Distortion

•The People You Meet•

Once the opening ceremony was over, Hop and Harlan walked out of the stadium and were met by a League Staff member that seemed to be waiting for them. "All challengers are required to check in at the Budew Drop Inn. Follow me please." He started walking away, leaving the teens to fast-walk after him.
"Well that seems awful demanding," Hop muttered.
"Hey, at least we're getting somewhere to stay right?" Harlan replied, quiet enough so the staffer wouldn't hear them.
"We have arrived at the Inn! Have a good night, Challengers Hop and Harlan." The staffer walked back to the stadium while they both walked in, and when they did, they saw Sonia examining a statue at the front.

"Oh, hey you two! I see you two made it through the ceremony!"
"Hey, Sonia. What're ya doing at our hotel?" Harlan asked the ginger.
"As you two know, I'm researching the Pokémon you two saw in the Slumbering Weald, and this statue says something related to it. Do you two want to hear about it?" The duo looked at each other, back at Sonia, then nodded. She started talking about an old event in history but was interrupted by yelling near the check-in. "Bloody hell, what's going on up there?" Sonia leaned forward a bit, and Harlan started walking up the stairs, leaving Sonia and Hop confused.

"HEY!" Everyone turned towards him, including the loud group. "Why in the hell aren't you letting people check in?" One of them started saying something about this "Team Yell" helping the challengers, well, one specific challenger, and that if anyone got in their way, they'd be up for a Pokémon battle.
"Well, let's battle then," Harlan replied simply, shrugging. "But we should take it outside, so we don't ruin this nice lobby." Once outside, the Team Yell grunt let out a black and white Zigzagoon, while Harlan let out Jetstream. The opposing Pokémon used Tackle, which didn't do much damage. Jet then used Dragon Claw, fainting the Zigzagoon in one hit.
"Oi, gimme a break here!" The grunt whined. "Team Yell! Get revenge for me, wouldja?"
A female grunt stepped up. "I gotcha mate!" She sent out a small, fox-like Pokémon called Nickit. While it was nimble enough to dodge the first couple of stones of the Stone Edge, it couldn't dodge the last one. "Must've gotten carried away during the battle. Sorry for getting in yer way." She mumbled, handing Harlan seven hundred and twenty yen.
"Nice one, Harlan! Didn't expect checking in to be such a hassle though." Hop ran up to congratulate his friend, giving Harlan a high five.
"What're you lot doin' here?" A voice asked from Harlan's right. They all turned to see a girl dressed in black and pink and a Pokémon following behind her.
"Marnie?! Well, uh-" Team Yell didn't get to say anything else before Marnie turned to Hop and Harlan.
"Sorry 'bout them. They're just a bunch of fans who call themselves Team Yell, followin' me around and cheerin' for me. I think they've let it go to their heads a bit." Marnie turned to the grunts and told them to go home.
"Thanks for that. Name's Harlan, and this is Hop. They said your name was Marnie, right?"
"Yeah, that's right. They've gotten so caught up in cheerin' me on that they get shirty with the other Gym Challengers. Sorry if they caused you any trouble." Harlan shrugged, stretching her arms above her head.
"S' fine. I love a good fight. Or battle. You a challenger too?" Marnie nodded and Hop added, "Team Yell, was it? Pretty impressive that you already have a set of fans to call your own!" It looked like shock hit Marnie's face as she took a second to think about what Hop had said, then she nodded and smiled.

After now being able to check in to the hotel, all of the Challengers were able to get into their rooms, and while some were going to sleep, Harlan was up calling her friend, well more like her brother.
"Harlan!" Someone yelled on the other line of FaceTime.
"Hey Kiawe," Harlan said, greeting her old friend. "How've you been? Anything new in Alola since I've been gone?"
"No, nothing much. Lillie's still Kukui's assistant, Team Skull hasn't done anything lately, the usual trial goers are doing their trials and Gladion's been sulking since you left, but what do you expect from a guy who had a crush on you?"
"Oh my Arceus, how many times have we both had to tell you? I. Don't. Have. A. Crush. On. Gladion. And I'm sure he didn't have a crush on me."
"Yeah yeah yeah. Anything happen with Giratina yet?"
"Kiawe, I told you to call it Shadreak. And no, nothing has happened."
"Then why are the rings bigger than when you left?" Fuck, busted.
"I don't even know! I let Shadow out once, and before that, the kid I'm staying with said they were big!"
"Harls, you gotta watch how big they get. I can safely say that everyone here really, really doesn't want a repeat of what happened before. Especially Lusamine, you know she still regrets it."
"Sure," Harlan grumbled, "how's Elio doing as champ?"
"Pretty good actually. He said it was a bit hard at times but otherwise great." Harlan looked at the time then back at her phone.
"Anyway, I gotta go to bed. Me n' Hop are going to Turffield tomorrow to try to beat the Grass Gym!"
"Oooh! You got a crush on this kid too?" Kiawe teased.
"What?! No!"
"Ooooh, you do!"
"AlrightbyeI'mhangingupgoodnight."
"Hey! Wai-" He cut Kiawe off as he said something and sighed, laying back on the hotel bed. Arceus, dude thinks he's my brother-.
You two are close; you basically are siblings.
Shut it Shadow. And he thinks he knows who I like!
It is true, though. Do you like Hop?
Well, yeah, but I doubt he likes me.
Be careful with trusting easily, young mortal. Don't make another Lusamine-like situation with trusting someone too much.
Yeah, yeah, whatever. Goodnight Shadow.
Whatever.

Harlan awoke the next morning to her phone buzzing. They checked it, frowning at the tomfoolery the sender sent with the text that woke him.
Kiawe: just admit you like him. it'll be easier. good luck with the gym badge as well!
They swung their legs out of bed and got dressed for the day. Just as they finished getting ready, he heard a knock at the door. Hop was standing there, bouncing on his heels with a huge grin on his face.
"Ready for Turffield?" She nodded and checked the room one last time in case she forgot anything and left with Hop.

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"Says here we need to go through the mines," Harlan told her friend, leaning over to show Hop her map.
"I bet that'll be pretty, I hear there's cool gems and crystals in that cave." Walking to the mines was relatively calm, mainly because the small Pokémon in the grass, which were called Rolycoly, didn't try to attack them at all. If anything, they were just curious at the people passing by, some rolling along beside the trainers before they got to the mines.
"This place is pretty," Harlan said, "We should probably avoid any Pokémon just in case and make it to the other side." As they went along the mine art rails, over a bridge, and watched some Drilbur, they came to a stop at the end of the second set of rails. They both looked up to see the boy in pink looking at them with a smug and impatient expression. "Well well well, it's the tool from Motostoke. Could we go past you so we can be on our way?" Harlan put their hands on their hips, pushing one out to the side.
The boy scoffed. "I'd advise against it," he sneered "any trainer with a Wishing Star is in a beating from me and my Pokémon!"
Harlan yawned as if bored, earning an amused expression from Hop.
"You." the white-headed boy said, "You're the Challenger endorsed by that champion, aren't you?"
They both nodded, not sure of which one he was talking to.
"What a joke. You are aware the Chairman is more important than the champion, right? I  was chosen by the chairman himself, so that makes me more amazing than you!"
"Is that right?" Harlan snapped. Now you've just pissed me off. "What's your name, kid?"
"Erm- Bede," he said, slightly taken aback by how their voice went a bit deeper in her annoyance and anger.
"Well, let's battle, shall we? It shouldn't be too hard, seeing as you were 'endorsed by the chairman.'"