"Cassius," Hop started. "First of all, I want you to know that I'm not mad."

The very noticeable lack of Hop-like cheer in his voice said otherwise. "You sure?"

"Yes. I don't get mad, Cassius."

Gloria's face scrunched. "You sure?"

"Yes, Gloria, I'm sure."

"Fairly certain you've yelled at us, like, at least three times since we've left Postwick."

"That's not me being mad, that's me being frustrated with you two for not getting along." Gloria was ready to say that it was basically the same thing before Hop cut her off, crossing his arms. "We're getting away from the point. I'm saying this 'cause I don't want you to think that I'm doin' this to be malicious."

"I don't know. When you say 'awful excuse for a battle,' it's pretty hard to interpret that as anything but mad."

"I'm only being honest," Hop gave him a knowing look. "That's what you said you wanted, right? To train like a champion would? A champion would take any valid criticism not as a shot, but as an opportunity to improve. I know Lee would."

Cassius sighed. "You're right." He took a seat across from Hop and Gloria, who rested beside the large rock. "Okay, lay it on me. How bad was it?"

"Not ideal."

"Pretty damn awful."

"One at a time, please," Cassius groaned.

"To be fair, you were kinda put into a tough spot. Spontaneous battle aside, the terrain wasn't very favorable. Completely open field, pretty much nowhere to hide Hyla."

Cassius gave a look to Hyla's Poké Ball. "But I suppose that doesn't completely exonerate me, huh?"

"No. Fact is, you're not gonna be put into advantageous situations all of the time. Unless you or your opponent actively change it, the terrain for all gym battles will be flat and open." Hop nodded toward the empty patch of land they'd just battled on. "In that sense, this was good practice for you, results aside."

He returned his gaze to Cassius. "Okay. First, I wanna hear what you think you did wrong. Then we'll go from there."

Where to start? "Um... I hesitated. I wasn't calling out commands quick enough, and I let my opponent control the tempo." Hop remained silent, prompting him to continue. "Second, I... got too aggressive?"

"How so?"

Cassius remembered what the Team Yell grunt had said, near the end of their battle. "I got baited into attacking by countering a move that didn't look super strong. Hyla overextended, and she got knocked out because of it."

"Okay. What else?"

He felt like they were just piling on to him now. "How much did I mess up? Were you even watching me the entire time?"

Hop shrugged. "I shot a few peeks over at you occasionally. Had things mostly under control on my end."

"And you didn't think about, I don't know, helping me? What happened to stopping them from finding out about you-know-what?"

"I figured it'd be a good opportunity for you. And they seemed more pissed than confused as to why you were that bad, so it ended well, all things considered."

He hoped Hop wouldn't be this lax in their facade in the future. It was his dear brother that was most on the line. "Fine. Anything else I missed?"

"Plenty, but it's more along miscellaneous stuff that'll fix itself with time and experience. I wanna focus more on the big picture things for now." Hop pointed at Hyla's Poké Ball. "Real quick, what're Hyla's moves?"

Cassius rattled them off. "Tackle, Roar, and Focus En—" his eyes widened in recognition. "... oh."

"Glad you get it. I remember mentioning this to you when we first started out, but considering Hyla's offense and her ability, you should always, always lead off with Focus Energy. Landing a critical hit in any capacity for her would be huge. From what I saw, that Tackle you landed on that Zigzagoon looked to do some solid damage. If you had managed a critical hit on top of that, the battle could have very well been over. Or close to it, anyway."

Ugh, Cassius felt stupid for forgetting. Well, even more stupid than he already felt. In all that time he'd spent standing around doing nothing, he could have had Hyla strengthen herself with barely any exertion.

Hop seemed to read his mind, because that was the next thing he addressed. "Another thing. Standing around issuing no commands is the very worst thing you could be doing during a battle. Not only are you letting your opponent off the hook by letting them breathe, you're letting them dictate the offensive flow of a battle. In your case, you can't afford to have Hyla running around dodging all of the time with her current lack of stamina."

"So what do I do?"

"Literally anything. Set up traps and terrains. Buff your Pokémon's attack, defense or speed. Similarly, work to mitigate your opponent's strengths. Heck, switch Pokémon if you think the matchup is unfavorable. The more time you spend doing nothing, the more time you give them to do something."

As nice as that sounded, Cassius was keenly aware of the state of Hyla's current moveset. "And if I can't do any of that right now?"

Hop shook his head. "It won't be like that forever. At some point, you'll be able to use those kinds of moves. Best to get in the habit now so that it's second nature later."

Still, Hop wasn't completely unaware of Cassius' plight. "For now, considering that Hyla doesn't have much to work with, just have her stay on her toes when she isn't attacking. Keeping her in one place during a battle just makes her an easier target."

Better than nothing, Cassius guessed. "I'll keep that in mind."

For the sake of including her in the conversation, Hop passed the baton to Gloria. "Any helpful tips of your own?" She didn't think particularly hard about it. "Get that bird of yours under control."

The Rookidee, which hadn't sought to kill him, but had settled for the next best thing in completely ignoring him and battling entirely on its own. He'd recalled the Flying-type to its Poké Ball, where it was probably biding its time and scheming ways to kill him in his sleep. Or something like that.

He thanked Gloria for stating the obvious. "Wow, thanks. Any advice on how?"

"Dunno. Ain't my problem. In my experience, growin' a pair usually helps."

And to think, this was them on decent speaking terms. Maybe they could progress to shaking hands by the time the challenge ended.

"I'd wager you'd have to beat it in a fight," Hop chimed in. "Pokémon are smart creatures, but most are traditional when it comes to servitude. They don't fight for trainers they perceive as weak, or beneath them. Beating them outright is a simple way of showing your worth, and that you're worth following."

That would be much easier said than done, going by how the Rookidee had performed today. "I can't have, like, a heart-to-heart with it or anything?"

"You could certainly try—and I'd wish you the very best of luck—but you'd have to be sure it would work. Ideally, you'd want the Rookidee accepting of you before your gym fight. Type advantage aside, its natural aptitude for battle would serve you well."

Cassius had almost completely forgotten about the gym fight, which made him feel worse. Hop noticed and quickly moved on. "In any case, I think today showcased the very worst of Hyla's weaknesses. If you leave her vulnerable, and don't work to capitalize on her offense, you're probably gonna lose. Keep in mind that you were fighting some random bod today—gym leaders won't be nearly as accommodating, and certainly won't be throwing mere Zigzagoons at you."

A very comforting thought. But, Cassius still got the message. Work to better utilize Hyla as a Pokémon, and get the Rookidee under control.

Hop took a long, drawn out breath, calming himself after all that talking. "Okay, done ranting. You good?"

In all honesty, no. "Fine, I guess. Why ask?"

"Because I don't enjoy raggin' on my mates like that," Hop answered. "I'd much rather laugh with you after a good battle than scold you about things that you did wrong."

"He's gotta earn that first," Gloria cut in.

"I know. And he will. One day, I hope you'll be the one givin' me some tips. Ain't like I've got it all figured out either," Hop gave a sheepish grin. "We'll all be laughin' under the sun, eventually."

Their chat apparently vexed Hop as much as it did Cassius. The foreigner supposed it made some kind of sense. Hop didn't really seem like the stern, chastising type. The champion's brother extended a fist to bump. "Still brothers?"

Cassius met his fist with his own. As if he ever had an alternative. "Still brothers."

"Ugh, just shag each other already," Gloria blanched.

"Cool," Hop ignored, returning to his feet. "Well, pretty eventful morning. Let's say we hit the Pokémon Center and get back on our merry way, yeah?"

Another half-hour later, and the trio essentially redid their exit of Motostoke, thankfully with no Team Yell hooligans around to stop them. The sun was fully up, and there were some more people milling about the city, but they didn't get any trouble or weird looks as they departed.

Cassius' first visit to a Pokémon Center was... informative. It was basically a regular hospital, but designated solely for Pokémon. There was a small built-in mart to the left of the lobby, and a coffee shop to the right. A very tired-looking but pretty woman with pink hair in a nurse's getup greeted them as they approached the counter. "Hello! Welcome to the West Motostoke Pokémon Center. How can I help you?"

Hop took the lead, as always. "Just a quick heal, thank you."

"Of course. May I see your Trainer IDs or Challenger Bands, please?" The three complied, and after a quick scan, the nurse brought out three small trays. "Please deposit your Poké Balls here, and we'll have your Pokémon back out to you in a quarter hour. Thank you!"

As the lady left with their Pokémon, Cassius saddled beside Hop. "So this is all free?"

"For trainers and challengers, yeah. S'why she asked for the bands."

"And Pokémon Centers can heal any injury?"

"Not any. Serious injuries will require actual procedures and rehab and the like," Hop clarified. "Machines can only do so much. Not a lot they can do for a broken bone or torn muscle."

Cassius stored that information in the back of his head. He could train Hyla and his other future Pokémon as hard as he wanted, within reason, and not have them deal with the standard issues of fatigue and soreness. That would serve him well.

Hyla was back out of her ball, walking beside him. Pokémon Centers really did work wonders—she looked as healthy and chipper as she had been when they'd originally departed. The power of science, indeed.

Still, he couldn't help but fuss a little. "You're sure you're good?"

"Arf."

"You'll tell me if you aren't, yeah?"

"Ein."

"Promise?" He could almost imagine her rolling her eyes. She sniffed, playfully nudging against his leg in reassurance. More likely to get him to shut up.

Cassius left her alone. "So, where to next?"

"The Galar Mine," Hop answered. "See that big ol' cave over there?" He pointed to a large rock orifice some distance away. "We'll be cutting through that to get to Turffield. Should only take a day, probably even less."

A mine. "Is it fully functional?"

"What, the mine? It is, to my knowledge."

"Seems like a bit of a hazard, don't you think?"

"Everythin's a hazard," Gloria rolled her eyes, clearly not put off in the least. Hop agreed in part. "Sure, some sections might be unsafe for civilians, but those are blocked off and given access to workers only. The mine's a bit of a tourist spot, if you can believe it. They have designated pathways for visitors, or people passin' through to get to Turffield."

Cassius didn't know why they would even bother. "Why not just... go around the mine entirely?"

Hop shrugged. "You could. They have roads for vehicles. But where's the fun in that?"

"I personally think it'd be fun to not get buried alive beneath a bunch of rocks."

"Startin' to think you won't ever grow a pair," Gloria ridiculed. Cassius ignored her. "So what, are we making our way though it today?"

Hop shook his head. "Nah. Probably a big rush of trainers goin' through it now since the ceremony just ended, and everyone wants to make it to Turffield to challenge Milo first. We'll let 'em pass, park it outside the mine and camp out for a week or so. Better to head on through when there're as little folks as possible."

"And what then?" Gloria asked. "We'd still have just under three weeks before we're slotted to battle."

"We can think about it," Hop suggested. "Take a gander around Route 4, maybe. Train up. We'll think about it once we get there."

Sounded like a plan to Cassius. Gloria didn't seem to have any ready complaints, either. With that conversation over, Cassius decided to change the topic. "Real quick, can I ask you two something?"

"Shoot."

"When are you two gonna go catch more Pokémon?"

Gloria seemed a bit surprised by the question. Hop, however, seemed pleased. "Ah! Lookin' for another addition to your team?"

"Well... something like that," Cassius admitted. "Maybe not right now, but I was kind of hoping I could tag along with one of you once you decided to go catch something."

That got Hop's attention. "I mean, sure. You're always welcome. Can I ask why?"

"It's just..." Cassius hesitated on how to word it properly. "I mean, I'm sure you two kind of already knew this, but I don't feel like I really caught the Rookidee. And even though I technically own it, I think we can all agree that it's not really mine. You know what I mean?"

The two nodded. He continued. "I'm probably not gonna go and catch something right now. But I wanna know what to expect when I do eventually decide to go out and catch a Pokémon."

"Even though I was generous enough to go and catch one as a demonstration?" Gloria reminded. Cassius nodded. "I think you and I both know that a lot has changed since then. I wasn't willing before, but I am now. It doesn't hurt to have one more good look at the process, right?"

Gloria conceded the point. "Fair. But so you know, I won't be catchin' anythin' soon. I'm good for now."

"And that's another thing I wanted to ask," Cassius added. "How do you determine which Pokémon you'll catch, and when? Like, is it planned, is it spontaneous, or...?"

"Depends on the person," Hop answered truthfully. "Some are meticulous enough to plan out a team for an entire journey. Some do it on a whim. Some are a little bit of both. No one way to do it."

Cassius almost tripped over a rock as Hop explained it. Recomposing himself with a small tinge of red on his face, he inquired further. "And what about you?"

"Pokémon are big responsibilities. I'm also not the person to catch one, use it for a few specific battles, and then release it. It's a lifelong thing—if I get a Pokémon, it's deliberate, and it's for life."

Gloria concurred. "Same. Don't have the quid or the patience to be catchin' droves of 'em and go feedin' and takin' care of 'em all. Bets are I'll only have six in the foreseeable future."

"And then there's the differences in team composition. Trainers can opt to maximize their type coverage and really diversify their teams. Others specialize in one particular type, or even particular Pokémon. And again, some can be a little bit of both." Hop gave a look to Grookey atop his shoulder. "In the end, suppose it boils down to winnin' with your favorites. S'how it should be, anyway."

Cassius could see the merit in diversification. As enjoyable as having a team of six Hylas would be, he'd get his ass absolutely handed to him at the Fairy and Fighting-type gyms, to put it lightly. Beyond typings, he'd probably have to account for traits to help compensate for his other Pokémon's weakness, to have an equal blend of strong offensive, defensive, and speed-oriented Pokémon. Along with every other archetype in between.

And even further than that was the actual process of caring for the Pokémon. For example, Cryogonals were probably strong, going off of the limited battles he'd seen of them on TV back in Unova, but they were also probably nightmares to have to take care of. Some Pokémon were probably just mean-spirited by nature, too, even if they were strong.

Cassius sighed, rubbing his forehead. So much to think about, so much to do. He could see why it took professionals to be good at this whole gig.

"That got me thinkin'," Hop piped up. "'Bout what?" Gloria inquired, to whom Hop answered. "About my next Pokémon. What it'll be, anyway."

Gloria and Cassius were both interested now. Of the three of them, Hop was the only one who had yet to catch a Pokémon during their challenge. Gloria had thought for sure that he'd get at least one in the Wild Area. With all that went on, however, he likely didn't have the time to go looking.

Still, she was more than a little curious. "Oh? And what'll it be?"

Hop ended the suspense. "Honestly? A Munchlax."

Cassius racked his brain to recollect which Pokémon that was. Gloria, meanwhile, was flummoxed. "A Munchlax? Hop, are you mad?"

"What's so mad about it?"

"Stop bein' thick. You'd spend all your quid on food for that damn thing!"

"You're exaggerating," Hop smiled, despite her protests. "Come on, think about it. One of the most iconic Pokémon ever, and a damn good tank to boot. Think of the possibilities!"

"Sure, if it doesn't eat us all alive first," Gloria snarked. "You can do something just as good, if not better than a Munchlax, Hop. For a lot less maintenance, too."

"You're free to think that. Just as I'm free to go and catch a Munchlax. I don't see what the problem is if I'm aware of the responsibilities involved."

Gloria turned to Cassius. "Please don't follow along this idiot's way of thinkin'. He's very dense, if you haven't noticed."

Well, you probably did have to be some kind of crazy to willingly own a Munchlax. He wouldn't judge. "You'd figure they'd have some kind of technology for feeding those kinds of Pokémon without paying that much money, right? I mean, Munchlax have been around forever."

"They do," Hop answered. "They stuff a few hundred kilograms worth of food in tiny packets. Same technology they use for Poké Ball and PC storage."

They could do that? "Why don't they do that for everything then?"

"'Cause it's expensive tech. Probably a little dangerous, too."

Oh. "Well, sounds like the food problem isn't much of a problem."

"He didn't mention it costs damn near a hundred for each individual pack," Gloria muttered. Cassius felt his stomach twist. That much?

Still, Hop shrugged. "And that's a hit I'm willin' to take. It might not be any time soon, but I'm gonna get me a Munchlax, sooner or later. You'll see."

He slung an arm around Cassius. "And when I do, you'll be there to see it all and take notes. It'll be grand."

Cassius scoffed. "Hopefully I'll have a few more Pokémon before whenever that is."

Hop laughed. "Initiative! That's good! Keep that up for when you go and catch your next 'Mon."

His next Pokémon. It was a bit nerve-wracking to think about, but he wouldn't cower from the moment like he had last time. Maybe he'd think about it when they made camp for the evening. Plan out his team, like Hop had mentioned.

A second companion was a lot to consider. Would they get along with him and Hyla? Would his parents like whatever he caught? After dealing with the Rookidee, he'd like something a little more lowkey. Maybe a nice, calm Grass-type. One that knew Aromatherapy. Arceus knew he could use some of that right about now.

Cassius shrugged. Yeah, he'd think on it later. At the very least, he could say with certainty that he wouldn't be getting a Munchlax.