Chapter 37: An Unexpected Return

"Nothing beats the thrill of clashing Dynamax moves! The clash between darkness and flames ended with darkness emerging victorious. Marnie is truly unbeatable!" Aya exclaimed, visibly excited.

On the train back to Spikemuth, the three members of Team Yell were eagerly discussing the details of Marnie's battle against Kabu, while Summer naturally sat beside them.

"You make us sound like villains," Tim said, waving his hand and adjusting his imaginary glasses. "I think Marnie's move, using Scraggy's Shed Skin ability to counter Kabu's Will-O-Wisp, was the coolest."

"Don't forget! Kabu worked so hard to create an opportunity to use Will-O-Wisp, only to have it instantly cured by Marnie's Scraggy. Even the toughest fighter would frown at that!" Tim laughed heartily, as if he had made the move himself.

"No, no, you know what?" Nayo said mysteriously. "During Marnie's Dynamax transformation, she mouthed something."

"What was it?!" The two slapped the table and stood up, full of interest.

"She said, 'With everyone cheering for me, I won't lose!'"

"Ah~ our cheers really made a difference!" Aya was moved to tears, almost choked with emotion.

"Without a doubt, that was the best moment." Tim's expression softened with emotion.

"Right, right, Summer, don't you think so too?" Nayo asked Summer.

"Ah, yes, absolutely." Summer was momentarily stunned, still surprised that Nayo could read lips.

"Looks like you have a different answer. Don't keep it to yourself, share it with us. Aren't we friends?" Aya patted Summer's shoulder, clearly misunderstanding his hesitation.

"Well..." Summer recalled Marnie's battle and suddenly remembered her smile at sunset.

"What's with that look? Tell us, you must have captured a beautiful moment." Nayo said, intrigued.

Boom! Suddenly, a loud explosion rang out. The four of them turned sharply; the sound came from the car behind them.

"I'll go check. Remember to protect your heads." Summer stood up, releasing Thwackey, and ran toward the source of the explosion.

"We're coming too!"

The three followed Summer, just as an announcement came over the train's loudspeakers:

"Attention, passengers, please remain calm. The train has made an emergency stop due to unforeseen circumstances. For your safety, please do not approach Carriage 7. Repeat, do not approach Carriage 7."

In Carriage 7, a burly man was threatening an elderly gentleman in a suit.

"Where is it? If you don't tell me, that'll be your fate." The burly man growled.

The air smelled of burnt debris. The man glanced at the elderly gentleman's previous seat, where a Growlithe lay motionless. The once pristine seat was now charred and in ruins, still smoldering.

"What are you looking at? Get lost! I'm not in the mood to deal with you!" The man shouted, snapping the scared passengers back to their senses. They hurriedly fled to the adjacent carriages.

No one dared to resist because of the Electivire standing beside the man, emanating a terrifying aura. The recent explosion was a result of a clash between it and Growlithe.

"Hmph, stubborn old man. Electivire."

"Buzz!"

Electivire's two tails sparked dangerously as it slowly approached the old gentleman. Under the threat of death, the old man finally spoke:

"I'll tell you, the item, the item is... save me!"

He shouted desperately, having spotted Summer approaching from the front carriage.

In Galar, battling on trains was prohibited due to the risk of damage or derailment. To prevent such incidents, each train had a plainclothes police officer onboard to deter fights between trainers.

However, such incidents were rare in Galar. No one was foolish enough to risk their life, and battling on trains was a serious violation of League laws, with severe penalties.

In another region, Unova, there were trains designed for battles, reinforced with technology to withstand even moves like Earthquake. Galar's passenger trains couldn't compare.

Apparently, the old gentleman mistook Summer for a plainclothes officer, hence his loud call for help.

"Hmph, so quick... Haha, old fool, are your eyes failing you? Why would a plainclothes officer have a Thwackey? This guy's just a meddlesome idiot."

The man laughed loudly, causing the old gentleman to break into a cold sweat, realizing Summer's Thwackey wasn't standard issue. Damn, now he was in big trouble.

Summer ignored the man's taunts, quickly assessing the situation: burning flames, two familiar-looking individuals... internal conflict? He needed to resolve this quickly to prevent the fire from spreading to other carriages.

"Milotic!"

The elegant Milotic coiled gracefully on the floor. Summer had brought it to prepare for emergencies, and now it was needed.

"Hey, that's a strong Pokémon. But using a Water-type against Electivire is stupid. Didn't you go to school?" The man's expression changed, and he yelled, launching a sneak attack. "Thunder Punch! You're an idiot to listen to me in this situation!"

"Ice Beam."

The temperature in the narrow carriage plummeted. Electivire's tails coiled around its fist, unleashing electricity. It intended to strike fiercely, but its body slowed as Milotic's chilling beam hit its chest, freezing it in place.

Staring at the frozen Electivire, the man realized he was the fool. Damn it, the Thwackey was a decoy! The sneaky cop had tricked him!

"Bastard!"

The burly man grabbed the briefcase the old gentleman was holding, then threw the old man toward Summer and ran to the next carriage.

"Thwackey, take care of it."

Ow! The man's calf was hit by a flying stick, causing him to stumble and fall, looking nothing like his earlier arrogance.

"So cold!"

"So strong!"

"So beautiful!"

The battle ended swiftly. Team Yell peeked out from behind Summer, looking like curious onlookers, oblivious to the earlier chaos, as half the carriage was now covered in frost.

The actual plainclothes officer finally arrived, internally panicking. How could anyone battle in a carriage? He shouldn't have slacked off. Then he saw Summer in Carriage 7.

The fallen thug, the old gentleman on his back, the frozen Electivire, and Summer standing behind Milotic, exhaling cold air, looking stern. It couldn't be anyone else.

The officer flashed his badge and shouted, "Police! Cease resistance; you've severely violated League law!"

Do they think I'm the criminal? Summer thought, exasperated.

"It started with an explosion. I'm just a passenger who came to stop them. Officer, were you asleep?"

"Uh, well..." Unable to deny it, the officer had heard the explosion while dozing off. "Cough, so who's the culprit?"

Summer pointed to the two on the floor, saying calmly, "Who else? Also, they seemed to be fighting over something. You should investigate."

(End of Chapter)