My Name is Marcus: Dark Times

X. Infestation - Yell

The locker room was silent and empty, the air stagnant as the young gym leader sat on a bench, the unforgiving fluorescence of the overhead lights casting itself down upon her. She sat trembling, her arms wrapped around her legs as she buried her face into her knees and wept. Everything she had been working towards, everything she had been fighting for; it all seemed to be falling apart around her as she watched, helpless to stop any of it. Intrusive thoughts began to pervade the periphery of her mind like a swarming infestation. Amid the miasma, five words seemed to repeat like rapid fire, and could be heard like a siren over the storm:

You're letting them all down.

The people of Spikemuth - her friends, her peers, her brother, all of her downtrodden neighbors that were looking to her to bring them hope:

You're letting them all down.

Her Pokemon - the ones who trusted her with their lives, the ones who'd fight alongside her and heed her every word without any hesitation, the ones whose loyalty was unquestioned even through the thickest of the thick:

You're letting them all down.

There was a serious contemplation in her mind to throw the match. Maybe I should just surrender, she thought. Least then, my team won't have to suffer... Least then, I won't keep embarassin' everyone from Spikemuth...

Marnie was in the insurmountable position of having to act as the shining example of her hometown in a battle with the odds stacked against her. However, in her city's time of need, when she needed to be the proud pillar of strength that her people needed, she had never felt more powerless and uncertain.

. . .

"Yeah, I reckon you're probably a medium", Piers concluded as he judged the wingspan of Marcus's arms. "Go get another jacket from the bus", he said to one of the Yell members.

The Yell grunt nodded and broke into a sprint for the parking lot, leaving Piers, Marcus, and Hop alone in a men's bathroom on the fifth floor of the stadium.

"You brought your mic today, right Piers?", Marcus asked.

Piers raised a brow. "Who do ya think yer talkin' to?" He let forth a slight grin. "I never come unprepared for a gig."

"I dunno about this, Mate", Hop interjected, "couldn't you get in a lot of trouble for this? Y'know, showing any signs of public endorsement and all?"

"Leon got away with endorsing you, and you're his brother", Marcus replied. "If that act of nepotism didn't end his career, I think I'll be fine."

"That was different", Hop persisted. "The League wasn't actively trying to work against Lee. From what you've told me, these guys have been against you every step of the way."

Marcus nodded. "Then call this a precaution from Galar's champion and resident "Master of Disguise'''', he jested. "I've been getting pretty good at learning how to dodge crowds that are looking for me, and I can pretty much guarantee that nobody would ever expect this sort of thing from me."

Hop chuckled. "You're right about that, I certainly never would've guessed."

Marcus stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. "Besides", he added, "I've actually been kinda curious... what does it feel like to walk in the shoes of Team Yell?"

Marcus thought back to the day that he, Hop, and Marnie battled all across Wyndon in search of Leon. He thought about how Marnie led Team Yell in rooting him on as he battled against the cronies of Macro Cosmos, and how it made him feel. Dealing with a corporation the size of Macro Cosmos, for righteous reasons or not, was an intimidating venture for Marcus, and left him feeling woefully out of his element. However, he was able to find the strength and confidence to press onward through Marnie's words of reassurance and affirmation. It was comforting to know that she stood by his side.