Chapter 24:

The Medieval Mash

Location: Hammerlocke Pokémon Center I

"Thank you for visiting," said the Move Tutor.

"And thanks to you!" I said. "I'm sure Ludicolo will make great use of these moves!" I sent it out. Ludicolo danced around happily. "You're all set! For both Gym battles and our battle with Allister today! Now, let's go find Hop! He said he needed to do something beforehand…"

Location: Hammerlocke

I walked to the front of Hammerlocke Stadium where Hop and Sonia were waiting.

"This place is great!" Hop said. "It feels like I've stepped back in time to the Medieval era!"

Sonia laughed. "I know. Now, there is someone I want you to meet. Let's go into the Stadium."

Location: Hammerlocke Stadium Lobby

We walked into the assembly hall of the Stadium. We were not challenging just yet of course; Raihan would be a bit too strong.

"Who are we meeting?" I asked.

"HOWDY YALL!"

"!" I said. "Oh, it's the Ball Guy."

"Huh?" Hop asked.

"A Pokéball for you!" The Ball Guy said, giving me a Level Ball. "It increases capture chances when there is a large level difference! Good luck catching!"

"Well look at you!" Hop said. "You barely flinched this time!"

"I guess so," I said.

"Ms. Gloria and Master Hop." We looked round to see Chairman Rose.

"Oh, hey!" I said.

"What brings you to Hammerlocke Stadium?" Hop asked.

"A lot," Oleana said. "So make it quick because we have a lot to do."

"Now now," Chairman Rose said. "You know one of the reasons we came here was to meet these two competitors."

"I said make it quick," Oleana frustratingly said. "We need to be back at Wyndon for a meeting with Steven Stone, the head of Devon Co. this afternoon."

Chairman Rose nodded. "A little Rookidee told me that you two have been making great progress."

"I wouldn't say that," I said. "It's been a little while since I got my last Gym Badge." I got out the three Badges I had obtained. "We're on our way to Stow-on-Side tomorrow to get to the halfway point. Plus, I've been to the Isle of Armor to train with Master Mustard!"

"Great job," Rose replied. "I thought I would tell you a bit more about Hammerlocke Stadium. You see, it's not just a Gym, but a Power Plant. Macro Cosmos is the biggest supplier of energy in the Pokémon world, not just Galar. And Hammerlocke is almost the epicentre of it all. We believe it might have something to do with… the Darkest Day."

We saw Sonia turn her head. "Say again?" she asked. "Mr. Rose, I am a historian whose researching the Darkest Day. Could you tell me more?"

"Chairman!" Oleana said. "Mr. Stone has landed in Wyndon! We need to get going this instance! I'll set up the Corviknight Taxi!"

"Okay Oleana," said Rose. "If you want to find out more, may I suggest going to the Hammerlocke vault?"

"We will," I replied.

"Chairman!" Oleana was panicking. "Come on!"

"It's not for six hours Oleana," Rose replied. "But I guess she is right. There is a lot to explain, and it is best that information passed down is the best way to go about it. I wish you luck in your battles." Rose was about to walk off, then stopped. "Oh… and I hope Bede hasn't given you too much trouble."

"CHAIRMAN!"

"I'm coming!" Rose said before OFFICIALLY walking away.

"That secreterary of his must be a handful," Hop said. "Right Gloria?"

"That was a weird statement," I said. "I know Bede got his endorsement from Chairman Rose, but why would he bring Bede up like that?"

"Worry about that later," said Sonia. "Let's go see the Vault!"

Location: Hammerlocke

We walked left outside of the Hammerlocke Stadium.

"So what do you two have planned for the rest of today?" Sonia asked.

"I'm battling our friend Allister this afternoon," I replied.

"And I guess I'll watch!" Hop said.

"Sounds like a fab idea!" Sonia replied. "Look! Here's the vault!" We saw another entrance to the large castle and went inside.

Location: Hammerlocke Vault

We walked inside the room. There were manmade lights helping light up the four tapestries. Before I could make out what they depicted, we heard someone.

"Sonia?" Came a male voice.

"Huh?" she asked.

It was Raihan! "Long time no see!" he said.

"And you two!" she said, as they hugged and gave each other friendly kisses on the cheek.

"We're in the presence of Raihan!" I said. "Sir…"

"Yes little miss?" He asked, before eyeing Hop. "Hey Hop! How's it going?!"

"Nice!" Hop replied, as they fist bumped. I guess when your sibling is a celebrity you get to know other celebrities pretty well. As an only child, I can't really relate.

"I heard you were endorsed from Leon to!" Raihan said.

"Yes," I said. I know it wasn't my question, but I still answered. "If it's alright with you… can we see your Duraludon? I've only seen it on the telly, but I would love to see it in person!"

"Well, a friend of Leon's brother is a friend of mine, so sure! Come on out!" His strong partner came out.

Duraludon (ジュラルドン)

#371 (Mainland)

Steel/Dragon Type

Alloy Pokémon

5'11" (1.8 m)

88.2 lbs (40 kg)

The special metal that composes its body is very light, so this Pokémon has considerable agility. It lives in caves because it dislikes the rain.

Duraludon has no known evolutions.

"I'll even let you battle it!" Raihan said.

"Gloria!" Hop said. "Don't pass this up!"

"I think I will," I told Hop. "I have a battle today, remember? Plus, I want to save my surprises for when the real thing starts."

Hop grinned. "Guess that makes sense. In that case, I will to."

"I like ambitious Trainers," Raihan said.

Sonia was frustrated. "Okay so have you finished flaunting your strength now? Because we need to get back to the matter at hand."

The four of us looked at the four tapestries. From left to right, this is what they depicted.

Two men on a field of flowers. Red energy is coming down from the sky.

Red clouds, similar to Dynamax energy, covers the sky as lightning strikes down. The men are in peril.

A sword and shield appear to quell the red energy.

The sun is beaming down and the fields are blooming around the two men. What looks like a castle is in the background. The heroes now have crowns.

"These must be the heroes of Galar," I said. "Wait… there was one here, wasn't there?"

"That's what I'm stumped by," Sonia replied. "The Darkest Day happened around 3,000 years ago so unless you have a Celebi with you, I can't really figure it out."

I looked at the third one along. "What about the sword and shield there? Those must be weapons that the heroes used. One of them struck with a sword and the other protected themselves with a shield. It's a case of offense and defense working together to win."

"And the castle…" Hop said. "I want to say it's Hammerlocke, but things were different 3,000 years ago to."

"Hey!" Sonia said. "I don't want you getting stumped by this! That's my job! You're here to be of valuable assistance!"

"Aw, thanks," Hop said.

"But if you do want to find out more," said Sonia. "There is a mural at Stow-on-Side that I'm also looking into. I'm heading there now. Do you want a head start Hop?"

"Can I watch Gloria and Allister's battle first?" he asked. "I said I would!"

"I will to then!" Sonia said.

"And you know what?" Raihan said. "Count me in! I want to see how well you have raised your Pokémon!"

"Great!" I said. "We'll be ready later! Meet you at the small battlefield!"

Location: Hammerlocke

"Hey!" I shouted at Allister when we were at the court. Hop, Sonia and Raihan were sitting on a picnic blanket.

"Hello…" Allister said, walking over. "So, shall we do a three on three again?"

"Sounds like a plan!" I said.

"I can't wait to see this!" Raihan said, munching down on a sandwich.

"Don't eat with your mouthful!" Sonia shouted. "It's impolite."

The battle started.

Gloria Vs. Allister

"Froslass, I choose you!" Allister sent out his newest Pokémon.

"And I'll use Raboot!" I replied.

"Froslass, use Frost Breath." Froslass breathed icy air at Raboot. It was a Critical Hit, but that's because Frost Breath always lands one.

"Flame Charge!" Raboot, covered in fire, charged into Froslass. It did Super Effective damage. Raboot's speed also rose.

"Now Froslass, Crunch!" Froslass bit down on Raboot.

"Finish with Flame Charge!" That's exactly what Raboot did; Froslass fainted.

"Oh, sorry Froslass. Okay. Go Mimikyu." Next up was a Pokémon that looked like Pikachu, but made of rags.

Mimikyu (ミミッキュ)

#301 (Mainland)

Ghost/Fairy Type

Disguise Pokémon

0'08" (0.2 m)

1.5 lbs (0.7 kg)

It wears a rag faishioned into a Pikachu costume in an effort to look less scary. Unfortunately, the costume only makes it creepier.

Mimikyu has no known evolutions.

"Raboot, use Flame Charge again!" Raboot charged into Mimikyu once again and… it did very little. Mimikyu's head did droop to one side though.

"It's Mimikyu's Disguise!" Raihan said. "It sponges the first hit a breeze, albeit at the expense of its rag!"

"DON'T EAT WITH YOUR MOUTHFUL!" Sonia shouted.

"Mimikyu, Wood Hammer." Mimikyu's tail turned green and it hit Raboot. Whilst not very effective, it was very strong. Mimikyu took recoil damage. "And now Shadow Sneak." Mimikyu's shadow stretched out and attacked Raboot. It went down.

"Thanks," I told Raboot. "Next up, I choose Ludicolo!" Ludicolo danced on.

"Alright!" Hop said. "Gloria's newest Pokémon!"

"Mimikyu, use Wood Hammer." Mimikyu hit Ludicolo with its tail.

"Come back with Hydro Pump!" Ludicolo blasted water at Mimikyu. It hit and knocked it out.

"Such power!" Sonia said in awe.

"Okay, time for my last Pokémon. Go Gengar!" Out came Allister's strongest Pokémon.

Gengar (ゲンガー)

#143 (Mainland)

Ghost/Poison Type

Shadow Pokémon

4'11" (1.5 m)

89.3 lbs (40.5 kg)

On the night of a full moon, if shadows move on their own and laugh, it must be Gengar's doing.

Gastly -Lv 25- Haunter -Trade- Gengar

"How did you evolve it so quickly?" I asked.

"Remember when I said I needed to do something this morning?" Hop asked. "Yep! I traded a Pokémon back and forth to evolve Allister's Haunter into Gengar for this very battle! Thought you might need a bit of a challenge Gloria!"

"I'll always take a challenge!" I said.

"Gengar, Hypnosis!" Gengar started moving its hands in weird directions. Thankfully, it missed.

"Ludicolo, Zen Headbutt!" Ludicolo's head started glowing, and it hit Gengar with it.

"Hypnosis again!" Gengar waved around its hands once again, this time making Ludicolo fall asleep.

"Not good," I said.

"Now Hex!" Gengar's eyes started glowing red, and it did a lot of damage to Ludicolo. It fainted.

"Thanks," I told Ludicolo. "Finally, I choose Liepard!" A Dark Type would deal with this.

"Hypnosis!" Gengar started moving its hands around, but it missed Liepard.

"Torment!" Liepard shouted at Gengar; it couldn't use Hypnosis the next turn.

"Oh no. Okay, use Night Shade!" Gengar sent out some ghastly waves that hit Liepard. In retaliation, Liepard started sharpening its claws.

"That move!" I said.

"It's learning Hone Claws!" Hop shouted. "It raises Attack and Accuracy!"

"Use Hypnosis!" Once again, it missed.

"And Assurance!" Liepard hit Gengar. It was down.

"Oh…" said Allister, recalling Gengar.

"Cheer up Torchic," Sonia said. "There is always next time! This just gives you incentive to train a bit harder!"

"Why did I lose?" Allister asked.

"If you ask me," said Raihan. "You're focusing too much on Hypnosis. When it works, it can really work. Especially with Hex; that's a great strategy. But you are also grasping at straws. Hypnosis has low accuracy, so maybe try something different. Of course, it's your choice. I'm not Gengar's Trainer, you are."

"I understand," Allister said. "Then… I want to learn from the best. Gloria, can I accompany you to Stow-on-Side?"

"Really?" I said. "Sure thing! If we head out tomorrow morning then we should reach it the day after!"

"As for us," said Sonia to Hop. "We should be heading out now if we want to get some research done."

Hop nodded and grabbed his bag. "See yah Gloria! When you see me next, I'll have my next Badge!"

"Good luck!" I said.