I want to give a special "Thank you" to Zakhoo and Two for encouraging me to continue on, and I hope you guys really enjoy this chapter! Double battles are fun!"
Gloria was on cloud nine both figuratively, and very literally. She rocked from side to side in her 1st class seat on the airplane headed to Kalos while holding her boyfriend's hand. Her face had a radiant grin on it with her eyes closed, just enjoying the sensation of being by his side. She picked a particularly cute outfit for today, but casual enough to not draw attention to them. A black t-shirt with an Eevee on it clung to her skin but was partially covered by a warm purple zip-up hoodie. Her legs, covered by her thigh high ribbon socks, swayed back and forth occasionally rattling the chains on the front of her flannel skirt.
Hop who wore his usual outfit had trouble staying awake. The previous night was spent making last minute preparations, he had spent so much time tinkering with the equipment that was to be used that he completely forgot to pack clothing of any kind. His head bobbed, struggling to stay awake on the flight. He wanted to talk to his childhood friend but was having a hard time formulating words due to how muddled his brain was. His eyes couldn't stay open any longer, and he slumped over, head landing on Gloria's shoulder who froze with her rocking.
Her face lit up scarlet as she looked at the lightly snoring boy and couldn't help but internally squee about how cute he was, and how she wanted to take a picture of him like that. But she resisted the urge, and let him rest. An hour passed of this before her shoulder started to go numb, and she had plans to play something on her rotomphone while the plane was in the air. Gently, she shifted his head from her shoulder into her lap. She reasoned that it would probably be more comfortable for him and DEFINITELY more comfortable for her, and more importantly, freed her shoulder! Pulling out her phone, on airplane mode of course, she began to play an old game she had on an emulator.
The flight continued like this for another few hours, with the champion occasionally staring out the window to see the landscapes of the massive Kalos region beginning to take shape. She had since grown bored with the game and absentmindedly stroked the boy's purple locks as he continued to snooze away. A few wild Skarmory soared next to the plane, giving shrieks of delight as, for them, a glorious contender for fastest in the sky had returned. They were able to keep pace for just a little bit, exerting themselves to try and outpace the vehicle, however human engineering took the lead once again after 15 minutes. The Armored birds cawed in farewell, flying back to their nest.
It was around this time when the intercom dinged and the captain announced that they would be reaching Lumiose City in about 30 minutes. For Gloria, this was like someone had pinched her to see if she was dreaming. A certain giddiness took her once again, reaffirming that this was not in fact a dream. She really was here with Hop, and they really were about to explore a foreign continent. Her light blue orbs flickered downwards at the slumbering assistant, and was somewhat disappointed that it was time to wake him up. Gently, she rocked him back and forth transitioning to tapping his cheek when that failed. Tan hands groggily came up, attempting to swat hers away so he could go back to sleep. She giggled, and leaned in to whisper into his ear, "Hop, we're gonna be there in a few. Get up sleepyhead."
He began to rouse from his slumber, yellow discs fluttering open with a loud yawn. He patted the pillow he was laying on, when something felt… off to him. "Huh? What is…" He squeezed the pillow, noting it's firm but soft texture, causing Gloria's face to turn absolutely crimson. She squeaked in embarrassment and sat up straight, trying to vocalize something but she couldn't find the words. His touch on her leg was completely unexpected, yet for some reason absolutely divine. Suddenly realizing what exactly his 'Pillow' was, he shot up with an equally red face as hers. "S…sorry about…" the small nervous apology escaped his lips to be met with frantic nodding.
And for the rest of the plane ride, the two had absolutely NO idea how to talk to each other.
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As the pair exited the terminal, their noses were assaulted with the sweet aroma of pastries and various other baked goods. "Lumiose Gazettes!" Gloria shouted, jumping up and down with her hands clapped together and eyes sparkling with desire. If she had a tail, it would be wagging at an incredible rate. Hop chuckled and scratched the back of his head with embarrassment, noting the attention that she had drawn to them.
"They're… called galettes." This did not seem to deflate her excitement, clasping his hand in a vice grip and dragging him towards one of the many stalls in the food court. A girl with twin braided wheat colored pigtails, donning a white chef's outfit, bowed at the pair. A small Pokemon with pink and purple feathers standing on the counter mirrored the greeting.
"Welcome to Fleur's! Home of the best gallete's in Lumiose! What kind of delicious sweets can we prepare for you today?" The drool from the champion's mouth pooled as her anticipation became increasingly more palpable. The girl let go of her boyfriend's hand only to excitedly and repeatedly drum the counter before pointing at the overhanging menu displaying various items with stars erupting from her eyes.
Hop placed his hand on her shoulder to try, in vain, to calm the Galar champion. "We'll take two dozen galettes please. Sorry for her enthusiasm." The Aromatisse floated up towards the girl and patted her on the head as if it was commenting on how cute she was, before floating back to begin working on the pastries. She rocked from side to side as the baker went back to assist her partner with the baking.
"Galettes… galettes.. Filled with creamy deliciousness" Her singsong voice chanted. The professor's assistant tried his best to hold her still with no avail. She just had so much energy, and so much excitement to be here with him that it could not be contained even for the briefest of moments. It wasn't until a new distraction presented itself that she stopped singing.
"Hey! You're the champion of Galar right? Gloria?" Her eyes shifted to two men standing side by side, one with an air of confidence that seemed to make his black shoulder-length hair with white tips sway in the breeze, while the other seemed a little more reserved but with sparks of genius flashing behind their (insert more description here) eyes. They approached the girl, the confident man shoving his pale hand into the pocket of his long black coat and without waiting for a response continued to speak. "I'm Zahkoo, one of Kalos' Ace trainers." He brushed his hand through his hair and smirked as if he were attempting to charm or intimidate her. "I'm delighted to make your acquaintance"
The other man, adorned with thorny vines circling the forearms of his white button up shirt and a scarlet flower neatly placed in his braided mint hair, bonked his companion on the head with an annoyed look flashing across his face. The expression of both pain and surprise from Zahkoo's face went unnoticed by his friend, placing his hands to his sides and bowing politely. "Don't mind him, he likes to show off. I'm Two. I'm a doctor in training and unfortunately this one's partner." He gave a polite smile as the edgy looking man turned, telling off his friend for hitting him like that.
Gloria stuck her hand out to the pair with a smile on her face. She was hoping that in this place she'd be another face in the crowd, but it seemed like fame crossed even borders. "Nice to meet you both. This is Hop, a Professor's assistant. But if you ask me, he's already a Pokemon Professor in his own right." Her wink towards him turned her boyfriend's face a dull shade of pink, averting his eyes in embarrassment.
Zahkoo regained his composure, dusting off his coat before reaching out and firmly grasping her hand in a quick handshake. "Anyway, we'd like to extend the warmest greetings from Kalos and challenge you to a Pokemon battle!" Gloria bit her lip and looked back to the stand, an aroma tantalizing wafting towards her, then up to Hop, when an idea dawned on her. She could make this both fast enough to savor the sweets when they were piping hot, and fun enough to enjoy a quick pre binge battle.
"Alright! You're on, but under one condition. This will be a double battle. Me and Hop, vs You and Two. One Pokemon each. Sound fair?" She glanced around the food court, seeing people eating with their pokemon at a bunch of tables, but then spotting an arena off to the side meant for battles. She didn't wait for his response, knowing what it would be as her keen battle senses felt the burning fire within him. People murmured excitedly about the coming battle, giving the girl hints about these guys' reputation and popularity, and made way for the group to get to the arena easier..
"Hey, I didn't exactly agree to this." Hop whispered nervously to her as they walked. He hadn't battled in quite a long time, and was worried that he would just slow her down. However, much to his surprise, her petite hand clapped him on the back repeatedly and reassuringly. She flashed him a brilliant and pleading smile, as if she had complete trust in his skills.
"Hey come on, it'll be fine. Besides, when's the last time we fought side by side anyway? It'll be fun!" Seeing that he was still apprehensive about this battle, she decided to sweeten the deal. "I'll make it worth your while if we win." A sly and suggestive wink was all it took to turn this poor assistant's face absolutely crimson. He sharply snapped his head away from her in a vain attempt to hide his face from her smug grin, feeling her piercing and alluring eyes staring into his soul as if she were reading a book.
"Don't tease me like that Glor…" He whined pathetically, arriving at the battle site, and taking a tentative place at her side. He fanned his face to cool the heat radiating off the furnace set to full blast, before looking over at Zahkoo spinning a ball confidently on his fingertip. His confident and mocking smirk snapped him back to his senses, slapping his cheeks twice to psych himself up for the coming fight. "Alright no backing out now. Come on out Cinderace!" He tossed his partner's ball out, and the red and white rabbit appeared with an eager expression, finally given the opportunity to stretch its legs in a real fight.
Her eyes glistened following her boyfriend's figure, thinking that his movements were just the coolest thing in the world, before getting her head in the game and tossing out her Pokemon. "Alright Noir! Let's show them how we battle in the Galar region!" A blue lizard popped out with its back turned towards the enemy, looking over its shoulder with its finger pointed like a gun towards the ceiling. It let out a cool and collected greeting to the opposing trainers.
Zahkoo could barely contain his excitement, eager to take on a Champion's pokemon, yet kept up the 'Cool guy' facade. "I see… I can tell from here that your strength is quite considerable, however I have no intention of losing. Aggron, take the stage." A tall Pokemon, standing on two legs and wrapped in plated steel armor emerged, shaking the ground beneath them as it landed. It cried out loudly, as if it were giving a war cry and slammed its fists together.
Two sighed in resignation, shrugging his shoulders and shaking his head. "Honestly, I can't keep up with your enthusiasm, but I agree that losing is unacceptable." A fire finally lit in his eyes as he unclipped a ball from his belt. "Comfey, let's offer our support." A floating wreath of flowers whizzed around the space around him cheerfully before shooting over to the Aggron and circling it repeatedly. Two chuckled and said "Alright, alright… let's focus here." The flower adorned Pokemon nodded and took a position at the steel type's side.
The four trainers glanced back and forth at each other with bated breath, waiting for someone to make the first move, until Zahkoo's patience finally ran out. "Alright Aggron, hit that Cinderace with Stone Edge!" The armored beast slammed its foot on the ground, causing sharp jagged stones to erupt from the ground heading blisteringly fast towards the rabbit.
Hop smirked, instincts kicking in and extending his palm out towards his partner. "Counter it with Scorching Sands." The fire type kicked up a stream of blistering hot sand that collided into the incoming rocks, massively slowing them down before they inevitably hit the striker pokemon. It did a neat flip in the air and landed neatly with what seemed like no damage to it.
Both Aggron and Zahkoo looked shocked at this. What should have been a direct hit was mitigated, and the fire type looked just fine. "But how? That should have been super effective! Even if the attack was slowed, your Cinderace shouldn't be standing right now!"
Hop smirked confidently and clenched his fist. "That's my Cinderace's ability, Libero. When he uses an attack, his type changes to the same as the attack. That turned your super effective move into one that wasn't very effective!" The sensation… the excitement, Hop hadn't felt these in quite a while. He gave up on the idea of becoming a Pokemon champion, and hadn't been this serious about a battle since the Galarian Star Tournament. This small exchange however, reminded him why he found it so fun in the first place.
The black clad man regained his composure and pulled a necklace from the inside of his shirt, a rainbow colored gem with a strange insignia secured in the center glinted in the light until he firmly grasped it. "Very well, I guess that means I can go all out! Time for Mega Evolution!" Hop's eyes widened as the light from the keystone erupted from the gaps of the trainer's grip and enveloped the Steel type. The phenomena that he had witnessed before was about to happen again, THIS was the reason he came here. His eyes scanned every detail of the transformation, etching everything into his mind.
The light faded and the same symbol that was on the necklace appeared for a brief moment above the Pokemon's head as it let out a battle cry. It had shifted into a much more bulky, large curved edges coming out of its shoulders and large spikes coming out of its wrists. The armor looked even more reinforced than before, almost impenetrable. But one thing was certain, this transformation made it much more powerful than before.
Gloria grinned with excitement, ready to call out her next attack before she was suddenly cut off. "Alright Comfey, let's set up a Grassy terrain." Two outstretched his hand with his palm up towards his Pokemon as it began to spin rapidly. It let out a drawn out concentrated noise before suddenly stopping and a floral and green meadow sprouted on the field. "Now follow it up with a petal dance! Focus on the intelleon" It began to bob and weave in the air before spinning around once more, kicking up a flurry of bladed sakura petals and flinging them at the blue gecko.
Gloria had seen this attack in the past, and knew how dangerous it could be if she didn't nip it in the bud. "Noir! Take aim. Use your strongest Snipe Shot to blow those petals away!" The gecko nodded, and got on one knee, pointing its index finger at the epicenter of the incoming torrent of flowery death. It closed its eyes for a brief moment before they snapped open and from his fingertip, a condensed bullet of water rocketed out and traveled down the middle, the speed of which caused a lot of the petals to waver. Comfey was pelted with the intense force as it spun, knocking it off balance and falling to the ground, while Inteleon was consumed by what remained of the blizzard. "Noir! Are you okay?"
"Shake it off Comfey! You've got this!" Both Pokemon looked very damaged, Comfey taking a critical hit and Inteleon taking a super effective one. Yet neither looked ready to give up, especially when the Grassy Terrain started to take effect and began to slowly heal both their injuries. Gloria knew that the Comfey and Aggron would get the most benefit, as they were in the thickest portion of grass, but also kept her own Pokemon's health recovery in mind.
"Alright! Time for some Quad Effective Action! Use Low kick to trip it up!" It shouted in acknowledgement and made a beeline for the armored Pokemon, feinting to the left as it swiped in defense. It bobbed and weaved around until it was behind the steel type and then used its powerful legs, causing its legs to fall out from underneath it and it crashed into the ground. "Yes! Direct hit!" Hop whooped, pumping his fist in celebration, however his victory was short lived, as the Aggron started to stand up, damage evident on it, but nowhere near as much as it should be. "But how…? That was supposed to be four times super effective!"
Zahkoo was grinning from ear to ear now, only rarely being forced to use Mega Evolution this early in the battle, and his opponent was worthy of all his strength.. "When it Mega Evolves, Aggron becomes purely Steel Type, and its physical defenses skyrocket." He explained smugly before issuing another order to his Pokemon. "Aggron, let's wrap this up so we can team up against that Inteleon. Use Heavy Slam!" The steel behemoth charged ahead and attempted to grab the rabbit a few times, before successfully getting a grip around its body. Cinderace looked at the arms and struggled to break free, letting out noises of exertion as it was suddenly lifted high in the air, until Gravity took effect again, causing them to hurtle towards the ground.
Hop could only watch in horror, there wasn't a whole lot he could do to mitigate this damage, when suddenly an idea sprung into his head. His Pokemon's arms were bound, but not its legs, and with Libero, he could once again make the move not very effective. "Cinderace! Try to slow your descent by using a series of Pyro Balls!" Becoming a fire type again and spotting a piece of debris that kicked up with them, the striker pokemon reached out and touched it with the top of its feet, causing it to light on fire, and using much force launched it towards the ground, burning away some of the terrain that the Comfey set up. It was only able to do this twice however, when it hit the ground with the Aggron sandwiching it further into the dirt.
"Behold! This is the power of Mega Evolution!" Exclaimed an overconfident Zahkoo with his arms outstretched, convinced he had just won the battle. When the dust cleared, Cinderace was lying on the ground with massive damage inflicted on it, yet wasn't out of the fight yet. Slowly, and much to the surprise of both trainers and Pokemon it began to rise to its feet. The striker pokemon panted, much of its stamina gone now, but leaped back from its opponent.
"Your order is ready ma'am!" The baker shouted at them, waving to try to get their attention. The two from Galar nodded at each other, knowing that they were now backed into a corner. It was time to use a combo move. After all, the galettes awaited.
"Sorry, but I can't afford to hold back anymore. I need to taste those pastries while they're fresh! You ready Hop?" Her boyfriend nodded with a smirk.
"Let's go Gloria! Cinderace! Fire Pledge!" The rabbit clenched its fists and concentrated, and then a pillar of fire erupted from the ground.
"Noir, Follow up with Water Pledge!" Inteleon mirrored Cinderace's actions, with a pillar of water surging upwards towards the ceiling.
Two sensed the danger, knowing that if he didn't act now, they would surely lose. "Comfey Quick! Floral Healing on Aggron!" The garland zipped over to the steel tank and rested on its head. A circle of flowers spiraled into the target, and it glowed verdant, restoring the Aggron's strength.
Despite this healing though, the two pledges meshed and twined together into a single attack. Both Cinderace and Inteleon threw their palm out to the two opposing Pokemon, causing the massive mixture of water and fire careening towards them. The steel and fairy types attempted to dodge the onslaught, however were completely enveloped; both shouting out in pain. The blazing torrent lasted for what seemed like an eternity before ebbing and fading away to reveal a knocked out Comfey resting on top of the barely standing Aggron's head. It took a step forwards before the Mega Evolution dissipated and it fell to the ground as well, completely unconscious.
"We did it!" Hop said in amazement. He never doubted his Girlfriend's strength, but he was personally shocked at how much of his own battle instincts he still retained. He wrapped his arms around the Champion with delight and celebration, a big beaming grin on his face. His Cinderace, seeing this, decided to join in on the display of affection, jumping and wrapping its furry arms around the two, laughing with delight. Noir simply nodded, winking at its trainer with finger guns.
"Jeez… those two are the real deal huh…" Zahkoo sighed in defeat, returning his Pokemon to its ball. "Incredible performance back there, take a good rest."
Two did the same with a soft smile "Come on, Let's get to a Pokemon center so I can heal up our Pokemon." His eyes glanced over to the four on the other side and smirked. While it was fun to battle every now and then…"I think I'll just stick with healing for a bit." He finished the thought out loud.
The man dressed in black walked over and extended his hand towards the tan skinned boy. "Hey, that was a great fight. I learned a lot from that experience. But I promise you I won't lose next time." Hop let go of his significant other, reaching out and with a firm grip, returned the show of good sportsmanship.
Gloria tugged at Hop's jacket and said pleadingly "Come on! We got fresh galettes to eat!" Her eyes left him for a moment to meet Two's emerald orbs. She flashed a grin and nodded at him which he returned, before she dragged her boyfriend away, chanting galettes.
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The door to the hotel opened, with the teenagers shambling through. Lumiose city was absolutely monstrous, and very difficult to navigate. On top of that there was no flying taxi service. It wasn't until they had wandered around for a couple hours that a regular taxi rolled up to them, offering a ride leaving them both gobsmacked. Things in Kalos were very different than they were in Galar. On top of that, the hotel they managed to secure only had a single room available. Despite the awkward situation, exhaustion from the jet lag and the wandering weighed so heavily on them they wanted nothing more to crash. Gloria had only barely heard mentions of complimentary wine in an ice bucket waiting for them before they had walked away.
They both traveled light, bringing only a backpack each with just the essentials. Gloria's white bag tumbled to the floor, a few empty Pokeballs tumbled out along with an extra skirt, while Hop placed his more delicately on the ground to protect the equipment inside. "Uuuuggghhhh." She groaned, collapsing face first on the king sized bed, snuggling into its sheets. "Sooo soft…" Her muffled voice commented wearily.
Hop chuckled at this display, getting ready to let Cinderace out to enjoy the room as well, but remembering that they had left their pokemon at a center for a checkup and to make sure their vaccinations were up to date. He instead slipped off his jacket and hung it on the coat rack by the door. Their hotel room was very large and luxurious, and certainly lived up to the Hotel Richissime name. A single night cost over 100,000 Pokedollars, and it really showed from the maple bed frame and silk sheets, to the thin 80" TV facing the bed. It included an outdoor patio, with a double seated rocking swing. "Do you need the Restroom Glor? I'm gonna take a shower if that's okay?"
Only barely acknowledging him, she grunted "Nu'uh" only to hear footsteps walk away from her and the sound of a door closing. She inhaled through her nose, drawing in the pleasant fragrance of the room and the fabric, delighted that they would at least be spending a week here before they began traversing the region. 550k Pokedollars was an absolute STEAL for an extended stay package, and she hadn't had an opportunity to splurge until now. This was ABSOLUTELY worth it. The sound of running water snapped her back to reality. She lifted her head and looked over to the bathroom door.
Behind that door her boyfriend was taking a shower.
Her face became flushed as perverted images flashed through her mind. Part of her wanted to peep on him, or perhaps try to join him, but the better part of her knew that it was a bad idea, especially because it was super awkward and she'd be slightly upset if he did that to her.
Even still, years of pent up and hidden feelings that were finally allowed to be expressed, she kind of hoped something would happen on this trip. Sliding off the bed, she wandered over to the small end table on the corner of the room with two elaborate and comfortable looking chairs tucked in. Resting on the top was a tin bucket packed full of ice, with a bottle sticking out of the top. A, masterfully woven, cream colored doily protected the surface of the table from condensation and potential spillage. She reached out hesitantly and took the bottle, reading the label 'Cream Sherry'. She had never tried any alcohol before, the legal drinking age in Galar being 20. But here in Kalos, it was 18.
Her curiosity got the better of her as she searched around for a bottle opener, laying eyes on one that was behind the bucket, just barely out of view when she first approached it. She couldn't quite figure out how it worked without consulting the internet, but eventually did get it open with a rich aroma filling her nostrils.
It smelt divine, and when she brought the bottle to her lips it went down very smoothly. She wasn't sure what she expected, but to Gloria, if this is what alcohol was supposed to taste like, she could really enjoy this.
The first portion of the next chapter is going to be a bit risque, but not quite a lemon. I'll make sure to annotate it on the next release to remind ya'll in case people want to skip that segment :) Thank you all so much for reading up until this point.
