Author's note

So, here's something I feel you guys should know ahead of time rather than when you read this chapter. In Pokemon Sword and Shield, Route 6 and Stow-on-Side are in desert-like mountains, but when you watch the anime, Stow-on-Side appears to me in forest mountains. They never show in the anime the route between Hammerlocke and Stow-on-side to reveal if it's desert-like or not. Now, I went back and forth between making route 6 a desert, but I ultimately decided to use my home state as a reference, and here in the Denver area we have a great view of our beloved rocky mountains which have forests and there's no desert near said Rockies to speak of. So, I decided that Route 6 is not a desert area. Maybe later in the anime they would show the routes to actually be deserts. It's very unlikely with so little focus on the Galar region as a whole to speak of, but that's my assumption of the route between Hammerlocke and Stow-on-Side. Pure speculation on my part. With that out of the way, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

After Timothy had Poliwrath healed at the Pokémon Center, the group headed over to Motostoke Station. They grabbed their tickets to Hammerlocke and got on the train just a few minutes before it departed. After finding a room to put all their stuff in, everyone decided to go to the dining car to grab lunch.

Timothy and Coovers were munching on burgers, Gwen ate a salad, and Electchu and Winnie ate bowls of Pokémon food with Winnie's drenched in honey as usual. As Gwen ate her salad, she looked at a map on her Rotom Phone, planning for the journey to Stow-on-Side from Hammerlocke.

"It's going to be a four-day ride to the next Gym," Gwen said. "Stow-on-Side is in the mountains, so we should grab lots of water at Hammerlocke."

"Ugh, riding bikes through the mountains. That's gonna be fun," Coovers said sarcastically. "Who's the Gym Leaders there?"

"Bea, the Fighting type specialist, and Allister, the Ghost type specialist," Gwen answered. "Are you still planning to face Bea, Timothy?"

"Yup, I'm sticking to that plan." Timothy answered.

"Awesome," Coovers said with a grin. "That should be an easy one with Shockwave and Knightblade. Right, Timothy?"

Timothy hesitated as he chewed on his burger. He swallowed and said, "Honestly, Coovers, I'm not too sure about that."

"What?! How could you not be sure about that?!" Coovers shouted. "Shockwave is part Psychic type, and Knightblade is part Ghost type, which is immune to Fighting moves. They may as well give you your badge without needing to battle with that kind of advantage."

"We don't know that for sure, Coovers," Timothy said. "Poliwrath had the type advantage the entire time I battled Kabu, yet Centiskorch's G-Max Move overpowered Poliwrath's Max Geyser. With a Gym Leader with a Pokémon partner who can Gigantamax so early into the challenge, it's likely that all the remaining Gym Leaders will have Pokémon partners who can Gigantamax, and they might be harder regardless of what type advantage my Pokémon have against them."

"I agree. Type advantage might not entirely be useful if the other Gym Leaders' Pokémon can Gigantamax when yours can only Dynamax," Gwen said. "You may have won the match with all of your Pokemon, Timothy, but if you didn't tell Poliwrath to move, Centiskorch might have taken it down with its G-Max Move. The way I see it, you wanted more challenging Gym Battles, and you might be on your way to getting what you wanted."

Timothy nodded in agreement, while Coovers looked up in thought and frowned.

"Okay, fair point," he said. "But, if you guys are right, then you better keep your wits about you, Timothy. You still need to impress Chairman Rose to get to Eternatus."

"Duly noted," Timothy said. "Come to think about it, I wonder if there's a way I can get my Pokémon to Gigantamax."

"There isn't," Gwen said. "There aren't many Pokemon with the ability to Gigantamax, and Raichu, Poliwrath, Lucario, Gardevoir, Braviary, and Aegislash are sadly not among them."

"Wait, a Pikachu can Gigantamax, but Raichu can't? How does that make sense?" Timothy asked.

"Raichu!" Electchu agreed.

"It's one of the mysteries behind Galar Particles," Gwen answered with a shrug. "Though, if you really think Gigantamaxing might be important, you could do that with your Gengar."

Timothy and Coovers squirmed and looked at each other as the former said, "I don't think I'm that desperate yet."

"Yeah, you probably would be encouraging Gengar to go wild with that kind of power," Coovers said.

"Oh, I imagine so," Gwen said with a smirk. "I haven't seen a Gigantamax Gengar, but from what I've heard, its body sinks into the ground so that only the head, tail, and arms remain, and the inside of its mouth resembles a tunnel with a long purple tongue sticking out."

The blood drained from Timothy and Coovers's faces as though Gwen was telling them a scary story. Gwen covered her mouth to hide a giggle.

"Well, if I have to have Professor Oak bring Gengar back so I can win battles by Gigantamaxing it, then I'll do it for the sake of the people and Pokémon in Galar," Timothy said hesitantly. "That said, I think I would be trading one catastrophe for another if I give that devil the pleasure."

"Whatever you say, Timothy." Gwen said.

Coovers felt shivers down his spine as his mind was still thinking of Gengar Gigantamaxed. He shook the image out of his mind and took a bite of his burger before he remembered something.

"Speaking of which, I couldn't help but notice that you guys were acting very distant to Ezria," he said. "You especially acted determined to ensure she didn't continue traveling with us, Gwen."

"That's because I was." Gwen said without skipping a beat.

"But I thought we all agreed to be friends with her for the sake of the mission," Coovers said. "If we kept traveling with her, we could make it look like we're creating a strong bond with one of the chairman's followers."

"Just because you need to be friends with that obsessive dimbo doesn't mean I have to." Gwen said.

"Obsessive?" Coovers asked.

"You mean you haven't noticed her crush on me?" Timothy asked.

Coovers's eyes widened, and his mouth hung open as though something snapped in his brain. Timothy and Gwen looked at each other in disbelief before Gwen looked back at Coovers and asked, "Seriously? How on Earth have you not noticed? She was by Timothy's side the entire journey back to Motostoke."

"Not to mention how much she freaked out when the Stunfisk attacked me, and she didn't want to stop hugging me after that." Timothy added.

"Uh, well, I thought she was being friendly as your biggest fan," Coovers said with a shrug.

"Don't be daft. If Ezria were holding Timothy any closer, he would've been wearing her," Gwen rebuked. "I suppose you thought she was just being a fan when she took that picture of Timothy and her?"

"Er, maybe?" Coovers said.

Gwen scoffed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Coovers, you're the one who wants me to try and find someone to be romantically involved with, and Ezria was pressing on that matter when we had lunch with the chairman," Timothy pointed out. "How could you not take that as a clear sign that she's into me."

"Well, maybe it's because I'm still hoping you and somebody else will be interested in each other," Coovers said.

Timothy stared at Coovers in confusion until Coovers turned his eyes to Gwen. Timothy's eyes widened, and he bit the inside of his mouth to keep himself from blushing. Gwen looked back between the two men with a puzzled look.

"What is he talking about?" She asked.

"Don't worry about it," Timothy said. "The point is Ezria is chasing me and I don't want to interact with her anymore than I have to. I was already worried about how she would feel about me using her to get to Eternatus just by pretending to be her friend. I don't know if I can live with the guilt of leading her on romantically when that's only going to lead to heartbreak."

The dining table became silent except for Electchu and Winnie munching on their lunch. Coovers stared at Timothy, taken aback by how he expressed his thoughts on Ezria's feelings for him. Coovers looked away and scratched the back of his head in thought before he sighed and gave Timothy a look of understanding.

"Alright, Timothy, I get what you're saying," he said. "The guilt of manipulating Ezria would be harder on you when she likes you romantically."

Coovers bit his lip as he mustered the courage to continue.

"That said, you should be careful how much you keep your distance from her. Whether she likes you romantically or not, she's still someone who is like family to the chairman, and she might be the only way we can secure gaining his trust. If you can make it clear to Ezria you don't think of her that way and she is willing for the two of you to stay friends, fantastic, but if she refuses to back down and, worse yet, Chairman Rose is rooting for her, you may have to lead her on a little bit."

"How can you say that, Coovers? I don't care much for Ezria, but still, that's cruel." Gwen said.

"Crueler than Chairman Rose and Ezria not worrying about the lives of people and Pokémon in Galar so long as the crisis is averted? That they're willing to risk lives for their project?" Coovers challenged before turning back to Timothy. "I'm not saying you have to like taking things that far, Timothy, but we can't overlook the fact that countless lives are at stake. Besides, there's still the possibility that we can get Ezria on our side and convince Chairman Rose to stop carrying out his plan before things get messy."

Timothy opened his mouth to try and shoot down Coovers's idea, but after a moment to think about it, he realized he couldn't think of a concrete argument. He turned to Gwen and gave her a look for help, but Gwen also thought about it for a moment before she shook her head. Timothy frowned, and he sighed through his nose.

"You know, Coovers, when you came up with your plan, you said we'd have more control on how we carry it out than when we were traveling to get the Gieldanstone," he said. "Call me picky, but I don't feel like I have much control."

"I know, Timothy," Coovers said sympathetically. "I guess when you say it like that, it'll be partially my fault for hurting Ezria since I'm the brains of the operation."

"It is going to be your fault," Timothy said. "Even if you won't see it that way, I'm gonna hold you half responsible."

"So will I," Gwen said.

"That's fair," Coovers said. "Although, optimistically, there's a chance we won't encounter Ezria anymore for the rest of the challenge. After all, she's still in Motostoke waiting for her Gym Battle, and we're on a train to another big city miles and miles away. She might not even get the chance to hop on a train right after collecting her third badge."

Timothy and Gwen looked at each other again, and the latter thought about it before she said, "That's true. We have a good lead ahead of her."

"And maybe we will continue to have that lead to the end of the Gym Challenge." Coovers said.

"Meaning we might get the chairman to take us to Eternatus without spending more time with Ezria." Timothy said.

"Exactly," Coovers said. "So, there's still hope that we're going to save Galar without drastically hurting the woman crushing on you. I mean, how can she catch up when we're... uh, guys, is it just me, or did the lights just get brighter?"

Timothy and Gwen looked at Coovers, confused, before they looked around and noticed the sky growing darker outside. Their eyes widened, and they stood up from their seats, looking through the nearest window to find the sky covered in red clouds. Electchu and Winnie looked up from their food and noticed their partners staring at the sky fearfully.

"Not again." Timothy said.

"Oh, please don't turn out to be the chairman's plan in motion." Gwen begged.

"Raichu." Electchu said.

"Tedd?" Winnie asked.

Just then, the train slowed down, catching the attention of the other passengers. They stood up from their seats and asked each other what was going on as the train stopped.

"Attention, ladies and gentlemen, there is a Dynamax Pokemon roaming in front of the tracks," the train driver said through the speakers. "Please remain in your seats, and we will be on our way as soon as it passes by. Thank you for your patience."

Timothy furrowed his brow and said, "This is the second time something like this has happened."

"Seriously," Coovers said. "Is this something that usually happens when riding the train?"

"No, this is the first I've ever experienced this," Gwen said.

"Let's go outside and check it out." Timothy said.

Coovers and Gwen nodded, and they followed Timothy with Electchu behind them. Winnie hesitated and stuffed its mouth with its honey-drenched food before it ran to catch up. Timothy, Coovers, and Gwen grabbed their stuff from their room, got off the train with their Pokémon, and ran to the front of the train to see a Dynamax Pokémon levitating above the train tracks fifteen miles away. The Pokémon's appearance was reminiscent of ancient lepospondyls such as Diplocaulus with long, laterally flattened tail and two amphibian-like creatures appearing from its horns.

"What is that thing?" Coovers asked.

"It's a Dragapult." Gwen said.

"A Dragapult?" Timothy asked as he took out his Rotom Phone and scanned the Pokémon.

"Dragapult. The Stealth Pokémon, and the final evolved form of Dreepy. A Dragon and Ghost type." Rotom said, briefly showing the image of the amphibian-like creature on Dragapult's horns before it continued. "When it isn't battling, Dragapult keeps Dreepy in the holes on its horns. Once a fight starts, it launches the Dreepy like supersonic missiles."

"We better go over there and take it down." Coovers said.

"We can't do that. It's miles away," Gwen said. "We could tire ourselves before we begin to battle it."

"Better than waiting in the train and hoping for the best," Timothy said. "Besides, battling a Dynamax or Gigantamax Pokémon appears to be the only way to shrink it back to size, and that Dragapult doesn't look like it's going to stop levitating above the tracks anytime soon. Battling it might be the only way the train can continue going to Hammerlocke."

Gwen hesitated before she sighed and nodded with a serious look.

"You're right," she said. "The sooner we take Dragapult down, the sooner we get to Hammerlocke."

"Raichu." Electchu said, smirking.

"Teddiursa." Winnie said with a cute smile.

Timothy and Coovers nodded, and Gwen took out her Rotom Phone. The three of them lifted their phones and opened their mouths to say, "Rotom, bicycle mode," 'when they heard the sound of a car horn. Everyone looked at each other in confusion before they turned around to find a pink car racing in their direction.

"Move away!" Gwen shouted.

Timothy, Coovers, Gwen, Electchu, and Winnie moved back to the side of the train, but instead of passing by them, the car came screeching to a halt right next to them. After a few seconds, the car door opened, and a familiar, peach-haired woman came out of the driver's seat.

"Timothy? Coovers?"

"Sonia?" Timothy asked.

"Sonia!" Coovers cheered.

Coovers ran around the car, grabbed Sonia's hands, and lifted them up. Sonia looked at him, confused as he looked at her with stars in his light-blue eyes.

"I missed you so much!" Coovers exclaimed. "I always hoped that we would meet again! If this is a dream, I don't ever want to wake up!"

Timothy rolled his eyes and facepalmed while Gwen shook her head. Sonia stood still for a moment before she politely smiled.

"It's great to see you too, Coovers," she said.

Coovers giggled bashfully as though she said she missed him too and called him by a pet name. Gwen pinched the bridge of her nose before she walked around the car to Sonia and Coovers. Sonia noticed Gwen, and her face turned sour.

"Gwen," she said.

"Sonia," Gwen replied. "I'm surprised to see you here. I thought you don't have it in your heart to be more than half a mile away from your grandmother's house."

"Hardy har har. I forgot how to laugh," Sonia said sarcastically.

Gwen responded with a mocking look that irritated Sonia. She clenched her teeth and began walking over to Gwen when she stopped and saw Winnie standing next to Gwen. Winnie began to sweat as Sonia's eyes lit up with her pupils shaped like hearts, and she squealed in joy.

"EDDIE!" She screamed.

"Eddie?" Timothy and Coovers asked in confusion.

Winnie whimpered and turned around to run away, but Sonia scooped it up from behind and held it up to her chest. She rubbed her cheek against Winnie's head and held it close like a child with her stuffed animal.

"Oh, I missed you so much, Eddie, the cutest and most snuggly of pies!" Sonia squealed. "You're the only thing that makes seeing your new partner worthwhile! Yes, you are! Oh, yes, you are, my Eddie-Benny cutie pie!"

"Teddi..." Winnie whined.

Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu grew puzzled while Gwen looked daggers in annoyance.

"Gwen, why is Sonia calling Winnie Eddie?" Timothy asked.

"Never mind that," Gwen said coldly as she snatched Winnie from Sonia. "The real question is, what are you doing here Sonia?"

"I was driving to Hammerlocke, but at the moment, I'm driving towards that Dragapult." Sonia said, pointing at the Dynamax Pokémon.

"No way. That's where we're going," Coovers said, beaming. "That Dragapult is keeping our train from going to Hammerlocke."

"Yes, we're going to battle it to try to shrink it back to regular size." Timothy said.

Sonia gave Timothy a friendly smile and said, "Then what are we waiting for? Hop in."

Timothy, Coovers, Gwen, Electchu, and Winnie smiled, and they went inside Sonia's car. Coovers got in the front seat while Timothy, Gwen, Electchu, and Winnie sat in the back. Everyone buckled in, and Sonia turned her head to the group with a determined smirk.

"Hold tight, everyone." she said.

She slammed her foot onto the gas pedal, and in an instant, the car zoomed, forcing everyone but Sonia to the back of her seats. The car shook violently as Sonia drove through the grassy area, hitting rocks and Pokémon burrows. Electchu and Winnie hung on to Timothy and Gwen, who hugged their partners tightly. Coovers held on to the door handle with one hand and the side of his seat with the other, screaming.

"Sonia, can you please be careful?" Timothy asked.

"Don't be rude, Timothy," Sonia said, glaring at Timothy through the rearview mirror. "The problem is my car's really old."

Timothy and Gwen looked at each other with their eyes full of fear and pulled Electchu and Winnie closer to them as though they were trying to protect them with their bodies. The car continued to shake as it charged toward the Dynamax Pokémon, sometimes flying into the air after hitting a big rock or a small hill. Sonia kept her eyes on her target with a grin of determination, while Coovers whimpered in fear, and Timothy, Electchu, Gwen, and Winnie became green in the face. Finally, Sonia slammed her foot on the brake pedal, and the car came to a halt, causing Timothy and Gwen to hit their heads on the back of the front seats.

"Alright, let's go save the day!" Sonia shouted as she got out of the car.

Timothy and Gwen stayed still for several seconds before they robotically opened their car doors to let Electchu and Winnie out and unbuckle their seatbelts. As soon as Gwen got out of the car, she closed the door and leaned against it until her head stopped spinning. Timothy took seven steps away from the car before he bent down with his hands on his knees, fighting the urge to hurl. Electchu and Winnie lay on their backs, whimpering.

"Are you guys okay?" Sonia asked.

"We're good," Timothy fibbed, holding his hand up. "Just give us a second."

"Well, hurry up. Dragapult isn't getting any smaller," Sonia said.

Timothy groaned and took a big breath before straightening himself and Electchu stood up. Gwen stood back up and picked up Winnie as she followed Timothy and Sonia to Dynamax Dragapult. But after taking several steps, they stopped and noticed Coovers was still in the car. Timothy huffed and ran back to the car with Electchu following him. He opened the door to find Coovers shaking with his teeth chattering, and his eyes widened as though his life flashed before his eyes.

"Coovers, let's go," Timothy said.

Coovers continued to stare at nothing like he didn't hear Timothy, then turned his head to him with his mouth quivering.

"I've never been so scared in my life, Timothy," Coovers whined. "I want to leave this world peacefully and full of years with my soulmate beside me. Not because of her horrible driving."

"Come on, Coovers. Snap out of it," Timothy said, slapping both sides of Coover's face. "We have a job to do. Remember?"

But Coovers remained in his seat, still shaking uncontrollably. Timothy facepalmed again and pinched the bridge of his nose. Electchu pouted before it turned to Sonia and smirked.

"Rai Rai Rai Raichu. Raichu Chu Raichu Rai Rai Raichu." it said.

Timothy turned to his partner and then back at Coovers with a mischievous grin.

"Yeah, Electchu is right. Sonia is counting on us to take down that Dynamax Pokémon, and let's face it. It's probably rare that you can win without a Dynamax Pokémon to fight for you," he said. "I think she would be very impressed if you show how strong you and your Pokémon are against a Dynamax Pokémon."

Immediately, Coovers stopped shaking and tried to spring out of the car, forgetting that he still had his seatbelt on. He took it off and jumped to his feet.

"Look out, Dragapult, you meddlesome fiend! You're about to face the might of Coovertimus T. Woodward and his Pokémon!" He shouted proudly.

Coovers marched toward Dynamax Dragapult, shaking his fist as though he were going to start a brawl against the giant Stealth Pokémon. Timothy shook his head and turned to Electchu.

"That may be the only time Coovers's obsession with romance will ever come in handy," he said.

"Rai," Electchu agreed.

The two of them then jogged to catch up with the group just as they stopped half a mile away from Dynamax Dragapult. The Stealth Pokémon floated around the train tracks in circles without a care.

"So, what's the plan?" Sonia asked.

"Dragapult is a Dragon and Ghost type, so that makes it weak to Ghost, Dragon, Ice, Fairy, and Dark type moves," Gwen said. "Since it's in Dynamax form, we should use any Pokemon we have that are strong against Dragon and Ghost types."

"Sounds good," Coovers said. "Sonia, do you have any Pokemon that fall into that category?"

"No, I don't have any Pokémon with me," Sonia said.

"That's okay," Timothy said. "I'll take out Knightblade and Shockwave to fight with Electchu."

"But Electchu's Electric attacks will only do half the damage." Gwen said.

"Better than nothing," Coovers said. "As for me, I'll use Krookodile and Klinklang."

"Good deal," Timothy said. "And do Mudbray and Drifloon have any ranged attacks Gwen?"

"Not Mudbray, but Drifloon knows Shadow Ball," Gwen said. "Winnie also knows Rock Slide, so it can help too."

"Teddiursa," Winnie said.

"Okay, that makes seven Pokémon together. That should be more than enough," Timothy said.

"Then let's not waste any time," Coovers said, taking out two Pokéballs. "Klinklang, Krookodile, come on out!"

"Drifloon, help us out!" Gwen shouted, throwing her Pokéballs.

"Knightblade, Shockwave, let's go!" Timothy shouted as he threw his two Pokéballs.

Klinklang, Krookodile, Knightblade, Shockwave, and Drifloon came out of their containers with a series of flashes. They looked up at Dynamax Dragapult, and Klinklang, Krookodile, Mudbray, and Drifloon's eyes widened, having never seen a Dynamax Pokémon before, and Knightblade went into Blade Forme, ready for battle. Dynamax Dragapult continued to float around without a care, not noticing the Pokémon summoned to attack it.

"Let's hit it hard with our strongest attacks," Timothy said. "Electchu, use Thunder! Shockwave, use Moonblast! Knightblade, use Shadow Claw!"

"Klinklang, Flash Cannon! Krookodile, Rock Slide!" Coovers commanded.

"Winnie, Rock Slide! Drifloon, attack with Shadow Ball!" Gwen shouted.

Multiple stones appeared in front of Krookodile and Winnie in the shape of rings, and they sent the stones flying towards Dynamax Dragapult. Electchu unleashed a large bolt of electricity, Shockwave fired an orb of pink energy, Klinklang unleashed a beam of white energy, and Drifloon threw a black ball of energy. All of their attacks hit Dynamax Dragapult. It roared in pain before turning to the grotto just as Knightblade was charging toward it with its gold and dark gray blade covered in black aura with a purple outline. The Royal Sword Pokémon let out a battle cry as it slashed across Dynamax Dragapult's stomach. The Stealth Pokémon screamed and wrapped its arms around its stomach.

"Way to go, guys!" Sonia cheered.

Coovers gave his crush a dopey smile, Gwen nodded, and Timothy gave Sonia a thumbs up.

"Okay, one more round should do it," Timothy said. "Let's give it everything we -"

But before Timothy could finish his sentence, Dynamax Dragapult lifted its head, roaring, "Draga," and a giant boot, a teapot, a mug, and two chairs appeared out of thin air glowing pink and purple. With another, "Draga," Dynamax Dragapult pointed its head at the Pokémon, and the large objects zoomed towards them.

"Watch out!" Timothy screamed.

But the objects hit Electchu, Shockwave, Knightblade, Klinklang, Krookodile, Winnie, and Drifloon before they could move and exploded in a ball of black and purple energy. When the dust cleared, Klinklang and Krookodile had a few scratches, and Electchu was on all fours, clenching its teeth with its body covered in several scratches. Knightblade and Shockwave, however, struggled to stay conscious with their bodies covered in cuts and bruises, while Drifloon laid limp on the grass. Winnie, however, wasn't harmed at all.

"What in the world was that?" Coovers asked.

"It's the Ghost type Max Move, Max Phantasm." Gwen answered as she returned Drifloon to its Pokéball.

"That explains why Shockwave and Knightblade are severely injured, yet Winnie isn't harmed at all," Timothy said, furrowing his brow before turning his Pokémon. "Can you guys keep going?"

"Aegislash!" Knightblade shouted with pride.

"Gar." Shockwave replied with a weak smile.

"Raichu!" Electchu said with a determined look.

Timothy gave his Pokémon a smirk and a nod before looking back up at Dynamax Dragapult to order another attack. He opened his mouth to make the call but stopped when he realized that Dynamax Dragapult was giving him, Coovers, Gwen, and Sonia a menacing look. It lifted its head, shouting, "Draga," again, and several purple and pink objects appeared around it. Timothy's eyes widened, and he looked at Coovers, who was staring at the Dynamax Pokemon in shock.

"Everybody run!" Coovers yelled.

Dynamax Dragapult pointed its head at the group, and the large objects zoomed toward them. Electchu, Shockwave, Krookodile, and Klinklang ran away, and Knightblade flew up just in time to avoid a boot hitting them and exploding upon hitting the ground. A teapot flew toward Sonia, and Coovers pulled her away. The teapot exploded from where they were, knocking them off their feet, and they tumbled to the ground, with Coovers falling on his back and Sonia landing on top of him. Sonia groaned and stood on all fours before she collected herself and realized she was still on top of Coovers.

"Coovers, are you alright?" She asked.

Coovers laid still for a moment before he got up in a sitting position and rubbed his head. He turned to Sonia, and his eyes widened as he leaned closer with his hand on her shoulder.

"Are you okay?!" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks to you." she said.

Coovers sighed in relief and took Sonia's hand before she helped him up and patted his arm. The two of them stared at each other, smiling, lost in the moment.

Timothy, meanwhile, avoided getting hit by one of the chairs and eased up until he heard Winnie crying out.

"Teddi!"

He turned his head to the Little Bear Pokémon and then looked at where it was looking to see Gwen standing still and watching a mug and the second chair fly toward her in a state of shock. Timothy's eyes widened as he realized he was too far to move her away before the objects hit her.

"Shockwave, use Psychic on Gwen, now!" He screamed.

Without hesitating, Shockwave's eyes glowed blue. It lifted Gwen with a blue outline surrounding her body and levitated her toward it and Timothy just before the objects landed right where she was standing. Shockwave lowered Gwen to her feet in front of Timothy, and he placed his hands on her cheeks.

"Gwen. Gwen, snap out of it," he said.

Gwen stared into space, breathing heavily until her opal eyes turned to Timothy's green ones. She slowly began breathing at a regular pace, and she moved her head to look past Timothy, seeing Dynamax Dragapult look daggers at the group.

"It tried to hit us," she said. "I can't believe it attacked us with a Max Move."

"I know," Timothy said. "We've got to take it down now."

But Gwen kept staring at the Dynamax Pokémon instead of responding, her eyes filled with shock and horror. Winnie tugged Gwen's pants, but its partner stayed still like a statue. Timothy's face turned grim, and he looked at Dynamax Dragapult, who was still giving everyone a dark look.

"Rai Rai Raichu?" Electchu asked.

"I don't know, Electchu," Timothy answered. "We can do another attack, but if it hits Shockwave and Knightblade again, we're down to four Pokémon with only two of them resistant to its attacks. We all have other Pokémon, but I don't know how well they can handle Dragapult's Max Moves when none of them are Dynamaxed."

Electchu, Winnie, and Shockwave mimicked Timothy's grim expression. Winnie looked up at Gwen and whimpered as she stayed in shock. Then its eyes widened, and it turned to the other Pokémon, saying "Ursa,'' "Teddi," and "Teddiursa" multiple times. Electchu, Shockwave, and Knightblade looked at the Little Bear Pokemon, puzzled, and then debated amongst themselves. Timothy watched them talk in their language for a minute until Knightblade nodded, and Electchu turned to Timothy with a hopeful look.

"What is it pal?" Timothy asked.

The Mouse Pokemon replied by saying a series of "Rai" and "Raichu," pointing at Winnie, Shockwave, and Knightblade. When it finished, Timothy stared at his partner for a moment before looking down and scratching his chin in thought.

"I guess that makes sense," he said before turning to Winnie. "You think there's a Power Spot here?"

"Teddi," Winnie said, nodding.

"Alright, let's give it a try," Timothy said. "But if we're going to do this, we need to distract Dragapult."

"Raichu," Electchu agreed.

"Gardevoir," Shockwave said.

"Aegislash," Knightblade said.

"Teddi," Winnie said.

Timothy smiled and nodded before turning around to Coovers and Sonia. They were still staring at each other, lost in their own little world.

"Guys, break it up! We have a plan!" Timothy called out.

Coovers and Sonia snapped out of their trance and stepped away. Coovers blushed and Sonia played with her ponytail.

"Sorry, Timbo," Coovers said before putting on a severe face. "What's your plan?"

"Winnie thinks this area is a Power Spot, and that's how Dragapult Dynamaxed," Timothy said. "If I can Dynamax Shockwave, it can take Dragapult down with the Fairy type Max Move."

"But what if Dragapult uses Max Phantasm again?" Sonia asked. "Shockwave can't take another hit like that because it's part Psychic type."

"I know, and that's why I need all of the other Pokémon to distract it," Timothy said. "If Dragapult does try to hit Shockwave, we'll have the other Pokémon attack it. That should buy Shockwave enough time to take it down."

Coovers took a moment to think about it. Add more and said, "Well, it's worth a shot. Krookodile, Klinklang, let's do it."

"Krok," Krookodile growled.

"Klinklang," Klinklang said.

"Alright," Timothy said. He took out Shockwave's Pokeball and turned to it. "Here goes nothing Shockwave."

"Gardevoir," Shockwave said.

Timothy returned Shockwave to its Pokéball and looked at his Dynamax Band, whispering a plea. After a couple of seconds, Galar Particles came out of the band and merged into the Pokéball.

"Yes!" Timothy said with a grin.

The Pokéball grew to half of Timothy's height, and he threw it in the opposite direction from Dynamax Dragapult. With a pink flash, Shockwave emerged from its Pokéball, growing so tall that it was at eye level with its opponent. The Stealth Pokémon gave another dark look as it realized what the trainers and their Pokémon were hoping to do. It roared "Draga" a fourth time, and glowing purple and pink objects appeared out of thin air.

"Electchu, use Thunder! Knightblade, Shadow Claw!" Timothy shouted.

"Klinklang, Flash Cannon! Krookodile, Rock Slide!" Coovers shouted.

Electchu, Knightblade, Zoroark, and Krookodile unleashed their respective attacks, and they hit before Dynamax Dragapult could send the objects heading toward Dynamax Shockwave. The Stealth Pokémon screamed in agony, and the objects disappeared.

"Let's not waste any time, Shockwave! Use Max Starfall!" Timothy yelled.

Dynamax Shockwave made a loud call, and five giant, yellow stars fell from the sky toward Dynamax Dragapult. Dynamax Shockwave's opponent was too distracted to realize what was happening before the stars landed around it and exploded. With one last scream in pain, Dynamax Dragapult fell to the ground just a couple of feet away from the train tracks. Its body glowed white pink, and it shrunk into its regular size followed by Gardevoir a few seconds later. The red clouds disappeared, letting the sunshine above the Wild Area. Timothy sighed in relief and turned to Electchu, Shockwave, Knightblade, Klinklang, and Krookodile.

"Nice job everyone," he said.

"Raichu," Electchu said.

"Gardevoir," Shockwave said with a smirk and a nod.

"Aegislash!" Knightblade shouted, holding its shield up in triumph.

"Klink," Klinklang said.

"Krook," Krookodile said, smirking.

"Way to go, everybody! Woo hoo!" Sonia cheered.

Coovers reacted with another goofy smile as though Sonia was only praising him. He then returned Klinklang and Krookodile to their Pokéballs, while Timothy returned Shockwave and Knightblade. They walked over to Dragapult, who laid on the grass with swirly eyes, then it came to and lifted its head to look at its surroundings in confusion until it saw Timothy, Coovers, Sonia, and Electchu walking over to it. The Stealth Pokémon became uneasy until Coovers took off his backpack and took out a super option.

"Don't be afraid. This will take care of your injuries," he said.

Dragapult looked at Coovers until it saw the cuts and scratches on its belly. Upon seeing its injuries, its mind acknowledged the pain, hissing and clenching its teeth in agony. Coovers kneeled in front of Dragapult and held his hand up.

"This will sting a little bit," he said.

He sprayed on the cuts and scratches, and Dragapult winched and whined. Within several seconds, the cuts disappeared, leaving the wild Pokémon surprised, for it had never seen nor experienced injuries healed this way.

"Does that feel better, Dragapult?" Sonia asked.

"Dragapult," Dragapult replied with a smile.

"Dreepy!" The two Dreepy from Dragapult's horns cheered.

"Glad to hear it," Timothy said. "Now, you be more careful with where you -"

"Hold on a minute!"

Timothy, Coovers, Sonia, and Electchu turned around to see Gwen storming toward them with Winnie following behind. Gwen had her eyes fixed on Dragapult with a glare that made the Pokémon twinge in fear. Winnie called out to its partner in worry as it followed her, but Gwen showed no signs of hearing it. The rest of the group became unsettled by the dark aura surrounding Gwen as she stopped a few feet away from Dragapult.

"How can you be so cheerful?!" She screamed. "Don't you realize what you could have done?!"

Dragapult floated back, whimpering, and the Dreepy hid deep into his horns.

"Gwen, it's okay. It's back to normal," Coovers said.

"How can you say that?! This Pokémon was endangering lives, and it didn't show any remorse!" Gwen barked. "Or have you forgotten the way it was looking at us when we were fighting?!"

"Drag, Drag, Drag, Drag, Dragapult," Dragapult pleaded.

"Yeah? Well, what do you call this?!" Gwen shouted, pointing at the destroyed spots of the grassy field. "Timothy, Coovers, Sonia, and I could have been seriously hurt or worse!"

"Drag, Drag, Drag, Dragapult," Dragapult protested.

Electchu's ears perked up, and it turned to Timothy, saying "Chu," "Rai," and "Raichu" multiple times. Timothy's eyes widened, and he looked back at Gwen, who screamed at Dragapult with tears running down her face and her voice starting to crack.

"Can't you show a hint of regret? Don't you have any shame?! How can you live with being nothing but a cold-hearted, destructive, soulless think of something different -"

"Gwen, stop it!" Timothy shouted, stepping between Gwen and Dragapult.

"Get out of my way!" Gwen barked.

She pushed Timothy to the side, but he stepped in front of her again before she could start yelling again. Gwen tried to push him away again, but Timothy held his ground. They wrestled with each other until Timothy put his hands on Gwen's face and forced her to face him.

"Gwen, look at me! Look at me!" He shouted until her eyes met Timothy's. "You heard Dragapult say it doesn't remember what happened. It's not its fault. This isn't you!"

Gwen tried to pull Timothy's arms back to free her head, her teeth clenched. But then she slowly stopped wrestling, and she looked past Timothy to see Dragapult quivering with its eyes tearing up. At that moment, her anger melted away, and she stepped back, covering her mouth with both hands. She took a step forward and stretched her hand to Dragapult, but the stealth Pokémon moved back.

"Dragapult, I'm... I'm so sorry," Gwen said with a frail voice. "I didn't -"

Dragapult moved further back in fear as Gwen stepped closer. Before she could say another word, Dragapult turned around and flew away.

"Dragapult!" Gwen screamed.

She ran after the Pokémon as fast as her legs could carry her, but it wasn't long until she realized it was too fast. Gwen slowed down until she came to a halt, staring at the frightened Dragapult until it was out of sight. Gwen's eyes widened, and new tears flowed down her face as she fully realized what she had done. She covered her hand with her mouth again and fell to her knees, sobbing. Winnie ran over to its partner's side and stretched out its paw to Gwen's leg, but it retracted as it realized that nothing it could do would comfort Gwen. Timothy, Sonia, and Electchu watch the moment, feeling sorry for Gwen, but Coovers looked between Gwen and Winnie and the rest of the group, uncertain of what was going on.

The field was silent apart from Gwen sobbing until the sound of an engine and metal wheels rolling on rails. Timothy, Coovers, Sonia, and Electchu turned around to find the train moving again at top speed. Timothy and Coovers's eyes widened and they waved their hands to grab the train driver's attention, but the train zoomed past them and rode down the tracks beyond their line of sight.

"Oh, come on! We took down the Pokémon blocking their path, and they abandoned us?!" Coovers shouted.

"Maybe the train driver didn't know you were on the train before it stopped," Sonia said.

"Guess so," Timothy said. "Now we're gonna have to ride our bikes the rest of the way to Hammerlocke."

"Rai, Raichu," Electchu said with its ears hanging low.

"Don't be silly, guys. I'm going to Hammerlocke too, remember? I'll drive you," Sonia said, smirking.

Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu's face became pale, and Coovers said, "That's sweet of you, Sonia, but you shouldn't feel obligated to do that. We're fine with riding."

"No way, Coovers. I'm not going to leave my friends behind in the middle of the Wild Area," Sonia said before turning to Timothy. "Besides, you might fall behind your fellow Gym Challengers if you take so long to get to the next Gym."

Timothy flinched and turned to Coovers and Electchu. Coovers looked away and scratched the back of his head, while Electchu whimpered, both knowing that Sonia had a point. Timothy bit his lip before he sighed and muttered, "For the mission," before turning back to Sonia with a forced smile.

"When you put it that way, Sonia, how can we possibly say no?" He said.

"Great, I'll start my car," Sonia said.

With that, she walked to her car with Coovers following, praying to the heavens for survival. Timothy and Electchu gave each other fearful looks about what was to come before they walked over to Gwen and Winnie. Gwen's sobs had died by now, but she still stared at where Dragapult was last seen. Timothy looked at Gwen sympathetically and sighed again before he got down on his knees and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Gwen, it's time to go," he said.

For a moment, Gwen made no sign that she heard Timothy. Then she scooped up Winnie without looking at it, stood up, and robotically walked toward the car. Timothy and Electchu walked beside Gwen with Timothy's gaze on his sorrowful companion.

As the four of them got in the back of Sonia's car again, Electchu got on Timothy's lap, and he held it close for protection. As soon as Sonia stepped on the gas pedal, the car began to shake again as it drove through the grass at great speed. Coovers held to the side of his seat, trying not to whimper in fear next to his crush. Sonia smiled as she drove, proud that she was helping her friends, but still oblivious to the dangers of her driving. Electchu continued to hold on to Timothy for dear life as some bumps on the grass would send him flying off his seat if not for his seat belt.

But despite still worrying about the danger in Sonia's driving, Timothy's focus was still on Gwen. She also held on to her Pokémon partner for protection, but she was staring into space, emotionally distant. As the car continued to rock, Timothy wondered if there was something more on Gwen's mind.