Chapter Ten: The Real Truth About Gloria

Gloria rubbed her eyes in confusion. She couldn't remember what had happened, only that some Dodrios were coming at her…

"Mewwwww…" a voice behind her purred softly.

She turned around. Nothing was behind her, save Bulbasaur, Pikachu and Raichu. She scratched the back of her neck, puzzled. She felt as if someone was guarding her, but had just now went off. She stood up. She knew sooner or later she would need to reveal her secret… But what if they left her? What would she do then? Or if they told…?

"Mmmm…" Julie sat up. "What happened?"

"I-I don't know." Gloria replied unsure if now was the right time. Something deep inside her told her that it was her fault they were in a mess like this.

"Where'd those Dodrios go?" Joshua asked picking up Squirtle. He looked about in a hurry.

"I don't know…" Gloria said lowering her head. "And I don't want to find out…

"I…I…I have something to admit to you three. I've kept this from you until now, but…" She stood straight and braced herself. "I'm… not really human. I'm a Pokémon…"

"Huh?!?" Michael said. "A Pokémon?!?!"

"That's bogus! Quit pulling our legs, Gloria!" This from Julie.

"Use your Pokédex on me, Joshua." Gloria said lowering her head.

"Wha-? But I-" Joshua started.

"Just do it and get this over with!" Gloria said guiltily, her voice serious. She turned away from them at that, face buried in her hands.

Joshua did as he was told. On his Pokédex, an extremely bizarre-looking, yet, in its own way, beautiful bird was shown.

"Illicuno," the Pokédex said, "a new species of Pokémon created in a freak laboratory accident. It uses its long tail as a paddle while swimming and as a rudder when flying. When not swimming or flying, it keeps its tail coiled like a watch spring." It hummed for a moment then beeped. "Experience scan indicates this Illicuno's level is sixteen."

Joshua looked over where Gloria stood, eyes agape in shock. He no longer saw the young lady he knew for so long, but an Illicuno. It had an extremely long tail (coiled into a circular shape right now), and large, powerful wings. Its beak was long and pointed, colored an orange-red and there was a long crest of feathers on its head, not unlike a sky-blue version of a Pigeot's. Its eyes glowed an odd fiery color. Its feathers were a warm, glowing blue color. Its talons were long and sharp looking, colored the same as its beak. Joshua looked at his Pokédex again. It said the Illicuno was 36' 4" tall, 54' 9" if you include the tail, with a wingspan of 39' 7" and weighing a lightweight (for it's size) 270 pounds.

"Whoa." Michael said, "Big bird."

In a flash of bright light, the Illicuno disappeared, replaced by Gloria again.

"I had happened to name the Pokémon that I had created three years ago, Illicuno." She said scuffing her feet and looking down timidly. "Before I tell you about that I must tell you about this.

"I, for some reason, was captured by Team Rocket. I guess they found out about how talented I am with science and technology, because they forced me to create things for them!" She shook her head and begun to cry a little. "Not just machines, but Pokémon too. It was just plain terrible, injecting bits of this and bits of that into all those poor Pokémon..." She paused for some time, trying to keep herself from crying further.

"One day, I created a specimen that actually survived. I named it Illicuno, because it looked similar to Articuno.

"I was just an ordinary kid…well, I guess as ordinary as I could have been at the time, until Team Rocket decided to try to clone my new Pokémon. Little did I know that the machine was glitchy and my 'assistant' didn't tell me!" She half-hissed half-chirped in anger, the noise echoing her fury in a frightening way. "…I was trying to clone my first Illicuno, when the machine went out of control and merged my body with the cloned Illicuno's! I managed to change myself to normal, but not totally. Now I am a two-in-one creature. After that, I flew away, vowing never to return. I happened to take Bulbasaur with me, my next 'victim'.

"I am now looking for the lab, so I can seek revenge, but I need some help fighting past the guards. Last time I told someone this, they ran away from me and tried to kill me, but think I can trust you. I…" She turned and started to leave in Illicuno form, a terrible pain in her flame-colored eyes.

"Wait!" Michael said. "Where are you going?"

"Away." Gloria replied, her human voice sounding strangely chirpy coming from her bird-like body. "Who needs a friend like me who has deceived you and lied all this time! Besides…well just look at me! I'm a freak! A monster! I'm a…a…" She burst into a paean of sobs and lowered her head in shame.

"We don't care if you were really an alien from outer space," Julie said trying to grab one of Gloria's wings, but only managing a tail feather, "we still care about you, right?"

"Right!" Joshua and Michael said together.

"R…really?" Gloria said, turning her head, a small gleam of hope in her sad, fiery eyes. This would be the first time anybody had offered to protect this monstrosity she knew was now herself.

"Really." Michael said, "In fact, I'm glad you told me. Don't worry; we'll keep this quiet, okay? I'll make sure of it."

"Okay, I guess that'll be okay with me. I was going to say 'keep this quiet' but you already answered to that. Now then," she sat down, still in Illicuno form, spreading her enormous wings, the distress and guilt still in her flame-colored eyes, "hop on. We still can get to Pewter City before dark if we hurry."

Joshua looked at Gloria puzzled then nodded his head. "There's something I need to ask you."

"What's that?" Gloria asked turning her bird-like head again.

"Do you understand Pokémon language?"

"Yes I do. Why do you ask?" Gloria said cocking her head in such a way; Julie, Michael and Joshua had to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Gloria asked confused.

"I'm sorry. It was just the way you cocked your head…" Michael said, and then laughed again.

"Oh, you mean this?" Gloria cocked her head again. This time, Gloria turned her neck in such a way her entire head was upside-down! Julie, Michael and Joshua fell into fits of laughter. Gloria laughed too and then sat patiently. Finally after, about five minutes of laughter, they climbed on her back. Then she let Bulbasaur, Raichu, Charmander, Squirtle, Eevee and Pikachu climb on her back too (Farfetch'd wanted to fly by herself), and flew off towards Pewter City.

Meanwhile from a bush not too far away…

"Oh, man! Did…didjya' see that?!?" Daniel said his binoculars falling out of his hand. "She…transformed or something into that….that…bird-thingy!!!"

"Yes," Janett said as an evil smile crept across her face. "and I've got the perfect plan to get her. It's flawless! Here's what we do…"

It was dusk when Gloria landed at the Pewter City Pokémon Center. She let everyone off, then transformed into a human again.

"That flying made me tired." She yawned. "I'm going to bed. Coming?" With that, she walked into the Pokécenter Julie, Michael and Joshua not too far behind.