"Can I see your endorsement letter, please, sir?"

"Sure, here."

Dantin handed the letter, which he'd only learned a few hours ago was an endorsement from his mother, to the Gym staff at the counter. As the staff inspected the letter, Dantin took the chance to admire the area he was in.

The stadiums of Galar, it would seem, were a far cry from the Gyms he was used to back in Sinnoh. Dantin stood in front of the reception counter of a lobby, easily double the size of the average Pokemon Centre. The lobby was filled with other people, perhaps people who had come to watch the matches, or other Challengers, Dantin couldn't be sure. Fanta was floating around the lobby, interacting with random people and their Pokemon. He only hoped that the little ball of ectoplasm wouldn't land him in any trouble with the strangers in the room. The ceiling extended quite a ways upwards, with banners twice his height hung on both sides, promoting the Gym Challenge.

Behind the reception counter was a video wall, simply displaying a red and blue logo which he was not yet aware was the logo of the Challenge itself. And behind the video wall was a wall made of windows; Dantin could just make out what looked like the stands of the stadium, surrounding a large field.

"Just to confirm, your name is Dantin Barre, correct?"

"That's right."

"And what number would you like for your jersey?"

The question took Dantin by surprise. "Jersey?"

Smiling patiently, the staff explained, "All Challengers have their own jerseys for official Gym battles. And each Challenger gets their own unique numbering."

Dantin realised just how much of a sports event the Gym Challenge was in the region. Not only was the Gym staff dressed almost like a football referee, but with reds dominating the outfit, the Challengers were dressed like athletes, too. He thought about it for a moment, before settling for his lucky number. "I'll go with 47, then."

The staff typed on a keyboard, staring at the monitor screen in front of him for a few moments more, before handing the letter back to Dantin. "Alright, you're all set. Just bring your endorsement letter over to the changing room to your right, and another staff member should fix you up with your jersey. The opening ceremony will be in exactly two hours."

Thanking the Gym staff, Dantin slid the letter into his backpack. He made his way over to where the staff had gestured, to the changing room. There, another staff member dressed similarly to the first was waiting.

"Can I see your endorsement letter?" she asked in a friendly, customer service voice.

"Sure, it's right... huh?"

Dantin fished his hand around his backpack, his heart sinking the longer he came up blank. Hadn't he just put it into his backpack seconds ago?

Looking around frantically, Dantin scarcely noticed as his Ghost-type companion came zooming towards him.

"Misdreavus dreav! Dreavus mis!"

"Not now, Fanta," he hissed.

"Dreavus," the Pokemon replied indignantly, sticking her head up. If her trainer wouldn't listen, she saw no reason why she should push it.

"Is something wrong, sir?" the staff member asked.

"Yea- no, no, it's just- I literally just had the letter with me."

"Nickit," the cry of a nearby Pokemon caught Dantin's attention. He turned to watch as a bushy mahogany tail disappeared from view, out the sliding doors of the entrance to the lobby. Hop's words from earlier that day flashed in his mind.

"That's a Nickit. Best be careful around one, if you value your wallet."

Putting two and two together, Dantin zipped his backpack in a hurry. "Just one moment, I'll be right back," he said to the staff member before making a dash for the entrance.

"Dreavus," Fanta sighed. If only he'd listened when she was trying to warn him of the thief Pokemon.

~~~

"Stop, give that back!" Dantin yelled as he chased after the sleek canine Pokemon, which he now saw had his endorsement letter gripped in its jaws. Fanta followed closely behind, more out of curiosity than anything. Maybe even amusement.

Dantin chased the fox Pokemon around the outside of Motostoke Stadium, which, like all the other stadiums of Galar, was shaped like a large dome. While the Nickit was able to weave in and out, through shrubbery and grass, Dantin found it hard to keep up. The Pokemon moved as though it had been performing heists like this its entire life.

"Llou?" a female voice called out from the other side of the stadium. At this point the Nickit and Dantin were both directly behind the stadium, so the voice came from right ahead.

"Hey, stop that Nickit!" Dantin called out to the owner of the voice, catching his breath in between words.

The chase screeched to a halt when the other person came into view. The rogue Nickit crawled up her white knee-length skirt to hop up into her waiting arms.

"There you are, Llou," the blonde, shoulder-length haired lady said to the Pokemon that was apparently hers. "You can't just run off like that."

"Nickit!" the fox cried energetically, letting Dantin's letter fall out of its jaws.

"What's that you've got there?" The girl then looked up at the man in front of her, his hands on his knees as he struggled to catch his breath.

"That's your Pokemon?"

She nodded with a smile. "Just caught her a couple of hours ago. Isn't she cute?"

"That," Dantin pointed at the letter which now lay in the woman's arms, "is mine."

"Hm?" She looked down at the envelope, which now bore small dents where Llou's teeth had met the paper. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I can't seem to do anything right lately. Here." She walked over to Dantin, handing the letter back to its rightful owner.

"You don't have much experience training Pokemon, do you?" Dantin asked the blonde.

She cringed. "Not exactly. Especially not Galarian ones."

"Just try to keep a better eye on your Nickit. Who knows what trouble she'll get you into."

"Right. I'm sorry again," the woman said, bowing. Almost as a reminder of the irony of Dantin's advice, Fanta then finally caught up to her trainer.

"Misdreav?"

Wordlessly, Dantin held the letter up for his Pokemon to see, before turning around to head back the way he came. The owner of the Nickit watched, and wanted to call out to him, to tell him that it would save him a lot of time and effort to go the other way, since they were closer to the entrance. But she didn't. He didn't seem like he was in a good mood.

Fanta took notice of this, and chuckled to herself. The woman saw the Misdreavus and flashed a sweet smile at her, waving. The Pokemon beamed back before turning tail to follow her trainer.

Left alone with her Pokemon, the woman turned her attention back to her Nickit. "Llou, you can't go around stealing stuff from randoms. Look what you got me into."

"Kit," the Nickit giggled playfully, earning a sigh from her trainer.

"I'm gonna have to find a way to make up for it now."

~~~

"Welcome, one and all, to the opening ceremony of this year's Gym Challenge."

The audience cheered, making almost anything else near inaudible over the booming voices of the collective. The well-dressed man making the speech stood right in the middle of Motostoke Stadium, his hands lifted in grandeur as he addressed the packed stands of the stadium. He adjusted his dusty grey blazer before continuing.

"As you all know, I am Chairman Rose, and it is my distinct privilege to welcome all our Gym Challengers. This year, we have more than a few Challengers who hail from abroad. Which only serves to showcase just how impactful our Gym Challenge is to our beloved region, building up our name as the pinnacle of Pokemon battling."

The Chairman of the Gym Challenge himself adjusted the small mic clipped onto his clothes.

"But before we get into that, allow me to welcome to the stadium, Galar's esteemed Gym Leaders."

The stadium filled with the roars of the crowd once more as eight trainers walked out from the gate. The eight of them waved towards the cheering audience as the Chairman introduced them one by one.

"Key from Turfield, the Farmer Who Shines. Jisoo from Hulbury, the Whistle of the Deep. Jackson from Motostoke, the Magic Man Himself. Handong from Stow-on-Side, the Nightmare Breaker. Karina of Ballonlea, the Savage Sprite Guardian. Bang Chan of Circhester, the Back Door Vanguard. Piers of Spikemuth, the Dark-veiled Trainer. And last but certainly not least, Raihan of Hammerlocke, the Dragon Tamer Extraordinaire."

From all the way back in the backstage area of the stadium, Dantin could still hear just how loud the cheers were for each individual Gym Leader. The Leaders had been in a separate waiting room, so he and the other Challengers hadn't gotten the chance to see them in person just yet. That would come when they were called up to the field.

"So," one of the other Challengers in the waiting room started as he sat himself on the bench, next to Dantin, "where are you from?"

"What makes you so sure I'm not from Galar?" Dantin asked. The man pointed at Fanta, who was floating in circles, clearly bored. "Right. I'm from Kalos, but I grew up in Sinnoh. You?"

A smile flashed across the man's face, and Dantin took notice of his eyebrow piercing. "Well, damn, no way. I'm from Sinnoh, too."

Dantin felt a mixture of surprise, comfort, and dread. "Really? Which part?"

"Snowpoint, you?"

"Snowpoint? Oof, you must be burning up here in Galar."

The man leaned back with his hands on the bench. "Man, like you wouldn't believe. It's like I moved to Alola compared to the snowstorms we got all year round back home."

"I'm from Hearthome," Dantin admitted.

"Oh, cool. You ever meet any Contest Stars? I hear SuA from Hoenn got her training in Hearthome."

Dantin figured that, since they were talking about home, it was sooner or later that his new acquaintance would discover the truth. "Yeah, I know. She trained under my mom. We met a few years back."

"Your mom?" The man looked Dantin over for a few moments before a wave of realization shone on his face. "Fantina? The Gym Leader?"

"Mhm."

"Damn, I didn't know she had a son."

"Now you do," Dantin replied, shrugging. "I'm Dantin, by the way. Dantin Barre."

"Jeon Jungkook." The two shared a handshake, and not a minute after, the Gym staff began gathering the Challengers in preparation for the Chairman's cue.

"I'm sorry, sir, but your Pokemon needs to remain in its ball for the ceremony," a female staff member told Dantin.

"I know, I'm sorry, she doesn't want to." He turned to his Pokemon, who looked back at him with squinted eyes. "Would you please get into the ball for a bit?"

"Misdreav." Fanta turned away, earning a groan from her trainer. With the Chairman's cue growing more and more imminent, Dantin felt as though the entire room was boring their eyes into his skull.

"O' Great Fanta, would you be ever so kind as to indulge in my idiocy and remain in containment for the duration of this loathsome event?"

The Misdreavus opened an eye to gaze upon her trainer, before nodding apathetically. His face heating up like a hot summer day, Dantin clicked on Fanta's Pokeball, sending her back into it for the first time since they'd landed in Galar.

"And all that being said, let's not waste anymore time, shall we?" The Chairman's voice, amplified by speakers, carried into the waiting room. "Without further ado, allow me to introduce this year's Gym Challengers."

The Challengers were split in half, with the other half of them in a waiting room on the opposite side of the stadium. A name that Dantin recognized, Hop, was among the first names called out as he stood within the dark tunnel which led to the gate, with his fellow Gym Challengers. Other names he didn't recognize were Bede and Marnie. The three of them were from Galar, and the young girl named Marnie had been on the same side of the stadium as Dantin and Jungkook, while Hop and Bede were apparently on the other side.

"Moving on to a Challenger from another region, one of many, we have Dantin Barre, son of Fantina of Hearthome City all the way from Sinnoh."

"That's your cue," a Gym staff member told Dantin, though his legs were already moving towards the gate. The light caused him to squint as his eyes adjusted, and soon he stood at the entrance to a large field, its perimeter surrounded by stands packed full of people. People who were cheering. It gave him mixed feelings of exhilaration and overwhelm as his heart began to race. He didn't think he'd even met this many people in his entire life.

The Chairman called out multiple other Challengers, all of which Dantin began to wonder just how much competition they'd pose. Of the names he caught were Oh Haewon and Kim Yoohyeon from Galar, Kang Seulgi from Alola, Kazuha from Kalos, Wendy, Sammy, and Mark Lee from Unova, Jungkook from Sinnoh, Lucky from Hoenn, and Ningning from Johto.

And when the last name was called, Dantin's jaw dropped.

"And last but most definitely not least, hailing all the way from the Kanto region, we have Lee Gahyeon."

The same woman with shoulder-length blonde hair who he'd met just outside the stadium walked onto the field to join the rest of them. Instead of the casual blouse and skirt from earlier, she wore a jersey nearly identical to the other Challengers', though hers bore the number 23.

Thoughts flooded Dantin's head. Had he been too harsh towards her earlier? Her Pokemon did steal his endorsement letter, but he probably could've been nicer to her. Maybe he would have, had he not been so out of breath. And also, what was a trainer who couldn't even keep her own Pokemon under control doing entering the Challenge?

Dantin, of course, did not see the hypocrisy of his thoughts. Perhaps some of Fantina's traits had, in fact, rubbed off onto him.

"Challengers," the Chairman's voice boomed louder than before, "Take a good look around you. These are your competition. As well as the Gym Leaders you will face during the course of your journey here in Galar. Some of you may choose to quit prematurely, it is an inevitability. No one can fault you for making that decision. However, I truly hope to see some fiery battles from you all, especially during the Semi-Finals when you all are done collecting badges."

Dantin looked over at the eight Gym Leaders lined up in front of them, even closer to the audience. They all looked so different, yet they had one thing in common. They were all clearly experienced in Pokemon battles, and it showed in the way they carried themselves. The way they addressed the audience with their body language, like the sports-like culture of the Gym Challenge was second nature to them. The way they garnered so much affection and support from the audience just by looking in their general direction.

The way that, Dantin thought, they were all so much stronger than he was.