A/N: I realize now that Sword and Shield is just exposition exposition exposition, then battle battle battle. Gonna have to tweak it a bit so all these chapters don't end up having the same basic framework (Pokemon being repetitive? Perish the thought!). Anyway, time for the second gym battle! These are so much fun and I don't ever want them to end (which is probably why this chapter is so long actually).
Hulbury was a bustling port on Galar's east coast. I remember Mum taking Victor and me quite a few times when we were younger. I had fond memories of touring the famous lighthouse, imagining what life would be like on the large archipelago that lay even further to the east. There was also the Bazaar, a hodge-podge of tents and stalls with a constantly shifting number of vendors across the world, selling exotic spices and incenses. There were also a handful of the best-loved seafood restaurants in Galar, each overlooking the calm bay where they sourced their fish. Down by the water was an entire city's worth of boats, ranging from little rowboats to schooners to even a fancy yacht club that we were never able to fully explore, as it was well gated off. Hulbury's slogan was "Just a little bit of everything," and it sure lived up to it.
The three of us wandered through a small tunnel that marked the city limits, not as tourists, but as challengers. As much as we wanted to see everything the city had to offer, we knew we were here for one reason only: Nessa, the water-type gym leader and the number 7 seed. The three of us had not originally intended to face the gym leaders in reverse order, but since Kabu, Milo, and Nessa all lived in cities that made a rough circle around the Lower Wild Area, it was just the most convenient. Many other gym challengers also had the same idea, as the city was just as busy as Turffield had been. This time around, however, about as many trainers were leaving the city as there were entering it. I noticed that some held their heads high and proud, while others seemed to have given in already. There were not any rules about the number of times you were allowed to face a gym, but Hop had mentioned that gym leaders would usually prioritize new challengers rather than repeat challengers. He had heard stories about trainers getting constantly bumped back for a rematch until they were up to four badges behind, and by then, most trainers were too demoralized to continue. I shuddered to think of how long I would have had to wait at the Turffield gym if Raboot hadn't come in and won it all for me.
"Is that Hop and the twins I see?" shouted a familiar voice. I whipped my head around.
"Eddie! Hey!" I waved as he and his cousin Sam came over. Both looked happy to see us, although I could see that Sam was extra proud of their two shiny new badges, which were pinned lovingly to their collar. Much like Milo's badge, the two each had the logo of their respective gym. One was of a cerulean teardrop, and the other a flaming red helmet that reminded me of a Kabuto.
"Check it out, Gloria! Just beat Nessa this morning. Two down, six to go!"
"You already got Kabu's badge?"
"I did!" Sam said happily. "Eddie and I found a lot of great Pokémon for our teams at the Tundra, so I loaded up on ground and water types. Total sweep of his team; he didn't stand a chance."
"Impressive," Hop said, nodding. "Lee always said that Kabu was a super-strong trainer. And he almost always ends up being one of the top eight."
"Found that one out the hard way," Eddie agreed. "Complete opposite happened with me. Couldn't even get past his Ninetales. You best watch out for her when you go up against him."
"Noted," Hop said. "I've noticed I've had a lot of trouble with fire types; isn't that right, Gloria?"
"Yeah, he can't stand the heat," I grinned, although I knew that Kabu wouldn't be too difficult for him by the time we got there.
"I've been following you guys on the app; I can't believe you're both in the top 50! I'm still stuck in the 300s," Sam said.
"There's nothing wrong with the 300s," Victor whined. "We're still in the top half!"
"Yeah, but barely," Sam said. "We've already had about 100 trainers drop. Nessa's been a right problem for a lot of people this year. Almost blew my winning streak today. Her Dreadnaw is a serious piece of work. How was Milo, by the way?"
"Easy," Hop and Victor both said, although I stayed quiet, which Sam immediately picked up on.
"Oh yeah," they said through narrowed eyes, "don't think I didn't see your entire battle, Gloria. I don't think you'll win it with a last-minute evolution this time."
"That's not the strategy," I said, blushing.
"Hey, I'm just kidding," they laughed. "You've got that Yamper anyway, right? An electric type would make short work of Nessa. Wish I had thought of that goin' in."
"Yeah, Yamper should be a great help," I agreed, although I wasn't too sure about that. Yamper certainly had a type advantage, but if I had learned anything from my past few battles, type advantages were easily worked around when your opponent knew what they were doing. And in terms of raw skill, speed, and power, Yamper was sorely lacking. Hopefully I'd be able to get some training in before my match with Nessa so I could either find a workaround or find a strategy that wouldn't rely on her.
"At any rate, most of the trainers are heading out of here after tonight, including us. We're going to rest up at the Pokémon Center. Catch up with us tonight after you register for the battle!" Eddie interjected warmly. He and Sam gave us a quick wave and headed up the avenue toward a Pokémon Center.
"We should follow them to make sure our Pokémon are fine," I said.
"Hold that thought, Gloria," Hop said. "There's something goin' on over there."
A crowd had formed at the intersection nearest to us, and though I couldn't see through the mob of excited people, I did recognize a bored looking woman with blonde hair and a stylish red blouse and black pencil skirt and tights. Even without her glistening black pumps, Oleana would have towered over the entire crowd. She eyed the crowd from a safe distance, although I could tell from the look in her eyes that her patience was starting to run thin. She kept glancing at a small golden watch that dangled fashionably from her pale wrist.
"Mr. Legatum," she said in a stern voice. "Your investors will be arriving in ten minutes. We need to be at the station to meet them."
"Ah, Oleana, where on earth would I be without you?" said a man as he exited the group of people. He wore a dark gray baseball cap and opaque black sunglasses, but his unique warmth still made him instantly recognizable. "I'd like to congratulate all of you on your battles with Nessa today, it's always good to see the future of our league!"
The crowd, now that the celebrity was leaving, quickly dispersed. Oleana led Rose off in a different direction, but after a couple steps, he locked eyes with Hop and rushed up to the three of us excitedly.
"Well, if it isn't the two champion-endorsed trainers!" he cried jubilantly. "Hop, you look just like Leon when he first went on his challenge. I'd recognize those fiery eyes anywhere. And it was Gloria, right? And your brother Victor?"
"Yes, sir," I said, scratching my arm. Something was a little off. His politeness and excitement almost seemed a little forced, as if he was putting off something he didn't want to do.
"I managed to get a chance to watch you battle Milo and I have to admit, I really like what I saw. No doubt you're here to challenge Nessa?"
"Yeah!" Hop said. "She's not going to stand a chance against my Thwackey!"
Rose laughed and glanced at his expensive-looking watch. "That sounds like a fine battle to watch. Hey, why don't we make a quick deal? I'd love to pick your brains, see what makes you tick as battlers. Once you go sign up for your battle slot, why don't you join me for dinner tonight? I have a lousy investors' meeting with a couple real stiff boards, and I think having a couple high-ranked gym challengers would really loosen them…and me up. What do you think?"
"Mr. Legatum, our reservation is already set—"
"I know, Oleana, but just give them a call and we can pull up a separate table. I'm more than happy to pay the difference. Even if just one of you three is there, it would be phenomenal."
"Uh, sure," I said. "I'm not going to turn down free food."
Rose grinned, a huge wave of relief visibly passing over his brown face. "Oh, thank goodness, I'll finally have something I want to talk about."
"Mr. Legatum—"
"I know, I know, Oleana, I'm on my way. I hope I can see you all there. I will send Oleana for you once we meet the investors. Just wait at Nessa's gym for her! Ciao!" He trotted off so he could catch up to his assistant, who was already walking away at a very brisk pace.
"Hop, I'm starting to see what you were seeing," I said as soon as he was out of earshot.
"He was probably just worried about his investor meeting," Victor argued. "Can't blame him. Sounds awful; I don't know if I'm up for this dinner."
"He's got plenty of money," Hop said, frowning. "But he was definitely extra weird right now. Lee said he's met a few of the investors and donors for the league during promotional tours and they're not a fun bunch to be around. Way he was talking, I don't think I'd want to go to this dinner either; I don't care if it's the best restaurant in Galar. Now c'mon, we've got a gym battle to sign up for! I see Nessa's stadium just down there!"
Nessa's stadium was similar in shape to Milo's, but it seemed much less out of place than the gigantic stadium in a relatively small farming town. It was composed almost entirely of glass, which reflected the deep blue of the ocean and the afternoon sky. The sun, just now starting to lower in the sky, reflected against the polished glass, making the whole place look like a crystal ball. We clambered into the building as quickly as we could to find that it was completely empty, save for the staff and Nessa herself, who was lazily sitting on the registration desk, flicking through her phone.
"Nessa!" Hop cried, running over to greet her.
She looked up in surprise. "Wotcher, Hop. It's been two whole years now, huh? Oh! And you brought your friends! Nice to finally meet you, Gloria. You would not believe the things I've heard about you and your brother." She gracefully dropped down from the table and walked directly toward us. I knew that in the off-season, and was more well-known for it, but I still was not prepared to see her up close and in person. Her ebony skin was slightly toned and muscular, and as she drew nearer, she towered over all of us at six feet tall. Her hair fell back to her waist in long streaks of black and icy blue and tucked away near the top of her head was a series of orange jewels and beads making the rudimentary shape of a crown on her head. She looked down at us through eyes that matched the icy blue of her hair streaks, but despite the color her gaze was warm and alluring, truly living up to her nickname as the siren of Hulbury. Her two-piece gym uniform wrapped tightly around her chest and hips and dangling loosely around her midriff was a string of beads, filled with strange charms and a set of three Pokéballs.
"Buh," I said. It was all I could muster.
"Uh, hi," Victor said sheepishly, his face as red as mine.
"Sonia said you were never much for words," Nessa said to Victor before turning to wink at me, "but she never said you got tongue-tied. Guess it must run in the family."
"Wha—no, I'm just—I don't meet a lot of celebrities outside of Leon," I lied, feeling myself blush even more, much to Nessa's amusement.
"You're friends with Sonia?" Victor asked curiously.
"You could say that," she giggled in response. I swear I could hear the gears in Victor's head grinding to a halt. "You three here for a battle?"
"Y-yeah," I said weakly.
"I'm open right now, if you want," she said. "You caught me at the tail end of my second-badge battles."
"Oh, no, we're starting to fall behind!" Hop wailed.
Nessa just laughed again. "I wouldn't get too worried about it, Hop. Matters less about how quickly you get the badges and more that you win the battles. You. Gloria. Milo told me to look out for you. Said once you get on a roll, you're pretty hard to stop. Wanna test that?"
"Uh, yeah! Let's go!" I said.
"Don't get too distracted," she taunted, grinning knowingly. "Go set everything up and meet me on the pitch, you three. I'll make sure my Pokémon are fully rested." She turned and strutted back toward the registration desk confidently.
"It's a good thing you two are in the water gym, because I have never seen you this thirsty," Hop snickered.
"Stop that! I wasn't expecting to see her like that!" I sputtered.
"Like what, a gym leader? Mate, you're doing the gym challenge, what were you expecting?"
"Gloria Davis?" a woman called.
"That's me."
"Alright, Nessa's ready for you. Go on inside. Remember, complete team wipe or whoever has knocked out the most Pokémon after ten minutes. Have fun, kid." She opened a white door and led me to another long hallway. I took a deep breath, patted the Pokéballs at my side, and trotted onto the pitch.
Although "pitch" would have been an inaccurate description of the battling area in this gym. Instead of a long, grassy field, Nessa had set up a large pool of water, about fifty yards across in both directions. At the center of the pool was a giant circle platform that was just tall enough to rest about an inch above the water level. Surrounding the platform was a ring of floating platforms bobbing in the water, each about ten feet away from it. I could see that each one was chained to the bottom of the pool so if my Pokémon wanted to move around without swimming, their options would be fairly limited. There were two raised platforms on either end, where the trainers were to stand. Nessa was already up on one, casually leaning against a metal guard rail. And just like Milo's gym, everything glowed faintly pink with Dynamax energy.
The gym was so quiet that I could hear each of my footsteps echo. There was almost no one in the stands. Instead, there were plenty of Rotom phones flying around, the telltale sign that this battle would still be viewed by many despite its short notice. They flipped around to and fro, and I could see the live feed on the big board in the stands, where there was also a clock with ten minutes on the timer.
"I hope you don't mind the lack of fans," Nessa said. "They're all watching online since this is technically after hours. And there's a lot of them watching, too. You know, your battle with Milo went pretty viral. Everyone's seen it, and they're dying to see you pull it off again. Although I don't think you could do it twice."
"We'll see about that," I shot back, hoping I sounded much more confident than I was. I was already starting to regret accepting the battle right away. Raboot would be completely useless if Nessa's gym was just a pool, which meant I had to rely on Stufful and Yamper. And while I knew Stufful could hold his own in battle, I didn't know how Yamper would be able to do anything in the water. I climbed up the ladder onto the raised platform and pulled out Stufful's ball. Things were not going to go well, I feared.
"Gym challenger Gloria! Are you ready to battle?" A ref had appeared and stood at the poolside, dead center between the corners. I gulped and raised Stufful's Pokéball.
"Gym leader Nessa! Are you ready?" She nodded and tossed her first Pokéball lazily in her right hand.
"Call out your first Pokémon on my whistle. Three, two, one—"
The loud whistle echoed through the empty stadium as I lobbed Stufful's ball out. When Stufful came out, he landed perfectly on the floating platform closest to me. Meanwhile, Nessa released her Pokémon; a small white and orange fish that plopped directly into the water and out of sight. I could only get a brief glimpse of it, but it looked to be a Goldeen.
"Okay, Stufful. This is gonna be a weird one, just keep calm and—"
Suddenly, Nessa's Pokémon shot up from the water and smashed directly into Stufful, before landing on the platform with it. Stufful took a couple steps back in shock and dropped directly into the water.
"Nice Horn attack, Goldeen!" she cried. "Now flop on back and give us a whirlpool!"
Goldeen began to flop slowly toward the edge of the platform, while Stufful thrashed about in the water. He was able to swim, but he certainly wouldn't be doing any damage while in the water.
"Come on, Stufful, pull yourself up on the nearest platform!"
"Don't let it! Knock it back in with another horn attack!" Nessa cried, and as Stufful finally calmed himself and pulled himself over to the next platform, Goldeen slipped into the pool and was already speeding toward him. Stufful managed to pull itself up just in time for Goldeen to miss him, but the fish quickly changed course and was about to knock Stufful off the platform again.
"Stufful! Behind you! Use Payback!" Stufful turned just as Goldeen re-emerged from the water and waved his paws violently. One of them connected with Goldeen, who immediately shot in the other direction, bouncing once on the center platform before landing on the furthest platform from Stufful and skidding right to the edge of it. A direct hit! And it looked like it hurt.
"Goldeen! Get yourself back in the water and use Water Pulse!" Nessa shrieked.
"Go to the main platform and wait for it to come back so you can hit it again!"
Stufful gingerly hopped to the center platform again as Goldeen sank into the depths again. All was silent for a second before the entire pool rose in a terrifying pulse that emanated from where the fish was hiding. Stufful took a few steps back, completely drenched and a little confused, but otherwise looked to be unharmed.
"As long as you stay on the platform you should be safe, buddy!" I cried as another powerful water pulse burst through the water, this time from a much closer location. This time, Stufful was completely perturbed, and began waddling around the platform franticly on his hind legs, waving his arms about as if he could see Goldeen directly in front of him. Goldeen, meanwhile, sank into the depths, waiting to strike.
"Stufful, come on, snap out of it!" But he didn't, and he wildly flung his arms about, Nessa took her chance.
"Horn attack!" she bellowed. From the depths, I could see Goldeen shooting like a torpedo toward the still confused Stufful. It broke through the water and shot into the air as Stufful twisted and turned, but right when it was about to land the blow, and likely out of pure dumb luck, Stufful spun quickly to the left, knocking Goldeen off course and sending it flying, completely out of the pool. It bounced once and stayed still.
"Goldeen, no!" Nessa cried.
"Goldeen is unable to battle!" the ref yelled. Nessa quickly returned her Pokémon and franticly grabbed for a new Pokéball.
"Way to go, Stufful!" I cried. Stufful, who looked like he was finally starting to get back to his senses, dropped to his front paws and squeaked happily. But I could tell he was tired. Nessa still had two Pokémon, and as I looked at the clock and saw that three minutes had already elapsed, I knew that I should play conservatively if I wanted to keep this lead.
"Go! Arrokuda!" Nessa cried, and now I knew that I was going to have a problem. I had seen plenty of Arrokuda and their evolution before, and they were some of the fastest fish Pokémon out there. Even if she had employed the same strategy, Stufful wouldn't have a chance. I gritted my teeth and wondered if there was a way I could slow it down, and suddenly it hit me.
"Stufful, come back!" I said quickly, returning the Pokémon to his ball. "You were amazing. Rest up, I know I'm going to need you later." I then grabbed at my second Pokéball. My plan was far from fool-proof, but I knew that a bad plan was still better than no plan. I threw out the Pokéball, and in a glint of sparks, Yamper landed on a floating platform.
"Aqua jet!"
"Get to the center platform, Yamper!" Yamper hopped forward as I saw a brownish-gray blob shoot out from behind the center platform as the fish sped toward Yamper. As Yamper was directly between the two platforms, it struck from below, sending Yamper shooting upwards and towards a spot far removed from the platforms. Perfect.
"Now Yamper, use charge! Build up that electric energy!" Yamper twisted and turned as I watched her start to glow and spark with a buildup of electric energy.
"Wait, hold on—" Nessa cried, but it was too late. Yamper plopped into the water and immediately a surge of explosive energy rippled through the pool. Water shot up left and right and Yamper quickly emerged, not only completely fine from the electric currents that it was creating, but almost enjoying the swim. At the other end of the pool, Arrokuda also emerged, completely fried.
"Arrokuda is unable to battle!" the leader cried, and Nessa screamed in fury. I commanded Yamper to rush to the nearest platform; even though she was an electric type, she still would be damaged by direct exposure to electricity, and I doubted Nessa would fall to such a hare-brained scheme a second time. Yamper pulled herself up onto the center platform just as Nessa returned Arrokuda and pulled out her third Pokéball. I glanced at the clock. 6:30 remained.
"Alright, you handled my fish pretty easily," Nessa said, regaining her composure. "But not every water type Pokémon needs to be in the water to win a battle, go! Dreadnaw!" In a flash of blue sparks, Dreadnaw appeared on the same platform as Yamper, and Yamper and I both gave a shudder. It was a massive blue tortoise with a rocky shell and orange-brown stone jutting out of its head like a weird mix of narwhal horn and king's crown. It positively dwarfed Yamper, looking down on her menacingly.
"Yamper, return!" I called, pulling her back into her ball. Even if that battleship of a Pokémon was weak to electric types, I don't think Yamper could do much damage at all before getting knocked out immediately. I threw Stufful back out instead. Stufful shakily took his spot on a nearby platform. The water underneath bubbled. The electricity might have been gone or would be close to being gone, but I still did not want to deal with that.
"Knock it into the water with water gun!"
"Payback!" I cried.
Dreadnaw spewed a powerful stream of water directly into Stufful, who skidded to the edge of the platform, which bobbed violently. Stufful then took a running leap and swiped at the Dreadnaw's face. Annoyed, it took a few steps back.
"Razor shell!" cried Nessa, and in a surprisingly swift move, Dreadnaw spun to the side and swept the sharp edges of its shell at Stufful's feet.
"Dodge it!" I cried, but it was too late. Stufful was bowled over and lay on his back as Dreadnaw lumbered toward him.
"Bite!" Nessa yelled.
"Baby-doll Eyes!" I cried. Dreadnaw extended its jaws around Stufful's feet, just as Stufful made itself look about as cute and pathetic as he possibly could. I watched Dreadnaw chomp down, but not for a lot of damage at all. It almost looked as if he didn't want to do it at all.
"Trying to stall us out? Won't work, Gloria! It's Dynamax time!" Nessa yelled, returning Dreadnaw to his ball. How did she expect to Dynamax a Pokémon that large already, wouldn't Dreadnaw completely fill the pool?
"Stay calm, Stufful," I said nervously. "Get as far back as you can!" Stufful hopped back to the edge of the platform furthest from Nessa as she tossed out her massive Pokéball. There was a huge explosion as the Pokémon lept from the ball, still growing, and growing, and growing until it was nearly half the size of the entire pool. It had one foot on the central platform and on reaching all the way to the bottom of the pool, and when it gave out a roar, it was one of the loudest, most unsettling things I had ever heard. I reached for Stufful's ball to Dynamax him, but something told me this wasn't the time.
"Now use Max Geyser!" Nessa yelled, and a torrent of water erupted from the giant tortoise's mouth, firing directly at Stufful, finally breaking his grip on the platform and sending him careening into the pool. Stufful surfaced and was looking very much worse for wear, just in time for Nessa to call out for another Max Geyser.
"Dive into the water!" I shouted, and just before the water reached him, Stufful disappeared into the watery depths. I hoped desperately that it would lessen the blow, but as the water calmed and Stufful resurfaced, I could see that it didn't matter. Above the stadium, the clouds started to converge and turn grey, then black. A couple drops fell, then quickly turned into a steady rain. Max Geyser had the power to create storms? Dynamax moves can do that?
"Stufful is unable to battle!" the ref called. Shit, I said to myself angrily. So much for Stufful being the stronger one. I grasped quickly at Raboot's ball but decided against it. Raboot had enough trouble sticking out attacks for Pokémon he was strong against. Yamper was really my only choice here, bad as it was. I took out her Pokéball and opened it, letting her appear on the platform next to me. She looked tired still, but a fierce determination shone like beacons in her eyes.
"Alright, Yamper. You're going up against a powerful Pokémon but stay strong. I know you can do it." I gave her a tight hug as she barked loudly and energetically. As I hugged her, I noticed that her form seemed to shake and change. I opened my eyes and noticed that she was glowing, but not with her usual electric energy. She was glowing pure white; the same white that glowed when…
"Are you…are you evolving?" I asked excitedly, backing away in surprise. To answer my question, Yamper began to grow taller and lankier. I watched as her legs grew six times in size and in a matter of seconds a completely new Pokémon stood in front of me. Majestic, bright eyed, and with a slick yellow and black pattern of fur across her lanky body, Yamper—or I guess Boltund, stood in front of me. I grinned. Things were starting to look up. I held up her Pokéball and grinned. She tapped her nose on the silver button at its center so she could return to the ball, and I then pushed the ball into my Dynamax Wristband.
The now familiar energy swirled around Boltund's Pokéball and I felt the rush of power seep into myself as well, though that could have just been my own adrenaline flowing through my veins. Soon enough, the gigantic Dreadnaw was met with a gigantic Boltund, who barked so loudly the water in the pool splashed around from the sonic waves.
"Come on, Boltund, give it everything you've got!"
"Max Strike!" Nessa called. Dreadnaw lumbered forward with surprising speed, about to crash into Boltund, But Boltund was far too quick. She let out a thunderous howl, and the storm raging above thundered in response. Flashes of Lightning came from across the clouds above, all leading toward the middle of the sky. Suddenly there was an earsplitting crack, and one massive thunderbolt exploded downwards and directly into the Dreadnaw. Electric energy surged through the entire stadium field, making both Nessa's and my hair stand on end from the static electricity. The Rotom drones whirred along still somehow, but the feed being sent to the big screen crackled and faded in and out of focus.
Still, Dreadnaw lumbered forward, though clearly weakened. Boltund lept out of the way as fast as she could, but still was hit by the rocky head of the tortoise and fell into the pool, which due to her size, only came up to her ankles. Dreadnaw also hopped into the water and turned around with surprising grace and the two Pokémon locked eyes intensely. Boltund held a tough glaze, but I could tell she was hurting quite a lot from all the damage she had taken. Dreadnaw didn't look any better. Whoever landed the next hit would win the bout. Another quick glance at the clock and I noticed that four minutes remained still. If Yamper won, I would win. If Yamper lost, I would have to trust Raboot to take out the giant turtle without any hope of Dynamaxing. I was so close to winning, yet I was far from in the clear just yet.
Or so I thought. Suddenly, Dreadnaw let out a roar and started to shrink. The Dynamax energy was wearing off! Of course, it wouldn't be permanent, but had I really been able to stay in this long enough for that to happen?
"Dreadnaw, don't let it get to you! Use Razor Shell!"
"Use your Max…I don't know, is it Max Lightning? I don't know but zap it, Boltund!"
Dreadnaw swam towards Boltund with surprising speed, but even then, it couldn't get there in time, as Boltund caused another catastrophic lightning bolt to smash into the tortoise, causing it to lose momentum and harmlessly wash up next to Boltund, unconscious.
"Dreadnaw is unable to battle! Gloria wins the match!"
I screamed in excitement, jumped off the platform, and sprinted along the side of the pool to where Boltund was starting to shrink out of her Dynamax state as Nessa dove into the water to attend to Dreadnaw. I was greeted with the smell of wet dog as the Boltund hopped up into my arms and knocked me to the ground, licking my face and barking with excitement. Several of the Rotom drones were playing my celebration on the big screen, and the few audience members that were milling about were cheering as loudly as they could, though it still couldn't come close to filling the stadium.
"Leon really knows how to pick 'em," Nessa said as she pulled herself out of the pool and walked toward me. Her confident model strut was no more; she walked like a regular human now. I gently pushed Boltund off me and pulled myself up to shake her hand. Her hand was firm and wet.
"Thanks, Nessa. It was a great battle."
"Sure was," she said with a soft smile. "Not many people manage to hang on long enough to see Dreadnaw come out of his Dynamax. And the clutch evolution? Is that becoming your signature move?"
"I hope not," I admitted. "I don't think that's a very reliable way to go about battling."
"Neither is stalling out your opponent," Nessa said, her smile fading. "No doubt you're headed to Kabu's gym next?"
"That's the plan."
"I guarantee you he's not going to let you win by taking your time. He will burn you up quickly. And he's one of the oldest gym leaders in Galar so he's seen every trick. You've got a tough battle ahead of you. But you know what? I think you've got a chance. Not many people can beat him, but you? I have a feeling you could be one of the few who do. Here's your water badge; you've earned it."
I took it gratefully and Boltund rubbed her head up against Nessa, who laughed a bit and scratched the dog's fuzzy head before the two of us walked back toward the tunnel. Inside the locker room, Hop and Victor looked at me, then Boltund, and then grinned wildly; I didn't need to tell them how it went. Victor gave me a big hug and Hop did the same for Boltund, who shook off some more water off her coat, splashing the three of us. I returned her to her ball.
"Listen you two, I'd love to stick around but Boltund and Stufful both took a pretty tough beating today, and I should probably head to the Pokémon Center right now."
"Totally fine," Victor said, brushing it off. "We'll see you with Oleana and Rose later."
That's right, I had completely forgotten in the excitement of the battle. I ripped off my uniform and changed back into my street clothes as Hop and Victor quickly looked away, grabbed my bag and Pokéballs and jogged out of the locker room.
"Gloria Dixon! Hulbury News Channel six—"
"Sorry, I've got to get to the Pokémon Center—"
"I'm a reporter for the Wyndon Times, would you mind answering a few—"
"Sorry, I've got to—"
"Gloria? Can I please pet your Stufful?"
"I've really got to—"
I pushed myself through a small crowd of reporters and fans who had managed to catch the battle or had come down to the stadium after watching the stream of the battle. It seemed that there were more than there were after my victory against Milo, but I couldn't be sure. I burst through the main doors and out to the open space in front of the gym.
"Trainer Gloria." I gulped. Oleana was waiting for me, and though she still kept a blank face, I could feel the annoyance in her glare.
"Not now, I'm so sorry, I have to get to the Pokémon Center before—"
"The chairman has been waiting, and he does not like to be kept," Oleana said sternly. "The Pokémon Center is along the way. If you move fast, we can stop there before going to the restaurant. The reservation was for…" She checked her watch. "…five minutes ago. Come along."
"But what about Hop and Victor?"
"Come. Along." She turned and quickly walked away, heels clicking sharply against the concrete. I tagged along as quickly as I could, only able to send a quick apology text to my brother and my best friend. Looks like they would miss the dinner after all.
A/N: Two badges down! I promise it won't end with a surprise evolution anymore. I didn't realize that I did it back to back until I actually sat down and looked at my outline for this chapter!
NEXT WEEK: INVESTOR'S MEETING