In Spikemuth, Summer prepared to purchase some supplies to deal with the "temporal distortions" mentioned by the Ranger Assistant. If he ended up in a desolate place, it could be troublesome.
"Military knife, flashlight, fire starter, first aid kit... What else do I need to buy?"
After finishing his shopping, Summer sat on a bench, looking down at the items in his bag and muttering to himself.
"Ah, Mr. Summer, hello. Is the living environment in Sunset Forest that bad?"
Marnie approached and greeted him. Her eyes glanced at the items on the ground, which looked like survival gear for the wilderness.
"Hello, Miss Marnie. No, these are just in case of emergencies."
"Is that so? By the way, I heard you caught a Pokémon hunter. Someone was actually targeting the Pokémon in Sunset Forest ? If I catch them, I would definitely make them regret being born." Marnie said angrily, her expression serious.
She then bent down to look at the Grookey on Summer's shoulder, slightly surprised:
"The hunter's Pokémon was a Thievul, right? Grookey, it's amazing that you managed to defeat it."
Grookey shyly scratched its cheek. Thanks to Summer, it was able to overcome the larger opponent; previously, it wouldn't have been able to even land a hit.
"Morpeko~"
Morpeko popped out of Marnie's backpack, as if to say, "I'm also very strong."
"In that case, Mr. Summer, how about a battle with me? I'm preparing to participate in the Galar League, which means I need to start challenging gyms." Marnie put her hands behind her back, looking at Summer expectantly.
Marnie loved battling and enjoyed the enthusiastic cheers from the audience. But for some time now, she couldn't find suitable opponents in Spikemuth.
Her brother always used concert preparations and gym duties as excuses to avoid her challenges, despite only having one concert a week and very few challengers for the Spikemuth Gym.
Most of the other trainers in Spikemuth were Marnie's fans and never put up a serious fight against her, so she often had to go to nearby Motostoke for training.
Now, hearing about Summer's Grookey defeating Thievul piqued her interest, igniting her passion for battle.
"A battle, a tournament..."
To enter the Galar League tournament, one must defeat eight gym leaders. The goal was to keep winning and ultimately claim the championship.
"Yes, if I, a trainer from Spikemuth, can achieve good results or even win the championship in the tournament, it would definitely bring attention to Spikemuth. This is the most direct way I can think of to revitalize Spikemuth." Marnie stood up and looked around at the declining town.
Marnie was right. The Galar region placed a lot of emphasis on battles. The hometown of a champion would undoubtedly attract attention and help the town flourish again.
"Of course, I won't use Morpeko. I recently caught a new Pokémon, and I'll use it to battle Grookey. How about it?"
"Underestimating us could lead to your defeat, Miss Marnie. My Grookey is quite strong."
Grookey crossed its arms and puffed out its chest. Since Summer had said so, it had to show its strength.
"I knew you'd agree. My brother isn't holding a concert today, so we can use the gym's battle arena." Marnie said cheerfully.
The gym's battle arena in Spikemuth was also used for Piers' concerts. Because there were no Dynamax energy spots, the entire Spikemuth could be considered part of the gym.
"There's no one here, but that's fine." Marnie threw a Poké Ball into the air, and a beige lizard Pokémon appeared on the battlefield—it was a Scraggy.
The Scraggy pouted and stared intently at Summer, giving off a difficult-to-handle vibe. Suddenly, its loose lower skin drooped, and it quickly pulled it up with its hands, never changing its expression, almost as if showing off.
"Let's do this, Grookey." Summer said softly.
Grookey handed its little drum to Summer, jumped off his shoulder, and readied its stick, eager to battle.
Summer agreed to Marnie's challenge for a simple reason. Marnie was a skilled trainer, and this real battle would better prepare him for the abnormalities of the temporal distortions.
"Mr. Summer, you said I was underestimating you. No, I take every battle seriously to honor those who cheer for me." Marnie clenched her fists, speaking earnestly.
"Is that so? Then Grookey and I will also give it our all."
"That's the spirit. Scraggy, use Leer." Marnie opened her fist and extended her hand, giving the command.
Scraggy widened its eyes, its sharp gaze causing Grookey to feel a bit intimidated.
Starting with weakening the opponent, huh? Summer nodded and then gave his command:
"Grookey, use Razor Leaf."
Grookey leaped up, and two leaves appeared beside it. Swinging its stick, the leaves turned into sharp blades flying towards Scraggy.
"In that case, we'll counter with Headbutt."
Following Marnie's command, Scraggy bent down, pulling its pants tight, and charged at Grookey with its rounded head.
Razor Leaf hit Scraggy's head without leaving a scratch. It continued its unstoppable charge towards Grookey.
"Scraggy's skull is very hard. This move is both offensive and defensive. How about that?" Marnie said with growing excitement, clearly enjoying the battle.
"Impressive, but we're not easy to deal with either. Grookey, use Branch Poke. Remember, its outer skin is very tough!"
Marnie was a bit surprised that Summer knew Scraggy's seemingly soft skin was actually tough like rubber, both elastic and resilient—something she had only learned while capturing it.
Grookey understood Summer's meaning. Facing the charging Scraggy, it leaned back, thrusting its glowing green stick into Scraggy's chest.
Scraggy's mouth opened wide, its pupils shrinking. Yes, the skull was hard, the skin was tough, but the weak point was the chest.
"You're amazing, Summer! Now, Scraggy, retaliate with Payback!"
Scraggy's head was enveloped in a dark aura. It swung its head to the side, smashing Grookey, stick and all, to the ground.
Grookey used its stick to support itself and stood up. Scraggy panted, glaring at Grookey. Both Pokémon were equally weakened, and the next move would decide the winner.
"Grookey, use Acrobatics."
"Huh? Acrobatics? What's that move?" Marnie was puzzled.
Grookey hurled its stick towards Scraggy. Marnie realized this meant discarding its weapon. Why make such a foolish move?
"Kick it away!"
Marnie quickly commanded to get the stick away from Scraggy before finishing off Grookey with Headbutt.
Scraggy spun around and precisely kicked the stick away.
Summer smiled, his plan succeeding. He calmly said, "Acrobatics."
"Oh no! Scraggy, defend yourself!"
Marnie reacted, but it was too late. Grookey, now more agile without the stick, became a green blur attacking Scraggy.
"We lost... Even though I was serious..." Marnie's expression was crestfallen. Then she shook her head, "No, this shows my shortcomings as a trainer."
Marnie recalled Scraggy to its Poké Ball and took a deep breath, placing her hand on her chest. She looked at Summer with determination and said:
"Summer, I won't lose next time, definitely!"
It seemed Marnie had her eyes set on him. But that was not bad. As Marnie's strength increased with her gym challenges, having such a rival would ensure Grookey's rapid improvement.
Smiling, Summer replied:
"I'll look forward to it, Marnie. If you ever want to battle again, come find me in Sunset Forest. As a ranger, I'm always there."
(End of chapter)