" He settled for a compromise, hoping his two companions would at least provide him with that much.

Thankfully, Gloria seemed willing to accept. Though, not without a sigh of resignation. "Ugh... fine. Whatever. But promise me that we let this thing go if it's something we're not prepared for, yeah?"

"I promise."

Cassius might have been preparing to say something, but he was interrupted by the sound of slow footsteps returning to the living room. The professor came back into view, carrying what looked to be two wristbands of some kind. Cassius set his mouth into a fine line, swallowing whatever words he had planned to speak.

"Your gifts," she said plainly, softly placing them upon the table. "I imagine this makes up for making you all go out of your way to see me?"

"You bet!" Hop exclaimed, excitedly picking up one of the wristbands. "I can't believe it—Dynamax Bands! Just like the one Lee uses!"

"The very same," Professor Magnolia said. "You wouldn't believe the fortune I had in finding these. I was outside yesterday afternoon, tending to the garden with Sonia, when I saw three Wishing Stars fall somewhere along Route 2. They were about as obvious a sign as any that there would be three talented trainers coming to my door sometime soon. I was tempted to leave them there for you three to find, but I figured I'd take them and start working on your Dynamax Bands now to save you the wait."

Nice of her to do so, Hop thought. There was also the chance that the Wishing Stars would be gone by the time his company made it to Route 2. Wishing Stars were beyond valuable, and there was always a profit to be made by finding them. "Much appreciated, professor."

"You mentioned three Wishin' Stars, but I'm only seein' two Dynamax Bands," Gloria noted. The professor shook her head slowly, with what vaguely resembled a peeved look. "An error on my part. For as valuable as these items are, they're awfully fragile. One of them split right in two when I was bringing them over to my study to work on. I'm afraid it will likely take me the rest of the night to configure that one into a working Dynamax Band."

"But it won't be faulty, no?"

"Assuredly not. So long as a Wishing Star is contained within a Dynamax Band, Pokémon will Dynamax without fail," Magnolia explained. "It's more a matter of fitting the piece into the band so that it doesn't potentially fall out or look clunky. I apologize for the inconvenience, truly."

"I'm fine with waiting," Cassius shrugged, attempting to appear indifferent. "What's another day, right?"

A lot of things, Hop wanted to tell him. Especially pertaining to him. But he'd tell him that later, in private. For now, it seemed all they could do was wait for Professor Magnolia to finish the final Dynamax Band. "Would it be alright if we stayed the night, ma'am? I'd hate to have to go back home after only a day of traveling."

"I was intending to ask you anyway," the woman smiled. "Feel free to stay the night. You can leave first thing in the morning, when the third band is finished."

"Much obliged, professor."

"Of course. Cherish it—tonight will likely be the last time in a while that you get to enjoy a fresh, home-cooked meal." Boy, if that fact didn't discourage Hop a little. Food in the towns and cities would be serviceable, but camp rations would be a far cry from his mother's cooking.

"In the meantime, feel free to do whatever it is you kids do in your free time. Sonia calls me out of touch with the younger generation, so I'm afraid I haven't much for you to do around here outside of general housekeeping." The professor made her way out of the room. "I'll be working in the study if any of you need me. I'll begin dinner in an hour or so." And then she was gone.

"So," Gloria leaned back in her chair. "Potential run-in with a monster aside, seems we've got time to kill. Any suggestions?"

Hop allowed himself a smirk. "Oh, I've an idea or two."

Gloria reciprocated the look. "Lay it on me."

Cassius felt like a third wheel. And not in the way he was expecting.

Obviously, feeling out of place was a given. He wasn't even supposed to be on this trip to begin with. But there was something about being with Hop and Gloria specifically that made him feel like he was butting in on something that he really, really shouldn't have.

The closest thing he could call it was sexual tension. But it wasn't that, and that confused him to what felt like no end. Every conversation the two had was like some inside joke that he couldn't hope to understand. They played off each other so well that when he said anything, it was painfully obvious that he wasn't a part of whatever the conversation was, and that he was just saying something for the sake of reminding them he was there. In a sense, it wasn't a ton different than how it was back in Unova.

There was a small part of him—a very, very small part—that was tempted to simply throw them in a private room together and see what happened. He almost thought that they were going to do that of their own volition when they had suggested an idea as to what to do to kill time. Come on, smirking at each other? People really only ever did that when they were getting the freak on with each other. Never mind how bold that would have been to suggest at a family friend's house.

But no. He had forgotten that these two were battling freaks. And naturally, the first thing they would do when given the chance was battle each other with their enslaved animals.

"Mum's not here to save you now, Hop," Gloria cracked her knuckles, eyeing Hop with a look Cassius could only call predatory. "But, since I'm so generous, I'll give you a chance to back out 'fore I beat you bloody."

"Could say the same to you," Hop returned with a smile, stretching his limbs. "My brother's the champion—compared to him, you're little more than a stepping stone, unfortunately."

The three had migrated to the front yard, and presently the two Galarians stood on opposite sides of the pitch built into the grass. It was plenty large enough for battle, but Cassius still took a seat some ways away near the garden, just to be sure.

He hadn't even wanted to go, initially. Who was he to intrude on what was obviously a long time coming between them? Naturally, however, he'd been roped into watching, at Hop's request.

The boy in question called over to him as he finished stretching, taking a quick look around first to ensure they weren't being watched. "Alright, Cassius. I want you to pay close attention to the battle we're about to have. This is what it's gonna be like once we start hitting the road for real. The goal will be to battle as naturally as we're about to."

Hop must have thought very highly of he and Gloria's battling skills for him to consider their level to be the standard for Cassius to strive toward. Unintentional vanity aside, Hop was way too confident in Cassius' ability to quickly pick up the whole battling concept. "Yeah, sure. Because becoming a serviceable trainer is as easy as watching one battle. Copy that."

"You have to start somewhere. If nothing else, this will give you a rough idea of what you'll need to be able to do on the pitch. How quickly you need to react to your opponent's strategy, how quickly you need to adjust your own strategy, things like that. Once the real battles start, we're not gonna be there to coach you through everything."

Was that considered cheating if he did have someone coaching him? Professional boxers had coaches and trainers in their corners giving them real-time advice. Did that not translate into Pokémon battling? Or was he supposed to be considered the coach, and his Pokémon the fighter?

He'd humor Hop for now, but he hoped he wasn't expecting too much out of him. "I'll try my best."

"That's all I'll ever ask of you."

"If you're done schoolin' the muppet, I believe we've a battle to start." Gloria was obviously impatient, her foot tapping noisily upon the pitch. "I'd like to get this goin' sometime this year."

"Careful what you wish for," Hop took the banter in stride. "That mouth of yours might get you into trouble someday."

"Not today. Send out your first Pokémon already."

"Not a single thought for the dramatic buildup," Hop shook his head. "Oh well. Let's get started!"

Cassius was almost unnerved by how in-sync the two were. Almost simultaneously, Hop and Gloria grabbed a Poké Ball, reached back, and launched their respective capsules into the air. Two flashes filled the clearing, and two Pokémon stood ready.

Gloria had opted to go with her Yamper, freshly healed and raring for a fight. Its tongue hung out of its mouth disarmingly, but there was no mistaking the look on its face. Cassius was partially curious as to how Gloria planned to battle with a Pokémon she had just captured. Would it even obey her?

On the other side, a much different Pokémon prepared itself—one Cassius unfortunately recognized immediately. Same thick wool, same large eyes, and same grating bleat. Cassius blanched immediately at the sight of Hop's Wooloo, not even bothering to hide the distaste on his expression. 'I'm never gonna be free of these damn things.' At the very least, this one smelled substantially better than its brethren.

"Ah, that felt wicked!" Hop gleefully pumped his fist. "Been workin' on the way I toss my Poké Ball out to begin a match. What'd you think? Cool or what?"

"You're such a kid," Gloria rolled her eyes. "Lee's right to worry 'bout you. Trainers should spend more time studyin' than practicin' their toss or whatever."

Maybe if Cassius was really, really quiet, he could sneak off somewhere while the two were engaged in their cinematic banter, or whatever this was. Did all trainers talk this much shit to each other before a battle, or were they just a weird exception?

"Oh, I've been practicing plenty. See for yourself!" It was Hop who, mercifully, began the battle. "Wooloo, Defense Curl!"

The ovine Pokémon seemed to shrink in on itself, burrowing within its own wool. The move didn't seem to faze Gloria any. "Tackle it, Yamper."

In a blink, the tiny Electric-type zipped forward in a dead sprint, aiming for the Wooloo. The latter didn't seem to make any attempt to dodge, not that it could have succeeded anyway, given Yamper's speed. Instead, Wooloo turned to its right, and allowed the Yamper to plow right into a wall of wool. Yamper bounded away, attack having landed, but Hop's Wooloo barely shifted back half a meter or so.

"Bloody thing's so tanky," Gloria grumbled beneath her breath. Hop, meanwhile, seemed pleased. "Come on, I've seen gusts of wind with more force. You'll have to do better than that to win!"

Despite the ineffectiveness of her attack, Gloria hardly seemed fazed. "Fine then. Yamper, Nuzzle." The smile on Hop's face fell almost instantly. "Wait, it knows Nuzzle?"

So caught on his back foot was Hop that he hadn't any time to issue a command to dodge to his Wooloo—not that it would have mattered, considering the speed discrepancy. Yamper sprinted toward its opponent, much like it would have done for a Tackle, before a small wreath of electricity surrounded its yellow neck fluff. Upon making contact, the electricity spread to Wooloo, shocking it in place.

"Damn," Hop cursed. "Didn't think Yamper would've known that move as a wild Pokémon all the way out here. Suppose that's telling of how strong a partner you caught."

"And how you shouldn't assume anythin' in a battle. Or assume I'll give you the luxury of plottin' a counter. Tackle again, Yamper." Rounding quickly, the Yamper charged in to Tackle the now-paralyzed Wooloo.

The Defense Curl, along with Wooloo's naturally high defense, would do wonders for making sure that one or two Tackles wouldn't do it in. However, being paralyzed put Hop in a tough spot. There were only so many attacks his Wooloo could tank, and if he couldn't hope to either dodge or attack in turn, his first Pokémon wouldn't last very long. That was also under the assumption Yamper wouldn't land a critical hit.

Wooloo took the oncoming Tackle, dealing just as much damage as the first, but Hop didn't miss the small wince on the animal's face. He'd have to turn this around, and quickly.

First, to do something about his aggressive opponent. "Growl, Wooloo!" If he could keep his defense high and soften the Yamper's blows, it could potentially tire the thing out, giving him and Wooloo the chance to deal some damage of their own and catch a breather. Thankfully, Wooloo was able to push past the shock and bleat an intimidating cry. "Baaah!"

The move worked—for a moment, Gloria's Yamper cowered before Wooloo, slightly hesitant to immediately dive in for another attack. Gloria herself wasn't overly impressed. "A war of attrition's never been your strong suit, Hop."

"Says who?" Hop asked rhetorically. "Wooloo, go for a Tackle!"

The Wooloo tried to move, but its paralysis got the better of it this time, freezing it in place after it managed only a single step forward. Hop clicked his tongue. "Gah! Man, is that annoying!"

"Smart, more like." Gloria wasted little time in taking advantage. "Tackle again, Yamper." One more rush in, and one more hit dealt to the Sheep Pokémon.

Hop could imagine some people calling him and Gloria's battle boring, but he would disagree. Repetitive, maybe, but that was how it always was when trainers started out. You couldn't get handed a strong Pokémon with a diverse moveset and expect to handle them effectively—to be able to do that, you had to first understand how to execute the simple attacks and strategies first, and how to counteract them. And he was getting firsthand experience of how different it was to read about those scenarios, and having to actually execute them in a real battle.

Still, this battle was everything he had dreamed of. He and his best mate, going at it, no holds barred. Perhaps not as flashy as he would have hoped or expected, but that would come in time. When they both got stronger, and both grew from this battle.

Presently, he would have to work out of this early setback he and Wooloo found themselves in. "Meet her Tackle with one of your own, Wooloo!" Perhaps a bit of an unusual command, but he had a hunch it would work out for him.

And it did—this time, Wooloo was able to break through its paralysis and meet the Yamper head on. Wooloo, being more than double the Yamper's size, was able to land a sizable hit on the Electric-type, who tumbled a few paces away. Wooloo took some damage itself, but not nearly as bad as Hop might have feared from a dead-on collision.

Gloria, once again, showed no signs of panic. That, Hop surmised, was why her potential as a trainer was as high as it was. For as raw and inexperienced as she was in actual battling, it felt like nothing fazed her. There was a plan for everything in that head of hers, and this match—her first ever—was no different. He'd seen full-on professionals lose their cool before, but Gloria looked built for the unpredictability of it all.

"Cheap gimmicks'll only last you so long," his childhood friend commented, seemingly unimpressed with what he was trying to do. "Let's see you try that again. Tackle, Yamper." Once more, the Puppy Pokémon charged forward, seemingly recovered from its brief skid and aiming to deal some meaningful damage.

Hop hoped he could meet his opponent head-on again, but a quick look at his Wooloo quickly dispelled that notion. The electric sparks flew around Wooloo's body, locking it in place. The best he could hope to do was have him dodge out of the way. "Try and move out of the way, Wooloo!"

Wooloo gave it a valiant effort, but it only managed to move a step, hardly forcing Yamper to adjust its course any. With a straight shot, and plenty of momentum, Yamper managed another hit in Wooloo's dead center. The damage this time looked substantial—Wooloo was the one sent tumbling this time, the Tackle having blown it off its feet. A small cloud of dust rose from where the Pokémon landed.

When the dust settled, Wooloo's eyes were unfocused, and its body was unmoving. It was clear to both competitors that Hop's Wooloo had fainted.

Hop sighed, walking over to pet his Pokémon with a sad smile. "That's on me, Wooloo. Should've known Gloria would've been a tough out. Rest up, mate." Wooloo was recalled into its Poké Ball, and Hop returned his gaze to Gloria. "Not bad. I'm guessing you did a little research on your Yamper, and that's when you found out it knew Nuzzle?"

"Mhm. Was just as surprised as you were, honestly. I've no idea why she didn't use Nuzzle any during our wild encounter." She spared a look at her newest Pokémon, a little banged up but still raring for a fight. "Thing's plenty strong, and I've barely trained her any. Might've struck gold with her."

"So it would seem," Hop agreed. She'd certainly gotten a bit lucky, but there was no harm in that. "So, quick break! Cassius, I want to know what you thought about that battle. I'm sure you have a few questions, but I'm willing to answer a few of them so you can—"

Hop turned to where Cassius had been sitting, but the space was empty. He turned to look around the clearing, Gloria doing the same, but he was nowhere in sight.

"Cassius?"

Cassius Hargreaves had disappeared.

Hey all, will probably be taking a little break in updates. College keeps a man busy. Expect a resumption in updates around December/January.