"So you were mentioning you know Nessa?" Marcus asked as he and Sonia made their way out of the stands and towards the lobby to meet Gloria.

"We took the Gym Challenge the same year," Sonia confirmed. "Me, her, and Leon had a sort of triple rivalry going. We've been friends ever since - she's awful busy with her modeling career, so we don't meet much even during the offseason, but she makes sure to bring fresh seafood every time she comes over."

Medicham was listening attentively to every bit, but frowned at the mention of seafood. Did that mean Water-type Pokemon from those farms Trainers used to get food? She'd still never really gotten used to the idea of Trainers eating Pokemon, even if those Pokemon were specifically bred for the purpose.

"I noticed she did an awful lot of trash-talking during the match," Marcus noted.

"Nessa's always been harsh," Sonia admitted. "She claims it's to prepare Gym Challengers for Kabu, but between you and me…" She leaned closer. "…it's really because she's still got a chip on her shoulder from when Leon hammered her in the first round of the tournament."

Marcus winced. "Hop had better watch out."

Sonia smirked. "I wouldn't be surprised if she brings in some extra tricks against him."

By this point they'd reached the stairs to the lobby and were beginning to make their way down; Medicham was looking for Gloria, but couldn't quite see her yet. "So what's Kabu's deal?" Marcus asked. "I've heard some people mentioning him in rather hushed tones - is he even harsher than Nessa?"

Sonia laughed. "Goodness, no. He's one of the nicest, mellowest guys you'll ever meet. He's also universally regarded as the Gym Challenge's first real roadblock. It's not all that uncommon to see him knock out a quarter of the year's Gym Challengers."

"A quarter?" Marcus asked incredulously, but before Sonia could elaborate Cloyster heard a shout. "Hi, Marcus!"

"Gloria!" Marcus greeted. "That was a great battle!"

"Yeah, you really showed Nessa!" Sonia added. "Proper job - she's no Kabu but she's certainly not easy!"

Gloria nodded, though Medicham she looked surprisingly morose for someone who had just one a Gym Battle. "I could've done better," she murmured. "I shouldn't have wasted my Dynamax like that - if Bunnelby hadn't been such a good match for Drednaw…"

"You're right," said Marcus, "but that doesn't mean you should feel so down. Come on, let's head to the Pokemon Center, and I'll tell you about my battle with Wulfric - I think you'll find that one somewhat relatable in your current situation."

Medicham settled down to listen to the story as Marcus, Gloria, and Sonia headed to the Pokemon Center. She remembered the events, but hearing Marcus spin tales of his old battles brought back a certain amount of nostalgia.

She sometimes wished she could go back to those days. Before everything had gotten so damn complicated.

Raboot had been hoping Gloria's surprising gloom had been limited to herself, but as the team, freshly healed, was released into the Pokemon Center's back room, he was disappointed to find out it certainly wasn't. Though Bunnelby seemed pleased with her performance, neither of the two newest additions to the team looked much happier than Gloria had.

Toxel quickly sat down next to a wall, seemingly staring at nothing. Applin was a bit more upfront. "That was painful," she admitted. "Is that how all our battles will go?"

Bunnelby quickly shook her head. "Not at all. That was just a tough situation. You'll get your chance to fight properly in the next battle, I'm sure of it."

"All right," said Applin. "I am looking forward to it. That Drednaw was far too big for me to demonstrate any of my moves on."

Raboot sighed. If only all problems in the world could be solved that easily. He glanced over to Toxel, who was still looking at nothing. Case in point.

He knew that, as the team's leader, he had to do something about Toxel's mood. Taking a deep breath, he trudged over to the Poison/Electric-type. "Hey," he said. "You did really well in that battle - why the long face?"

Toxel looked up at Raboot, his lip curled. "I didn't do well enough," he spat. "We still nearly lost."

"'Nearly lost' is putting it a little harshly," Raboot pointed out. "Bunnelby had that Drednaw's number, it wasn't even a contest-"

"And what if she hadn't?" Toxel asked. "What then? I didn't do any damage to that thing, and from the sound of it, neither did Applin! Bunnelby practically had to go into a 1-on-1, and if she hadn't been able to counter Drednaw so well, then we would've lost, and it would've been my fault."

"Toxel, if we had lost, no one would have blamed you!" Raboot cried. "You took out two Pokemon on your own - that's impressive! Look-" He swallowed, unsure whether he should say what he was planning to, and then rallied himself. "If it's anyone's fault that we 'nearly lost', it's Gloria's, for keeping you in against Drednaw when-"

"Exactly," Toxel interrupted. "Gloria should never have trusted me to win that fight. I just wasn't strong enough to handle it, and now she knows just how weak I am."

"Don't say that," Raboot chided. "Toxel, is beating all three of Nessa's Pokemon by yourself seriously the only way you would have been satisfied with that fight?"

Toxel remained silent for several seconds. At length he said, in a voice so quiet Raboot had to lean closer to properly hear it, "I don't want to go back."

Raboot stumbled over his words, not quite knowing what to say.

"I don't want to go back," Toxel said again, louder this time. "And…and I'm afraid that if I'm not strong enough, she'll send me back."

"Gloria's not going to send you back!" Raboot cried. "She's not that kind of person! You're not going back to being a lab rat, Toxel."

Toxel looked up at Raboot. "You promise?"

"I promise," said Raboot firmly.

Hop turned out to be Nessa's last battle of the day, and true to Sonia's word, the Water-type Gym Leader did in fact bring in some extra tricks. But Bounce on Arrokuda and Crunch on Drednaw turned out not to be enough to overcome Hop. While Thwackey took a bit of a beating early, Corvisquire came in to knock the Bouncing Arrokuda out of the air. Wooloo finished Goldeen, and Thwackey came back in to handle Drednaw in a Dynamax battle, his Max Overgrows proving too strong for the Water/Rock-type to handle.

Cloyster felt excited watching Hop battle, even if he was Gloria's rival. He was especially excited to see Corvisquire fight; the Flying-type showed no sign of the lack of enthusiasm that had been evident in the fight with Milo, and on the contrary battled against both Arrokuda and Goldeen with impressive fervor, even if she fell prey to Confusion against the latter. Currently, to Cloyster at least, Hop seemed the stronger Trainer of the pair. But he knew quite well that could and would change with time.

"Congratulations, Hop!" Gloria said as she stepped into the lobby with Marcus and Sonia close behind. "That was amazing!"

Hop beamed. "It was, wasn't it?"

As the two fell to talking, Sonia quickly strode over to Nessa, who was just walking out of the doors behind Hop. "Nessa! Great to see you!"

"Sonia." Nessa quickly and firmly shook Sonia's hand; her voice was curt.. "Good to see you, as always."

"Likewise!" said Sonia enthusiastically. "Have you met Marcus?"

The Water-type Gym Leader's eyes fell upon Marcus. "Ah, yes," Nessa greeted as Sonia stepped away from the conversation. "Milo told me you'd likely be dropping by. I'm afraid I'll have to decline your request for a battle - I'm fairly busy at present."

Marcus nodded. "I understand."

Cloyster couldn't help but feel disappointed; he'd been looking forward to a good battle and a cool new technique. But if Nessa was busy, it couldn't be helped.

As Marcus turned to walk away, though, Nessa held up a hand. "One second. Do you know Lorelai? Former Kanto-Johto Elite Four member?"

"I've heard of her," Marcus replied.

"Of course you've heard of her," said Nessa. "I'm asking if you know her."

"Not really," Marcus admitted.

Nessa sighed quickly. "She uses a Cloyster, just like yours," she informed him. "And hers is capable of teleportation."

Both Cloyster and Marcus blinked. "Excuse me?" Marcus asked.

"It's not just Cloyster," Nessa continued. "There's a good half a dozen Kantonian species that can learn Teleport even though they otherwise have practically no Psychic talent. Lorelai told me once over a round of drinks that it was due to, as she put it, 'Kanto being Mew's stomping grounds'. Or, in more technical terms, excessive Psychic exposure."

I…can teleport? Cloyster could hardly believe it. If this was true - and there was no reason to believe it wasn't - he was capable of learning one of the single most powerful and useful Psychic techniques out there. He'd lost count of the number of times he'd seen users of the move zip around a battlefield to strike from unexpected angle after unexpected angle, not to mention that there would be no need for Marcus to rent out teleporters from the League anymore. Cloyster's head was suddenly awhirl with ideas, possibilities dancing around in his mind.

"Of course," Nessa said, "it's not like that can be taught naturally. You'll need a TM, and Teleport TMs are exceptionally rare and not commercially available in Galar. More likely than not you won't be able to get one until you return home."

Marcus nodded, clearly only half-listening. "Thank you, Nessa."

"Don't mention it," said Nessa. "Now get out of my way, I have places to be."

Marcus stepped back, allowing Nessa to move past him. Sonia grinned. "Isn't she great?"

"She definitely gave me something to think about, that's for sure," said Marcus. "Cloyster being able to teleport…now that's something I didn't see coming. Hey, where did Hop and Gloria go?"

"Pokemon Center," Sonia replied. "Gloria needs to pick up her team, and Hop needs to deposit his."

"So," said Marcus, "I guess there's not much to do but to wait for those two to finish up in the Pokemon Center, and then go have dinner with the Chairman, right?"

"Right," said Sonia. "You ever been to the Captain's Table?"

Marcus shook his head.

Sonia grinned. "Oh, you're in for a treat…"

"Welcome to the Captain's Table!" Rose called as Marcus, Hop, and Gloria stepped through the doors into the restaurant. "Please, have a seat - and do release your Pokemon into that area over there. We've already taken the liberty of ordering plates of food for all of them - I hope you don't mind."

Marcus quickly made his way out of the restaurant's entryway and into the place proper, allowing Medicham to take a look around. It immediately struck her how much blue there was in the restaurant's color scheme; the walls, tablecloths, carpeting, and curtains were all blue. Speaking of the curtains, they framed the most visually impressive part of the restaurant; a titanic glass window stretching all across the restaurant's back wall, providing a perfect view out into the ocean beyond.

Several of the tables were placed right next to that window, and it was at one of those tables that Rose was seated along with a woman Medicham immediately recognized as Oleana. Her eyes instantly fell to looking for Articuno; sure enough, the Galarian Legendary was hovering above the ground, her great wings tucked yet somehow still bearing her aloft. Mind and Air, Medicham realized, manipulated perfectly to allow her to hover with absolutely no additional effort. If I didn't know any better, I'd think she was showing off.

Half a dozen Steel-types were seated in the same area as Articuno; Medicham realized quickly that they had to be the team of Chairman Rose. There were surprisingly few Galarian Pokemon among them, she noted; a Copperajah and a Perrserker were the only regional representatives she saw, though they seemed at ease as they chatted with a Bronzong, a Ferrothorn, an Escavalier, and a Klinklang. All of them looked strong and sturdy, and Medicham remembered as she eyed them that Rose had mentioned back in Motostoke that he'd used to be a Gym Leader. Well, she thought, the team certainly looks the part.

Marcus and Gloria swiftly released their teams to join Rose's, though Gloria's team took one collective look at Articuno and promptly shifted over to a somewhat further-away area of the room. Marcus's team sat down next to Rose's, with Medicham taking her seat between Drapion and Kriesh; as she did so, a veritable platoon of staff descended on the gathered Pokemon, bearing plate upon plate covered with Pokemon food.

The Captain's Table was far from the first luxury restaurant Medicham had eaten in, and so she knew the drill, but there was always something nice about being served a high-piled platter of Pokemon food by well-dressed waiters. Unlike the Trainers, Pokemon didn't generally order anything - the waiters simply let them pick out the food they liked from the plates, and it was clearly no different here. The one exception seemed to be Articuno, who was the only Pokemon without a plate of food; rather, she seemed to be having a telepathic conversation with a waiter, who after a moment nodded and strode off, likely to begin preparing whatever the Legendary was going to eat.

"Now, Hulbury's a seafood town," Medicham heard Rose say from over near the table as Marcus, Hop, and Gloria took their own seats, "so naturally, if one is going to eat here, the obvious choice would be the local cuisine! Everything on the menu is delicious, though I'm personally partial to a fine Fisherman's Pie. What's your favorite, Oleana?"

"I've always enjoyed a simple fish and chips, chairman," Oleana replied coolly.

As Marcus perused the menu, Medicham glanced back over to Articuno just in time to see the Legendary tear her own eyes away. Medicham watched Articuno for a moment, but the Legendary didn't look back at her; after a moment Medicham heard Rose speak up again, so she turned away and resumed listening in on the table's conversation.

"I watched both your Gym Battles, you know," Rose was saying to Hop and Gloria. "Excellent spectacles, both of them - you're doing your sponsors proud."

"Thanks, Chairman!" Hop chirped. "That's all I want - to make Lee proud!"

Rose smiled at the enthusiastic boy. "Now, now, that can't be all you want. And as for you, Gloria…I heard you faced young Bede in battle a few days ago!"

Gloria's head drooped slightly. "I lost…"

"Dear me," Rose murmured. "I apologize - I did not realize that was an unwanted topic of conversation. Do not be disheartened by a defeat in battle, Gloria - all Trainers face failure at some point along their journeys. I'm sure your sponsor can tell you plenty of stories in that regard."

Marcus nodded, though Medicham noticed the troubled expression on his face. Rose really could have phrased that a little more kindly, she thought.

"He does sometimes lack a certain tact."

Medicham glared over at the massive winged form of Articuno, who was watching her once more; a split-second later she realized she was glaring at a Legendary, and she quickly amended the hostile rebuke that was forming in her head. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't peek into my mind like that," she said instead.

Articuno inclined her head. "My apologies. It is just that I've heard quite a bit about you, student of Darkrai. We did not get a chance to speak in the clearing - I had hoped I could remedy that tonight."

Medicham heaved a telepathic sigh - of course, me being Darkrai's student is probably common knowledge among pretty much all the Legendaries by now - though she couldn't help but admit to herself that she certainly wasn't disinterested in speaking to Articuno. "All right," she said. "Though, just so you know, I don't intend on spilling any secrets."

"Believe me," said Articuno, "if I wanted to know your secrets, I would have already plucked them from your mind. And Darkrai's little band of future-telling Absols never really interested me anyway. But, as you well know, Darkrai is rather…separated…from the rest of us Legendaries. And many of the others prefer not to speak to us Birds. So…how is he? Is his training worthwhile?"

"Very," Medicham replied. "I've learned a lot from him. As for temperament…well, Cresselia knows a lot more than me on that front."

Articuno grunted softly. "Cresselia has made it clear she has no interest in speaking with me."

That didn't sound like the Cresselia Medicham knew. "Why's that?" she couldn't help but ask.

Articuno looked into Medicham's eyes; her own eyes glowed purple, and Medicham felt an unnatural chill run through her body. "Let me tell you a story, student of Darkrai," she said. "We Birds of Galar are not originally from this land. We hail from Kanto-Johto, just like the other Birds. As Lugia was created to mirror Ho-Oh, so were we formed to mirror the other Zapdos, Moltres, and Articuno; they served as guardians of Kanto, whereas we served as guardians of Johto." Articuno's head shook back and forth slightly. "When Giratina rose, Ho-Oh, Lugia, and the Kantonian birds joined Arceus. But we…chose differently."

Medicham's eyes widened and she nearly scooted backwards.

"I understand your reaction," said Articuno, her voice tinged with quiet sorrow. "And I promise you that, with the benefit of hindsight, we would never have made such a bargain. But things were different back then. Humanity had begun to worship Suicune, Entei, and Raikou, seeing them as the true guardians of Johto. They feared us, hated us, called us demons. And when Giratina came, he promised that all of that fear and hatred would go away. That we would once more be seen as the benevolent guardians we always should have been."

"He was lying," said Medicham, finally finding her telepathic voice again.

"Obviously," Articuno growled. "But by the time we realized that, it was far too late. We had become the very monsters humanity saw us as. And after the War of Legends had ended, we were punished by being treated as just that - monsters. We were driven from Kanto-Johto entirely, forced to migrate across the sea, traveling from hostile land to hostile land, never daring to land in one spot for any length of time lest the local Legendaries drive us out again. Especially in the century or so after the war, any Legendary who had supported Giratina was effectively in permanent exile."

"And yet," said Medicham, "you ended up in Galar, home of the Dogs of War?"

Articuno chuckled icily. "I will admit, it would not have been our first choice," she said. "It was Calyrex who found us. He had remained neutral during the war, and unlike many others, he was willing to hear us out. When we admitted that we had been wrong, that we regretted ever listening to Giratina's lies in the first place, he believed us. I don't know how he managed to convince the Dogs of War, but eventually all sides were able to reach an accord - in exchange for a permanent home in Galar, we Birds would bind ourselves to humanity, serving Trainers and fending off threats to the region."

"And that's why you're so involved with humans," Medicham murmured.

Articuno nodded. "Zapdos ingratiated himself with the common folk. Moltres preferred the strong battlers. I gravitated towards figures of authority. For centuries now, I have been passed down from Chairman's assistant to Chairman's assistant."

"Why the assistants?" Medicham asked.

It seemed to be a question Articuno had been expecting, for her response was quick. "When it comes down to it," she replied, "the assistant is the one who is actually tasked with handling affairs. The Chairman simply files paperwork and gives orders."

"That makes sense," said Medicham. "So now you serve as Galar's…backup protectors?"

In the next moment Articuno's eyes were narrowed at her, and she realized she'd said the wrong thing. "We are Galar's true protectors," she growled. "The Dogs of War may claim to be protecting Galar, but they serve Arceus, not humanity. If he ordered them to abandon Galar, they would do it without a second thought. Not us, student of Darkrai. Never us. We will do anything to protect Galar."

Medicham bowed her head. "I am sorry if I offended you."

Articuno gave her a nod. "Your apology is accepted, student of Darkrai. It is - ah. Excuse me for just a moment."

The Galarian Legendary's head turned to the side. Medicham followed her gaze to see the waiter from earlier striding over with a massive Barraskewda on a plate surrounded by artistically-arranged leaves and berries, steam rising from its body. Articuno gave the waiter a nod; the waiter swiftly set the plate down and headed in the opposite direction as the Legendary bent down to begin taking bites of her meal.

Medicham swallowed. "I thought Legendaries didn't need to eat."

"Of course we don't," said Articuno. "But I enjoy a delicacy once in a while."

Medicham looked away, not wanting to watch as Articuno tore into the Barraskewda. She wasn't the only one, either; she could see Kriesh and Kamado pointedly looking away as well, Cloyster not-very-subtly inching to the side with his plate of food, and even some of Rose's team looking uncomfortable. Thank goodness Gloria's team's far enough away that they're not seeing this…

Hunger was the last thing on Medicham's mind now; accordingly, she looked up at Marcus. "May I be recalled, please?"

"Sure," Marcus replied, doing so at once.

Cloyster hadn't quite lost his appetite, unlike Medicham, but it had been a near-run thing. So he made sure that he was facing away from Articuno before resuming his meal, trying to push the image out of his head. No matter how he felt about humans eating Pokemon, it seemed infinitely worse to have a Pokemon eating another Pokemon, even if it was a Legendary doing the eating.

As he nibbled on a delicious Sitrus Berry, his ears picked up the sound of a nearby conversation. Glancing up, he saw three of Rose's Steel-types - Ferrothorn, Escavalier, and Klinklang - gathered around Liepard, the four of them standing over their plates and engaged in what looked like a riveting discussion.

"…always nice to meet another Unovan," Escavalier was saying. "So which city do you hail from?"

"Near Striaton," Liepard replied; Cloyster noted she was speaking rather quickly, her sentences shorter than usual and with none of her typical playfulness.

"Ah, Striaton!" Klinklang remarked. "That's nice - I've heard the schools there are the best in Unova. We're all from between Mistralton and Driftveil - Ferrothorn and I both hail from Chargstone Cave, in fact! You ever been to Chargestone Cave?"

"I have," Liepard said, nodding swiftly.

Cloyster saw Liepard's eyes darting around and realized that she seemed uncomfortable in the face of all these questions. It took him a moment to remember why that might be. Of course - she lost both her first two Trainers in Unova. Those Steel-types must be bringing up some unwanted memories.

Instantly, Cloyster rolled forwards, drawing upon what little he knew about Unovan geography. "Driftveil - that's the main Unovan port, isn't it?"

Thankfully, all three Steel-types glanced over at Cloyster. "Yes, indeed!" said Klinklang. "'The Gateway to Unova', most people call it."

"So how'd Rose end up in Unova?" Cloyster asked.

The Steel-type trio at once started talking over one another; clearly this was a favorite story of theirs. Liepard quickly took the opportunity to slide away, locking eyes with Cloyster and quickly mouthing 'thanks' as she went.

At length Ferrothorn managed to win out. "It all started after he got second place in his Gym Challenge," the Steel/Grass-type said. "He decided to go traveling, catch some new Pokemon, maybe compete in another tournament. Then he met Skyla - this was before she became the local Gym Leader. The two…" Ferrothorn smirked. "…hit it off."

Cloyster remembered Skyla's name; he'd never met the Unovan Flying-type Gym Leader, but he'd heard plenty about her in association to Jaya, the young woman who had faced Marcus in the Gym Leader exam and had ties to Kriesh. He matched Ferrothorn's smile. "How long did that last?"

"Not too long," Ferrothorn replied. "She inspired him to become a Gym Leader - for a time, at least - but they both had too many ties to their regions to pursue a serious relationship. They're still good friends, though. But the point is, Rose ended up spending a year or so living in Mistralton, and during that time he learned of the Steel-type population of Chargestone Cave and made a few trips there. It was on one of those trips where he found the three of us."

"All together?" Cloyster asked.

For some reason, Ferrothorn grinned sheepishly. "Well, he may or may not have stumbled upon a three-way brawl between a group of Ferroseed who wanted a group of Bug-types out of the cave and a group of Klink who wanted dominion over both sides."

"Ah." Cloyster nodded understandingly.

"He advised us that we should make peace," said Klinklang.

"By which he means," Escavalier added, "his team stomped us all into the ground in a little under a minute."

"…yeah." Ferrothorn winced. "I swear, sometimes I can still feel the bruises."

"And the tribes did exactly that," said Klinklang. "Along with the other terms, a major part of the deal was that each group would send their strongest fighter to train under him, with the caveat that he'd visit once every two years. That way, he would ensure that our tribes remained unified." He sighed wistfully. "Even back then, he was one hell of a negotiator. No wonder he became Chairman…"

"He's kept his promise, of course," said Escavalier. "We've served him loyally, and he's brought us back to see our united tribe every two years. And that tribe's still going strong!"

"Of course, he also sees Skyla," Ferrothorn added with a wink. "And lately he's been touring other Unovan cities, especially in the wake of the Plasma War. It was on one of those trips where he found Bede, actually."

"Found Bede?" Cloyster couldn't help but remark.

Ferrothorn twitched as both Escavalier and Klinklang shot irritated glares at him. "Oh. Uh…"

"I'm sensing a story behind this," Cloyster remarked. "Do tell!"

Ferrothorn sighed, glancing at his fellow Unovan Steel-types, who were both retreating with the mingled air of 'you got yourself into this'. "I'm not sure I should be telling you this…but fine."

Cloyster scooted closer, listening attentively.

"Bede is an orphan," Ferrothorn began. "His parents were killed during the Plasma War, and he was put in an orphanage in Castelia with other children like him. Rose found him after the war, and…I guess he saw something in the kid. Bronzong figured out he had some Psychic talent, and so Rose managed to pull some strings and get Bede into an elite Psychic school run by Kanto-Johto's Sabrina."

"Sabrina runs a school?" Cloyster asked. He'd heard of the Psychic-type Gym Leader; she was near-universally regarded as one of the strongest Psychic-capable humans in the world, and many said she could easily make a run for an Elite Four position or even Champion if she so chose.

Ferrothorn nodded. "You know Will? Current member of the Kanto-Johto Elite Four? He was her star pupil. Anyway, unfortunately for Bede, his skill is balanced out by his rather…colorful…personality. And Sabrina's not exactly known for her patience. Soon enough, he got in trouble, and she kicked him out. He would've gone back to the orphanage if Rose hadn't taken pity on him. Brought him over to Galar, gave him a Hatenna, trained him for the Gym Challenge…Rose all but adopted the kid."

"No wonder he's so strong," Cloyster murmured.

"He is pretty strong," Ferrothorn admitted. "And he's devoted to the Chairman, that's for sure. I'm not certain there's anything Bede wouldn't do for Rose. Why, right now-"

"Ferrothorn." Cloyster turned to see Copperajah standing over the pair of them. "Let Cloyster eat."

"Right," said Ferrothorn, sounding somewhat embarrassed. "Sorry, Cloyster." The Steel/Grass-type turned back to his meal.

Cloyster hadn't minded the conversation - it had been pretty interesting - but, sensing Ferrothorn was no longer planning on continuing it, he turned back to his own meal as well.

So Bede's attitude is a known thing, he thought as he resumed eating. That's interesting - from how Rose speaks of him, you'd think he'd be unaware of his protege's irascibility…

"So, Sonia," said Rose as he tucked into his Fisherman's Pie, "how is Professor Magnolia getting on?"

"She's fine," Sonia replied. "A little worried, though - when I told her I was studying the Darkest Day, you should have seen her fret! She even made me take along a Power Spot Detector…"

"That's a shame," Rose murmured. "I don't like hearing that Magnolia's worried…why the sudden interest in the Darkest Day? We know the story - the two ancient kings of Galar sacrificed their lives to stop a dangerous cataclysm. That's all there is to it."

"Is it?" Sonia asked. "I've done some research, and there were some geoglyphs over in Turffield that seemed to depict a giant Pokemon."

"Ah, yes, the Turffield Geoglyphs," said Rose. "Marcus, have you seen them? They're quite a sight - archeologists have puzzled over their meaning for generations!"

Marcus shook his head.

"Chairman," said Sonia, "I think those geoglyphs have something to do with the Darkest Day. I looked at archeological findings, and I think the strange blob next to the giant Pokemon is a representation of the cataclysm."

Rose frowned. "That's quite a conjecture. Archeologists have debated for years about the meaning of those geoglyphs - many of them have concluded that the blob is meant to be an attack fired by the Pokemon. May I ask why you believe otherwise?"

"It's the lightning bolts stemming from the blob," Sonia replied. "One of them is pointed right at the giant Pokemon, and that just doesn't make sense for an attack fired by that same Pokemon…"

Medicham found herself yawning. Perhaps asking to be recalled into her Pokeball had been a mistake; now, instead of conversing with her friends and Rose's team, she was stuck in here listening to Rose and Sonia chat about geoglyphs. Well, she wasn't stuck, per se, but Articuno was still eating and she really didn't want to go back out there while the Legendary was continuing to gulp down her meal.

"…am, however, attempting to pursue alternative means of providing Galar with energy," Rose was saying as Medicham resumed paying half-attention.

"Alternative means of energy?" Sonia asked. "Why?"

Rose bowed his head. "Recent studies have shown that Galar's innate Dynamax energy is slowly depleting," he said. "According to several graphs and data, it has been concluded that over the course of the next millenia, the energy will continue to deplete until it eventually runs out around a thousand years from now."

"A thousand years?" Marcus asked.

Rose nodded. "As such, I have been looking into other energy sources," he said. "Coal, wind, Electric-types…" Medicham saw Gloria glance down at Toxel's Pokeball at that last comment. "Unfortunately, none of them are proving sustainable. One way or another, I find myself working with limited resources."

"But we've still got a thousand years," Sonia pointed out. "That's an awfully long way to be thinking ahead, don't you think?"

"My sole interest," said Rose, "is in protecting Galar's future. And no matter whether that future is tomorrow, next year, or in a thousand years, I will do everything I can to ensure that future is bright!" He smiled. "Make no mistake, Sonia, there is no need to worry. I guarantee that we still have enough Dynamax energy to last for centuries. Dynamax will still be a core part of Galarian traditions for many, many years to come. But if I can solve this issue now, then future generations will be able to feel that much more secure."

"That makes sense." Sonia nodded. "In that case, I daresay those future generations will owe you their gratitude."

Rose smiled broadly. "A toast!" the chairman called, raising his glass. "To a bright future for Galar, and a truly fantastic Gym Challenge!"

Marcus, along with the rest of the table, was quick to raise his own glass in response. But even as he set it down, he swiftly pushed out his chair. "Please excuse me," he said, already beginning to step towards the restroom.

A couple minutes later, Marcus was flushing the toilet, and Medicham ceased to avert her eyes. The restroom at the Captain's Table was remarkably clean, just like the rest of the restaurant - it made sense, considering the luxuriousness of this place, but even so Medicham couldn't help but be surprised. Not even the Kalos Pokemon League buildings had restrooms this clean.

Marcus heaved a sigh. "Really hoping I didn't offend anyone," he muttered as he turned and strode out of the bathroom stall, slamming the door shut behind him. "I knew I should've gone before-"

"Hello, Marcus."

Medicham froze, as did Marcus. Rose was standing in the middle of the restroom, not using the sinks or the dryer but very noticeably blocking the way out. A whirlwind of nervousness began to rise up in Medicham's mind as she eyed the Chairman warily; she was suddenly very conscious that she was the only one of Marcus's Pokemon with him at the moment.

Marcus spoke, trying to maintain a calm demeanor, but some nervousness of his own was coming through as well. "Excuse me, Chairman. May I reach the sinks?"

Rose did not move; his face was arranged in a calm smile that belied the tension in the restroom. "I'm afraid I have some important and rather private news to share," he said. "And it cannot wait."

Marcus nodded slowly, silently inviting Rose to speak, even as his hand drifted slowly towards Medicham's Luxury Ball.

"I'm sure you'll be pleased to know," Rose said, "that I have made contact with Piers."

That was not something Medicham had expected. Marcus, too, seemed surprised as he replied, "Really?"

Rose nodded. "He is fine and in good health," the Chairman continued. "However, he has regretfully informed me that he is suspending his participation in the Gym Challenge for reasons he would prefer not to elaborate on. I would naturally prefer that he inform me of this prior to the commencement of the Gym Challenge, but, very fortunately, we currently have two new Trainers preparing to take positions as Gym Leaders for next year. As such, it shouldn't be too difficult to find a temporary replacement seventh Gym Leader for this year."

"That's…good to hear," Marcus murmured.

"Indeed." Rose's smile widened. "I felt that it would be prudent to inform you of this so that Diantha wouldn't have to worry about him anymore."

Medicham's heart leaped into her throat.

"Yes, I am aware she sent you here," said Rose. "If she wanted to make it less obvious, she shouldn't have chosen a Gym Leader with so many ties to Piers. I'll have you know that, even if we are both part of the UPW, I don't appreciate foreign governments attempting to meddle in Galarian affairs. Though I assume Diantha told you as much, considering all the secrecy you've been operating under."

Marcus adjusted his stance. "As long as we're putting our cards on the table, Rose," he replied, "then I'll have you know that I didn't come here just because Diantha told me to. I also came because Piers hasn't contacted me, or my Gym Trainer who happens to be one of his former Gym Trainers, for several months. So I didn't come here for the purpose of political meddling, I came because I was worried about a friend."

"Which is admirable," said Rose. "But I promise you that we have the situation under control. And if I hear of any more attempts by you to interfere with Galarian affairs, then rest assured, I will send a strongly worded letter to Diantha requesting that she refrain from such skullduggery. So I suggest that you focus on enjoying the rest of the Gym Challenge, without any additional…" He paused in a very noticeable manner. "…baggage."

"To be blunt, Rose," said Marcus, "I'll feel a lot better once Piers starts contacting me again."

"I will see what I can do on that front," Rose replied. "Now, as much as I've enjoyed our dinner, I do sadly have quite a bit of business to attend to. So I do hope you'll forgive me if I have absconded by the time you finish up in here. Be well, Marcus…and stay safe."

"Don't worry, I will," Marcus replied. With a last smile, Rose turned and stepped out of the restroom, closing the door behind him.

Medicham wasted no time in opening a telepathic link. "Do you believe any of what he said about Piers?"

"Not for a second," Marcus responded. "The timing's just far too convenient." He sighed. "Well, so much for stealth…guess I asked one question too many."

"Don't blame yourself, Marcus," said Medicham. "It's your first time doing something like this."

"I know," Marcus murmured. "But as much as I hate to admit it, Rose is holding all the cards right now. The Gym Challenge isn't going through Spikemuth anymore, meaning following Gloria to Piers is off the table, and any more investigations risk causing a political incident."

"He definitely outmaneuvered us," Medicham admitted. "But at least we know what our next move is going to be."

"Wait for Piers to contact me," Marcus confirmed. "If he hasn't done so by the time I meet up with Rose again, I'll just ask him about it. And until then, I'll just keep following Gloria."

"Exactly," said Medicham. "So…finish dinner, and then head back to the hotel?"

"Sounds like a plan," said Marcus.

"That was delicious!" Hop cried as he, Gloria, and Marcus stepped out of the Captain's Table. By now it was late evening, and the moon was beginning to rise over the nearby water. Very few people were out this late, and the few that were seemed either to be drunk or were obviously rushing back to their dwellings.

"It certainly was," said Gloria. "I'm really-" She was cut off by a yawn. "-full."

"I think it's time for bed," Marcus observed, his voice muted. "We can start heading to Motostoke in the morning - though I suggest some training for the both of you before you challenge the third Gym."

"Right, Kabu's supposed to be real tough!" Hop nudged Gloria. "He's where the real competitors get separated from the rest. You can't call yourself a serious Gym Challenger until you've beaten him!"

Medicham tried to listen to the conversation, to Hop and Gloria chattering happily about the ongoing Gym Challenge, but she just couldn't concentrate on them. Not when whoever was watching Marcus was still out there. She stared out of her Luxury Ball at a patch of grass; for all Medicham knew, the mysterious watcher was sitting in that very grass patch, ready to pounce the instant no eyes were on Marcus.

Two days, at least. Two days now someone had been tailing Marcus, and Medicham had a fairly good idea of who - or at least what species - it was. She already knew tonight would be another sleepless night. She just couldn't bring herself to sleep knowing Marcus was being watched.

No.

Medicham shook her head. I can't spend more days and nights like this, constantly looking over my shoulder, unable to feel any sort of peace. I have to do something.

A wild idea was now beginning to form in Medicham's mind. An idea that could, and probably should, be called insane. An idea the likes of which she knew she probably shouldn't even be considering.

But an idea that Medicham knew might just be the only way to prevent another attack on Marcus.

"Are you completely out of your mind?"

"You know," Medicham admitted, "part of me knew you were going to say that."

"Medicham, this is dangerous," Darkrai warned.

"I know," Medicham replied. "If anything goes wrong, I'll let you know. I think I can survive for eighteen seconds if it comes to that."

"And if you're wrong?"

The worry in Darkrai's voice momentarily stayed Medicham's tongue. At length she replied, "I can't just do nothing. Not anymore. I'm tired of not knowing anything. I'm tired of all this secrecy and conspiracy and hiding and waiting. I'm tired of sitting passively in my Luxury Ball and acting like nothing's wrong, waiting for the next problem to arise or the next evil plan to advance or the next attack. So…" She bowed her head. "I know what happens if I'm wrong. But I have to do this, Darkrai. I have to figure out at least some semblance of what's going on in Galar."

Darkrai hesitated for so long that Medicham began to worry he'd left for some reason. But at length his voice finally sounded again. "All right," he said slowly. "I'll do it."

"Thank you, Darkrai," Medicham whispered.

It was a nice, cool night. The moon was high in the sky, casting a beautiful white glow on the surrounding roofs. From far away, the waves of the ocean could be dimly heard crashing against the shore, accompanied by a rattling noise as the waves dragged scores of pebbles down into the depths. A light breeze was flowing, setting the nearby grass to rustling. This late, no Pokemon or humans could be heard; they were all likely asleep.

All except for Medicham, and the creature watching her.

She'd felt its eyes on her as soon as she'd advanced into the open. She knew it was curious, understandably so. Why would she be out so late? What purpose did it serve for Medicham to take a late-night walk through Hulbury?

Medicham felt her stomach beginning to churn as she turned her steps towards a nearby path that she could see led to a small training field. The field was abandoned, surrounded by grass on all sides, and far enough away from the town that any fighting was unlikely to be heard. The perfect spot for an ambush.

If the watcher was Arbiter-Of-Fates, Betrayer-Of-Kin, or someone affiliated with either, there was almost no question they would seize the opportunity to attack.

But as Medicham continued down the path, no attack materialized. The watcher continued to watch, giving away no sign of its presence aside from the continued pricking on Medicham's skin.

She reached the field and stopped. For fully five seconds she waited for an Absol to jump out at her, horn-blade glistening and claws outstretched. Only after those seconds had passed, and no assault had come, did she finally open her mouth.

"I want to talk to Teller-Of-Tales," she said clearly and loudly. "So I'd appreciate it if you would be willing to take me to him."