Timothy snored as he, Coovers, Gwen, Electchu, and Winnie slept. Eletchu was cuddled in a ball next to him while Coovers slept with a pillow on his head, and Gwen spooned Winnie. The clock above Coovers's bed said it was almost one-thirty in the afternoon, though no one would be able to tell with only the mushrooms to light the dark forest outside.

The door opened, and Ezria entered the room with a pleasing smile, having trained her Pokémon since eight in the morning. She turned on the lights, and her eyes immediately went to Timothy. Her smile grew, finding his sleeping face adorable even with him snorting loudly in his sleep. Ezria thought of taking a picture but decided against it, thinking she'll have many opportunities to watch him sleep once she claimed his heart. She took her pillow from her bed and hit Timothy on the head with it, causing him to jump into a sitting position with an "Ah!"

"Rise and shine, sleepy head," Ezria said with a playful tone. "You got an hour and a half until your battle with Opal."

Timothy groaned and grabbed his Rotom Phone from the bed stand to check the time.

"Good grief, have we been sleeping this long?" He asked.

"You sure have. Luckily, I'm here to keep you guys asleep, and Opal was around to schedule your battle so late, isn't it?" Ezria said. "Now come on. I've had Nurse Joy prepare a big lunch just for you and your Pokémon."

"Er, thanks, Ezria, but I don't need a big lunch," Timothy said. "Besides, Gwen, Coovers, and Winnie will want to eat too."

"Nah, we should let them sleep a little longer. They don't have a big battle coming," Ezria said. "Besides, you haven't had breakfast yet, and those Impidimp pranked you guys before you got to eat dinner. You need to cover a whole day's worth of meals."

As soon as she finished her sentence, Timothy's stomach growled. Ezria hid a giggle while Timothy sighed and rolled his eyes as if to say, "Fair enough." He got out of bed and went to the bathroom to change from his pajamas and brush his teeth. After waking Electchu, they went downstairs with Ezria and walked to the cafeteria, where Nurse Joy greeted Timothy with a bow. Behind her was a table with two large plates; one had a tall stack of pancakes, scrambled eggs, and two links of sausages, and the other had two burgers, a salad, and a bowl of rice on the side. Next to the table were six bowls with twice the normal amount of Pokémon food. Timothy grew uneasy with how carried away Ezria got just to make sure he and his team were fed, but when his and Electchu's stomachs growled, he sighed and shrugged before taking out Poliwrath, Odyssey, Shockwave, Blitzwing, and Knightblade.

Thus, Timothy sat down, and he and his Pokemon began to feast. Ezria watched with a pleased smile before turning to Nurse Joy.

"Thanks so much for having this arranged, Nurse Joy," she said.

"It's my pleasure," Nurse Joy said. "I still remember hearing about the man who freed all those Pokémon wearing a shirt like that and having a Raichu for a partner while I was healing Pokémon in Kanto. I wouldn't have believed it if you and Chairman Rose hadn't made sure he is that man. I never thought he'd participate in the Gym Challenge, much less be here in my Pokémon Center."

"I know. Isn't it wonderful?" Ezria said. "It's almost uncanny how lucky we are that he's here. I hope he stays in Galar forever."

Nurse Joy turned her head to see Ezria staring at Timothy with a dreamy smile. She looked at the two of them before giving the raspberry-haired woman a playful look.

"Got a special reason for wanting him to stay?" Nurse Joy teased.

Ezria flushed and played with her hair as she said, "W-well, what can I say? I can't help it if he's so remarkable."

Nurse Joy giggled.

"Don't worry, Ms. Markenel. I know exactly how you feel," she said.

"You do?" Ezria asked, surprised.

"Yes. I have feelings for a special man. He was in the battle against that horrible crime organization too," Nurse Joy said, looking up at the ceiling with a sad smile. Her mind was on a man with spiky brown hair, tan skin, and slit-like eyes.

"What happened?" Ezria asked.

Nurse Joy looked down and sighed before she answered, "He already had somebody. All I could do was watch from a distance as he chased her and begged her to be with him."

"And did she?" Ezria asked.

Nurse Joy nodded.

"He kissed her, then they hugged each other on their knees, and he gave her a necklace that made her very happy," she said.

"I'm sorry," Ezria said.

"It's fine. I'll get over it one day," Nurse Joy said. "And I hope you won't experience what I went through."

Ezria scoffed as though Nurse Joy told a bad joke and said, "I wouldn't worry about me. No one is more deserving, more perfect to be with Timothy than me."

"With all due respect, Ms. Markenel, that's exactly what I thought when I tried to be with the man I like," Nurse Joy said. "He was a doctor-in-training who cared an awful lot about taking care of Pokémon. He worked long and hard to heal all the Pokémon who were hurt during and after the battle. As a nurse, I thought I was the perfect person to be by his side. The thing was, my other competitors were all of my cousins across the world who are nurses, and many policewomen also admired him. Even so, the person he chose wasn't someone who was a doctor or a policewoman. Who knows how good of a Pokémon trainer she is for that matter?"

Nurse Joy put her hand on Ezria's shoulder.

"I agree that you are the perfect choice for the one you want, Ms. Markenel, but you shouldn't let your guard down," she said. "You said it yourself that he's remarkable. It only makes sense to assume other women will want to pursue a hero like him, and even if the odds are slim, he might pick someone else whether it makes sense or not."

Ezria grew uneasy from Nurse Joy's words. She looked at Timothy, who was conversing with Electchu while they ate, and furrowed her brow.

"She makes a good point. Timothy's a much bigger hero than whoever Nurse Joy is talking about." she thought. "Come to think of it, I wonder if any other women have tried to woo him. Maybe they'll take advantage of the fact that he's interested in finding romance."

Ezria realized what she said and shook her head, scoffing at herself.

"Why would anyone do that? I implied that I want to be with Timothy, so all of Galar knows better than to get in my way."

Ezria smiled, satisfied with her logic. But then her smile faded into another look of realization, and she looked up at the ceiling, imagining she was looking at the room she was sharing with the group. She made a dark face as she thought of a brunette woman still asleep with her little bear Pokemon partner.

"Maybe it's not a native woman in Galar I should worry about."

***************************************************************

Timothy held his belly as he walked to Ballonlea Stadium. Though he was hungry after missing breakfast, he felt the second burger was one too many. He checked to ensure Coovers, Gwen, and Winnie were still asleep before going to the stadium with Electchu and Ezria. They went inside, and Timothy checked in before turning to Ezria.

"Well, it's time to get the show on the road," he said. "You're going to wait here and not watch the match like you promised, right?"

"Absolutely," Ezria lied. "But I know you're going to be brilliant out there. Opal doesn't stand a chance against you, Knightblade, and your other Pokémon."

"You got that right," Timothy said with a grin. "I can see me getting my badge before your brother too."

"Don't count on it!"

Timothy, Ezria, and Electchu turn to see Venarge walking over to them from the entrance to the hall leading to the waiting room with a prideful grin. He reached into his pants pocket and took out the ring containing his ring of badges, including one with a pink and brown butterfly. He held the ring up to Timothy's face, making him step back.

"You thought I was going to lose again, didn't you? Well, I got payback against that old hag, and she only took out half of my Pokémon." Venarge boasted. "Once again, I'm ahead of you, Durbin."

Ezria snorted out a laugh and said, "Oh, Venny. You still think it's a race for getting all the badges first."

"Shut up, Ezria," Venarge snarled. "Why are you even still here? You won your fifth badge yesterday."

Ezria grabbed Timothy's hand and stepped close to him as she said with a bright smile, "I just happened to bump into Timothy and his companions when I was on my way out of the forest. We will be traveling together for the rest of the Gym Challenge. Isn't that right, Timothy?"

"Yeah, that's right," Timothy said reluctantly.

Venarge scoffed and said, "Whatever. That puts me ahead of all of you. Plus, I'm almost in the Great Class."

"Yeah? Well, Timothy is in the Great Class," Ezria mocked.

Venarge's face fell as Timothy took out his Rotom Phone and showed him his rank. He clenched his teeth, and his face became as red as his hair.

"So what? I just need to win a couple more battles, and I'll be there too," he said before pointing at Timothy. "And when I do, I will challenge you to a battle."

"Good. I haven't come across anyone in the Great Class yet to beat, so I thank you in advance for your contribution, Venny," Timothy said.

Venarge's face went from maroon to barn red, storming his way to the exit. Ezria snickered as she watched her brother leave before turning to Timothy.

"Messing with my brother like that is so much fun," she said. "Though honestly, I never pegged for you to have such a teasing side, Timothy."

"Ah, what can I say? I can't help it when there are arrogant trainers like your brother who have it coming, especially if I find them bullying people like Ned," Timothy said. "Speaking of which, I wonder if he's still in the Gym Challenge. I haven't seen him since after my battle with Nessa."

"There he goes being so caring about others again," Ezria thought before she said. "I haven't seen him battling lately when I'm watching Gym battles before it's my turn since then. We can only hope he's still competing, and we just haven't seen him."

"I sure hope so," Timothy said. "Anyway, I better check in. See you after the battle."

"I'll be waiting right here," Ezria said.

Timothy talked to the person in front of the door and entered the hall leading to the break room. He looked back to see Ezria waving to him with a smile before he closed the door behind him. The man in the "H.A.K." shirt sighed and turned to his partner as he walked.

"She sure is devoted," he said. "I really hope we can get her to defect from Rose's plan."

"Raichu." Electchu agreed.

************************************************************************************************

Timothy went to the restroom to change into his uniform and then went into the waiting room with Electchu to sit on a bench. He looked around to see five Gym Challengers in the room waiting for their battle. Many of them were stressed or frustrated, having faced and lost to Opal once already. The men still competing were glowering at Timothy, and he rolled his eyes, figuring they also watched Ezria's interview and officially saw him as major competition for her heart. He also grew uneasy as he realized Ned wasn't there.

Three Challengers returned from their battles throughout the hour that Timothy and Electchu waited. One of them was walking with glee, but one returned frustrated, and another hung her head, silently deciding to quit the Gym Challenge. The clock hanging on the wall came close to saying three o'clock, and Timothy scooted closer to Electchu and leaned into its ear.

"Okay, here's the plan," he whispered. "Knightblade is the major player, but we can't rely on it throughout the match. We need it to be in the best condition when Opal sends out her last Pokémon, especially if it's Gigantamaxed. We'll start the battle with you using Iron Tail to hurt her Pokémon seriously, and if we need to, we'll use Blitzwing to take down opponents with Steel Wing."

"Rai Rai Raichu? Rai Rai Raichu Rai Raichu," Electchu said.

"Hmmm. You're right. Opal's partner might have an attack or two that might seriously hurt Knightblade just like with Bea's Machamp," Timothy said. "How about this: we have either you, Blitzwing, or someone else face her partner for a little while and see what kinds of moves it has first, just like when we battled Lucy and her Milotic. Sound good?"

"Rai Rai Rai Raichu," Electchu pointed out.

"Ezria doesn't need to know if one of my Pokemon is knocked out if she's not watching. We can lie and say I had another perfect match," Timothy said. "Besides, I don't want to experience the Pokémon I Dynamax losing, leaving the rest of my Pokémon to try to take out a Dynamax or Gigantamax Pokémon without the power to match it again. All the same, I'd rather no one in my party faint if I can avoid it."

"Raichu," Electchu said with a nod.

Timothy and his partner waited a couple more minutes until a staff member called for Timothy through the speakers. The Gym Challengers that desired Ezria glared at Timothy again at the sound of his name with one muttering, "I hope Opal wipes you out with her first Pokémon." Timothy rolled his eyes again as he walked down the hall to the battlefield.

The field was pink with a purple center circle and an aqua circle around it. Opal was waiting on her side of her Pokémon with the referee talking to her while on his Aegislash. The announcer introduced Timothy to the crowd, and they cheered, grabbing Opal and the referee's attention. The elderly woman gave Timothy a wrinkly smile.

"Well, I hope you are well-rested, young man," Opal said.

"Don't worry. I am," Timothy assured. "In fact, Ezria had to wake me up so I could be here on time."

"Indeed? You are quite fortunate to have her as a friend," Opal said. "But now, let's see how you and your Pokémon behave without the color pink."

Timothy and Electchu looked at each other, unsure if they heard Opal correctly. The referee levitated to the center of the field and raised his hands.

"This is a four-on-four Pokémon battle between Opal, the Gym Leader, and number seven, Timothy, the Gym Challenger!" He declared. "The battle will be over when all Pokémon from either side cannot continue! Furthermore, only the Gym Challenger can switch Pokémon! Are the contestants ready?!"

"Ready!" Timothy replied.

"Quite ready, Algie," Opal said.

"Then battle begin!" The referee shouted.

The people and Pokémon of Ballonlea applauded as Opal took out her first Pokeball.

"Weezing, dear, come out for mommy," she said.

She threw the ball into the air, and a Galarian Weezing burst out. Timothy hummed in thought before turning to his partner.

"The chairman said Galarian Weezing has excellent defense, so let's not expect it to go down quickly," he said.

"Raichu," Electchu agreed.

"Alright then. Electchu, let's do it!" Timothy shouted, pointing at Weezing.

Electchu hopped into the battlefield, facing Weezing on all fours with its tail up, ready to use Iron Tail on command. Opal smiled at Electchu, finding it going against her first Pokémon amusing.

"Let's not waste any time, Electchu! Use Iron Tail!" Timothy shouted.

"Weezing, use Fairy Wind," Opal said calmly.

Electchu charged at Weezing with its tail glowing white, but Weezing summoned a gust of silver wind that sent Electchu flying back. Electchu landed on its back and groaned before it got up with a couple of cuts on its body.

"Use Tackle." Opal said.

"Stop it with Electro Ball, then use Iron Tail!" Timothy shouted.

Electchu got on all fours again and waited with an orb of electricity at the top of its tail. When Weezing was close enough, Electchu flung the orb, and it hit Weezing in its bigger head's face. The Poison Gas Pokémon shut its eyes from the impact, leaving it open for Electchu to smack it in the face with its tail. Weezing backed away with its eyes still shut, wailing from the Steel type attack. Opal looked at her Pokémon, taken aback, before smiling at Timothy again.

"I see. You used my strategy against me," she said.

"Used and improved," Timothy boasted.

Opal frowned with her eyebrow raised.

"Arrogant, are we? Such a lack of pink in your heart," she said. "Weezing, use Sludge."

"Dodge and use Thunder!" Timothy shouted.

Weezing opened its eyes and spewed dark brown sludge at Electchu from both mouths simultaneously. Electchu jumped to the side, avoiding the sludge, and unleashed a large beam of electricity that hit Weezing. Weezing howled in pain and had several burn marks on its body after the attack.

"Now use Electro Ball again!" Timothy shouted.

"Send it back with Fairy Wind," Opal said.

Electchu threw another orb of electricity, but Weezing sent another gust of wind. The orb slowed to a halt before it came flying back to Electchu.

"Use Iron Tail to knock it back, then use Iron Tail again!" Timothy instructed.

Electchu's tail glowed white again, knocking its Electro Ball back, using its tail like a baseball bat. The orb hit Weezing in the face, leaving it distanced to be hit again with Iron Tail.

"Now use Iron Tail again!" Timothy shouted.

"Weezing dear, use Sludge," Opal said.

Weezing spewed dark brown sludge from the mouth on its larger body, and it hit Electchu's eyes just as it was charging. Electchu moved back and tried to get the sludge off, but its arms were too short of reaching its face.

"Now, use Tackle once more," Opal said.

"Electchu, calm down and listen closely," Timothy said. "Wait until Weezing is close enough, then hit it hard with Iron Tail!"

Electchu stopped trying to get the sludge off and took a deep breath before using its bifurcated ears to hear Weezing levitating, coming closer with a "Weeeeeeeeezzzzzzzz." When its opponent was close enough, Electchu's tail glowed white, and it spun around and smacked Weezing so hard that it sent the Poison Gas Pokémon flying to the other side of the field. It zoomed past Opal and crashed into the wall before plummeting to the ground with both heads having swirly eyes.

"Weezing is unable to battle! Electchu wins!" The referee declared.

The audience paused in surprise before they applauded. Opal returned Weezing and thanked it before turning to Timothy.

"Impressive. I didn't expect you to be able to hit my Weezing despite your Raichu being blinded," she said.

"I've trained my Pokémon to sense where their opponents are when they can't see them," Timothy said. "It's mostly for something like Smog and Mist, but this works too."

"Indeed? Then let's see how well you do with my next Pokémon," Opal said as she took out another Pokéball and threw it. "Go, Mawile!"

The ball opened, and a Mawile appeared on Opal's side of the field. Timothy walked over to his side and carried Electchu to his spot. The Mouse Pokémon was still trying to get the sludge out, and Timothy patted its head.

"Just hold on a moment, pal. I'll get a handkerchief and get that out for you after the battle," Timothy said as he took out another Pokéball. "Odyssey, let's go!"

He threw the container, and his loyal Lucario came out. Odyssey took an offensive stance as it glowered at Mawile, having a good idea of what Timothy had planned for the Deceiver Pokémon.

"Odyssey, use Bone Rush!" Timothy shouted.