Bede turned to glare at the trainer who had a feral look in his eyes. The trainer looked as though he wasn't challenging Bede for fun or to test himself, no Bede could tell that wasn't it. He saw something dangerous in Grant's eyes as the stars began to come out, the last bit of sunlight fading over the horizon.

"You're challenging me?" Bede demanded, "I was chosen by the chairman himself! You really think you can defeat me?"

"I don't even know who you are," Grant chuckled, "I just know that you're endorsed and don't deserve to be. I'm going to show everyone I'm stronger than people like you born into wealth, unlike me who isn't even allowed to try to rise to the top!"

"Born into wealth?!?" Bede demanded enraged, "How dare you insinuate I haven't worked hard for where I am! I'll send you crying home to your mommy you arrogant fool!"

Bede sent out his ace, Hatenna, the only Pokémon he had on hand at the time to face down what he saw as an arrogant punk who had no idea how hard he had worked to get here. Bede had suffered a lot in his life, starting from nothing just like Grant, but neither knew that the two shared this and saw the other as nothing more than a lucky brat who didn't deserve success.

Grant's stance in combat was almost feral in nature, hunched over with his arms outstretched and curled upwards with a wide, toothy grin. He held a mad, hungry look in his eyes as he sent out Kiss to face down the unfamiliar Pokémon.

"That's the best you can do?" Bede demanded, "Pathetic! End this quickly with Dazzling Gleam!"

The small Pokémon's body glowed with a glistening light, Kiss tried to avoid the mystical energy only to be blasted by the super effective wave and fall, fainted.

"Now that you know your place," Bede smirked, "I'll be-"

"I'm not done yet!" Grant exclaimed sending out Rook...

Meanwhile those in the gyms noticed a ruckus just out front. Milo heard a crash outside and turned to Melony, the ice type gym leader whom he was training with. Melony was a chubby slightly overweight women dressed in a white for jacket with long blonde hair, while Milo contrasted this with his casual farmer boy attire with a straw cap and well toned body. He returned his Pokémon and asked Melony, "Do you hear that?"

Melony nodded, "It sounds like there's a battle outside. Could be worth checking out..."

The two went to investigate the situation as Grant planned his next move. He knew he would need to strike fast and true with Rook's help to win, but how? No move would be enough to finish it in one blow, let alone Power Trip as it was a weak attack that would grow stronger if Rook raises his stats somehow to...

It's then he decided on his plan, unaware that the battle was now being watched.

"Hone Claws!" Grant ordered.

Rook cried out and sharpened his claws against the ground, the talons shined with deadly sharpness, ready to rip apart the enemy in one precise blow.

"Ha!" Bede exclaimed, "You've given up on attacking? Seems you've realized you're beneath me as a trainer! Confusion!"

Hatenna blasted Rook with psychic energy, bending its wings into an unnatural position, pulling bones out of place. Rook however, endured the blow and countered with Power Trip, striking with ferocity, talons like daggers into his foe's flesh, leaving a gash across its face and fainting it.

"You little-" Bede growled.

"Now now," Melony stepped in, "Let us handle this. I mean he beat you fair and square."

Bede glared, "I won't forget this. And before I forget..."

Bede gave Grant the obligatory one thousand Pokédollars and left. He gripped the coins in his hand, the first money he had seen in seven years. A step towards the safe and stable life he desired.

"Who are you?" Milo inquired to Grant as Bede left bitterly, "Beating a trainer endorsed by Rose himself out of the gate?"

"I'm Grant," Grant explains, "I'm..."

Grant remembered what happened with Nurse Joy, who helped him upon seeing his condition.

He had survived on his own in the Wild Area, and he believed, falsely, that to accept help now would make him weak and eventually, lead him to his own death. He feared to accept help would make him weaker and eventually be killed, his mind warped by his years in the wilderness.

"... a drifter." Grant spoke in half truths, hiding the stiches in his arm, "I'm looking to be endorsed I guess by proving myself."

Melony looked into Grant's eye, gently grabbing his face she explained, "Eyes are the window to the soul... yours... they're full of fire. Feral, angry fire. Like a wildfire that burns down a city or a forest, but if refined..."

Melony smiled and clapped her hands together, "There's potential in that feral fire Grant! I'll endorse that! Seeing you battle, you did prove yourself skilled!"

Melony took out some paperwork and signed it as Milo explained, "You should tell your parents the wonderful news as well! I'm sure they'll be proud!"

"I..." Grant spoke half truths once more, "Don't have a Rotom or a Pokégear so..."

"I have a spare older model right here!" Milo exclaimed gifting it to Grant.

"No it's fine," Grant protested, "I... don't like taking gifts."

Melony looked up, and saw something else in that feral fire, and it was a refusal to accept help.

"You'll need a Pokédex to enter," Melony lied, "Just take it. It has a dex as well."

Grant sighed, but accepted it. He looked at the phone and froze. He couldn't reveal he was an orphan. They would try to help him, which means he would become weak, which means he would die!

That's the lie be believed.

"My mom is asleep I'll call her in the morning," Grant lied pocketing the phone.

"Ah well I'll be ready to battle you then," Milo explained, "Hell, we could battle right-"

There was an electrical sound and all the lights in the city went out at once.

"Curses!" Milo exclaimed, "That's the third time this week!"

"Third time this week?" Grant asked.

Milo nodded, "Power outages are growing more and more frequent across Galar. I mean, why else would people use the taxis over the trains which are much much faster? It's because it's very common for trains to stop dead in the middle of nowhere, they are electrical. There were no taxis before the energy crisis. Speaking of which, you can call on a taxi from wherever via that phone there. Rose graciously funds them to combat the energy crisis. Anyways, with the power out the Wooloo in the gym are gonna break out of their pens so I gotta go."

Milo ran into the gym, allowing Melony to hand Grant his endorsement as she explained, "I'll go ahead and call you a cab to where you can sign up since signs ups are actually about to close. Take this endorsement and show it to them and they'll check you into an inn."

Grant replied, refusing help once more, "I'll call my own cab."

"You don't know where to go," Melony reminded, "It's just down the way. You probably passed it on your way here if-"

"Nope ended up here by cutting through the Wild Area," Grant explained, "Show me on the map and I'll be out of your hair."

Melony sighed and pointed out the location on the map. Grant nodded and waved farewell, "See you at the gym battle."

Melony sighed, thinking aloud as he was out of sight, "You will, but where are your parents? You're hiding something, aren't you Grant?..."

Grant entered, making a Leauge Card and getting the usual info that all trainers are given, then being told to head to the inn.

"You really came in at the last minute number 317," the employee pointed out, "Sign ups closed in five minutes. How did you even get an endorsement this close to the deadline?"

"I proved my strength," Grant replied, "Unlike all these other trainers born into wealth I'm actually working for it! It's not fair that only those already at the top are the only ones who can enter, and I'm going to rise to the top because unlike them I deserve to."

Grant left, muttering to himself, "I come from nothing but soon..."

He entered his room at the inn, and sighed, "Arceus I feel out of place here."

He bounced on the bed and asked himself, "How do people sleep on these? It's to soft!"

"Because unlike us they're weak," a voice replied.

Grant turned to see a man with brown hair and pale flesh, taller than Grant by a few feet who appeared from the restroom without warning.

"Tom!" Grant exclaimed eagerly, "Man it's been like a month! How are you here?"

Tom replied with a chuckle, "Heh, I'm just here to scold you. I'm why you're alive don't you forget it."

"You did teach me to survive in the Wild Area," Grant sighed, "After... that incident."

Tom nodded, his torn clothes wrapped around his malnourished, lanky body, "And what did I teach you Grant?"

"That I... am strong?" Grant asked.

"And why are you strong?" Tom glared.

"Because unlike these dolts I lost everything and had to scrape by to survive," Grant explained, "I slept on the ground, fought tooth and nail with wild Pokémon for scraps. I had no luxuries and wasn't handed a ticket to stardom I didn't earn unlike all these other trainers."

"Being alone has made you strong," Tom elaborated his lie, "But you let Nurse Joy help you. That will make you weak. Being alone teaches you to be strong but you lose that strength if you lean on others. Sleeping in beds makes them weaker. Helping each other makes them lose their strength just as not exercising makes you lose muscle. You were wise to be more stern in refusing help from Melony and Milo after."

"Yeah that thing with Joy did make me realized I goofed up," Grant sighed, "But I won't accept help again. Alone makes me stronger. Not having luxury makes me strong. Help breeds weakness."

"Weakness means death," Grant and Tom lied to themselves in synch.

"Good," Tom smiled, "I have to go, I'll see you later."

A power shortage caused the lights to go out. When they returned, Tom was gone.

Grant examined the bed, thinking to himself, "Luxury like this is weakness. Am I ready to sleep?"

He decided he was, lay down on the floor next to the bed, and closed his eyes...