Glad we could still surprise you all with Alastair last chapter. Warms my heart. Now, Chapter 11!
Chapter 11
A Geoglyph
"That was a complete waste of time!" Jessie's shrill shriek scared some Woobat from the perches on the cavern ceiling, flying to safe distance from the increasing decibels. Meowth and Wobbuffet were covering each other's ears (as much as Wobbuffet had ears), while James sighed loudly. They were so close to the mine exit, but still so far away thanks to Jessie's secluded tirade. James reached for it, seeing the glorious sunset beyond, but was denied. With a sigh, he dropped his hardhat into his lap. "We had to dress in these ridiculous costumes, infiltrate some geek squad and we still almost got killed. Not to mention what this has done to my hair!"
"And no one messes with Jess's hair!" Meowth commented. From their side, Y scoffed, fiddling with his tablet.
"Be grateful you got out alive. You've been through worse."
"Yeah, on our old boss's orders! He was a psychopath!"
"And here I taut da two a you had so much in common." Jessie didn't hesitate in lunging for Meowth and throttling him. Weary at their antics, James looked to Y, who finished stowing away his device.
"To be fair, we didn't walk away with anything."
"No, I guess you're right," Y lamented, running an agitated hand through his hair. He was starting to pace back forth. "I always knew Alastair would be a slippery quarry to chase after, but he's proven more troublesome than expected, and now we know he's up to something. Blast that cave-in." The man's features softened, throwing a smile James's way before he concluded with, "I'm sorry for putting you and your Pokémon in danger. I'll try to be more mindful in tracking him."
"It's no worry. Myself, Inkay and Crabrawler are made of stern stuff! Jessie and her partners, too!"
"But not her hair." That earned Meowth another violent strangling, until he clawed her face, forcing her to desist.
"Well, either way, I don't want to be like your old boss. You're not obligated to be here, but I'm grateful for your services nonetheless."
"Ugh, stop with the sappy talk, or I'll start wishing I didn't have a boss at all!" Jessie said with a final harrumph, folding her arms across her chest. She began to tap her foot, snorting at an ever-increasing volume. "I'm just glad the twerps didn't notice us."
"Yes, but they're still with that new twerpette," James remarked. "Wonder who she is…? Mini Twerpette?"
"Name's already taken by da blonde one with da Dedenne."
"Neo Twerpette?"
"Feel like that name's copyrighted, Jessie."
"Wobb wobba?"
"Nah, dat's just attachin' a number."
"We're running out of twerpette naming options!" was the subsequent complaint from Jessie, and all three members of the former Team Rocket put their heads together, almost literally, to wrack out a solution. As one, they arrived at one, their fingers raising.
"Well, it's no loss. Time to regroup," Y cut in, oblivious to their mental struggle and anguish. They all deflated. "Come on, you three. We need to figure out the next move. On to Hulbury. Cedric will meet us there."
He took off, striding towards the light. Eager to get out, James led his companions forward, and on to the next task, continuing to spin their wheels in no direction.
Ash felt horrible inside.
Part of it was that he'd brushed Gloria off with barely any explanation. For a girl who had been thrust into such a harrowing situation without warning, she had handled herself remarkably well, but Ash wished she had never had any part of it to begin with. That had always been something that had been driven to prevent, even if Ash realized it was impossible. Eventually, the world would come creeping in, and Gloria had just gotten her first taste of it.
Instead of helping her embrace it, he'd just pushed her away from it. He didn't think he could do something like that much longer.
The other reason he felt horrible wasn't the smelly, dark tunnel, visible only by Braixen's fire, but the fact that of all the people he'd run into, it had to be Alastair. Deirdre's righthand man, now in the very region he had come to. Perhaps there had been something to the joke that his presence called upon disaster, after all. He couldn't have been the only one thinking about it, either, from how silent his companions were. The looming question of what Alastair was there for lingered, pervading the air and choking conversation. He knew it was something he'd have to report to the League.
As soon as they were to get out of there, of course. Thankfully, a small, nearly imperceptible, shaft of light could be seen. Ash and Pikachu ran for it. It was tiny, for sure, but when Pikachu stuck his tail inside, Ash could tell his partner felt the sweet breeze of the outside air. "We can get through here!"
"And how do we do that without causing another cave-in?" Astrid asked. She was leaning towards it, but shook her head at its size.
"By blasting it outside! You'll help with that, right Gloria?" The girl was astonished to hear her name called, lost in whatever thoughts were taking presence in her head. He had to guess she was still mulling over the encounter with Alastair, but Ash wanted to engage her mind in a different way. "It'd be great training for Chewtle and Rookidee."
"Oh, yeah. Of course." Her Pokémon stepped (or flew) forward, while Ash called Infernape out. Astrid emitted a sigh and with a flash of light, brought her Meowstic out. "So, er…what do we do?"
"Infernape'll dig through the rubble and Chewtle will smash on through with Headbutt. Meowstic and Rookidee can help clear the debris." He felt a bit proud of that observation and plan, nodding his head, but Gloria wasn't sold.
"But Rookidee doesn't know Air Slash."
"Rook!" The bird didn't look pleased to hear his trainer say that, rustling his wings to call a brief wind to him. Ash grinned.
"He looks ready to me. Now, let's get started. Pikachu, weaken it with Iron Tail!"
"Chu pika!" Pikachu's glowing tail spun around and cracked down on one of the rocks mixed in with the once-liquefied mud. Soon as he had, Infernape got to work, digging through the surface. Chewtle looked at Gloria, receiving her permission to charge forward, slowly driving though some of the smaller pieces of rubble.
Dust and gravel were spat back towards their group, necessitating them to step away and let the remaining Pokémon do their work. For the larger pieces, Astrid's Meowstic glowed blue, pitching them to the side of the tunnel and away from their group, while Rookidee's wings fluttered with a wind he was creating. His determination was starting to take form as Air Slash, but the solid globe dispersed before it could finish. It still did its job, forcing away the dust before it could choke any of them.
After a few minutes, a cry broke through, the light getting brighter than it had before. "Infernape!"
"Chewtle!"
"Looks like we did it," Ash pointed out, tossing the other three a thumbs up. Serena returned it just fine, but Gloria was less enthusiastic. Her usual demeanor was clearly down, and Astrid slapped her on the back of the head to kickstart her. Knowing the others would follow, Ash proceeded through their newly created passage, the light of sunset washing over them in hues of red and gold until, at long last, Ash could feel the fresh air. Even better, was that he noticed how close the place they were approaching was, a far cry from the normal exit of the mine, up a hill some distance away. "See, told you, Astrid. Sometimes wandering can find you even better things."
"We got lucky."
A sudden noise on the ground caused Ash to turn around, already knowing what had happened. Serena had fallen on to her butt, looking just a little too pale for his liking. "Guess it can't be helped. We'll have to reach Turffield tomorrow, Gloria. Kay?"
"Yeah, it's fine…"
Somehow, her rather detached response made Ash feel more horrible, but he tried not to further address the issue, and focused on setting up their tents to the side of the road as nighttime came. He hoped a good night's sleep, one that everyone immediately fell into following a swift dinner, would cure Gloria of her worries, and he of his. To that effect, when morning arrived, the girl was in slightly better spirits, cooking up breakfast with her team and careful to check on Serena more often. At least, she was more rested, and with Turffield in sight once they left their camp, she had reverted to being to go-getter he had met her as.
"Finally, my first Gym battle."
"You already had a Gym battle," Astrid remarked. Gloria impulsively chucked a Poké Ball at the woman's face, but Astrid caught it and spun it on the tip of her finger.
"That one doesn't count. I wasn't ready. But I'll be ready this time!" Gloria declared, marching forward towards Turffield. Ash laughed as they continued on; he was really starting to like her moxie.
It was barely even mid-morning when the group finally reached the edge of the route, crossing under a flower-lined arch that put the name of the city in big, yellow letters. That made the place pleasant to Ash, right from the get-go. In fact, despite Bede's snide comments towards Gloria, he hadn't been entirely wrong in describing the place as a hamlet of sorts. There were flower shops along the main road that sloped down the hill, along with some other amenities for its traveling trainers, but beyond that center of town were rolling hills and plains, with stone monuments dotting the location. Quaint little houses served as the residences for citizens of the town, while a trickling river fed the town its water. Cutiefly were up and about pollenating, while the bleating of the familiar Wooloo gave a certain ambience. One Ash enjoyed with an inhale.
That ambience was shattered seconds after Ash attained it with the roaring of cheers. Further down the hill, in the very center of the city, was a stadium. Not as grand or impressive as Motostoke's, but something that put almost every Conference he had participated in to shame. From where he stood, it looked to be some sort of open-air concept, allowing the cheers to flood the otherwise tranquil Turffield. The only other notable concept of the stadium was how green it was, not only from its lights and composition, but from the vines that covered it. There was no doubt in it being a Grass type Gym.
"Aw, looks like someone's already challenging today!" Ash expected Gloria to be put-out by that, but she took it in markedly good humor, slinging her hands behind her head. "Oh, well. It'll be time for more training. To the Pokémon Center!"
"Bzzt! Phone call! Bzzt! Phone call!" Ash jumped at the sudden sound, Pikachu nearly falling off his shoulder. Once his partner realized it was coming from Gloria's cardigan, he hopped off his shoulder and pawed at the offending noise.
"Ah, sorry! Who could be calling?" Gloria fumbled in her pockets for the Rotom Phone, almost dropping it a couple times (of course, Astrid took the opportunity to snort about this), before finally managing to answer the call. Ash leaned in, and though the screen was small, he could see the unmistakable heart-shaped hair decorations, set amidst the young woman's ginger locks. "Sonia!"
"Hey, Gloria, been trying to reach you for a while now," the woman said, pulling back from the screen a little. The more she did, the more she revealed a familiar background, looking eerily like the very town they were now standing in.
"Sorry, I guess I didn't have reception." When Gloria finished, Scorbunny popped over her head, sliding down her beret to get in front of the screen with a grin. "Not now, Scorbunny."
"Nibbah…"
"Ha ha, it's all right. Reception is famously tricky in the Galar Mines."
"You could say that…" Gloria muttered. Ash suppressed his own laugh, wanting to share it with his wife, but Serena was busy talking to a little girl with a ring of flowers that had come from the nearby shop. It was just like her. "But, er…how'd you get my number?"
"Gran gave you those phones, remember?" Gloria slapped her forehead, just remembering this detail. "Anyway, not why I'm calling. I have a gift for you, as promised."
"Brilliant!" Gloria chirped, pumping her fist into the air. She looked to Scorbunny, who nuzzled against her at the implication of whatever Sonia was here for. Ash had to admit he was starting to lose his span of attention, preferring to locate the Pokémon Center and whatever food he could find before he explored the town. Seeing Gloria's phone again, though, reminded him of the call he needed to make. "Dynamax here we come!"
"Yeah, so, I'm here in Turffield, near the geoglyphs. Come and pick it up."
"Will do!" The call ended, Sonia disappearing from the screen and Gloria pocketing the device. She turned to all of them, her eyes particularly looking at Ash. "I think I'm gonna-"
"Go. We'll meet up at the Pokémon Center later," he said. He wasn't one to put a damper on her giddy excitement, and with a barely restrained nod, Gloria jetted off further into the town, dodging around a Mudsdale-driven cart.
"That girl can't stay still. Like you," Astrid said. Ash rolled his eyes, holding his arm out for Pikachu to leap back on.
"Nothing wrong with moving forward." Astrid didn't argue back, and Ash didn't let her, doubling back to join hands with his wife as they made towards the Center. At one point, their older companion got distracted by a jewelry store, permitting the couple to continue on into the very rustic and quaint Center.
This one was a little busier than the one they had been staying at just a couple days ago, an effect of the Gym being in Turffield, plenty of challengers and their Pokémon either talking with Nurse Joy or taking a midday snack. A television was showing the current match on its screen, a two-on-two match that the challenger was very close to losing. Watching the trainer on screen call a command, Ash knew he wouldn't turn it around against the Gym Leader, a rather burly man with ginger hair. It looked like a fun battle, in any case.
But Ash wasn't here for fun.
"Gotta make a phone call. When I'm done, wanna check out Turffield?"
"You say that like I wasn't looking up spots in the first place," Serena answered back, showing some pamphlets that had been in a display near the door. Ash grinned and leaned in to give her a quick peck on the lips before he was running off for the phones. Pikachu stayed behind to help out as Yamper was let loose from his Poké Ball.
Chuckling to himself, Ash stopped before the phones, looking around to make sure that no one was too near. Most of them were glued to the television and the match's concluding moments, a post-battle replay taking up the screen, giving Ash the privacy to dig out the number from his backpack and dial it in.
Not even two rings were needed and the well-known face of Kanto's Champion, and current leader of the G-Men, Lance, appeared on the screen. "I was wondering when the League would hear from you. How're you finding Galar, Ash?"
"It's nice," Ash said, rubbing his head and finding himself confused by the pleasantries. "Would be nicer if Alastair wasn't around."
That made the room chillier. Lance's previous grin gave way to a stern and discerning expression. He wasn't going to make further small talk. "So, he is in Galar…"
"Wait, you knew? Lance, is that why the League sent me here?" Ash got closer to the screen, as if it would make him better heard or his presence felt, but Lance wasn't intimidated. He waved away the remark.
"Not at all. You're genuinely there for the orders given. Alastair was a tip we received after the fact." The Champion sighed, sitting back in whatever chair was in his office. "We've been on the lookout for him since the battle with IDEAL, but even our best forces haven't been able to find him. Not that I'm surprised. Alastair was a big part of the reason that team worked so well, and Matori is refusing to say."
"Well, I don't think he's a threat…" Ash said. Realizing his closeness to the screen wasn't helping matters, he pulled back.
"Threat or not, we still need to bring him in. Where are you?"
"Turffield."
"Ah, that helps narrow things down, then," Lance said. He scribbled the information on a piece of paper before putting his onyx eyes back on Ash. "So, update me, Ash: met with Rose and Leon?"
"Yeah, Leon's pretty cool. Really want to battle him, too, but we had to get on the road, and he's a really popular guy!"
"'Pretty cool'…Ash, handle these things with more dignity. You're a Liaison now." Ash could only beam at the man he could consider his boss in response. It made the Champion roll his eyes. "Well, anyway…Leon does seem to be very popular. If the Galar League wants to become more prominent, he'd be the point-man on all of this, so it's good if you like him. You tend to have a good judge of character."
"Rose seems like a pretty good guy, too, though I find him a little weird."
"Weird how?"
"Well, I mean, he's supposed to be this big shot, right? How come I've never heard of him?"
"Because up until recently, Galar has been a very minor part of the League. Think of it like the Orange League: a local circuit with small ties to the greater Pokémon League. Rose may have been Chairman of that, but to the world at large, he's just a businessman," Lance informed Ash. He nodded, not absorbing much of the information, but pretending he was nonetheless. "A very successful businessman, mind you. He even helped fund the League Hub, and did some minor work on the administrative side of things after that battle in Ancien City. It's no wonder that Galar feels it's ready to join the greater League, now."
"I guess so…League politics aren't really my thing."
"I can see that by the way your eyes glazed over." Ash grimaced; it seemed that he had known. "But wizen up, Ash. A League Liaison can't be completely ignorant of the politics behind the scenes here. You're the one we need to assess Galar's Gym Challenge."
"I am! I'll be seeing my first real Gym battle here, soon. Got a real competitor who'll show me it," Ash insisted. Some sounds could be heard on Lance's end of the line, and the man turned his head away to address the person who had popped into the room. When he turned back, Ash could sense the impending end of the conversation.
"Well, that's good. Just make sure to check in when you can. The League needs this now more than ever. Leave the Alastair situation to me. Take care."
Ash couldn't even fit in his own goodbye before the line went dead. For all Lance said, Ash didn't feel he'd walked away with anything noteworthy, other than the fact Rose was a very impressive man. Of course, he could guess that from the size of the Gyms alone, so it wasn't a very new fact. Still, he was starting to wonder why this was so important for the League, and while he had his guesses, none of them mattered when he turned away from the phone to meet up with Serena, taking her hand and heading out on the town.
Everything would work itself out in time.
Gloria found there to be something different about Turffield. It wasn't full of the grinding gears and machines that had made Motostoke, and nor was it pure pasture like Postwick. Strolling through the town, listening to the cheers of the present Gym battle die down, Gloria felt it was similar to home, but not quite the same. That made it refreshing, and the thought of finally getting her Dynamax Band encouraged her and Scorbunny to pick up the pace.
"Can you believe it, Scorbunny? We're finally gonna Dynamax!" she said, her fists pumping close to her chest.
"Scah! Nibbah!" Scorbunny's tiny hands fanned out, as though simulating his growth to gargantuan levels. The duo passed by some stone constructs, each labeled with ancient writings on them, but they only received a brief look-over. None of the writings made sense, and Gloria was more interested in climbing the hill. A rather populated hill, now that Gloria was paying attention to it.
The duo put a bit of a sprint into their step, Scorbunny leaving being some cinders with every pad of his foot. Turning it into somewhat of a race, Gloria avoided a few people leaving the hill and shaking their heads with disappointment, while some parents and their children remained, playing at the small park set up. The bleating of Wooloo met Gloria's ears, reminding her of Hop and home, but she didn't search for them. Instead, she found the young ginger-haired woman, twiddling with her hair as she leaned over the rope fence that encircled the hilltop. Next to her was her Boltund, keeping watch. He barked as soon as he saw Gloria approaching.
"Miss Sonia!" Gloria waved, the assistant researcher turning. Sonia waved back, a small smile adorning her face as Gloria closed the gap between them.
"You made good time. Almost as fast as Hop when I gave him his."
"I'm much faster than Hop!" Gloria argued back, hands on her hips. Sonia waved her hands in front of her face, giggling from the display.
"You'll have to bring that up with him when you see him. He reminds me so much of his brother, sprinting right ahead. Already got his Badge here." Gloria would have despaired at another of her rivals being ahead of her, but the pure adrenaline of excitement over her reason for meeting Sonia overrode that. Unfortunately for Gloria's impatient self, Sonia was appearing too wistful to remember, her eyes softening at her memory of Leon. It made the young girl just a bit too uncomfortable for her tastes.
"Uh, Sonia? Dynamax Band?"
"Oh, right." The woman dug into the bag at her side, eventually pulling out a small box, which she opened. It was, of course, a mere trick of the light, but Gloria truly believed the Band inside to be shining, waiting for her to grasp it in hand. "Gran worked hard to fashion it. I think she wants to see you battle as much as anyone."
"Of course! And with this Dynamax Band," Gloria said, slipping the white band with a black center, red and blue lines along its sides, onto her wrist, "we're going to finally take the Gym Challenge by storm! Kabu won't stop us with that trick next time!"
"Nibbahnibbah!" Scorbunny cried, emulating his trainer in pointing to the sky. It attracted some unwanted attention, however brief it was.
"Oh, is that the girl who challenged Kabu at the opening ceremonies?"
"She's got the bluster down."
"Ha ha ha," Sonia couldn't help but laugh out. She turned away from Gloria, hand over her mouth. "You're dreaming so big. Must be nice."
"But aren't you dreaming big?" Scorbunny hopped back up on Gloria's head, his ears tilting to the side while the two waited for Sonia to respond.
"I guess…Maybe once, but that died the day Leon…" Sonia let out a louder sigh than she had thus far, prompting Gloria to join her at the fence. The pair looked out upon the fields, something etched in the ground, but impossible to see thanks to the Wooloo that turned it into their pasture. Sonia began to play with her hair once again. "Now I'm just assisting gran in this whole Dynamax origins business."
"Yeah?" Gloria tapped her foot a little, and she twisted her lips in her attempt to figure out how to respond. Glancing to the band on her wrist, she knew she had to repay the kindness a little. "How's that going?"
"Oh, just peachy." The sarcasm couldn't be more evident, and was further enhanced when Sonia pointed across to the occupied field. Now that Gloria was looking closer, there was a man at the far end, trying to herd the poor sheep, but when Sonia continued, he didn't matter. "Gran has me running all about Galar, so, in an effort to try and make the research my own, I decided to look into the Darkest Day."
"Darkest…Day?"
"Not surprised you haven't heard of it. Galar's not big on ancient legends these days." Gloria's eyes trailed up to Scorbunny, getting a shrug from her partner. "But it is said to be the birth of Dynamax in the region, or so some studies have claimed. No one has the full picture. Just snippets. All we really know is that it was a cataclysmic event some three thousand years ago that plunged the region into darkness."
Gloria looked around. "Looks pretty light out to me."
"Hah, well, that's what I'm looking into. Thought the geoglyphs here might give me some information but, as you can see…" Boltund barked when Sonia gestured over to the now interloping Wooloo, and received an affectionate pet from his trainer.
"So…you wanna see what's under the Wooloo?" Instead of an affirmative, Gloria received a shrug. It didn't change what her mind made up in an instant. The girl from Postwick grinned brightly, and Scorbunny hopped down. She rolled up the sleeves of her cardigan, and with a single jump, vaulted over the rope fence. "Then we'll make it happen! Scorbunny, let's wrangle those Wooloo!"
"Ni!" Scorbunny called, racing far ahead of Gloria with fire under his feet. Sonia tried to call after him, but realizing she couldn't stop the pair, opted to join them, clambering over the fence as she removed her coat and tied it around her waist.
"You're a good egg, Gloria."
Gloria rubbed a finger under her nose, grinning. "Glad to be."
With that, Gloria ran straight for the Wooloo, tossing her pair of Poké Balls out that resulted in Rookidee and Chewtle joining them on the field. They didn't even need instruction, though only Chewtle ran at the Wooloo, huffing and puffing as she tried to garner speed. Rookidee rested on Gloria's head, chortling at Chewtle's efforts. "Kokoko!"
"You could help her, you know? We gotta move these guys," Gloria chastised the bird, picking him off her head and staring straight back into his piercing eyes. "And you have to work on Air Slash."
"Rooko." He flapped, shooting from her arms and into the air. Gloria watched him complete his arc and then go soaring back down, only to stop before embedding his beak in the thick tufts of wool. His memory from the battle against Hop was clearly very present.
"Nibbah! Nibbah!" Scorbunny shouted from near another Wooloo, jumping up and down in front of it. The only reaction it received was Wooloo looking up from eating its grass and then bleating loudly enough to make the bunny tumble over.
"Right. Okay, Wooloo, time to move on out of here!" Gloria shouted. She received no response. Chewtle reached one, pushing against its stubby legs, but eventually giving up with an exhausted sigh. "Did you hear me, Wooloo?! Get a move on!"
"I don't think it's working, Gloria…" Sonia commented. Gloria scoffed. Tired of being ignored, Gloria unbuttoned her cardigan, stomping forward in her dress with the intention of moving them herself.
"Hop makes it look easy, so I can handle these Wooloo no problem."
"You certainly think much of Hop…" Gloria ignored what sounded like a teasing comment, prepared to sink her hands into the fluffy Pokémon before her.
"Oh, please stop!" The panicked voice made Gloria freeze in place, one leg lifted and her hands outstretched. The only part she moved was her head, turning to see a young boy, perhaps a year or two younger than herself, running at her. At his side was a Yamper, who barked out towards Sonia's Boltund, receiving one in turn. This one was less energetic and more stern than Serena's, but the boy was anything but, skidding to a stop before Gloria with hands on his knees. The patina of sweat across his brow betrayed his exertion. "Please don't hurt them."
"Er, I wasn't going to?" Gloria said, managing to move her limbs back into place. "Just tryin' to move 'em."
"Ugh, so have I!" the boy said, flopping on the grass, his straw hat bouncing. One of the Wooloo seemed to take a liking to it, plodding over and taking a nibble. "I've been trying for hours but haven't managed to get them back to the farm. They won't even budge…so stubborn!"
"So, you're the one responsible for this?" Sonia asked. She hadn't meant it unkindly, but the boy screamed, covering his ears and rocking back and forth.
"I didn't mean to! I'm just not used to these sorts of things! My big brother usually handles the farm work. Oh, he's going to be so disappointed…"
"I'm going to be what now, Buck?" The deeper voice, one that was so soft it didn't make sense, indicated the arrival of a new person, trudging up the grassy hills to join them. He was large, with the same-colored hair and straw hat as the boy currently despairing on the ground. Gloria didn't need Sonia to confirm who this was.
"Oh, so you're his brother, Milo?"
"Is that Sonia? Been a while," the buff man said. He tipped his straw hat a little before taking a towel wrapped around his neck and tossing it to his brother. "How's Nessa been? Been so busy preparing for the season I haven't had a chance to face off with her."
"She's been good. Getting a bit listless with her modeling," Sonia explained, twirling at her hair. It felt like she could relate to this Nessa, the name being that of another Gym Leader. To Gloria, it served as a reminder of how connected the young woman was. Not that she forgot the others there. "Oh, sorry, this is Mi-"
"Milo, Leader of the Turffield Gym," Gloria finished for her. She lunged across the distance to offer her hand to the man she would be facing as soon as possible. He accepted it with good humor.
"That's me. And who do I have the pleasure of speaking with?"
"Gloria, Gym Challenger!" When she made her declaration, her Pokémon called out, announcing their own presence to the man.
"That's excellent! I always like meeting my challengers off the field! Now, Buck, what's gone on with these Wooloo?" Milo's brother scrambled to his feet, bowing more times than was necessary in an effort to appease Milo. Gloria didn't think the Gym Leader needed it. Not once had the smile dropped from his face.
"I don't know, Milo. I was trying to feed them, but one of the paddocks was open and they just…" Milo reached out, one of his larger hands ruffling the hair atop Buck's head (Gloria realized the Wooloo from before had made off with the hat). That silenced the young boy, who could only hold back tears at his brother's grin.
"No worries, Buck. It's a learning experience." To emphasize his calming words, Milo approached a nearby Wooloo, softly petting its wool. It turned, bleating with joy at him, and with a simple urging, the Gym Leader caused the sheep to begin rolling along, back down the hill to where Gloria could see the farm was waiting. "Wooloo are trusting Pokémon, but if they feel how nervous you are, they'll be nervous, too. The more you push, the less they'll move. What they need is a soft touch."
To emphasize this, he threw a Poké Ball to the winds, and from it emerged one that could only be identified as Milo's ace: the Cotton Bloom Pokémon, Eldegoss. It looked majestic to Gloria, floating on the winds with its large ball of cotton, its kind brown eyes gazing at the Wooloo. It was in sync with Milo, too, needing nary a command to dance on the wind. Leaves swirled around it, and from that move, Gloria felt the wind stirring. Rookidee's wings snapped out, and he glided on the winds as they reached a flock of the Wooloo, the leaves tickling their wool. Many bleated, and then followed their fellow Pokémon in rolling away down the hill.
"You're just as much of a softie as ever, aren't you, Milo?" Sonia said, her finger poking his chest with a teasing smile. He laughed it off, as though what he'd just done was nothing.
But for Gloria, it had been everything.
Watching Milo create wind from leaves was nothing short of inspiring, and some part of her wondered if that had been his plan from the beginning. The way he taught Buck suggested his interest in young people's growth. If it was, she was grateful, looking up to Rookidee.
"Did you see that? Feel that wind and pretend you're creating something like that Leafage." It wasn't the best of instructions, but Rookidee understood it all the same. Milo's grin widened.
"Oh, going to help us out, Gloria?"
"You bet. Show us what to do." Her brimming confidence was enough to stop Buck from feeling down on himself, looking to the girl. She held a thumbs up, and he smiled back, wiping his face with Milo's towel and tossing it back to him.
"Excellent. Moving Wooloo one by one would be an all-day affair, so we want to move them as a flock. The important part is gentleness and precision." Milo pointed to Eldegoss in the sky, his Pokémon dancing on the air. More leaves were created, the wind giving the Wooloo a slight push. Those affected by it could feel that something was different, and some started to roll away. It wasn't a forceful attack, but a change that subtly urged them to roll along. As Gloria watched, however, some started to roll to the side, only for Leafage to intercept, forcing them back along the path to the farm. "You see?"
"Yes. Everyone ready?" Gloria called to her Pokémon, raising her hand to signal them. They had all been paying attention, and put themselves in a position to sprint.
"Good luck," Sonia said back. Then Gloria lowered her arm.
Rookidee flapped forward, his little wings beating at the air. It was creating some gusts, the spherical air partially forming before it dispersed, settling into dead air. Only one of the Wooloo was affected, turning to a ball that rolled down the hill. Scorbunny and Chewtle gave chase, but the latter was nowhere near keeping up, and even Scorbunny started to lag behind, putting his all into his speed, only for Wooloo to bounce off course and smack into Scorbunny's face.
"That's some bad luck," Milo noted. He didn't sound upset, and seconds later, both his hands slapped Gloria and Buck on the back, bringing them close to him. "So, we'll just have to work together. Gloria, how about your Scorbunny takes one side, while Buck and his Yamper take the other. Eldegoss and your Rookidee can take the skies. We'll have these Wooloo cleared off in no time!"
Gloria could already sense Chewtle's disappointment in not being called to task anything, and before she could sulk off, the girl grabbed her turtle. "You and I will have to watch together. Scorbunny, Rookidee, you guys ready this time?"
"Nibbahbun!"
"Eldegoss, if you will," Milo called. Rookidee fluttered up to the Cotton Spore Pokémon's side, watching it with full attention. The leaves came off its body, swirling and creating a force of wind. Rookidee's sharp glare observed every movement, his wings moving just slightly, the vibrations of his feathers causing the air to turn in his direction. Gloria started to grin.
Just like that! she said internally. The more she watched, the more she saw Rookidee pull in control, his minute movements resulting in the globular form of compressed air. Eldegoss looked to him, and the pair nodded. With a spin, Rookidee sent his Air Slash straight at Eldegoss's Leafage. They collided in midair, creating a strong breeze that washed over all of the Wooloo covering the geoglyph.
"Baaah!" one of them called out, surprised. They must have thought some kind of risky winds were on the way from the interaction, because the one furthest from the farm tucked itself in and began to roll back. When they saw it coming, its fellow Wooloo did the same.
"Keep it up at the sides! We need to be quick!"
"Come on, Yamper!" Yamper barked, running as quick as it could to stop the Wooloo from rolling further into town. Gloria knew it was up to her and her team to prevent them getting lost in the forest. Clutching Chewtle, she ran, Scorbunny a few feet ahead of her to keep up with the group that was rolling beyond their purview.
"Faster Scorbunny! We gotta keep up!" He tried, and she knew it, digging his feet in and leaving scorch marks on the grass. His speed was only barely increasing, no matter how his head was angled, and the Wooloo were quickly passing them, a few veering off to their side. Chewtle struggled in Gloria's hold, but she knew the little turtle would do no good, and she wracked her brain for a solution.
Then she remembered one, of Infernape's blue fire and the heat that must have burned within.
"Scorbunny, don't give up. Stop moving and keep your fire inside!" It sounded like a counterproductive order, with Buck tossing wild eyes at her across the way.
"You're mad! The Wooloo are getting away!"
"Not for long." Gloria skidded down to her knees, placing a hand on her most trusted Pokémon. He looked up, rubbing at his nose while he panted. "Just feel the fire. Like Ash's Infernape. Remember all those exercises we'd do in Postwick?"
"Nibbah…?" As if it was a muscle memory ingrained in his very fur, Scorbunny began to hop up and down, beating a cadence upon the grass. True to Buck's warning, the Wooloo were moving fast out of control. Eldegoss's Leafage and another shot of Air Slash tried to prevent them from going too far, but Gloria knew they would be needed, and she knew that Scorbunny could do it. His feet began to pump faster.
"That's it. Feel the burn inside!" Gloria stood, beginning to do it herself, and she could feel her leg muscles burning with the exertion, Chewtle bouncing in her arms. Scorbunny was burning, too, or at least smoking, a spark igniting upon his fur. His feet were flying and Gloria stopped her own to tap him on the back, urging him forward. That was enough. "Scorbunny, Flame Charge!"
"Niiiiiibaaaah!" Scorbunny's feet stopped their excessive repetitions and with Gloria's tap he shot off. The spark turned to fire, the smoke petering out to become a trail of embers. Scorbunny moved faster than she'd ever seen him move, reaching the Wooloo in no time.
Upon seeing the speeding, flaming bullet that was Scorbunny, the Wooloo let out sharp cries and redirected themselves to join the flock in a streaming line. Gloria pumped her fist, and even if Chewtle was upset and having been unable to do anything, she could feel her smiling, too. Scorbunny kicked at the air, grinning at Gloria before he continued racing under his swift feet to keep the Wooloo in line, all the way back to the farm. Before they could reunite, Milo clapped a hand on Gloria's shoulder.
"That's one fast Scorbunny. I look forward to seeing it on the battlefield." Gloria lit up at that, even more considerably when she saw Scorbunny racing back for her, his fire petering out. He jumped for her, and in one swoop, Gloria caught her rabbit, holding him tight with Chewtle. Rookidee landed atop her head. Seeing the sight, Milo let out a sigh of contentment. "Ah, nothing better than a hard day's work after a hard day's Gym battle."
"Still wish I didn't have to involve you…" Buck said, a slight whining edge to his voice. Milo took it with good humor.
"It's no worries. Failure's how we learn and grow. Can't tell you the number of times losing to my rival has spurred me to do better, and every Gym Challenger provides another humbling lesson." Milo grabbed his brother, hugging him tight and letting off a good-natured laugh. "How about you, Gloria? You ready to challenge the Turffield Gym?"
"You bet your arse I am!" She didn't know what overcame her, but her fist extended itself, her new Dynamax Band glittering upon it, and she knocked knuckles with the young man.
"Then let's do this tomorrow. First on the docket!"
"Don't expect my bro to go easy on you!"
"I wouldn't have it any other way. I want my first Gym victory to be one worth remembering!" Milo liked her spirit, taking her in his other burly arm. Her Pokémon were knocked about, but all took it in stride; Gloria could feel they were just as fired up after their newest accomplishments. Letting that post-work relief flood her, Gloria looked up, watching the Wooloo return home as the sun grew lower in the sky. It was a peaceful moment, one she had a feeling she wouldn't forget any time soon.
It also reminded her of someone she had forgotten in her moment of action. With a sharp gasp, Gloria pulled herself out of Milo's grasp, turning back to the hill in the distance where the dots that were Sonia and her Boltund were waiting. She set off. "See you on the pitch tomorrow, Gloria!"
"Yeah, looking forward to it!" she shouted back, waving a little when Scorbunny hopped off. He was eager to show off his new skills, his hopping form lighting ablaze and charging a path back to the hill. It left a burn mark in the grass, but nothing too noticeable. Not enough to stop Sonia, back behind the rope fence, with scribbling down notes on a pad of paper.
"Good job out there, Gloria. Geoglyph's clear as day now."
"Weren't you going to help?" Gloria asked the woman, only to receive a flustered giggle in response.
"You looked like you had it covered, and I've been in more than enough scrapes with Leon to consider getting in the middle of that," the research assistant said. Boltund barked, but Gloria wasn't sure if the Pokémon was agreeing or disagreeing with his trainer. "More important is this. What d'you think the symbols carved there mean?"
Gloria hadn't expected to be asked something like that, but sighed and looked over to the now revealed geoglyph. They looked like children's doodles, with a gigantic stick-figure and a swirly orb of an object but little else. It left her with one inconclusive conclusion. "Why're you asking me? You're the researcher."
"Some outside opinion is helpful."
"Then you're better off asking Hop. He has the better eye for these things." Sonia snorted, but appeared to bite her tongue from saying something Gloria felt she probably wouldn't want to hear. That, ironically, made Gloria feel more uncomfortable, and she decided to give an observation a whirl. "Uh, looks like something big…eating…the sun?"
"Probably not that far off if we're talking about the Darkest Day, but doesn't really explain how a giant connects to Dynamax…" Sonia appeared lost in her head now, tapping her chin with her pen as she started to wander away from the geoglyph, muttering to herself. "Maybe it's something to do with the legend of the hero…? But nothing actually suggests the two legends are tied, and it would mean a trip all the way to Motostoke…"
"Uh…Sonia?" Gloria took steps around the woman, getting in front of her and waving her hand in front of Sonia's face. The ginger stopped, blinking. "You okay?"
"Just hypothesizing. It wasn't much, but might give me something to compare with gran for my thesis. You've been a big help, Gloria." That made her feel good, and when Sonia turned around, walking backwards, she felt even better. "I'll be watching your Gym match tomorrow. Give that Milo what-for!"
"Will do!" the girl said, her team shouting their own various cries. A minute later and Sonia was gone, leaving Gloria alone on the hilltop, now devoid of people compared to the earlier hours. Somehow, it reminded her of the companions she'd left behind. "Ah, the Center!"
She didn't need the reminders from her Pokémon to begin racing down the hill and through the streets of Turffield. Shops were starting to close up, the inviting lights going on in houses that peppered the hamlet, making it one of the coziest towns Gloria had been to (not that she'd been to many). Only one thing truly drew her eye on the way back to the Center: the Gym, lit up with green and yellow lights, a testament to the Challenge she was undertaking.
Tomorrow, she'd grasp it in hand.
Gloria completed the final leg of her journey, almost stumbling inside the Center and looking for the trio of Ash, Serena and Astrid, all of whom were sitting around a table and taking dinner. Astrid was the first to notice her.
"Well, look who showed up. You get what you set off for?"
Gloria completed her journey and held her arm out, showing off the new device upon her wrist. "Yup, a Dynamax Band, shiny and new! Can't practice here, of course, but on the pitch tomorrow, I'm gonna give you a show!"
"Nibbah nibbah!"
"You say that like you haven't already," Astrid sniggered out. Gloria narrowed her eyes, but chose not to engage the woman when she got close. "So, this is a Dynamax Band, huh? Wonder if it'll make you stronger than those wild ones we fought."
"Who cares?" Ash interjected. Gloria was right on that wavelength, a wavelength which truly overlapped when Ash continued. "It's cool! You ready to rumble for your Gym battle?"
"Definitely! This time, I'll show you what a real Galar Gym battle is all about!"
Serena laughed for some unknown reason, but Ash was more enthused than ever. "Sounds like a plan to me. So why don't you grab some dinner and we sneak in some more training?"
"Yes! Everyone, eat up!"
As she wolfed down the food left out for her, her Pokémon at her side, Gloria stared out the window, once more watching the beacon of the Challenge that was Turffield Gym. The next day, her own Gym Challenge would truly begin, and she wasn't losing this time.
Author's Note: A small technical breather chapter after the last, setting up for the upcoming Gym battle of the next chapter (no use hiding that). Originally, the outline had this chapter very divorced from the last, so to work around that I tried to make it more connective with the cave-in. That said, this chapter mostly focused on Gloria's training, some lore bits, and showing her good side while introducing Milo.
Also some Ash stuff regarding the League, to keep that intrigue regarding Alastair going.
Viroro: This chapter was very much intended to be a bit of a breather after the previous one in preparation for Turffield's Gym battle, between meeting Milo, dealing with research for Sonia and mastering moves, and we really hope that came across well. As for Buck, he's a character we decided to add both to serve a minor role in the story and as part of an effort to employ the various bits of information of both the games and outside materials to flesh out Galar more than canon did. It's a very rich region in terms of elements to draw from, and providing a good picture of Galar as a whole was one of our main priorities.
Here's hoping you enjoyed this little jaunt, and that you're all set up for Gloria's first proper Gym battle now!
Of course, before we hop off, gratitude: KTman891 for favoriting; Muramasa96 for following; and a big heap of thanks to KnightDay19, StoutShako42Refined, Fury, ChE clarinetist, FantasyLover88, ahmedpikamaster, GalarianMike, oomoepoo, MythGirl Writes, Tenzalucard123, Mezamun, XDiamondX90, Captainsquid12, UltimateCCC, Ander Arias, aliensinnoh, potat lasaro, Rajiv A. Rajaram and AmourshippingCanon for reviewing.
With all this said, please look forward to the Gym battle next chapter. Please Review and,
Dare to Be Silly.