My Name is Marcus: Dark Times

XV. Rematch

As the young champion and his Cinderace found themselves nearing the end of the east-bound tunnel to Route 07, the bright light out the afternoon sun beckoned them forward.

"Unbelievable", Marcus said to Cinderace as he scrolled through his phone. "More than four weeks later, and Raihan's video of us walking is still trending... the wonders of the internet, am I right?"

Cinderace shrugged, not knowing how to answer otherwise, as he continued to hack a pebble into the air with his feet as he walked.

As the duo exited the tunnel into the outside air, the rhythmic sounds of trucks backing into reverse could be heard, positioning themselves for an adequate ease off of the workload for the many jobs the drivers and their crews had ahead of them.

"Wow", Marcus remarked quietly, "Aster's really not wasting any time with this. It's only been three days since the match, and the construction team is already here."

Cinderace nodded, equally impressed.

Then again, Marcus thought to himself, this is probably the same team he mentioned he'd hired a month ago... they've probably been gnawing at the bit just to get started on something.

The partly-cloudy skies that spanned the horizon over the eastern Galar region today were an unusual sight, but a most-welcome departure from the thick overcast that typically hung high in the air, blocking out the light like a thick curtain over a window. Today, the white-gold glow of the afternoon pervaded across the land, gracing the earth below with the gift of its gentle warmth - a rather dramatic juxtaposition to the commotion on the ground, where trucks, bulldozers, cranes, and other construction vehicles stationed themselves around the vicinity of Spikemuth, unloading supplies and equipment in preparation for the anticipated work ahead. While it wasn't necessarily the most picturesque sight to behold, it was an exciting one - the skies were bright over Spikemuth as the city entered a new day, one that promised change and progress for the betterment of everyone. The future was looking bright.

Marcus was back in his normal designer clothes with a gray knit-cap on his head - with the usual cold draft coming down from the north, it was serving more than just as a means to stay incognito among the public.

The main entrance to the city was abuzz with activity, with Pokemon such as Machamp and Gurdurr moving and assembling hardware, construction workers in hard-hats and bright yellow vests briefing one another on the construction plans, and a Corviknight occasionally taking flight to help airlift pieces of scaffolding into place.

"Hey, kid", a worker called out to Marcus as the young champion approached the main entrance of the city. "You live here?"

Marcus halted, startled by the interaction he was suddenly having to take part in. "Uh, n-no, sir."

"Well, you're gonna have to stay clear then", the worker stated. "The work zone up ahead is pretty precarious, so we're limiting thru-traffic to residents only."

"Oh, a-alright", Marcus replied timidly as he began to turn around. Guess I'll have to come back another time.

"Oi, Marcus!", a familiar voice called out behind him.

Marcus quickly turned around towards the source of the sound.

"Piers?"

Piers made his way out to Marcus, his hands in his pockets as he slouched forward. "Well, here's a shocker... figured we'd be seein' you 'round here eventually, but not this soon."

Marcus chuckled awkwardly. "Yeah... I, uh, I was in the area and had some spare time, so I thought-"

Their conversation was interrupted by the grinding of saws against wood and jackhammers against concrete as the construction team commenced their diligent labor.