Sorry this one's late. I have no excuse - time just got away from me a bit.
"So, how did it go?" Darkrai asked as Medicham rematerialized in Oblivion.
"Better than I could have imagined," Medicham replied. "Turns out, aside from Arbiter-Of-Fates, most of the renegades didn't want a fight any more than we did. So now we've got a truce."
"That's excellent news!" Even though she couldn't see him, Medicham could tell Darkrai was smiling. "I'll admit, when you got off that half-finished telepathic message, I was about to pull you out right there…but I'm glad everything turned out well. So…any details?"
"Well-" Medicham began, and then stopped as Arbiter-Of-Fates' voice danced through her mind. Is your grand plan to tell her everything and hope she doesn't instantly spill it to anyone who will listen?
She froze, suddenly realizing the trap she'd just caught herself in. If she told Darkrai the information she'd gained from the renegades - about Rose, about Eternatus, about their whole plan - she'd be betraying Teller-Of-Tales and Arbiter-Of-Fates. But if she didn't, she'd be lying to Darkrai. And under no circumstances did she want to do either.
"Well-" she began again, trying to find a way to navigate this conversation without doing either. "I…um…"
"Don't worry about it."
"Really?"
"I had a feeling they would have sworn you to silence," Darkrai admitted. "And to be quite honest, I am not truly interested in what form their path to stop the end of the world takes, as long as they do follow that sort of path. I will ask one thing, Medicham - do they actually seek to stop the end of the world?"
"Yes, they do," said Medicham. "Oh, I almost forgot - I offered one of them, Whisperer-Of-Words, a chance to explain their side of the story to them. He said he'd bring it up with Teller-Of-Tales."
"Fascinating," Darkrai replied. "Then I shall wait for him to contact me. Now, I do believe that you are exhausted, and have probably had enough excitement for tonight. Get a good night's sleep - you've more than earned it."
"Thank you, Darkrai," said Medicham as Oblivion began to fade from around her, replaced by the inside of her Luxury Ball.
"You look happy this morning, Medicham," Kamado observed. "Good dreams last night?"
"You could say that," Medicham replied, unable to hold back a smile from her face as she gulped down her breakfast.
She saw Kriesh give her a smile of her own before leaning down to snatch up a berry with her beak. Medicham couldn't help but let out a chuckle as she leaned over to Kamado. "So what are you working on these days, Kamado?"
"Ancient manipulation," the Tyrantrum replied. "I did a pretty cool trick on the train with my Stealth Rocks, and I am trying to figure out how many rocks I can manipulate at once."
"Not bad," said Medicham. "Next time you're practicing that, let me know. I'm feeling like a spar today, and I haven't faced you recently."
Kamado grinned. "I will make sure to do so."
Medicham leaned back, popping another berry in her mouth. She really did feel light as a feather - she hadn't really noticed it until Kamado's observation, but it legitimately felt as if a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Today felt like the first day since they'd come to Galar that Medicham could focus on training and the Gym Challenge instead of having every waking moment invaded by worries about the renegade Heralds.
As she sat back, slowly eating her breakfast, her eyes fell upon Sonia; the professor's assistant was sitting at a nearby table, her team gathered around her just as Marcus's was gathered around his. A name flashed into Medicham's mind; in an instant she stood, pushing away the remainder of her breakfast. "I'll just be a moment," she said for the benefit of anybody nearby before turning and trotting across the room towards Sonia.
Prince raised his head as Medicham approached. "Stick with your own food," the Kingler muttered.
"Hush, Prince," Princess chided. "What is it, Medicham?"
"Just want to talk to Sonia for a moment," Medicham informed the Boltund. Telepathically she did exactly that. "Hey, Sonia?"
Sonia turned. "Oh, Medicham!" she cried. "Sorry, didn't see you there. What's goin' on?"
"Sorry if I'm interrupting anything," said Medicham. "But I know you're pretty well-read on the local Legendaries. And…I was wondering what you know about Eternatus."
Sonia frowned. "Eternatus? Where'd you hear that name?"
She was trying to keep her voice casual, but Medicham knew better. Her tone was too casual, her words spoken with a faux-flippant tone that instantly told Medicham she knew more than she was letting on. Not to mention that her entire team had stopped eating and were now engaged in unsuccessfully trying to look like they weren't staring at Medicham.
"From…" Medicham tried to think of a plausible non-Herald way she might have heard the name. "…Articuno," she finished at last. "He said it at the restaurant, and it…well, it sounded like some sort of Legendary, so I was wondering if you might know something about it."
"Articuno said that?" Medicham did not miss the momentary flash of alarm in Sonia's eyes. "That's…not a name I think I've heard before. I'll have to check my notes." She stood so fast that her chair fell over; before Medicham could speak again, she had recalled her entire team and was striding away, heading for the door leading to the hotel bedrooms.
Medicham heard a noise behind her and turned to see Kamado staring after Sonia. "Now what was that about?" the Rock/Dragon-type asked confusedly.
"No idea," said Medicham, feeling quite confused herself. "No idea at all."
"She just left?" Marcus was asking as he, Hop, and Gloria stepped down the road leading out of Hulbury. The plan was to make it back to Motostoke, location of the next Gym, before the day was out. It probably wasn't going to be too hard, seeing as the only thing between Motostoke and Hulbury was Galar Mine No. 2, an expansive cave system that, unlike Galar Mine No. 1, served as more of a training ground than an actual mine. But Raboot knew that it would still be a fairly lengthy journey, and so he'd been unsurprised when the group had collectively agreed to set off just after breakfast.
"Yeah," said Hop. "Strange…it's not like Sonia to dash off like that. I know she said Magnolia needed her, but…"
Gloria agreed with a silent nod. Raboot could understand their confusion; Sonia had practically sprinted from the hotel, loudly yelling her excuses even as she swung up onto King for the flight back to Postwick. It had very much struck Raboot as odd - and that wasn't even mentioning the guilty-looking expression on the face of Marcus's Medicham at the sight.
What happened between those two?
"Well, I'm sure she's got a good reason for it," Marcus finally said, before promptly changing the subject. "So, any plans to train up in Galar Mine No. 2?"
"I've heard it's stuffed with Stunfisk!" Hop said enthusiastically. "Apparently there's an entire colony of 'em - battle-lovers all! I bet my Pokemon would love to fight a few. What about yours, Gloria?"
"Raboot and Bunnelby, definitely," said Gloria. "Not sure about Applin and Toxel - with her lack of power and his type disadvantage, I don't really feel comfortable committing them to that kind of fight yet."
They'll be disappointed to hear that. Raboot shot a glance at Applin and Toxel's Pokeballs, his gaze especially lingering on Toxel's. After the Electric/Poison-type's reaction to his battle with Nessa's Pokemon, Raboot definitely didn't want Toxel thinking he was weak in any way.
"Well, I'm sure my Pokemon can occupy themselves while yours are training," said Marcus. "Take as long as you want, but I'd like to at least be heading towards the exit by lunchtime."
"Sounds fair," said Hop as he broke into a sprint. "C'mon, Gloria! Bet I can beat you to the mine entrance!"
"Oh, no, you don't!" Gloria raced after Hop; the two quickly left Marcus behind as they raced towards the yawning cave entrance.
Gloria managed to get there just before Hop; she raised her arms victoriously as she crossed the threshold, then promptly had to skid to a halt to avoid running straight into a stalagmite. Hop was noticeably holding back a chuckle as he raced in after her.
"Oh, come off it," Gloria muttered, releasing Raboot and her other teammates onto the floor. "You do things like that all the time."
"Yeah, but you did it this time," Hop countered. "What are you releasing your team for? I can't see any Stunfisk from here."
"I want to be ready in case something jumps out," Gloria pointed out. "Especially after the forest…"
Hop nodded. "I get it. Don't worry - if anyone tries to grab you, I won't hesitate to sic Corvisquire on them."
"Thanks, Hop," said Gloria. "Now, we're - oh, Arceus…"
The sudden shift in tone brought everyone's attention to the point Gloria's eyes had just shifted to - a point currently occupied by a curly-haired Trainer dressed entirely in purple, one that Raboot instantly recognized just as Gloria clearly had.
"Look what the Liepard dragged in," Bede mocked. "Don't bother asking for a battle - I'm not in the mood to deal with weaklings right now."
"Weaklings?" Hop asked incredulously as Gloria's team bristled. "I'll have you know-"
"What, that you're the Champion's brother?" Bede sniffed. "Who cares? I'm sponsored by the Chairman. And besides, if you're in company with her, I bet you're just as weak as she is."
"I'm stronger than I was last time," Gloria said challengingly. "So what if you beat me once? That doesn't mean you're automatically better than me."
"Oh, please," said Bede. "I was watching your Gym Battles, you know? Especially that last one. I'll have you know that my Hatenna was able to sweep that Gym Leader single-handedly, unlike that pathetic Toxel of yours." Bede flipped his hair out of his eyes. "I don't know why you're even bothering to waste your time with a Pokemon as weak as that."
Raboot heard a choked gasp beside him and instantly whirled to face Toxel. The Poison/Electric-type was staring with horrified eyes at Bede. "Toxel," Raboot said warningly, "don't listen to-"
Toxel turned and ran, hurtling down the nearest tunnel with as much speed as he could muster. "Toxel!" Raboot cried. "Toxel, wait!"
Bunnelby called out as well, but their cries both fell on deaf ears; Toxel disappeared down the tunnel without even looking back. Bede chuckled. "Let him run. You're better off without useless Pokemon like him."
"Bede, you-" Gloria stopped just short of storming up to Bede; she took several deep breaths, her fists still clenched at her sides. Then she turned and raced after Toxel, recalling the rest of her Pokemon as she went.
Medicham didn't watch as Hop and Gloria sprinted down the tunnel after Toxel. Marcus had arrived with Medicham by his side just in time to witness the tail end of their confrontation with Bede, and Medicham's focus was locked entirely on the Psychic-type Trainer. He looked entirely remorseless, staring after the fleeing duo without even dropping his cocky smirk. Medicham felt fury pulsing through her; she'd watched Gloria's battle with Nessa, and seen how hard Toxel had tried to force his way through the entire battle despite clearly being outmatched against Drednaw. Medicham knew Toxel wasn't exactly well-adjusted; she was fairly certain Bede couldn't have come up with a more cutting insult if he'd tried.
"Why?" Marcus's voice sounded strangled, as if he was still trying to comprehend Bede's words.
"Oh, it's you," said Bede, turning to face Marcus. "Are you going to try and psychoanalyze me again, or are you going to go after your precious mentee?"
"Why would you…" Marcus trailed off, stuttering over his words for a moment, before starting over. "What has she done to you, Bede? What is it that she's done that could possibly justify saying something like that?"
"She should've learned her lesson when I beat her down before Turffield," said Bede. "Trainers like her are just wasting everyone's time."
"Is that what that was?" Marcus asked. "Trying to teach her a lesson?"
"I hate people like her," Bede growled. "I hate weak Trainers who think they can still make it in this world. Your mentee needs to learn just how worthless she is."
"Gloria is not worthless," Marcus spat.
"If she's not as strong as me," Bede retorted, "that makes her worthless. Face it, Marcus - that's just how this world works. The strong rise to the top, the weak sink to the bottom." He glared at Marcus. "How did you become a Gym Leader, Marcus? By beating those weaker than you, right? I looked up your League Tournament, your Gym Exam. Brian Duke. Connie Stevens. Calem Xavier. Raymond Ramirez, Ilima Morrison, Jaya Parker. And let's not forget Miss Fairy-type Elite Four member Emma Matiere. Didn't she get her position by stomping you into the dirt? If she'd lost to you, she'd never have made Elite Four. Am I wrong?"
"What's your point?" Marcus asked angrily.
"You know what my point is," Bede shot back. "All that matters in this world is how strong your Pokemon are. If your Pokemon are weak, that means you'll never go anywhere. All those Trainers you beat had their dreams shattered because their Pokemon weren't strong enough to beat yours. And one of these days, your mentee's gonna learn that exact same lesson. Her Pokemon just aren't strong enough to compete with the actually good Trainers-"
"Shut up."
Bede's mouth remained open, but no more words came out.
"You think that proves strength is all that matters?" Marcus took a step forwards, glaring down at Bede. "I didn't just win those battles because my Pokemon were stronger. I also won them because I was stronger. As a person, not just as a Trainer. You say you looked at my battle with Calem? I'd advise you to take a closer look, because that, right there, represents everything wrong with your philosophy. You might be a strong Trainer, Bede…but as a person, you're absolutely pathetic."
Bede lurched backwards like he'd been stung. Hatenna wasted no time in stepping in front of him. "Don't talk to him like that!"
"He's been-" Medicham was cut off by Marcus holding up a hand. "What?" he asked. "Your Trainer can dish it out, but he can't take it? Seems like that's the story of his life."
Hatenna glared at Marcus. "You have no idea-"
"Like I said back when we first met, Bede," Marcus continued, "I knew someone like you once. So I know exactly what kind of person you are. You're scared. You're nothing but a scared little boy who hides behind a facade of cockiness and insults because, when it comes down to it, you're afraid that you're not strong enough. You saw Gloria beat one of your Pokemon, and you saw her almost sweep her way through Nessa with a single Pokemon, and you're terrified that she might actually be approaching your power level, so you hurl mockery and abuse at her in the desperate hope that she'll give up before you have to find out if she's really stronger than you. That is why you're pathetic, Bede. You are the one who is never going to make it in this world, and that is why."
"Stop it!" Hatenna screamed; Medicham was shocked to see tears running down the small Psychic/Fairy-type's face. "Can't you see you're hurting him?"
"Why should I care, Hatenna?" Marcus yelled. "How many people has he hurt in the exact same way? Can you tell me that?"
"You…" Bede jerked his head from side to side, almost snarling as he tried to form words. "I…gah!" With a wordless cry, he recalled Hatenna and fled down the same tunnel Hop and Gloria had disappeared into.
Marcus took a deep breath and looked at Medicham. "Did I go too far?"
"Not in the slightest," Medicham replied. "He deserved that and more."
"I just don't understand Hatenna's reaction," Marcus murmured. "Surely she realized how hypocritical she was being? Either that or she legitimately believed that what I was saying was different than what he says all the time. She really sounded upset…"
"Look at it this way," said Medicham. "We tried being diplomatic. Tried seeing his side of the story. But looking at him now, all I can see is a bully who thinks the strength of his Pokemon means he's better than everyone else. To be honest, I don't even know how someone like him managed to get a sponsorship from Rose."
"Neither do I." Marcus sighed. "We should go after them. Even if this is a theoretically safe place, I still don't want to leave Hop and Gloria on their own."
He began to step forwards, and then stopped. "What is that noise?"
Medicham strained her ears. Indeed, now that Marcus wasn't in motion and making noise, she could hear what sounded like stomping and blaring instruments coming from down the tunnel. Blaring instruments…who would be blasting music this loud inside a…
Oh.
Marcus seemed to make the connection at the same time; abruptly he was running as fast as he could down the tunnel, heedless of any noise he himself he was making. Medicham was desperately hoping her hunch was wrong, but that hope died as Marcus turned a corner and found himself practically face-to-face with half a dozen men and women garbed in the telltale uniforms of Team Yell.
The Grunts were clearly startled, for almost instantly they drew back and released Pokemon. The platoon of Galarian Zigzagoon, Nickit, Purrloin, Sandile, Pancham, and a single Sneasel was nowhere near as intimidating as the Grunts seemed to hope it would be.
But Hop and Gloria might feel differently. Medicham's heart thudded in her chest at the thought. If they get caught up in a fight against Team Yell, they might not fare so well.
Marcus clearly had similar thoughts, for his words were swift and curt as he spoke. "Get out of my way," he growled.
"I don't think so," one of the Grunts shot back. "We've got a right to be here, just the same as you! And if you think that we're just gonna stand aside and let annoying busybodies like you through, then you're dead wrong! No Gym Challengers are getting through unless they can beat us in a battle!"
"Yeah!" The other Grunts blew their instruments and waved their banners excitedly as their Pokemon roared loudly in support.
"Pangoro. Liepard." Two Luxury Balls opened, and the two Dark-types appeared on the cold stone ground in front of Marcus. Medicham couldn't help but feel disappointed that Marcus hadn't sent her out - after Bede she was itching to vent some anger on some unlucky Grunt Pokemon - but she felt a savage sense of excitement as she saw the Grunts and their Pokemon take a collective step back, staring at the two obviously strong Pokemon. Neither Pangoro nor Liepard were known for treating their opponents kindly.
Not going to lie…this'll be fun to watch.
"Hold on," said one of the Grunts. "I don't think this is a Gym Challenger. Isn't this guy that foreign Gym Leader who fought Leon?"
"Oh." Another Grunt swallowed. "We're screwed, aren't we?"
"Yes, you are," said Marcus. "Don't waste time, you two. Take them down fast."
Pangoro grinned, matching Liepard's smirk as their opponents noticeably shivered. "With pleasure."
Toxel didn't know where he was running to. All he knew was that he needed to find a Stunfisk, or something of the like - someone he could beat to prove how strong he really was.
He hoped it was a Stunfisk, though. Gloria had doubted he could handle one. If he did handle one, maybe she'd be impressed enough to ignore that other Trainer's words.
I don't know why you're even bothering to waste your time with a Pokemon as weak as that.
Toxel brushed the wetness from his eyes and continued running. He knew Raboot had said Gloria wouldn't abandon him, but that rational thought was lost in panic. What if she listens to that boy? What if she decides she needs stronger Pokemon to stand up to him? Will she even look my way, or will she just throw me back into the lab without a second thought? I have to prove myself…I have to be stronger-
Toxel burst into a cave and promptly ran facefirst into a thick fleshy cylinder. The Electric/Poison-type bounced off, tumbling to the ground. He lay there for a moment as anger and embarrassment rose to the forefront of his mind; a snarl began to escape his lips as he shot to his feet, ready to fight whoever had gotten in his way.
But the snarl died instantly as he beheld his surroundings. He'd arrived in a cavern with several tunnels branching off in various directions, but most of the area's natural features were being obscured by the seven Trainers dressed in odd-looking pink and black uniforms, all looking down on Toxel with varying unfriendly-looking expressions.
"Hey, guys!" One of the Trainers had a not-nice grin on his face. "Look what we got here! It's a little baby Toxel!"
"Aww, how cute." Another, this one female, tapped two Pokeballs, releasing a Zigzagoon and a Sableye onto the cave floor. "I bet it's one of Rose's. You know how he's been gatherin' up all the Toxel he can find. Dunno what it's doin' in a cave, though."
"Who cares?" a third Trainer queried, releasing a pair of Nickit to join the other two Pokemon. "Let's see how well it can serve Rose when we're done with it." He chuckled darkly as his Nickit began to advance on Toxel.
Toxel took a step back, unable to stop himself from shivering. There was no way he could take on four Pokemon at once, and he harbored no illusions that these Dark-types were going to be merciful. The glint in the Nickit duo's eyes, the sharp-toothed grin on the Zigzagoon's face, and the intimidating flexing of the Sableye's claws told him that much.
"I…I'm not with Rose…" he whimpered, ashamed of how desperate and wheedling his voice sounded as the words left his mouth. "I don't even want to be part of his experiments anymore…"
"Heh." The Zigzagoon scoffed. "'Anymore', he says."
"Former or not," one of the Nickit growled, "a pawn of Rose is a pawn of Rose."
"And we don't take kindly to pawns of Rose." Unexpectedly, the Sableye blurred forwards with a Shadow Sneak; Toxel's reactive Nuzzle came too late, and the Sableye slammed into him hard enough to knock him to the ground. The Nickit pair and the Zigzagoon at once charged, energy gathering across their forms as they raced towards the downed Toxel.
Toxel rolled. "Acid Splash!" he cried, waving his hand at the oncoming Zigzagoon. Caught up in his charge, the Zigzagoon couldn't dodge in time; a screech arose as he staggered backwards, pawing at his face and trying to wipe the Acid off.
But the Nickit pair, clearly propelled by Quick Attacks, were already almost on top of Toxel. "Beat Up!" their Trainer commanded as they reached him; Toxel whirled, trying to rise and counter, but their Dark energy-clad bodies slammed into him before he could get any more attacks off. He was borne to the ground yet again; this time the two Nickit held him down, pummeling him with blow after blow as he struggled beneath the weight of their bodies.
Toxel tapped into Flail and lashed out wildly, clawing at the Nickit on top of him. He managed to catch one in the face, sending it stumbling away; in an instant he twisted and shoved the other away through raw desperate strength. Letting out a furious growl, Toxel finally rose to his feet, readying another Acid-
And then the Sableye teleported behind him and slammed into his back.
This time Toxel's chin hit the stone floor hard enough to daze; Toxel vaguely felt something, or multiple somethings, land on his back, this time pinning his limbs so he couldn't fight back. As his vision cleared, he saw the Zigzagoon stalking towards him, jaws open wide, spittle dripping from its teeth. "That hurt," the Dark/Normal-type snarled. "Just means I'm gonna enjoy ripping your face to shreds even more-"
"Goal Kick!" "Power Talons!"
A blast of Fire energy slammed into the Zigzagoon, knocking it to the floor. At the same time, Corvisquire streaked in from above, driving a vicious Rock Smash into the Nickit on top of Toxel. Toxel wasted no time in wrenching himself to the side; the Sableye couldn't hold him on its own, and was left grasping at empty air as Toxel rolled to his feet.
"Acid Spray!" Toxel cried; the Sableye screamed as the Acid blasted him backwards. Before it could recover, Bunnelby sent a Mud Shot his way, sending the Dark/Ghost-type tumbling to the ground. Toxel scrambled over to the gathered forces of Hop and Gloria's teams, who were standing in front of their just-arrived Trainers, forming a solid line between them and the enemy Trainers.
"Leave my Toxel alone," Gloria ordered.
One of the enemy Trainers spat in retort. "Stupid Gym Challengers don't get to tell us what to do! We're Team Yell, and if you wanna mess with us, then you're gonna get exactly what you deserve! Get them!"
All of the Trainers threw out multiple Pokemon; joining the Nickit duo, the Zigzagoon, and the Sableye were a dozen other Dark-types of varying sorts, all looking just as fearsome as their allies. Toxel swallowed. Oh, Arceus. I've just gotten my teammates into a battle with Team Yell. And now we're outnumbered more than two to one, and they've made it clear they'll hurt me and my teammates if we lose.
This is my fault. But I'm not going to give up. Toxel glanced around at his allies; to his profound relief none of them were glaring at him, instead focusing entirely on Team Yell. He turned back towards the enemy gang of Dark-types. I got us into this mess...you can bet I'm gonna help get us out of it.
"Attack!" Gloria ordered, and her and Hop's combined teams charged the onrushing Team Yell horde with a mingled battle cry.
Toxel's eyes were locked on the Sableye - despite having taken both his Acid and Bunnelby's Mud Shot, it was still going strong, its gemstone-shaped eyes glowing in the darkness of the cave as it rushed towards Toxel with claws outstretched. Toxel knew exactly what its plan was, and allowed Electric energy to surge up to his own claws, tensing his body in preparation as Sableye charged. Sableye's body erupted in Ghost energy as he suddenly used Shadow Sneak, teleporting right behind Toxel-
-and straight into Toxel's Nuzzle.
You can only use the same strategy so many times before I get wise. Toxel smirked as Sableye recoiled, paralysis stiffening his body. Toxel wasted no time in flinging an Acid Spray at the stumbling Dark/Ghost-type, knocking him to the ground; then a Purrloin jumped on him from behind and Toxel was forced to turn his attention to the rest of the battle.
His allies were already ensnared in the fighting; as he fought to throw the screeching, clawing Purrloin off him, Toxel saw Thwackey walloping a Sandile hard enough to send it flying, Wooloo blasting a Zigzagoon with a Double Kick from his hind legs before flinging himself forwards into a Nickit, Corvisquire dueling in the air with a pair of Vullaby, and Raboot and Bunnelby fighting back-to-back against the horde, lashing out with alternating blasts of energy and swift strikes that kept the encroaching Dark-types at bay. Even Applin was helping, throwing herself at a Pancham with a diving tackle that sent both of them tumbling to the floor.
Gritting his teeth, Toxel hurled himself backwards, slamming the Purrloin into the wall behind him as hard as he could. The Purrloin wailed in pain, its grip relaxing; Toxel tore himself away, trying to ignore the tearing of the Purrloin's claws as he ripped himself out of the Dark-type's grasp, and twisted to deliver a pair of punches that left the Purrloin slumped against the wall, stunned if not outright beaten.
Toxel turned back towards the fighting; no other Dark-types were coming towards him, so he quickly grabbed his Oran Berry and popped it in his mouth. He felt its healing juices go to work instantly, dulling the pain of his wounds and filling him with renewed energy, but more to the point, he felt Poison energy surging within him as the energy of the berry brought his strongest attack online.
Toxel opened his mouth. "Acid Burst."
The nearest Dark-type - an unlucky Nickit - had no time to react before a massive wave of Poison energy slammed into it, sending the Nickit soaring across the cave. Its body hit the opposite wall and fell to the ground, clearly unconscious. Toxel saw one of the Vullaby arcing towards him, clearly hoping to prevent any more powerful Belches, but before it could reach him a shriek of "Power Beak!" heralded Corvisquire's intervention. The Flying-type rammed straight into the Vullaby, knocking it off course; a nasty crack sounded as the Vullaby, unable to course-correct in time, flew straight into the ground and knocked itself unconscious.
Corvisquire landed next to Toxel. "Not bad," the Flying-type admitted. "How many more of those have you got in you?"
For the first time today, Toxel felt his mouth twist into a smile as he surveyed the scene before him. "Plenty," he growled, and flung himself into the battle.
His second Belch sent a Sandile staggering, its type resistance practically useless in the face of the overwhelming power of the attack. Applin leaped on the stumbling Dark/Ground-type, bearing it to the floor; Toxel twisted and flung a third Belch into an oncoming Pancham, hurling it back the way it had come. Around him, the rest of Hop and Gloria's teams rallied; Thwackey and Raboot flung themselves side by side at the bulk of the enemy group, lashing out with Grass and Fire energy-infused strikes that sent a Zigzagoon and a Purrloin tumbling away.
A shout sounded from beside Toxel; a second later he felt something cannon into him from the side, sending him tumbling to the floor as well. Twisting, he beheld the Sableye bearing down on him with gemstone eyes shining and claws extended. What is it going to take to bring this thing down?
The Sableye glared at Toxel as it lunged for him. "You're going to pay for-"
"Magic Bounce: Telekinetic Wave!"
The Sableye was picked up in midair and tossed away like a broken Pokeball, his claws waving wildly as he sailed over the downed Toxel. Toxel raised his head; despite the rescue, his lip curled as he saw Bede, his Hatenna at his side, releasing a Solosis, Gothita, and Ponyta onto the ground. The three Psychic-types at once flung themselves into the fray; Hatenna scurried over to Toxel, reaching out a hand. "Are you all right?"
Toxel slapped her hand away and rose to his feet. "I don't need your help."
Hatenna sighed. "For the record, I don't agree with my Trainer's words. You're far from weak. In fact, I daresay you're one of the stronger Pokemon I've seen on another Gym Challenger's team so far."
"Well…" Toxel had not expected that. "Um…thanks?"
"Come on," said Hatenna. "Let's finish these jerks off."
There wasn't all that much finishing off to be done; Bede's arrival had taken away what little fight the Team Yell Grunts had left, and before Toxel and Hatenna could even leap into battle, a yell of "Run!" arose from one of the Grunts' throats. In the next moment the Grunts had recalled what few Pokemon of theirs were still fighting and turned tail, sprinting down a tunnel on the left of the cavern and disappearing from sight in an instant.
"Is everyone all right?" Gloria asked. Toxel murmured his affirmation; similar statements arose from his and Hop's teammates.
"Bede?" Hop exclaimed, having just noticed the Psychic-type Trainer. "What're you doing here?"
"Saving you," Bede replied. "You obviously needed my assistance."
"We really didn't," Gloria pointed out, clearly still angry about Bede's earlier words. She wasn't alone; Toxel saw everyone on Hop and Gloria's teams glaring at Bede and his Pokemon, and Raboot even pointedly took a step between Toxel and Hatenna, forcing the Psychic/Fairy-type to back away from Toxel. Toxel opened his mouth to defend Hatenna, then closed it again; despite her kind words, he wasn't ready to vouch for her just yet.
"Where's Marcus?" Hop asked.
"Don't know, don't care." Bede's complexion noticeably darkened. "If you're done here, then I'm leaving."
"Yeah, them! They're the ones that beat us up!"
Toxel tried not to roll his eyes as another group of Team Yell Grunts emerged from the same tunnel, led by one of the Grunts who they'd just chased off. Hop wasn't nearly as subtle. "Oh, come on! How many of you Team Yell Grunts are in these mines?"
The lead Grunt glared at them. "Enough to teach punks like you a lesson! No one messes with Team Yell and gets away with it!"
Bede, Hop, and Gloria's teams tensed as the new arrivals sent out fully twenty Dark-types, their animosity towards one another forgotten in the face of the new threat. Toxel readied another Belch within his throat, fixing his eyes on another Sableye that the Grunts had sent out. That's my first target…with any luck I can take that thing down before it causes any problems for my teammates…
But before any orders could be given, before the two opposing lines of Pokemon threw themselves at one another, a new voice, sharp and confident, filled the cavern. "Go, Centiskorch!"
A hiss sounded from the same direction. "White Smoke: White Out!"
A vaguely red-tinted cloud of white-colored smoke erupted into the cavern from an entirely different entrance. Before any of the Team Yell Grunts or Pokemon could react, several tendrils burst out from the smoke cloud, each one wrapping around a different Pokemon. Half a dozen of the Team Yell Pokemon were suddenly lifted off the ground, flailing uselessly as the smoke coiled around them. From the smoke cloud emerged another tendril; it took Raboot a moment to realize that this was in fact a head, a flat, serpentine head flickering with flames yet still made entirely of smoke, its vaporous eyes glaring at the remaining Team Yell members.
"White Smoke," Centiskorch hissed. "Searing Smog."
The smoky tentacles grasping the Team Yell Pokemon glowed red, and a horrific hissing sound filled the cavern as the various Dark-types began to shriek in mingled pain. Raboot could smell the telltale scent of burning flesh, and reflexively drew back; so did all of his teammates except Toxel, and even the proud Poison/Electric-type was wrinkling his nose in disgust.
"Enough, Centiskorch."
Centiskorch's smoky tendrils receded, as did the cloud of smoke itself as Centiskorch solidified into the normal flat red-orange body Raboot knew the species normally had. The Team Yell Pokemon all fell to the ground, unconscious, clear Burns flickering across their bodies. From the leftmost cavern entrance emerged an older man with short gray hair that Raboot instantly recognized, if not from his actual features then from the uniform he wore.
"Peaceful protest is one thing, Team Yell," said Kabu, the Fire-type Gym Leader of Motostoke City. "But battling inside the mines is quite another. People and Pokemon could get hurt. And as a Gym Leader of Galar, I can't have that. So you have two choices - either you can recall your Pokemon and leave, or you can help Centiskorch with his training. What do you say?"
The Grunts looked at one another, looked at the group of Pokemon that had been so easily overcome by Kabu's Centiskorch, and collectively seemed to decide that avenging their friends was no longer worth it. "Let's get out of here!" one Grunt yelled; the group of Grunts swiftly recalled their Pokemon, both conscious and unconscious, and fled back down the tunnel.
"Gym Leader Kabu!" Hop grinned. "Thanks for the save!"
"No problem," said Kabu. "A girl told me that a large group of Team Yell Grunts were heading into the mine, and I came as fast as I could - here, I brought some Potions and PP-Ups if anybody wants them."
"I'm sure our Pokemon will be happy about that," said Gloria, glancing around. "Wait, where's Bede?"
Toxel frowned; indeed, Bede, Hatenna, and all of Bede's other Pokemon had disappeared as well. Toxel only wasted a moment wondering where they'd gone before pushing them out of his mind. He was far more concerned with getting his hands on those Potions.
As Gloria and Hop's Pokemon lined up to be sprayed, the sound of rushing footsteps heralded Marcus's arrival. "Oh, Arceus, is everyone okay? I'm so sorry - I got caught up with a bunch of Grunts and couldn't get past them - is anyone hurt?"
Toxel didn't know why - maybe it was just the sheer abruptness and lateness of Marcus's arrival - but he was quite surprised to see both Gloria and Hop instantly collapse in shaking, tension-relieving laughter.
"This is truly a shameful state of affairs," Kabu murmured as the group finally exited the mine and began walking through the short patch of grassy land between the caves and Motostoke. "It feels as if Team Yell is becoming more and more brazen every day. I consider it a minor miracle that none of your Pokemon were too badly injured."
Raboot was certainly relieved at that, even if he had been just as surprised; the fighting had been ferocious enough that he'd been sure at least a few of Hop and Gloria's Pokemon would need a Pokemon Center. But Kabu's Potions and PP-Ups had been enough; even Toxel had come out of the battle without any serious injuries, though that had at least partially been thanks to his Oran Berry. Thank Arceus Gloria remembered to save him one from this morning's breakfast.
"It is rather odd, though," Kabu continued. "From what I've heard, Team Yell doesn't generally assault Pokemon like that. I hate to ask this, but did your Toxel provoke them in any way?"
"He said he didn't," said Gloria. "And I believe him."
"How - ah, right, your Medicham," Kabu said, glancing over to Marcus. "Psychic translation is not my forte, but I can understand its usefulness. Of course, I am more interested in your Houndoom - Milo mentioned that you battled him?"
"Indeed I did," said Marcus. "I was hoping you'd be willing to do the same."
"I would be honored." Kabu smiled. "I do hope I am up to the challenge - after all, I shall be facing him again if we meet in the International League." He looked back towards Gloria and Hop. "Not that I am forgetting about your battles, of course. I am often considered the first real roadblock of the Gym Challenge, but if you were capable of handling Team Yell so well, I'm sure you'll be up to the task."
"Thank you, Gym Leader Kabu!" said Hop. "I can't wait to show you how strong I am!"
"You might want to catch another Pokemon first, Hop," Gloria pointed out. "I know from our battles that Thwackey and Wooloo don't hold up too well against Fire-types."
"That's fair," Hop murmured. "Actually, you know what? I'm gonna head into the Wild Area once we get to Motostoke - there's a big lake right next to the Motostoke entrance that'll be perfect to catch a good Water-type!"
Kabu chuckled. "Just make sure you train it up first. I expect more from our Champion's younger brother than to bring a fresh catch into a Gym Battle."
"I won't disappoint," Hop promised seriously.
"And how about you, young Gloria?" Kabu asked. "Do you intend to challenge me soon?"
"Tomorrow," Gloria promised. "And I don't intend on disappointing either!"
"I will look forward to it," said Kabu. "Ah, it seems we have arrived!"
Indeed, the grassy path had given way to stone as the group passed into the streets of Motostoke. "Welcome back to Motostoke," Kabu continued. "I apologize for your journey being so fraught, but I do hope it doesn't impact our upcoming battles. Now, if you'll excuse me, I should be getting back to my Gym - there will likely be Gym Challengers waiting for me." Whirling, he set off at a jog towards Motostoke Stadium, leaving Marcus, Hop, and Gloria standing in the street.
"So, Hop," said Marcus, "you're headed to the Wild Area?"
"You bet I am!" Hop agreed.
"What about you, Gloria?" Marcus asked.
"I'm…probably just going to the hotel," said Gloria. "I should talk with my Toxel about…y'know…what happened back there."
"Fair enough," said Marcus. "Go right ahead. I'm going to do some shopping. Buy some more medical stuff, see if I can't find a Teleport TM for Cloyster, that sort of thing."
So it was that the three split up. Hop headed straight for the gate, Marcus disappeared deeper into the city, and Goria was left to make her way to the hotel. Raboot hoped Gloria's conversation with Toxel wouldn't be too tense; even if he'd come out of the battle healthy, he was looking forward to some rest after all that chaos.
Unfortunately, the instant Gloria stepped into the lobby of the Budew Drop Inn, it was clear that rest would not be coming anytime soon.
"Oh, you are kidding me," Gloria huffed as the four Team Yell Grunts standing around the lobby turned their gazes towards her. "I don't have time for this…"
"Apparently you've got plenty of time to beat up our friends!" one of the Grunts called as the four advanced on her. "You think we're just gonna let you get away with messing with Team Yell?"
"Your friends attacked my Toxel!" Gloria protested. "Come on! I don't even want to fight any of you!"
"Well, that's just too bad," another Grunt retorted, "because we're pretty interested in fighting you. Now get your Pokemon out here, unless-"
"What's goin' on here?"
"Marnie!" Gloria raised her hand; even with the name, it took Raboot a moment to recognize the dark-haired girl who had just come into view atop the stairs to the main part of the lobby. "How's it going? I haven't seen you since…the opening ceremony, right?"
"Right." Marnie stepped quickly down the stairs, her Morpeko scurrying at her side. Her eyes were locked on the four Team Yell Grunts surrounding Gloria, a Pokeball clenched tightly in her hand.
"Guess reintroductions should come later, right?" Gloria chuckled. "Can you help me take care of these guys?"
Marnie's next words were not a response to Gloria's, but a command. "You four! Give her some space! Can't you see you're makin' her nervous?"
"But M-M-Miss Marnie…"
"Don't 'Miss Marnie' me!" Marnie snapped. "You heard me - quit loomin' like a pack of hungry Obstagoon, and back off!"
The Grunts obediently scrambled backwards, leaving Gloria standing where she was, staring with shocked eyes at Marnie. The dark-haired girl let out an irritated sigh. "Well, guess there ain't much use beatin' 'round the bush now, is there?"
"You…" Gloria stammered out. "You…you're…part of them?"
"More than that," Marnie muttered. "They're sorta my…fan club."
"Your fan club," said Gloria, "assaulted my Toxel earlier today."
"And I'm sorry 'bout that," Marnie said quickly. "Really, I am! I didn't want any of that to happen when…" She shook her head. "I know you probably don't think real highly of me right now. But…forget them, okay?" She gestured towards the Team Yell Grunts. "All I want right now is a battle. A fair battle. No gangin' up on anybody, no cheatin' in any way, just a nice, clean battle between rivals."
"And if I say no?" Gloria asked.
Marnie shrugged. "Then my Pokemon are gonna be pretty disappointed. They've been lookin' forward to a match with you."
Gloria hesitated. Raboot could tell the simplicity of the answer was getting to her. He knew she hated Team Yell, and so did he, but unlike the Grunts in the mine, Marnie didn't seem like a bad person. Just a fellow Gym Challenger wanting a battle.
And so Raboot, despite his continued anger towards Team Yell, was unsurprised when Gloria finally nodded. "You're on. Four-on-four?"
"Wicked," said Marnie. "Glad you've got some fight in you after all. Now let's see what you've got!"