Grant awoke to see Tom sitting on his bed.

"Morning sunshine!" Tom exclaimed.

Grant screamed and fell out of bed as Tom laughed, "Ha! And you say I'm not real!"

"You're not real," Grant glared, "And I've got a league to win. Go away."

Grant picked up his backpack and began to get dressed as Tom asked, "So you're letting them help you now?"

Grant looked away, "So what if I am? Melony says not to listen to you. Says you're a bad friend."

"And who are you gonna believe?" Tom demanded, "Some gym leader we don't even really know, or me? Technically, a part of your own mind?"

"Given how I'm probably zubat crap crazy," Grant replied, "I'll take my chances with Melony thank you very much."

Grant grabbed his Pokéballs and headed downstairs to exit the lab he had slept in the night prior. Sonia greeted him to see him off as he left, "Oh morning Grant! You headed out?"

Grant nodded, "Yeah. Sorry I can't stay longer. Would love to catch up but, you know, what to win to get rid of the endorsement system."

Sonia nodded and added, "Yeah I suppose. It basically just allows for the wealthy bloodlines of Galar to stay on top. Who thought it was a good idea?"

"Someone who wanted to stay in power," Grant sighed, "Not to mention all these power outages. You ever think something more is going on?"

"I mean," Sonia admitted, "Maybe? It almost feels like an unseen hand is manipulating all of this, but that's probably just me being paranoid. Maybe a symptom of your schizophrenia because, you know, paranoia often can be a symptom of the illness."

"I suppose we'll know when I win," Grant shrugged.

Sonia asked, "Grant do you really think you can? It's going to get a lot harder and... I don't know."

"Of course I can do it," Grant replied, "I'm not going back to living off of scraps. Ever. No matter what it takes I'm not going back to that life."

Sonia nodded, "I understand, but like you've made it far enough that you don't have to. Melony cares about you, you know that right?"

"And I can't let her down," Grant replied, "Yeah."

Sonia sighed, "No, I'm saying that even if you lose that she will be there for you."

"It's not like I'm her kid," Grant shrugged, "Even if she's the closest thing I have to a mom at this point."

"Maybe she cares about you more than you think," Sonia suggested.

Grant shrugged, "Nah. Anyways, I'm out. Cya."

Grant exited to start his journey to the next town, Hammerlocke.

Sonia sighed to herself, "If only you saw you have a mother now Grant. You're not alone anymore..."

Grant began onto the dustbowl that was route 6. The dry winds kicked the sands into the air as Grant began to navigate the cliffs, climbing up and down until he found himself in front of a scientist with miss-matched shoes by an odd machine who he set up camp next to as he decided to cook a meal.

"Hey you're a trainer right?" The women asked, "Do you have any fossils?"

Grant replied as he stirred the curry, "Why do you ask miss..."

"Cara," the women smiled, "Cara Liss. I can revive any two fossils you have if you so desire."

"Well I could use another team member," Grant shrugged, "Let me see..."

Grant opened his bag and dug through it, "Um... we got a... fossil that looks like a... I dunno a bird? And a... this one? It looks like... I dunno some kinda dragon thing?"

"I can make this work," Cara smiled turning on the machine that sputtered and spat as it swallowed the fossils and coughed up smoke before an egg emerged from the front of the machine that immediately began to hatch revealing a mismatched created with a small yellow torso and large green back legs.

The creature cried out and snuggled up to Grant who demanded, "Is this thing, like, OK?"

"I promised a Pokémon not a healthy one," Cara Liss replied with a shrug.

Grant asked the newborn, "Are you OK little buddy?"

The creature electroded Grant lightly and chirped happily.

Grant smiled, "Welcome to the team Zappy."

Grant opened his Pokédex and looked at Zappy's stats, "You're a cute little guy, but you're really not trained up to snuff like the rest of my team huh? Not on their level. Well, let's just get to the next town and in a few battles you should be up to speed. If not I'm sure some EXP candies from the Dynamax Pokémon in the Wild Area outta do the trick."

Zappy joyfully cried out and smiled as Grant proceeded towards the next town where he was stopped by a group of trainers he had seen once before.

Team Yell.

"Remember us?" A grunt demanded.

"Oh um..." Grant replied, "Yeah. I... actually owe you guys like, an apology right?"

"You think we're going to let you apologize to Marnie?" One of the three grunts demanded, "Fat chance of that! No one disrepects her like you did."

"I actually wanted to apologize for pulling a knife on you guys," Grant explained, "But I do need to apologize to Marnie as-"

"You're not apologizing to anyone!" Another grunt yelled.

"Get him!" A third exclaimed.

The three attacked, the first sent out his Linoone as the second sent out her Thievul. Grant returned in kind with Wick and Rook.

"Wick use Will-o-wisp!" Grant ordered, "Rook! Use old reliable!"

Wick complied, the light on her head leaving small embers in the hair that began to flicker and morph into a single ball that quickly flew at the opossing Linoone and scorched its body as Rook began to sharpen its claws against the reddish-brown brick ground of the city street.

Thievul then struck, crying out as dark energy exploded from its body, blasting Wick as her flame went out and the small candle collapsed.

"You did good," Grant assured her, "I can take it from here."

Grant sent out Kiss who grinned as she readied herself for combat. Meanwhile the opposing Linoone, despite being in pain from the burn, struck at Rook, who brushed off the blow with minimal damage sustained thanks to the searing pain of the supernatural burn sapping the Linnone of its strength.

"Kiss go in! Rook! You do the same! The Linoone isn't a threat! Take out the other trainer!"

Kiss struck the Thievul with a sudden charging headbutt that slammed the fox into a wall to then be finished by Rook's Pluck that impaled the fox through the chest. The grunt sent out their second Pokémon, a Malamar as the opposing Linoone used Night Slash, which did nothing to Kiss who deflected the soften claws off her thick fur coat.

Malamar was quick to fall as well to the duo, this time Kiss used Night Slash, her claws glowed with dark power as she slashed through the Squid's torso and fainted it with a single, precise strike. A critical hit that removed a tentacle from the Pokémon as it fainted.

Rook followed up, grabbing the opposing Linoone and lifting it high into the sky before slamming it back down to impale it with his beak, a critical hit with Pluck, that fainted the Pokémon.

The grunt sent out his last, a powerful Crawdaunt that roared with intense ferocity. The third grunt yelled to distract Grant's Pokémon, confusing both of them.

"That's not fair!" Grant exclaimed.

"All's fair when Team Yell is making some noiiiise!" The grunt retorted.

Rook and Kiss tried to collect themselves, injuring themselves as they regained their bearings, hitting themselves in their confusion as Crawdaunt grabbed Kiss in its claw and shattered its bones with a single use of Gulotine. The Pokémon cried out in pain before it fainted and was dropped to the ground, limp.

Grant sent out Sparky, who wasn't quite ready for combat yet but had grown much stronger on his way to the town as he pleaded, "Rook! You can do this! I believe in you partner!"

Rook managed to collect himself charged, slamming into the massive water type full force, fainting it with Power Trip.

"He's strong," the female grunt commented.

"Not strong enough!" The third stepped forward, "Make some noise boys! He's going dowwwnnn!"

The two grunts cheered as the third sent out her only Pokémon, a single Obstagoon, who, amped up by the hype from the other grunts, had all its stats increased.

"It's time you see what Team Yell can really do!" The grunt cried out, "Obstagoon! Get ready!"

"Hone claws!" Grant demanded, "You can do this Rook!"

Rook began to sharpen his claws once more as Obstagoon used Obstract, preparing for an attack to counter and shatter the foe's defenses before going in for the kill, but Rook had now prepared.

"Rook!" Grant demanded, "Remember what we're fighting for! Our cause is just! And this!"

"Finish him!" The goon ordered, "Finish him now!"

The Obstagoon charged full force, its claws glowing with unholy power as it impaled Rook through the chest! A critical hit...

"No..." Grant stood, mouth agape, "All I've done for naught?..."

But...

Rook held on so Grant wouldn't be upset! He bird, beak sharp as a sword, impaled Obstagoon's neck, brutally fainting it with a single, mighty critical hit he landed, wanting to be praised.

The grunt glared, "This isn't over. Let's book it!"

The three ran away as Grant tended to Rook.

"I'm so proud of you!" He exclaimed eagerly, "You've grown so strong! I knew you could do it!"

Rook cried out happily and, after being healed, Grant proceeded towards the gym only to see Sonia looking area statue of two odd Pokémon.

"Hey Sonia!" Grant exclaimed, "What's going on?"

"Oh just studying some old legend about Galar," Sonia shrugged, "Starting to think the King, who stopped the Darkest Day, you know, an apocalyptic event that happened a long time ago when Dynamax Pokémon ran rampant? Yeah that might have something to do with these Pokémon. Speaking of which how's the gym challenge?"

Grant exclaimed, "Fantastic! I just got a freak of nature fossil Pokémon, but I still love him, and I just beat some really tough Team Yell grunts. They have beef with me so... yeah. Anyways, I'm going to the gym. Maybe I'll run into Bede there."

Sonia turned away, "You... won't be seeing him around."

"What?" Grant asked, "What do you mean?"

"He..." Sonia sighed, "He revealed these statues by destroying a mural here looking for Wishing Stars and was... disqualified by Rose."

"What happened to his Wishing Stars?" Grant demanded, "I mean that's rough but those are very valuable right? He can still like, live off selling those."

"Well Oleana took his so-" Sonia explained.

"So Oleana used him and took his only means of financial independence and as far as we know now he's gonna be stuck living on the street? Cause of some selfish chairman and his secretary!?! No!"

"Grant calm down," Sonia pleaded, "I'm sure he's gonna-"

"Calm down!?!" Grant demanded, "You don't know the torment it is to live like that! Bede is my best friend and I'm not letting that happen to him!"

Grant turned around and began to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Sonia demanded.

"To get Bede what is rightfully his," Grant growled, "Then I'll go to the gym... which looks to be blocked off by security right now anyways."

"Yeah Marcos Cosmos is blocking the gym while this mess is sorted out," Sonia explained, "But Grant Oleana and Rose are powerful and this doesn't sound... legal."

"Would you rather see my best friend dying out in the cold?" Grant demanded, "After he had what was rightfully his stolen?"

Sonia fell silent.

Grant sighed, "You're a great friend Sonia, but I gotta stand by my friends."

"You gotta get on your medication," Sonia pleaded, "You're unstable."

"Maybe," Grant replied, "And I will Sonia."

"Promise me," Sonia demanded, "Promise me you're going to get help."

"I swear on the graves of my parents I will get help," Grant smiled, "It's gonna be OK. You're a smart and talented women who's becoming a great professor and I'm a highly skilled trainer who started from the bottom. You're gonna learn the truth of Galar, and I'm going to become champion. We got this!"

"Thanks," Sonia smiled, "Please if it's illegal, bail."

"Fine," Grant smiled, "For you, I will."

With that Grant headed to the power plant in Hammerlocke as he muttered to himself, "You won't be homeless again Bede. I will make sure you don't suffer anymore..."