Previously on Galarian Days...

Zander returns to the Wild Area after a sendoff from the first three Gym Leaders, only to come across three more Dynamiasmas, one of which was terrorizing a Snorlax that got rescued and added to Zander's team...

-

Zander approached the gates of Hammerlocke at Hammerlocke Hills, and the league staff member there said, "Ah, a Gym Challenger. Allow me to check the badges you have so far."

"Check 'em and weep, sir," Zander said as he flashed his Challenge Band.

The staff member called off the badges one by one. "The Bug Badge from Turffield! The Poison Badge from Hulbury! And the Electric Badge from Motostoke!" He then grinned and said, "Well, everything seems to be in order! Now that you have the badges needed to pass, I shall allow you to do so! Good luck in your future endeavors!" then stood to one side to allow Zander to enter the dragon's maw.

Welcome to a magical journey through my mouth, Zander playfully thought to himself as he walked up the stairs and entered Hammerlocke... and who else did he see at the entrance to the gigantic, castle-like stadium but casual Elle and Turner! "Oh, fancy meeting you two here!" he said surprised.

"Ah, Zander!" Elle said as she saw the two-tone wolf. "What a pleasant and unexpected surprise! I was just coming here to perform some inspection, is all."

"Inspection?" Zander asked, tilting his head. "For what, exactly?"

"Nothing that need concern you," Turner dismisssed.

"Now, now, Turner, there's no need to be rude," Elle chided. "I think it's time we let Zander in on something."

"...Yes, miss Elle," Turner relented.

"Come with us, Zander," Elle said. "I want to show you something."

Zander followed Elle and Turner into the stadium, where other than the usual things expected to be found, there was a Macro Cosmos employee standing guard over a glass door on the right wall.

"Do you see that glass door under heavy guard?" Elle asked Zander. "That door leads down to the Power Plant, the source of energy for all of Galar. Turner, my tablet, please."

"Right away, miss Elle," Turner said producing a tablet computer and handing it to Elle.

After turning it on and entering the password, Elle turned the tablet towards Zander. It showed a diagram of the Power Plant (along with a black rectangle that said "Redacted for reasons" in white Helvetica letters) showing how the operation worked. "As you can see, the way that the Power Plant works is that it takes Dynamax energy and converts it into electricity to be distributed throughout the Galar region. I should know, because... I designed it."

"You did?" Zander asked in amazement.

"Yes," Elle said. "You see, before I became the new chairperson of Macro Cosmos-"

"Yes, Rose was the chairman until he caused the Darkest Day," Zander said as the amazement passed. "With all due respect, tell me something Galar doesn't know."

Elle continued, "And I was one of the researchers he hired to look into Dynamax power and how he could utilize it to benefit the region. And let me tell you, that was some heavy mess..."

-

(Flashback)

Elle was in a dark room, wearing a lab coat and typing away at a computer; the only source of light that was on. The screen displayed various equations, measurements and diagrams, all of which were in reddish-pink.

"Now, let's see here..." she said as she moved some windows around. "Now these Wishing Stars contain vast amounts of energy that Trainers can use to turn their Pokemon into giants, but what else could they be used for..."

Suddenly, a quick, buzzing tone was heard, and Elle looked down at her phone next to the keyboard to find that her phone was at 10%, frustrating her. "Grr! My stupid phone always chugs battery life too hard, and it always manages to burn out at the worst possible time!" She then sighed as she looked at a Wishing Star in a glass dome and said, "Too bad phones can't run on these things, otherwise they'd last a lot longer-" but then she got an idea. "Or can they?"

Elle pulled up a fresh window and started designing some blueprints for a machine right when a door opened up behind her. "Elle Sweetgum?" a woman's voice asked.

Elle turned around to find Oleana standing in the doorway, with her Garbodor close by. "Oh, Oleana!" Elle said. "Perfect timing! I was just on the verge of designing something that will revolutionize the way Dynamax power can be used!"

"Is that so?" Oleana asked.

"Dorr?" Garbodor egged on, blowing some of its foul fumes around.

Elle covered her nose and said, "You see, I believe that Wishing Stars can be used for more than just making Pokemon giants; they can also be used as an energy source!"

"Interesting," Oleana mused. "And how will this benefit the Galar region, which is what the chairman employed your services for?"

"Well, I was putting together the blueprints for a device that can convert Dynamax power into energy," Elle explained, "and once several of these are built, they can provide enough power for all of Galar! I just have to find the best location for them to be placed..." She then pulled up a map of the region and frantically searched, "and... Bingo! We can put them somewhere in the center of Galar, smack-dab in Hammerlocke! ...maybe."

Oleana looked the plans over, then her eyebrows were slightly raised as she said, "That sounds like a good idea. Thank you, Elle. I will be sure to report this to the chairman at once. Come, Garbodor."

"Garbo," the trash heap Pokemon said as it followed Oleana, taking its odor with it. As soon as the door was closed and the air cleared, Elle gasped for breath and said, "Whew! I'm glad that woman is out of the room, because I can't tolerate her stinky trash!"

"What was that, Elle Sweetgum?" Oleana asked as she popped her head back in the room.

"I-I said, ah," Elle said as she scrambled for a correction to her comment, "I said I've got a few good hours in me from my coffee, so I better get this done before I crash!"

"Good," Oleana said. "Remember, the chairman expects results."

-

(End of flashback)

"So, long story short, I had to get my phone replaced, and Rose caught wind of my turbo-charged charging station, but I had no idea he would use it for something so nefarious," Elle wrapped up before tacking on, "Oh, and I don't like stinky smells."

Zander let the information wash over him before saying, "Whoa. So... does it still work?"

"It does," Turner said, taking over the conversation for Elle, "but miss Elle has ordered that the security be tightened so that history does not repeat itself. So, as the concierge of Macro Cosmos who keeps close tabs on the security, I can assure you that the damage to the Power Plant has long since been repaired."

"And I deeply appreciate your services, Turner," Elle said. "Not just as my assistant, but as the overseer of security."

"You flatter me, miss Elle," Turner said with a warm smile.

"But listen to me droning on about my past!" Elle said, her tone shifting. "The fact that you're in Hammerlocke at all means your Gym Challenge must be going swimmingly!"

"Actually, it is!" Zander said.

"Well, then," Elle said, "why don't I have Turner escort you down to the Hammerlocke vault before you head down to the next Gym? It's one of Galar's most popular hotspots, and it gives their visitors a little glimpse of where Dynamax power comes from."

"I just might have to take you up on that offer!" Zander said with his tail wagging at the thought of what lied ahead.

"Very well, miss Elle," Turner said. "This way, please, Zander." And with that, Zander and Turner exited the large castle and walked down the path until they came up to the vault. There, a brunette woman in a Steel Uniform-like suit of armor was at the entrance, keeping guard. Zander recognized her as the Ironclad Knight and Galar's new rising star: the Steel-type Gym Leader, Lady Cona.

"Who goes there, friend or foe?" Cona said when she took notice of the man and wolf approaching.

"At ease, Lady Cona," Turner assured. "I am only acting under miss Elle's orders to escort Challenger Zander to visit the vault."

"I see," Cona said. "So, he has come to witness the telling of Galar's beginning as a kingdom?"

"I have," Zander confirmed.

"Very well," Cona said. "Then I shall give you special permission to enter the vault." With that, Cona opened the door and motioned for Zander to come inside, which he did while Turner left to regroup with Elle.

As soon as they were both inside, Cona said to Zander, "First, a small token of formality," and handed him a League Card of hers. It showed an image of her ready to battle, with the Steel-type Gym logo in the corner, and her uniform number, 901, in a pattern of metal plating. On the other side read, "Cona was raised by a family of people who served as knights in the Kalos region. When she later relocated to Galar, she brought her mannerisms with her, and it was that very valor that allowed her to become the Steel-type Gym Leader of Galar in her adolesence, running by a code of honor, perseverence, and chivalry."

"Now, this way, please," Cona said as she led Zander up the stairs and out the door to more stairs and another door. "Inside this room is Hammerlocke's most sacred treasure: the story of the beginning of the Galar region. I am giving you permission to enter, but you must promise not to defile this story in any way."

"You have my word, Lady Cona," Zander said, then added in his head, From one knight to another.

"Then enter the vault, Challenger Zander, and prepare thyself for the origin!" Cona declared, opening the door to the vault and letting Zander inside. There, he saw four tapestries that showed different images.

First, two youths were sitting on a hill and saw a wisp of red flying through the sky; a Wishing Star.

Next, the two youths were shocked at the sight of the sky turning red; the start of the Darkest Day.

Then, a sword and shield appeared before the two youths and fought off the red pouring from the sky, ending the Darkest Day... for now.

Lastly, the two youths were crowned and became the kings of Galar, ready to begin their new kingdom together.

"So... this is how it all began," Zander said in awe. He then looked behind him and saw that Cona wasn't there, so he exited the vault and made his way back to the desk room, where he found her at the door.

"So, Challenger Zander, did you enjoy the telling of the origin of Galar?" Cona asked.

"I have," Zander said, "and I can assure you that everything in the vault remains as untouched as before... apart from the floor I stood on."

"Magnificent," Cona said with a smile. "My trust has been well-placed, then. But now, your journey to complete the Gym Challenge must continue to Stow-on-Side to earn your next badge, and once you have collected 7 badges, you shall have permission to face me. So go, and do not falter from your quest!"

Zander then placed his clenched fist onto his chest, and Cona responded with the same gesture. Once their silent dismissal was complete, Zander left the Hammerlicke vault, then Hammerlocke itself...

-

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