Test story
In the very southernmost reaches of the Galar region lies the Slumbering Weald. The air in it was saturated with fog, tall trees choked the view of the sky so there was very little light, and everywhere there was grass, Pokemon were rustling around in it, waiting for some unsuspecting trainer to bump into one and test their luck against it...
At the very end of the Slumbering Weald, however, the air was as crystal clear as the water in the pond there. A small shrine stood in the middle of the ledge there as a monument to two legendary Pokemon and the legacy they carried throughout the years. There were places on the shrine where a sword and shield were to be held, but the weapons in question seemed to be missing...
The reason behind that was quite simple: the sword and shield were now under the ownership of two young trainers, as well as the legendary Pokemon themselves; more specifically, Zacian and Zamazenta. You see, they had assisted the young trainers in stopping an insane (though charismatic) tyrant from bringing about the end of Galar as we knew it. (i.e. trying to control the beastly Pokemon Eternatus in order to throw Galar back into the Darkest Day) Then, two crazy-haired wackos (who made ridiculous claims that they were decendents of the kings of Galar) attempted to take the legends and cause utter bedlam to Galar by unleashing giants across the region and overwhelming said legends with Galar particles until they went completely feral and made their whole agenda backfire. It wasn't until the trainers snapped the legends out of it that they agreed to accompany them on their travels from that day forward...
However, a year has passed since then, and with the previous chairman of Macro Cosmos continuing to serve his life sentence for his crimes, someone had to take his place. And with the return of the Galar region's Gym Challenge, the people gathered at Wyndon Stadium were about to find out who was filling in for Rose for all those months. The voices were overlapping each other in a chaotic cacophony until a feminine voice cut through them all through the loudspeaker, silencing them all and redirecting them towards the center of the stadium, where a caramel-skinned, platinum blond-haired woman dressed in a white business suit and white heels was standing, ready to address the audience.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the woman said after the crowd was hushed, "it is my humble pleasure to welcome you all once again to Wyndon Stadium. I am the new chairperson of your beloved Macro Cosmos, Elle, and it has been a delight to continue to run the innovations of this lovely region of Galar!"
The audience cheered in gratitude for Elle until she hushed them again with, "Thank you, thank you all. As you all know, the previous chairman of Macro Cosmos has plunged our beautiful region into a crisis of, shall we say, dynamic proportions, and it took the current Champion's intervention to get him to stop. Rest assured, though, none of you will have to worry about that from me, however!" She then cleared her throat and continued, "But that's not what I'm here to talk about today. Today, I am here to announce the return of our region's Gym Challenge!"
That threw the audience into another uproar of praise, then Elle continued, "That's right, everyone! It is once again that time of the year where trainers from across the region gather to test themselves against 8 Gym Leaders chosen to push them to their utmost limits, but this year the leaders they will face will be different. Regardless, as we know, upon defeating a Gym Leader, that trainer will recieve a badge as proof of victory. Trainers who recieve all 8 badges shall earn a spot at the Championship Tournament here in Wyndon Stadium, where they will battle and eliminate each other until one trainer remains to be challenged by our current Champion! So, for all you aspiring trainers out there, if you've got what it takes to make it back here, I won't say no."
After the laugh from the crowd that earned her, Elle wrapped up her speech with, "So, with all that in mind, look forward to seeing me again at Motostoke Stadium two weeks from now, along with the lucky 8 Gym Leaders who will be competing in the Gym Challenge at the annual Gym Challenge Ceremony! Now enjoy these messages from our sponsors, and good night!"
As Elle made her exit, the crowd applauded her speech while advertisements were playing on the Jumbotron screen. But hiding up in the nosebleed section of the stadium, a lone figure in a full-body Gym Challenger outfit (including tracksuit, cap, sunglasses and all) was standing up and preparing to walk down to the exit. He removed his cap and sunglasses to reveal that he was an anthropomorphic wolf with half of his head colored cyan and the other half magenta. "Oh, I plan to enter the Gym Challenge myself," the wolf said, "and when I defeat the Gym Leaders, Trainers, and ultimately, the Champion... I shall finally restore balance to Galar so that no one will ever bring about the Darkest Day ever again!" He then looked up at the sky and added wistfully, "Then we shall finally know true peace... and we'll be together once again..."
