[u][i]Motostoke, Galar region[/i][/u] 

"I told you exactly why I flew here on that taxi Corviknight taxi." 

[b]Kjolmar[/b], age 17 by now, waved his hands through his ash-brown undercut-styled hair and looked straight at Marnie with his green eyes. Behind him a [b]Klinklang[/b] hovered and a [b]Zigzagoon[/b] tried to playfully hit it with its paw. The Klinklang has been with him since he became a trainer in Unova (although a Klink back then), all those years ago. The Zigzagoon seemed to be his newest partner, given it looks young and it is a local species. 

"Let me explain it one more time, Marnie. First that Hop kid delayed me with his Wooloo problem while I was only near Wedgehurst to get my phone upgraded with a Rotom to begin with. If your fans from Team Yell hadn't blocked the road at Professor Magnolia's, Sonia would have upgraded my phone fast enough for me to leave before I even noticed Hop. Then again, I couldn't leave the poor kid without assisting, could I?" 

Kjolmar realized it sounded like he was complaining but he just tried to explain why a Corviknight taxi looked like the best way for him to reach Motostoke.

Marnie looked confused. 
"That still doesn't explain why you let me go by train by myself despite being in the middle of a conversation." 

Kjolmar let out a small sigh, barely noticable. 

"The opening ceremony of the Gym Challenge is tomorrow and I still have to buy some new clothes, meet up with my old friend from Sinnoh and check in at the Budew Drop Inn. Besides, you weren't alone on that train, there was this Bede guy and your Yell fans were not far away."

The opening event would show all gym leaders that wil be challenged and Kjolmar didn't want to miss it for the world. He was curious what they would look like, as he didn't think very high of the current champion Leon. Would this mean that the gym leaders were also pushovers? That couldn't be right. He decided to observe them well during the event, while still giving enough attention to his old friend.

Next to Kjolmar, the Klinklang started to grind his gears a little faster than it normally would.

"I know, Neo. You are exited to see Luna again. It will be so awesome to quest throuh Galar together with our old friends and maybe even some now." 

Kjolmar looked at the Yamask so it would have its attention. 
"You know, Tweener. I simply can't wait to introduce you to Aro and Luna. Neo and I go way back with them."

Kjolmar bade Marnie farewell and went to buy some new clothes before heading to the Budew Drop Inn. He noticed along the way that Bede was having an intimate conversation with Chairman Rose and Oleana but he shrugged it off for now. As he arrived at the inn, he noticed how Neo started to hover at a high speed towards a familiar face, while Yamask seemed to be a tad confused.

Kjolmar immediatly realized what Neo was up to.

"Aro!" he shouted while running towards his old friend.