As stated last time, we're in for a bit of a breather. I hope you enjoy, though, because the train's not stopping. Chapter 9!
Chapter 9
A Reflection
"Okay, everyone! Soup's almost ready!" Gloria's call received no response, causing the girl to look up from her simmering pot, ladle still in hand. She glanced around the road and heard the cries of the Pokémon nearby, though they weren't quite visible. For Gloria, however, something was: the ruins to the south, and their nearest destination. She stared at them, borderline glared, but pushed it from her mind when a gust nearly tipped her pot over, the soup sloshing inside. "Hey, watch it!"
"Sorry, Gloria!" Bonnie called, catching Dedenne as the little dormouse flipped back to her. He quickly got out of her arms and ran for the pot, only for Butterfree to get in his way.
"Free freee!"
"No, I think that's enough Butterfree. No need to prove your strength to Dedenne," Astrid said. Butterfree turned back to his trainer, and soon nodded, fluttering up and resting upon Astrid's head. He looked content there, something Gloria noticed with a smile; she hadn't been the only one to have gotten something out of Circhester. Bonnie appeared the only one who didn't, but she was fully content with sitting at their table, ready for food. "We'll work on some stuff with Rage Powder next time we stop for a rest. If anything should happen when you Gigantamax, a good control over those spores should help."
Butterfree agreed, and his former unruly mood came to Gloria's mind. It quickly led to remembering the butterfly's fight with Clobbopus, and the team currently training on their own. She dropped her ladle. "Astrid, watch over the pot! Make sure Dedenne doesn't eat any!"
"Dene!" Dedenne puffed his cheeks, but Bonnie held him back. If anything, she looked amused as Gloria ran in the direction of the ruins, and the sounds of her Pokémon.
"Oh, let it go, Dedenne. At least she's in a better mood than before…" Gloria let the snide comment go, vaulting herself over a dilapidated wall at the start of the ruins. Sure enough, she was greeted by the sight of her entire team, hard at work.
"Very nice, guys!" Gloria said, clapping her hands. Most of them appeared to stop in their efforts, with Cinderace zipping over to her, faster than before. He snapped to attention, like a general that was rounding up the rest of her troops. At his call, Grapploct stopped his pummeling Mega Punch upon Drednaw's resilient body, the turtle using the power of her Liquidation to lock her feet down. Toxtricity was also busy, sending one pinpoint shot of Overdrive at a distant target. It hit, and he quickly stumbled over to match Cinderace's pose. "Looks like you guys are hitting your training targets! We'll be ready for Raihan in no time, but we can't do that with an empty stomach!"
"Cindah!" Cinderace leapt into the air, and when his feet touched to the ground, he led the race back to their rest spot. Grapploct and Toxtricity seemed displeased and made to catch up to him with gusto. To Gloria's satisfaction, Drednaw didn't bother, taking her own time with a shake of her head.
All it left was Corviknight, doing a ballet through the air, seeming listless, and Flapple, training with the dog-like form of Squishy. With a howl, Squishy formed the multi-colored, dragon-shaped beam that soared into the air, making a wide arch before crashing into the earth. On contact, it exploded across the ground. Flapple tried the same, but Gloria frowned as her poor apple's attack lacked its oomph. It spun wildly, and completely disappeared before ever striking her target.
"Fla…"
"Hey, now, it's okay, Flapple," Gloria said, approaching her tiniest Pokémon. "We're not at Raihan yet. I'm sure you'll learn the move before we get there. You've already got the start of a strong Dragon move. You, too, Corviknight!"
"Cor…" Corviknight's listlessness was obvious, his altitude dropping. Folding both her arms, Gloria frowned. It was clear that both Pokémon wanted to learn something different to help in the upcoming battle, but neither were succeeding. They certainly didn't appear to feel as complete as the rest of the team, and it made Gloria start to think. At least for a second.
"Yeah, okay. We'll figure it out, okay? For now, you need to eat. Come on!" Her insistent prodding finally drew a response from Flapple and Corviknight both. It was only enhanced by Squishy barking and running back towards their table. Without anyone around to train them, the pair returned, allowing Gloria to serve the still present soup.
Naturally, the moment she sat down, her mind started to wander, thinking of the ways to help her two despondent Pokémon. She received a spoon poking her cheek for her troubles.
"What's on your mind, Gloria? Not moping again, are you?" Gloria looked up, sipping on her soup with a shake of her head. This seemed to reassure Bonnie, who tipped the entire broth into her mouth, leaving behind the carrots that Gloria had worked so hard to chop. When she saw the glare coming off the younger girl, Bonnie quickly acquiesced and swallowed them whole. "You all ready to get your eighth?"
"Mm, maybe not," Gloria confessed, her eyes flicking over to her two fliers, pecking at their food. "Though I think I can be by the time we get to Hammerlocke."
"Yeah? What's Raihan like in battle?" Astrid asked, crossing her legs. She was much slower to eat, occasionally tossing some Pokémon food into the air for her team to munch on. Butterfree was usually the one to get it. To answer Astrid's question, Gloria dug out her phone, pulling up a recorded match from just a few days ago.
"Master of double battles and weather," she answered. Bonnie leaned over, oohing at the screen and the sandstorm covering it. "He's Leon's rival, which makes him, like, the second strongest in Galar. I'm pretty sure he takes it easy for a Gym battle though, which might be why he prefers doubles."
"A double battle for Gym battles… They're always pretty cool…" Bonnie admitted. She had a far-off twinkle in her eye, as if thinking of some suggestion she could give her brother, only for it to be cut brutally short.
"Bonnie's ideas will not help Clemont. Bonnie's brother is not Bonnie, after all."
"No one asked you, Rotom. I liked it when you were quieter." Bonnie beat on her pocket, only to receive a raspberry from her Pokédex. Still, the mention of it made Gloria begin to think, tapping her foot.
Thinking like someone else… With a sigh, she began to finish her soup and serve up seconds to anyone who wanted some (which turned out to mostly by Dedenne and, to Gloria's surprise, Astrid's usually silent Meowstic). The contemplation never quite left her, though, even as they packed up their site and began to move onwards. If I really want to help them, I can't train them to learn the same kinds of things the others would… I need to go with their strengths, not just what I think.
It slowly took over her mind, her companions and Cinderace noticing, but not commenting. At one point, Gloria retrieved her phone, scrolling through readouts of her two struggling Pokémon. In particular, looking through Corviknight's pages, she noticed one particular move, and her eyes lit up, especially as she reflected on the battle with Gordie and the way Corviknight was willing to damage himself within reason to defeat an opponent. "We can weaponize that…yeah…plus a long-range move. Steel Beam is definitely a good ide-"
Gloria bumped into an arm, nearly pitching forward only to be held back by Astrid. She looked up from her phone, prepared to ask what the big deal was.
There was no need. They had arrived.
"So, this was it…" Bonnie breathed, her eyes cast downwards. Astrid opted for saying nothing, only pursing her lips at the sight before the three of them. Behind Gloria, Cinderace hung his head, remembering, but Gloria pushed Astrid's arm aside and approached the edge of the path, staring down at the one thing she had tried to avoid.
She knew she couldn't.
"You all right, Gloria?" Astrid asked, quieter than Gloria thought she would have. She didn't answer at first.
With a breath out, Gloria stared at the sprawling ruins before them, right down to the more modern structure in the middle. Its roof was caved in and the structure was abandoned, no longer of use to even the people that had created it. Rose had gotten just what he'd wanted out of that particular setup. Out of her. Now, it just appeared forlorn. Not even a single Pokémon came near it, the ruins appearing near empty.
Perhaps, Gloria began to think, this was how it had looked during the Darkest Day, when the heroes had fought against their enemy, and it reminded her all the more of the legend. Sonia's research and reminder of rhymes was starting to make sense. Gloria's fist clenched.
"I'm fine," she said, bitterly at first, but then rising with confidence. "I'm fine."
"You keep repeating it, and I'm not so sure you believe it," Astrid said, joining her at the ledge and putting an arm around her. There was no condescension, but a pure level of care for her wellbeing, one Gloria hadn't truly believed the woman was capable of until now. "You have been thinking an awful lot on the way here."
"Yeah, but not about this. I spent enough time dwelling on the past, on who I tried to be," Gloria said, her eyes never leaving the site of her mistake. She wasn't going to keep running away from it. Huffing, she removed Astrid, and began to climb down the ledge, heading deeper into the ruins as a means to cross it back to Hammerlocke. The others didn't stop her, and in fact, Cinderace rushed to her side, neither speaking a word to each other until they came closer to the location where things had started to go wrong.
"Huh…for all the news reports, it doesn't look so bad from here…" Bonnie noted. Dedenne apparently sought to confirm this, running towards the wreckage of metal and stone. He wasn't alone, Squishy joining them and hopping up and down. Soon, it shook its head, as though not quite sensing anything similar to that day.
Gloria put her head down a little. "It was enough."
"Hey, I didn't mean to-" Gloria cut Bonnie off with a curt shake of her head.
"This place means a lot to me, I think." Gloria walked forward, placing her feet on the broken concrete, soaking in the atmosphere of the ruins. She could still picture it, her fight with Bede, Ash's confrontation with Leon, playing out like the mirror battles they never were. "I wanted to play hero here, thinking it would bring me closer to Ash. I lost myself, and so much more. Yet, looking back, I feel like I've gained something from it. Something uniquely me. Not Ash, or Leon, but a want for me to understand my team in my way."
"Hence the thinking," Astrid said. She leaned in a bit, the concern creasing her face. "Are you sure that's not regret, though? Wanting to change so it doesn't happen again."
Gloria considered it, taking in the damage wrought from her action. With the oncoming sunset, it made the whole building look ablaze, serving as a stark reminder of that day. She inhaled, taking in every scent, sight and sound of this momentous location. When she finished, she found the words to speak. "No, I don't think it's regret, because I don't regret it. I learned a valuable lesson.
"I'll never be Ash Ketchum. But then…I don't want to be. I just want to be me. The girl who never shuts up. The girl who dives in. The girl who's scared of never having a legend to her own name, or never knowing her place in everything. And maybe I never will know. That's okay. I can still be a Gym Challenger. I can still win the Wyndon Conference and be more than Rose's pawn. I think by proving that…I can help.
"I don't need to be a hero. I just need to do whatever I need to in my own way."
Her words echoed, Cinderace approving with a nod. Astrid and Bonnie were evidently stunned into silence, but Gloria was fine with that. Showing that the moment of her failure had no more hold over her, Gloria took a step over the wreckage. That was all it was: a piece of destroyed property that showed the callousness of Rose and Oleana. She clenched her fists.
I might just be some kid wrapped up in something way bigger, she thought, turning her eyes south, as the ruins began to climb back out, but I can still do something. No matter how small, I'll prove to Rose and the entire world that Gloria is still here.
At last, she could put the ruins behind her.
That success helped her, put a spring in her step, and by the time the sun had almost fully set and night arrived, the trio had cleared most of the ruins. There were still some peppering the area, and in one of the nearby alcoves, spacious and protected, they set up camp, lighting a fire that illuminated the entire setting. With a hearty dinner eaten, Gloria felt energized, far too much to sleep, and she stood before all of her Pokémon with pride.
"Just a couple more days to go and we're gonna have our battle with Raihan!" she said, walking back and forth. Not a one blinked their attention away. "You've all gotten really strong, focusing on your strong and weak points. I've been paying attention, too, so I know just how all of us can fight together. That team synergy will be more important than ever! Double battles are up next, after all!"
"So why don't you pit them against each other?" Bonnie leaned forward with her grin. Her hands pet both Dedenne and a sleeping Squishy as she spoke, the disappearance of the sun providing the green blob with little energy.
"Huh?" Gloria turned, face lighting up with a thought she'd never considered. Astrid just sipped on a cup of tea, lounging against Absol as she watched her juniors converse.
"I know you want to do things your way, but a little bit of advice can't hurt, right?" Bonnie launched herself out of her seat, holding fast to her two Pokémon before surveying Gloria's own. "I know when Ash wanted to really work things out, sometimes he'd command both Pokémon like he was on both sides of a battle. Having the Pokémon battle each other could really help them understand each other's flaws."
"That…" Gloria stroked her chin, and with every pass, her grin grew more and more manic. "That's actually a brilliant idea! Cinderace, Grapploct, team up! Toxtricity, you can work with Drednaw! But I need to focus on you two!"
"Flappah?" Flapple looked up, a little skittish with her excess energy until Corviknight placed a claw on her head, causing her to calm down. Gloria leaned to the pair, not even needing to pay attention to the others. They had taken their own positions, beginning to spar, working on those deficiencies and strengths they had already been instructed on.
"I want the both of you to be able to battle in a way that's uniquely you! That's why, Corviknight, you'll battle Flapple, but the whole time, I want you store all that energy from a Steel Wing and make it burst out with a bang!"
"Cor…corna?" His eyes furrowed, and his beak opened and closed. He was concentrating hard. Flapple watched him as the silvery glow of his usual Steel type attack began to funnel to multiple points of his wings. He spread them out and fired…only for it to explode in his face. He coughed.
"And this is why we need a battle! Flapple, you try to do the same. That might be the trick you need to master Dragon Pulse! More power gathered! Into the air!" Corviknight and Flapple beat their wings backwards, facing each other in preparation for battle. Behind Gloria, Cinderace and Grapploct exchanged blows in swift succession, while Toxtricity was taking moving potshots at Drednaw. "Right! Corviknight, Steel Wing! Flapple, use Acrobatics to build up speed while charging Dragon Pulse!"
"Flap!" Flapple zipped forward, racing on towards Corviknight, whose wings attained their steely glow. The energy began to build around both of them as they aimed for the clash.
"Now, pull up and fire!" Flapple attacked first, braking on her move and forming the purple orb. She fired, but the dragon-shaped attack didn't make it very far before fizzling. Corviknight fired, too, hardly stopping himself.
The attempt at Steel Beam exploded in his face.
"Try it again! Maybe spinning with Drill Peck can help!" Of course, even as she said it, she couldn't help but think it would end up with the same result. Corviknight had no problem summoning the energy requisite of the move, already used to doing so with Steel Wing. Unleashing it was a different story, the different move's projectile state causing it to explode in his face. Flapple just couldn't materialize hers well enough, lacking the substance to give the move impact. They crashed against each other.
"Cor…" Displeased with his performance, Corviknight took back to the air and began to create the move over and over again, each time being no different. With every attempt, his body was blown back a little until he had fallen enough that Gloria attempted to catch him, almost crushed under the weight. Flapple was still trying a bit, too, but her reaction times were getting slower.
"Why…?" she couldn't help but question, beginning to tap her foot. As the two fliers began to circle each other again, opting for different moves as if it would give them a clue, Gloria watched them closely. Corviknight was always the first to dive in, sometimes missing, while Flapple would pull back from an attack.
Recklessness. Hesitation. Two sides of the coin that was herself.
Things clicked into place.
"Corviknight, slow down!" Corviknight turned, soon hit by a Grav Apple, with Flapple tucking her limbs in. She bounded back, trying to charge up her Dragon Pulse. Something else tickled in Gloria's brain, but she focused more on her trusty bird for a moment. "I know you're eager to blast into battle, but give it time. Coast along. You're fast enough. But let it build before you release it! Flapple, keep up the pressure!"
"Flap flap!" Flapple zipped in, still trying to create her Dragon Pulse while homing in with Acrobatics. Corviknight snapped his wings out, circling around the field in a swift glide. His energies gathered, even as Flapple was upon him, but he kept focus. His wings beat upwards, the gathering energies propelling him higher, and when all his feathers had reached the same level of luminescence, he spread his wingspan and cawed. Flapple remined on a collision course for him, her fired Dragon Pulse wrapping around her figure.
"Corna!" The silver became multiple, sharp and steely lasers that coalesced into one spot, farther away from Corviknight's body. He flinched from the energy taken, but the attack was successful, consuming Flapple's incoming body and knocking her straight into a ruin wall.
"That's it!" Gloria said, slapping her hands together. She quickly ran for where Flapple had fallen, determined to not make her feel disheartened. It didn't do much good, the wyrm hanging her head in disappointment. "Keep doing it like that, but charge it faster. Charge, not release, okay? And for you, Flapple…"
"Flah…" Flapple didn't want to hear it, trying to fly away but hurting from her bruises. Gloria extended a hand and found Astrid tossing over a Potion. Without delay, she sprayed her precious Pokémon's wounds, holding her in her arms.
"I'm starting to think Dragon Pulse just isn't for you," Gloria said, patting the little Grass and Dragon type on the head. "You can definitely create the energy you need, but you're not reckless in firing it like Corviknight. So, it just sort of…fades… We need a way to make that energy fit your strengths."
"Flap." She agreed, and that helped Gloria breathe, scanning the others. Corviknight was already hard at work, aiming for a different area in the ruins.
"Maybe a new training partner… Grapploct could help, since he's more close-range. Maybe that's the kind of fighter you-"
"We can be your training partners, if you're in a pinch!"
"And beating down twerps at night is an absolute cinch!"
"Who's there?!" Gloria demanded, though she was only met with the sighs of Astrid and Bonnie. Soon as she asked, Gloria felt the hairs on the back of her neck begin to stand up of their own accord. Then the whistling of a pair of projectiles sounded. She acted. "Toxtricity, Overdrive!"
"Toxa!" Toxtricity turned away, strumming once and sending the electrical current out wide. A pair of Shadow Balls smashed through the ruin wall, only to be caught by the Overdrive and sent spiraling, crashing elsewhere in the ruins.
"Prepare for trouble, if you want to know who!"
"And make it double, we've stuck to you like glue!" Bonnie groaned, but Gloria squinted, just long enough to see the balloon rise for the second time. It was amazing how good its condition was after she had destroyed it last time, but gave a shrug.
"To protect our world from devastation!"
"To unite all peoples within the nation!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!" Gloria quirked an eyebrow, especially as Bonnie joined her, the rest of the Pokémon flanking their sides. From the balloon, the pair leaned out, visible in the moonlight shining over the ruins.
"Jessie!"
"And James!"
"This former Team Rocket speeds off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"
"Dat's right!" Meowth jumping up made the balloon tip a little, the duo holding the Pokémon back. It was only made worse by Wobbuffet popping out with a cry. From the air, Inkay and Gourgeist watched in worry for their trainers, while Sinistea giddily giggled about. It earned Gourgeist's ire.
"Oh, here I thought it was something serious," Gloria said, breathing through her teeth while continuing to shrug. Her sly expression did her no favors when the bickering trio finally put their eyes on her. "Instead, it's just my favorite punching bags."
"Who are you calling a hag, sassy twerpette?"
"She said bag, Jess, not hag," Meowth corrected, but he was shoved aside by the fuming woman.
"I won't stand for it! She's been beating us all through Galar, and now she insults me?! Payback time! Shadow Ball!"
"Psybeam! Cramorant, Water Gu-aagh!" Cramorant tried to swallow James's head, much to Bonnie's derision, the girl rolling her eyes. Astrid was the only one taking a rather laissez-faire approach to the whole affair, watching them. Inkay was the first to fire, while Gourgeist snapped at Sinistea before they both shot the Shadow Ball straight for Gloria.
"Perfect for a training opponent! Flapple, Sucker Punch!" Flapple shot up from Gloria's hold, spinning through the air. The shadowy fists emerged, punching first upon the pair of Ghost types and then on Inkay. By the time she had finished, Cramorant had managed to dislodge himself from James's head and fired the Water Gun. "Acrobatics!"
"Flap ap!" Flapple zipped through the air, deftly avoiding the Water Gun. She continued on, slamming her body against Cramorant's beak before spinning up. Her limbs tucked in, and she becane a hurtling meteor of Grav Apple that bounced on all three of the trio's head.
"Wobbuffet, bounce that piece of fruit back in the sky!" Jessie screamed, massaging her nose. Gloria's eyes widened, a dawning realization surpassing worry when Wobbuffet's body shined brightly, Flapple striking him.
"Wobbuffet!" Flapple struck against Wobbuffet and was blasted outward by the Counter, spinning through the air. Cinderace was quick to move, using Grapploct's tentacles as a vault to reach Corviknight, before kicking Flapple back to Gloria. She squeaked, but the trainer turned her around in her arms as Astrid finally stood.
"Don't you three ever get bored of this schtick?" she asked, dusting her pants off. Absol growled, and Butterfree rested on his head, puffs of his Rage Powder coming off with a glare. "Besides, thought you were hiding, what with being Rose's scapegoats and all."
"We're not goats!" Meowth said, extending his claws. "But we do have a bone to pick with dis version of you twoips."
"Her name's Gloria, you guys," Bonnie shouted. Dedenne hopped forward, cheeks sparking fiercely.
"Gloria, Euphoria," Jessie said, waving the whole matter off with boredom. It made her almost oblivious to the fact that Gourgeist was using her hair to stop Sinistea from spinning around even more wildly than before. "Talk about boring-ya."
"We had our reasons to be here! The first is giving Twerpette the Sequel some payback!"
"Don't mind if I do!" Gloria said to James, shoving her foot forward. She released Flapple, grinning at the one who had joined her all in the effort of becoming the strongest apple possible. Now was that time. "Flapple, we're gonna do something different. You're not a ranged fighter! You like getting in real close. With your speed, it makes you awesome. So…let's focus on that. Take that dragon energy and cloak yourself in it!"
"Blah blah blah! We're still here! Dark Pulse!"
"Foul Play!" James's order sent the pair of Cramorant and Inkay streaking down, while Sinistea and Gourgeist managed to create a combined Dark Pulse that shot right for Gloria. She didn't care.
"Now, let's go, Flapple!" Flapple nodded, understanding, and she shot into the air, flying fast with her Acrobatics. She avoided the Dark Pulse, causing the Ghost types to redirect and hit each other, before aiming for Inkay. His arms came out, grabbing hold of Flapple and tossing her straight into Cramorant's gullet.
"Crama?" Cramorant flapped in midair, turning his head this way and that, surprised at what he had just managed to eat. Gloria would have worried, but she soon grinned.
"Now, use it!" Gloria punched forward. Cramorant stared for a second, confused, and then cried out, squawking and thrashing as a blue glow shined from within his mouth. Then, in one glorious move, Flapple burst out, sending Cramorant straight into James's face. She turned and streaked down for Inkay. The Dragon Pulse was formed, but instead of flying straight, Flapple dove into it, the energy surrounding her body, turned to a dark blue.
"Inkay! Ink inkay!" Inkay cried, eyes widening in horror as the new move smashed into him, flinging him back to the balloon. Flapple didn't stop, ramming Jessie's Pokémon with it and throwing them back to their trainers.
"Hey, you need to stop that! Learning new moves, getting evolutions! You twerps get all the good stuff, and I'm sick of it!" Jessie screeched, stomping her foot with such force it broke right through the bottom of their basket. "We want some good things, too! Combined attack!"
"Uh…Jessie, I think that might-" Jessie grabbed James, getting right in his face with a snarl on her lips.
"Combined. Attack." James gulped and quickly acquiesced to her request. The orders for all of their Pokémon came at once, putting aside their squabbles and wounds to create one large beam attack. Dark Pulse mixed with a Psybeam and Water Gun, just as they had attempted in the Bay, all of it aiming for the gathered group below. Gloria grinned.
"Combined attack, huh? Don't mind if we do!" Gloria shouted, pointing right at them. Her other hand fanned out, clapping against Bonnie's. "Grapploct, Brine! Toxtricity, Overdrive! Drednaw, Rock Slide! Corviknight, Steel Beam! Flapple, Dragon Rush! And Cinderace, Pyro Ball!"
"You, too, Dedenne! Parabolic Charge!"
"Giga Drain. Dark Pulse!"
Hearing Bonnie and Astrid issue commands alongside her lifted Gloria up. She stood strong, watching all of the Pokémon together as a team. It was more than she could have imagined, seeing Flapple streak through the air in the shape of a blue dragon, all of the watery, electric and steel energies wrapping around her. The beam of the trio above was stopped by the rocks created by Drednaw, while the attacks coming from her companions broke it down to allow Flapple through. Then, Cinderace rose, creating his ball of flame and kicking it in Flapple's direction. It joined with her, boosting her speed, and before they could get a word in, she ripped through the basket and balloon all at once.
It exploded with force, the glittering fire pluming towards the sky. With a scream, the trio of attacking trainers and their Pokémon were sent flying, scrambling for one another as they were launched towards the moon. All Gloria could hear was something about blasting off again before they disappeared into a twinkle. Flapple returned, squeaking around her head as the rest of her team surrounded her. She couldn't help but laugh at how eager they were.
"I know, I guess we shouldn't have beaten them that fast. It was getting fun beating them up."
"I know, right?" Bonnie said, clapping her hands against Gloria's. "Though, I do wonder why they were here. They said they were following you, but knowing them it was some kind of excuse."
"Who knows? Those three are as enigmatic as they are crazy," Astrid said, already yawning and back to lounging against Absol. "They're out of our hair for now, though."
"Fair enough," Bonnie said, sitting back down. She was yawning, herself, though pretending not to. "But all that made me kinda hungry… Any chance of a late-night curry?"
"Huh?" Gloria said, driven from the revelry of her Pokémon. As she turned, she caught sight of the incident, still visible in the distance of the moonlight. Even now, it served as a reminder of her mistakes…but also the drive to move forward. That was what she did, glancing to Astrid and Bonnie, holding on to that moment of their attacks combining. That was the future. The generator was the past. "I'll see what I can whip up."
Gloria returned to her pot, letting her Pokémon rest, and in the moonlit ruins, she brought a smile to her face. All the doubt about the past was gone. Only the shining future remained.
"Okay, whose bright idea was it to take on da twoips?"
James sat up, rubbing his head, only to realize that he was still atop Jessie, who was squishing Wobbuffet underneath. Their Pokémon were there, too, each looking bedraggled and downtrodden. He sighed. "Well, we were in the area…"
"The twerpette asked, okay?! It at least makes us feel useful while Y is keeping us warming the bench!" Jessie snapped. Meowth flinched, backing off and allowing the three of them to examine the area that they had fallen into. It was right on target. "No more, though. I can't stand being beaten around by teenagers again! I mean, sure, there's some satisfaction in seeing them grow up and all, but not like that. And besides, that Galar Twerpette definitely doesn't need us anymore. Almost makes me proud!"
"Somehow, I doubt she ever did…" James commented. He and Meowth shared in the sigh, and then trekked further into the location, across the broken concrete slabs and to the remains of the once pulsing generator inside the ruins. "Now…let's see what we can crack into here!"
"Sinistea, do your thing," Jessie said, seating herself on a nearby piece of cement and folding her arms. Sinistea didn't listen at first, not until Gourgeist slapped her and sent her hurtling for the generator. She began to phase out, only to bounce off.
"Tea, sinistea." The tea inside her cup sloshed about, making Jessie scowl.
"What do you mean you can't get in there? You're a ghost!"
"Maybe it can't because dere are so many fine parts. What do ya got, Jimmy?" Meowth's request put James to work, clearing away some of the rubble for the still intact control panel. Intact, but inoperable. He sighed.
"Nothing. I won't be able to bring up anything since the generator is defunct. We'd need whatever chip is inside there to read it if we want to know anything about what Macro Cosmos is really planning," James said, rubbing his head.
"Why don't we just smash it with Bewear?" Jessie asked, gripping her Poké Ball. James and Meowth lunged for her, desperate to stop her from doing something so foolish to something so delicate. She flailed about as they tackled her, and Sinistea continued to giggle above them like an amused child. "Stop laughing and make yourself useful, already, Sinistea!"
Jessie managed to throw her Poké Ball, though Bewear was thankfully not called out. Instead, the capsule struck Sinistea, sending her flying through the ruins and into a mess of leftover construction materials. Meowth scrambled to grab the Poké Ball before it could open, and once he had it secured, he made a single swipe across Jessie's face. "Next time be more careful! Stick to ya actin' and performin', Jessie."
"I am a rather good actress, aren't I? Even the twerps were fooled by our villainous show!"
"We still got a beating for it…though I am glad to see the youngest twerpette doing well. She's really grown. It's so nice to see. Makes me feel happier than ducking and hiding on Y's orders, for sure!" Jessie agreed, the two sharing a humming nod together before Gourgeist gave a shout, followed by Meowth.
"Uh…she ain't da only one who's grown…" The two looked away in time to see the construction materials glow, its light bursting out and tossing them away to reveal the Pokémon left behind.
"Poltea! Polteagaiii!" The adults blinked, staring at where Sinistea once was, now replaced by a teapot that was just as excitedly giddy as before. She was still floating, soon circling around Jessie's head. If anything, it served to only make Gourgeist more annoyed, especially when the teapot flew for the generator and managed to vanish inside it.
"Oho! Look at what, uh… James, what did she evolve into?"
"Polteageist, apparently. Oh…thank you." Polteageist had emerged, still giggling, but carrying the needed chip on the end of its spout. With a twitch, it dropped the chip into James's hands before going back to bother Gourgeist with her new and improved skills. Ignoring them, James took out his device and plugged the chip in. Immediately, the energy readings spiked across the screen.
"Looks like gibberish to me…"
"Of course, it does…" Meowth said with a sigh. He didn't comment further, allowing James to do his swift analysis. That took a few moments of silence, punctuated only by Jessie grabbing Polteageist and discovering she could pour tea on Gourgeist.
"This looks like…Pokémon energy. Or at least something similar to that whole Ultra Beast thing," James noted. He couldn't glean much information from that, and hung his head. "Sorry, chaps, but I think the call to come here was a bust."
"Maybe not entirely," Meowth said. "If it comes from a Pokémon, it's gotta be dat one under Hammerlocke, right? Or we're pretty sure dat's what it is…"
"So, what? Back to Hammerlocke? I thought Y and Cedric were in Wyndon," Jessie said, leaving her Pokémon alone and going back to scowling.
"Well, that's where they said things were probably going to go down, but there's no harm in seeing if we can match this energy signature with the power plant's right? Besides, our latest twerpette friend is off to a Gym match there. I wouldn't mind watching. Proof of all the assistance we gave her!" James concluded, smiling to himself. Though he didn't say it aloud, he was quite proud to see how far the little girl had come, remembering fondly all the moments they had cheered for the twerp at the Leagues he had been in. Well, except for the first, but he didn't like to remember that.
"Ugh. Go here. Go there. It's like we're just being chucked all over the place while the twerpette gets to settle down and just live life!" Jessie kicked at a stone, sending it flying towards the generator. It struck what was left of it, bringing a hum to life. James grimaced at Meowth, both quickly clutching to each other. "Fine, we'll head back to Hammerlocke, and I'm taking some of the twerpette's limelight with me! What's wrong with you two?"
"Uh…Jess…watch where yer kickin'…" Jessie turned, blinking at the sudden glow from the generator. Gourgeist dove for her and Polteageist, throwing them into the rest of their merry band. Then, the remains of the generator exploded once again, sending them flying over the horizon, back on their wearisome trail.
Author's Note: Lighter training fare. It was admittedly a bit more fun to have just a moment where Gloria could work on finalizing her team's move layouts before Raihan and the League, really hammering in how much Gloria's style is to fight using her Pokémon's style, as opposed to, say, Ash having typically fast teams that swap individual strategies on the fly. Of course, Gloria can still take inspiration from those around her. She knows who she is, but there's no harm in learning.
It was also our last chance to really use TRio in the "villainous" role, which here was mostly Jessie being petty as always. Get kicked by teenagers enough and eventually you just want some payback, even if you love 'em.
Viroro: After the very important soul-searching and battles of the last round of chapters, this one marks a much quieter, but no less important moment for Gloria and our crew, highlighting her renewed mindset from a different angle as she helps out Flapple and Corviknight mastering new moves in their own way. It's important to show that her personal revelation wasn't the endpoint of her growth, but rather a point of marked shift that is going to play an important role in her story going forward. We hope you liked what we pulled off here.
As for Team Rocket, the reason we brought them back for an extremely brief round was much like before because it helped tying into their own story, not just because of what they retrieved at the generator (thanks to Sinistea's helpful evolution, to Gourgeist's continued jealousy), but also to make explicit what the Circhester Bay battle already implied: they like to help twerps improve and see them find their own paths, and it's something that is also an important element of their arc in this trilogy. Where this leads will of course be seen, though, on both ends.
That said, once again we hope to have delivered a good chapter, and that you'll keep looking forward to what's to come!
As standard, we have a round of thanks, which again come all from reviews: MythGirl Writes, Nostradamus, Purim Popoie, Tenzalucard123, potat lasaro, FantasyLover88, UltimateCCC, XDiamondX90, RRV55, ChE clarinetist, AmourshippingCanon, Fury, Ander Arias, Rajiv A. Rajaram, aliensinnoh, TheAuraLucarioGamer, StacheKing, Captainsquid12 and 2 guests.
We're in Hammerlocke next time, so I'm sure you all know what that means. Until then, please Review and,
Dare to Be Silly.