My Name is Marcus: Dark Times

III. Thinking Like a Champion

"Well this is all news to me", Leon began in a dire tone, having just been informed of the situation. "Guess the League was trying to keep me out of the loop as well."

Very rarely did the sounds of battle fall silent from the top floor of the Battle Tower. Tonight, however, it remained vacant, reserved for this meeting between two champions - the current and his predecessor. Marcus was incredibly grateful to Leon for having made time for him on such short notice. The former champion was happy to help in any way he could - even while engrossed in his duties running the Battle Tower, he still felt obliged to protect Galar from any and all tyranny.

"I'm just at a loss on how to go forward", Marcus explained. "We tried going through all of the proper channels and all, and we got completely shut down... it's like they weren't even listening to us, they were all just wrapped up in another dynamax cash-grab they can profit off of."

Leon nodded, his thumb and index finger in the shape of an L as he supported his chin between the two. "So why is that a problem for you, Marcus?", he finally asked.

Marcus paused. "W-what do you mean?"

"Do you have a problem with dynamaxing?" Leon pressed.

"What!?", Marcus shouted, taken aback. "No, Leon, you know me, that's not what this is about!"

"Then what is it about?"

"You know what this is about!"

"But do you know what it's about, Marcus?"

Marcus threw his hands up in the air in frustration. He was sick of being talked in circles today. "What are you getting at, Leon?"

Leon smiled. "Marcus", he began, "if my time as champion taught me anything, it's that sometimes the answers are a little more clear-cut than we might often think." He walked towards the glass and proceeded to stare out into the world below. "Trying to go through the proper channels seems like the right way to go at first, but when you start to see that those channels are designed to prevent the kind of change you're looking to make, it stops feeling... well, proper." He opened his golden eyes, a serious expression overtaking him. "When Chairman Rose sought to resurrect the Darkest Day, I knew something had to be done to stop him. I thought I could talk to him, thought I could convince him. I thought I could use my leverage as the champion to sway his decision... I thought I could do it through the proper channels..." He paused and turned around. "...Well, we all know how that went", he said with a half-smile.

Marcus stood as he tried to process all of this. "...I think I'm starting to understand?"

Leon returned his sights back to the outside. "The proper channels, the etiquette for protest", he continued, "a lot of that was made for the purpose of obstructing protest and preventing change. Sometimes, if you really want to make a difference, you have to go outside of what might be considered acceptable."

Marcus stared at Leon. "You... you're not insinuating that I take my Pokemon and throw hands with Macro Cosmos, are you?"

Leon laughed. "No, nothing that extreme", he replied. "This is a delicate and nuanced situation. Despite our personal dealings with the chairmen thus far, Macro Cosmos is a very reputable company that provides energy, resources, and employment to people and Pokemon all across Galar. Think about how much panic and anger would arise from the people of Galar if everything that Macro Cosmos provided them suddenly disappeared. No, I can say with certainty that declaring war against them isn't the best solution. Think outside of the box, Marcus, don't destroy it."

"So... what do you suggest?"

"Well, think back to everything I was asking you earlier", Leon replied. "If you can get to the root of the issue, then you'll find the root to the solution. The two tend to be much more closely related than we usually realize."