"So, let me give you two the rundown," said Raboot, glancing over at Bunnelby for assurance. At the Normal-type's nod he continued, "Gloria is currently taking the Gym Challenge. She's just gotten her first badge, and is on her way to get the second, which will likely happen tomorrow."

"The next gym is a Water gym, right?" Applin interjected.

"Yes, it is," Raboot confirmed.

Applin glanced over at Toxel. "So Gloria caught a Grass-type and an Electric-type. That makes sense."

"Gloria didn't just catch you for your types," Raboot protested. "She caught you because she wants to work with you. To make you stronger so that you can, in turn, help her win the Gym Challenge."

Applin nodded slowly. "All right, I understand. I will try and become stronger."

"So will I!" Toxel cried. "When do we start training?"

Raboot chuckled a little at Toxel's clear enthusiasm, even though he knew the reason for it was not entirely happy. "Right now," he said, looking over at the two watchers; Gloria, looking excited, and Marcus's Medicham, who was here as a translator.

Though Raboot couldn't hear Medicham's telepathic communication, he knew she'd been quick on the uptake from the way Gloria's face lit up. "Okay, Raboot says you two know what's up, so let's get going! We'll start by going through your moves, figuring out what you can do and what you might want to start working on! Applin, you go first."

Raboot and Bunnelby settled into a light sparring match, watching as their two new teammates worked with Gloria and Medicham. Applin went quickly; the only two moves she knew were Withdraw and Astonish, both of which Raboot recognized from fighting Milo's Applin. She said she knew a third, but apparently she needed a berry to demonstrate it, so Gloria decided to go to Toxel and then deal with getting the berry in question.

Toxel promptly remarked that he also had a move that needed a berry to demonstrate, which very noticeably forced Medicham to hide a chuckle. Raboot had seen most of his moves previously - he recognized Flail from Toxel's attack on Applin, and Nuzzle and Acid from their own brief fight, though Tearful Look and Growl were new to him. After that, Medicham fetched a pair of Oran Berries, one each for Applin and Toxel to demonstrate with.

Applin's third move turned out to be Recycle, something that Medicham promptly called Marcus's Trevenant over to watch. Recycle, as Raboot soon realized, was pretty much exactly the kind of thing Trevenant was trying to use his Ability to accomplish; utilizing the body's energy to replace a used berry with an energy-formed copy. Applin was clearly excited about demonstrating the move, and her excitement only grew when Medicham offered to let her keep the berry as long as she demonstrated the move a couple more times for Trevenant's benefit.

Then Toxel went. He gulped down his own Oran Berry, inhaled, and then unleashed a massive spurt of Poison energy that caused everyone around him to jump back a few feet. "That one's called Belch," he announced proudly. "I call it Acid Burst, myself."

"Oh, right," said Applin. "We are supposed to provide our own names for attacks."

"You don't have any?" Toxel asked.

"I never found a need for them," Applin admitted. "I suppose I will call them 'Apple Attack', 'Apple Defense', and 'Apple Recycle', unless you have better ideas."

"Those are some of the worst attack names I've ever heard," Raboot muttered in an undertone.

Bunnelby glared at him. "Shh!"

"Why don't you use the Trainer names for the techniques?" Trevenant suggested. "That's what I do, and it works really well!"

Applin raised an eyebrow. "All right. So…Astonish, Withdraw, and Recycle?"

"That's them!" Trevenant grinned.

"I will give it a try," Applin promised.

"Great!" said Toxel, wriggling with excitement. "Can we start now?"

Medicham must have translated that, too, for Gloria's mouth curled upwards in amusement. "All right, Toxel, we can start. I'd like to look at your speed and maneuverability, for starters…and Applin, if those are the only moves you've got, let's see if we can't make those moves as strong as possible."

As Applin and Toxel began to follow Gloria's instructions - Toxel moving a good deal faster than Applin - Bunnelby tapped Raboot on the shoulder. "You all right?"

Raboot glanced over at Bunnelby. "Why?" he asked, a little more harshly than he'd wanted.

"That," Bunnelby replied, waving a paw in his direction. "And that earlier crack about Applin's move names. You seem…irritable. Snappish. It's unlike you."

Raboot sighed, staring at the nearby forest. "I guess I'm still a little on edge after all that stuff with Macro Cosmos. I'm not going to lie…part of me still doesn't really like Toxel for what happened back there. I felt so helpless…"

"So did I," said Bunnelby, resting her paw on Raboot's forearm. "But I don't hate Gloria for leaving my Pokeball sealed, do I?"

"No, of course not," Raboot replied. "It's Gloria!"

"And there's no difference between Gloria and Toxel in this situation," said Bunnelby. "Neither of them knew what was going to happen, and as such neither of them are to blame, okay?"

"Okay," Raboot murmured. "I'm sorry."

"You should probably say that to Toxel," Bunnelby pointed out. "And yes, I know you did already, but say it properly, got it?"

"Got it," said Raboot.

As the sun began to dip, Marcus pointed out that it would probably be a good idea to get to Hulbury and get ensconced in a local hotel before night fell. Medicham could understand the merit of the suggestion - she definitely didn't want to get caught out here in the dark, not with their mysterious watcher still out there. Besides, the team had spent the whole day training, and even Drapion and Pangoro were clearly looking forward to dinner and then turning in for the night.

Toxel and Applin were clearly happy with their training, too, and for good reason. Sure, they hadn't learned any new techniques or even enhanced their existing ones, instead merely focusing on exercises, repetition, and a few short sparring sessions. But Medicham knew that those days of basic strength, speed, and endurance training were absolutely necessary. Even a single day of such exhaustive work would put a Trained Pokemon above a wild Pokemon of the same species in a fight.

And if Gloria was going to be tackling the next Gym tomorrow (which she and Hop were clearly hoping to do), then Toxel and Applin would need all the strength they could get.

Hulbury was a coastal town, and by the time the group reached the hotel, the sun was low enough that it was washing the nearby ocean with an orange hue. The lateness naturally meant everyone was quite hungry; as such, when the evening's dinner came around, it seemed to go just as quickly as everyone, both human and Pokemon, attacked it with noticeable vigor. Before Medicham knew it, the group had finished, the plates had been cleared, and Marcus, Hop, and Gloria headed up to their separate rooms.

Marcus wasted no time in letting his team out before lying down on the room's bed and opening up his Pokedex. Medicham knew from experience that he'd be spending the next half-hour or so browsing the news, looking at various sites, and seeing if he had any messages - time that the team usually spent mingling and chatting about matters of their own. She glanced around, searching for anyone who looked as if they might need a steady ear, and her gaze fell upon Trevenant, who was standing near a chair and looking uncharacteristically morose.

Even as Medicham began to start towards Trevenant, though, someone else beat her to the punch. The sound of shell scraping across the carpet brought Medicham to a halt as Cloyster slid over. "You look down, Trevenant. Something wrong?"

Trevenant let out a slight huff. "Nothing's wrong, exactly. It's just that I can't believe it took me this long to realize that what I was doing was just Recycle. I've been approaching it all wrong this whole time - no wonder I haven't been getting it!"

"Trevenant," said Cloyster, "it's been all of one day since you learned you could even do that. You do remember that it took me three months to get duplicating Protects down, right?"

"Right," Trevenant admitted.

"So don't get too down on yourself!" Cloyster nudged Trevenant, which for him took the form of simply bumping bodily into the Grass/Ghost-type. "You've got this."

"Thanks!" Trevenant's face rearranged itself into a grin. "Sorry - I'm just so excited to get this down! Just imagining what I can do with berry growth…"

Cloyster let out a hopeful sigh. "I wonder what I'm gonna learn from Nessa tomorrow," he said. "I hope it's something really cool like what you got."

"So do I, Cloyster!" Trevenant remarked excitedly.

Medicham smiled as she watched the two begin to speculate on what new technique or piece of knowledge Cloyster might end up with. It seemed as if she hadn't needed to worry after all. She sat back down, basking in the quiet conversation that surrounded her. This was how she preferred it - no worries, no talk about Absols, no speculation on imminent dangers. Just training and chattering and preparing for the next friendly bout.

"Huh," said Trevenant suddenly. "That's weird."

"What's wrong?" Cloyster asked.

Trevenant shrugged. "Eh, it's just that I…got this feeling that I was being watched, that's all. Probably nothing."

Medicham felt her good cheer fade away in an instant at Trevenant's pronouncement. She glanced around at the large hotel room, which now felt a lot less safe. In the back of her mind, Medicham couldn't help but wonder if their mysterious watcher wouldn't try and sneak in through the window in the dead of night to cut Marcus's throat. And that thought stayed, refusing to go away no matter how much Medicham wanted to forget it and simply enjoy the rest of the evening's freedom.

Soon enough, Marcus recalled his Pokemon, turned out the light, and climbed into bed for the night. But Medicham remained awake even as the moon slowly rose and then fell just as slowly, unable to bring herself to sleep for fear of what horrors she might wake up to.

"You're joking," Sonia said disbelievingly.

"I wouldn't joke about something like this," Marcus replied. The two had met up in the stands of Hulbury Stadium, where they were now sitting and watching the local Gym Leader, Nessa, taking on a Gym Challenger. Marcus had released Cloyster to watch the match; as of now, the Water/Ice-type was peering over the short wall in front of him, taking in every move made by the pair of Arrokuda that were narrowly missing each other with rapid Aqua Jets and Bites as they darted around the field.

"That's ridiculous," Sonia was saying behind Cloyster, her voice significantly colder than Cloyster had ever heard from her before. "That worker ought to be fired."

"That's what I said." Marcus pulled out the form Oleana had given him. "Which reminds me, I have to fill this out. I guess I should thank you for sending her our way."

"I didn't send her," Sonia pointed out. "I simply told her where you were and mentioned you'd probably appreciate knowing about the invitation before you arrived in Hulbury. But you're welcome, I suppose. Anyway…you looking forward to the dinner?"

Marcus frowned. "Not really. Something about Rose just rubs me the wrong way."

"Yeah," Sonia agreed. "I'll admit, he's a bit of an enigmatic figure. But there's no question he's devoted to Galar. Take some time - I'm sure you'll warm up to him over dinner and drinks!"

"And Oleana…" Marcus shifted in his seat. "I've heard that Galar has their own trio of Legendary Birds, but I didn't expect to see one fighting alongside a Trainer."

Sonia's own expression instantly changed even as her voice lowered. "She used Articuno?"

Marcus's eyes widened. "Wait, that's common knowledge?"

"No," Sonia replied. "But…" She took a deep breath. "The Legendary Birds of Galar have had a very close relationship with humanity since the Darkest Day," she explained. "In the aftermath, they came to Galar alongside Zacian and Zamazenta, and while the Dogs of War faded into the shadows, vowing to stand ready in case Galar was ever threatened again, the Birds of Galar promised to openly work alongside humanity to prevent such threats from arising in the first place. And while it's not exactly common knowledge who their chosen Trainers are…well, let's just say that I've done my research."

Marcus nodded slowly. "I've never heard of Legendaries becoming so involved with humans," he admitted. "I mean…sure, I was at Geosenge and Alola, but both of those were emergencies involving evil Legendaries. This kind of relationship…"

"It's unusual," Sonia finished for him. "I know. The Birds themselves have acknowledged the same. But they have not once shown any ulterior motives, and they have certainly ensured Galar's protection. Though, I will admit that none of the three are particularly…approachable."

Cloyster was distracted from the conversation as the challenger's Arrokuda nailed Nessa's with a vicious Peck, knocking him out. Nessa sent in a Goldeen next, and at that point Cloyster was entirely focused on the fight once more, Marcus and Sonia's conversation forgotten.

Raboot was slightly underwhelmed as Gloria made her way through what had once been an impassable wall of water-spewing pipes towards the entrance to the main stadium battlefield. After Turffield Stadium and its Wooloo-herding test, he'd been expecting further logical conundrums from Hulbury Stadium's own test. Instead, the local challenge had turned out to be a simple maze, littered with pipes from which a steady flow of water emanated and buttons that turned various pipes off and on. The maze was designed to be traversed by Pokemon, and as such Raboot had been forced to navigate the maze by himself, with Gloria simply following close behind, forbidden to give any sort of suggestion by the challenge's rules.

There had also been Gym Trainers scattered around the maze, willing to give hints in exchange for a battle. Gloria had called upon one of those hints, and for that she'd sent out Applin for her first battle. The Grass/Dragon-type had given a good account of herself despite her limited movepool, handily beating the Gym Trainer's Tympole with a barrage of Astonishes.

It was actually a decent challenge, but when it came down to it, aside from the water coming from the pipes there hadn't been much association with the Gym's Water typing. That water could have easily been replaced by poison, fire, or rocks (though admittedly those would all be a lot more dangerous). So, all in all, Raboot was definitely hoping the Gym Battle would make up for the somewhat lackluster challenge.

Though he wouldn't be participating; his Fire typing made sure of that. Toxel, Bunnelby, and Applin had been earmarked for that job. He contented himself with watching as Gloria stepped through the door and out into the tunnel that led to the battlefield.

The first thing that Raboot noticed as Gloria entered the stadium was the Gym Leader standing on the opposite side of the field. Nessa cut a tall, slender figure as she adjusted her posture, her eyes staring at Gloria as the girl stepped out onto the field to face her. The referee, standing by the side of the field, began speaking at once. "This will be a three-on-three battle between Leader Nessa and Challenger Gloria! Switches are allowed for the challenger, and the Gym Leader is limited to four moves per Pokemon! The battle will continue…"

Raboot tuned out the rest of the referee's speech in favor of scanning the audience. He spotted Marcus and Sonia after only a few seconds; Marcus's Cloyster was standing in front of both of them, eyes gleaming as he watched the proceedings.

The referee finished, and Raboot focused back on Nessa as she brought her hand down to one of her three Pokeballs. The Water-type Gym Leader allowed her mouth to form into a smirk. "My last opponent was quite strong," she said. "I do hope you measure up to his example."

"I plan to," Gloria retorted.

The look in Nessa's eyes was piercing as she ran her gaze over all four of Gloria's Pokeballs; Raboot suddenly found himself looking down at the floor instead of at the intimidating Gym Leader. Unlike the Turffield Gym, whose floor had been made of somewhat soft turf, this floor looked to be a single solid surface, hard and unforgiving. Raboot eyed it nervously. To be honest, I'm glad I'm not fighting on that…that looks like any fall would be pretty painful.

"We shall see," Nessa said at last. "Arrokuda, emerge!"

"Toxel, time for your first Gym Battle!" Gloria cried.

Raboot watched the two reveal themselves. Arrokuda was a long, thin Water-type, looking almost like a streamlined brown Basculin as it glared at Toxel like a predator eyeing prey. Toxel, for his part, stood tall despite his stubby legs, matching Arrokuda's glare with his own. Raboot had watched him training yesterday; he'd spent the entire time working as hard as possible, seemingly desparate to prove himself to Gloria. There was no question he was ready for this Gym Battle.

"First Gym Battle?" Nessa frowned. "You're far from the first to come in here with a freshly-caught Grass or Electric-type. I will tell you right now that it won't be enough to beat me."

"Toxel and I have trained!" Gloria shot back. "I know he's plenty capable!"

"Again," Nessa remarked, "we shall see. Arrokuda, Aqua Jet."

"Meet it with Nuzzle!" Gloria ordered.

A snarl of "Arrow Shot!" left Arrokuda's jaws as he flung himself forwards with impressive rapidity, encased in a shell of Water energy. Toxel rose, Electric energy gathering around his own form. "Electro Strike!" he cried as he hurled himself bodily straight into Arrokuda's attack.

The sound of the impact echoed all across the arena; both Toxel and Arrokuda were flung backwards in an explosion of Water and Electric energy. The two slammed into the hard arena floor, bouncing a couple times before coming to a stop. Both rose, but while Toxel managed to get to his feet without incident, Arrokuda was struggling as electricity sparked and crackled around him - a clear marker of paralysis.

It made sense; Nuzzle was a technique built strictly to paralyze. Raboot had heard plenty about it from Sonia's Boltund and Yamper; it was the latter's favorite technique, and whenever Yamper got into a fight he was quick to use it to try and gain the advantage. Raboot had sparred with Yamper multiple times, back when he was still a Scorbunny, and Nuzzle had cost him more than a few of those matches.

"Agility," Nessa ordered. "Then Aqua Jet again."

"Charge!" Gloria called. "And hit him with Acid!"

Raboot recognized Agility from Bunnelby's usage of it; Psychic energy glowed across Arrokuda's body, and in the next moment he surged forwards again, seemingly unaffected by the paralysis. Toxel, for his part, charged again as well, throwing up a paw. "Acid Splash!"

"Dodge with your Aqua Jet!" Nessa yelled. Arrokuda made ready to do so, the Water energy around him shifting to the left - and then electricity flared up and Arrokuda dropped as paralysis took hold.

A second later, the Water-type found himself on the receiving end of a faceful of Acid. Arrokuda sputtered, writhing on the floor as he tried to spit out the Acid that had gotten into his mouth. Gloria grinned. "Now, Toxel! Pin him down with Flail!"

Toxel matched Gloria's grin as he leaped onto the downed Arrokuda. This attack he didn't call, and indeed no energy was used; Toxel simply started throwing punches and kicks, clawing and scraping and even biting at the downed Arrokuda. It was a vicious style of battling that, in many ways, reminded Raboot of the few times he'd watched Marcus's Drapion fight.

Unfortunately, Arrokuda wasn't finished yet. "Bite!" Nessa commanded; as Toxel continued to beat down on the fallen Arrokuda, the Water-type twisted beneath Toxel and sank his jaws into the Electric/Poison-type's side. Toxel howled in pain and rolled to the side, freeing Arrokuda. The Water-type swiftly rose back up as Nessa called out another command. "Aqua Jet while he's down!"

Water energy surged around Arrokuda. "Toxel, roll to the side!" Gloria cried as Arrokuda charged.

And then paralysis struck again. Toxel's roll carried him free of Arrokuda's suddenly frozen body; the Water-type flew past him and slammed face-first into the floor with a crunch that made Raboot wince.

"Acid!" Gloria yelled; somewhat anticlimactically, Toxel tossed another Acid Splash at the downed Arrokuda, who was too stricken by paralysis to dodge. The blast sent Arrokuda rolling across the stadium floor; by the time he'd stopped, it was clear he was unconscious, and Nessa recalled him with a somewhat disappointed expression as the crowd cheered Gloria's victory.

In sharp contrast to the Gym Leader, Toxel was all smiles as he stepped back to Gloria's side of the field, drinking in the praise of the audience. Understandably so - that had been a fairly commanding victory, despite the hits he'd taken. Sure, he'd gotten pretty lucky with paralysis, but even so, there was no question that, with Arrokuda's Agility and Aqua Jet-boosted speed, he would have been a very scary foe had he faced anyone else on Gloria's team.

No, Toxel had definitely proved his strength.

Nessa seemed to be appraising Toxel differently, her eyes glittering somewhat, as she sent out her second Pokemon - a Goldeen, who looked a great deal more inoffensive than Arrokuda but who Raboot knew was not to be underestimated.

"Goldeen, don't let it get close," Nessa warned. "Use Supersonic!"

"Um…counter with Growl!" Gloria ordered. As Goldeen let out a screech that sent soundwaves surging across the arena, Toxel inhaled and unleashed a surprisingly terrifying snarl. To Raboot's surprise, it worked perfectly; the soundwaves of Goldeen's Supersonic wavered and dissipated as they impacted against Toxel's own soundwaves, rendering the technique useless.

Nessa raised an eyebrow. "You had no idea that would work, did you?"

"No," Gloria admitted.

Nessa sighed. "Beginner's luck…Goldeen, bombard it with Water Pulses!"

"Dodge!" Gloria cried as Goldeen called out "Horn Barrage!" and began firing Water Pulse after Water Pulse at Toxel. The Electric/Poison-type raced to the side, barely evading the blasts of Water energy as they exploded against the field behind him.

"Counter them with Acid!" Gloria called.

Toxel spun - "Acid Splash!" - and fired an Acid at the next incoming Water Pulse. To Raboot's relief, the Poison-type attack was strong enough for the task; energy flew everywhere as the Water Pulse exploded against the spray of Acid, not a drop coming anywhere near Toxel. Smirking, Toxel at once rushed Goldeen, throwing out more Acid Splashes to defend against the Water-type's Water Pulses.

"Agility!" Nessa yelled. "Keep it at bay with Horn Attack!"

Agility again? Raboot frowned. How do all her Pokemon know that move? Is that her signature move or something - no, that doesn't make sense, she's a Water-type Gym Leader…

A loud cry of "Horn Swipe!" brought Raboot's attention back to the fight as Toxel narrowly avoided a swipe from Goldeen's Normal energy-enhanced horn, now three times its former length. Goldeen twisted and swung again; again Toxel danced away. "Acid Splash!" he cried, but Goldeen swung his horn a third time and ripped through the Poison-type attack.

"Grab the horn and use Nuzzle!" Gloria ordered.

Nessa's eyes widened; clearly she hadn't been expecting that. "Back and Water Pulse!" she barked; unfortunately for Toxel, Goldeen's Agility-boosted speed was just enough to get him clear of Toxel's grab. All Toxel got for his trouble was a point-blank Water Pulse to the face; he staggered backwards, coughing and sputtering.

"Follow up with Supersonic!" Nessa called.

"Growl!" Gloria cried instantly. Toxel inhaled, but promptly doubled over, wracked by a coughing fit as he instead swallowed some undesired water. Raboot grimaced; it may have been Water energy rather than actual water, but it definitely kept the properties of actual water.

A second later, the Supersonic washed over Toxel, causing him to stagger even further. Confusion had clearly taken hold of his mind, for as he tried to rise from his coughing fit, he instead tripped over his own feet and toppled to the ground. Raboot grimaced - Goldeen had definitely gotten Toxel on the back foot.

"Horn Attack." Nessa's voice held an edge of finality. Goldeen's horn lengthened once more as he charged forwards. "Horn Strike!" Goldeen yelled, rearing up and preparing to bring his horn down upon the prone Toxel.

"Grab it!" Gloria screamed.

Toxel's eyes snapped to the horn in an instant as Gloria's voice pulled him out of his confusion; as Goldeen's horn came down upon him, Toxel reached out with both hands and grabbed it. The sound of the impact still made Raboot wince, and the strength of the blow was enough that Toxel's body outright sank an inch into the stadium floor. But he grinned nevertheless. "Electro Strike."

Electric energy shot from his hands, up Goldeen's horn, and across the Water-type's body. "Gah!" Goldeen cried as he yanked himself free. Toxel wasted no time in rolling to his feet, though Raboot did notice that he winced in pain as he did so. He's taken quite a few hits…I doubt he'll be able to last much longer after beating Goldeen.

"Finish it, Toxel!" Gloria raised her voice. "Eat that Oran Berry and use Belch!"

Or not - completely forgot about that. Raboot took great pleasure in watching Nessa actually take a step back in shock. "Goldeen, get out of there!" she yelled as Toxel snagged the Oran Berry he'd borrowed from Medicham from his pouch and stuffed it into his mouth.

But once again, luck was on Toxel's side. As Goldeen tried to lunge away, paralysis took hold; his body seized up and he dropped to the floor, struggling uselessly. Toxel's eyes gleamed. "Acid Burst!" he yelled, opening his mouth wide.

The massive wave of Poison energy that blasted out was more than enough to finish Goldeen off, much to the delight of the audience.

"Not bad," Nessa admitted over the cheering crowd, though she looked reluctant to do so. "Not many at your level know how to properly use held items."

"Thanks," Gloria replied. "Toxel, are you good to try and finish this?"

"You bet I am!" Toxel replied with an enthusiastic nod.

"But," Nessa continued, "I will not simply be washed away. Drednaw, emerge!"

The massive Rock/Water-type that slammed down onto the battlefield looked a lot more menacing than either Arrokuda or Goldeen had. It steadied its stance, glaring down at Toxel. "So you beat both the others, huh? Not bad, but your streak ends with me."

"We'll see about that," Toxel spat.

"Another melee fighter…" Gloria noticeably steadied herself. "You've got this, Toxel! Get in close and Nuzzle!"

"Not this time," Nessa retorted. "Drednaw, Rock Tomb!"

Drednaw reared up and slammed both front feet onto the ground. "Jaw Shot!" he roared; a flurry of Rock energy-formed projectiles flew forth, streaking towards Toxel even faster than Goldeen's Water Pulses had. Raboot knew that Poison wasn't very effective against Rock - no way would Toxel be able to deflect these with Acid.

Thankfully, he didn't need to. "Belch!" Gloria cried.

The wave of Poison energy was just as titanic as the one that had swallowed Goldeen. Drednaw's Rock Tomb seemed tiny in comparison, yet as the flying rocks slammed into the poisonous wave, Toxel's attack was the one that broke, the purple-colored energies collapsing in on themselves from the impact. Yet Drednaw's rocks also fell, their momentum arrested by the impact; both Nessa and Gloria watched with clear surprise as Toxel and Drednaw's attacks canceled each other out.

Nessa recovered first. "Rock Polish!" she ordered. "And charge - get ready!"

Oh, come on! Another speed-boosting move? Raboot watched as Drednaw's body flared with Rock energy; a second later he sprinted forwards, much faster than his ponderous size looked as if it should have allowed. Gloria was slow on the uptake; by the time she called for a Nuzzle from Toxel, Drednaw was halfway across the arena, and Nessa was calling for Razor Shell.

Water energy surged around Drednaw's jaws as he opened them wide. "Razor Jaws!" he bellowed, drowning out Toxel's own cry of "Electro Strike!"

"Left!" Nessa barked abruptly.

Even with Rock Polish, Raboot was astonished at just how quickly Drednaw jerked to the side. Toxel's Nuzzle struck empty air, the Electric energy dissipating uselessly. "Jaw Shot!" Drednaw snarled, whipping around; Toxel had no time to evade before the powerful Rock-type move slammed into his side. The Electric/Poison-type was flung across the arena; Raboot winced at the dull thud his body made as it skipped across the smooth, hard floor.

Raboot was fairly certain that Toxel would be down and out if it hadn't been for his earlier-consumed Oran Berry. Even so, his body was shaking as he rose. Nessa shook her head. "Did you really think I'd simply allow my last Pokemon to be paralyzed?"

Gloria scowled; almost certainly she was mentally berating herself for not seeing that coming. She grasped Toxel's Pokeball. "Toxel, do you want to-"

"No!" Toxel's cry sounded as if he was tearing it from his throat. "I can do this!"

Drednaw let out a low growl. "Know when you're beaten. You aren't helping your Trainer by getting yourself more injured than necessary."

Toxel stubbornly shook his head. Raboot watched the Electric/Poison-type with alarm in his eyes, only now realizing what was going on. Of course…he's desperate to prove himself to Gloria. So desperate that he'll get himself hurt just to try and win for her. Gloria, please just recall him…

But Gloria nodded. "All right," she said nervously, oblivious to Raboot's muttered curse.

Nessa sighed. "Drednaw, let's end this now." She raised Drednaw's own Pokeball, now beginning to shine with Dynamax energy. "It's time to Dynamax!"

Gloria hesitated before raising Toxel's own Pokeball, tapping her own Dynamax band with her other hand. "Toxel, let's respond in kind!"

Toxel nodded, clearly steeling himself as he and Drednaw were both recalled.

Raboot remembered how it had felt when he'd first Dynamaxed, and tried to calm his nerves by imagining how excited Toxel must be feeling as he was released back onto the field, already growing in size as pink-purple light swirled around him.

But there was no excitement on Toxel's face as he ascended, nothing but the same strained determination, and all of Raboot's imagined excitement ebbed immediately. Toxel was pushing himself far too hard, and Gloria was letting him out of misguided respect for his decisions - Raboot couldn't help but worry that Toxel might end this fight injured in a more permanent fashion than usual.

Come on, Toxel…please get through this without taking any more hits…

As the crowd's cheering reached its apex, Nessa shouted out her first order to the Dynamaxed Drednaw. "Max Geyser, Drednaw! Flood the stadium!"

"Counter it with Max Lightning, Toxel!" Gloria cried.

Drednaw roared. "Jaw Fountain!" A massive horizontal pillar of Torrent exploded out from his jaws, streaking straight towards Toxel.

Toxel drew back one crackling fist. "Electro Bolt!"

Lightning coursed out from Toxel's fist as he flung it forwards, slamming into the Max Geyser and driving it back through type advantage alone. It was a struggle between two energy beams, one which Drednaw was rapidly losing as the Max Lightning drove his Max Geyser back towards his jaws. Nessa called out another order, this one more urgent. "Max Rockfall, quickly!"

Drednaw abandoned the Max Geyser and raised one foot. He was moving shockingly quickly for a Dynamaxed Pokemon; it took Raboot a moment to remember that he was still boosted by Rock Polish. "Jaw Avalanche!" he bellowed as he stomped down.

A massive wall of pure Ancient exploded upwards from the stadium floor, tearing through the smooth surface as it did so, scattering chunks of it everywhere. The wall intercepted Toxel's Max Lightning; the remnants of the Electric-type attack dissipated as it struck the massive construct. Toxel's eyes widened as the barrier rose and rose; even as it rose, it began to topple, falling straight towards Toxel with clear intent to crush him in spite of his Dynamax-boosted size.

"Max Lightning again!" Gloria called. "Counter it!"

"Electro Bolt!" Again Toxel hauled back and unleashed a vicious bolt of Lightning, this time from his other hand. Raboot expected the wall of Ancient to burst apart, but while the Lightning blast was strong enough to tear an entire massive chunk out of the tumbling barricade, the rest of it stayed strong, continuing its tumble towards Toxel in spite of the Lightning being hurled at it.

"Dodge, Toxel!" Gloria cried desperately.

Unfortunately for Toxel, it was too late. An almighty crash sounded as the Max Rockfall slammed into Toxel; Raboot looked away, unwilling to watch the result, but Toxel's agonized cry still pierced his ears. An explosion of Dynamax energy burst outwards as Toxel's Dynamax faded, his body no longer able to sustain the form as it fell beneath the titanic cascade of Ancient.

The sound of a Pokeball mercifully cut off Toxel's scream. Raboot murmured a quick prayer to Arceus that the Electric/Poison-type would be okay, then turned back to the battlefield. Drednaw was still standing tall, fully Dynamaxed and unhurt, gazing down upon Gloria and patiently waiting for her to send out her next Pokemon.

"Disappointing," Nessa remarked. "It seems you still have much to learn about battle tactics. Wasting your Dynamax in such a fashion will earn you nothing but defeat in later fights…of course, that's assuming you can handle this one."

Gloria swallowed. Raboot didn't envy her; whether it was Applin or Bunnelby next, whoever she sent out would have to take on the still-Dynamaxed Drednaw without Dynamax of their own. What had seemingly been an easy win had suddenly become anything but.

"Um…um…Applin!" Gloria tried to keep up a facade of confidence, but Raboot could tell she was feeling anything but confident as she threw out the Grass/Dragon-type. To Applin's credit, she looked appropriately alarmed at the prospect of facing the massive Drednaw. "What am I meant to do, exactly?" she asked, her voice filled with nervous confusion.

"Withdraw!" Gloria ordered.

"I can do that," Applin murmured. "Withdraw!" A shell of Water energy rose around her, reinforcing her defenses, though still it seemed insignificant in the face of the giant Drednaw facing her.

"Max Strike," Nessa stated coldly.

Drednaw stomped down on the stadium floor again. "Jaw Beam."

This Dynamax attack was one Raboot knew from experience; indeed, a circle of Energy began to form beneath Applin, glowing brighter and brighter. "Run, Applin!" Gloria yelled. "Out of the way!"

Applin tried, leaping to the side as fast as possible. It wasn't fast enough.

The circle exploded upwards, Energy blasting into the sky, and Applin was carried bodily along with it, her scream disappearing swiftly as she was flung into the air. Drednaw's eyes were locked on the flying Applin even as Dynamax energy began to pulse off him; his transformation was finally, mercifully, giving out. At least Bunnelby won't have to face him in that form, Raboot thought grimly.

As Applin sailed into the sky, though, Nessa gave one final order before Drednaw's transformation fully wore off. "Slam it."

Drednaw obeyed. Applin's flight was carrying her in an arc; as she began to descend, Drednaw swiveled his head slightly to the side, shifting his posture as he did so. Applin fell; Drednaw's eyes gleamed, and with a sudden movement he jerked his head to the side, slamming it into the tumbling Applin with shocking force.

The crowd let out a collective intake of breath as Applin was flung straight into the stadium's Psychic barriers. She bounced off and fell limply to the ground; even from where he was, Raboot could tell she was unconscious. Even with Withdraw boosting her defenses, the impact of multiple Dynamax-boosted attacks had been too much for her.

And, to top it all off, Drednaw was still undamaged; his body was unmarked, and he didn't even look like he was breathing heavily as he descended back down to his base form. Gloria recalled Applin, whispering praise into her Pokeball, but her voice was hollow. Just like that, Gloria's advantage had been completely wiped away; it was down to a one-on-one, Bunnelby against Drednaw.

To her credit, Gloria wasted no time in sending Bunnelby out onto the battlefield. Nessa's frown was still present on her face. "I had high hopes for you," she said, "but in the end you were just another Trainer reliant on a single Pokemon with type advantage to sweep me."

"You say that like this battle's already over," Gloria retorted.

Nessa smiled, not very kindly. "Unless your Bunnelby proves itself equal to my Drednaw, it is."

"Then I guess you're in for a surprise," said Gloria. "Bunnelby, Agility, then go in with a Double Kick!"

This Raboot was excited to see - Bunnelby had finally properly gotten Double Kick down in yesterday's training session, and now the fruits of her labors would be shown. A sheen of Psychic energy glistened across Bunnelby's body as she lunged forwards, Fighting energy surging around both her feet. Nessa responded swiftly. "Drednaw, counter it with Razor Shell!"

"Razor Jaws!" "Whirling Kick!" Bunnelby and Drednaw slammed into one another, Water and Fighting energy clashing as the two came together. "Bounce off!" Gloria called even as the duo collided. Bunnelby twisted immediately in accordance with the order; she'd led with her legs, and as such it was easy for her to chain the momentum from Drednaw's strike into a backwards leap. Drednaw was not so lucky; even as Bunnelby landed smoothly on her feet, Drednaw staggered backwards, clearly unprepared for such vicious resistance from his smaller opponent.

"Rock Tomb!" Nessa commanded.

"Dodge with Quick Attack!" Gloria countered.

"Jaw Shot!" Drednaw snarled, but Bunnelby's boosted speed enabled her to easily evade the hurled spheres of Rock energy. Nessa noticeably clenched her fists as Bunnelby smoothly twisted and lunged for Drednaw again, Fighting energy playing around her feet once more. "Rock Tomb again!" the Gym Leader cried.

"Counter it with Double Kick!" Gloria ordered.

"Whirling Kick!" Bunnelby leaped into the air as another Jaw Shot flew from Drednaw's jagged maw. Fighting energy flared as she slammed her feet into the oncoming rocks, shattering them into shards. The entirety of the Rock Tomb was destroyed, its energies dissipated; Bunnelby landed on her feet, a smirk on her face, as around her the scattered remnants of Drednaw's Rock Tomb fell uselessly to the floor.

It was at that moment that Raboot realized Bunnelby had already won.

Razor Shell had been countered by Double Kick. Rock Tomb had been both evaded and destroyed. Rock Polish's effects were cancelled out by Agility. And because of that four-move limit Nessa was bound by, Drednaw's last move had to be a Normal-type move, something that Double Kick would counter just as easily.

"Tackle," Nessa announced, her voice low. It was an admission of defeat as much as anything else.

"Meet it with Double Kick!" Gloria called.

After that, it was only a matter of time. Oh, there was spectacle; Drednaw mixed attacks, trying to catch Bunnelby off guard, and a couple times even nearly managed to tag the Normal-type with a swiftly-fired Rock Tomb. But in the end, nothing could change the fact that Bunnelby was able to counter everything Drednaw could throw at her.

It was rather anticlimactic. When Bunnelby's final Double Kick pierced through Drednaw's desperate Razor Shell and sent him tumbling to the floor, it felt like a victory that had already been decided the instant the battle had begun.

That was not to say Bunnelby and Gloria's joy at the win was something to scoff at. On the contrary, Raboot wished he could be out there celebrating with the two of them as the crowd roared. Gloria's relief was palpable as she hugged Bunnelby, praising her for what a good job she'd done.

Nessa's expression was severe as she stepped across the stadium, Gym Badge in hand. "You still have work to do on your tactics," she murmured. "And you ought to evolve your Applin as soon as possible - they are less than ideal fighters in their base form. But nevertheless, your Pokemon have shown both skill and power. The Water Badge is yours."

Gloria took it, shaking Nessa's hand as the crowd cheered around them.

In one of the stadium's top-box seats, a curly-haired Trainer dressed all in purple rose swiftly. "Come along, Hatenna," he ordered swiftly. "There's nothing more to see."

"Yes, Bede," Hatenna replied telepathically. On a whim she added, "Though you have to admit, she's actually got some strength to her."

Bede whipped around. "Oh, please. It's not that she's strong, it's that her opponents are weak. What kind of Gym Leader loses two Pokemon to a barely-trained Toxel? No, I'm the only real fight she's ever had, and - guess what - she lost!"

"She did beat Solosis."

"Not really," Bede growled in response. "That Scorbunny only broke through his defenses by getting lucky. Hatenna, I thought I'd trained you well enough to know the difference between blind luck and true skill."

"I know the difference, don't worry," Hatenna replied. Her voice took on a serious tone. "Listen, Bede - you know the Chairman assigned me to you in the hopes that I could help you out. And that's what I'm going to try and do. So I'll warn you right now - you're heading down a dangerous path. If anyone finds out-"

"No one is going to find out!" Bede yelled, responding over the telepathic link rather than out loud this time. "I know what I'm doing, Hatenna! I'm the strongest Trainer here, and I'm going to prove that…by whatever means necessary."

Hatenna heaved a sigh. "I hope you're right," she murmured, "for both your sake and the Chairman's."

Well, that's not ominous at all.

I hope you enjoyed the battle despite the (intentionally) rather anticlimactic conclusion. It just goes to show that not every battle is going to end dramatically.