Glad you all seem to be enjoying this start to the second leg of the journey. Not much to say before then but time for Chapter 2!
Chapter 2
A Trip
Somehow, the day before the match was more stressful for Gloria.
From the very moment she had awoken that morning, it felt like she was stuck in limbo. She couldn't battle Kabu until the next day, but she was already trained out to the point that Serena had suggested she take a break the night before. That was something she was too antsy to do, a feeling that ratcheted when coming downstairs for breakfast.
Like usual, she wasn't the only trainer there, with a number of Gym Challengers enjoying the free meal, and others on the phone to loved ones. Gloria considered calling her own mother, but tomorrow weighed too heavily on her mind while she chewed down a bagel.
The whispers around her did not help matters.
"I heard that girl is going to be battling Kabu again tomorrow."
"Are you serious? She's insane. No one clears Kabu on a third try. It's either win first time or pack it up."
"I dunno, mates, I'm kinda curious. She's mad bonkers, but you hafta admire that kind of tenacity, aye?"
Gloria stood from her seat, her hands jittering. The tremors nearly caused the bagel to fall, but she clasped tighter, her fingers smearing into the cream cheese atop it. Raboot still hovered beneath, ready to catch it if it fell. Hoping to not draw yet more unwanted attention to herself, Gloria turned to the nearest terminals and decided to try and reassure herself by looking up the current rankings of the Challenge. Surely, she wasn't the only one stuck behind Kabu.
If feeling better was her aim, she utterly failed at it.
"I'm here outside the Stow-on-Side Gym, where our first challenger has officially crossed the halfway mark on the road to the Wyndon Conference!" the reporter said with a beaming smile. It was the complete opposite of the boy she was interviewing, but enough to make Gloria want to vomit. She recognized the pink coat far too well, and the bored, yet present, smirk upon his face. "The challenger to have officially defeated Leader Allister is one Bede, a challenger picked by the Chairman, himself. Tell me, how does it feel to be halfway down the road?"
"Makes no difference to me. I doubt many are going to make it to the end, anyway. Most of them are second-strings."
"Bold words from a challenger. How confident in clearing the rest of the Challenge are you?"
"Leon should watch his back," Bede remarked, scoffing loud enough over the screen that Gloria flinched. "Now, excuse me. I have things to accomplish for the Chairman."
"O-oh, of course…" Bede didn't wait for her to dismiss him. He just walked straight off camera, almost knocking the cameraman over. The reporter could be heard demanding to cut it right then and there, but the damage was apparently done, including to Gloria's psyche.
She stumbled away as the elevator dinged, staggering back into one of the chairs that sat around the lobby. Bede was so far ahead of her, already halfway through the challenge, while she was stuck at Kabu. Part of her wanted to run right into the Motostoke Stadium and demand to battle today, but she shook her head. The other part wanted Hop or Marnie there with her, encouraging her, but all she saw was the snide expression of the boy who considered himself above everyone.
Gloria's blood started to boil, turning her frustrations into fuel for the road ahead. With Bede's face in her mind, she punched at the air, imagining she was taking down the jerk, himself. Raboot did the same, on the same wavelength and sharing in the frustration. It helped bring Gloria back into reality, and the sound of Ash's voice near the phones in the lobby. She blinked and brought her eyes to watch him, clearly at the end of a conversation.
"Got it. We'll meet you at the station. No worries, thanks for the reminder."
"Reminder?" Ash jumped halfway to hanging the phone up, a voice, tired and distinctly masculine, asking if something was wrong before the call ended. "What reminder?"
"Gloria, didn't realize you were still here." Ash calmed himself down, Pikachu patting his shoulders so as to stifle his nerves. She cocked her head to the side, but when Ash came down from his momentary shock, he sent his usual grin her way, leaning in. "Wanna come with me to the train station? We're meeting someone there."
"Who?"
"I think that'll have to be a surprise, kindle girl." The flick to the back of her head told Gloria that Astrid was down for the morning, and Serena was with her. The woman was moving slower, but Gloria was so confused that the speed was far less important than the direction. "So, train station?"
"They apparently got to the airport early this morning. He sounded like he was pleading."
"Stuck in a train with her for a couple hours, I wouldn't blame him," Astrid said with a chuckle and shake of her head. Slipping her hands into her pockets, the blonde began to head out. "Well, don't want to keep them waiting. Come on, hotshot. I think you'll want to meet them."
"Who?" Gloria repeated, but like the first time, received no answer. Astrid just pushed her along, past the trainers from earlier and out into the morning streets of Motostoke. Serena, of course, took up their rear, and with Pikachu and Raboot racing ahead, Gloria chose to hang back with her. Unlike the others, she was somewhat distracted, checking over some information on her newly received Rotom Phone. "School busy?"
"Mm, just about. We're supposed to be opening up in a couple days, but Heather is out getting a delivery today, so pretty much I'll have to be in charge. Soon as we meet our friends, it's back to the school."
"I think I'm gonna miss it," Gloria admitted to the woman, scratching at her nose. Having spent two weeks training there and familiarizing herself with it, the hopefully upcoming departure was starting to hit her. With it, the nerves of facing Kabu tomorrow returned.
"Don't worry, we'll be fine." The way she put her phone away, and placed a comforting hand on Gloria's shoulder made her wonder if Serena was all too acutely aware at what she was feeling. Whether she was or wasn't, it did Gloria a world of good, and she relaxed a little as they came near the train station, where a surprisingly large group of people, many looking close to her own age, were gathered.
They were certainly no morning commuters, proven by the sudden scream from within the crowd, a blur of yellow racing out for them.
"Ash, it's been so long!"
"Denene!"
At the shout, Gloria pulled to a stop, surprised to find a girl just a little older than herself fling herself upon Ash, her braided blonde hair flying behind her. Ash caught the girl with a grin, while her Pokémon, a Dedenne, tackled Pikachu with gusto. Raboot shared in Gloria's blinking expression, staring at the scene.
"Bonnie, it's only been a couple weeks at best."
"That's semantics. Serena!" The girl, Bonnie, changed tacks as fast as the wind, and as capricious as it, too. No sooner had she let go of Ash than she was hugging the pregnant woman. "You've gotten so big! Don't worry, Auntie Bonnie will take good care of you."
"Yeah, calm down there, squirt." Astrid's low drawl was followed by her grabbing her fellow blonde and pulling her back. It was an amazing feat of strength far as Gloria was concerned, considering Bonnie hung there in midair, winking at Astrid and sticking her tongue out. A roll of her eyes later, and Astrid cocked her head back to the group of teenagers and the young adult that appeared to be chaperoning them. "She been giving you problems, Seamus?"
"I am an angel, Astrid. I don't cause problems."
"Uh-huh…" Astrid's disbelief caused Dedenne to forget about Pikachu and launch himself at her, his cheeks sparking. He missed, causing the little dormouse to hit Bonnie dead on. The two convulsed together, dropping towards the ground. Bonnie started to laugh. Gloria was starting to think the girl was crazy.
"Why is Bonnie like this? People are watching."
"Shut it, Rotom." That voice got Bonnie to stop, and Gloria remained silent as the girl pulled out a square-shaped device. It wasn't quite like her phone, but the voice from within was unmistakably a Rotom, albeit one far less professional. "No one asked you. Go…look up a Galar Pokémon or something."
"Rotom has. Rotom scanned a Raboot."
"What's a Raboot?"
"Maybe you'd know if you stopped being such a ball of energy. Why are you even here, Bonnie?" The man who'd said it now took Gloria's attention, though not her voice. She was too confused by all the names and faces and the fact her companions knew them all. It didn't get any better as the man with dirty-blond hair approached Ash and shook his hand. It seemed far too comfortable to be professional, and Gloria was left tilting her head in confusion. "Good to see you again, Ash. And yourself, Astrid."
"Seamus. I see your class tagged along. As did Bonnie."
"More like she forced herself in."
"I invited myself," Bonnie corrected him, her finger wagging back and forth as though scolding a child. Dedenne mimicked her. That just made Seamus scowl.
"The key word there is 'myself'."
"Aw, come on, Mr. Seamus! Bonnie's a great teacher!"
"We've already learned a lot from watching her battle skills! Her Dedenne is as legendary as Mr. Ketchum's Pikachu!"
Bonnie appeared smug at the praise that was being lavished upon her, and Gloria found an uncomfortable ball settling in her throat. It hadn't quite struck her that Ash, of course, knew people as well-known and praised as he was. From all her time in Galar, Leon had been the goal, the one mountain. Yet in that one minute, Gloria realized and started to recognize the world outside Galar, and the powerful and well-known people that weren't Leon.
That Ash took his own praise with a bashful expression simply cemented what she had already begun to know about him from the event two weeks ago.
"Well, the students like you, so you're fine to tag along. For now."
"Speaking of students, surely this isn't your whole class, Seamus?" Serena said, walking forward a bit. Gloria realized it only too late, but Serena was pushing her forward, almost thrusting her into the limelight. A little closer now, and Gloria could see the students of this Seamus's class looking over maps and pamphlets, talking extensively about different tourist sites.
"Just those closest to a trainer journey. The rest are all at school with Christopher, Bethany and dad." Those words caused Astrid to purse her lips and turn away, an indistinguishable heaviness accompanying Seamus's statement. Ash scratched the back of his head, and Bonnie, for all her chipper demeanor, swallowed and looked away toward Motostoke Stadium.
"Whoa, what is that?!" she cried out after realizing just what it was. "It's huge! Is this the capital city of Galar or something! 'Cause that's like League stadium level big!"
"Dene…"
Gloria felt Serena pat her on the back, and the intention was clear. With a smile from the woman, Gloria cleared her throat and stepped forward. "That's, uh, just the Motostoke Gym."
"That's a Gym?!" Bonnie's cry attracted the attention of the students, all of whom were in awe of the great building. Some raised their cameras to take pictures, while others chatted with interest to one another. Bonnie, eager for more information, rounded on Gloria. "You have to tell me more! I wanna compete!"
"Competing is closed, Bonnie," Ash said, shoving his hands in his pockets. A pair of students came up to Ash, tremulously holding to a pad of paper for his autograph. He signed it quickly with a smile, as did Pikachu. "Galar's Gym Challenge is way different from everywhere else. Gotta sign up beforehand."
"Aw, that's a bummer…" Bonnie hung her head, her bag flopping with her movement. From within, a little green creature emerged, looking like it had just woken up from its nap, and was soon joined by Dedenne. Gloria leaned closer to get a better look, but Bonnie perked up before she could. "Oh well. You must be Gloria."
"Wha-?"
"You're only just realizing that?" Astrid asked with a sigh. A gaggle of girls were eyeing her, too, but it didn't seem to be for autographs of any sort. She ignored them, more exasperated with Bonnie's whiplash of conversation.
"Well, she's just like Ash described her, right? Nice to meet you!" Gloria found herself fully shocked to have her hand taken by Bonnie and shaken up and down with energy and gusto. The Galarian girl looked to Ash, who grinned at her. Clearly, she wasn't someone to be ashamed of, and Gloria was filled with confidence.
"N-nice to meet you, as well!"
"As good as it is to see you both, maybe we shouldn't clog the train station," Serena pointed out. Her finger raised, indicating the few commuters that couldn't get past their moderately sized group. Bonnie finally looked a bit sheepish, rubbing behind her head and twirling away in such a manner it managed to corral the students under Seamus's charge. "Why don't we head to the Performance School? We'll be out of the way there."
"A school, huh?" Seamus asked, but Serena didn't wait for his agreement. Gloria figured no one was about to argue with the woman. So, she turned around and led the way for the lower levels. Seamus joined her up front while Bonnie hung back to talk with Ash, leaving Gloria awkwardly in the middle, hearing every conversation. "So, when did you decide to become a teacher, Serena?"
"A recent development," Serena admitted, and Gloria found herself paying more attention to that conversation than the one of Ash and Bonnie behind. Theirs seemed particularly full of praise by the students in the back, the girls that had been observing Astrid keeping the closest. "I can't stand much by traveling, so I decided to do this and bring Performing to Galar. Any tips?"
"Not sure what I could offer that you don't already know," Seamus said, laughing as he did so. "The start is the hardest part…or starting over."
"Can't have been easy getting the school up and running again."
"We lost some students, but most still believe in the good it can do," Seamus said, shoving his hands in his pockets while Gloria watched him turn his eyes towards the sky. Their group was swiftly approaching a lift, all of them managing to fit on to it while it shuddered down to the lower level. "I think that's the most important part about teaching: believing in the good of it, helping people down the right path so they don't get lost. Reminding myself every day that I don't want to see another Travis, it helps me to know that I'm leading these kids right."
"I feel the same," Serena agreed, nodding her head as they jerked to a stop, the lift opening up for them to leave. "I'd love to swap notes with you. What's your plan for this field trip?"
"Pretty flexible. Soaking in Galarian culture."
Gloria let their conversation fade to background noise, glancing down to Raboot at her feet. She was feeling incredibly out of place, and as they walked through Motostoke to get back to the Performance School, the general mutters about the rematch tomorrow made her heart thump in her chest. No matter how much she tried to calm her nerves, it didn't work, and she tried to find a different conversation to listen to as they crossed over and the school was in sight.
She wished she hadn't.
"You're Astrid, aren't you?" one of the girls from earlier asked, drawing a quirked eyebrow from the blonde. Their procession didn't stop just then, but the next question made the other two girls bump into Astrid when she ground to a halt. "You were Mr. Rocky's girlfriend, weren't you?"
The clop of footsteps showed that Seamus had stopped, too, and a strange, ill hush passed over the group. Bonnie, too, grew silent, looking away, but Gloria could see that Astrid was affected most of all. Her fists had tightened, one of them around the Poké Ball holding Butterfree. She bit her lip, air hissing between her teeth. Seamus intervened.
"Girls, don't bother her. Serena, is this your school?"
"Ah, yes. Everyone, welcome to Galar's one and only Performing School!" Serena's call overrode whatever murmurs had cascaded around the class, many drawn with interest and glee to the location. Ash ushered some of them on, glancing back at Astrid, who refused to move. So, too, did the girl that had said something. Only when Seamus called for her did she move, uttering a brief apology.
Gloria and Astrid remained the only two outside.
"Who's-"
"An old friend," Astrid answered, her curt tone suggesting no wish to discuss it. Gloria nodded, sharing a glance with Raboot. Both cast their gazes downward. Respecting Astrid, the two began to walk on, leaving her behind with whatever anguish she grappled with.
Thankfully, the depressing air vanished upon entering the Performing School. Though Gloria had thought it somewhat impossible, the place was busier than the day before, even excluding the guests. Walking through, Gloria could see the dining hall and other rooms meant for performing being cleaned out, while the dormitories in the upper halls had some already prospective students moving into them. Seamus's class was gathered around Serena, asking all sorts of excited questions, with the honey-blonde woman offering each of them a place if they wanted it.
Seeing Serena's own success made Gloria hope for her own, her mind inexorably returning to tomorrow's battle and drawing her out towards the courtyard. She caught bare snippets of conversation about lunch, but as she didn't hear her name called, there was nothing to keep Gloria from striding to the center of the courtyard and looking up at the sky. Raboot stared with her, kicking a stone from time to time in boredom.
"Think we're ready?"
"Ready for what?" Gloria jumped, almost tripping over her own two feet before a hand caught her and she found herself staring into Bonnie's ridiculous grin. "Y'know, I thought you'd be a lot more talky with how Ash described you."
"Uh…guess I'm just psyching myself up for tomorrow."
"Yeah, what's tomorrow?" Bonnie let go once Gloria was steady, and she began to walk around the battlefield. Dedenne jumped out of her bag, hopping up and down on the field as though testing its weight. He looked far too happy to be there.
"Gym battle."
"Ooh, sounds exciting. I haven't been able to take on a Gym since…huh, guess since before IDEAL." Hearing a name like that again, of all the adventures Ash and his friends seemed to have gone on, put her back in a worse state of mind. Gloria felt so separate, and so small, wanting to just walk out of the school and find a place to be alone, far away from any expectation. Bonnie wouldn't let her. "Makes me wonder what a Galar trainer is like. Seeing that big stadium has me all super excited. How about you, Dedenne?"
"Nene!" Dedenne jumped up, his whiskers sparking as his trainer patted him on the head.
"Well, you can always watch the Gym match. Kabu is a good-"
"Nah, I don't want to wait that long!" Bonnie said, stretching back and forth. She sounded like she was whining, but something about the glint in the blonde's eye told Gloria she was more perceptive than the front she was putting on. "I'd rather see the strength of a Galar trainer now. Dedenne and I have been itching for a good opponent. Squishy, too."
"Brbl…" Squishy the green blob simply made its noise, and dug further in the bag. Bonnie shrugged, and sent a challenging grin over to Gloria.
"You could show us how a Galar trainer fights."
"Me? No, I-"
"Great, so it's settled! Dedenne, let's go!" The girl wasn't giving her an opportunity to argue otherwise, bouncing over to the nearest trainer's box, waiting for Gloria to take position. The movement attracted some attention from outside the courtyard, all eyes on Gloria. A challenge. A taunt.
The jeers from those who watched her fail against Kabu resurfaced. She shook her head.
Then a hand was on her shoulder. "It's a good idea. Show Bonnie who's boss."
Gloria looked up, the encouragement having come from Ash. He and Pikachu were smiling at them, and for a moment, the jeers stopped. Gloria closed her eyes, and when she opened them after a breath, she tried to put all thoughts of Kabu aside. She nodded, taking her own place in a trainer's box with Raboot in front of her. "Okay. Let's battle."
"That's more like it! We'll move first! Aerial Ace!"
Gloria didn't know what to expect, but it wasn't Dedenne suddenly vanishing from the field with ridiculous speed. He reappeared in front of Raboot, the rabbit's eyes wide before Dedenne's attack sunk itself into his torso. He was tossed back, his feet skidding along the dirt of the battlefield.
In just one move, Bonnie had shown herself to be remarkable, though Gloria was beginning to suspect this being a trend of those who had surrounded Ash in his earlier days. The girl looked up to her opponent across the field, grin wide, and then to Ash and Pikachu, cheering Gloria on. She reached up and slapped her cheeks.
No room for doubt. "Raboot, Flame Charge!"
"Buh!" Raboot's body ignited and he sped off for Dedenne. The dormouse looked back, but Bonnie didn't give an order. That appeared to tell Dedenne what he needed to do and he took a defensive stance as Raboot blazed into him, sending him flying backwards, flipping in the air. There was little doubt to Gloria that the blonde before her had wanted to take the measure of her, and though she was loathe to admit it, Bonnie was showing herself a cut above.
"Play Rough!" Dedenne's limbs opened up and he fell for Raboot. This time, Gloria wasn't going to let Bonnie have control.
"Headbutt!"
Raboot jumped up, while Dedenne fell down, both on a collision course. When they struck, it sent a light breeze through the courtyard, enough to call for an audience from Seamus's class. They hadn't paid attention before, but in that moment, the crowd around them grew, murmuring about the battle they were witnessing. Gloria felt her throat dry up, remembering the cruel, callous nature of the crowd from her battle with Kabu. Her breath was catching, unable to stop the doubt from worming its way in.
"Parabolic Charge!" Bonnie's command brought Gloria back into the battle as Raboot was struck with electricity that formed an orb, returning to Dedenne. However, Bonnie wasn't smirking with some sense of superiority, or trying to tear her down. Calling for another Aerial Ace, Gloria managed to put her head on straight, trying to block out the sounds of the crowd around her.
"Double Kick!"
"Rabuh!" Raboot swung around, catching Dedenne just in time for their attacks to clash. It led to an oohing from the crowd around them.
"Man, Miss Bonnie showing how tough she is, as always!"
"What do you expect of the heir to the Lumiose Gym?"
"That other girl's pretty good, too, though."
The calls from the sidelines made Gloria's fist tighten. Expectation and observation were piling upon her, but she had no time to worry over them, not as Bonnie gave her next command. "Nuzzle!"
"D-dodge it!" Gloria called, her voice getting more confident. She snapped her eyes across the field to Bonnie, the girl never giving them a chance to breathe. Finally, Gloria's eyes widened. Raboot dodged the sparking cheeks, and looked to Gloria for direction. She nodded with understanding, and a quick glance to Ash told her that her supposition was right all along: Bonnie was helping her. The older girl had seen through her wavering confidence in the face of a crowd, drawn them there with her magnetic personality, and was helping her to forget it all. Gloria pumped her fists. "Bounce down!"
"Raboot!" From his position in the air, Raboot's body twisted, slamming down with the full force of gravity. The little sparks on his feet catching on Dedenne's poor tail and igniting it.
"Dene! Denenene!" Dedenne hit the ground, rolling back and forth to put the fire out as Raboot landed.
"Aerial Ace!"
"Headbutt!"
The sounds of the crowd, cheering for both sides, were drowned out, the Pokémon racing at each other. Dedenne vanished, but Raboot knew where he would be, and his head smashed forth into Dedenne's tiny body. The dormouse still had a trick up his sleeve, a wink from Bonnie confirming it. His body lit with electricity, the Nuzzle striking all over Raboot and causing him to twitch with paralysis as the two fell away. Gloria grimaced, knowing she should have seen it coming.
"Don't feel bad, Gloria," Bonnie said, her grin widening with her hands behind her head. "That move's taken down even a Rayquaza."
"Is she still telling that story?" another voice said, Astrid rejoining the group at last.
"It's not a story! It's our signature! Dedenne, let's wrap it with a-"
"Bzzt! Bzzt! Phone call! Bonnie, answer your phone call before I go deaf!"
"Shut up, Rotom. All you do is complain!" The battle on clear hold, Bonnie dug into her pockets, pulling out both her Rotom and what Gloria guessed was a phone. It didn't look like hers, or anything else she was familiar with. Bonnie fiddled with it a bit, frowning. "I swear, Clemont makes this stuff impossible. Where's the, oh-"
Something must have worked, or a button must have been pressed, because the vibrations in her hand stopped and a different voice echoed around the courtyard instead, one unfamiliar. "Finally! Bonnie, I've been trying to reach you for hours!"
"I was on an airplane, Clemont."
"Well, how was I supposed to know that?" snapped the voice on the other end. He seemed agitated, whoever he was, but was clearly someone that Ash, and the rest of her companions, knew well. "You left without a word. I had to use the IRCS to locate you."
"Isn't that an abuse of power or something?" Bonnie joked back, but apparently didn't get the kind of response she wanted.
"Like you're one to talk. Where have you run off to this time?"
"Well, you and Korrina are all busy with boring wedding stuff, so I thought I'd tag along with Seamus. And look who I ran into! It's Ash!" Bonnie moved the device, showcasing Ash waving at whoever was on the screen. Gloria shoved her hands into her dress pockets, unsure what to do or say in this situation. The conversation didn't feel all that important to her, and she found herself distracted by the bright sky once again, breathing out.
No sooner had she finished exhaling than the call appeared to be ending as soon as it had interrupted. "Don't worry, Clemont, Seamus'll look after Bonnie."
"I'm not a kid anymore!"
"No, you just cause problems like one," Clemont noted on the other end, his face still an enigma to Gloria. Bonnie pouted at his assertions, at least until a chuckle came out. "Just have fun and be safe in Galar. Oh, and if you can, I'd be most interested to learn more about Macro Cosmos's energy structure. I wonder if there's a way to replicate it for Prism Tow-"
Boom! Whatever Clemont was going to say, it was interrupted by an explosion on the other end, causing Bonnie to drop her device out of instinct with a flinch. To Gloria's surprise, it didn't break, and revealed the soot-covered form of a young man with similar hair to Bonnie's and glasses on his face. He coughed.
"You take care, too, Clemont." He nodded, tears starting to stream down his face before the call ended. Bonnie sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "As you can see, my brother is the same as ever. Now, let's get back to ba…Dedenne, not again!"
The shout alerted Gloria to the fact that while the conversation had gone one, both Raboot and Dedenne had decided they had better things to be doing, with Raboot sitting in his paralysis, and Dedenne…sleeping. The little dormouse rocked back and forth, content with the world around him, and Bonnie sighed. Ash couldn't help but laugh, digging into his pocket and pulling out a Cheri Berry that he tossed to Gloria. The girl was quick to administer it while Bonnie collected her Pokémon. "Looks like you guys'll have to put the battle on hold for another day."
"And good thing, too. Time for lunch!" Serena called from the entrance to the courtyard, just barely poking her head in. That simple announcement got the students around them excited, at least those that weren't bummed out by the battle coming to a premature end.
"Come on, stop waiting around. We're guests here," Seamus said, also stepping inside the courtyard to summon the rest of his students. They agreed reluctantly, turning away to make for the dining hall.
Gloria continued checking on Raboot, finding him looking better. He was a little tired, and immediately, Gloria determined to take the rest of the day off, resting for tomorrow, only to find her arm hooked by Bonnie's, the older teen beaming at her. "You battle good. Bet you'll do well at your Gym match tomorrow."
"Sure hope so. Feels like a lot of pressure," Gloria admitted, finding herself at ease with the girl closer in age to herself. The lemon blonde began to walk with her out of the courtyard, Ash and Astrid bringing up their rear as they emerged back in the entrance hall, where Serena was taking a rest. The clamor from the dining hall showed her and Seamus's success in corralling the students, but when Gloria was angled towards it, she was more interested by the front doors swinging open wide, framing Heather in the light with a triumphant stance.
"Serena, we've been successful!"
Serena stood, hands clasped together in a mix of elation, joy and exhaustion. Her proclamation finished, Heather strode in, and behind her were multiple Machoke, delicately wheeling carts of colorful objects. "You managed to do it?"
"My ability to promote and run a school might have needed some assistance, but my negotiation skills are now second-to-none…well, except for maybe Chairman Rose." Heather cleared her throat and stepped aside, revealing what was being wheeled in, displayed with full glory. "Ta-da! A collection of Pokémon eggs to provide our students with their very first partner Pokémon for Performances! Courtesy of Galar's daycare center, of course."
"Oh, they look wonderful!"
Serena's gushing could have been dubbed an understatement. Once Gloria was freed from Bonnie's hold and could approach the eggs, she was astounded by the dizzying array of colors and designs. Some stood out to her immediately as to what Pokémon they might hatch into, while others felt a little more arcane. From a black and yellow spotted egg, or one with various shades of purple, each of them was distinct, carrying with them what Gloria saw as Serena's philosophy: a unique Pokémon to have a home, never slipping past.
"We're really going to take off now, Serena!" Heather's enthusiasm got the better of herself, hugging the pregnant woman before her. Not that Serena took offense; her fire was burning brighter than it had before.
Gloria found herself smiling, feeding off that same enthusiasm and aspiration. She approached the row of eggs, scanning down the line with Raboot, trying to identify each one in turn. Every egg represented a dream, a chance for someone to learn something new and break through the barrier of battling that existed in Galar. More than that, they represented Serena's dream to guide the future.
Everyone's pushing on, she thought to herself, eyes lingering briefly on a purple egg with jagged designs. She reached out to pat it, looking up to see Ash talking with Heather and Serena, showing his unconditional support. They had all gone so far, supporting each other, putting their all into their dreams without doubt. I have no room to do anything different.
"Right!" Gloria said, patting the egg one more time as she leaned towards it. "You grow up big and strong to help people on their dreams. I'll do the same for me. Tomorrow, I'm gonna beat Kabu!"
"That's the spirit! No use heading into a Gym battle all mopey-like!" Bonnie said, tackling Gloria before she even knew she was there. "After our battle, I can't wait to see what you'll do in a Gym battle."
"Wait, you want to watch?" Gloria asked, surprised. Dedenne appeared to have woken up, hopping on top of Raboot with a toothy smile that indicated his shared excitement.
"In a big stadium like that, you bet I do!"
"It'll be something else," Ash admitted, hands behind his head with his usual reassuring grin. It made Gloria feel even more confident that she could break through the wall tomorrow. "Galar Gym battles are on a whole other level. You really don't know what it's like until you feel it."
"Are they?" Seamus shot back. The sounds from the dining hall were louder than ever, the students ready for both lunch and their teacher to join them. "Sounds like a great way to soak in the culture. Mind if we tag along?"
"Oh…well, I guess not."
"The more people cheering, the more likely you'll win." Serena's bright expression and thought of the fact there would be more people cheering her on buoyed Gloria's spirits, causing her to look over to Astrid. The woman chuckled and nodded, showing her own unflinching support.
With the full support of these legends behind her dream, Gloria stomped her foot, she and Raboot raising their fists to the sky, like Leon always would, yet never unfurling their fingers. "All right, then. Tomorrow, Kabu is going down! Get ready for a battle you won't forget, because this time, I won't lose!"
And a cheer rose around the Performing School, pushing Gloria further on.
Tomorrow, she decided, she would take the next step forward, and nothing would hold her back any longer.
Author's Note: Bonnie arrives! And Seamus! While we'd made it no surprise that Bonnie would be entering the story, Seamus hopefully was a bit of one. His addition to the story was actually largely Viroro's idea in the planning stages, and I think what we do with him is engaging. More importantly, we finally have a bit of Gloria getting over those nerves, and a touch on Astrid's arc. A bit to chew on here.
Viroro: And that's a wrap for chapter 2 of Turmoil, featuring not one but two returns of older faces of the Ancienverse! It was always our intention to start reintroducing some previous Ancienverse characters after the mostly new cast of Traveling as a point for Gloria's story, but we also wanted to restrict ourselves to characters that could have an active role in the story rather than cameos for cameo's sake, and Seamus and Bonnie definitely fit the bill. It was quite fun to work on bringing them back, and it was good to have a chance to showcase more of Bonnie as a trainer. We hope you enjoyed these returns and the growing little friendship between Gloria and Bonnie.
But of course, there's still the looming shadow of Gloria's forthcoming third match against Kabu to deal with, and that will be the focus of the next chapter. Hope you enjoyed this one, and that you will keep looking forward to what's to come!
Before departure, a quick word of thanks to everyone: a long list including 7roop3r, A Raven Quill, AeroHybrid, Amourshipper35, Animeloverdog, BlazingEdge, Citylover96, Darren1138, Madserino, Manugrinspon, Maurice Elias A. Nigma, Maximus Potter, Rajiv A. Rajaram, SpaceBlaze, karencitatellog36, smashfighter57, AwesomeFury, ChaosOverlord65, DarkHero12, JbstormburstADV, Roguekrosm, awesomeman2, micro0951 and FirewallDragon149 for favoriting; Luanslayer92, Paleb05, R3qu13m0f50ul5, TheEnigmatic97, gularadato, Yoshie88 and thebeing1 for following; and the heartiest of thanks to FantasyLover88, XDiamondX90, RRV55, Fury, cricketlaxwolvesbandy, ChE clarinetist, potat lasaro, Tenzalucard123, MythGirl Writes, UltimateCCC, Ander Arias and Captainsquid12 for taking the time to review.
Next time, the long awaited third match with Kabu is here. We hope it's good. Until then, please Review and,
Dare to Be Silly.