They were leaving for Turffield today, finally. It was a good thing too, since Cassius was feeling that familiar urge for a bed and a shower. But first things first, he had to settle some outstanding business.
Rookidee stood a ways away from Cassius, not unlike how she'd done so roughly a week ago. It was early in the morning—Cassius had held off on his running routine to make good on his promise to the Flying-type. Hyla also stood in the clearing, just about through with her stretches. While she was more than used to her jogs to start the day, battling was new. Cassius would give her however long she needed.
He decided to extend the same courtesy to Rookidee, not that he thought she needed it. "You all good to go?" He asked. A curt nod came from his soon-to-be opponent, and that was all. That was how most of their conversations were—short, to the point.
Throughout their week together, Rookidee hadn't opened up to him at all. They trained, they ate, and he gave pointers when he could. Rookidee didn't seem interested in anything beyond that, and Cassius had decided to accept it rather than make a fuss. Forcing it would have probably annoyed her more than anything else, and he'd rather not ruin their new partnership, fledgling though it was.
If nothing else, Rookidee's expression seemed to have softened marginally during their time spent training. Instead of glaring at him, she seemed to have settled for neutral indifference. She even listened to his advice on occasion, and was a mostly willing training partner. That had to count for something, right?
Though, Cassius was reminded that it could potentially amount to nothing if the result of the morning's match didn't end in his favor. He ejected those thoughts from his mind as Hyla seemed to finish her warm-ups. "We're all set?"
Hyla nodded, taking a stance. Cassius took a breath, getting his mind in the zone. It was time to put what he'd learned to practice. "Alright, let's get started then. Whenever you're read—"
Really, he should have known that Rookidee would lose any illusion of restraint the second the battle started. True to that, she took to the air before Cassius had even finished his sentence, using her newfound height to blitz Hyla right off the bat. Though Cassius wasn't entirely surprised by such a tactic, that didn't make it any less unpleasant.
"Dodge right!" He issued his first command. Hyla seemed to be expecting as much from her opponent as well, as she executed a clean roll to her right and out of danger. Rookidee's Peck sailed by harmlessly, and Hyla was right back on her feet.
There wasn't any time to be proud of the maneuver, however. Though Rookidee couldn't fly, one of the advantages afforded to her by gliding meant a better handle of her momentum. While flying offered more in the way of speed, a higher velocity meant a harder time executing quick changes of direction for Pokémon. Gliding offered the opposite—less speed, but better control. Control which Rookidee had been developing long before meeting Cassius, and control that she had been working to hone and refine during their week of training.
Cassius wasn't at all surprised when Rookidee shifted her wings to propel herself back into the air without skimming the ground, using her momentum to angle her body to turn in the direction Hyla had dodged in. The way she moved reminded Cassius of a fighter jet turning itself around for a strafe.
Rookidee was queueing up a Fury Attack this time, and Cassius wanted no part of that attack on Hyla. He called for another dodge, this time in a different direction. "Dodge forward, Hyla!"
Executing another clean roll, this time toward his opponent, Hyla watched as Rookidee sailed a few inches away from her backside. With Rookidee's body now aimed toward the ground where Hyla once was, and her speed from her initial push off the ground to start the match fading, Rookidee opted to return to the ground, quickly turning around to face Hyla once more.
The trick to beating Rookidee, Cassius surmised, was making her play the ground game. For all Rookidee had going for her, Cassius was willing to bet that Hyla could hit harder than her, given the obvious difference in size between the two. If he could keep her on their turf, and within Hyla's range, a few well-aimed strikes could be enough to do her in. Imagining it was easy, though—executing it was a different story entirely.
Finally with a moment to relax, Cassius' mind automatically went to fortifying Hyla, as had been ingrained in him. "Focus Energy." A familiar deep breath from his Pokémon, and Hyla looked even more locked in than she had previously. Rookidee took the time to do the same, tapping into Hone Claws and sharpening her talons.
According to Hop, one of Cassius' big (well, bigger) weaknesses was his reluctance to initiate attacks on his own, letting his opponents control the tempo of battles. That had been on full display during his fight against Team Yell. With that in mind, Cassius figured he'd take today's match to attempt to rectify that particular shortcoming. "Get in close for a Bite, Hyla!" Aware that Rookidee didn't have any ranged attacks to cut her off with, Hyla abstained from her usual zig-zag pattern and opted for a straight sprint toward Rookidee.
Rookidee's dodge was more like a leapfrog, as she hopped barely a foot or so off the ground and let Hyla's Bite pass inches beneath her. Forcing herself to where Hyla had rushed past her, Rookidee dove back down with a powerful flap of her wings and managed to land a peck along Hyla's flank. Hyla hissed in pain, but maintained the presence of mind to create some distance and prevent a follow-up. Cassius grimaced—Hyla still had a ways to go in controlling her own momentum, and it certainly didn't help that it was a skill Rookidee had her thoroughly outclassed in.
Still, he couldn't let his Pokémon getting hurt linger in his mind. 'Keep the pressure,' he repeated in his head. "Charge back in again!"
Hyla committed to another rush, nearing Rookidee with a little more caution. Once within striking range, Rookidee performed the same hop as she had previously, quickly noticing that Hyla had once again passed beneath her. With another flap of her wings, she dove down for a third pass at the Dragon-type with a Peck.
Cassius was expecting as much this time, however. "Catch her with a Tackle!" Though Hyla wouldn't have enough time to exactly pinpoint Rookidee and sink her teeth into her with a Bite, something as easy as Tackle could get the job done. Cassius had been correct, and right before Rookidee landed her attack, Hyla managed to swing her head and slam it into the side of the Tiny Bird Pokémon. It looked more like an impromptu headbutt than a Tackle, but as Rookidee skidded along the dirt, Cassius would readily take the results.
No critical hit, it seemed, but the damage dealt had been more than encouraging. Chirping angrily, Rookidee jumped right back into the fray, preparing a run of Fury Attack. That trick probably wouldn't work a second time, so Cassius opted to try and catch Rookidee on the last leg of her attack. "Dodge, and wait for her to finish her last attack before using Bite!"
It was a tall task, considering the speed discrepancy, but Hyla seemed up for the challenge, barking her affirmative. To her credit, she managed to time Rookidee's first dive and sidestepped it without issue, but she hadn't been prepared for how quickly her opponent would be able to ricochet off of the ground. Scraping her beak across Hyla's left side, Rookidee leapt behind Hyla, and managed to execute a quick turnaround for another stab, striking Hyla's leg.
Rookidee had returned to Hyla's direct field of vision after her third attack, however, giving the Dragon-type a clear line of attack. It helped that Rookidee's Fury Attack had coincidentally ended, leaving the Flying-type helpless as Hyla sank her teeth into her wing.
"Alright!" Cassius cheered. He'd been a little worried about Hyla being able to execute the new move in the middle of battle, but that clearly didn't seem to be an issue. The pained warble from Rookidee was a pretty convincing sign that Hyla was dealing real damage.
Not particularly eager to undergo that kind of pain again, Rookidee seemed to change up her approach. Releasing herself from Hyla's maw, the Rookidee once again took to the air, this time turning away from her opponent. Cassius and Hyla watched as she zipped to the edge of the clearing, disappearing among the thick leaves and branches.
"Eyes up," Cassius warned. He'd bet his life that the Rookidee wasn't running. Instead, he figured that she'd use the environment to camouflage herself and catch Hyla by surprise. Battling Tactics 101, according to Hop. While they'd trained for this exact scenario before, it didn't make the sudden silence in the clearing any less unnerving.
Hyla kept her cool as best she could, focusing her keen hearing to try and detect unnatural rustling of leaves or similar sounds. Cassius, though not nearly as naturally gifted as his Pokémon, attempted to do the same. Again, it was a huge benefit that Rookidee couldn't whip out a ranged move—if she was going to attack, she'd have to reveal herself.
A sharp rustle came from Hyla's right. Cassius heard it at the same time she did. "Roll forward!" Recalling their training with Hop, Hyla let her body instinctively move itself away from perceived danger, rolling as fast as she could from her previous spot. She did feel a gust of wind from where she'd been standing, proving her and her trainer's hunch correct. There had been an attack from that side.
Only, it wasn't Rookidee. A small twig had impaled itself in the dirt roughly where Hyla had been. "A diversion!" Cassius realized aloud. Frantically scanning their surroundings, he looked for where the Rookidee would launch herself from.
He realized too late that he hadn't been looking high enough. Rookidee slammed into Hyla from directly above her, dive-bombing her like a missile. Cassius quickly understood Rookidee's plan—while they'd been occupied by the false twig attack, Rookidee had propelled herself to almost exactly above where Hyla was standing. They hadn't thought to look in the wide open sky, and even worse, Hyla had been too focused on dodging an attack from the trees to think of an attack from her overhead blind spot.
From what he could tell, Hyla hadn't been hit by a Peck or Fury Attack. A faint, purple-ish glow surrounded Rookidee as Hyla was forced to her stomach by the sudden impact. 'That must be Power Trip.' Though it was a Dark-type move, Hyla's natural resistance didn't seem to be providing much in the way of protection from the attack. Rookidee very well might have executed one or two more Hone Claws while she'd been hiding in the trees. Maybe more.
Miraculously, Hyla managed to force Rookidee off of her, shakily returning to her stance with a grunt of exertion. She was definitely on her last legs. And while Rookidee didn't look much better, it was clear that this was her fight to lose.
If there were any lingering doubts before, they were gone now—Rookidee had talent. Even a total novice like Cassius could tell. Though, maybe that should have been obvious from the start, given Rookidee's experience and tenacity. That Hyla had been able to land a few solid hits was a massive sign of improvement on her part.
Still... a part of Cassius wasn't satisfied with just a few hits. Maybe this was that greedy, selfish part of Pokémon battling that he'd previously looked down upon. Sure, losing this fight wouldn't be the end of the world... but man, if it wouldn't leave a sour taste in his mouth.
Oh well. If he was going to lose anyway, the least he could do was give Rookidee her money's worth. "You got one more good charge in you?" He asked Hyla.
"Arf!" Hyla mustered up, shaking the cobwebs from her head and refocusing herself. Cassius smiled. "That's my girl. We're ending this here. Get ready."
Rookidee's last maneuver seemed to take a lot out of her, since she didn't seem like she'd be the one initiating the next attack. That, or maybe Hyla had done more damage than Cassius had originally thought. It didn't matter. "Charge in close and get her with another Bite," he commanded. "Try and get her on the same wing you bit before—see if we can't manufacture a critical hit on our own." Considering Hyla's sub-par eyesight, it was definitely a risk, but if she could get in close enough to where she could get a clear shot at Rookidee's wing, the payoff would be more than worth it.
Cassius had no idea what did and didn't constitute a critical hit, but if biting the same spot two times in a row couldn't cut it, he wasn't sure what would.
Hyla sprinted with all she had, huffing and puffing with intent to win. Rookidee looked too tired to take off into her glide approach again, so she instead dug in her feet and prepared to meet Hyla head on. A head-to-head impact would likely favor Hyla, but Cassius wouldn't take anything for granted.
His head was swarming with ideas. Possibilities of how to take down their grounded opponent. Did he have Hyla feint, and go for a Tackle instead? They hadn't used Roar yet—could that move maybe immobilize Rookidee long enough to land their pinpoint Bite?
An idea came to him suddenly. It was stupid, but it might have worked. "Hyla, dive forward and—"
Something happened. Hyla had indeed dove forward, but not of her own volition. With an alarmed bark, Hyla lost her footing, and her momentum sent her tumbling roughly across the ground. Cassius winced as he noticed Hyla's head slam against the dirt beneath her. When she stopped, she didn't immediately get back up.
That was all the opportunity Rookidee needed. With a few careful hops, she gave Hyla one more smack of Power Trip. It looked more like a forceful shove than an attack, but the damage was done regardless. The impact sent her sprawling a few feet, and with a final, defeated whine, Hyla fainted.
Cassius' brain was still having trouble registering what had just happened. "What just...?" Eyeing where Hyla had initially began her tailspin, it took him a moment before he noticed a small but noticeable depression in the dirt. It looked about three to four inches deep. He could make out the faint marking of Hyla's pawprint within the small, sunken piece of land.
"You're kidding," Cassius mumbled.
Hyla had tripped. It wasn't anything Rookidee had done. Across the entirety of the mostly level clearing they'd fought in, Hyla had been done in by the one spot where there'd been a small hole in the ground. Maybe Hustle had something to do with it, maybe they'd have lost anyway—but as it was, Rookidee had been handed the win thanks to sheer, dumb luck.
It was so ridiculous, he wanted to laugh. He'd be willing to bet that was about the saddest way to end a Pokémon battle ever. Done in by a wayward hole in the ground.
After a moment, he finally sighed, letting all the tension and anxiety leave his body as the cold reality set in. "Fuck," he muttered. He'd never have Gloria's sailor-mouth, but even he couldn't help the frustrated curse that slipped through his mouth.
Walking slowly over to Hyla, he whipped out a revive from his backpack and got to work patching her up. "Sorry, girl," he apologized. "You did great out there. Remind me to get you a treat when we get to Turffield."
Hyla seemed to have regained her consciousness somewhat, whimpering as she turned to him with what was probably her version of an apologetic look. Cassius pet her head softly. "It's not your fault. I should have paid better attention." He managed enough energy for a smile. "You've gotten so much better, in so short a time. Sky's the limit for you."
He noticed Rookidee had hopped up beside him. Turning to her, he found he couldn't muster up any animosity toward her. Even if the battle had ended on a sour note, she'd won fair and square.
Cassius tried to tune out the unpleasant feeling in his gut with a bad quip. "You as unsatisfied as I am?" To his surprise, Rookidee nodded in agreement, voicing her displeasure with a low chirp. Cassius snorted. "Yeah, that makes two of us."
Rookidee stared into him. Cassius stared back. Even with how battered she looked, she'd probably fight him again if he asked her to. As he'd come to learn about her, Rookidee was as headstrong as she was talented.
Still, he wasn't above being cordial with her. "Good fight. For the most part, anyway." He offered a fist to the small Pokémon, more as a gesture than anything else. He only barely managed to mask his surprise when Rookidee met his fist by lightly bumping her head into it.
"Did you just..." Cassius started, the barest of a disbelieving smile growing on his face. Rookidee must have immediately regretted her decision, as she quickly backed off and turned her back to him with a harrumph.
Cassius scoffed. Okay, Rookidee was a battling freak. And a pain in the ass. And had tried to kill him not too long ago... but maybe she wasn't all bad.
"Is there anything I can do to convince you to stay?" Cassius asked, regaining Rookidee's attention. "I know we agreed on the terms of our battle, so you have the right to do whatever you want, but... think about it. Stick with me, and you can fight all the strong opponents you want during the Gym Challenge."
He gestured to the wilderness surrounding them. "Not just the gym leaders, either—random trainers, wild Pokémon, who or whatever we come across that wants to fight." Not that he'd go out of his way looking for fights to pick, but the point remained.
He shrugged. "Freedom as a wild Pokémon is cool, I get it. But if you're looking for a surefire way to take on tough opponents and get stronger... I can't think of a better way than joining a Champion-endorsed trainer during the Gym Challenge. Without mentioning the benefit of guaranteed food and shelter."
Credit to him, Rookidee seemed to be seriously pondering the offer. Maybe he'd inherited some talent for sales pitches from his mom. Or maybe it was his immeasurable wit and vast wealth of youthful charm. Anything to get Rookidee to join his team, he figured.
After a moment, Rookidee hopped toward him—more specifically toward his phone. Forcibly pulling it out of his pocket, she planted it in his hand, gesturing for him to unlock it. "Since when did you get so good with technology?" Cassius muttered, going along with her demands for now. Using her beak, Rookidee pointed to his browser app, which had been left on the public trainer database. Another point, and Cassius was playing a clip of the final few minutes of a recent battle Milo had fought.
Milo's Dynamaxed Eldegoss took up nearly half the screen. "Seriously, who thought making creatures capable of mass destruction as big as entire buildings was a good idea?" Cassius grumbled. Rookidee chirped, returning Cassius' attention to her, as she pointed at the screen. Specifically, at the Eldegoss.
"You... wanna fight it?" Cassius guessed. Rookidee nodded. When had she even watched that part of the fight? From her Poké Ball? That raised a series of questions Cassius didn't feel like asking right now.
Dubious nature of the capsules aside, her request didn't seem like too much of an ask. It went along with her desire to fight strong opponents, he supposed. "Sure, that's fine. If you're cool with being Dynamaxed, I can totally send you out to face—"
Rookidee started warbling angrily at the mention of Dynamaxing. Cassius raised his arms. "Oh, come on! Even you're not crazy enough to think you can take that thing on at your size!"
Cassius said that, but he remembered that Rookidee absolutely was crazy enough to think she could win against a Dynamaxed Pokémon at her normal size. She probably thought a few super-effective Pecks in the eyes would be enough to get the job done. "Have you even fought a Dynamax Pokémon before?" Cassius asked. The glare he received was more than enough of an answer.
Cassius didn't bother with any more counterpoints. "Okay, fine. You get your wish. You get your fight with the Eldegoss—but!" He quickly added. "You're part of the team now. Play nice, take training seriously, and work together with your teammates." He couldn't have stressed that last part enough, especially after witnessing how Sizzlipede had helped out Hyla.
He'd figure out the logistics of having his one-foot tall bird Pokémon fight a literal giant later. For now, he'd focus on adding another permanent member to his team. "We have a deal?"
Another fist was extended, and this time, there was no hesitation on Rookidee's part as she met his fist with her head. Cassius allowed himself to smile. "Good. Now, let's see to those injuries."
Barely a few spritzes of a potion was enough to get Rookidee looking much better. Some rest in her Poké Ball would get her back to one-hundred percent. For all her smaller frame would be a challenge during their gym bout, it made patching her up substantially easier.
With all the grumpiness out of her system, Cassius figured now was as good a time as any to get their last order of business out of the way. "Korvis."
Rookidee's eyes quickly shot back up at him. "Uh, your name," Cassius quickly clarified. "I wish I could have told you after beating you, but I guess this'll have to do."
The Pokémon's gaze was scrutinizing. That was probably a prompt for him to explain. "So, I did some late-night research on your species. The group of birds you belong to—Murkrow, Skarmory, those kinds of birds—they're scientifically called Corvus. I noticed that part of that genus name was in your evolutionary names, too. Corvisquire, Corviknight. I didn't wanna make it too generic, so I switched up the C for a K, and the U for an I, and well... yeah."
She didn't seem to care much for his reasoning. It was a little clinical, sure, but he liked to think he could have done far worse. "Come on, you gotta admit, it sounds a little cool, right? I figured you wouldn't want a girly name or anything. More like something that's easy to remember, and makes people think twice."
No reaction. Maybe he was getting ahead of himself. "Well, think of the name as a motivator. Something to live up to. Korvis the Corvisquire and Korvis the Corviknight sound a lot better than Korvis the Rookidee, don't they?"
Hyla must have been feeling better, since she barked her agreement. Rookidee looked to be warring with the idea. Cassius decided to give her one more push. "Also, all three of your normal names are mouthfuls, honestly. Korvis would be a lot easier to yell out during a battle than Corvisquire. Two extra syllables start to add up after a while."
Surprisingly, Rookidee didn't argue that point. Maybe he needed to frame all of his future conversations with her through the lens of battling purposes. Leaning forward hopefully, he repeated the name. "Korvis...?"
The stubborn thing had the audacity to roll her eyes, but didn't seem to have any lingering signs of refusal. Cassius nodded with finality. "Korvis it is. Welcome to the team."
Hyla, bless her soul, barked happily, apparently pleased to have put their past animosity truly behind them. She approached Rookidee—Korvis—with intent to celebrate, but the Tiny Bird Pokémon didn't seem to want any part of that. Huffing, Korvis hopped to her capsule, clicking the center button and dematerializing from the clearing.
Cassius folded his arms, nodding. Losing still sucked, and they weren't the best of friends yet, but things were looking up. As up as they could, all things given.
And she could complain all she wanted, but... "Korvis is a cool name," Cassius murmured as he turned back toward the campsite.
The walk to Turffield from Route 4 was a short one. They'd already been a ways away from the Galar Mine, meaning it was barely fifteen minutes before the trio passed a sign bidding them a, Happy Welcome to Turffield—A town nestled within the nurturing bowl of our many terraced farming fields.
"Way to sell it," Gloria grumbled as they officially entered the city limits. "Place is just a bigger, smellier Postwick."
"Your Scorbunny seems to like it," Hop noted, observing the excitable Fire-type scamper around the wide dirt walkway, kicking a football made of flame. Gloria scoffed. "He just likes the open space. Give 'im an hour or two to see if he doesn't burn the place down."
Cassius took in the new scenery with interest. He'd noted the similarities between Turffield and Postwick when he'd viewed the city from the perch he'd found a few days ago. Seeing it up close only reinforced that notion—outside of a few corporate buildings and hotels, the tallest buildings in Turffield were the big red barns near the outskirts. The stadium in the center of town was easily Turffield's largest structure.
Still, it wasn't like that was a bad thing. Motostoke had been a bit overwhelming for him, and he hadn't necessarily disliked Postwick. There was a kind of rustic charm to the place. Hyla seemed to enjoy the flavor of the air, too, going by her content expression.
"Hotel first?" Hop asked his companions. "Get these sacks off our backs, freshen up, do a little sightseeing?"
"Sure," Gloria shrugged, indifferent. "Ain't sure what all's here to see, but I'd kill for a shower."
That made two of them, Cassius surmised. Before that, though... "Did anyone tell Caroline that we got here?"
"Already took care of it," Hop grinned, revealing his phone's screen, and the text sent to their shared agent. She'd already responded, apparently, and Hop skimmed through her correspondence. "Seems we're still a go for the group presser tomorrow. Told us to take the rest of the day off, enjoy the city."
Oh, right. The press conference was happening tomorrow. Hop had told them to not go in with scripted answers, but in Cassius' mind, it wouldn't hurt to have a few safe answers to brainstorm tonight. Especially given his unique situation.
Still, Caroline had been right in suggesting taking the rest of today off to relax. After the presser, he'd be diving right into studying Milo's battling technique up close and personal. He didn't doubt that Hop and Gloria would win, so he'd use their respective battles to glean any information he could off of the gym leader.
The local inn in Turffield wasn't quite the Budew Drop, but it was still more than accommodating. Free digs aside, the bed was heavenly, and so too was the shower. After freshening himself and Hyla up, Cassius rejoined an equally fresh Hop and Gloria in the lobby restaurant for brunch.
"Korvis," Hop tested the name between bites of eggs benedict. "I dunno, mate. Seems a bit too scientific."
"S'fine," Gloria shrugged, attending to her french toast. "The alliteration's neat, I suppose. Korvis the Corvisquire rolls off the tongue well enough."
Cassius eyed his fellow trainers warily. "You two had the exact opposite reactions I was expecting." Also, he was pleasantly surprised that Gloria knew what alliteration was.
"Wow, don't get too chuffed about it," Gloria grunted sarcastically, wiping her mouth before continuing. "Look, I ain't much for namin' my 'Mons, but I figure you could brainstorm a fair amount of flops worse than Korvis. Explanation made enough sense. Thas'all it is."
Cassius wouldn't look the gift horse in the mouth. He turned to Hop. "I don't think it's that scientific."
"We can agree to disagree," Hop settled on saying. "Don't let my feelings on it sway you any. For all we know, I could be the only bloke in the entire region who thinks it's a subpar name. It's your choice, at the end of the day."
That brought up a somewhat related topic. "Why don't either of you name your Pokémon?"
"Not creative enough, I'm afraid."
"I'm shit with names."
That was fast. "Well, I wasn't the one who named Hyla, so I guess we all suck at it." Though, that also meant he was the only one dumb enough to keep naming them.
"Hey, on the plus side, naming your Pokémon is good for marketing! At least from what I've heard," Hop admitted. "I remember Lee thinkin' for a long time about potentially naming his Pokémon. Didn't really matter in his case, but there's always a benefit to be had."
That only made it sound like there was even more incentive for the two to name their respective Pokémon, but Cassius didn't have the heart to question them. Like Hop said, it was their choice at the end of the day.
Cassius leaned back in his seat, eyeing the rest of the lobby. Though they were probably among the few trainers in the challenge left to battle, there still seemed to be plenty of other competitors milling about, all of whom thankfully left the three of them alone. Most of them were naturally older—veterans, Cassius assumed. It was weird to think that people had been going at this challenge for years, or even decades. Going through the gauntlet every year must have been exhausting.
While it wasn't a new revelation to Cassius that Pokémon trainers were crazy, it was new to count himself among their ranks. Thinking about it from his perspective was stranger still—it was easy to forget, with how often he was around them, that Hop and Gloria were exceedingly talented Pokémon trainers and likely future mega-celebrities. People equated the three of them to gym leader social status, if not higher. Not to mention that their shared benefactor was the most heralded and celebrated individual in the entire region.
Cassius sighed, clearing his thoughts. Thinking about all that was just going to make him nervous. More stress was about the last thing he needed right now.
After polishing off their respective plates, the champions' trainers paid their tabs and left the inn to explore. There weren't a ton of people out and about, thankfully, which meant minimal fanfare as they walked around the city.
Mostly, anyway. Hop smiled as the little boy whose group autograph he finished signing happily skipped back to where his dad was waiting for him. The man hugged his son excitedly—a bit too excitedly, in Gloria's eyes. "You know that tot's pa's gonna auction that hat off in a few years, yeah?"
"You don't know that," Hop chided. "Even if he does, it was worth doing in the chance the kid treasures those autographs from future world-class trainers."
"You just wanted to play the bigshot and sign somethin'."
"... okay, maybe a little," Hop admitted sheepishly. "But come on, you both signed it too! That had to have felt a little cool, right? Celebrity status and all that?"
"Hate this goody-goody publicity shit," Gloria spat.
"My signature sucks," Cassius lamented, giving a sad look at his hand.
"Just me then," Hop slumped, before something in the horizon caught his attention. "Woah, check that out!"
They'd walked into a viewing area of sorts, overlooking the nearby hillside. In contrast to the rest of what they'd seen, there were a decent handful of people gazing at the scenery, taking pictures and chatting animatedly among themselves. So engrossed in the attraction were they that they didn't notice the very famous trainers stroll up behind them to get a look themselves.
"Look at that," Hop whistled, putting his hands on his hips. Cassius had to admit, the sight was pretty impressive. A massive geoglyph was etched into the hillside, easily dwarfing the surrounding trees and other greenery. What it depicted, Cassius couldn't hazard a guess, but it was cool to look at regardless of context.
The group of presumed tourists in front of them scooted along eventually, allowing the trio to slink in behind them and grab a bench facing the attraction. "The famed Turffield Geoglyph," Hop said in awe. "I've only ever seen pictures online—this is my first time seein' it in person."
"What's it supposed to mean?" Cassius asked.
"Some old shit," Gloria muttered.
"Important old shit," Hop clarified. "Nobody knows for sure, since the thing is three-thousand or so years old, but from the clues that are visibly noticeable, it's widely assumed that it's depicting the Darkest Day."
That didn't sound like a pleasant moment in history. "Darkest Day?"
"I'll give you the basic rundown. A long time ago, a massive black storm covered the entirety of Galar. The people believed it to be some kind of harbinger of calamity, and they were right—giant Pokémon started popping up everywhere and ran rampant across the region, bringing about disaster to civilization at the time. That was the first recorded instance of what we now know as Dynamax Pokémon."
Massive Pokémon destroying the region at their leisure? Cassius would have been terrified too. "And the black storm caused that?"
"No one knows for certain, but that's the running theory. Even with the benefit of technology, I don't think anyone's found concrete proof connecting the two," Hop explained. "Whatever that storm was, though, it presumably forced Pokémon into Dynamaxing. Naturally, a Pokémon growing massive instantaneously would freak it out, so the rampages that followed were devastating. Entire cities and civilizations were wiped out within days."
"How did it end? Who stopped it?"
"Some bloke with a sword and shield," Gloria cut in, eyeing her nails. Cassius snorted. "Very funny."
"She's right, actually," Hop clarified, much to Cassius' surprise. "A hero appeared, wielding a sword that could cut through darkness, and a shield that could deter evil itself. Challenging the mighty storm, the brave hero defeated it, returning the rampaging Pokémon to their normal sizes and restoring peace to the region forevermore. His life's purpose having been fulfilled, the mighty hero discarded the legendary weapons before fading into obscurity, never to be recognized. To this day, the hero's sword and shield lay scattered somewhere within the region; hidden away, awaiting a new hero worthy enough to claim them and combat Galar's next looming threat."
Hop smiled, his serious narrator tone leaving him. "Or so the story goes."
"Huh," Cassius leaned back into his spot on the bench, digesting the sudden history lesson. "How do you defeat a storm using a sword and shield? Figure you'd have more luck blowing on it really hard or something."
"Oh yeah, I'm sure that big, black storm would love for you to blow it really, really hard," Gloria snickered.
"Shut up," Cassius shot back. Hop ignored the less-than-innocent suggestion and answered the Unovan's query. "That's just part of the legend, I'm afraid. Plausibility aside, any natural legend will eventually have portions or details misinterpreted, or changed entirely. Maybe there was no hero at all, and it was just a detail added by some poet with a bit too much to drink one night."
Hop shrugged. "We'll never know for sure, sadly. But, the reality is that the Darkest Day is long confirmed to have actually happened, and seeing as the current legend is by far the longest-endured and most accepted by the public, it's all we have to go on."
Cassius supposed that made sense. The thought of massive Pokémon wreaking havoc everywhere, though... that was horrifying. And the fact that it was confirmed to have happened made it even more so.
"Massive Pokémon randomly popping up at an alarming rate... which leads to displaced Pokémon..." Hop mused aloud, turning toward Cassius meaningfully. "Sounds a bit familiar, doesn't it?"
Gloria gave Hop an incredulous look. "Hop, quit it. Let those loons on daytime TV do all the theorizin'. It's like you said, we don't even know if the existing legend is even legit or not. And really, it probably is a buncha bollocks."
"But what if it's not?" Hop's voice lowered, so as to not attract attention. "Yeah, it's a stretch, but there feel like a bit too many parallels. Maybe it won't be quite as foreboding as a second Darkest Day, but given that it's occurred before under similar circumstances... it isn't entirely outside of the realm of possibility."
"A meteor fallin' exactly where we're sittin' within the next five minutes ain't 'entirely outside the realm of possibility' either, but that doesn't mean it's gonna happen," Gloria retorted. "Hop, we've got more important things to worry about than whatever rubbish you're cookin' up in that head'a yours."
"Remember when we were at Professor Magnolia's?" Hop reminded her. "She asked us to investigate the strange Pokémon we all saw in the Slumbering Weald, but she wouldn't tell us a reason why." He gestured toward the geoglyph. "This might be it. She's looking into the potential of another region-wide cataclysm."
Gloria started rubbing her temples. "Was worried for when you'd eventually lose the plot completely, but this feels too soon."
"I don't know, Hop," Cassius had mostly kept to himself before cutting in. "Say we get lucky and find out more about that Pokémon we saw in the weald. How does that connect to a potential doomsday premonition?"
Hop faltered slightly. "I'm not sure. Maybe that's the final piece of evidence she needs to convince people she knows that the recent Pokémon displacement phenomenon is real. Whatever it is, she said she sent out her subordinates and Sonia to check it all out. She doesn't do that on a whim."
"She also said to only look into it if the time allowed, and last I checked, we're all gettin' our first lick of the challenge in a few days," Gloria said sternly.
Hop sighed, sagging into the bench. "I know, I know. I shouldn't be this hung up on this, but... it bothers me." His frown was telling. "Something about it just doesn't feel right. And I wanna know what it is."
He turned to Gloria once more. "Come on, you gotta admit it's foreboding. It feels like every week, there's a new report of multiple rampaging Dynamax Pokémon in the Wild Area. And you were there with us when our train got cut off by the Wooloo herd near the Wild Area. This isn't natural, Gloria."
"This isn't our job, Hop." Gloria emphasized. "You know as well as I do that the Magnolias are smart as shit. Gran and Sonia can figure this whole thing out—and if they need us for whatever, they're literally a phone call away."
Her voice was uncharacteristically soft as she placed a hand on Hop's shoulder. "I say this for your sake—just let it go for now. Focus on winnin' your match first. We can speculate all you want after, but you gotta remember why it is we're out here travelin' in the first place."
Hop sighed again, letting his curiosity finally leave him. "... to win."
Gloria nodded. "To win," she repeated.
"You're right," Hop conceded. "Wish I knew, but I don't. I'll just have to trust in the Magnolias to dig somethin' up." His familiar grin returned. "Gran's never been one to give up easily, and Sonia's the smartest girl I know. If anyone would be able to get to the bottom of this, it'd be them."
Standing up from the bench, he took a resolved breath. "Alright! Time to hunker down. Let's rest up tonight, nail this presser tomorrow, and go win ourselves a gym badge, yeah?" In agreement, the three trainers took their leave from the geoglyph, beginning the walk back to their hotel.
Cassius followed behind the duo in silence. He was more than happy to let the mystery go, but he could tell that Hop was still hung up about the whole weald debacle—not that he'd been subtle about it. This latest theory of his only seemed to be adding fuel to the fire.
In contrast to Hop's fixation, Cassius had almost managed to completely forget about Professor Magnolia's request, with all that had happened since. But with Hop's renewed interest, Cassius couldn't help but wonder about the possibilities. What if they did find something of note? Would he have to juggle that on top of his responsibilities as a trainer, and a growing celebrity?
A second Darkest Day... what could bring about such a thing? Why would anyone, human or Pokémon, want that? When was mass destruction ever a good thing? And if such a thing came to pass, what would he do about it?
Cassius shook his head, ridding such thoughts. It was like Gloria said—he didn't have time to think about stuff like that. He had to get through this press conference, study up, and win. Anything else was secondary until his first official battle was over with.
But, as Cassius was reminded as he eyed the massive stadium at the center of Turffield, it wasn't as though thinking about his primary objective brought a ton of relief to him, either.
The Rookidee fight took up a lot more space than I thought it would, so another long chapter this time. Hope you enjoyed—the ramp-up toward the fights are in full swing starting next chapter.