Still on that adventure in the Wild Area, but with even more developments! Let's read Chapter 5!
Chapter 5
A Power
The Wild Area's road to Hammerlocke, or lack thereof, was a longer one than Gloria had anticipated. Far outside the outskirts of Motostoke, the trio of traveling companions quickly noted that the wilderness grew fiercer, and the weather more capricious. One moment they could be striding through blazing sun, and the next step was snow. The landscape, too, changed from grassy fields to dusty deserts, and even to swamps.
It was a more treacherous journey, for sure, but Gloria's destination remained unchanged.
It helped she had Ash and Astrid by her side, Pikachu and Absol acting as deterrents to some of the stronger Pokémon that might have wished to test their mettle.
"So, what's this Lake of Outrage about?" Ash asked, tossing a berry to Pikachu as they crossed over a bridge their fourth day out from Motostoke. A Braviary was eyeing them from the sky, but didn't dare dip lower. Raboot glared at it, but it was the sparking of Pikachu's cheeks, innocent but aware, that made it consider otherwise.
"Oh, right, never told you. It's a home for Dragon types," Gloria answered in turn, biting down on a bar of chocolate. She offered some to Astrid, but the woman shook her head, watching their rear. Gloria swallowed her chocolate down, grateful; after what had happened with the linked Power Spots, she knew there was no such thing as too careful. She was just glad they hadn't run into a similar situation, and their journey across the terrain was relatively unimpeded. Her mouth clear, Gloria continued with her explanation, careful in her steps as her eyes briefly checked on the egg in her bag. "Most particularly the Dreepy line."
"Dreepy?" Ash asked, slowing his steps a bit. Gloria pulled up the image on her phone, showing the floating Dragon type on her screen. "Oh. Looks cool."
"Yeah, the line is pretty popular, since Leon has a Dragapult, the final evolved form."
"You lookin' to catch one?" Ash asked. Pikachu hopped down from his shoulder, joining Raboot in scouting the land ahead. It seemed a good idea, as just beyond the borders of the bridge they were about to finish crossing, a fog was rolling in.
"Nope. But with the amount of Dragon types there, I gotta figure it'll be good training for Raihan."
"Smart thinking!" Ash and Gloria clapped their hands against each other for the suggestion, while Astrid drew closer as they plunged into the fog. It was thin to start, each of them able to see one another and their Pokémon, but Astrid was quick to point out the inevitable.
"If we're going to explore, we'll set camp near the edge of the fog. No use being unable to find our way back, especially with how thick it looks to be getting." Her advice was heeded, and soon as Pikachu and Raboot had returned, Ash and Gloria helped pitch the tent, getting a fire going for lunch that burned away the thin layer of mist surrounding them.
The cries of Pokémon slithering or wandering around the wilderness surrounded the camp as Gloria cooked some lunch up, but Astrid's calm watch appeared to deter most of them. Ash's team out and about helped, though Sobble stayed closer to the interior of the camp with Gloria's own. All of them were on edge, Raboot most of all as he watched over the bag holding Gloria's egg securely.
In spite of still being midday, Gloria had no problem admitting that the fog hanging around the Lake of Outrage made things more than a little creepy. It was this sole factor that made her jump when a loud screech filled the air.
"Eeeeeeeeee!" The sudden cry caused Gloria to lose control of her ladle, dropping it in the pot. Absol shot up, and he wasn't alone, Pikachu, Greninja and Raboot running towards the deeper sections of the fog where the sound had come from.
"Wh-what was that?!"
"Sounded like a Pokémon," Ash said, listening a little longer. The scream didn't sound off again, but no one at the camp let down their guard. "Like a hurt Pokémon."
"But…" Gloria peered into her pot, the ladle lost to its swirling contents, and she began to tap her chin. "But the only Pokémon around these parts are Dreepy and their kind. They wouldn't attack their own kind."
"But the Wild Area isn't normal," Astrid pointed out. "What happened two weeks ago fundamentally altered its balance of nature."
"You don't mean…an even stronger Pokémon came in and…?" She didn't want to finish the thought, but her body completed the action. Just like Ash at her side, Gloria abandoned their lunch to run for the direction where the cries had come from. Her Pokémon had no hesitation to follow, and the fog deepened around them.
The land became moister, the ground turning to mud in places, and the waves of the lake could be heard. The landscape was changing under the roiling fog, but even that was beginning to clear, like it formed a donut-shaped barrier around the habitat of Galar's most preeminent Dragon types.
"Rabuh!" Raboot's cry caused Gloria to stop short, and she realized why. Almost directly underfoot was the form of a fallen Dreepy, the little gray Pokémon whimpering. Careful to not step on it, Gloria bent down to examine the fallen creature, only to find a bruise on the poor Pokémon.
"Here," Astrid said, having caught up and tossing a potion to Gloria. She quickly sprayed it on the Pokémon, causing it to cry out, but looking a little better. Astrid touched to the wound, frowning. "Weird. This looks like a Fighting type move."
"That is weird. Dreepy are part Ghost…"
"Clobba!" The sudden outcry, this one less pained and more aggressive, drew the pair's eyes upward. Gloria's own widened, seeing now that this injured Dreepy was just one of many, a whole field of fallen Pokémon before them. And not just Dreepy, but from a quick scan, its evolved form Drakloak, too. In the center of it was the one responsible, a cream-colored mollusk, with gigantic fists. In front of it was a sole remaining Drakloak. "Puh-pa!"
The Pokémon was fast, and to Gloria's sight, strong. Without missing a beat, it created a familiar orb of water, looking like Brine, before swinging its glowing fist into the orb. That attack blistered onto Drakloak's face, the water like knives from the punch. The last remaining Dragon type flew back, hitting a rock and crumpling to the ground. The winning Pokémon remained standing in the circle, flexing and crying out, but no one responded to its call for challenge. Gloria took her phone out.
"Clobbopus, the Tantrum Pokémon, a Fighting type," Rotom read off, its voice echoing. That seemed to perk Clobbopus's ears, the mollusk turning for them slowly, sensing a new challenger in the arena. "A usually water-bound Pokémon who comes to land in search of food. A very curious Pokémon, as well, likely harboring the temperament of a three-year-old in its attempt to obtain said food, often punching with its tentacles."
"Explains a lot."
"It's not a Water type…?" Gloria asked, surprised as she tilted her head. Clobbopus heard her words, its fists drawing close to its body, eyes darting about until they landed on the group that was gathered around, and on three Pokémon directly at the center. "I mean, it lives in water, looks like an Octillery with boxing gloves for arms and even uses Brine! How is it not Water?"
"Clob-po-po-po!" Clobbopus's arms whirled around, its gloves splitting the air and its eyes not quite looking like the aforementioned curious child. If anything, it looked more than a little pissed off, particularly at her words and the sight in front of it.
"Was it something I said?"
"Clobbo!" Without warning, Clobbopus's bulbous head puffed out and in, and with surprising speed and a strength that could be felt, it raced across the distance of downed Dreepy towards the collection of Chewtle, Sobble and Greninja. Chewtle was first to go, but her speed was outmatched by the clearly far faster Greninja, who drew his blade to block against the punch. The clash sent a wave of wind across them, clearing some of the fog, though there was no doubt Greninja was clearly the stronger of the two, a fact Clobbopus seemed to hate.
It also seemed pleased with itself when its other arm filled the gap between the two to punch Greninja in the torso. The move took the Ninja Pokémon by surprise, allowing Clobbopus to flit past for the now prone Chewtle and Sobble. Just as with Dreepy, it created its Brine, and punched.
"Chewtle!" Chewtle cried out, pushing past Sobble to protect her friend, and receiving a punch to the head for her troubles. Her little legs tried to hold on long as she could, but all too soon, the strength of Clobbopus's punch lifted her off the ground and sent her flying. Seeing it happen, Sobble mustered his own courage and leapt to the air to catch her and bring them back down safely.
"Clobbo! Clob-po-po-po!" Clobbopus cried, its fist beckoning for them to try again, eyes zeroed in on the Water types in the group. Ash blinked.
"Does it…hate Water types or something?"
"I mean, it looks like one," Gloria said with a shrug. "Maybe it doesn't like that it's not one."
"Clob?" It was the first time the ornery mollusk had dropped the aggression, taken aback by Gloria's observation. Witnessing its drop in rage, Gloria decided to act quickly, hoping to talk Clobbopus down from causing any further damage. She took a step forward, opening her mouth to ask him for a battle, or praise his capabilities.
She was a second too late, a light bursting from Astrid's side and manifesting as her own ornery Pokémon.
"Freeeeee!" No sooner had Butterfree arrived on the field than he was screeching. Gloria and Ash slapped their hands up to cover their ears, the Bug Buzz resonating around the area. The Dreepy and Drakloak were crying out, some attempting to recover and flee, but Clobbopus did neither. It was focused entirely on the new enemy that attempted to halt its vendetta…and did so successfully.
Butterfree's wings began to beat, a strong Gust billowing out. Combined with the debilitating Bug Buzz, Clobbopus soon began to be lifted off the ground, flung back into a small copse of trees, where Gloria winced when she heard him smack against the bark. Astrid acted, grabbing her Pokémon. "Do you have some kind of problem with starting fights? We were about to calm it down!"
"Free! Free! Freeee!" Butterfree thrashed again, slapping Astrid with his wing to break himself free. Astrid stumbled back, while Gloria was unsure where to turn until she found Ash, tensing alongside his entire group of Pokémon. Her own were no less alert, with Raboot and Corvisquire twitching. The latter, in particular, made Gloria look up, towards the sky that rumbled, turning to dark red clouds.
"Oh no…"
"CLOBBOPA!" The deep roar of the Pokémon confirmed Gloria's worst fears. The trees it had fallen into were ripped off their roots, the remaining wild Pokémon in the area sent scattering in fear. The ground trembled, cracking along as a beam of red light emerged from where Clobbopus had been flung, its glow pervading the entire area. From within, the Tantrum Pokémon grew larger and larger, until it towered over them, its flung trees impacting with the lake and spraying water like a tidal wave. A single step from Clobbopus caused the ground to shake. Gloria gripped her Dynamax Band.
"Ash, can you help the wild Pokémon out? We'll handle thi-"
Gloria had barely raised her hand than her wrist was clasped, Astrid's fingers wrapping around it. Her other hand all too swiftly removed the Band, the woman's eyes locked on Butterfree, who was looking around in agitation for a second before Clobbopus's cry of aggression was centered upon him. "Let me take this."
"Astrid…?" The woman slipped the Band on, clasping Butterfree's Poké Ball and her eyes determined. It took a second, but knowing the woman in front of her, Gloria nodded. "All right. Corvisquire, get Chewtle!"
"Butterfree, Gigantamax!" Astrid called her Pokémon back, giving the Bug type no time to react. She formed a fist, touching to the Dynamax Band while Gloria skirted the edge. Clobbopus was rearing back, fist glowing orange, but Astrid was already at work, the Poké Ball containing Butterfree growing and growing until it was large enough for her to throw. Clobbopus struck, its Max Knuckle flying through the air, only to hit a blue pearlescent shield formed by the now giant Butterfree.
It looked different to Gloria, having never seen its Gigantamax, with its wings green and glowing, and spores coming off of it. That paled in comparison to how easily it shrugged off Clobbopus's unaimed rage. "FREEEE!"
"Chewtle!" Gloria cried, just as Astrid gave her first command for a Max Airstream. She dodged through, skidding to her turtle's side as Corvisquire plucked her and placed her in Gloria's arms. Butterfree's wings beat at an accelerated pace, ripping whatever trees remained and buffeting Clobbopus, who stood his ground thanks to his massive size. The wild Pokémon screamed, flung about by the Max move, only to be rescued by Charizard, Decidueye and Infernape, the three ushering them to safety. "Are you all right?"
"Chew…chew…" She didn't appear all right, but from a quick examination of her body, nothing was hurt. If anything, she looked simply…defeated. Her eyes watched the clash between the pair of enlarged Pokémon, ready to make another move, with Clobbopus forming a Max Geyser.
"Use Bug Buzz! Or, er…whatever Max move you use!" Astrid called, grimacing at her lack of knowledge on Dynamaxing. It was a confusing order, but Gloria still didn't expect Butterfree to outright shake his head in refusal when Clobbopus's water fired in its great blast. To retaliate, Butterfree's spores spread out, touching to the ground and creating a great sprouting of plants that ravaged the land but absorbed the water.
The resulting fungi grew larger, pushing against Clobbopus, who angrily punched them aside, slamming its fist out to clock Butterfree on the wing and send him spiraling through the air. He nearly fell upon Gloria, his torso enough size to crush her, only for Pikachu to come in with an Iron Tail and knock him back up. That appeared to piss Astrid's Pokémon off even more.
"Free! Free! FREEEEE!" The booming, shrill cry was followed with what Gloria could only describe as a demented form of Max Flutterby. The translucent bugs emerged, twisted and jagged, before they descended on Clobbopus without direction or target. Some managed to strike the octopus, but the others raged across the land, ripping at the ground that became a mess of cracks and fissures while getting rid of the fog that remained. Gloria bent inwards, her Pokémon surrounding her in a protective barrier, including Applin. Only Chewtle did otherwise, beginning to struggle out of her hold.
"Astrid, get Butterfree under control or there'll be nothing left!" Ash called out. Charizard was protecting him, but against the unfocused aggression of the two combatants, there was little they could do.
"I'm trying, but I don't think-"
"Chewtle!" the turtle cried loudly, interrupting Astrid even over the roaring attacks. She squirmed out of Gloria's hold, hitting the ground and running along it at her slower pace. Gloria twisted on the ground, lunging for her to bring her back, only for her fingers to slip.
"No, Chewtle! You'll get hurt!" She didn't listen, charging on towards the middle of the clash, her diminutive form even smaller in the wake of their size. It didn't matter, for when she reached the center, she cried out, and from her mouth came two sets of Water Gun, each splashing on Butterfree and Clobbopus's faces.
The former stopped, and Gloria could see a momentary kindness and consideration cross over Butterfree's features.
Clobbopus was not so kind, its fist rearing back in further rage for the Water type that dared to ineffectually interrupt. Gloria screamed, trying to run for her precious Pokémon, only for Chewtle to refuse to budge, jabbing her head forward to meet the fist.
It descended into the ground, cratering it and sending dust up into the sky. Gloria was flung back into Ash's hands, and her own Pokémon formed a vanguard in front of her. Raboot took a tentative step forward, while Corvisquire debated taking to the air. She couldn't stop the sniffle at the thought of what the punch had done to Chewtle, watching where Clobbopus had struck, and the light within the dust.
"Light…?" she choked out, crawling forward a little. Clobbopus blinked, and then suddenly found its gloved tentacle being forced up, nearly toppling it over into the lake. Rocks shot out from the crater in the ground, landing in a perfect circle around the area, like a barrier to protect the wild Pokémon that remained from the battle between titans.
Then came the cry. "NAAAW!"
The light finished within the dust, dispersing it completely and revealing the aftermath of Chewtle's attempt to stop the fight. Or perhaps, Gloria reasoned, she was no longer Chewtle at all.
"Chewtle…you…you evolved!" Gloria cried out, filled with relief and pride all at once. Where Chewtle once stood was now the larger Drednaw, bigger than even Nessa's had been, and sturdier all the same. She looked back at Gloria, her once orange horn now yellow, and bigger, her shell thicker than before. She smiled, just as Clobbopus got back up, and once more sent a blistering geyser out.
Gloria flinched, but watched as Drednaw hunkered down and took the hit, the waters splitting and splashing on to Butterfree, causing his own retaliation. The gusty cyclone ripped through, preventing Gloria from approaching her Pokémon, but Drednaw took it. Even with Clobbopus fighting back by punching at the air, the Max Knuckle landing upon Drednaw's form, she remained standing. Another volley of attacks soon presented itself, and at the same time, Gloria saw the sky begin to lighten. The Power Spots were shutting off again.
She acted. "Drednaw, use your new move! Use Rock Tomb!"
"Good catch, Gloria!" Ash shouted, grinning as Drednaw's body glowed, multiple rocks forming around her before shooting in every direction. Many impacted against Butterfree and Clobbopus, rocking them over on their backsides, causing the waters of the lake to splash up and rain down in a sudden storm. Both tried to get up, but the rocks remained on their figures, pinning them to the ground just long enough for the red light to recede.
Instead of fog, the sun came out, and the Power Spot vanished as suddenly as it had triggered. The clouds ahead fully disappeared, and a flash of light emanated from the pair of combatants. With a breath of relief, the giant Pokémon began to shrink to their far smaller sizes, dropping to the ground with bruises. Neither stirred.
"Butterfree!" Astrid shouted, running over to her disobedient partner. He softly called out, but otherwise didn't acknowledge Astrid at all, even when she picked him up. Clobbopus looked the same, if even worse for the wear, and Gloria was swift to approach it with Ash.
"Looks bad. Astrid, did you bring more potions?"
"They're all back at camp."
"Then we'll bring him there," Gloria said. Ash nodded, scooping the Fighting type into his arms, and allowing Gloria to put her full attention on her own Pokémon, running over to Drednaw with all speed. She was panting, exhausted and damaged, but when Gloria dropped to her knees in front of her, she lifted her head up just enough to smile. "You did great, Drednaw. Take a rest. We'll get you patched up."
"Dred…" Drednaw gave her last smile and then slipped into unconsciousness, herself. Not even moments later and Infernape had arrived with Charizard to lift her up and carry her back to camp. With a breath out, Gloria and her team chose to remain by her side, only to look back and see Ash pause on the way, staring over the destruction of the land where the Power Spot had wreaked havoc.
It was a sight, with uprooted trees and the faults that spread to the lake slowly closing. The lake itself was much lower, too, much of its water displaced. Gloria tilted her head.
"Ash, everything good?" He didn't respond, still holding to Clobbopus as he bent down to pick something from the ground. "Ash?"
"Huh? Yeah, all good!" Ash quickly made tracks to catch up, Gloria spying something purple glittering in one of his hands. He said nothing more, and Gloria put her focus away from it, preferring to care for Drednaw as they finally arrived back at their amazingly undisturbed camp. Astrid was already there, digging for their supply of curatives.
It didn't take long to find them, but that made it no easier to apply them. When Ash placed Clobbopus down, it was clear to Gloria that he had far more wounds than expected. Her first thought was that it had to have been from the clash with Butterfree, but as Astrid's Pokémon lacked a similar amount of wounds, she began to suspect his adversarial nature to have played a part in the cuts and bruises. Patching him wasn't easy, especially not with Butterfree and Drednaw requiring some treatment as well, the latter surrounded by all of Gloria's Pokémon, waiting for her to wake up.
It took until the fire had become their only source of light and the stars permeated the thin fog for them to finish, all three of the injured creatures recovering in the center of camp. All was silent, the Lake of Outrage gone quiet after the rampage from earlier in the day.
It was a moment like this, clutching a bowl of poorly made curry, that Gloria wished Serena was here to brighten things.
"Fr-freeee…" The weakened call made Astrid jerk awake first, dashing to her Pokémon's side to find that Butterfree had recovered. He looked around, confused about his surroundings, but soon found Astrid's face. For a moment, Gloria thought they would have a moment, only for the butterfly to turn away. Astrid sighed.
"Still having problems with me, huh?" Astrid shook her head, reaching out to pet Butterfree on the head. He gave no acceptance of it, but didn't really stop her. "What's wrong? Why are you so angry?"
"Maybe he didn't like being beaten by Drednaw. Took pride in Gigantamaxing," Ash said. He was sitting alone, watching over the scene with his Pokémon as he pet Pikachu on the head, but Astrid took his words to heart. "Being beaten by a much smaller Pokémon probably hurt. And it's a bit…I don't think he handles it well."
"Yeah, I could tell that, too," Astrid said, ceasing her ministrations. "He's reckless, wanting to prove something, and wants power to prove it. But power…it can get away from you. Makes you think you're made of stronger stuff than you are. Then you…lose control. Burn up…
"Just like him…"
Gloria blinked in the silence, the fire's crackles and pops the only thing intruding on a moment she never thought she'd pay witness to. Astrid's fingers intertwined themselves with the grass. For the first time since Gloria had met her, Astrid wasn't snarking or mocking, and from the look on Ash's face, she could see that Astrid was hurting. That there was something deep inside, a knife twisting.
She reached out, gingerly touching to Butterfree. "I don't want you to burn up. I want your power to be your strength, not…Just let me understand you."
Whether Butterfree accepted that or not, Gloria couldn't tell, but he didn't slap her away.
"Drednaw…" Now it was Gloria's turn to perk up, turning in the direction of her largest Pokémon, awakening and seeming more refreshed. Her sturdy body looked better than earlier, and in relief, Gloria reached across to hug her. She couldn't hug back, and Gloria never expected it, but she certainly didn't expect the despondent tone of her next call. "Naw…"
"What's wrong, Drednaw?" Gloria said, pulling back. Applin jumped atop her head, beaming down at the large turtle, while Raboot and Corvisquire watched. Drednaw didn't respond at first, looking away from Gloria as though ashamed. She attempted to stand, and took a step forward, shuddering…but slow.
"Dred…" Another step, even slower than before. Gloria frowned, folding her arms. She was starting to put it together.
"Are you upset because you're slow?" Drednaw ceased her movements, and managed to nod her head, grateful that Gloria had understood what was troubling her. Ash stood up, wearing his own wistful expression, clearly reminiscing on something familiar to him. It hit Gloria that Drednaw was clearly affected by this, already upset at her slow speed compared to the rest of the team. Now, she was slower, and any chance of catching up in speed was gone. Gloria could see that with every movement she tried to make.
"Drednaw?" the turtle asked, looking up at Gloria with tears pooling. She wanted reassurance that she could get fast again, but both trainer and Pokémon knew that wouldn't happen.
Gloria, however, reached a hand out to her precious partner. She didn't care.
"I'm not disappointed in you at all!" Gloria grinned at her Pokémon, patting her softly on the head, running her hand along the horn. "So, you're not super-fast. You don't need to be. Maybe we should've focused on how sturdy you are in the first place, because you took those hits like a champ. I bet you could even hold your own against Leon's Charizard! It makes you the special wild card!"
"Rabuh!" Raboot said, agreeing emphatically with her declaration. Applin squeaked out her own approval, though Corvisquire remained quiet, barring a brief squawk as he turned away. Drednaw finally looked up, looking just a little bit better.
"You see? You're still a valued member of this team! So, chin up! We'll make you the toughest turtle yet, I promise!" Drednaw hesitated, but could hear the earnestness in her words, ones that she meant wholeheartedly. It took a moment, but finally she managed to crack a smile along her razor-sharp teeth. It was a start.
A start interrupted by groaning that indicated the revival of their current guest.
"Looks like he's awake," Ash said, pulling attention to the last of those coming to. Clobbopus groaned, wincing at his wounds, but otherwise coming to with blinking eyes. He looked around, unclear of his surroundings save for the crackling fire, until his eyes managed to land on Gloria near Drednaw.
"Hey, there. Feeling better? Gotten all that aggression out of you?" she asked, putting on her own smile for the Pokémon. He didn't respond, not with a nod or any sort of verbal cue, but he continued watching her. It didn't take long before he saw Drednaw, though.
"Clob-po-po!" The anger started up immediately, the mollusk launching forward with the aim of punching the Water type he hated so much.
Raboot had none of it. No sooner had Clobbopus started, than Gloria's best partner flipped forward and landed a kick to his head, sending him tumbling backwards. He landed, puffing a breath out of exhaustion over the Fighting type's antics. Gloria patted Raboot on the head, thanking him and approaching the clearly still injured Clobbopus.
"You shouldn't be up and moving so fast. You're still injured," she said. Clobbopus couldn't stop the glare in Drednaw's direction, but hearing Gloria shuffle for another potion made him look up to her, tilting his head like a curious child. "You keep fighting when you're hurt and eventually, no one around you is going to help you like we are. Here."
Gloria sprayed the potion on Clobbopus's lingering wounds, causing the mollusk to cry out from the stinging sensation. He held on, however, allowing the treatment to go through until Gloria took some bandages and stuck them on the healing wounds. Gloria patted him on the head and turned away, only to feel an insistent prodding in her backside. "Clobbo?"
"Hm?" Gloria turned back, looking quite sharply at Gloria and punching his fists forward. Astrid and Ash watched, tending to their own, as Gloria smiled and gently pushed Clobbopus down to a laying position. He tried to get up again, his fists ready for a fight, one that her Pokémon gathered close for, but Gloria remained insistent. "No, you need to rest. You're real strong, but even fighters need some sleep. Otherwise, they can't get stronger. And you're still too injured to fight, so just calm down, okay."
Clobbopus held his position, still looking ready for a fight, particularly with either Raboot or Drednaw, but after a moment, he relented. Now offering a sole nod, he leaned back down, allowing himself to rest per Gloria's orders. Feeling better about the situation, Gloria retreated back, only to find her leg being tapped. Clobbopus was there, looking up at her, and in his eyes rimmed with orange, she could see he wanted her to stay.
Finding it a harmless request, Gloria sat cross-legged before him, waving her other Pokémon over to join them. Clobbopus frowned at that, turning away from the gathered group, but they fell into a steady silence as the night dragged on around them.
At some point, Gloria found herself beginning to nod off, her peripherals becoming hazy. Astrid kept care of Butterfree, while Ash was playing with something in his hands, a frown on his lips. She wasn't sure if either of them would sleep at all before she drifted off into dreamland and only awoke when the sun was beginning to rise. The fire had burned down and the fog was gone, replaced with a very light rain that made her sniffle. It had to have been slightly late, however, because Astrid and Ash were breaking down camp, and before her, Clobbopus was gone.
"Where did he go?" Gloria asked, wiping at her nose and beginning to pack her own things away. "And what's the hurry?"
"No idea," Astrid answered in response to her first query. "As for the hurry, Absol is a little agitated. I take it we're going to encounter something worse than this rain if we don't hurry on to Hammerlocke. Besides, we might've patched our Pokémon up, but taking them to a Center wouldn't be a bad idea."
"Oh. Good point!" With Astrid having convinced her of the need to hurry, Gloria began pitching in with aiding their departure, helping Ash in dismantling the tent and packing it away carefully, making sure to not disturb the egg in her bag. Gratefully, it had seemed oblivious to the action around it, and she patted it, giving well wishes to the little one that would eventually hatch from inside and feeling it tremble just a tad.
Not long after that and a quick breakfast, the three were ready to hit the road again, looking out over the somewhat concealed Lake of Outrage. Ash folded his arms, observing the site of yesterday's battle, the land looking more refreshed in the morning rain. "Shame you couldn't practice for Raihan."
"Ah, it's all right. We got all the training we need! Chewtle broke past her limits and evolved! That's a huge step in right direction, right guys?" Gloria turned to her team, careful that the egg didn't shake loose in her bag. All four of her team members responded in kind, with Raboot running forward to join her before she could return the others.
He soon joined them, however, a shape ramming him aside and sending him flying on to Drednaw's face, taking all present by surprise.
"Clobbo! Clob! Clob-po-po-po!" Gloria looked down, realizing that Raboot had been replaced by Clobbopus, the mollusk having returned. He was carrying a berry in his pores, one that was firm to touch, colored cream and orange just like himself. He shook it loose, dropping it at Gloria's feet and pointing to himself. "Clobba!"
"Uh…" Gloria was unsure how to respond, scratching behind her ear. It was Ash who spoke up, looking up towards the sky and monitoring the weather.
"I think he wants to join you."
"Join…me?" Her Pokémon all cried out at that, none sounding all that pleased, especially Raboot, nursing a bruise to his cheek, but Gloria ignored them, bending low to be at eye level. "Is that what you want? To journey with me and grow stronger?"
"Clob-po!" Clobbopus punched at the air with ferocity and speed, nodding vigorously towards Gloria. The rest of her Pokémon were still disgruntled, Drednaw growling at the mere suggestion, but Gloria couldn't help but admire his want to gain strength. Though she'd never said it aloud, he reminded her of herself, desperate to prove her strength to the world. In some part, Clobbopus had to have sensed that, finding in her a kindred spirit to get even stronger and break his own limits.
"Then I'd be glad to have you! We'll take on the Gym Challenge together and bring all our opponents down!"
"Clobba!"
"Buh!" Raboot cried out, his protests heard, but summarily ignored. Knowing it was just a temporary frustration over Clobbopus's insistence, Gloria trusted her partner to compose himself, and she took a Poké Ball out. Clutching it tight for a second, she soon tossed it at Clobbopus, the Pokémon becoming red light that was soon sucked inside. The ball dropped, rocking back and forth only a few times before the chime sounded with the stars, indicating a capture. Gloria bent down and picked it up.
"All right! I caught a Clobbopus!" she yelled to the sky, a sky that soon rumbled with thunder, threatening a downpour soon to come. What she didn't hear was Raboot's cheer, or that of any of her Pokémon, the memory of yesterday's close call still in their minds. With the thunderstorm bearing down on them, too, there was no time to ask them to celebrate either, forcing Gloria to quickly recall them, the companions turning towards Hammerlocke.
Even with the heavens ready to open above them, Gloria's face split with a smile.
She had another team member, and her egg was held close. Soon, she knew, she'd have a full spread, ready to take on any challenge.
Feeling confident, she led the group forward, leaving the self-repairing land behind towards the citadel of Hammerlocke.
Author's Note: And so Gloria has gotten not just a brand-spankin' evolution, but a new capture! It's been a while, huh? 12 chapters since her last capture in Applin. Though, it certainly seems the rest of her team isn't quite so happy with this latest development. To be frank, this is the reason, in part, that we had last chapter, and you'll understand quite a bit more as we move forward.
I think there was plenty going on this chapter, and look forward to your thoughts on all of it.
Viroro: Well, this chapter went very much not like how Gloria expected, but aside from the focus on Astrid and Butterfree's situation, our Postwick girl still ended up gaining from it, between Chewtle's evolution and the addition of Clobbopus to Gloria's team, both choices made for specific reasons and to further developments that will play a huge role in her growth as a trainer. We had a lot of fun planning around Clobbopus's character and role in particular, and I like to think he'll be a quite interesting Pokémon to follow.
In any case, I hope you enjoyed what this chapter had to offer, and that you'll keep looking forward to what's to come!
Time for our thanks: to Cataquack Warrior and princelotor81 for favoriting; Icantue for following; and the biggest to oomoepoo, MythGirl Writes, FantasyLover88, XDiamondX90, ChE clarinetist, Tenzalucard123, RRV55, UltimateCCC, Ander Arias, Rajiv A. Rajaram, AmourshippingCanon, aliensinnoh, Captainsquid12 and Fury for reviewing.
Next time, we reach Hammerlocke, and some fun stuff therein. Until then, please Review and,
Dare to Be Silly.