My Name is Marcus: Umbra

I. Wedgehurst

A new champion has risen in the distant region of Galar - a young man from Postwick with the potential to change the world. His name is Marcus, and these are his stories.

"So this is Wedgehurst," Marnie remarked as she stepped outside of the train station and into the late-afternoon sun. "It's... a lot smaller than I'd expected."

"Well what were you expecting from a town named Wedgehurst, a big city with a royal palace?", Piers interjected sarcastically in a low un-emotive voice as he followed closely behind Marnie, his hands clasped together behind his head.

"Ah, shut it", she replied sharply, "you know that ain't it, just... I dunno, it just feels a little humble for two of Galar's champions to have come from, that's all."

"Pe, peko, pe!", Morpeko chimed with excitement as she took in the new sights from Marnie's shoulder. She was just happy to be here.

The town square was quiet, with only the gentle sounds of the local commerce and the occasional breeze to break the silence. Small flocks of Wooloo could be seen among the farmland in the distance. Above them flew a small group of Butterfree, circling around the Wooloo as if performing a dance for them using the soft winds as a guide for their rhythm.

"If you're wanting to be specific, they're technically from Postwick, but, I mean, that's more like a rural suburb than a town", Piers added.

"Postwick?", Marnie questioned. "I dunno if I've even heard of that..." A look of subtle frustration dotted her expression as she let out an annoyed sigh. "You didn't make us get off at the wrong station, did you?"

"Nah, it ain't like that", Piers reassured her, pointing a finger forward as they walked. "Postwick is that group of scattered houses and farmland across the bridge there, see?"

"Farmland...?", Marnie repeated as she looked in the direction her elder brother pointed. Her eyes widened suddenly as she came to a genuinely surprising revelation. "Hold on a sec, you mean to tell me that both Galar's previous and current champions were raised as farm boys!?"

Piers smirked, his eyes remaining only half-open, but his brow now raised. "Mmm-hmm, probably."

Marnie couldn't help but picture it in her head: Leon and Marcus with plaid shirts, denim overalls, and straw hats, working in the fields growing berries and herding Wooloo. This image, juxtaposed with how the two have long presented themselves - as charismatic and fiercely determined Pokemon trainers - it was genuinely funny to her. So much so that she couldn't help but giggle softly as she thought about it.

"Heh, picturing Leon with a straw hat?", Piers inquired.

Marnie's face flushed. "W-wha-? How'd ya know!?", she replied, confused and somewhat embarrassed.

Piers chuckled. "Been there, done that, kid."

Farm-hand jokes aside, Marnie couldn't help but appreciate the beauty of this place. She had spent so much of her life in the city that, in a sense, it was all she was really used to seeing and appreciating. She was used to walking along walkways of concrete and mortar. She was used to breathing air that was stiff and musty. She was used to being surrounded by towers of glass and ivory illuminated by bold neon lights and signs. Wedgehurst and Postwick were not defined by any such things. The roads were made of cobblestone and the sidewalks were replaced with dirt paths. The air was clean and fresh, unlike anything she'd ever experienced anywhere else in Galar. There were no ivory towers that loomed above the world in envy of the heavens. Above them was only the sky, bright and blue as glimmering sapphire and broad and majestic as an ocean.

With only the stars lighting the way at night, Marnie thought to herself as she gazed upward. Must be pretty romantic...

"Peko! Morpeko!", Morpeko squeaked as she pointed her hand to her open mouth, gesturing to be fed. Marnie reached into her coat pocket and pulled a handful of seeds, giving them to the small passenger perched on her shoulder. Morpeko smiled in delight as she quickly ate all the seeds from Marnie's palm.

"So how much longer til' we're there?", Marnie asked.

"I mean, we'll be in Postwick soon as we finish crossing the bridge", Piers replied with a somewhat absent tone.

"No, I mean how far out are we from the potluck?", Marnie questioned.

"Wha-? Oh, I dunno", Piers shrugged bluntly, sounding his usual mixture of uninterested and unconcerned.

Marnie steaded her feet. "Whaddya mean ya don't know?", she growled.

"What, this is my first time out here, too, I don't exactly know my way around here", Piers rebuffed, almost sounding defensive. "Just relax, alright?", he assured in an exhausted tone. "Not many houses in Postwick. Big open space means we won't be gettin' lost very easily. I figure we just look for the place with the bonfire and the smell of food, shouldn't be too hard, right?"

Marnie let out an annoyed groan. "Ya know, it wouldn't hurt for you to ask for some more specifics when we get invited to stuff", she scolded, irritated. "You know, like the address?"

Piers let out a sharp exhale through pursed lips and closed teeth as he kept walking forward. He was already uncomfortable enough as it was between this unfamiliar place and all the locals staring at him as he walked, now his baby sister was nagging at him. He didn't argue with her logic, though. After all, she might've had a point.

A party to celebrate the new champion. It certainly was something to celebrate, no matter who you were. But when the new champion also happens to be one of your friends, it makes it all a little more exciting. Nobody had really gotten the opportunity to celebrate Marcus's new title with him in the weeks following his officiation. There were plans for a party in the works, but they all fell through when the two Noble brothers launched their attempted smear campaign against Zacian and Zamazenta, nearly throwing Galar into chaos for the second time in less than a month. As a result, Marcus had no time to celebrate; he had to assume his role as the new champion almost immediately. Even in the days following, he really hadn't had the opportunity to make his rounds with any of his friends due to the fact that he was helping the cities affected by the attacks in their clean-up efforts.

In short: Marnie hadn't seen Marcus since the end of the championship. She didn't really have the chance to congratulate him on his victory against Leon, or even talk with him about her desire for a rematch, among other things. But things finally seemed to be settling down a little, and now they had a chance to sit down and talk, not as rivals preparing to square off in the match of their lives, or as teens trying to come into their own as they battle for justice against a maniacal corporate spokesperson, but just as friends. Marnie would be lying to herself if she didn't think that she was at least a little excited about it.