Cody walked into the mines and found it was purple instead of brown like the last one but it still had those beautiful crystals.
He wandered further to reach the other side of the mine but was stopped by a familiar voice that was straight ahead.
Bede:You again...
Cody saw it was the purple jacket boy from the first mine.
Cody:Oh,didn't see you there,how's it going?
Bede just walks up to him and ignores his politeness.
Bede:None of your concern,thank you very much.Y'know it would be a pity to have my Pokemon face off against low-level trainers like yourself.
The autistic boy puts on a face that says 'Excuse me?'
Bede:I'm not in the mood to deal with weaklings,but I suppose I'll do an act of mercy by crushing you.
Bede stands slanted as he brags on.
Bede:If you're under the misguided impression that you are stronger than me,you must be willing to have a Pokemon battle with me.
Cody just shrugs.
Bede:Alright,it's inconceivable that I will lose again to a child like you!
Before they start the battle Cody says...
Cody:I may be thirteen,but I'm not a child you know.
Bede glares at him.
Bede:Then prove it.
He throws his Great ball releasing his Solosis.
Cody tosses his main girl,Ima,to start.
Bede:Solosis,Psybeam!
The cell shoots a beam at Ima.
Cody:Ima,get rid of it with a water balloon!
She creates a water balloon and throws it at the beam,causing it to explode into mist.
Cody:Pound!
She jumps into the mist and hits Solosis,knocking it out.
Bede:Looks like you've grown a bit,only a little though.
He brings out his Gothia next while Cody brings out Zego.
Bede tells Gothia to use Rock Tomb and buries Zego with rocks but only slows down the little Dark-type.
Cody:Zego,hit it with Payback!
Zego gains purple energy and smacks the Gothia with it,taking it down.
Hatenna comes out next and Zego hits it again,taking it down.
Bede finally seems impressed with Cody's skill.
Bede:Excellent! Not everyone can corner my team like this!
He then sends out a small Pokemon that looks like a baby Unicorn,called Ponyta,a Galarian version of the usual fire horse.
Cody can smell the danger from it so he sends back Zego and brings out Zolta instead.
Ponyta uses a Confusion on the Poison-type and even though it was super-effective,Zolta took it well.
Cody:Zolta,Acid Spray!
She fires a Poison blob at it but leaves only at low energy.
Bede:Nice try. Ponyta,Psybeam!
It fires a pink beam at her but Cody reacts.
Cody:Dodge!
She does so by leaning to the side causing the beam to hit a wall.
She then ends the fight with a Thunder Shock.
Bede:I only let you win since you showed a little effort.
Cody knew he was in denial.
Bede:It seems I must take back my words.You aren't weak,it's just that you lack talent.
Bede:Even with your maneuvers you presented to me,your chances of winning this Challenge is ten to one.
Cody*Han Solo Voice*:Don't tell me the odds.
Bede:But since you humored me,I'll give you a little gift from me.
He handed Cody a League Card of himself.
Cody:Why,thank you. I knew you weren't that bad,Bede.
Bede:It's a small parting gift,think nothing of it.
He then walks away into the mine while Zolta walks over to Cody with her arms crossed.
Cody:Now that I have his League Card maybe I can find out why he acts like he does.
So he reads the text on the card and is shocked by it.
"Bede spent some time living in an orphanage after his family ran into some trouble when he was young. He always had difficulty getting along with others and would constantly get into fights. That is until one day Chairman Rose visited the facility. Rose gave Bede a Pokémon, which changed Bede's life forever. He showed talent as a Trainer and threw himself into Pokémon battles, becoming stronger by the day. He has joined the Gym Challenge with an endorsement from the chairman himself, and Bede plans to prove that the chairman's faith was not misplaced."
Cody stared at the card.
He couldn't believe that Bede had used to be an Orphan as a kid,it must have been difficult for him to be in that position since he didn't have any friends.
Cody looks toward Zolta who looks at the card then looks at him.
They only look at each other silently before nodding and start walking to find the exit.
After walking around they reach the end of the cave to find Hop and the Gym leader of Motostoke.
His name was Kabu and he was a middle-aged man with fair skin and gray hair,he had black eyes and wore a red gym outfit with a cool logo on the front in the shape of a Centiskcorch and the numbers '187' on the back.
He also had a red and white towel around his neck.
By the looks of it he had just finished handling some Team Yell grunts.
Kabu:Thank you for helping me with my training,Team Yell.But I must say...it's unforgivable to get in this Carkol's way when it's hard at work!
The Carkol stood next to him looking angry at the grunts.
Yell Grunt:We weren't getting in it's way!
Yell Grunt 2:Yeah! We were just cheering it on!
Yell Grunt:But still,you gave a number in that Pokemon battle...so it's time for us to scamper.
They then run out of the cave.
Kabu:*Sighs*Cheering is one thing,but one shouldn't get in the way of honest work!
Hop comes up from behind.
Hop:Wow,no wonder he's the Fire-type Gym leader!
Cody:I may not have seen him but that Pokemon battle must have left those two with a bad burn on them.
He then turns to them.
Kabu:You two must be the Trainers endorsed by Leon. I believe your names were Hop and Cody,am I right?
Cody and Hop nod.
Kabu:Greetings,I was just doing some last minute training so I could give you both the perfect match against me.
Cody:Well. It seems like you got that down packed.
Kabu nods.
Kabu:The Pokemon of the second Galar Mine really gives me a challenge so I come here often.
Kabu:But it seems it's getting late so just head straight to reach Motostoke.
Kabu:Get a good rest to be in top condition when you face me. Come along,Carkol.
He and the Carkol head off to the exit.
Hop:I remember Lee saying that a lot of Gym Trainers gave up because of Kabu beating them.
Cody:Looks like we got ourselves a real blockade then.But we'll just have to overcome this challenge then!
Hop:Yep!Come on!
They both run out of the cave to enter the Motostoke Outskirts.
Hop turns to Cody.
Hop:That Carkol must have been on a Pokejob for someone.
Cody looks at him with a curious expression.
Hop:Ok.Poke Jobs are little jobs that your Pokemon can do,it's pretty self-explanatory.
Cody nods.
Hop:Well,I'm off to get some sleep for the Gym Battle. See you at the Inn!
Hop shouts as he runs off.
Cody was about to walk off when he heard a noise and Zolta got on the defensive side as something came from the grass.
The thing that came out was a Pokemon that looked like a frog with yellow eyes and a blue body and chest markings that looked like bandages along with a constant smile on its face.
Cody took the time to scan it before it was able to do something.
Croagunk The Toxic Mouth Pokemon Gender:Female Ability:Poison Touch
"It makes frightening noises with its poison-filled cheek sacs. When opponents flinch, Croagunk hits them with a poison jab."
The autistic trainer looked at the poison frog with unsteadiness while the Pokemon just looked at him.
Zolta was ready to fight it if it tried to attack.
But the frog just approaches slowly as if being curious and eerily playful.
Cody backs up but then trips on a rock and falls down,causing a Great ball to come out of his bag and roll towards the frog.
The Croagunk picks it up and looks at it then looks at Cody afterwards it gives him a smile and pressed the button on the ball catching itself.
Cody:Uh,why did it do that?
Zolta looks just as confused as him but Cody goes along with it and adds her to the team but had to put a Pokemon in the box so he chose Meltson due to him having a fire weakness.
Cody returns his Toxtricity and crosses the bridge to return to the steam powered city of Motostoke on his bike.
He got to the Inn and collapsed his bike,the moment he entered he saw Marnie in front of the statue.
Cody:Hi,Marnie.
She turns around and walks up to him.
Marnie:Hey,Cody. Out there giving it your all even this late,huh?
Cody:You could say that.
Marnie:You doing,okay? No one is bothering you,right?
Cody:Nope,I'm okay. Thanks for asking.
Marnie nods then puts her hands behind her back.
Marnie:Hey. Could you help me with something?
Cody puts a hand on his chin with a raised brow.
Marnie:I wanna see if I'm ready for the next leg of the Challenge so I wanted to have a battle with you.
Cody thinks for a minute then smiles at her.
Cody:Okay,I can have one more battle for today. To be honest,I'm a bit scared of Kabu,he looks pretty strong.
Marine:Then,I'll get you into shape for it. Now,come on!
She pulls out a Dusk ball and looks as determined as possible on her face despite not showing much of the emotion.
Cody sees some Team Yell grunts behind her cheering for the girl but ignores them and pulls out Ferna's ball.
They throw them at the same time and Cody sees her first Pokemon is a Croagunk.
Marine:Let's see what you got,yeah? There's no way I'm gonna lose!
Cody*Thoughts*:Here we go!
Cody:Ferna,use Flame Wheel.
The Fire Monkey rolls into a ball and goes for the frog.
But Marnie has other plans.
Marine:Croagunk,Sucker Punch!
The frog gains purple energy on its hands and clashes with the Flame Wheel causing them to bounce back.
Marnie:Now,use Revenge!
Croagunk jumps high and goes for a straight chop.
Cody:Ferna,dodge!
She dodges and Croagunk hits the floor getting it's hand stuck and leaving it open.
Cody:Hit it with a Flame Wheel!
Ferna rolls again and lands a critical hit on the frog knocking it out.
Cody turns to the punk girl.
Cody:Marnie,that was super cool what you did right there!
Marnie:Thank you,I've been practicing.
She swaps her Poison type with a Scraggy of her own.
Cody:Hey another,Zego!
Cody decides to use his new team member.
Marnie:Looks like you have a Croagunk too,let's see if it's like mine.
Cody's Croagunk gets in a stance to show her dominance.
Marine:Scraggy,Headbutt!
Scraggy rushes forward like a football player.
Cody:Croagunk,you better brace!
She does so and takes the hit,only sliding back a bit.
Cody:Get him with a Revenge!
Croagunk gives Scraggy a scary smile and then punches it with a glowing fist and since she took the hit,she did double the damage and knocked it out.
Cody*Alien Toy Voice*:Oooooh.
Marine takes out her last Pokemon,which looked like Pikachu but as a hamster instead of a mouse that was called Morpeko.
Marnie:Morpeko,use Bite.
The midget mouse runs quickly and chomps down on the poison frog but when it backs up it becomes very sick and turns a bit purple.
Marnie:Morpeko!
The Poison Touch had kicked in.
Cody sees his chance.
Cody:Croagunk,Revenge!
She gets down on fours and proceeds to hop left and right then darts forward and chops the hamster on its head,knocking it down.
Marnie looks at the ground.
Marnie:You beat me....Guess you must not be too bad,huh?
Cody looks at his Croagunk who looks at him with a smile then hops into his arms.
Cody:Uh...Nice job.I'm gonna call you...Petra.
Petra seems to like it as she giggles happily.
Marnie heals her team.
Marnie:Yeah,you're ready. Now,let's get some sleep we're both gonna need it for tomorrow.
Cody:Right. Good night,Marnie.
Marnie:G'night.
They then head to their rooms for the night and head to sleep.
In the morning we see Cody laying in bed and he was waking up but felt something on his right.
He looked and saw his new Pokemon from yesterday in her human form.
Petra looked like a teenage girl with fair skin and wore a purple shirt with purple shorts and had bandages around her stomach and purple hair along with black sandals.
She was also two feet taller than Cody.
Cody decided to get up.
Cody:Petra,Petra. Come on,it's time to wake up.
She opens her eyes which were yellow colored and gets out of bed first and starts to stretch while Cody went to the bathroom to shower.
Once he was done,he got on his clothes and his bag then returned Petra to her ball.
He liked his new Pokemon friend but noticed she was rather clingy to him but it didn't bother him too much.
He reaches the lobby and sees Marnie so he walks up to her.
Marnie:Mornin' Cody.
Cody:Good Morning.
He looks around trying to find his other friend.
Cody:Say,where's Hop?
Marnie answers him.
Marnie:He went to challenge the next Gym.
Cody:Should've known he'd be up early.
The boy then calms himself by breathing in and out.
Marnie:Still nervous?
Cody looks down and nods.
Marnie:Well...if it helps,I got these to give you some sort of plan to figure out this one.
She hands him a League card of Kabu and he takes it.
Marnie:Just do your best,alright?
Cody looks up and nods.
Cody:Okay.
He leaves the Inn and is surprised when he's met with a bunch of people on the path to the Gym cheering for him.
Male Citizen:Good luck,kid!
Little girl:You can do it! You're my hero!
Female Citizen:Don't worry! We'll cheer as loud as we can for you,Cody!
He waves to the cheering people and makes his way to the Gym,upon arrival he sees Hop at the doors.
Hop:Good Morning,Cody! Are you ready for this?
Cody:Uh,yeah but I got a feeling it's gonna be scary.
Hop nods.
Hop:Yep,I already have my badge but he nearly roasted me in that battle!
Cody snickers at the joke he made.
Hop:But don't sweat it! Knowing you,you're thinking of a way to beat him,aren't ya?
Cody nods.
Hop puts a hand on his shoulder.
Hop:Don't worry,I'll be cheering your name the whole time.
Cody hugs him and he retorts it.
Hop:Now,get in there!
He marches into the doors and is greeted by all the Challengers in the room and his fan group giving him a warm welcome.
Cody walks up to the front desk and the staff member tells him to get ready for the Gym mission.
He enters the Mission and is informed by Dan to catch or battle Pokemon for points against other trainers.
The young boy defeats a few Pokemon and catches a Litwick but he decides to let it go after.
With the mission cleared he heads for the battlefield.
He reaches the edge but before going out he fixes his hair and relaxes his mind,he feels a presence to his left and sees Kabu standing next to him.
They both walk to the field and meet in the middle.
Kabu:Welcome! I am Kabu,the Fire-type Gym Leader.
Kabu:The fact you are here means you have bested both Milo and Nessa.That's quite the accomplishment you made.
Cody nods.
Kabu:Every trainer and their Pokemon train for victory.But that also means your opponent is working hard to win.
Kabu:In the end the match is decided by which side is able to unleash their true potential.
After those words of wisdom they head to their respective positions and prepare themselves.
Cody had a foolproof plan for this battle.
Kabu gave him a look that had nothing but a burning spirit inside.
He throws out his first Pokemon who's a fox with large tails called Ninetales.
Cody lets out his starter,Ima.
Cody*Elliot Voice*:Are you ready for this?
She looks at him and nods.
Ninetales is faster so it goes first and uses Will-O-Wisp to burn the Water-Type.
But his plan was triggered.
Ima pulls out a green berry called a Lum berry and eats it,healing the burn.
Cody got the berry from a shop in Turffield and gave it to Ima for this exact moment since Kabu was known for using the status move to weaken his opponents.
Cody:Nice.Now,use Water Pulse!
She fires it off but Ninetales takes it rather well.
Kabu liked his strategy.
Kabu:Well played but this isn't over! Ninetales,Ember!
The fox fires a ball of fire at the lizard but it doesn't do much.
Ima uses a second Water Pulse and Ninetales goes down.
Commentator:I've never seen such an electrifying match!
Kabu summons his next Pokemon which is a giant dog with the color scheme of a tiger,this is Arcanine.
Cody looked at it with big wondrous eyes before he regained focus and pulled Ima back and summoned Zolta.
The fire dog lowers her attack with Intimidate but she's not worried.
It then goes for a Bite attack but Cody tells her to slide under at the last minute then provoke him with a Taunt,making it angry.
The Poison-type gets hit by another Bite but she hangs on and uses an Acid Spray.
Arcanine weakens her with a Will-O-Wisp to burn her and she uses Charge for her next attack.
She is hit by another Bite but while that happens she attacks with a powered up Thunder Shock.
Arcanine falls to the attack and Zolta is burned,leaving her on one knee.
Cody returns her and pulls out Ima once again.
Kabu motivates himself.
Kabu:Light that fire and get your mind moving,Kabu! There still must be a path to victory!
He then sends out a giant red centipede Pokemon which was his signature Pokemon,Centiskorch.
Cody:Come on,Ima! Let's do it!
He Dynamax's his beloved starter and Kabu does so with his but the firebug changes form instead and Gigantamax's.
Kabu:Burn bright,Centiskorch. Let Gigantamax change your size and form!
Ima goes first since Centiskorch is slower hitting it with a Max Geyser making the field wet with rain.
The giant bug hangs on and uses G-Max Centiferno trapping the lizard in a fiery vortex.
She fights back with Max Darkness crippling it.
Centiskorch uses Max Flutterby but Ima braces hard and launches another Max Geyser on her opponent winning the match for them both.
Kabu falls to his knees in defeat.
Kabu:A great Trainer and his Pokemon! It's no surprise you won!
He gets back up and they meet at the center.
Kabu:I'm often regarded as the first real roadblock of the Gym Challenge,yet you won.
Kabu:Your talent and strategy have surpassed my many years of experience.I still have much to learn.
He then hands Cody his Fire badge.
Kabu:Have this Fire badge as a sign that you've defeated me.
Cody does and they shake hands.
Cody:Thank you,that match was the most exciting one I've had.
He comes back to the lobby and speaks to Hop.
Hop:I knew that you and Ima would be the ones to beat the Gym but....still that was amazing.
Cody:Mhm,but I was on my toes the entire time and that strategy I did was a bit big.
Hop:Well,that made it all the better!
Cody then thinks about someone.
Cody:Have you seen Kaza,Hop?
Hop:Oh,she's just fine.I saw her before you came here,already had her badge before me but afterwards she left for the Wild Area.
Cody:Did she say anything?
Hop:She was talking about finding more Pokemon and getting stronger.
Cody looks down in a thoughtful way.
Cody:She must be worried about her team's power and how she's doing.
Cody:But I'm sure she's okay.I'll try to find her later.
Dan then comes up from behind him.
Dan:Challenger Cody. I see you've been able to gain the first three gym badges,well done.
Dan:Have these to commemorate your progress.
He gets the Will-O-Wisp move and a Fire-type gym uniform.
Dan tells them to head to Hammerlocke city and after Cody gets his team healed and meets with Victor and Gloria they all head to the entrance of Motostoke.
They all arrive at the entrance but Cody looks at the wonderful city one more time.
Hop:Come on,Cody!
Gloria gets a bit agitated and glares at him.
Victor:Uh,Hop,let him have his moment.
The autistic boy looks at the beautiful city thinking about how only two days ago he had arrived here,the setting sun adding to its beauty and vastness.
It would be a long time before he came back here again but he had a goal and he was going to complete it.
Cody walks up to his friends but before they leave,everyone hears footsteps from behind and looks to see it was Kabu walking up to them.
Hop:Huh? You're the Gym Leader,but you came to see us off.
Cody:Not to mention this late?
Hop nudges his friend's shoulder.
Hop:I bet he can tell which one of us is going to be the Champion,huh?
Gloria bonks him on the head with her fist,luckily it wasn't too hard.
Kabu:There are many Trainers who are never able to gather the three Gym badges,and they usually give up the Challenge altogether.
Kabu:So I make a point to see off any Challenger who is able to defeat me.
Cody looks surprised.
Cody:Well,thank you.That's very thoughtful of you to-.
He's cut off when both Milo and Nessa arrive.
Nessa:Whew we made it...Thank goodness for Flying Taxis!
Cody widened his eyes at seeing these two again.
Nessa:Congratulations,you four! It's pretty amazing you all managed to beat Kabu.
Milo:She's right,not a lot of people are able to get a Gym badge from Kabu,here.
Milo:We like to come together as a way to see them off.
Cody felt his heart get warmed at this gesture and he starts to twiddle his fingers
Cody:Oh man,I am honored you would do that for us.
Nessa and Milo give happy gestures to him.
Kabu:Now,allow me to spend you off with a proper,sporty chant.
He then makes an encouraging chant about the four of them so they can keep going.
Cody was so happy he blushed hard at this.
Cody:Oh,you all are making me turn red.
Kabu:Be ready.The Gym Leaders ahead will be tough opponents.
Kabu:But,believe in your Pokemon and keep pushing on! And you'll achieve victory!
Victor & Gloria:Thank you.
Hop:Of course! We have to if we're gonna be in the Champion Cup!
Cody:You know,I..I...*Sniffles*I just promised myself I wouldn't cry!
Milo:Hey,it's okay. Don't cry.
Nessa:Yeah,It's a new chapter for you so be happy about it,okay?
Kabu:Yes.You all show spirit so you must never let it burn out.
Cody wipes his eyes and nods.
Cody*Po Voice*:Okay.
Hop turns to his three friends.
Hop:Come on,guys! Let's head for Hammerlocke!
They all leave the steam powered city with Cody waving off the three Gym Leaders.
He was about to go to the next level in this Challenge but he was ready for the hurdles he would face.
Get ready Galar,cause Cody's coming!