“Are you Piers?”

Piers raised his head at the sound of her voice.  He had heard the scuff of boots walking up and breaking the deafening silence that he’d been faced with; he figured it was one of his trainers.  But he had never heard that voice.  He’d never even heard that accent.  When he looked to the center of the make-shift arena, he realized he’d never seen this person before either.  Who the bleeding hell was this?

“Yeah.”  He stepped off the stage.  “Who’re you?”

“A gym challenger.”

“A challenger?” Piers didn’t believe his ears.  He’d almost thought they pushed Spikemuth to the Minor League without telling him. It’d been a while since someone came to challenge him.

“What?  Am I after hours or something?” she asked, cocking her hip.  “Need me to come back in the morning?”

“Nah,” Piers shook his head.  “Just… haven’t been many of them lately…  Well, an’ most of ‘em are a tad younger.”

“Sorry to disappoint.”

“Can’t say I’m disappointed,” the gym leader said.  He didn’t know who this was at all.  Maybe if he didn’t skip out on the opening ceremony, he’d have a better idea.  Sure, she had on her challenger uniform, but she didn’t look the part.  She couldn’t have been from Galar.  And she was definitely not some 11-year-old.  

Piers took a few steps, closing the distance between the two of them.  He wouldn’t necessarily call himself tall, and yet he towered over her. With him right in front of her like this, she had to lift her head to meet his eyes… Oh God, those eyes. Probably best described as deep emerald, they sent a chill down his spine as he looked down into them.  They were dazzling against her skin.  Fair was a good word for it.  She was pale, but not pasty like him.  Those dark scarlet curls were a beautiful contrast to her complexion.  This was the kind of girl people wrote songs about.  Though now wasn’t the time to dwell on that.  She was here for a reason.

“Fair warnin’, this is a simple gym,” Piers told her before she got her hopes up.  “No dynamaxin’ here.”

“Oh, finally someone in this region who doesn’t have to resort to that,” the challenger said. Her arms folded in front of her chest. “Made it this far without it, and I’ll make it to the end without it too.”

“That so?” Piers raised a brow.  He had to admit, he was looking forward to a battle with another traditional trainer. This feisty spirit seemed promising. “Well then, this match might be even more interestin’ than I thought.”

“It better be.  Feel like I’ve just been stealing these badges like candy from babies.”

This girl… (Lady, rather… She had to be at least his age…)  She was cocky without being arrogant.  The confidence she exuded excited him.  Could she a bit of a punk too?  She had to be.  Piers could smell his own.  It wasn’t too hard to tell, despite her current outfit.  That dark eye makeup and nose-ring told him all he needed to know. Those boots of hers weren’t league standard either, but he wasn’t one to tattle.  This was going to be a match that made the wait worth it.

“Don’ worry…”  Piers took a step back and grabbed a pokéball from his belt.  “I’ll make ya work for it, love.”

“That’s just what I want to hear.”

As Piers sent out his Scrafty, her first Pokémon was a Golisopod.  Bug type, huh?  She must have known her stuff.  Too bad Piers knew his too.  Golisopods liked to give a helluva First Impression, but hers wouldn’t get the chance.

The two trainers call their first moves.

“Fake out!”

“First impression!”

Just as he predicted. Thanks to the Fake Out, that Golisopod of hers flinched and was unable to attack.  Now that powerful move would be rendered useless.  Who knew what else it had?  It wouldn’t be smart to use a dark move, not against this bug.  He didn’t know how strong this Golisopod of hers was yet, but he knew if he could just knock its health in half, it’d force her to switch.

“Hit ‘em with a Brick Break.”

“Alright Quesalupa,” she said.  “Leech life.”

The Golisopod was just a bit faster than his Scrafty.  That move was super effective, and critical enough to wipe out his Pokémon’s HP and restore some to the bug.  Piers was impressed.  It had to be pretty bloody powerful to clean him out with that move.

“I thought you were going to make me work for it?” she taunted as Scrafty went back into its ball.

“Don’ worry,” Piers said. “My next one will make ya sweat.  Wanna switch partners?”

“I think Quesalupa’s good. Let’s get on with it.”

“Don’ say I didn’ warn ya.” He tossed the pokéball and Skuntank appeared.  “Skuntank. Let’s get toxic!”

“Leech the life outta ‘em!”

Piers needed to chip away at Golisopod.  A lasting effect like poison should do the trick.  Even if his Skuntank got wiped out, the aftermath wouldn’t be pretty.

Skuntank was quick to poison the bug, only to be wiped out by that damn Leech Life again.  That was fine by Piers, because his plan worked like a charm.  His Pokémon’s ability caused a nasty bit of damage.

“Is that your defeat I’m beginning to smell, or is it just your Skuntank?” she laughed.

“Oi, don’ get too cheeky, love.  I’m just gettin’ started,” he said.  “Malamar, let’s do this.”

“C’mon, Quesalupa, you did well,” she called back her Golisopod.  “Let’s let Oni handle it from here.”

The challenger’s next Pokémon emerged from its ball the same time Malamar did.

A Grimmsnarl.  His sis had one too, so he knew what they were capable of.  This one looked different from Marnie’s though.  Why was it white?  Either way, the cute little hop it did wasn’t lost on him.  Come to think of it, her Golisopod did the same thing.  They must have had a lot of love for her.  He could respect that.  He felt better knowing she’d likely treat them right after a hard loss.

“Oni!  Show this punk we like to Play Rough!”

The Grimmsnarl jumped into action.

“Malamar,” Piers said. “Psycho cut!”

It was no good.  Her Pokémon had the type advantage and speed on its side.  Malamar was down in one go.  This would be embarrassing if it wasn’t so incredible.  He couldn’t believe how quickly she was taking his team out.

“I’ll admit, you’re givin’ me quite a show,” he said as he called Malamar back.  Piers was actually in awe at how strong she was… He didn’t say it lightly, but this girl had a damn good chance at the willing the championship.  However, she’d still have to get through his Obstagoon.  “Good thing I saved the best for last.”

With that, he called out his pride and joy.  The Obstagoon gave a shout as it made its grand entrance.

“Oni, just Play Rough with him too!”

“Obstagoon, Obstruct.”

Obstagoon blocked the Grimmsnarl’s attack.  

“Nicely done, mate. Now, throat chop!”

She stamped her foot and pointed.  “Sucker punch!”

The Grimmsnarl landed a hit on his Obstagoon first, who hit it right back.  Dark on dark wasn’t enough to KO either of them, but at least both of them got a hit in.

“Draining kiss!” she yelled.

“Obstruct!”

Grimmsnarl’s attack was yet again halted by Obstagoon.  Piers snickered as the challenger groaned.

“Throat chop!” they managed to yell in unison.

Both trainers froze, catching each other’s eyes as their Pokémon carried out the same move.  Piers couldn’t help but smile himself upon noticing how wide her own grin had gotten.  This was the most fun he’d had in ages.  He hoped she was enjoying herself too.

“Let’s counter.”

“Play rough!”

Piers winced.  That special, super effective move was all it took for her Grimmsnarl to end the match.  It was no doubt she out-ranked him.  If two of her Pokémon were that powerful, he’d hate to see the rest of her team.  

Accepting defeat, he called back his Obstagoon.  It was a shame that it was over so quick, but he was glad it happened at all.

“Bloody hell,” laughed Piers, smoothing back the hair that escaped his ponytail as he walked to the center to meet her.  “Where’d ya learn to battle like that?  Not in Galar, for sure.”

“I’ve been to a few regions.”

Piers waited as she patted her Grimmsnarl, handed him a berry, and gave him a kiss on the cheek before returning him to his ball.  He found himself having to avert his eyes.  Dare he say he felt a little jealous of the creature?

“Well,” he said once her attention was back on him.  “Believe ya earned this.”

Piers reached into his pocket and pulled out the dark badge.  He placed it in her palm, admittedly letting his fingers linger a little longer than necessary.  It was just that her hands were so warm, heating him up despite his gloves.  It wasn’t entirely his fault; she had every chance to pull away too.

“Thanks,” she said, flashing him a smile.  “We’ll uh… have to do it again sometime.”

“Yeah…”  Thank goodness he was flushed from such a heated battle, or else he’d have to worry about fighting the blush that was attempting to creep its way onto his cheeks.  “I’ll be here.”

That bashful nod she gave felt a bit out of character compared to what he had seen up to that point. Without another word, she turned on her heel.  Piers was so distracted watching her walk away that he barely realized he wasn’t finished with her.

“Oi!” Piers called out. “Wait!”

The lady looked back over her shoulder.

“Wait…” he said again, softer this time.  “Don’ believe I got your name, love…”

“Oh…” she giggled.  “Guess not… It’s Annais.”

“Annais…” Piers repeated. He swore there was a trace of a smile on her lips when he spoke her name.  “You’re good, Annais.  Really good. Gotta warn my little sister to keep an’ eye out for ya.”

Annais turned around. “Your sister?”

“Yeah,” Piers said. “She’s one a’ the challengers too. Name’s Marnie, if ya happen to run into ‘er.”

“Marnie, huh?” Annais tucked a curl behind her ear.  “Well, if she’s half as good as you, I’ll need to keep an eye out myself.”

“Better’n me for sure.” Piers chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.  He found himself realizing he didn’t want to rid himself of her just yet.  His eyes scanned the gym, and settled on the little booth by the fence.  “Hey, don’ happen to want a gym uniform, d’ya?  I think leaders still give ‘em out… Least they did a few years back. Either way, got so many, thinkin’ about sellin’ ‘em at my shows.”

“Yeah, sure,” she said. “I’ll take one.  I’ve got a quite collection of them now, but honestly…” She gestured to him.  “These colors are more my speed.”

“Kinda figured they would be.”

Piers began to walk over to the booth, and she tagged along behind him.

“Heard they run a little small,” he said, lifting the box up onto the table for her.  “Some of the trainers around here act like they’re crop tops instead.  I mean, I do have crop tops in there too, if that’s your thing.  My sis thought they were cute.”

“Oh wow,” said Annais with a laugh.  “Yeah, nobody needs to see all that, not from me at least.  I’ll take a whole tank if I can find one.”

Piers nodded as she dug around in the box.  He wouldn’t dare to admit, but a tank may be a better idea in her case.  Not that she had a body worth hiding… In fact, he couldn’t help but notice her chest.  It was quite… prominent.  The little crop tops in there might not hold those back.  The thought that he wouldn’t mind seeing her try one slowly crept to the forefront of his mind and he had to wrangle it back.

“This one seems big enough,” she said.  “Are you gonna sign it for me too?”

A laugh rose from Piers and he wagged his finger.  “Y’know, you’re a cheeky one.”

She picked a marker up off the booth and waved it in front of him.

“Sooo, is that a yes, or no?”

“’Course.”  He took the shirt and the marker while shaking his head.  “Any requests?”

Annais thought for a second, then giggled.  “Yeah, how about ‘To the Champion…’”

“Awfully confident, aren’t we?” he said.

“Fake it ‘til you make it.”

He flattened the shirt onto the table and popped the cap off the marker.

“Well, all that’s left is Raihan,” he said, leaning over and scribbling onto the shirt.  “Somethin’ tells me ya won’t break a sweat with him.”

“He’s dragon, right?”

“Likes to think he is,” joked Piers.  He straightened up and handed the tank top back to her.  “Here ya are.”

Annais held it up to see what he wrote.

“‘To the Champion, Love Piers,’” she read aloud.  Piers’s ears burned as she said it.  Maybe it was a little bold of him, but her assurance had already managed to rub off on him.  “Cute skull, too.  I’ll cherish it forever.”

“I better not find it online,” he warned, earning a hearty laugh from her.

“Of course, not… Thanks again,” said Annais.  She went to stuff her new outfit in her bag.  “I guess I should be going now.”

Piers glanced around. He still didn’t know where his trainers were, but it wasn’t like he was hurting for them.  The gym would be fine if he left it alone.  “’S quiet this evenin’.  I’m kinda bored…  Mind if I walk ya to the edge of town?”

“You sure?” she asked while pulling the zipper shut.  “I almost thought you were getting ready for a concert when I showed up.”

“Nah, not tonight,” he said. “Need to go by the Pokémon Center anyway after that number.  Figured we’re both headed that way.”

“Let’s go then.”

By her side, they left the gym and headed to the streets of his hometown.  

“This your first time in Spikemuth?” he asked out of curiosity.

“Yeah.”

“Ah… Sorry you have to see it like this,” he said.  Piers’s heart ached to see his city in its current state.  “Love the place, but we’re really havin’ a hard time lately.”

She nodded solemnly. “Not many cities have character like this.  Maybe things will pick up again.”

“Maybe…” Piers sighed. “Y’know, if only there were more challengers like you, maybe things wouldn’t have gotten like this.”

“What makes you say that?” she asked.

“Not everyone appreciates a battle without Dynamax.  It’s hard to pull a crowd in Galar these days without it.  An’ it’s hard to keep business without visitors.”

“Ah… Yeah… God, that sucks. I didn’t even realize the correlation.”

“Yeah…”

Piers felt that his sister was Spikemuth’s last resort.  If she could win the Championship, she could put Spikemuth back on the map.  Heaven knew he wasn’t capable of it.  But from what he witnessed this evening, Annais had a chance too.  And Annais claimed she didn’t Dynamax.  If that was true, and if either her or Marnie could best that Leon, maybe things could begin to turn around.

“Hey, Piers…”

“Hm?”

“Do you have a league card?”

“Yeah.”

Piers dug into his pocket for his wallet and retrieved one of his spare cards out of it.  When Annais went to reach for it, he pulled it away and tutted.

“Aht… Not givin’ mine up that easy,” he teased.  “Where’s yours?”

Annais giggled and reached into the front pocket of her bag.  She pulled out a glimmering card and traded with him.

Piers had never seen a league card that looked so good.  Some of the other gym leaders didn’t even have cards as fancy as this.  Not to mention, that was a stunning picture of her.

“You a model?” he asked, admiring her portrait while turning it to let the neon city lights reflect off the lamination.

“What!  Of course not,” exclaimed Annais.  The red of her cheeks began to rival her hair.  “I just paid a good amount for these glamour shots.”

Piers laughed as he flipped the card around.  His eyes skimmed her bio.  One line in particular stuck out to him.  

“… Former gym leader?”

“Yeah,” she said with a heavy sigh.  “Ran a gym back home.  Y’know, I think I only got the endorsement cos they hope they’ll get an electric type gym out of the deal.”

Piers grimaced.  It was no secret Chairman Rose wasn’t pleased with the Spikemuth gym.  Annais said she didn’t Dynamax, but who knew if that would change if she was offered a gym. That man could be very persuasive… And manipulative.

“But like, I don’t do that anymore.  I told them that, but I think they think I’ll change my mind,” she continued, bringing a slight bit of relief to Piers.  “I couldn’t. I’d just be miserable again.  Hell, I don’t even keep but one electric type on me these days.  Restricting yourself to one type sucks the life out of it…  Uh, no offense.”

“None taken,” he said, slipping her card into his wallet for safe keeping.  “Truth be told, I’m tryin’ to get out of this gym business myself.”

“Really?”

Piers nodded.  “It’s not really for me…”  He couldn’t help but sigh.  That was a long story he didn’t want to bore her with, a pity party he didn’t want to invite her to.  “Anyway, I’m curious.  What’s the electric type you have?”

“Oh, I have a Toxtricity that I got when I moved to Galar,” she said.  “Ugh… Back home, I had this gorgeous Zebstrika.  My absolute favorite electric type.  Together we crushed so many kids!  I ended up leaving him with my cousin who replaced me.  I could never lead an electric type gym without him…  And apparently Zebstrika’s aren’t league approved in Galar for some damn reason.  Toxtricity is great though.  I thought I swore off electric types, but he was just the absolute cutest Toxel…  I caved.”

Piers grinned.  “Y’know, I have a soft spot for Toxtricity, too.”

Annais perked up.  “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah,” Piers said.  “I got one myself.  Just can’t use ‘im at the gym, for obvious reasons.  Yours low-key or amped?”

“Low-key,” she said. She giggled to herself.  “Big dopey boy.”

Piers laughed and shook his head.  “Yep.  Mine is too.  They are pretty goofy-lookin’.”

“Oh!  Hey, I think you’re going to get a kick out of this,” she exclaimed, clasping her hands.  “Guess what?”

“What’s that?”

“I also have an Obstagoon on my team.”

“Ah… That so?”  Piers raised a brow.

She nodded enthusiastically. “Yes!  His name’s Nos.  He’s shiny.”

“Shiny?” Piers repeated. “Like his coat?”

“No, no… Shiny like… Like my Grimmsnarl was shiny.  They’re ones that are hatched with different colors.”

“Ah, that’s what they’re called?” he asked.  “I was wonderin’ about that.  Never seen a Grimmsnarl like yours.”

“You’ve never seen an Obstagoon like mine either, I bet.”  She reached into her bag and pulled out her phone.  After a few clicks, she flashed the screen at him, showing him an absolute eye-sore of an Obstagoon.  He couldn’t hold back a laugh.  Somehow, he found it suited her.

“Alright, we’re definitely gonna have to have a rematch at some point,” he said.  It was nice to find a fellow Obstagoon fan, even nicer to realize they had so much in common.  “I gotta see this Obstagoon of yours in action.  What else ya got?”

“You bet.  My team right now is Golisopod, Grimmsnarl, Obstagoon, Toxtricity, Incineroar, and uh… Rapidash,” she said, counting on her fingers.  “I brought my other fairy along just in case I needed to kick your butt.  But usually, I have my Gengar with me.”

“You have an Incineroar?” Piers asked in disbelief.  She hummed affirmatively.  “Now that’s a dark type I’ve always wanted to get my hands on.  I’m impressed.”

“If I ever breed him, I’ll bring you an egg,” she told him.  “Fair warning, I don’t think I’d be able to get him to stay in a nursery though. He’s kinda clingy.  Sometimes I think he forgets he’s not a Litten anymore.”

Piers snorted.  “Sounds like ya spoil ‘im.”

“Guilty,” Annais confessed. “I spoil all my boys.  They’re a rotten bunch.”

“A fearsome bunch from what little I saw.”

“I assure you, that’s just cos you saw so little.  They’re a bunch of big softies,” she said.  She stopped in her tracks.  “Oh… Here’s your stop, I guess.”

“Hm?”

Piers looked up from her. He had gotten so lost in conversation; he didn’t recognize how close they had gotten to the Pokémon Center until they were right in front of it.

“Ah, yeah… Guess so,” said Piers, casting his eyes to the ground.  “You’ll be on your way then, yeah?”

Annais nodding shouldn’t have stung him like it did.

It was shameful how badly he wanted her to stick around.  He was beginning to understand why that Incineroar she mentioned was so clingy. Something about her made it difficult to part.  But he knew better.  He needed to get back to that dead gym and she needed to head on to Hammerlocke.  Just one more stop for her until it was time to for the main event.  As much as it hurt, he wouldn’t keep her from that.

“Thanks again Piers,” she said.  “I’ll be sure to come back for that rematch… After I’m champion, of course.”

“You better.  I look forward to it,” he said.  Despite how melancholy he felt, he couldn’t help but smile. “Good luck out there, Annais.  See ya at the Champion Cup.”

She giggled and waved before continuing on her way.  She may be going, but Piers knew she’d be back.