The Pokémon journey begins in Galar

The inside of the mine was surprisingly well-lit, with lamps installed along the way. Walking through it was easier than either of them had expected.

Every now and then, a Dugtrio would suddenly pop its head out of the ground, or a Rolycoly would roll past them along the tunnel floor.

"Hey, Marie," Yuri said, her curiosity piqued. "That energy cube box earlier... wasn't it the exact same one you use? Did you make it yourself?"

Marie shook her head and explained, "It's made by folks back in my hometown. I think this year they decided to use the Gym Challenge as a chance to cheer me on and promote it at the same time."

"So it's something you can actually buy? I thought it was exclusive to you."

Marie let out a soft sigh, clearly used to this reaction.

"Yeah... that's kind of the problem. Nobody around here really knows about energy cubes. In Galar, they're not common at all."

"But wait, your brother's a Gym Trainer, isn't he? Why go to all this trouble to promote them?"

"That's... kind of a long story. But to put it simply, our town doesn't have any Power Spots for Dynamax energy. So instead, we try to promote local specialties. Like your hometown, Yuri no Power Spot either, right? But you've got all those big ranches. It's the same idea."

"Ohh! I get it now!"

Yuri nodded enthusiastically, though it was hard to tell if she truly understood or was just going along with it. Either way, it didn't really matter. These kinds of small things didn't directly concern her.

"Rooaar... (Hey, you two Trainers, please step aside.)"

A loud Pokémon voice echoed from up ahead. Though it didn't sound particularly threatening, Marie instinctively pulled Yuri to the side of the rail track they'd been walking along.

"Huh? What was that just now?"

"It said to move aside. Probably a working Pokémon coming through."

"Eh-?"

Just as Yuri craned her neck to look, a Coalossal trundled past on the track, moving steadily but not in any hurry.

"Rooaar... (You two doing the Gym Challenge?)"

"Yes. Is something the matter?"

"Let me explain instead, ladies."

Before they could ask more, a man's voice cut in from further ahead, drawing their attention. A miner, likely in his thirties, stepped into view. His outfit, covered in dust and grime, made his job unmistakable.

"Well, sometimes Trainers get lost in here," the man said with a friendly wave, "so we'll take turns walking around and checking if anyone needs help."

He sounded sincere and kind, but Yuri tilted her head and, a little too innocently, muttered, "Isn't that just slacking off...?"

"Ahem! We're on a scheduled break, thank you very much!" the man coughed, shooting her a mock glare before continuing, now more serious. He pointed at the track beneath their feet.

"You two must've just entered the mine, huh? Pay attention to the track layout. The ones in the working zones look different from this one. It'll help you figure out where you're going. If you see a split in the tracks and the rails change style, don't wander in."

"Oh, I didn't know that. Thanks."

Marie bowed politely. It was only right to show respect when someone offered genuine help.

"Haha, no problem! But if you really want to thank me, how about a friendly Pokémon battle?"

Marie blinked, a little taken aback. She hadn't expected a miner to actually challenge passersby like this.

"Are you sure it's okay to battle in here?" Yuri asked nervously, glancing at the framework supporting the tunnel walls. "What if we damage something?"

"Don't worry. This area's been reinforced specifically for the Gym Challenge. As long as you don't use fully evolved Pokémon or moves like Earthquake, it's totally safe."

He patted a nearby weight-bearing pillar and grinned. "Most of this section has already been mined out. The rock walls were reinforced with extra materials so battles won't cause structural damage. At most, you might knock loose a few pebbles. No big deal."

"President Rose really thinks of everything..." Marie murmured. She could immediately tell this had to be another one of Rose's projects. His company owned this whole mine network, after all. No one else could make these kinds of changes on a whim.

"Haha, he's a good guy, that President Rose. Even us miners get a chance to enjoy battles now! So, which one of you's up for it?"

Yuri and Marie looked at each other.

"Can we do a one-on-one? I'll take one round, and Marie can take the other."

"Ah... sorry, no can do," the miner said, scratching his head sheepishly. "Coalossal's got afternoon duties, so I've only got one Pokémon I can use."

He reached down and unclipped a Poké Ball from his belt. With a swift toss, a Timburr appeared before them.

"I see... ah!"

Yuri was still hesitating when her Cottonee suddenly leapt out of her arms, landing on the ground with a defiant cry.

"Nya! Nya! (Let me! I wanna battle too!)"

"..."

Yuri instinctively reached out to scoop it back up, but Marie gently stopped her, shaking her head with a small smile.

"You take this one, Yuri."

"Huh? Oh-okay! I've got this!"

"Cottonee, do your best!"

"Nya!"

The miner stepped back a bit to clear the space for the match. He looked genuinely happy. Battles like these gave people who never quite made it as full-time Trainers a chance to enjoy the spirit of Pokémon battling.

"Alright then, let's begin!"

Marie walked over to stand beside the Coalossal, taking on the role of referee.

"Battle, start!"

With no unnecessary words, Marie raised her hand, paused briefly, and then cleanly signaled the start of the match.

"Cottonee, Sleep Powder!"

"Nya! (Got it! Huu-mumph-!)"

Cottonee puffed up with effort and began scattering a fine mist of powder. But rather than avoid it, the miner laughed and gave no orders to dodge.

"Knew you'd go for that. Timburr, you know what to do!"

"Cha! (Yeah, yeah, I got it!)"

To Yuri's surprise, Timburr made no effort to resist and let the powder hit, drifting off into sleep with ease.

But then despite being asleep it began to move again.

"...Wait. Why is it still able to move? Is that... Sleep Talk?!"

Yuri's eyes widened. She knew her fair share of moves, and it clicked quickly. No wonder he hadn't bothered dodging Timburr knew Sleep Talk!

"Haha, that's not all, kiddo," the miner said proudly. "But looks like it didn't pull an attacking move this time."

He sounded a little smug. He wasn't a competitive Trainer, so he didn't mind revealing a few things. Marie caught on right away.

This Timburr's Ability might be Guts.

If that were the case, then being inflicted with a status condition would boost its attack power. Yuri was in for a tough fight. Her Cottonee hadn't learned any defensive moves yet.

Marie watched Yuri's face with a flicker of concern, but she didn't speak up. A battle like this... was something Yuri had to face for herself.