Grant awoke very early the next morning and got dressed as Tom lectured him, "You're an idiot you know that?"

"What?" Grant asked.

"You're an idiot," Tom repeated, "The more you bond with others the more weak you'll become."

"I'm just gonna ignore you," Grant glared, leaving a note and exiting.

The note read as follows, "Had to leave to finish the gym challenge. Didn't wanna wake you. Call me though."

With that Grant left, arguing with the schizophrenic hallucination, "Dude I really gotta get on medication and start therapy to be rid of you."

"You actually trust these weaklings!?!" Tom demanded.

Grant snapped back, "If I didn't we would never be this strong. They helped me become stronger Tom. Soon I'll be strong enough to get help and get you out my head!"

Grant got on his bike and began to bike down the route to the next gym. When he arrived he began to approach the open front gates which suddenly slammed shut as he neared.

"Well this will be a problem," Grant sighed.

Two Team Yell grunts suddenly struck from behind, "You really think it'll be that easy?"

"Oh it's you guys," Grant sighed, "For the last time I just want to apolo-"

"Save it!" One of the grunts yelled, "This is your journey ends you punk! Make some noise for me!"

The other grunt began to yell as the first one attacked, sending out a Shiftry. Shiftry's stats suddenly rose, encouraged by the other grunt.

Grant smirked, "I see still not playing fair. Whatever. Rook!"

Rook cried out as he flapped his wings.

"You know what to do!" Grant exclaimed...

Grant defeated the two grunts who turned to each other.

"What do we do?" One asked.

"We gotta warn the boss!" The other exclaimed, "Quick! The back entrance!"

The two dashed away, allowing Grant to follow them into town via the back.

Upon his entrance he saw a Pokémon Center to recover at, followed by what seemed to be a gym trainer.

"Is this the gym?" Grant inquired.

"We locked you out didn't we?" The gym trainer demanded, "Darn it!"

"I know it's rigged against me," Grant glared, "But I'm going to win anyways. Is. This. The. Gym."

The gym trainer nodded, "Yeah. So you figured it out?"

Grant glared, "Let's get on with it..."

Grant faced many trainers throughout the gym, many trainers were cheered on by other grunts, having teams of three to four fully evolved Pokémon. Each trainer was given an edge over grant. Their stats were boosted by the cheering, Grant's Pokémon were confused or taunted by other grunts, or his Pokémon were booed until their stats are lowered.

After six trainers wore down his team, he reached the end of the gym.

Grant entered the final arena where Marnie was arguing with Piers, "This isn't right! I don't care if he was a jerk! This is cheating!"

"You'll understand someday," Piers explained, "As much as this is about you I won't pretend it's the only reason for the gym being so much harder."

"OK," Grant turned to his team before approaching, "Rook, Kiss, you two and Terrakion are the only ones left. We can win this, but we need to wait before we bring in the big guns. I know we're all tired but we will prevail. Our cause is just."

Grant approached. Marnie looked away from him as Piers waved his hand, silently requesting her to move out of the way.

"You insult my sister," Piers glared, "Rush through the gym challenge with such extrem arrogance, pull a knife on my friends, and now you come into my home? To take my badge?"

"I apologized for the knife and I will do so again if you want!" Grant retorted, "If you would just let me talk I-"

"Save it," Piers glared, "This is where your gym challenge ends..."

Team Yell Piers would like to battle!

Piers sent out his first Pokémon, a Scrafty as Grant sent out Rook.

Piers cried out, "Let's make some noise for my boy Scrafty!"

The Team Yell grunts on the sidelines roared. Scrafty cried out as its attack drastically increased.

"Not bad but it won't save you from Drill Peck!" Grant retorted.

Rook flew into the sky and dive bombed at high speeds towards Scrafty, but the small Pokémon had a trick up its sleeve. It waited for Rook to appoach and dodged at the last second before countering, using Fake Out.

Despite Rook being steel type, the blow cracked its metallic outer layer, injuring Rook severely due to the boost from the grunts.

Rook flinched but then collected himself, striking once more at Scrafty, this time digging into the Pokémon's chest with its sharp beak, fainting it.

Grant smirked, "We're not going down that easy!"

Piers smirked, "I would expect no less from you. Thankfully I'm prepared for a difficult battle. Let's hear you guys yell!"

Team Yell booed Rook as Piers sent Toxtricity. The loud crowds made Rook nervous, and he became paralysed from the pressure.

With a strum of an air guitar, electircty exploded from the foe's body, electrocuting Rook. The bird cried and pain and fell.

Grant returned him and smirked.

"I'm in trouble," Grant jokingly mocked with a sarcastic tone, "I better bring in, old reliable."

Grant grinned madly at Piers, "You messed up now! Go! Terrakion!"

Terrakion is unleashed, slamming on the ground, shattering the pavement that fills the air with dust upon its impact with the concentrate. Its eyes glowed with dust clouds as the ground shook as Terrakion used earthquake, shattering the grohnndwhich then blasted Toxtricity, fainting it.

This left the battle as a four to two, but with the power if Terrakion, Piers knew he was in trouble. He sent out a Malamar, which slid and slithered around, its slimy outer coat allowing it to quickly maneuver around the battlefield. It flew into the air off a piece of angled concrete, using it as a ramp to drop behind Terrakion, only to be suddenly slashed by Terrakion's horn which fainted it, but not before it shot off a psyonic blade that slashed Terrakion across the chest and pushed it back. Terrakion exhaled and stomped, standing its ground, despite being injured and having a limp now.

Three to two now. Piers called out, "Let's be loud and proud boys! Show him how Team Yell rolls!"

A firebomb flew through the air, burning Terrakion.

"You're blantanly assaulting them now!" Grant cried out, "You monster!"

Terrakion suffered damage from the burn as Piers sent out a Shiftry. Terrakion struck it with all its might, but the burn made its muscles ache and the tree stood strong as it countered, slashing Terrakion apart with sharpened, thick stalks of grass, Leaf Blade.

That blow fainted Terrakion.

Grant took a deep breath and gripped the final Pokéball.

Kiss roared, arms cross as it charged, slamming its head into Shiftry, using Headbutt, which fainted the weakened tree, slamming it into the metal fence with extrem force.

Two to one now as Piers sent out his second to last Pokémon. A Skuntank.

"Let's show him how we do it in this town!" Piers exclaimed,  "How we treat jerks like him!"

The crowd barrages Kiss with insults , taunting it. This was, however, of little concern to Grant and Kiss, as Kiss used Headbutt once once, landing a critical hit, wishing to be praised.

This left it one on one.

Piers sent out his final Pokémon as he cried out, "Listen here kid! No one messes with my sister! No one! You'll hear the battle cry of Team Yell!"

The crowd's cheers boost the stats of Pier's ace, Obstagoon. Grant took a deep breath and prepared for the last phase of the battle. Grant nodded silently to Kiss, who understood. The opposing Obstagoon charged, but was caught off guard when Kiss grabbed it and crushed its bones, sharply lowering its defense with Obtruct before going in for the kill with Headbutt. As she avoided a throat chop in time with her trainer's call, Kiss slammed into the opposing Obstagoon, who lay on the ground fainted.

Piers growled bitterly, "Well you beat me fair and-"

He was then confused when Grant walked passed him and approached Marnie.

"I," Grant explained, "Am sorry."

"What?" Marnie asked, "Confused."

"I've been trying to get the chance to apologize for like a month," Grant explained, "I was wrong to call you weak. I was the weak one back then and lashed out at you. I'm sorry."

Marnie smiled, "You're pretty nice when you wanna be."

Grant smiled back, "So we cool?"

Marnie smiled, "We're cool."

"I'm always looking to make new friends," Grant adds, "Wanna hangout sometime?"

"Sounds fun I guess," Marnie replies.

Grant walked to Piers and took his badge, "You're a good man Piers, but you should let others get a word in edgewise before you open fire."

"I didn't know," Piers explains.

"Water under the bridge," Grant assured him, "I'll see you later."

With that Grant left for the final gym...

In Hammerlocke.