After the defeat of the unbeatable Galarian Champion, Leon, and the imprisonment of Chairman Rose—both at the hands of Gloria—Galar entered a new era of change. Gloria was crowned as the new Champion, and the Battle Tower was established with Leon at the helm. Gym Leaders Opal and Piers stepped down, passing their roles to their successors, Bede and Marnie, who took up the mantles of Fairy- and Dark-type Gym Leaders, respectively.
Though Marnie had fallen short of claiming the Champion’s title, she had succeeded in something just as meaningful—bringing recognition to her hometown of Spikemuth. Once dismissed as the only Gym city without a Power Spot for Dynamaxing, Spikemuth was no longer seen as an afterthought. With Marnie leading as its new Gym Leader, the town had found a beacon of hope. She may not have been the Champion, but she was a Trainer who could rival and stand toe-to-toe with Gloria, proving that Spikemuth had a true contender among Galar’s strongest.
With Spikemuth poised to ride the currents of success under its new guiding star, there was a need to redefine how its Gym operated. Piers’s laid-back approach and grunge concerts had made him one of the most down-to-earth and rawest Gym Leaders in Galar. However, under Marnie’s leadership, Spikemuth needed to establish itself as a place of true competition—one where Pokémon battles could achieve the same level of intensity and prestige as other Gyms, even without Dynamaxing.
With all of this in mind, Marnie issued an open invitation to any resident of Spikemuth to challenge her for a spot in her Gym. A fierce competition was held, pitting hopeful Trainers against her in one-on-one battles to determine the strongest contenders. This wasn’t just about assembling a Gym—it was a statement. Marnie wanted to prove that she wasn’t a fluke, but the genuine article. As expected, Team Yell was ecstatic to take part—after all, anything involving Marnie was their top priority. But for the first time in years, all of Spikemuth was in an uproar, eager to fight for the chance to stand alongside their new Gym Leader.
The day of the Gym tryouts was underway, and Marnie wasted no time proving why she was Piers’s rightful successor. Match after match, challenger after challenger—yet none came close to pushing her Pokémon to their limits. While she hadn’t expected to lose, she had at least hoped for a challenge.
Failure to defeat Marnie was understandable. She was Galar’s newest Gym Leader, a Trainer who had nearly claimed the Champion’s title. But as the battles continued, a troubling reality settled in: no one in Spikemuth was even making her break a sweat.
Marnie had set out to build a Gym filled with the strongest Trainers Spikemuth had to offer. Yet with each match, it became clear that her definition of “the best” might be too high for the town to meet. If this was Spikemuth’s strongest, then maybe—just maybe—she had more work to do than she thought.
Marnie glanced at the list for the next candidate, jij, and took a deep breath before stepping forward. She adjusted her stance, keeping her expression cool and composed as she prepared to lay out the rules—again. Maintaining professionalism as a Gym Leader was important, but after repeating the same spiel so many times, it was starting to wear on her. Still, she figured this was good training for when she’d have to start accepting challengers at her Gym on the regular.
She crossed her arms and called out, her voice steady but firm.
"Oi, jij! You know the rules—one-on-one, anything goes. You're fightin' for a spot as one of Spikemuth’s strongest, so give it everything you’ve got. Let’s get this goin'! My partner and I will show you how we do things 'round here!"
