Charizard streaked through the sky, propelling himself with Tailwind whilst calling upon Fly to secure Leon and ensure his Trainer didn't fall off from sheer speed. He could tell Leon didn't mind - if anything, he would have wanted Charizard to go even faster. But this was the top speed Charizard could reach without actively risking Leon's safety, and so despite the urgency of the situation he dared not call upon Acrobatics, Flame Charge, or Dragon Dance to enhance his speed even more.
They'd received word about ten minutes ago that Marcus, Hop, and Gloria had been found in the Wild Area, just south of Motostoke. The news had felt like a massive weight off Charizard's shoulders; Leon hadn't been able to find Hop in the crush of injured, semi-panicked refugees, and had clearly been starting to give up hope by the time he'd received it.
The towers of Motostoke City were coming into sight now; Charizard dipped, aiming his body for the southern gate. As he neared it, he spotted a small collection of humanoid forms, and his heart leaped as he spotted Hop, Gloria, and Marcus among them. Hop had clearly seen Leon coming, for he was waving wildly as Charizard streaked downwards. The Fire/Flying-type twisted as he neared the earth, slamming into the ground feet-first and skidding to a halt, his claws rending grooves into the ground.
Almost instantly, Leon was off and rushing towards the group. "Hop!"
"Lee!" The two brothers embraced tightly; it took a solid several seconds before Leon let go. "And Marcus and Gloria!" he said. "I'm so glad to see you all safe and sound!"
"We're glad to be safe," said Gloria.
"How did you get out into the Wild Area?" Leon asked. "I was searching all over the train wreck for you - I was really starting to get worried!"
"We don't really know," Marcus answered. "We were all knocked unconscious in the wreck - when we woke up, we were in the Wild Area."
"Huh…" Leon frowned. "Someone must've gotten you all out…and I know none of your Pokemon know Teleport, Marcus, so it must have been a third party. Well, whoever it is, I owe them a debt of gratitude."
"Listen," said Marcus. "Hop, Gloria, stay with Leon. Go get your Pokemon to a Pokemon Center. I'll head to the Budew Drop Inn and check you both in. Is that all right with you?"
"Sure thing!" said Hop.
Charizard watched Marcus as the foreign Gym Leader turned and stepped through the South Gate of Motostoke. He wasn't a fool. He could sense that Marcus's story came out far too rigid and measured, as if it were a memorized tale rather than an on-the-spot retelling. And he could sense that Marcus had gotten out of the conversation a bit too quickly for his liking.
Charizard knew a lie when he heard one. And he was fairly certain Marcus hadn't been entirely truthful about his story.
But why? Charizard frowned as he watched Marcus disappear through the gate. Why would you lie about something like that?
The Budew Drop Inn was already beautiful on the outside. The fine, dominantly red brick exterior was broken up by well-carved stone, forming both pillars and separations between the building's various floors, and large glass doors and windows that shone in the midday sun. As Marcus stepped through the sliding doors, Houndoom was already excited to see the interior, in a way that most hotels he'd stayed at couldn't come close to comparing to.
He was not disappointed.
Inside, the Budew Drop Inn practically screamed 'luxury'. The first thing that caught Houndoom's eyes (and from the interested grunt, Marcus's as well) was the huge golden statue in the center of the lobby, framed with two staircases heading up to the check-in desk on either side. The statue itself was of a pair of well-armored men; one carried a large shield in both hands, while the other was grasping an equally large sword, ready to slice down at some imaginary foe. The two golden men seemed to both be watching the entrance and therefore anyone who came through.
The rest of the lobby was similarly opulent. The well-polished tile floor was covered in several areas by rectangular plush red carpets with multicolored stripes. Wooden planters lined the walls, each carrying four near-identical potted plants, which along with the carpets added plenty of color to break up the dominantly-white floor. The lamps in each corner were the picture of luxury, as fancy as anything Houndoom had seen in the Kalos Pokemon League buildings and possibly even fancier. And dotting the walls were paintings depicting various battles, many of them with the telltale visage of Leon commanding his Charizard, but some showed other Trainers - a dark-skinned man pointing at an Aggron, a somewhat older man standing side by side with a Lucario in mirrored fighting poses. And that wasn't even mentioning the gigantic crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling.
Thank goodness the League covers all the costs of staying here, Houndoom thought. Otherwise these Gym Challengers would be looking at eye-watering bills.
"Sonia?" Marcus asked. Only now did Houndoom see the orange-haired woman standing in front of the statue. She glanced behind her. "Marcus!" she cried; before Marcus could react, she'd raced across the room and tightly embraced him.
"Uh…thank you?" Marcus half-queried.
Sonia stepped back. "Sorry. It's just…ever since you disappeared…does Leon know-"
"Yes, he's already met up with Hop and Gloria," said Marcus.
"Thank Arceus." Sonia's shoulders slumped in relief. "We haven't had a train crash like that for decades! I can't imagine what that must have been like."
You have no idea, Houndoom thought darkly.
"Anyway," said Sonia, clearly wanting to change the subject, "have you seen this statue?"
"It's…kinda hard not to see," Marcus replied.
"It depicts the two kings who sacrificed their lives to save the Galar Region during the Darkest Day," said Sonia. "I could run through the legend real quick, if you fancy."
"I know the general gist of it," Marcus said hastily. "And I really want to get Hop and Gloria checked in before they arrive, so they can go straight to their rooms. The last thing they need is more delays."
"Absolutely," Sonia admitted. "Y'know, the main question we're facing is what caused the Darkest Day? I believe it's a Pokemon of some sort, probably a Legendary, but-"
"Sonia?"
"Right, sorry." Sonia stepped back. "I just…y'know…get lost in my own thoughts sometimes."
"No problem," said Marcus, turning and heading towards the nearest of the two staircases surrounding the golden statue. Houndoom breathed a quiet sigh of relief - he liked Sonia, but at the same time she clearly had a tendency to talk one's ear off if they let her.
That relief lasted all of two seconds before Marcus crested the staircase and laid eyes on the remainder of the lobby.
The waiting area was, naturally, luxurious, with brown leather couches, soft white couch cushions, and fine, sizable wooden tables instead of the basic chairs and small tables Houndoom was used to in hotels back in Kalos. But the waiting area was also filled with several perturbed-looking Trainers, all of whom were warily watching the area in front of the check-in desk, and the reason for that became immediately clear as Houndoom laid eyes on the four Trainers standing in front of it, two male and two female. The male Trainers were dressed in all-black clothing with hints of pink that was far too small for their bodies and thus revealed plenty of skin; the females were dressed similarly, but with entirely pink leggings. All four had spiked metal wristbands, similar bands around their ankles, studded black collars around their necks, and some sort of facepaint that formed a pink line around their faces - horizontal for the males, vertical for the females - culminating in a large black X upon the bridge of their noses. The males were carrying what looked like double-ended horns painted with the same color scheme as their clothing, while the females were both carrying banners proclaiming 'Team Yell'. All four had a symbol emblazoned on their chests - what looked like a pink clawed appendage, with the words 'Team Yell' written directly above it. The foursome were currently making a racket - blowing their horns, waving their banners, and stomping around - and blocking the way to the front desk.
Houndoom saw red. He remembered Leon mentioning a 'Team Yell' - the Champion had said they were merely a 'bunch of hooligans', Houndoom recalled - but even so, the sight of yet another evil team made his blood boil. Marcus seemed to feel similarly, if the tone of his voice was any indication. "What's going on?"
One of the female Team Yell Grunts glanced over at Marcus and spat in his direction. "None of your business is what's goin' on! We came all the way out to the big city so we could properly cheer on Gym Challengers!"
"Great," said Marcus, obviously thinking the opposite. "Well, would you mind getting out of the way? I need to check in."
"As if!" the female Grunt retorted.
"What's your problem?" the male Grunt on the left asked rudely. "Do you know who we are?"
"Team Yell," Marcus answered, his voice cold. "It's literally on your banners and your clothing."
"Exactly!" said the Grunt, puffing out his chest. "We're Team Yell! And we're here to help!"
"Help one very special Gym Challenger, that is," said the other male Grunt.
"We wanna make sure she gets cheered on nice and proper…" said one of the female Grunts.
"And now," said the second female Grunt, "either you get back over there with the others…or you're gonna help us make some noise!"
At that, all four of the Grunts sent out a few Pokemon each, totaling fourteen altogether; a motley mixture of Galarian Zigzagoons, Nickits, Purrloins, and Panchams, topped off by a Sneasel and a Sableye. All fourteen let out snarls, baring teeth and readying claws. Houndoom almost wanted to laugh. They seriously expect that to intimidate Marcus?
Marcus, though, did not seem to be in a laughing mood. "All right, fine," he said, fury resplendent in his voice. "You want some noise? Houndoom…oblige them."
Houndoom grinned savagely as he materialized on the tiled floor. With pleasure.
"Just one Pokemon?" The second male Grunt snorted. "This'll be easy!" All four Grunts lifted their strange horn-like instruments (apparently the females had them too) to their mouths and blew into them; all fourteen of their Pokemon surged towards Houndoom with mingled battle cries.
"I wouldn't be so sure," Houndoom growled, allowing Blaze to billow at the edges of his snarling jaws. "Flash Fire: Flame Surge!"
A wave of Blaze, just as strong as the one that had devoured Corvikinght's horde in the Slumbering Weald, exploded out of Houndoom's jaws. Practically as soon as it materialized, Houndoom forced his will into it, commanding the flames to shift into fourteen identical fiery tendrils. The Blaze obeyed, twisting and molding itself into Houndoom's desired shape, and each tendril slammed bodily into a single enemy Pokemon. All fourteen were sent flying back to the feet of their Trainers; as the Blaze dissipated, Houndoom saw all fourteen of them slacken as unconsciousness took them.
All four Grunts stopped dead; one of the females actually dropped her instrument. "Wait, what?" the other female asked.
"I suggest," Marcus said, his voice just as cold as before, "that you recall your unconscious Pokemon and get out of this hotel."
Staring with wide eyes at Houndoom, the Grunts quickly obliged, fleeing the hotel with their Pokemon in tow as fast as their legs could carry them. A smattering of applause followed in their wake. "Whoa!" one kid, a blond boy with straight hair that nearly came down over his eyes, called. "That was awesome!"
Other voices joined in, throwing praise in the direction of Marcus and Houndoom. But even as Houndoom drank in the praise, a pang of discomfort permeated in his mind. Those Pokemon…despite being Trained, they were barely stronger than Corviknight's gang of Rookidees. Even Team Skull's unevolved Pokemon were tougher than that!
Why, he couldn't help but wonder, would an evil team be using barely Trained Pokemon?
The Lower Motostoke Pokemon Center was surprisingly quiet. Grookey had heard in passing that most Gym Challengers used the Upper Motostoke Pokemon Center on the second and higher 'ring' of the city, as it was closer to the Budew Drop Inn, the hotel allotted for such Gym Challengers. But Hop and Gloria hadn't really cared about such things - they'd simply gone to the closest Pokemon Center to Motostoke's South Gate, and that had happened to be the Lower Motostoke Pokemon Center.
Of course, Grookey didn't mind. In fact, he quite liked the privacy, especially since the nurses had ordered both Hop and Gloria's teams to stay the night after detecting the aftereffects of the gas in their systems. Grookey's heart thumped just thinking about it; he was fairly certain he wasn't the only one who hadn't been knocked unconscious in the train crash, his Pokeball protecting him from the worst of it. And he remembered, clear as day, peering out of the crack in his Pokeball only to see a contingent of uniformed, masked men attaching a hose to the device, a hose that had begun to spray gas into the Pokeball's confines…
Grookey swallowed and glanced around, trying to forget that memory. At present, in the Pokemon Center's back room, there was only Hop's team, Gloria's team, a pair of Rolycoly that must have belonged to some other Trainer, and a single Hatterene leaning against the opposite wall, not moving. Bunnelby and Scorbunny were talking together on the other side of the room, Wooloo was curled up in the corner, and Grookey himself was bouncing a small ball with his stick, letting it crest to the top of its bounce before swatting it back downwards again and again. But even as he was bouncing the ball, one of Grookey's eyes was locked on Rookidee. The Flying-type hadn't said a word since they'd all been released into this back room; she was standing near Grookey, eyes fixed on a small hairline crack in the wall neat the Hatterene, her gaze slowly traveling up the crack and down again.
Grookey felt a rush of air as his stick missed the ball; it fell back to the ground, bounced a few more times, and rolled off to the side, out of reach. The Grass-type sighed, glancing back at Rookidee again. I need to talk to her, he thought to himself. I can't just sit here and let her feel trapped. I need to let her know that she is among friends.
Slowly, he stood and began to amble over to Rookidee. He wasn't sure if she saw him coming; at the very least she didn't turn to look at him. There's a chance that this doesn't work, Grookey recognized. A chance this all falls apart. But what kind of teammate would I be if I stood back and let her self-destruct?
I have to take the chance.
"Hey, Rookidee," said Grookey. "You…all right?"
"I'm fine," Rookidee replied, not looking at Grookey.
Grookey hesitated for a moment before sitting down next to Rookidee; the Flying-type glanced over at him with narrowed eyes. "Wouldn't you rather sit next to someone who wants to talk to you?"
Grookey sighed. "I'm just trying to make you feel more comfortable, Rookidee. It's a lot better to have friends than to not have them, at least in my experience."
"I tried to kill you," Rookidee pointed out. "Why would you want to be 'friends' with me?"
"Because we're teammates," Grookey responded. "And I've learned that Trained Pokemon work together much better when they're friends! So…" He hesitated again, trying to come up with some sort of conversation topic. "About the Pokemon Center. It's comfortable, right?"
Rookidee frowned. "I will admit it is far more comfortable than anything in the Weald," she said. "But a comfortable prison is still a prison."
"It's better when you don't think of it as a prison." Grookey and Rookidee's heads swiveled towards Wooloo as he stepped up to the pair. "Just think of it as a new home. Before long you'll adjust."
Rookidee took a small step back, away from Grookey and Wooloo. "I know what you're doing," she said. "You're trying to make me feel better. Make me feel more welcome. Make me loosen up and start enjoying myself." She narrowed her eyes even more. "Did you enjoy being caught in that train crash? Did you enjoy being gassed and kidnapped by unknown strangers? Did you enjoy nearly dying? Are you seriously asking me to enjoy myself after my first day as a Trained Pokemon ends with that?"
"You talk about nearly dying," said Grookey, "and yet, like you yourself said, you tried to kill me only a day or two earlier. So yes, there's peril in being a Trained Pokemon. But there's also friends, and cool battles, and growing stronger…"
"Tell me, Rookidee," Wooloo piped up, "can you seriously claim that life under Corviknight was any better?"
Rookidee's eyes flashed with anger and she opened her beak to deliver a sharp retort, but before any words could leave a new voice butted in. "All right, I've heard enough."
All three of Hop's team members turned to see Gloria's Bunnelby striding across the room towards them. "This isn't a conversation anymore," she said. "This is just you three tossing a bunch of pointed questions at each other, both sides trying to make the other hesitate. I've seen that before, and I know that kind of argument never ends well. Rookidee, if you really don't like this, then all Pokemon Centers are equipped with Psychics that can let you talk to Trainers. See her?" He gestured over to the Hatterene standing serenely over by the opposite wall. "You want to leave? Talk to her. She'll get you set up with Hop, and before you know it you'll be free to leave."
"Leave where?" Rookidee growled. "I can't return to my forest - Corviknight will kill me. And everywhere else is completely unfamiliar. I won't be able to survive!"
"So you don't want to leave Hop?" Bunnelby glared at Rookidee. "Well, then, quit complaining about having to stay with him." She motioned to Grookey and Wooloo. "If you're staying with Hop, then like it or not, they're your teammates. And pushing them away like you seem insistent on doing is completely counterintuitive. I know it's hard, but the fact is that they are trying to help."
Rookidee looked away, saying nothing.
Bunnelby glanced over towards Grookey and Wooloo. "And it's not like you're clean either. Pokemon like Rookidee…you can't force them to adapt. Trying to make them open up just makes them close themselves off more. These things take time - don't you understand? Don't you get what she's lost? She's lost her entire life! Her home, her family!" Grookey saw Rookidee's eyes swiveling back over to Bunnelby, her small body beginning to tremble in place. "You don't think she has a mother? Imagine how it would feel to lose her! To never be able to speak to her again, to never be able to even see her again, because-"
"SHUT UP!" Rookidee's screech of pure rage sent Grookey leaping backwards as the Flying-type advanced on Bunnelby, her body beginning to flare with energy. "You don't get to talk about her like that! You don't get to tell me what it's like to-"
Abruptly, Rookidee's entire body froze in place, her voice cut off, as a Psychic aura flared to life around her. The Hatterene, who had been watching the conversation the entire time, detached herself from the wall. "Please keep your voice down and refrain from fighting. There are other guests who may wish not to be disturbed."
She leaned back against the wall and released Rookidee. The Flying-type took a deep breath, her rage spent. Without a word, she turned and flounced off to the nearest corner, where she sat down heavily, facing the wall.
Grookey and Wooloo both gazed after her in shock. Bunnelby sighed. "You should leave her alone," she murmured, and then she turned and began to trot back across the room.
Scorbunny watched as Grookey and Wooloo glanced at each other, nodded, and stepped away to give Rookidee some privacy. He breathed a sigh of relief - even though they weren't her teammates, she knew Grookey well from the months they'd grown up together in the lab, and it hurt to see his pain at failing to get through to Rookidee.
Bunnelby sat down next to Scorbunny, looking morose. "I'm willing to bet her mother's dead," she murmured. "That was stupid of me. I thought I could solve their problems…instead I've just made things worse."
Scorbunny opened his mouth and then closed it, unsure of what to say to make Bunnelby feel better.
Bunnelby chuckled softly to herself. "I thought I knew everything there was to know," she admitted. "I thought I was perfectly prepared for what awaited me in Galar. You know something, Scorbunny? A couple days before I left, my father told me: 'You can prepare all you want, but you can never be fully prepared for reality.' And he was right. It feels like this entire trip has just been one surprise after another. First the Weald, then the train…so much for a normal, peaceful journey."
"Hey, you're not alone," said Scorbunny. "Months growing up in a lab…I figured getting a Trainer would be all fun and games. Now we've almost died twice in the past few days…I can't imagine how Gloria must be feeling."
"Probably the same way we are." Bunnelby sighed. "The thing is…I don't like to admit it, but I'm scared, Scorbunny. And I can tell everyone else is, too. Tempers are fraying, we're all on edge. But it's not Corviknight, and it's not the train crash, and it's not even the fact that we nearly died that scares me. It's the mystery of it all. We don't know who attacked us on the train. We don't know who gassed us on the train. And Marcus isn't saying anything, even though it's obvious he knows at least something about what's going on."
Scorbunny glanced away, trying to hide his sudden discomfort. I know why Marcus isn't saying anything…because I feel the same way that he's probably feeling. I know the name of the person who gassed us, and I can't tell anyone the truth, because I'm really scared of what might happen if I do.
I hate lying to Bunnelby. But there's no way I can tell her about Myrma. About J.
"I know," said Scorbunny. "I'm scared of that too. But…let's try and forget that, okay? Let's look ahead! The opening ceremony's coming up in a little over a week - let's concentrate on preparing for that and try to forget the past."
Bunnelby nodded. "You're right. It's not like other Gym Challenger teams are going to be sitting around and waiting. They're going to be training…and if we want to compete, we'll need to train too."
"Yeah," said Scorbunny, his voice sounding hollow even to himself as he felt another stab of guilt run him through. "Definitely."
ONE AND A HALF WEEKS LATER
Grookey wiped the sweat from his brow. He'd done so many times over the past week and a half, but rather than stemming from exhaustion incurred through training, this sweat stemmed from nervousness. For today was the day of the Opening Ceremony for the Galarian Gym Challenge, and for the next month of his life, it would be Grookey's job, as a Starter, to lead Hop to victory over all the other competitors.
When Grookey had first joined, Wooloo had been stronger than him; of that there was no doubt. But the past week and a half had changed the equation. Now Grookey was far stronger, and while he hesitated to outright call himself stronger than Wooloo, he was definitely on a similar level to the Normal-type. Of particular note was his learning of two moves. The first, Taunt, allowed him to use Dark energy to incur an opponent into attacking at the cost of setup or defense - useful when dealing with a high-defense opponent such as Wooloo, who couldn't use his Defense Curl-fueled strategies when Grookey's Taunt incentivized him to charge immediately without bothering with the defense-increasing technique.
The second, though, was the real prize; Grookey had learned to unleash waves of Grass energy by swiping through the air with his stick. Hop called the technique Razor Leaf, and Grookey had embraced it immediately, grateful to finally have a ranged option.
Even Rookidee had thrown herself into training. She still preferred being on her own - and indeed neither Grookey nor Wooloo had approached her since their conversation back in the Pokemon Center - but occasionally she would partake in a mock battle against one of the two. The first time this happened to Grookey, he very quickly was reminded that the only reason he'd beaten Rookidee back in the forest was that part of his shattered branch had rendered her wing useless. Without that handicap, she flew circles around him; it wasn't until he learned Razor Leaf that Grookey was able to give Rookidee an even fight.
Grookey wiped his brow again. And all of that has been preparing us for this. He glanced out of his Pokeball, watching as the Motostoke Stadium, the location of the opening ceremony, came within view.
Gloria was walking beside Hop. She, too, had spent the past week and a half training up Scorbunny and Bunnelby. From what Grookey could tell, Bunnelby had taught Scorbunny Quick Attack, and Scorbunny had also learned the Fighting-type move Double Kick. Bunnelby, meanwhile, had learned Mud-Shot, an upgrade to Mud-Slap, and was beginning to learn Double Kick herself from Scorbunny, though she didn't have the technique down yet.
And behind them both walked Marcus. The Kalosian Gym Leader had taken a hands-off approach to mentoring, though occasionally Grookey would see one of his Pokemon alongside him - normally his Fearow, Kriesh, who appeared to be his main method of transportation. Naturally, Grookey knew they were all far stronger than any of Hop or Gloria's Pokemon; in fact, Grookey had heard rumors that Marcus's Houndoom had torn apart an entire gang of Pokemon from some group calling themselves 'Team Yell' in a single attack.
If he's a Gym Leader…does that mean I'm going to have to fight Pokemon like that before this is over?
The trio were heading for the entrance to the Motostoke Stadium, which was already swarming with Trainers. Some were heading straight through the doors; some were lining up outside in front of a man with a large Pokeball costume on his head, who was handing out free bags of Pokeballs. As the trio joined the former group, not wanting to wait in line, Grookey found himself staring at the various surrounding Trainers, confidence in their eyes and in the eyes of the Pokemon who walked or flew beside some of them. He fixated on one Trainer in particular, a curly-haired boy dressed in all purple, who practically radiated confidence as he strode up to the front desk with head held high, cutting in front of two other people to do so.
Grookey sighed. Even after all that training, I don't quite feel ready.
Hop and Gloria slid into the line gathering at said front desk, while Marcus hung back. An automated message began to play over the speakers. "All Gym Challengers will receive their uniforms, numbers, and League Cards at the front desk. All Gym Challengers will then report to Locker Room A, where they will receive further instructions."
Out of the corner of his eye, Grookey spotted a man dressed in the same uniform as the lady at the front desk walk up to Marcus. The two exchanged whispers for a moment, and then the man turned and began to head for a door on the other side of the room. Marcus followed close behind, leaving Grookey staring after him.
Huh, Grookey thought. That's odd. Where could he be going now?
"Locker Room B is just down this corridor," the man called over his shoulder. Kamado peered out of his Luxury Ball, watching as Marcus followed the man through the innards of the Motostoke Stadium. Apparently Locker Room B was where Leon's team was located; Kamado was a little surprised that they weren't, well, with Leon, but then again, this was a Champion's team. For all Kamado knew, they'd asked to be in Locker Room B rather than with their Trainer for a reason.
Kamado took a deep breath as the end of the corridor came within sight. It wasn't like meeting a Champion-level Pokemon was a new thing (and wasn't that weird to think about), but this would be the first time Kamado would spend a lengthy amount of time in the same room as a full Champion-level team. He didn't want to seem unnerved, but at the same time he couldn't help but feel a little shaky at the prospect.
"Through here, please," said the man, pulling open a door. Marcus stepped through it and into one of the stranger rooms Kamado had ever seen. It was immediately obvious that this was a very luxurious locker room, one that was most likely reserved for Gym Leaders and up. Not only was it quite large, it also had a sizable window on the opposite wall, through which Kamado could see the field of the Motostoke Stadium and the heavily populated stands rising above it. There has to be thousands of people in those stands, Kamado realized.
The opposite wall also held a set of doors that, through a small glass window on each door, Kamado could see opened into a tunnel that led out onto the field. Kamado blinked, momentarily wondering how the tunnel and the window could coexist on the same wall; then the 'window' flickered, showing a different view of the field, and Kamado realized the window wasn't actually a window but rather a large television screen embedded into the wall. And beneath that screen stood…
"…what do you think about this one?"
Kamado blinked. He'd expected an orderly lineup of Pokemon, each of them standing tall and proud, ready to answer any question that came their way. He had not expected an Aegislash, Dragapult, Rhyperior, Seismitoad, Haxorus, and Mr. Rime crammed together around what looked like another, smaller screen, complete with Sobble standing on Seismitoad's shoulder.
"Hmm…" the Haxorus muttered. "Arrokuda, Bounsweet, Elekid? He'd better have a good plan for taking down Milo, but if he does I can see him going places. You know what? I'll put down…five Sitrus Berry for him to make it to the tournament."
"Deal," said Mr. Rime.
"How about her?" Dragapult pointed with her tail to somewhere else on the screen.
Rhyperior snorted. "Are you kidding? A Grass specialist against Kabu? And even if she does get past Kabu, she'll run headlong into Melony. Absolutely not."
"I'm sorry," said Dragapult, "but you seem to be forgetting that Milo ran into - and beat - both of them in his run through the Gym Challenge."
"That's because he had a Flapple for Kabu and a whole sun-based strategy for Melony," Rhyperior countered. "Whereas all this girl's got is a Budew and a Pumpkaboo. You're not gonna get me to put anything down on her. Better luck next time."
"I…don't have any Sitrus Berries," Sobble murmured.
"That's okay," Seismitoad rumbled. "Just try and enjoy yourself. Take a look at the Trainers. Odds are you're gonna be facing one of 'em once all this is over."
"Not likely," Haxorus grunted. "You already know how this is gonna end, Seismitoad. With us facing down Raihan for the umpteenth time."
"I can't help but agree with Haxorus," Mr. Rime admitted. "What is it now, three years straight he's won the tournament?"
"Four, last I counted," said Seismitoad. "But who knows? Someone might get lucky this year."
At this point, Aegislash happened to glance behind him. "Ah," he said in a very regal tone that seemed unlike the casual voices used by the rest of the team. "It appears our visitors have arrived."
The rest of Leon's team turned to face Marcus and his team. Marcus stepped back, allowing his Pokemon to take center stage, as Rhyperior moved slightly forwards. The massive Rock/Ground-type looked the closest member of the team - Medicham, standing out in front - up and down. "So you're Leon's newest victims."
Dragapult lightly swatted him with her tail.
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding," Rhyperior growled. "Y'all did our Trainer a real solid, helping out in the Weald. But that doesn't mean any of us are planning to hold back. You sure you're up for the challenge?"
"We wouldn't be here if we weren't," Medicham replied; the rest of the team nodded in commiseration.
Rhyperior grinned. "Perfect. Hope Leon picks me to fight…I haven't had a good scrap in a while."
"First, though," said Mr. Rime, "let us try and enjoy ourselves before the battle."
With that, the tension seemed to break, and the two teams wasted no time in mingling. Kamado spotted Haxorus staring right at him and hesitated; before he could recover, Haxorus was moving towards him, a glint in his eye.
"You'd be Marcus's Dragon?" Haxorus snorted. "Figures he'd be a Tyrantrum. Goodness knows we haven't seen enough of-"
"Haxorus, hush," Dragapult interrupted, appearing abruptly out of the shadows right next to Haxorus. "I seem to recall your name was Kamado? My apologies for my teammate - he's always been quite prickly."
Haxorus let out another derisive snort.
Kamado watched the two Dragon-types with quite a bit of apprehension; he felt like the center of attention, something that didn't quite sit well with him. "Are you…placing bets on the Gym Challengers?" Kamado asked, hoping the change in subject would cause Haxorus to forget this strange animosity.
"That we are," said Dragapult. "We do it every year. Each of us chooses a couple of challengers to back, and then we just let the Gym Challenge take its course."
"Though it feels like a bit of a moot point nowadays," Haxorus grumbled.
"Haxorus, hush!" Dragapult hissed.
"C'mon, Dragapult, you know I'm right," Haxorus growled. To Kamado he added, "I suppose you should know that instead of the standard Elite Four model, around here we have a Champion Cup finals bracket, where the winner of the Galar Gym Challenge competes against the Gym Leaders of the region in order to prove themselves worthy of facing the Champion. To have four battles, it's stylized so that first a randomly chosen Gym Leader goes head-to-head against the winning Trainer, and then whoever wins that matchup gets entered into a standard eight-Trainer tournament bracket, with quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals matches making up the other three Trainer battles. Got all that?"
"I do," said Kamado.
"Well," said Haxorus, "the problem with that arrangement is that the tournament doesn't end if the challenger is defeated - instead, if a Gym Leader comes out on top, they get to fight Leon. And Raihan, the eighth and final Gym Leader of the region and Leon's self-proclaimed rival, is the strongest of the Gym Leaders by far. So every single Champion's Cup for the past four years, he's come out on top. And he's got a Tyrantrum, so…"
"So I remind you of Raihan's Tyrantrum," Kamado finished.
"Yeah," Haxorus admitted. "Sorry for being rude, by the way-"
"Thank you," Dragapult murmured.
"-but at this point I've pretty much resigned myself to another year of facing Raihan," Haxorus finished.
"Well, I mean, Hop's competing this year," Kamado pointed out. "The Champion's brother's sure to do well."
Haxorus sighed, lowering his voice. "Don't tell Hop, or really anyone else…but I just don't think Hop's gonna go the distance. He's a good Trainer with a kind heart, but he's not as good of a battler as Leon. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure he'll get far, but Raihan will eat him for breakfast."
On the other side of the room, Kriesh and Medicham were speaking with Mr. Rime.
"I did want to thank you for the new technique," said Medicham. "I've been spending the last week and a half working on it, and I think I've got it figured out."
"Really?" Mr. Rime asked. "If that is the case, I'm impressed - you're quite a quick learner."
As usual, she fails to mention the Legendary she trains with every night, Kriesh noted amusedly to herself. She regretted it near-instantly; in the presence of such a powerful Psychic, her thoughts were just as open as her speech, and she felt a surge of sudden panic at the thought that Mr. Rime might have just learned about one of Medicham's major secrets.
Quickly, she blurted out the first question that came to her mind, hoping to change the subject. "So where's Charizard?" she asked.
Mr. Rime grimaced. Kriesh blinked. "Sorry. Clearly that's-"
"You don't need to apologize," said Mr. Rime. "If anything, I should apologize - it is clear our actions just now have given off quite the wrong impression."
"I suppose we should explain," Aegislash piped up; he'd been conversing with Trevenant, clearly enjoying the talk with his fellow Ghost-type. "Charizard is very much Leon's Ace. He is by far the strongest of us, and oftentimes we do find ourselves overshadowed by him. I doubt a third of the people in the UPW could name more than half of Leon's team. But that does not mean we are dissatisfied with our lot - on the contrary, many of us were chosen because we were fine with not being in the spotlight."
"Indeed," said Mr. Rime. "You may not know it by looking at me, but I vastly prefer secrecy over openness. With Charizard taking the bulk of the attention, I am free to keep many of my moves and techniques secret, letting me surprise overconfident Trainers who believe defeating Charizard means they have already won."
Aegislash let out a chuckle. "I remember when Gordie won the Gym Challenge. What was it, six years ago? He faced his mother, Melony, in the Champions Cup Finals…now that was a battle. But once he beat her, he thought Leon would be easy, because Charizard was near-useless against a Rock specialist. Seismitoad, Rhyperior, and I had a few things to say about that."
"And then he sent Charizard out against Gordie's Coalossal," said Mr. Rime, "just to show that he could beat a Rock-type. Arceus, Gordie was bitter after that one…"
Trevenant giggled. "I'll bet!"
"Suffice it to say that we don't mind being second to Charizard," said Aegislash. "Look at Dragapult - she's married to him. She's had his eggs!"
"Really?" Trevenant asked, but before Aegislash or Mr. Rime could elaborate on the subject, Seismitoad spoke up. "Speak of the devil."
All eyes turned to the large screen in time to see Leon striding out onto the field, Charizard directly behind him. The stadium erupted in cheers; the cheers grew even louder when Charizard reared back and spat fire into the air.
"He certainly knows how to play to a crowd," Medicham murmured.
"With his life, he has to," Mr. Mime replied.
"People of Galar!" Leon called, stopping in the middle of the field. "Thank you all for coming here. And it is my pleasure to say to you…let the Galarian Gym Challenge Opening Ceremony begin!"
The crowd - and Charizard - roared.
"You hear that?" Hop half-whispered. "They're starting! This is going to be so cool…"
Scorbunny suddenly found himself short of breath. This is it, he told himself. This is the moment we've all been waiting for. In a minute or two, Gloria is going to walk out onto that field as a Galarian Gym Challenger. We've been training so hard for this…we can't screw this up for her.
I can't screw this up for her.
"Sorry!" A heavily accented female voice suddenly rang out across the crowd of prospective challengers. Glancing behind him, Scorbunny saw a dark-haired girl shoving her way into the group, much to the clear annoyance of a few Trainers. The girl was dressed in the same sort of uniform as the rest, with the number 960 emblazoned on it, but Scorbunny was immediately struck by her hair - flowing down to either side in a sort of pigtail-esque look, but straight and smooth instead of curled, along with a large section of hair coming down over her right eye. Combined with the dark red ribbon poking out on either side, and it was certainly a distinctive look.
"Sorry I'm late," the girl said. "Had to sort some stuff out. Name's Marnie - now would you all mind givin' me a little space in here? I can hardly breathe!"
Bit of a transitional/setup chapter here. Next chapter is the end of the Hunt Arc...and, of course, Marcus vs. Leon.