Hey, everyone. I'm back. With the first installment of the System Series over and done with, I feel comfortable resuming this fic - and furthermore, another rather fascinating event also spurred me back into action:

While I was away, Through Their Eyes got a TV Tropes page! Huge thanks to LyraSilvertongue for creating that - please feel free to contribute to it! So yeah, that got me to get off my butt and get back to writing this. After all, there's still so much to tell…

Gloria arrived late. Trevenant watched as she flopped down into a seat beside Marcus, clearly having run all the way to the stadium. "Sorry," she gasped out. "I…completely forgot…to get my Pokemon…back from the center."

"No problem," said Marcus. "You didn't miss much - Hop's Rookidee beat Milo's first Pokemon without much trouble."

Gloria glared at him. "'First Pokemon'? You aren't even going to tell me what it is?"

"Take it from a Gym Leader," Marcus replied. "It's a lot more fun when your challengers don't know what to expect."

Trevenant stifled a chuckle at Gloria's irritated expression; the girl was clearly dying to start yelling at Marcus, but at length she sat back, focusing on the battle currently ongoing between Hop and Milo. The curly-haired boy was calling out commands to Rookidee, who was fluttering away from a barrage of Grass energy from Milo's Eldegoss.

Trevenant had honestly forgotten just how limited low-level battling was. To them, Eldegoss seemed to barely be trying, almost lethargic as he tossed Leafages and Rounds at Rookidee, while the Flying-type responded by darting in and landing stray Plucks - apparently she'd learned the move on the journey to the Gym - and Rock Smashes. There was no question as to who was winning the bout, though; even after taking down Milo's first Pokemon, Rookidee still had kept enough energy to overwhelm the Gym Leader's Eldegoss, especially with type advantage on her side.

She's certainly strong, Trevenant thought, but at the same time, they recognized the way Rookidee fought. Every order was followed, every opening exploited, but she called her attacks without enthusiasm, and it was obvious she wasn't truly enjoying herself.

She was only fighting because she felt she had to.

In sharp contrast, despite currently losing, Milo was clearly having a great time. "All right!" he called as Eldegoss missed another Round. "I get it - you guys are tough! But we can match your toughness! Eldegoss, it's time!"

The crowd - over a hundred people, miniscule in comparison to the crowd that had attended the opening ceremony but still massive - roared as the armband upon Milo's wrist flared with Eterna. A beam of the purple energy lanced out from Eldegoss's Pokeball, sucking the Grass-type inside. Milo grasped the Pokeball in both hands as it began to swell in size, Eterna blazing around it.

Hop grinned. "Dynamaxing, huh? Well, I guess I'd better respond in kind! Rookidee!"

The crowd's cheering grew even louder as Hop's own Dynamax Band began to glow as well. Trevenant noticed Rookidee heaving a sigh a second before she was recalled. Milo politely waited until Rookidee's Pokeball had finished growing before throwing out his own, allowing Hop to do so at the same time.

Trevenant wriggled in excitement. They'd never seen a Dynamax before, only heard about it from witness accounts. And thankfully, it did not disappoint.

Rookidee and Eldegoss reemerged from their Pokeballs, their bodies already growing massively in size. Eterna pulsed off them in waves, each burst seeming to accelerate their growth further and further, each wave washing over the crowd. A hush had fallen over the stadium as the duo arose until their eyes were level with the highest point in the stands. Trevenant held their breath.

A final blast of Eterna emanated from both combatants, sweeping across the stadium as Eldegoss let out a surprisingly fearsome bellow. Rookidee did not return it, merely setting her stance (an act which left a clear indentation in the field below), but nonetheless, the crowd erupted in cheering. Milo's voice was barely audible over the noise. "Eldegoss, use Max Strike!"

"Dodge to the left, Rookidee!" Hop countered.

Rookidee, clearly unused to her much larger size, was slow to follow Hop's command. Beneath her, the surface of the arena began to glow with light. "Fluff Pillar!" Eldegoss bellowed; before Rookidee could fully evade, the glowing area exploded upwards in a titanic pillar of pure Energy stretching from the ground into the sky. Rookidee's shriek of pain resounded across the stadium as the Max Strike caught her right side, sending her stumbling; Trevenant's breath hitched as they realized she was about to crash into the stands, but even as the thought came to their mind, Rookidee slammed into a wall of Mind and rebounded, managing to land back on her feet.

Of course Galarian stadiums would have massive Psychic barriers precisely to handle such events. Only now did Trevenant notice the array of Orbeetle, Hatterene, and Indeedee positioned in equidistant spaces around the stadium, arms upraised and eyes glowing as they separated the stands from the battlefield with their mingled Psychic wall.

"Max Overgrow, while it's staggered!" Milo ordered.

Hop grinned. "Counter it with a Max Airstream!"

"Power Cannon!" Rookidee spread her massive wings; Air began to gather across them, and even as Eldegoss fired a massive burst of Overgrow outwards with a cry of "Fluff Cascade!", the blast spreading and forming into several mushroom-esque shapes, Rookidee unleashed a blistering cylindrical whirlwind towards the Grass-type. Trevenant at once remembered Leon's Charizard utilizing a similar technique; they'd seen it as simply a focused Hurricane, but now they realized it was almost certainly inspired by Max Airstream, a smaller and weaker version that could be utilized without the need for Dynamax.

Eldegoss's Max Overgrow was caught in the tunnel of Air; the mushrooms were blown to pieces, the Overgrow dissipated into nothingness, as the Max Airstream cannoned straight through the attack and into Eldegoss's face. Eldegoss roared as he was blasted backwards, his rootlike feet tearing furrows in the stadium's turf. His slide was only arrested by the Psychic barriers, and as he rose he was shaking with the effort of maintaining his Dynamax form.

It was clear that these forms were temporary. Trevenant could feel Eterna dissipating from around both combatants with every move used, and estimated that they likely only had a couple moves remaining before the Eterna ran out and they were forced back into their base forms. That is, if they weren't knocked out beforehand, at which point their control over the Eterna would be cut off entirely, forcibly knocking their unconscious bodies out of Dynamax. Trevenant wouldn't lie; Dynamaxing would be something they'd probably enjoy doing. The kind of power Rookidee and Eldegoss - two comparative novices - were throwing around courtesy of their new forms made Trevenant practically salivate at the prospect of what a strong Pokemon like them could unleash with Dynamax.

"Max Airstream again!" Hop yelled.

"Block it with a Max Strike!" Milo cried.

"Fluff Pillar!" "Power Cannon!" Once more, the surface of the arena lit up with a circle of light, this time directly in front of Eldegoss. As Rookidee once more launched a powerful cannon of Air at the Grass-type, another pillar of Energy erupted upwards, intercepting the blast. The Max Airstream was blunted in a luminescent explosion that forced many of the spectators to shield their eyes. The stadium practically shook from the power of the blast; Trevenant saw the barrier of Mind light up again as the gathered Psychics protected the crowd.

But even as the light faded, Trevenant saw Eldegoss's form beginning to shrink and realized that they'd been right; it seemed that it took around three of those powerful Dynamax attacks before the extra boost given by the infused Eterna was no longer strong enough to sustain the form. Milo's eyes widened as Eldegoss shrank back down, the remnants of the Eterna surrounding his body blasting outwards in powerful waves that swiftly dissipated in midair. Hop pumped his fist in the air. "All right, Rookidee!" he cried. "Finish him off with one final Max Airstream!"

"Round!" Milo ordered. "Try and counter it!"

Eldegoss inhaled - "Fluff Scream!" - and fired off a burst of Normal energy, taking the form of a barrage of soundwaves that sped upwards towards the form of Rookidee, now towering over the Grass-type. But Rookidee spread her wings once more. "Air Cannon," she boomed, finality in her voice as she let loose with a final cylinder of Air, a blast that shot downwards towards Eldegoss at a blistering speed. Eldegoss's Round was ripped out of the sky, blasted into nothingness as the Max Airstream cannoned straight into the Grass-type, engulfing him completely.

Eldegoss was hurled bodily away, his body tumbling end over end through the air as he flew; once more he was only stopped by the Psychic barriers. His form bounced off the mental wall and fell to the ground; Trevenant could tell he was unconscious even before he hit the ground.

Only now did Rookidee's own Dynamax finally fade, but it had done its job. As Rookidee shrank back to normal size, her own waves of Eterna emanating off her, Milo recalled his Eldegoss. He was beaming as he stepped across the field. "Well done!" he called. "What an incredible performance!"

"Yes!" Hop cried. "We did it! Great job, Rookidee!" Trevenant was relieved to see that Rookidee at least looked pleased at the praise. As Milo crossed the field, Hop rose to meet him, and the two shook hands as the crowd roared.

Wow, Trevenant thought. Shaking hands really is a major tradition in Galar.

Gloria glanced over at Marcus, her face slightly pale. "I'm going to have to fight that?"

"That was awesome, Hop!" said Gloria. "Rookidee is really strong!"

"You bet she's strong," Hop replied. "Hey, after this, want to have a battle? See how strong we both have gotten?"

"You're on," said Gloria. "First, though, I need to beat Milo. And…well…"

"Hey, chin up!" Hop urged, clearly understanding Gloria's hesitation immediately. "You can't go and let Dynamax intimidate you! Remember, you can do it too! Scorbunny shouldn't have too much trouble with this guy - he is meant to be the introduction to the Gym Challenge, after all. I think only two people have lost the challenge to him in the last twenty-five years!"

"Lost the challenge?" Marcus asked. "How do you-"

At that moment, a familiar female voice sounded from behind the group. "Hop! Sorry I missed your battle - how'd it go?"

"Sonia!" Gloria greeted. "Good to see you again!"

"I did say I wouldn't be long," said Sonia, shaking Gloria, Hop, and Marcus's hands in turn. "Though I did end up being longer than I thought…that Team Yell set up a blockade in front of the exit to the mine. Wouldn't let anybody into Turffield - Princess and Jester had to chase them off."

"Team Yell again?" Marcus asked angrily. "It feels like they're everywhere nowadays!"

"That's 'cause they are," said Sonia. "Groups of Grunts are reportedly popping up all over Galar, causing disruptions and blocking pathways. And with the Gym Leaders occupied preparing for challengers, the number of Trainers actually qualified to handle those groups is pretty low. The League's tearing their hair out over it…anyway! Hop?"

"Right!" Hop held up his new (very imaginatively named, in Trevenant's rather sarcastic opinion) Grass Badge. "Check it out!"

"Nice work!" Sonia said cheerily. "And Gloria, I assume you're up next?"

Gloria nodded. "I'll be heading in there in just a few minutes."

"Well, then, good luck!" said Sonia. "And I'll make sure to watch!"

"I will, too," Hop added, "but of course, I gotta get my Pokemon healed up first. See you soon!" Twisting, he dashed off towards the stadium exit.

"I should probably go get ready," said Gloria. "The lady over there at the counter said that we needed our Gym uniforms on before we could start, so…I guess I'm gonna go do that." She turned and stepped away, not moving as quickly as Hop but still walking at a rapid pace.

This left Marcus and Sonia alone. Marcus was quick to speak up. "Hop mentioned something about losing the Gym Challenge," he said. "How does that work?"

Sonia glanced at Marcus strangely. "I figured you'd know, being a Gym Leader and all."

"Well, you can't exactly lose the Gym Challenge in Kalos," said Marcus.

"Right," said Sonia. "I keep forgetting that your Gym season lasts for nine whole months! Since the Gym Challenge only lasts for one month in Galar, there's a restriction on how many times a challenger can go up against a Gym Leader. If a challenger gets defeated by a single Gym Leader twice, that challenger is eliminated from the Gym Challenge."

"Twice?" Marcus frowned. "That's a lot of pressure if you lose the first time."

"Yeah, it is," said Sonia. "They initially had it as three times instead, but then there was some controversy about forty years ago - a challenger had a rather large group of followers, and those followers also entered the Gym Challenge and proceeded to all intentionally lose their first two matches against Gym Leaders before winning their third. The idea was to exhaust the Gym Leaders so that the challenger they wanted to win would have an easier time. And it worked - she ended up winning the whole thing - but they managed to piss off practically everyone in Galar in the process. The League had to remove the audience for her battle with Champion Mustard after the conference finals ended with her Thievul hospitalized due to getting hit in the eye by an angry fan's thrown glass bottle."

Marcus winced. "Ouch."

"Yeah, the Chairman swooped in pretty quickly after that," Sonia continued. "He and Mustard passed a series of sweeping regulations to try and stop something like that from ever happening again. Gym Leaders are allowed to eliminate anyone they see as intentionally losing their Gym battle, though the eliminations have to be approved by the Champion. The daily timeframe for Gym Challenges was reduced from twelve hours a day to eight, to give Gym Leaders more time to rest up, and if they need more time, Gym Leaders are also allowed to promote their Gym Trainers to temporary Gym Leader status for up to a day at a time. And, of course, there's the number of losses necessary for elimination being reduced from three to two. There were also a whole bunch of other regulations - notably on items fans can bring into the stadiums - but that's not nearly as important to the situation."

"Team Yell has to be violating some of those regulations," Marcus observed.

Sonia shook her head. "The League's been trying to pin them on something," she said. "But Team Yell know what they're doing - they're operating in the perfect way to cause as much disruption as possible while still keeping their actions within the definition of peaceful protest under Galarian law. Which means everything they're doing is technically legal."

"Peaceful protest?" Marcus snorted. "Team Yell are anything but peaceful."

Sonia nodded. "I know. Believe me, Marcus, practically everyone in Galar wants Team Yell gone. But they're protected by law. The right to peaceful protest has been a core part of Galar's laws since the Darkest Day, and neither the League nor Macro Cosmos can really crack down on Team Yell without violating that right. Pretty much the only way to get them out of the way is beating them in a Pokemon battle, at which point they'll scarper. But while they fold pretty quickly to a decently powerful Trainer, your average civilian isn't strong enough to take on an entire gang of them."

A woman's voice interrupted the two, coming through the stadium's loudspeakers. "Will Gym Challenger 303 please report to Entrance Door 1 for the start of their Gym Mission, please?"

"Challenger 303…that's Gloria," said Marcus. "Guess we'd better get up to the stands, huh?"

"I guess so," Sonia replied.

Nothing bad's going to happen. It's just a Gym Mission.

Scorbunny took a few deep breaths.

Nothing bad's going to happen. It's just a Gym Mission.

He could feel his heart pounding, and his throat felt dry.

Nothing bad's going to happen. It's just a Gym Mission.

The Gym Mission, as a nearby League member was currently informing Gloria, was an aptitude test, designed to test a Trainer's Pokemon in conjunction with the Gym Battle itself. Whereas the battle tested a Pokemon's strength and skill in battle, the Gym Mission would test a Pokemon's mind. And Scorbunny, who had been practicing all his life for pretty much exclusively battles, did not feel prepared at all for such a mental test.

Awful images were rushing through his head, of him struggling to even wrap his head around some inscrutable puzzle, of a weeping Gloria leaving the Gym without even fighting the Gym Leader due to him not even being able to figure out the Gym Mission, of Marcus's disappointed face as he found his sponsorship wasted. He shook his head. Nothing bad's going to happen. It's just a Gym Mission.

Gloria looked nervous as well; she was pacing in front of Entrance Door 1 as she waited for the loudspeaker to announce that it was time for her to enter. The League member who had just finished delivering his speech about the Gym Mission clearly noticed this, for he took a step back, gazing down at Gloria comfortingly.

"Listen," said the League member. "I know this might seem intimidating to you, but you're going to do fine, okay? You've got this! Be brave." His eyes seemed to twinkle at the last two words.

"I will," Gloria murmured. "Thank you."

The loudspeaker finally sounded once more. "Challenger 303, you may enter Entrance Door 1 for the start of your Gym Mission."

"Good luck!" the League member called as Gloria opened the door and scurried through.

Scorbunny's eyes went wide as he gazed around the massive space he and Gloria had found themselves in. It was a huge room, with deep green walls and a roof so high above Scorbunny couldn't believe it fit in the stadium. The floor was occupied by what looked like a large grassy field, occupied solely by a large flock of Wooloo who were currently chowing down on grass. On the other side of the field was a fenced-off area with an open gate facing towards the field; next to it was a pathway that led to a staircase heading towards a door that Scorbunny suspected led out into the stadium proper; however, a bright red line had been painted over the path, right next to the fenced-off area. The remainder of the field was surrounded by a tall hedge.

A man with dark brown hair and a Gossifleur beside him stepped up to Gloria. "Hello, challenger!" he greeted, shaking Gloria's hand. "My name is Samuel - I'll be officiating your Gym Mission. No doubt Mark at the entrance has already given you the spiel, so I'll keep things brief. Your objective for this mission is to herd our unruly Wooloo!"

He gestured towards the flock. "You must get all twenty of our Wooloo into the goal area - that's the fenced-off area over there," Samuel continued. "To do so, you may not give the Wooloo a single order. Nor may you cross the red line before all the Wooloo are in the goal area. If you violate either of those rules, you must immediately leave the Gym Mission and schedule another time to take it. You may, however, give your own Pokemon orders. Do you have any questions?"

"Um…can I battle you?" Gloria asked. "Will that do anything?"

Samuel smiled. "I'm glad you asked! Yes, you may battle me. And, in fact, if you win, you may continue onwards without having to herd the Wooloo! However, you will not be allowed to heal your Pokemon in between your battle with me and your battle with Leader Milo, meaning you will effectively have to handle both my Gossifleur and his two Pokemon with just your two for the Gym Battle. So it is your choice - if you believe you are strong enough to handle that sort of challenge, then by all means, go right ahead!"

Bede probably did that, Scorbunny thought idly. He couldn't see the Psychic-type Trainer bothering to herd Wooloo, but he could definitely see Bede just challenging both Samuel and Milo back-to-back and winning.

"If you don't have any more questions," said Samuel, "then go right ahead! Don't hesitate - be brave!"

Gloria stepped into the grassy field, releasing Scorbunny and Bunnelby as she did so. "All right, you two," she said, "let's just try being diplomatic. We don't want to be too forceful - it's not like we want to end up butting heads with twenty Wooloo."

Scorbunny and Bunnelby both nodded. Scorbunny glanced over at Bunnelby. "Hey, Bunnelby, you're a lot better at this than I am. Could you maybe…take the lead on this?"

"Of course," said Bunnelby. "But I want to see you try first."

"Why?" Scorbunny asked.

"Because there might come a time," Bunnelby replied, "when you can't rely on me for help. And if I just handle all the negotiations, then when that time comes you'll be underprepared. We're teammates - we're meant to be around equal strength, aren't we?"

"I suppose," Scorbunny murmured.

"That includes mentally," said Bunnelby. "So go ahead. I believe in you."

Scorbunny smiled. "Thanks."

Taking a deep breath, he turned and stepped over to the biggest member of the Wooloo flock; his experiences in the Wooloo-filled areas of Postwick and Wedgehurst had taught him that the biggest was normally the leader. Swallowing, he spoke up. "Um…hi?"

The lead Wooloo glanced over at Scorbunny. "Hello to you, too."

"Um…" Scorbunny, once again, lost whatever he was going to say halfway up his throat. "So…could you…maybe…head over there?" He pointed to the target area.

The lead Wooloo's eyes swiveled over to the target area. "Don't see why I need to."

"Well, you see," said Scorbunny, "my Trainer needs you to do that in order to complete her Gym Mission. So that would be really…um…nice of you?"

The lead Wooloo shrugged. "Not my problem. I've got plenty of grass over here, and to be quite honest with you, that's all I care about right now."

Turning away, the lead Wooloo bent down and resumed eating. Scorbunny looked over at Samuel, who was standing in the corner with his Gossifleur, watching the exchange impassively. He glanced towards Bunnelby, who was giving him a patient and supportive expression, and Gloria, who looked back down at him with worry in her eyes. "Samuel did say they'd be unruly…that means they're not amenable to discipline or control. Do we have to carry them over to the zone or something? No, that doesn't make sense - that's not herding them…"

Scorbunny felt himself beginning to panic, the images from earlier flashing once more in his mind. I'm failing Gloria again…

He felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Bunnelby standing over him. "You've got this," she whispered. "Remember what both Mark and Samuel said? Be brave."

Be brave…Scorbunny's eyes widened as he realized something. Mark or Samuel saying that wouldn't have meant anything more than a simple Good luck. But both of them saying that exact same thing? Sure, it might be nothing, but Scorbunny had a hunch that those words had been no accident.

They'd been a clue.

"Gloria said not to be forceful," said Scorbunny. "But…I think she's wrong. I think being forceful is exactly how we're supposed to go about this."

Bunnelby blinked. "Really?"

Scorbunny nodded. "Trust me on this, okay?"

Bunnelby smiled. "All right."

Scorbnny took another deep breath. Then he turned, created an Ember in one paw, and shot it straight at the heels of the lead Wooloo, close enough to sting without actually hitting him.

"Ow!" the Wooloo cried, spinning to glare at Scorbunny. "What was that for?"

Scorbunny saw the rest of the Wooloo shifting to stand behind their leader. Twenty pairs of angry-looking eyes were now gazing at him. He gulped, barely managing to stop himself from taking a step backwards. "I…um…need you to…no. My Trainer needs you to get over to that area! So…" He forced the next words from his mouth in spite of his nervousness. "So get over there…or I'll make you!"

The lead Wooloo stepped forwards. He wasn't exactly towering over Scorbunny, but it certainly felt like he was. His gaze was stormy. "You?" he asked. "Make us? Tell me, little Fire-type, do you really think you can take all of us in a fight?"

Oh, please tell me I haven't done something wrong. Scorbunny swallowed. "No," he admitted.

As soon as the word left his throat, he saw some of the Wooloo beginning to relax and sit back down. No, that was wrong! I shouldn't have said that! I need to keep being brave! "But," he said, "that doesn't mean…I'm not going to try! Because if you don't get over there, my Trainer's dream goes up in flames. And I won't let that happen!"

Scorbunny fell silent, breathing heavily from the exertion of his speech. The lead Wooloo glared at Scorbunny for what felt like several minutes, his eyes boring into Scorbunny's. Then, as if a switch had been flipped, he stepped back, shrugged, and turned. "Fair enough. C'mon, boys."

Scorbunny blinked, his mouth agape, as the entire flock of Wooloo moved after their leader, heading towards the target area. Bunnelby nudged him. "Well done!" she cried. "I'll admit, I was getting a little worried."

"So was I," Scorbunny admitted.

"Great work, Scorbunny!" Gloria knelt down. "That was wonderful!"

"Indeed it was." Samuel's voice brought all three of their gazes to him. "Very well done - you figured it out quite quickly. Congratulations on passing your first Gym Mission."

Scorbunny heaved a sigh of relief as both Bunnelby and Gloria lavished him with further praise. This had been tough - it had been really scary to confront so many Wooloo. But he knew that, despite all the nervousness, this had been the easy part.

Now he and Bunnelby would have to face Milo's two Pokemon in battle. And Scorbunny harbored no illusions that the Grass-type Gym Leader or his Pokemon would go easy on them.

"Herding Wooloo?" Marcus asked. "That's the Gym Mission? Wouldn't it make more sense for it to be…you know…based on Grass-types?"

"He's tried it," said Sonia. The two were sitting in the stands amongst the rest of the crowd, waiting for Gloria to - hopefully - enter the battlefield where Milo was currently waiting. "One year," Sonia continued, "he tried having the Gym Challengers' Pokemon roll Eldegoss around an obstacle course. Worked well enough. Then Paldea took offense. Apparently, some Bug-type Gym Leader over there - Katy, I think - has a similar Gym Challenge, and Geeta threatened to sue for copyright infringement."

"Over a Gym Challenge?" Marcus asked. "That doesn't sound like Geeta - she seemed nice enough when I met her in Alola."

"Oh, she's plenty nice," said Sonia. "But she's very protective - and demanding - of Paldea's Gym circuit. Did you know Paldea's the only region in the UPW that does yearly Gym inspections?"

"No," said Marcus.

Sonia nodded. "All Geeta's idea. But yeah, Geeta was worried that Galar having an Eldegoss-rolling challenge would take away from the so-called 'uniqueness' of Katy's own challenge, especially since they were both the first Gyms in their respective circuits. And this was before Galar joined the UPW, so there was almost a major international incident over it. Funnily enough, Milo and Katy solved it by simply meeting up for tea and biscuits and talking it over - in the end, Milo just reverted his Gym Challenge back to the way it had been, and the problem was solved."

"Not bad," said Marcus.

Sonia nodded. "Course, ever since, Milo hasn't wanted to try changing his Gym Challenge again," she said. "So Wooloo herding is what we've got."

Her eyes suddenly lit up. Marcus swiftly turned in time to see Gloria stepping out onto the field, looking nervous and confident at the same time. "Thank goodness."

"What, you didn't believe in her?" Sonia asked teasingly.

"No, that's not what I…" Marcus trailed off, clearly choosing not to finish his sentence in favor of watching Gloria step up to the center of the field, where Milo was standing and watching her.

"All right, Queen," said Sonia. "I think you've been waiting long enough." The Professor's assistant released her Venusaur, who slowly arranged herself into a sitting position, her head just barely tall enough to see over the railing.

"You can release Pokemon in the stands?" Marcus asked.

"One per Trainer," Sonia replied. "And Queen likes to watch her fellow Grass-types."

"So I could release my Trevenant?" Marcus queried.

Sonia nodded. "I'm sure no one would mind."

Trevenant grinned as Marcus touched a finger to their Luxury Ball, sending them out. Cool - I get to watch without having to crane my neck to stare out of the hole in the ball! The others are going to be so jealous…

The Grass/Ghost-type swiftly stepped up next to Queen. "So I take it you've done this often?"

Queen glanced over to Trevenant. "Ah, Younger Tree. Glad you could join me."

"Younger Tree?" Trevenant giggled. "King told you about that, huh?"

Queen nodded. "I would like to thank you for talking to him back at Gloria's house. It very much lifted his mood."

"No problem!" said Trevenant. "He seems cool!"

"He is," Queen murmured. "And in answer to your earlier question, yes, I have done this often. As Sonia mentioned, I've always been interested in watching how other Grass-types fight. It's nice to see the younger generation growing up, and I won't deny it helps me gain inspiration for new Overgrow techniques."

"Ooh, you've got Overgrow!" Trevenant's single eye shone. "Sometimes I wish I had Overgrow. Even with Forest's Curse, Harvest just seems so limited in comparison. You can grow and control plants - all I can do is grow them."

"Well," said Queen, "it's not quite like that…ah, it seems the battle is starting."

Trevenant's head instantly whipped around to stare at the battlefield, all talk of Abilities momentarily forgotten.

"This will be a two-on-two battle between Leader Milo and Challenger Gloria!" the referee announced. "Switches are allowed for the Challenger, and the Leader is limited to four moves per Pokemon! The battle will continue until one side has two Pokemon unable to battle! And, of course, you are both allowed and encouraged to use Dynamax!"

Scorbunny listened to the spiel with relevant attention. He had no doubt the rest of the Gyms would feature a similar spiel, and he also had no doubt he'd eventually get tired of it, but right now, having an actual battle with an actual referee and actual established rules just felt so exciting.

"You should know," Milo called across the battlefield as the referee stepped back, "that I try to keep my Gym mission pretty challenging, in order to spread out the competitors a little bit so I don't have to fight so many back-to-back. But you cleared it real quick! Proper job!"

"Thank you, Gym Leader Milo," Gloria replied. "I hope I can do the same in our battle!"

Milo chuckled. "So do I! But that doesn't mean I'm going to take it easy on you - you'd better know how to Dynamax your Pokemon if you want to win!"

The referee raised his voice. "You may now release your Pokemon! The Gym Leader releases first!"

Milo grinned broadly as he reached down to his belt and sent out a tiny red-and-green apple-shaped Pokemon. "Go, Applin!"

Applin? Scorbunny recognized the Pokemon - Grass/Dragon, he was pretty sure. A Dragon-type in the first Gym? Is Milo serious?

Scorbunny knew that Dragon resisted Fire, which meant Applin, despite its Grass typing, wasn't actually weak to Fire. Maybe, he thought, it would be a good idea to send Bunnelby in first to soften it up, and then send me out.

"Go, Scorbunny!"

Or not. As Scorbunny materialized on the field, he set his stance and eyed his opponent, readying himself for combat. "Uh…good luck?"

"Good luck," Applin replied, her voice curt.

Milo spoke up. "Ah, the Fire-type Starter. I hope you don't expect a free win just because you have one!"

"I don't," Gloria replied. "But Scorbunny and I have trained a lot together! We're ready for anything you can throw at us!"

Milo chuckled. "We'll see about that!"

"Battlers," the referee announced, "you may begin!"

Milo spoke instantly. "Applin, use Astonish!"

"Apple Strike!" In the next moment, Applin was charging straight for Scorbunny with a speed that the Fire-type certainly hadn't expected. "Flame Charge!" Gloria cried, but Scorbunny was too slow to react; before he could follow his Trainer's instruction, Applin slammed bodily into him.

As Scorbunny recoiled, pain lancing across his chest, he managed to keep enough of his wits about him to activate Flame Charge. Planting his feet, he lunged forwards. "Goal Sprint!"

"Block it with Withdraw!" Milo called.

"Apple Shield!" In the second before Scorbunny connected, a barrier of Water energy rose up around Applin. Scorbunny's Flame Charge connected, sending Applin skidding backwards, but the Grass/Dragon-type appeared largely unhurt.

"Ember!" Gloria called, seeking to press the advantage.

"Goal Shot!" Scorbunny was quick to obey this time, spinning and kicking an Ember at Applin. The small fiery sphere sped towards the Grass/Dragon-type, who raised another Withdraw barrier to deflect it; this time, the watery shield was enough to deflect the entirety of the attack.

"He can't defend forever!" said Gloria. "Hit him with another Flame Charge!"

"You're right!" Milo called. "Which is why I'm not gonna! Applin, use Rollout!"

Rollout? Scorbunny's eyes widened as Applin shot forwards with a cry of "Apple Tumble!" Rock energy blazed across her body as she rolled towards Scorbunny with lightning speed.

"Dodge with Quick Attack!" Gloria cried. Scorbunny managed to cancel his Flame Charge and shoot to the side with Quick Attack just in time to evade the rapidly-rolling Applin. "Curve and keep going!" Milo ordered; Applin twisted, her movement forming a half-circle, and sped towards Scorbunny again.

"Try meeting it with Double Kick!" Gloria called.

Scorbunny spun to face Applin; he'd recognized at the same time Gloria had that he and Applin had switched places. Now he was the one stuck on the defensive, and he needed to regain the initiative. "Dribble Kick!" he yelled, lunging forwards to meet Applin with feet wreathed in Fighting energy. His first kick lashed out, slamming into Applin and stopping her short; a second later, the second kick sent Applin reeling backwards, the Rock energy around her body shattering under the Fighting-type attack.

"Nice one!" Milo commented. "You've definitely put some effort into training, that's for sure! But let's see how you handle this! Applin, use your fourth move!"

Fourth move? Scorbunny frowned as Applin rose back up. Why didn't he name the move? What is he playing at…

Oh.

Oh…wow…

Scorbunny had never realized just how beautiful Applin was. The rosy red body, the glistening green eyestalks, the ink-black pools of charm that were the eyes themselves…she was perfect. Scorbunny faintly heard shouting - two voices, one male and one female, the female a lot more urgent - but none of that mattered when compared to the depths of Applin's beauty.

Applin was coming towards him now. Scorbunny took a step forwards, spreading his arms wide to greet his love. The Grass/Dragon-type's eyes were twinkling as she neared…wait, what was that tan energy surrounding her?

WHAM.

"Scorbunny!" The combination of Gloria's scream and the powerful Rollout Applin had just landed threw Scorbunny out of his delusion in an instant. The Rollout also threw him backwards; he couldn't recover in time to avoid landing flat on his back. The realization came immediately. Attract. I can't believe I let myself get fooled by Attract.

"Roll to the side!" Gloria yelled, her voice sounding hoarse. Scorbunny did so reflexively; a second later Applin shot past, still encased in her Rollout. "On him before he recovers!" Milo called jovially. This time, Applin didn't curve; instead, she practically spun in place and shot towards the still-downed Scorbunny, black eyes gleaming.

"Double Kick her away!" Gloria cried.

"Combine Rollout with Withdraw!" Milo countered.

Scorbunny grimaced in pain as he readied his legs. Applin rolled closer still, watery energy rising up around her to join the Rock energy of the Rollout. Only when she was nearly on top of him did Scorbunny launch the attack. "Dribble Kick!" Two Fighting energy-engulfed feet slammed into Applin, but this time she didn't go flying away as she had done last time; rather, she skidded slightly backwards, and more pain shot up Scorbunny's legs from the force of kicking a much more solid opponent.

Still, it bought Scorbunny enough time to rise to his feet, wincing. He crouched, awaiting Gloria's next command. But instead she raised his Pokeball. "Scorbunny, return for now," she ordered. "Take a rest - Bunnelby can finish this one."

Scorbunny let out a sigh as he was recalled. He knew Gloria was right - Bunnelby would be immune to Applin's Attract and could easily handle her other moves - but all the same, it didn't feel good to not be able to handle even Milo's first Pokemon.

I should be sent back out for Eldegoss, though. Hopefully I'll have better luck against him…

"Ah, clever," Queen remarked. "Bunnelby wouldn't ordinarily be that good in here due to her attacks leaning towards the Ground typing of her evolution. But Applin doesn't have any Grass-type attacks, so Bunnelby can handle her a lot easier than she could other Grass-types - and countering Attract by being female definitely helps."

"Why doesn't Applin have any Grass-type moves?" Trevenant asked. "I've been wondering that since she fought Hop's Rookidee - it seems like a bit of a weird choice for a Grass-type Gym."

Queen shifted slightly; it seemed she'd been asked that question before, for her response was very clearly at least somewhat practiced. "Applin can't actually learn any Grass-type moves," the Venusaur explained. "See, they're a very simple-minded sort - practically all they know is how to attack and how to defend, and neither one really matches their typing at all. Sometimes they know how to do more complex maneuvers, like Rollout, but even then those are just natural extensions of their basic attacks. Researchers have hypothesized that Applin are too stupid to properly understand what their typing is, and so just use the standard typings associated with moves like Withdraw and Astonish - any attempt to get them to adopt different typings is oftentimes too much for their tiny brains."

Trevenant chuckled at Queen's descriptions. "And what about Attract?"

Queen shook her head. "No one knows. Best guess is, essentially, it's because of their role in Galarian society - they're one of the most common gifts given by members of young couples in love. Researchers think that role's become so ingrained in the minds of Applin that they can wrap their heads around the concept of Attract, whereas all other TMs are too complex for them."

"Wow," said Trevenant. "So Applin's actually kind of perfect for a first Gym Leader's Pokemon. Normally, so much of Gym Battles is having to hold back to avoid being too strong for Gym Challengers, but for an Applin, even first-badge level is essentially them fighting at their limit."

"Exactly," said Queen, "and that's not even mentioning that they require outside help to evolve, so you can keep it an Applin for as long as you need. Oh, wow, that looked painful."

Trevenant's attention was brought once more to the battle by Queen's exclamation just in time to see Applin recoil from a powerful Mud Shot thrown by Bunnelby. "Now Quick Attack before it recovers!" Gloria cried.

"Withdraw!" Milo ordered, but before Applin could form the defensive technique, Bunnelby rushed forwards. "Swift Ear!" Her ear struck Applin, sending her stumbling away.

"Finish with Double Kick!" Gloria called.

Bunnelby leaped at Applin, a half-formed Double Kick shaping itself across her feet. "Whirling Kick!" she cried; her feet slammed one after the other into Applin, bowling the Grass/Dragon-type over. Applin tumbled to the ground, and as Bunnelby landed back on her feet, Applin's strength failed her and she fell limp, knocked out by the barrage of powerful strikes."

Milo grinned. "Not bad at all!" he told Gloria as he recalled Applin. "Are you some sort of rabbit-themed Trainer?"

"I get that a lot," Gloria admitted.

"I bet you do!" said Milo. "All right, then! You've got strong Pokemon, but we're not going to be done in that easy! Get out there, Eldegoss!"

"Here we go." Queen shifted again. "This is where it gets good."

"I saw Eldegoss fight Hop," said Trevenant. "He's pretty strong."

"Ha!" Queen chuckled. "You should see him when he actually gets to go all out."

A minute in, and it was clear Bunnelby was on the back foot.

Eldegoss was a lot tougher than Applin had been. From the start of the battle, Bunnelby's Mud Shots had been frustrated by Eldegoss's Leafages, and she had no counter for Round, which was powerful enough to blast her away even in the midst of her attacks and widespread enough that it was hard to avoid even with both Quick Attack and Agility. She might have been able to counter it with Double Kick, but she still hadn't gotten the technique completely down, and the half-formed Fighting energy wasn't strong enough to break through the blasts of Normal energy Eldegoss was throwing out.

Not to mention that every time she did manage to get close, Eldegoss just knocked her away with Rapid Spin, which - yet again - she would have likely been able to counter if she could just get Double Kick down. It was clearly extremely frustrating for her despite her measured demeanor; every new rush she enacted was a little less careful, a little more wild.

As she danced around a flurry of Leafages and came in for her fifth charge - by now practically a blur - Milo grinned. "All right, let's end this, Eldegoss!" he yelled. "Use your fourth move!"

Oh, not again, Scorbunny thought. He saw Bunnelby tense even as she charged, clearly trying to reinforce her mind against Attract. But instead, Eldegoss opened his mouth and began to sing.

No, Scorbunny realized with a jolt of panic. Not to sing. To Sing.

Scorbunny knew what Sing was - one of the multiple moves a Pokemon could learn that could temporarily strike at an opponent's mind, overwhelming them with the all-encompassing urge to sleep. Indeed, as the notes of the Sing left Eldegoss's mouth, Bunnelby's speed began to slacken as tiredness began to overcome her. Under such conditions, there was no way she could keep up her rush; even as that thought ran through Scorbunny's head, Bunnelby tripped, no longer able to keep her balance, and fell to the ground.

"Rapid Spin!" Milo called. "And follow up with Leafage!"

"Get up, Bunnelby!" Gloria cried. "Dodge with Quick Attack!"

But Sing had played its role to perfection. Bunnelby, sagging with exhaustion, barely managed to raise herself up on one paw before Eldegoss slammed bodily into her with a cry of "Fluff Spinner!" Bunnelby staggered backwards; a second later Eldegoss blasted her away with a point-blank Leafage. "Finish with Round!" Milo urged jovially.

"Dodge, Bunnelby!" Gloria yelled, but it was far too late.

With a final call of "Fluff Scream!", Eldegoss unleashed a burst of Normal energy that sent the reeling Bunnelby toppling to the ground like a fallen bowling pin. She went slack as she fell; by the time she landed, she was very clearly unconscious.

"A word of advice," said Milo as Gloria recalled Bunnelby. "Figure out some trump cards for your Pokemon. So far, from what I've seen, both your Pokemon have a powerful main strategy, but little else in the event that it fails. It's understandable for a beginning Trainer such as yourself, but you might want to look into holding a powerful wild-card move in reserve in future battles, so that you can turn a losing battle into a winning one."

Scorbunny's mind flew back to his battle with Bede; the only reason he'd been able to handle that Solosis had been his mid-battle learning of Flame Charge. Maybe holding that in reserve to surprise an opponent with it wouldn't be such a bad idea.

"Thank you, Leader Milo," Gloria replied.

"No problem!" said Milo. "Now, I believe we have a battle to conclude?"

"Right!" Gloria sent Scorbunny out again. "All right, Scorbunny, let's do this! Flame Charge!"

"Block it with Round!" Milo told his Eldegoss.

"Goal Sprint!" "Fluff Screech!" As Scorbunny sprinted forwards, Eldegoss unleashed another barrage of soundwaves at him. But Scorbunny was unworried. For whereas Bunnelby's version of Double Kick was unfinished and unrefined, Scorbunny had Double Kick down perfectly.

He'd been planning to use it against Eldegoss's Round from the moment he'd first seen the Grass-type use the attack.

And from the sound of it, so had Gloria. "Double Kick!"

"Dribble Kick!" Scorbunny leaped, twisting as he did so, and came down with a double-footed Fighting energy-wreathed kick upon Eldegoss's Round. The Normal energy shattered beneath the strike, and Scorbunny landed back on his feet and hurled himself at Eldegoss, still encased in his Flame Charge.

"Shield yourself with Rapid Spin!" Milo cried. Eldegoss began to spin in place, raising a shield of Normal energy around himself, but before he could get up to speed Scorbunny rammed into the Grass-type. Eldegoss flew backwards with a scream of pain; Scorbunny watched as Eldegoss bounced several times before finally rolling to a halt just in front of Milo, his fluffy body scorched in several places.

Milo grinned. "All right, then!" he called. "Good on you for getting this far, but you're about to be uprooted! Because it's Dynamax time!"

The crowd roared as Milo held out Eldegoss's Pokeball. Gloria raised her voice. "Then I suppose I'll match in kind! Scorbunny, get ready!"

Scorbunny tensed. He'd seen this earlier with Hop's Rookidee, not to mention the numerous times Sonia had shown Scorbunny Dynamaxing on television in order to prepare him better for this. But doing it was another matter entirely. Is this going to hurt?

He felt an irresistible force tugging him back into his Pokeball, and then his world began to blaze with Dynamax energy.

It wasn't painful, but it was strange. Scorbunny could feel himself swelling in size, and for a moment he feared that he might grow too big for the Pokeball he was now in, but then he realized that, too, was growing alongside him. The pink-purple light of Dynamax energy surged around him, bathing the inside of the expanding Pokeball in a bright glow. And then he was outside the Pokeball again, standing upon the stadium turf, watching with wide eyes as around him the stadium shrank in size.

Before him stood the also-growing Eldegoss - it was that and that alone that kept Scorbunny tethered to reality. I'm still in a Pokemon battle. I can't waste time marveling at how utterly massive I am now. Still, though, as he reached full size, Scorbunny took a moment to glance around at the pin-sized people and Pokemon in the stands, many of whom were taking pictures of him.

Then Scorbunny turned back towards Eldegoss, who had also finished growing. Eldegoss narrowed his eyes and roared, bellowing out a challenge; unlike Rookidee, Scorbunny was quick to respond in kind. The crowd cheered alongside the two battlers, the entire audience hailing the climax of this fight.

Dimly, Scorbunny heard Gloria yell out an order from below. "Knock Eldegoss off balance with a Max Strike!" Evidently she'd taken inspiration from Milo's own opening move against Hop.

"Use the opening to land a Max Overgrow!" Milo called.

Scorbunny concentrated; even though he'd never done anything like this before, the knowledge of what he was aiming for had been ingrained in his head by countless videos. Thankfully, a sizable patch of the turf began to glow under where Eldegoss was standing. "Fluff Cascade!" Eldegoss boomed; Scorbunny saw a wave of Grass energy, but somehow richer and lusher and more vibrant, practically flowing out from Eldegoss's body towards him, and narrowed his eyes in concentration. I resist this…this won't hurt me nearly as much as my Max Strike will hurt Eldegoss.

"Rainbow Kick!" Scorbunny bellowed, lashing out with a kicking motion just as both Pokemon's attacks reached each other.

Scorbunny heard Eldegoss cry out as the wave of green energy struck him, nearly bowling him over despite his new size and the type resistance; he saw out of the corner of his eye a pillar of light blasting into the air. Scorbunny took a step back, digging his feet into the stadium below as he waited for the Max Overgrow to dissipate. But it didn't; instead, the energy flowed downwards, seeming to seep into the field below, emblazoning the turf in a rich green glow.

Grassy Terrain, Scorbunny realized, only now remembering the move from the videos he'd seen. He could feel wisps of energy trickling upwards into his body, healing his aches, and knew that Eldegoss would be experiencing a similar phenomenon. He's a lot hardier than I am…I have to finish this fast before he's revitalized enough to outlast my attacks.

"Now hit him with your own Max Strike!" Milo called.

"Dodge backwards!" Gloria cried. "And use Max Knuckle!"

Scorbunny smirked, understanding Gloria's intent immediately. He wasn't as fast as he would have liked, but he still managed to spring backwards, away from the patch of turf under him that had begun to glow with the light of a Max Strike. "Fluff Pillar!" Eldegoss roared.

Scorbunny summoned Fighting energy to his fist even as he drew it back. "Power Handball!" he yelled, flinging it forwards as the Max Strike blasted upwards in front of him. From his paw emanated a gigantic clenched fist of pure Fighting energy - actually, he was pretty sure this was Aura, like Medicham used, and Scorbunny would have loved to know how he was using that - that flew straight at the pillar of light. The pillar shattered before the impact, cracking in two, the upper half dissipating even as it toppled, and the fist continued onwards.

"Counter it with Max Overgrow!" Milo cried.

Gloria grinned. "Got you, Milo - that move means you're all out of Dynamax energy! I remember that much from watching Hop! Scorbunny, use your strongest Max Flare! Finish it here and now!"

Milo's eyes widened. "Eldegoss, out of the way!"

Even as Eldegoss unleashed another blast of powerful Grassy energy, tearing apart the Max Knuckle in midair, Scorbunny raised both arms to the sky, forming a massive ball of Fire energy - no, this was Blaze, like Leon's Charizard used - between them. He felt a surge of power, not matching any energy he could recognize, rushing through his body even as he opened his mouth. "Power Shot!" Scorbunny screamed at the top of his lungs, and with an exertion of effort he flung the Blaze forwards.

A diagonal pillar of Blaze, similar in size and shape to Rookidee's Max Airstream, flew forth, descending towards Eldegoss with terrifying speed. The remnants of Eldegoss's Max Overgrow were ripped to shreds; Eldegoss tried to dodge, but in his Dynamax form and without access to Rapid Spin, he was far too slow. Just as Rookidee's Max Airstream had done, so too did Scorbunny's Max Flare come down upon Eldegoss and consume him in its energy.

Eldegoss's agonized roar seemed to increase in pitch as his Dynamax energy failed him, leaving him shrinking back down to normal size even as the Blaze scorched his body. Then it was abruptly cut off as a flash of light indicated he'd been recalled. Scorbunny himself was descending as well as his own Dynamax energy dissipated, though strangely he felt like he'd actually grown a little more just as he'd been firing his last attack.

Must be my imagination.

As Scorbunny returned back to his normal size, the Grassy Terrain Eldegoss had set up burned down around him, the green glow replaced with an angry red before that, too, dissipated. Scorbunny was left standing in the midst of the turf, untouched by either type of energy, though it was covered in scorch marks.

"Awesome job!" Then Gloria was there, hugging him tightly (was it just him, or did she seem shorter?) "That was amazing, Scorbunny!"

"I think," said Milo, beginning to make his way across the field towards her, "you mean Raboot."

Wait, what? Scorbunny finally looked down, and realized that no, his mind had not been playing tricks on him. He was taller by several inches, his once white fur had turned ashen gray, and he felt a lot stronger than he had earlier.

Oh.

I evolved.

Scorbunny - Raboot - grinned. How about that?