It's been three days since the group passed by Hammerlocke. Ezria led everyone east until they hit a fork in the road and turned north to a brick tunnel. Everyone stopped for lunch at her command before they turned their phones back into bicycles and went through the tunnel. From the other side, the group found themselves in a valley of ancient ruins surrounded by a brick wall leading to the other side.

"Alright, everybody, dismount," Ezria said. "We're walking through the ruins."

Timothy, Coovers, and Gwen silently obeyed, turning their Rotom Bicycles back into phones and Electchu getting off Timothy's back. As they walked through the ruins, Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu looked around to see the remains of buildings covered in vines and the floors were covered in tall, yellow grass. Now and then, they would see a Haunter or a Rufflet in the air, a Boldore napping by the rocks, Vullaby tottering around, or a Falinks marching from one hole to another. When the group was passing through the remains of an archway, they came across a snake-like Pokémon with colors roughly similar to that of a Silicobra, but had a dark brown, spring-like neck pouch, and its long body was coiled in a spiral shape.

"You think this is Silicobra's evolved form?" Coovers asked.

"Only one way to find out," Timothy said.

He scanned the new Pokémon, and Rotom said, "Sandaconda. The Sand Snake Pokémon and the evolved form of Silicobra. A Ground Type. When it contracts its body, over 220 pounds of sand sprays from its nose. If it ever runs out of sand, it becomes disheartened."

"Sure enough, it's Silicobra's evolved form," Timothy said.

"I could have told you that. I know every kind of Pokémon in Galar," Ezria boasted.

"I'm sure you do, but I like to find out about new Pokémon the old-fashioned way," Timothy said. "In any case, a lot of wild Pokémon live in these ruins."

"They sure do. Some say these are remains of a town back in Ancient Galar that was destroyed during the Darkest Day," Gwen said.

"And how would a nobody from Johto know a thing like that?" Ezria asked with a raised eyebrow.

Timothy, Coovers, Electchu, and Winnie glowered at Ezria for speaking to their friend that way. Gwen fought the urge to yell at the chairman's minion and said, "I did some research on Galar before we started our journey through the Galar region."

Ezria scoffed and said, "Is that so? Well, that sounds like a colossal waste of time. What good is knowing fragments of the past?"

Gwen stopped walking and stared at Ezria in disbelief before she glared at her with her teeth clenched and her face red.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Gwen snarled. "Have you no respect for Galar's history?!"

"Oh, it's not that at all. I love the story of the Darkest Day, and I like that we have things like the geoglyph in Turffield and the mural at Stow-on-Side. They give my home a lot of character," Ezria said, unfazed by Gwen yelling. "But I believe the things history left behind like the geoglyph, the mural, and all this rubble have no value for Galar's future. They are but tourist attractions or, in the case of these ruins, a home for wild Pokémon."

"You don't know that! There could be more to Ancient Galar that makes them invaluable to Galar today!" Gwen barked.

"And how do you propose that will happen? We find out who the knight was and that magically solves all of Galar's problems might have in the future just like that? Give me a break." Ezria said. "There have never been new discoveries about Galar's history in years anyway."

"Well, I agree with Gwen," Timothy said.

All eyes turned to Timothy, with Ezria looking at him as though he had said a foul word.

"You do?" She asked.

"Yes, I do," Timothy answered plainly. "We live in a world filled with legends and mystery revolving around Pokemon - some of which are warnings against repeating history. Granted, I don't know how we can learn from a person who stopped an entire region full of Dynamaxed Pokémon could benefit us. Still, maybe there's information about what caused the Darkest Day that we can use to prevent it from happening again if we could. I don't know about you guys, but if I had the chance to stop something before it happens or just benefit people and Pokémon in general, and the only way to know how is through history, it's only right that I take it. Don't you agree, Ezria?"

Ezria stared at Timothy, put at a loss. Coovers and Electchu looked at each other, puzzled, and Gwen and Winnie gave Ezria smug looks as if to say, "Your move" silently. Finally, the raspberry-haired woman cleared her throat and spoke with a forced smile,

"Y-yes. You're right, Timothy," she said. "I never thought of it that way before."

"Well, I hope you will keep that in mind from now on for the sake of Galar," Timothy said.

"Yeah, sure. Anyway, let's get moving," Ezria said.

Gwen surely softly chuckled with her mouth closed, pleased to see Ezria lead the group without looking at anyone, humiliated. Timothy smiled, satisfied with his deed before he noticed Coovers, Gwen, Electchu, and Winnie walking closer to him from opposite sides. Coovers and Gwen checked to make sure Ezria wasn't looking before the latter whispered into Timothy's ear.

"Thank you," she said. "I might have clobbered her if she kept that up."

"I'm glad you didn't while we still need her," Coovers said. "Still, it's cool that you came up with a big speech like that, Timbo."

"Raichu," Electchu said.

"Well, it helps that I meant it," Timothy said.

"Oh, did you really?" Gwen asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course. After all, she's part of a project that might cause history to repeat itself and we don't entirely know how Galar was saved last time." Timothy said with a smirk.

"I agree," Coovers said. "Though personally, I look at it that way because we are guilty of making that mistake ourselves."

"What do you mean?" Gwen asked.

"I've been thinking about the similarities between this mission and our quest to find the Gieldanstone. Not only are we using Timothy and his reputation to stop someone, but the situation involves people repeating history as we did," Coovers said. "Brandon told us of an emperor in ancient times who used Arceus to conquer with the stone, and when he destroyed himself, Arceus and the people who survived thought hiding the Gieldanstone was the best course of action. We took the Gieldanstone to the International Police, thinking their advanced technology would better keep it safe, but it was the opportunity Team Rocket needed to steal. It may have worked out in the long run now that Team Rocket is gone for good, but we still put the whole world at risk by letting a powerful object like the Gieldanstone be able to be used. You said yourself, Timothy, that it was a mistake that both the people from long ago and we thought the Gieldanstone was something that only needed to be hidden so no one could use it, hence why we agreed to destroy it. And now, the chairman is risking something horrible to happen again, thinking he knows how to help the people and Pokémon of his home."

Timothy furrowed his brow and looked down in thought while they were still walking.

"I never thought of it like that," he said. "I guess that makes it more important that we at least try to persuade the chairman and Ezria into seeing that what they're doing is wrong: to prevent them from making a similar mistake."

Coovers frowned in concern and said, "No offense Timothy, but you talk about persuading them a lot. How do you plan to do that? I can only guess with the chairman, having only met him once, but Ezria isn't exactly the most open-minded person I've ever met."

"Ain't that the truth," Gwen said.

"Raichu," Electchu agreed.

"Teddi." Winnie said.

"Maybe, but I would also consider her smarter than most people we've come across on our journey...in her own way," Timothy said. "I mean, I addressed her as just a friend when we were out in the woods, and sure she still has it bad for me, but at least she acknowledged I don't think of her that way. That's more than I've gotten from literally any of her fans."

"Heh. I guess you got me there," Coovers said. "I don't know about you guys, but I'll eat my hat if even one of those dopes think for one second that nothing is happening between -"

"There's a Pokemon World Coronation Series trainer nearby! There's a Pokemon World Coronation Series trainer nearby!"

Everyone stopped walking, and all eyes turned to Timothy's jeans pocket. Timothy took out his Rotom Phone and then looked at Ezria, realizing that his phone was the only one ringing. Ezria's eyes lit up, and she squealed in delight.

"There's another person in the Great Class nearby!" She shouted.

"What is a competitor doing in the middle of these ruins?" Timothy asked.

"If I had to guess, they probably are passing by from Circhester," Gwen said. "It's unlikely anyone is traveling behind us without us knowing before we entered the ruins."

"For once, you are right," Ezria said. "But enough about that. Let's find this person so Timothy can go up the ranks!"

"Yeah, let's," Timothy said half-heartedly.

Ezria grabbed Timothy's hand, forcing him to lead the group with his phone still out. They walked further down the path looking around to see if there was anyone other than wild Pokemon inside the destroyed buildings. Finally, Timothy covered the speaker of his phone and heard the faint sound of another Rotom Phone saying, "There's a Pokemon World Coronation Series trainer nearby! There's a Pokemon World Coronation Series trainer nearby!" The group walked in that direction until they were on a grassy plain, and Timothy, Coovers, and Gwen simultaneously said the name of the last person they expected to see.

"Ned?!"

"Oh great," Ezria grumbled.

Ned turned his head to the group, and he smiled brightly. Ezria turned around so Ned couldn't see her as he ran over to the group. Timothy greeted the stout man with a fist bump, and Coovers gave him a high five.

"It's great to see all of you," Ned said.

"You too. Where have you been? We haven't seen you since Hulbury," Coovers said.

"Yeah. I thought I was going to see you in Motostoke Stadium, but you weren't there," Timothy said. "Didn't you battle Kabu before we got there because of your head start?"

Ned's smile disappeared, and he looked away while scratching the back of his head.

"I was one of the first people to battle him alright, but he crushed me," he confessed. "No matter how hard I tried, my Pokémon couldn't even hit Kabu's Centiskorch Gigantamaxed. After two other tries, I accepted that my Pokémon and I aren't strong enough to complete the Gym Challenge."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Ned. You must be crushed after all of your hard work," Gwen said.

"Yeah, it was pretty hard to accept reality," Ned said before he put on another smile. "But I plan to try again next year, and until then, I'm training my Pokémon very hard and competing in the World Coronation Series so I can grow stronger with my Pokémon."

"Good for you, Ned," Timothy said. "What rank are you?"

Ned smirked as he took out his Rotom Phone and held it out to show everyone. Timothy, Coovers, Gwen, Electchu, and Winnie huddled together to look before their eyes widened, dumbfounded.

"785?!" Coovers shouted. "No offense, but how did you get to the Great Class?"

"As I said, I've been training my Pokémon very hard," Ned said before turning to Timothy. "Of course, taking what you taught me to heart and no one Dynamaxing their Pokémon helps a bunch too."

"Well, I'm glad to hear it," Timothy said. "I'm in the Great Class too. 989."

"Right on," Ned said. "So, you must be the challenger my phone was talking abo-"

Ned's voice died in his throat as he noticed Ezria standing beside the rest of the group from the corner of his eye. Even if her back was turned, the devoted fan recognized her beautiful raspberry hair and signature dark orange dress anywhere. Ezria mentally prayed that Ned's sudden silence was from anything but noticing her, but the sound of the round man gasping proved she was not so fortunate.

"E-E-E-Ezria," Ned stuttered.

Ezria huffed under her breath and took a second to put on a fake smile before turning to Ned.

"Is that my dear Ned?" She asked. "I'm sorry I didn't notice you. I was distracted by looking at these ancient ruins."

Ned flushed and looked away, playing with his fingers. Gwen facepalmed while Timothy, Coovers, Electchu, and Winnie looked at their friend, concerned.

"I-I-It's been too long," Ned said, trying to be calm.

"Indeed. So, why haven't we seen you lately at the Gym Challenge?" Ezria asked.

"Well...I had to drop out after I kept losing to Kabu," Ned answered before putting on a brave face. "But I'm working to improve with my Pokémon. In fact, I'm in the Great Class in the World Coronation Series."

"The Great Class? My, my, my, I'm not even that far," Ezria said, petting the top of Ned's head as though he were a pet. "You must be working very hard with your Pokémon. If you keep it up, I'm sure you'll win next year and be my first opponent to attempt to knock me off the title as Galar's new Champion."

Ned's face turned barn red as Ezria petted him, but then his smile vanished, and he looked between Ezria and Timothy. Timothy, Coovers, Gwen, Electchu, and Winnie grew tense as the wheels in Ned's head turned. Finally, Ned shouted, "Ah!" and took a step back, pointing at Timothy and Ezria.

"You two are traveling together?!" He shouted.

"Actually, she invited herself into the group," Gwen said.

"That's worse!" Ned shouted with his eyes still on Timothy. "She's so into you that she would invite herself onto your group, and you let her! You know how I feel about her!"

"Ned, we're just friends. Nothing else," Timothy said.

Ezria's face twitched, feeling as though someone pinched her heart.

"Just friends? Are you kidding? I saw her go on and on about you on TV," Ned said. "I didn't want to believe it, but now here I find you two traveling together!"

"Yeah, we heard about her little interview, but we also heard she didn't confirm anything." Coovers said.

"Then let's clear things up!" Ned said before turning to Ezria. "Do you really have a thing for Timothy?!"

"Now, now, Ned, it's not polite to ask about a woman's feelings like that," Ezria said.

"That's not a denial!" Ned said. "You're putting many people in suspense over your feelings, Ezria, so please be honest with me!"

Ezria furrowed her brow and crossed her arms.

"You want me to be honest with you? Very well," she said. "Ned, I know how you feel about me."

Ned's anger vanished, and his face heated up.

"You...you do?" He stuttered.

"Of course, dear. It's obvious," Ezria said with a sad pout. "But as much as it pains me, I can't return your feelings for me; try as I might."

Ned's face fell with a look in his eye that made Timothy, Coovers, Gwen, Electchu, and Winnie imagine his heart breaking as though it were made of glass. Ezria petted Ned's, giving him a sympathetic "aw" as she continued.

"Please don't be that way, sweetheart. It's nothing to do with you. You are a nice guy with a big, um, heart. My heart just belongs to another. That's all,"

Ned snapped out of his daze and asked with a pleading look, "Another? Timothy?"

"I'm sorry, darling, but I'm afraid it's a secret," Ezria said.

Timothy and his friends glared at Ezria, who backed away from Ned, still keeping her sympathetic act. Ned watched her in devastation before his anger returned, and he turned to Timothy with a hard glare.

"Ned, calm down," Timothy said.

But instead of listening, Ned took out his Rotom Phone and pressed a few buttons on the screen, his eyes still fixed on Timothy. Timothy, Coovers, Gwen, Electchu, and Winnie looked at Ned, confused as if nothing had happened for a moment before Timothy's phone rang from his pocket.

"A battle challenge has been issued!" Rotom said. "Do you wish to accept or reject it?"

"I reject it," Timothy replied without taking out his phone.

Ned clenched his teeth and used the app on his phone again.

"A battle challenge has been issued! Do you wish to accept or reject it?"

"I reject it," Timothy answered.

Ned growled as he tried a third time.

"A battle challenge has been issued! Do you wish to accept or reject it?"

"Ned, please, stop it. Timothy doesn't want to battle," Coovers said.

"Well, I do, and I'm not letting you guys get through to Circhester unless you do," Ned said.

"Ned, listen to yourself. You're better than this," Gwen begged. "Forcing someone to battle you is not the answer to dealing with someone rejecting you."

"Why not? Have you been rejected before?" Ned challenged. "You're no Ezria, so what do you know?"

"Hey, you can't talk to Gwen like that! She's trying to help you!" Timothy barked.

"Raichu!" Electchu agreed.

"Teddiursa!" Winnie shouted.

"Then she shouldn't get into something that doesn't involve her!" Ned snarled.

Ezria covered her mouth to keep herself from snickering at the sight of Gwen stunned by her friend's words. Timothy's hands turned into fists, and he fought the temptation for a moment before he took out his phone.

"You know what? I accept your challenge!" He shouted. "Don't come crying when I rank higher than you afterward!"

"I'd be more concerned about me knocking you out of the Great Class!" Ned said.

"Timothy, hold on!" Coovers said.

"A battle challenge has been issued!" Timothy and Ned's Rotom Phones said.

"Thank you!" Ned shouted.

Ned walked to the other side of the plain and took out a Pokéball. Timothy took out a Pokeball and held it in front of his face. Coovers and Gwen looked at each other with concern, and Coovers walked over to Timothy, putting his hand on Timothy's shoulder to get his attention.

"Timothy, you don't need to do this. Let's keep trying to talk Ned out of this," Coovers said.

"It's too late, pal. The challenge has already been accepted," Timothy said, his eyes still on Ned.

"Come on, Timothy. He's in emotional pain and not thinking clearly," Coovers said. "He's not gonna stand a chance battling in this state."

"Good. The sooner we settle this, the better," Timothy said. "Maybe a rock-hard defeat will knock some sense into Ned."

Coovers's unease grew, and he asked, "What's gotten into you? You might not win so easily with that attitude."

"Oh, please. How much stronger could this guy have gotten in a short time? Right, Electchu?" Timothy said.

"Rai... Raichu," Electchu said hesitantly.

Coovers bit his lips and backed away, accepting there was no talking his best friend out of the battle. Timothy and Ned waited for half a minute before a Rotom Drone came down from the sky and floated between them with a hologram of their pictures appearing from its eyes.

"You have been approved for an official Pokemon World Coronation Series Great Class battle!" Rotom announced. "The two competitors today are Ned and Timothy! For today's battle, each of you can have the use of two Pokémon. Will both trainers please take out your Pokemon? Thank you! Three, two, one, go!"

"Odyssey, let's go!" Timothy shouted.

"Exploud, let's get 'em!" Ned shouted.

The trainers threw their Pokéballs at the same time, and they opened to reveal Odyssey and an Exploud. Exploud stomped its feet as it roared at Odyssey menacingly.

"Battle begin!" Rotom Drone shouted.

"So, you evolved your Loudred. Nice," Timothy said. "Now, show me how much stronger it is."

"Oh, I intend to," Ned said. "Exploud, use Hyper Voice!"

"Dodge, and use Extreme Speed!" Timothy shouted.

Exploud sucked in air through the holes on its body, then it opened its mouth, and a blue orb appeared. Exploud then released a beam of air filled with blue circles inside, but Odyssey merely smirked as green aura surrounded its body, and it moved away from the beam with inhuman speed. Within a blink of an eye, Odyssey slammed into Exploud, and the loud noise Pokemon slid several feet back, creating tracks of crushed grass with its feet.

"Now, use Aura Sphere!" Timothy shouted.

"Use Rock Slide, now!" Ned barked.

Odyssey put its hands close together to create an orb of aura energy between them, and several stones appear in front of Exploud. The Pokémon fired their attacks simultaneously, and the orb and stones collided, causing an explosion that covered the plain in smoke.

"Now, use Bone Rush!" Timothy shouted.

Odyssey closed its eyes, using its aura to sense its target as it made a bone of energy with its paws. The Aura Pokémon took Ned and his Pokémon by surprise as it came out from the smoke and hit Exploud in the face.

"Exploud, use Thunder Punch, now!" Ned yelled.

Yellow sparks surrounded Exploud's fists and grew into a ball of electrical energy before Exploud punched Odyssey in the gut. The punch knocked the wind out of Odyssey, and it landed on its back a couple of feet away from its opponent. Odyssey keeled, massaging its stomach, and Ned grinned.

"Now, use Hyper Beam!" He shouted.

"Big mistake, Ned," Timothy said. "Odyssey, get up and use Strength followed by Aura Sphere!"

Odyssey opened its eyes while still massaging its stomach to see Exploud creating a white orb of energy from its big mouth. Odyssey pushed itself up with its body surrounded in red aura, and ran to Exploud. The Aura Pokémon lifted Exploud up with a growl, and Exploud flailed its arms and legs around, panicking while still creating the white orb. With another growl, Odyssey lifted Exploud high into the air and threw an orb of aura toward it. The Aura Sphere hit Exploud on the back, causing an explosion that sent it flying higher into the air before it fell into the ground with a crash. Rotom Drone flew over to Exploud to find it faintly groaning with swirly eyes.

"Exploud is unable to battle! Odyssey wins!" It declared.

"What?! That's not fair! His Lucario was weak!" Ned yelled.

"Exploud punched Odyssey in the gut, but Thunder Punch only did regular damage," Timothy explained smugly. "It was a mistake to think it was the right time to use Hyper Beam when it takes a while for a Pokémon to build up the energy. Long enough for Odyssey to retaliate with a powerful Fighting type move Exploud is weak against easy-peasy, one-two-threesy."

"Raichu," Electchu said.

"Lucar," Odyssey said as it shook the dust off its paws.

Ned clenched his teeth and returned Exploud into its Pokeball. Gwen, meanwhile, grew more distressed as she watched the two grown men act like little boys. She then noticed Ezria grinning from ear to ear with her arms crossed as she watched Ned be so furious. Gwen's eyes widened, and she looked at Ezria in disgust as she realized the fight was all part of her plan.

"She wanted Ned to force Timothy to battle, counting on Timothy to humiliate him," Gwen thought. "That corporate she-devil is using them to crush Ned's spirit further and boost her crush's ranking!"

Gwen closes her fists, fighting the urge to attack Ezria for manipulating her friends for the sake of the mission. Ned, meanwhile, took out another Pokéball and threw it into the air without calling out to the Pokémon inside. The ball opens to reveal a Vanilluxe cheerfully ready for battle.

"You evolved your Vanillite to a Vanilluxe in roughly a month? I'm impressed," Timothy said.

"Not yet, you aren't!" Ned shouted. "Vanilluxe, use Icy Wind!"

"Dodge and use Aura Sphere!" Timothy shouted.

Vanilluxe's mouths glowed light blue and released a wind with light blue sparkles inside from its mouths. Odyssey jumped to the side and created another orb of aura with a smirk, expecting to take down the second Pokémon weak to Fighting type attacks in one move.

"Vanilluxe, use Harden!" Ned shouted.

Vanilluxe's body briefly glowed light blue just as Odyssey fired Aura Sphere at it. The ball hit Vanilluxe, and both of its heads shouted in pain upon impact, but it stayed afloat with several scratches around its body.

"Smart move," Timothy said. "Odyssey, use Bone Rush!"

"Vanilluxe, use Ice Beam! Cover its body with ice!" Ned shouted.

Vanillite formed a light blue orb of energy in front of it, then fired a light blue beam from the orb as Odyssey charged at it with a bone of energy. The beam hit Odyssey in the chest, and the Aura Pokémon grunted as it tried to fight off the attack only to find its body covered in ice up to its neck.

"Now, use Giga Impact!" Ned shouted.

Vanilluxe's body became surrounded in a purple aura with yellow stripes of aura spiraling around the purple aura. It then slammed into Odyssey, breaking the block of ice and sending it crashing into a wall. Odyssey fell flat on its face, and Rotom Drone checked on it before making the call.

"Odyssey is unable to battle! Vanilluxe wins!"

"Yes!" Ned cheered. "Guess you're not as powerful of a trainer as you think. Are you, Timothy?"

"You had a decent strategy. That's all," Timothy said as he returned Odyssey to its Pokéball. "Besides, you made a couple of mistakes that work in my favor for the rest of the battle."

"Oh, yeah? And what's that?" Ned asked smugly.

"First of all, by landing a hit with Giga Impact, your Vanilluxe is in a daze, leaving my next Pokémon open to attack it," Timothy said matter-of-factly.

Ned's smug look faded, and he turned to Vanilluxe to see it wobbling in the air with its eyes rolling.

"And second, I have just the Pokémon to end this battle without worrying about most of your Pokémon's moves," Timothy said as he took out another Pokéball. "Knightblade, let's end this!"

He threw the container into the air, and Knightblade burst out with a battle cry. Ezria's face lit up, and she screamed in joy at seeing her former Pokemon.

"Go, Knightblade!" She cheered. "Crush that Vanilluxe, my lovely!"

"Aegislash," Knightblade chirped.

"Wait a minute. I know that Aegislash anywhere. That's Ezria's Aegislash!" Ned shouted.

"Not anymore. I gave it to Timothy as a gift after he beat me in battle," Ezria said proudly.

Ned looked at Ezria in disbelief before his anger returned, and he glowered at Timothy.

"First, you take Ezria's heart, and now her Pokemon?!" He yelled. "What next?!"

"Next, I will end this battle," Timothy said with a grin. "Knightblade, Flash Cannon!"

"Dodge it, Vanilluxe!" Ned screamed.

But the Snowstorm Pokémon was still incapacitated from using its strongest attack. Knightblade fired a white beam, hitting Vanilluxe, almost sending it flying right into a wall behind Ned. Rotom Drone flew over to check on Vanilluxe, who whimpered before it floated back up with its body decorated in cuts and bruises.

"Ha! I don't believe it! It gets hit by an Aura Sphere and a Flash Cannon, and it's still up," Ezria said, laughing. "Truly, you have been working hard with your Pokémon."

"And you're going to see all our work paid off!" Ned claimed. "Vanilluxe, Ice Beam!"

"Stop it with Flash Cannon!" Timothy shouted.

The Pokémon used their respective attacks, and they collided, causing another explosion. Ned clenched his teeth again, thinking Timothy would use the smoke to his advantage again, and decided he had to beat his opponent to the punch.

"Vanilluxe, get through that smoke, and ram Ezria's Aegislash with Giga Impact!" He ordered.

As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Ned heard Ezria burst out laughing from the other side of the smoke. Vanilluxe's body became surrounded by purple and yellow aura again, and it charged through the smoke, screaming, "Vanilluxe!" Ned waited for the smoke to clear, but he heard Vanilluxe's cry suddenly turn into a sound of confusion and Timothy snickering. When the smoke cleared up, Ezria was bent down, massaging her stomach in laughter, Timothy was covering his mouth, and Coovers, Gwen, Electchu, and Winnie were looking at Ned, flabbergasted. Vanilluxe was floating behind Knightblade, looking for its opponent in confusion.

"What? What happened?" Ned asked.

"You told Vanilluxe to use a Normal type attack against a Ghost type Pokémon, and it phased through Knightblade," Coovers answered. "Don't you know Ghost type Pokémon are immune to Normal attacks?"

"Apparently not," Timothy chortled. "Knightblade, use Flash Cannon one more time!"

Ned's eyes widened again as he fully processed the information and screamed, "Vanilluxe, dodge!"

But by the time Vanilluxe turned around to see what was going on, Knightblade had already created a third white ball of energy. A beam shot from the ball and hit Vanillite in both faces. Vanilluxe screamed before it hit a wall and fell on its side with swirly eyes.

"Vanilluxe is unable to battle!" Rotom Drone declared. "Knightblade is the winner, and so the victory goes to Timothy!"

"Yay for Timothy and Knightblade!" Ezria cheered.

"Aegislash!" Knightblade shouted.

Coovers and Gwen looked at each other before they politely clapped for Timothy. Ned stared at his fallen Pokemon, crushed, struggling to fight back the tears.

"As a result of today's battle, there has been a change in the World Coronation Series rankings effective immediately!" Rotom Drone announced before it flew away.

Timothy and Ned took out their phones, and Ezria looked over Timothy's shoulder to see his new rank while Ned winced at the sight of this.

"Ned, you aren't brought back down to the Normal Class, are you?" Gwen asked.

"No, but I'm brought back to the eight hundreds," Ned said bitterly without looking at Gwen.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I'm in the eight hundreds too," Timothy said. "843."

Ned looked up from his phone, surprised, and then he began chuckling. Everyone looked at him, confused, before he walked over to them and held up his phone. Timothy, Coovers, Gwen, Ezria, Electchu, Knightblade, and Winnie huddled together to look at Ned's phone, and Ezria gasped in disbelief.

"842?!" She shouted.

"That's right. I'm still ahead by one," Ned said.

Timothy stared blankly at the ranking and then at Ned. Then suddenly, he let out a snort and covered his mouth before he burst out laughing. Ned snickered before he also began laughing out loud.

"I beat you, and you're still ahead of me," Timothy chortled.

"Yeah, I guess at least taking out Odyssey helped a bit," Ned giggled. "The ranking system is kinda silly that way."

"No kidding," Timothy chuckled. "Could you imagine beating me, and instead of you knocking me out of the Great Class, I end up staying there just by one?"

The two men laughed even louder, with Timothy putting his hands on his knees. Coovers, Gwen, Electchu, and Winnie stared at Timothy and Ned, puzzled before they awkwardly joined the laughter, just glad they weren't still fighting. Ezria, on the other hand, looked at Timothy and Ned as though they had lost their minds.

"What are you laughing about?!" She shouted. "Shouldn't you be upset that you lost, Ned? And Timothy, how can you laugh at the fact that you're still behind him?"

"Ah, lighten up, Ezria. It's funny," Timothy said. "There's nothing wrong with being behind by only one rank. Besides, the important thing is I've risen up the ranks, right?"

Ezria looked at Timothy even more struck dumb. She sputtered incoherent words of protest before she growled in irritation with her hands turned into fists.

"Excuse me, I need a moment to collect myself," she grumbled.

Without another word, Ezria stormed away to a ruin out of sight. Gwen and Winnie grinned in pleasure as they watched the raspberry-haired woman leave, grumbling. Ned stopped laughing as he watched Ezria leave and turned to the rest of the group.

"What's wrong with her?" He asked.

"Oh, she is upset because you aren't still throwing a fit," Gwen said.

"Throwing a fit? Why would she want Ned to do that?" Coovers asked.

"Didn't you see Ezria while we watched the battle, Coovers? She was enjoying Timothy beating Ned," Gwen said. "There's good money that says she let Ned down like that so he would be so brokenhearted that he would take it out on Timothy, thus giving Timothy the chance to go up the ranks."

"Wait. What?" Timothy asked.

"Aegislash!" Knightblade exclaimed. "Aegislash, Aegis, Aegis, Aegis, Aegislash! Aegis, Aegislash!"

"What did Knightblade say?" Coovers asked.

"It thinks I'm making it up and that Ezria wouldn't do that," Gwen said before turning to Knightblade. "And have you ever known me to make up stories since you became Timothy's Pokemon, Knightblade?"

"Aeg...Aegislash," Knightblade admitted.

Timothy looked at Gwen dumbfounded and then hung his head as he realized he played right into Ezria's hand. Ned looked between Timothy, Knightblade, and Gwen and asked, "So, does that mean I was right? That you are the person she has feelings for?"

Timothy, Coovers, Gwen, Electchu, and Winnie grew uncomfortable, while Knightblade wished Ned could understand so it could happily confirm it. Timothy felt the most uncomfortable, knowing that his silence wasn't helping matters. Then suddenly, Timothy got an idea that made him grow more nervous, but after debating with himself, he decided that it made the most sense.

"Ned, let's talk somewhere privately," Timothy said.

"Privately?" Ned asked.

"Why do you want to talk to him privately?" Coovers asked.

"Yeah, if you're going to say what I hope you're hoping to say, then we should all discuss it together while Ezria's not around," Gwen said.

"Teddi," Winnie said.

"Aegislash?" Knightblade asked, confused.

"Um, this should be discussed from one friend to another," Timothy answered. "You guys just stay here and wait for Ezria to come back while Ned and I talk things out."

Coovers, Gwen, Electchu, and Winnie were puzzled again, finding Timothy's decision odd. Eventually, Coovers and Gwen nodded, and Timothy gestured to Ned to follow him. The two of them returned Knightblade and Vanilluxe and walked opposite from where Ezria went, passing through broken buildings until Timothy felt sure they were far enough. Timothy looked back before he and Ned went inside a stone house with the roof half destroyed, and he turned to face Ned.

"Okay, here's the deal. I have a couple of things to clarify with you, but I need you to wait until I'm done because the answer is not that simple," Timothy said.

"Okay," Ned said.

Timothy took a moment to find the right words and said, "It's true that Ezria has feelings for me. She hasn't said it to me, but she's been anything but subtle about it. I haven't seen her interview in the news, but I have encountered enough of her other fans since Coovers, Gwen, Electchu, Winnie, and I left Motostoke to believe Ezria intentionally left it to interpretation that she has feelings for someone other than any of her devout fans, including you."

Ned's eye twitched, and his mouth shook, stopping himself from crying or throwing another fit.

"Having said that, I've been trying to tell her that I do not think of her that way and that she is only a friend to me," Timothy said.

"What?! Are you crazy?!" Ned exclaimed. "I mean, I want her to choose me, but it should be impossible for anyone to reject her. How in the world could you not want to be in a relationship with someone as beautiful, loving, and amazing as Ezria?!"

"Believe it or not, it's for the same reason why she can't return your feelings," Timothy said.

Ned looked at Timothy as though he was speaking incoherent sentences.

"You like someone else? Who?" He asked.

Timothy hesitated before he gestured to Ned to come closer. Ned paused, thinking it was unnecessary when they were far away from everyone else, before he stepped toward Timothy until they were inches away. Timothy took another moment to build up the courage before he whispered in Ned's ear.

"GWEN?! YOU'RE REJECTING EZRIA FOR GWEN?!" Ned shrieked.

"Shut up!" Timothy hissed. "Why does every person I admit my feelings to have the urge to scream so the entire world can hear?!"

"Sorry, Timothy, but I just - I mean, this is so unexpected," Ned said. "Have you always felt this way?"

"No. I mean, yes. I mean...kinda," Timothy said. "I sort of started acting differently to her since we met, but I never realized my feelings until the start of the new season of the World Coronation Series."

"Does anyone else know?" Ned asked.

"Just Electchu and a friend from Kanto," Timothy said.

"Are you going to ask her out?" Ned asked.

"Um, I was thinking of doing that after the Gym Challenge," Timothy said.

Ned tilted his head and asked, "Wouldn't it be better to tell her now and tell Ezria that you're not interested the sooner, the better?"

"Um, well, you see, it's...complicated," Timothy said.

"Complicated? There shouldn't be anything complicated about it," Ned said. "I think Gwen would appreciate that you straight up tell her how you feel and let her know there's nothing between you and Ezria."

"Okay, first of all, telling me to straight out tell her is rich coming from the guy who was mousy when the woman he liked called him out on his feelings," Timothy said, earning a nervous chuckle from Ted. "Second of all, you're right. Gwen would appreciate that I don't take so long to confess my feelings, and it would be right to let Ezria down. Unfortunately, Coovers, Gwen, and I have... private business throughout the Gym Challenge that makes telling Ezria I don't like her now not in our best interest."

"Oh, come on. That would lead Ezria on through the rest of the challenge," Ned said. "Do you expect me to believe you have to hide how you feel for that long?"

"I know how it sounds, Ned, but it is the only way, and I hate that there are no other options," Timothy said. "Please trust me when I say I must do this just as I am trusting you with my secret."

Ned looked at Timothy sullenly, thinking his explanation sounded more like a big excuse. Then he thought about it and sighed, shaking his head.

"Okay, fine," Ned said, scratching the back of his head. "What you're saying sounds like a bunch of baloney, but I guess even if that's true, I shouldn't talk since I never mustered the courage myself. I'll keep my mouth shut for you. Just don't take too long for both Gwen and Ezria's sake."

"Believe me, Ned, I'm doing my best," Timothy said with a smile. "And thank you."

"Don't mention it," Ned said before rubbing his arm. "Actually, now that I think about it, you were pretty cross when I yelled at Gwen, huh?"

"Yeah, I was," Timothy said.

"Thought so. Sorry about that, mate," Ned said.

"No worries. We were both pretty cross over there," Timothy said before chuckling. "I guess we were ultimately battling over the women we like."

"Yeah, guess we did," Ned said. "Gwen's lucky she had a strong and smart guy battling for her as opposed to someone who forgets Giga Impact can take too long to charge up or that Ghost type Pokémon are immune to Normal moves."

"Ah, don't beat yourself over it. You just need to keep your cool, so you don't forget about things like that," Timothy said. "Besides, I've made the mistake of thinking my opponent's Pokémon was weak enough that I don't have to worry about it getting back up while Electchu prepares to use Hyper Beam. That's part of how I lost the Indigo League at the final round a couple of years ago."

"Really? That sucks," Ned said. "Guess it comes to show Pokémon moves like that are double-edged swords."

"Got that right. Though, you should keep in mind that if your Pokémon does land a hit with Hyper Beam, it'll need a while to recharge, leaving it open to be attacked just like with Giga Impact," Timothy said.

"Thanks for the tip," Ned said, smirking. "I hope you don't beat yourself up too much if I use this info to win the World Coronation Series instead of you."

"Ha! That's a joke. You'll be lucky if your Pokémon land a hit against mine the next time we battle," Timothy said.

"Hey, Vanilluxe took out Odyssey," Ned said.

"Beginner's luck, my friend," Timothy said.

The two of them were silent for a moment before laughing again. Unknown to either of them, Gwen was standing on the other side of the wall with Winnie. Neither of them heard Timothy and Ned talk about Timothy's feelings for Gwen, for she and her partner had only begun to look for the two men to let them know Ezria had cooled down. Gwen took a peek through the broken door to see Timothy smiling as he laughed and talked about Pokémon battles with Ned. She smiled and rested her head against the entrance wall as she watched Timothy interact with their friend as though their argument didn't happen.

"He can be really silly, but he does care about people and Pokémon," Gwen thought before her smile faded. "Sometimes, I wonder how caring he is around me. He was upset when Ned yelled at me. I imagine he would do that for any of his friends, but sometimes I feel like I'm a special case. I wish I could ask him straight out what kind of friend I am to him with Ezria not around."

Gwen shrugged and turned to leave, but then she stopped and looked back at Timothy. Her cheeks tinted, and she looked away again.

"Maybe after the Gym Challenge?"