A/N: CONTENT WARNING: This is a violent chapter, especially near the end. It's not anything that I think would bump this story up from its T Rating, but it is a bit more graphic than the gym battles, and more serious injuries than past will be sustained. If that's not your cup of tea, I'll have a brief description of the events of the chapter at the end. Thanks for reading, as always!
Compared to the relative warmth of Ballonlea, going through Glimwood Tangle the second time was a much colder experience. The mushrooms still lit our way through winding paths, but as the strange winds continued to blow, the trees moaned ominously. Ponyta, newly reinvigorated from her break at the Pokémon Center, was leading our group further into the woods than we had gone as we were passing through just this morning. Behind Ponyta, Marnie and I walked in silence, hands loosely clasped. Marnie's body may have been relaxed, but her eyes were sharp and cold, scouting around for any potential danger. Hop and Victor walked behind us, using their partner Pokémon to help us traverse the thick woods. Thwackey used his strength to bend branches and vines out of all of our ways, and Drizzile hopped from tree to tree, leaving little metallic scraps of paper so that we could find our way back to the main path. Morpeko skittered all around us, as if she had heard all this talk about mushrooms and wanted to find them before anyone else. It was slow traveling, but all stiff breezes aside, the four of us were in relatively high spirits.
On occasion, we would stumble across a Pokémon, but very rarely would they stick around long enough for us to battle or capture it. An occasional Impidimp would try laughing louder and more evilly than one could think from a tiny pink body, but Marnie would send out her new Morgrem and scare them off almost immediately. "Don't get too scared now," she would say to me every time she tossed Morgrem's Pokéball, to which I would always reply with a sneer.
After what felt like an hour of walking, I finally groaned and leaned against one of the big, ancient trees. Ponyta stopped and turned, looking at me curiously. As did the rest of our party. "Can we take a break for a second? I didn't think it would be this hard to find a couple mushrooms," I complained.
Victor chuckled. "I told you they were rare," he said. "But that's a good idea. Don't want to tire us out too much. Drizzile! How are you doing?" Drizzile dutifully hopped up to him and held out the bag of paper scraps Victor had given him as we walked into the forest. It was about half-empty.
"I wish there were a better way to track 'em," Hop said, returning Thwackey to his Pokéball and sitting down next to me.
"I think Boltund could probably sniff some out," I said, sitting down as well.
"Not if she doesn't know what the scent is," Marnie said. "C'mon, you three, if you wanted to train, we should train, not wander around a forest looking for a mushroom we don't know we'll be able to find."
As she spoke, another gust of wind blew past us violently, swirling decaying leaves and mushroom spores directly at us, I brought my arms up to shield my face, and as I did, a familiar buzz zapped my wrist – Dynamax readings were being picked up on my wristband! The small screen flared to life and signaled that, though weak, something was giving off Dynamax energy. "Hey, I think I've got a lead," I said, showing my wrist to everyone once the spores had all settled.
Victor grinned. "Gloria, you're brilliant!" He threw off his backpack and started rummaging through it for a couple seconds until he pulled out one of Sonia's Dynamax Detectors. "If they give off Dynamax energy, we can follow this!"
Hop gulped. "Did no one else notice that our wishing stars have been activating every time the wind blows?" In response, there was another gust of wind, weaker than the first, but still enough for a quick jolt from my wristband.
"This isn't the start of another Dynamax Storm, is it?" I asked, feeling a little lightheaded.
"I don't know how it could be," Victor said matter-of-factly. "That storm you and Hop were in the middle of was only documented in the Wild Area, and we're about as far away from the Wild Area as the Crown Tundra is."
"What about the one that caused the mine cave-in?" I asked.
"That wasn't a Dynamax storm," Victor corrected. "They said it was Team Yell causing a—"
"Team Yell didn't do anythin'," Marnie growled. "They're obnoxious, but they aren't—" She was cut off by a third blast of wind, and this one was accompanied by a terrible groan from the trees around us, as if they were begging for the wind to stop themselves. There was a small spike in the Dynamax Readings, but before any of us could note it, my vision began to fade.
"Eugh, now's not a good…time…" I groaned, and I felt my knees begin to buckle. But this felt different than the last time I had a vision of the beasts – it felt like my entire soul was draining from my body. I stumbled but caught myself on a tree trunk. My entire body felt like it was being smothered by an invisible blanket, and the already dark forest was starting to get even darker. My breathing became a little labored, as if it was too much work to let all the air into my lungs. I gasped and started to slide down the tree.
"Gloria!" I heard Marnie yell faintly.
"Growlithe! Flame Wheel!" Victor said. There was a flash of dim white light, and then a flash of yellow, and suddenly I could see again, and the invisible blanket was lifted. I spun around as quick as I could, to see Growlithe standing between me and another Shiinotic, who was sporting a searing burn mark on its large luminescent cap. Hop grabbed at me and I weakly collapsed into him as Victor ordered another Flame Wheel. It was enough to send the Shiinotic running.
"Wha-what the hell just happened?" I asked, shakily letting go of Hop and standing on my own two feet. I could feel my strength slowly coming back to me as I slowed my breathing.
"Looked like a Mega Drain," Victor explained. "Pretty common move for grass types like Shiinotic. Dunno why it was so aggressive though; that last Shiinotic we saw was so calm…"
"That was a bloody strong Mega Drain, mate," Hop said shakily. "I swear I could feel it."
Ponyta clopped over and her horn began to glow, emitting a bright pink pulse of energy. As the pulse passed through Hop and me, I felt a surge of warmth come over me and for a brief second, it felt like I could take on the entire world again.
"And a Heal Pulse from Ponyta," Victor said, cocking an eyebrow and grinning. "You really had a hell of a capture with this girl, Gloria."
I walked over to Ponyta and patted her soft yellow and blue mane. "I'm really starting to agree with you, Victor. Thanks, girl." Ponyta whinnied happily and nuzzled up against my hand. Her glowing mane lit the four of us from underneath in an eerie pale and cold light, and after we all looked at each other for another couple minutes, Victor's Dynamax Detector started buzzing again.
"I'm picking up a reading from…Gloria?" Victor asked, stunned. Hop and Marnie looked at me, and I stepped back from Ponyta.
"Don't be ridiculous, Victor! There's energy all around us, there's no way it's focusing on me…hey!" I cried as Victor sidestepped around Ponyta and shoved the detector right in front of me. It beeped wildly, and only got louder as he walked around me, finally reaching a loud hum right next to my backpack.
"Gloria, why do you have a Dynamax Backpack?" he asked with a grin.
"I'unno, I…wait!" I replied, suddenly remembering. "Vic, listen, the day you came back to Hammerlocke, I saw the…well, I found...what the—" As I spoke, I ripped open my bag to see a bright red light spill out. After a couple seconds of rummaging, I pulled out the source of the light – the giant wishing star that the beast had led me to that morning.
"Gloria, bloody hell!" Hop cried. "It's gigantic!" His face was
"What do you mean, you found it?" Victor yelped. "You found this in Hammerlocke? How did you never tell me about this?"
"I kinda forgot about it, actually," I said sheepishly. "I'd been meaning to show you, honest, but I got distracted and then I just…well forgot."
"Gloria, we need to show this to Sonia immediately," Victor said. "You sure you found this in Hammerlocke?"
"Yeah, why is it important that—"
Suddenly, an uproarious gale blew from behind us; stronger than any of the previous blasts of wind. It was so strong that all of us fell away from each other. I caught myself on the same tree as before, while Marnie and Victor managed to grab onto Ponyta, who, having four hooves already dug into the ground managed to not budge more than a couple inches. Hop tripped over a root and stumbled behind a tree, quickly followed by Thwackey, who managed to stop his fall. Drizzile also took a tumble but landed close to me, stunned but otherwise unharmed.
"Is another Pokémon going mad?" I yelled over the wind, gripping the wishing star tight to my chest. I saw Marnie open her mouth in the dim light of Ponyta's mane, but whatever she had been meaning to yell was overpowered by a terrible roar that shook every bit of the forest like an earthquake. The wind blew even harder, and I felt myself losing my grip on the tree trunk. I fell back but before the wind could take me to Arceus knows where, I saw an orange hand reach up and grab at my bag, pulling me into a divot under the tree. I saw Hop and Thwackey cowering behind the divot, safe from the winds, at least for the moment.
"Hop, I've got to get Victor and Marnie—"
"Gloria, it's not safe out there!" He yelled back.
"What about Ponyta?" I shrieked, desperately trying to overpower the roar, which only seemed to grow louder, Hop just pushed himself deeper into the dirt as branches flew past him in the wind. I set the wishing star down and pulled myself up just enough to see what was going on. The wind continued to blow wildly, and through squinted eyes I could see Ponyta still standing, with Victor and Marnie huddled up with it. I grasped at a Pokéball, and the second I felt the wind to ebb, I hurled it out.
"Gloria, what the hell are you thinking?!" Hop yelled, but I ignored him and pulled myself up to give orders.
In a flash of white, Bewear appeared, at first stumbling in surprise with the wind. "Get to Ponyta!" I shouted. "Bring them over here!" Bewear nodded and pushed forward as another gust of wind blasted us. It was almost strong enough to push me off my feet, but it was only a minor inconvenience to Bewear, who managed to make it to Ponyta with only a little bit of struggling. He grabbed at Ponyta with his massive paws, and Marnie and Victor both latched onto his arms. Together, the four of them slowly began to make their way back to me.
"Hop! Help me make this divot bigger!" I cried, but Hop looked at me blankly. I then stared at Thwackey, who quickly looked between us and then began digging in the dirt furiously. Hop scrambled out of the way and began hyperventilating – he was completely caught off guard by the storm. I moaned and grabbed at a second Pokéball at my side.
"Vibrava! Dig!" I yelled, and soon Vibrava had appeared at Thwackey's side and the two finally started making some progress. By the time Bewear and Ponyta brought Marnie and Victor over, there was enough space for all of us to be shielded from the wind.
"Vibrava, return!" I said, holding up his Pokéball. Vibrava was sucked inside, back to safety – I didn't want to risk exposing him to these winds any longer than physically possible. I grabbed at Ponyta's Pokéball, but after seeing her calming presence on Marnie, Victor, and especially Hop, who was breathing a bit more normally now, I put it back on my belt. Instead, I turned to Marnie, who looked at me with surprising calmness.
"Thanks, Gloria," she shouted over the wind and roaring of the trees. "Good to know someone's got their head still screwed on."
"I wouldn't go that far—"
A sickening crack rang through the forest, and the two of us looked straight up. A large branch had snapped off the tree that had been keeping us safe and was plummeting down. Marnie leapt forward and tackled me, and as we fell to the ground, I saw Bewear lurch forward and catch the branch, only about a foot from where the two of us had been standing. Bewear grunted, and tossed the branch to the side, where the wind took it again and blew it hard against a tree, where it splintered a second time and flew into the darkness of the forest.
I looked deep into Marnie's eyes as she pulled herself up to a crouch over me. She looked me over and her face broke into a soft smile on seeing that I was still safe before picking me up by the sweater and dragging me back to the divot, where she nestled me into a spot next to Victor.
"Now we're even, thanks," she said.
"You are so unbelievably hot," I blurted out, causing Marnie smile to widen just a bit before she was hit with another powerful burst of wind. She staggered back, instinctively grabbing at a Pokéball and throwing it. Morgrem appeared and spun around in confusion at all the chaos happening. He then started to groan and grab at his head, as if he was suffering from an intense migraine. At that same moment, Bewear also shuddered and grabbed at his head. Ponyta whinnied stamped her feet, clearly under the same spell.
"What's going on—Morgrem, LOOK OUT!" Marnie yelled, and Morgrem took a couple steps forward just in time to dodge out of the way of a large gray hand that came from above me and swiped at him. Victor and I pulled ourselves up and spun around to become face to face with a crazed Oranguru, a large white and gray ape with spots of purple fur holding what looked like a grass fan and hopping about from tree to bush to other tree with reckless abandon. Its eyes glowed red, and when it wasn't lashing out at one of us, it also brought its hands to its temples, roaring in pain and anger.
"Wh-what's going on?" Hop sputtered, still frozen to his spot on the ground. Victor grabbed at his arm and tugged, pulling him to his feet just in time to avoid another wild flail from the Oranguru.
"These Pokémon are supposed to be pretty docile too!" Victor shouted; eyes wide with terror. Oranguru's neck snapped up and it glared at Victor before roaring and charging.
"Zen Headbutt!" I cried, and Bewear zipped forward, knocking his head into the charging Pokémon. The Oranguru didn't look injured, but his path was changed enough that he missed Victor by a pretty wide margin. Victor shook his head, clearing his mind. He quickly returned Drizzile to his Pokéball and sent out Nuzleaf, who hopped to attention right away.
"Nuzleaf, hit it with Payback!" he ordered, just as the Oranguru sent a powerful psychic blast toward it. After it merely grazed Nuzleaf's thick barky skin, it rushed Oranguru, slamming against it with great force. Oranguru skidded back and pounded on its chest, but Nuzleaf took a deep breath and held itself as still as it could in the wind, which was once again starting to pick up. There was another intense buzzing at my wrist, and in the corner of my eye, I saw the Wishing Star pulsating wildly as a familiar pink aura started floating in from everywhere, lighting the forest up in an ominous red fashion.
"Victor…"
"I get it, Gloria, this is probably a Dynamax Storm, but we've got more pressing issues with this—"
"No, Victor, look out!" I screamed, grabbing at his wrist and pulling him out of the way just in time for a large and almost rock-like berry whizzed past us and dug itself into the ground. A second giant Pokémon flew past us and landed with a harsh thud on the ground and dug the berry out from the ground before turning its attention to us. It was a monkey, much like Oranguru, but instead sported yellow spots and wore the shell of another strange large berry on its head like a helmet.
"Is…is that a Passimian?" Victor asked. "But they don't get that big…"
"Victor now isn't the time for taking notes!" I cried, pulling him back towards where Hop was sitting just as the Passimian hurled its berry at us.
"Nuzleaf! Payback again!"
"Bewear!" I called, but Bewear couldn't hear me; instead, he was doubled over with both of his paws on his head, groaning in agony. I whipped my head to Ponyta. "C'mon, girl, fairy wind!" Ponyta also did not obey, and was instead shaking her head violently, trying to get away from whatever was causing her pain.
Nuzleaf struck Passimian hard on the head, but the ape just shook it off and began advancing on it, as did Oranguru. It was then that I noticed the pink energy seeping into their bodies, just like it was with Bewear and Ponyta, and Marnie's Morgrem, who looked to be taking it hardest of all of them.
"It's…it's the Dynamax Energy!" I yelled. "It's too much for them – it's driving them mad!"
"We need to get them back in their Pokéballs before they start to grow!" Victor said, and as he did, the Passimian and Oranguru both roared with all their might and began to grow rapidly. The earth shook underneath us, and huge cracks ripped through the ground around our feet. Beams of bright magenta burst through the cracks, lighting the entire forest up in a surreal pink glow. I stumbled forward into Victor, and as the two of us fell into Hop, I got a glimpse of a thousand bright red eyes staring out at us. It seemed that almost every Pokémon in the entire forest was here.
"Thwackey, return!" Hop called, raising his Pokéball. Thwackey, who was also clambering around with his head in his hands, exploded into a red puff of data and zipped back to the safety of his Pokéball. I did the same with Bewear and Ponyta, and Victor with Nuzleaf.
"We have to get out of here!" I yelled toward Marnie, who was slowly walking towards her thrashing Morgrem.
"Don't worry," she shouted. "I got it!" She reached out and placed a hand on Morgrem, who calmed down and looked at her with recognition. She then jabbed her thumb behind her, at the now gigantic Oranguru, and with a nod, her Pokémon jumped into action, whipping its long black hair around chaotically.
In response, Oranguru roared loud enough to cause the entire forest to quake and brought its fist down hard. Marnie quickly jumped out of the way, deftly avoiding the growing cracks in the ground and steadying herself by grabbing onto a low-hanging branch. Morgrem was not so lucky, or so it seemed at first. Oranguru's giant fist came down hard, landing with a sickening crunch, but as it eased its arm up, Morgrem was still hanging on – it had stopped most of the force of Oranguru's fist entirely on its own. Morgrem roared in a high-pitched tone that was somewhere near the call of a siren and a wicked cackle and finally shrugged off the fist. Impressive as it was, it did not seem like it would be able to take that kind of hit again.
"What the hell is she doing?" Victor asked.
"I'm trying to cover you lot so you can piss off and not die!" Marnie grunted. "C'mon, Morgrem, keep it up!"
Immediately I let go of my brother and bounded forward, grabbing at Cinderace's Pokéball.
"Gloria, what?! Are you mental?!" Victor shouted, his voice cracking.
"Get to safety!" I yelled, bringing Cinderace's ball to my wrist and pressing against my Dynamax Bracelet. I could feel the air pulsating into the Pokéball, and I tried not to think about the Dynamax energy overpowering Cinderace as I tossed the ball over my head and into the fracas.
"G-Gloria…" I heard Hop whimper.
"You're both being stupid!" Victor yelled, but from his tone of voice, I could tell he knew I wouldn't listen to him. As Cinderace burst into the sky, a couple dozen feet tall already, I saddled up next to Marnie. She looked at me, first with confusion but then with resolve, and as another blast of wind rocked us, she grabbed onto my sweater and held me close as the ground splintered like wood around us. More magenta beams burst all around us, nearly blinding in their brightness, but I heard the familiar cry of Cinderace, ready to duke it out.
"Didn't I tell you to leave?" Marnie asked dryly.
"Gonna take a lot more than that to get rid of me," I cracked, knocking her on the shoulder. "Ready to kick some Dynamaxed asses?"
She nodded and glanced at the two giant apes in front of us. Cinderace took his mark behind me, but as Marnie was about to pull out Morgrem's Pokéball to retrieve it, it started to glow white and grow.
"Is it evolving or Dynamaxing?" she asked.
"I think…both?" I asked, stepping back as the beast grew. As its glow faded, it shot up thirty, no, forty feet into the air, and its black hair simply enveloped its entire body. What had been small and rounded fangs grew sharper and larger, around the size of my head and gleaming like pearls in the pink light of the Dynamax energy. The newly evolved Pokémon let out a deafening roar, and I could see many of the red eyes that surrounded us dart away.
For a brief moment, all was silent as Marnie and I stood between the four giant Pokémon. Not even a slight burst of wind came between us. I looked around. Cinderace was sizing up all three of the other Dynamax Pokémon nervously, while Oranguru and Passimian stepped back, eyeing the evolved Morgrem with vitriol. Hop and Victor were frozen next to a felled tree, anxiously watching us all from what I could only hope was a safe distance. In the silence I reached my right hand over to Marnie's left and clutched it tightly.
"Where's that aggressive battlin'?" Marnie joked, squeezing my hand back.
"Thought I'd try a more defensive strategy, like you seem to favor."
"Hm," Marnie grinned. "She can be taught."
And then the forest erupted. Another powerful quake surged all around us, with Dynamax energy blasting up from the ground. It was powerful enough that even Oranguru and Passimian couldn't quite handle it in their massive state, and they both charged at our Pokémon.
"Cinderace! Max Flare!" I cried.
"Mor-er-Grimmsnarl, Max Starfall!" Marnie cried, and our two Pokémon charged forward. Cinderace's entire body seemed to light on fire, while Marnie's new Grimmsnarl glowed the same uneasy magenta of the Dynamax Energy as they crashed into the closest enemy to them. Oranguru was sent flying into one of the giant trees, which somehow did not give way to the weight, while Grimmsnarl jumped high into the air and tackled Passimian, driving it into the ground in a bright pink blast. The moment the two Pokémon were hit, Dynamax energy burst out of their bodies with explosive force, in volume similar to the still-roaring ground below. As the energy escaped them, the two apes faltered and then fell unconscious to the forest floor, where they disappeared in the low brush.
"Yeah!" I cried, pumping my fist and pulling Marnie in for a hug, but she wasn't quite having it. As the ground shook all around us, I soon realized that Cinderace and Grimmsnarl were both starting to be affected by the Dynamax Energy.
"It's still too much for them to handle!" Victor bellowed. "Call them back and let's GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!"
"R-right!" I shouted back, fumbling with Cinderace's Pokéball. "Cinderace-!"
In response, Cinderace screamed – not his usual cry of excitement at the start of a battle or a victory roar upon winning a battle, but a howl of pure pain and confusion. Grimmsnarl did the same, violently swinging its fist with reckless abandon and hopping around.
"Grimmsnarl, come ba—whaaaugh!" Marnie cried, barely dodging as a hairy foot crashed down next to her. She let go of my hand and sprinted back a few yards, leaping over an upturned root. Grimmsnarl roared again, and from him came a mighty wind that picked me up off my feet and sent me tumbling in the other direction.
"Gloria!" I heard Victor yell. There was a bright flash of light, and I felt little paws tugging at me. Kubfu had appeared, and he dragged me next to a taller tree before buckling in pain and howling. Victor sprinted over and immediately recalled Kubfu. "That was so dumb," he groaned, his voice thick with worry.
"Thanks, though," I replied shakily, watching as Cinderace, completely oblivious to the world around it, kicked a massive fireball right where I had been standing.
"Did the Dynamax Storm you were in cause any of your Pokémon to freak out like this?" he asked.
"N-no, and Cinderace has never looked so—I have to help him!"
"Gloria, would you—?" Victor shouted, but it was too late; I had pulled myself free and was bounding back into the action, where I saw Marnie desperately trying to get Grimmsnarl and Cinderace under control by herself.
Cinderace screeched again, and launched another fireball wildly, this time in Grimmsnarl's direction. Grimmsnarl took the blast, and for a brief second looked like he snapped out of it, but the moment passed, and he glared at Cinderace with disdain, gearing up for an attack on his own.
"Cinderace!" I yelled. "CINDERACE! Buddy, you gotta listen to me!"
Cinderace flinched, then looked down at me. There was a spark of recognition in his eyes – he was still in there, but he looked to be in terrible pain. Just then, a massive black aura burst from Grimmsnarl and smashed into him, sending him flying into a tree, snapping its trunk like it was a twig.
"CINDERACE!" I screamed, bolting toward my partner. I leapt over the downed log and rushed to Cinderace's giant fluffy head. "Cinderace, I'm here, it'll be okay, we're together now." I saw him look at me, and even through the pain I could see that the spark of recognition had grown. He grumbled, not with pain and confusion this time, but with gratitude that I was there, and I rested my head on his fur. "It's okay, it's okay," I repeated. "I'm here." I felt his breathing grow a bit less labored.
Grimmsnarl roared again, and I felt Cinderace's entire body tense up. I clutched his fur and braced myself, and soon I felt the black aura from before shoving itself into me. It was horrible, as if it were pushing my bones out from inside my body. All sound faded into a faint ringing, but after a moment, it was all over. I felt my knees start to buckle; suddenly I could barely stand, and it felt like sleep was only just a few seconds away. I slid down to the ground, breathing heavily. "Grimmsnarl, come on, you gotta calm down!" I heard Marnie shouting, but she sounded like she was a mile away. Grimmsnarl screeched in return, and as I felt myself slipping away, I felt Cinderace rise and rejoin the battle. Then, everything faded to black.
I am in a dark room. Is it a room? I look around and see no walls, windows, or doors. I don't see a floor, or a ceiling, but as I turn completely around, I see her.
"Hello, child," the blue beast says. She looks like she did at the Weald when I first saw her; ragged blue fur, sunken eyes, and a stance that looks like she hasn't eaten in days.
"Y-you…" I sputter.
The beast chuckles. "Me," she replies. "I am glad we finally have a moment to speak face-to-face. I admit, I had hoped our first meeting would be under different circumstances, but in the centuries I have lived, I have learned that ideal circumstances are rarely attained. For this, I apologize." She bows gracefully and begins to walk closer. I cannot move, but it is not fear that keeps me rooted to the…ground? I don't feel anything beneath my feet. Am I floating?
"What is this place?" I ask.
"Whatever we choose it to be," the beast replies simply. "This is a construct of your own imagination. A dream, if you will."
My mind flashes to just a few seconds ago, lying in the forest with Cinderace. "Am…I'm not…"
"Dead? No," the best says, chuckling again. "This is nothing like the dangers you will face soon."
"That's…not very reassuring," I gulp.
"Calm yourself, my child," she says, softly but firmly. "The darkest day, as you call it, may be drawing near, but it is not so soon that you need worry yourself that much."
"What do you mean? The Darkest Day was millennia ago, wasn't it?"
"My child—"
"Gloria's fine."
"Gloria," she says simply. "Time is not quite the fixed line you may think it is. Though it may march on in the same direction, certain moments and elements have a tendency to repeat themselves. It is the folly of us, I suppose."
"Who…who are you?" I ask.
"My name has long been forgotten, I fear," she says with great sorrow. "My companion and I are but a distant memory in the eyes of Galar and Soan."
"Do you also not remember your name?" I ask.
"Funny," she says, cocking her head. "You remind me of my old master."
"Hope that's a good thing," I mutter.
"He was a great and benevolent king. It is a good thing," she reassures me. "I do not have long, for you will wake soon. But as I am sure you can see; the storms are worsening. They will only continue to do so until the Black Hand returns. When it does, come find me."
"What even is the Black Hand?"
"Just that," she laughs. "A black hand. Bring your companion to find me in the Weald, where our physical forms sleep. With sword and shield, the two of purest heart will wake us."
"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that…is Hop my—"
"Yes, he reminds me of the other master as well. Less sure of himself, but still capable of being a hero and champion. Though our masters' old deeds have faded into a false legend, the two of you can be a new legend of your own. Once Hop opens his heart to my companion, he will see that as well."
"But how do I get him to do that?"
"Only he can do this, Gloria. But he will find a way. Farewell."
"Wait, I still have so many—"
"I said farewell, Gloria."
"GLORIA!"
My eyes jolted open, and I took a deep ragged breath. Victor and Hop were dragging me back to the safety of the trees that hadn't been toppled yet. Loud crashes came from the other direction, and as I turned my head, I saw that Cinderace was still Dynamaxed, and throwing attack after attack at Grimmsnarl, who was fighting back viciously.
"How…how long was I out?" I groaned.
"Only a few seconds," Victor said. "You okay?"
"I think?" I said, pulling myself up to a sitting position and trying to get a better sense of what was going on. My head was heavy, still shaking off the sleep. "Wh-where's Marnie?" I asked.
Victor pointed and sure enough, I saw her closer to the battle, still trying to get Grimmsnarl to calm down. Grimmsnarl threw another violent punch down at her, causing the earth to shake yet again, but she was just able to move out of the way in time. Instantly I was awake and struggling to get up. "I have to help her!" I said, before Hop and Victor both pulled me back down again.
"She told us to get to safety, and that she can handle it," Hop said.
"That's bollocks, Cinderace could barely listen to me! I need to—"
"Gloria, no!" Victor said, but I ripped my arm away and pushed him aside, breaking free and running a few steps.
"Cinderace!" I bellowed. "Cinderace, can you hear me?" He turned and looked at me, same as Marnie as I rushed back toward them.
"Really something to be said about your stamina," Marnie said in surprise.
"Oh, just you wait," I said with a wink, causing her to instantly turn pink.
"The storm's mostly over," she said, stumbling over her words. "But I can't get Grimmsnarl to—"
Grimmsnarl roared violently and charged at us. I grabbed Marnie's arm and pulled her to the side with me and we narrowly avoided the attack. "Cinderace!" I yelled. "Max Flare! Go until you can't go anymore!"
"No, he's weak! Grimmsnarl can't take much more…" Marnie said.
"He seems pretty strong…look out!" The two Dynamaxed Pokémon rushed forwards, Grimmsnarl at us and Cinderace at Grimmsnarl. There was nowhere for us to run, but Cinderace hopped over us and kicked out, landing a powerful fiery strike against Grimmsnarl's face, sending it stumbling backward. Cinderace kept pushing forward, this time diving and digging his shoulder into Grimmsnarl.
"Gloria, call off Cinderace!" Marnie cried. "Let him work through it, it'll be okay!"
"Grimmsnarl's just going to go after us again!" I argued. "Pin him, Cinderace!"
"Gloria, no!"
But Cinderace was already on the move, and quickly had pinned Grimmsnarl to the ground, where he writhed uncontrollably, shooting beams of psychic, dark, and even fairy auras in every direction. Cinderace was getting battered, but he held on, before the two finally, mercifully, began to shrink down. Marnie rushed toward the two Pokémon, and I followed cautiously as the beams of aura got weaker and weaker. Finally, all was dead silent in the forest, and we slowed our pace and looked at our two Pokémon.
What had once been a densely filled forest was now a makeshift clearing, with trunks and sticks, and shattered wood and leaves covering a rather circular area with a hundred-foot radius. For the first time since entering the tangle, we could see the sky. It was almost black as pitch, but there were a few spots in the sky that a couple stars managed to poke through. At the center of the carnage sat our two Pokémon in a clump. Cinderace rolled off Grimmsnarl, ragged and panting. He was covered in scrapes and bruises, and though he looked at me with a weak smile, he quickly fell to the ground, spitting up small droplets of blood.
"Cinderace!" I cried, and I rushed over to him, pulling him into my arms. He smiled again at me as I pulled him close. "Cinderace, you were incredible. You're always so good, it's okay. I'm here," I cooed, hugging him tightly. His breathing calmed, and I pulled out his Pokéball. "We're headed right back to the Pokémon Center, and you are taking a long and well-deserved rest. I love you, buddy." Cinderace let out a content sigh and let himself be taken back into his Pokéball.
"Glad that's over," I heard Hop say as he and Victor walked toward us.
"And although it's probably not the time or place," Victor said, "look over there!" He pointed, and near the edge of the wreckage was a patch of mushrooms growing bright red with the Dynamax energy that surrounded them.
"Are those the…" I asked weakly.
"Yep," Victor said.
"Well, I hope it was worth it to you," Marnie said darkly. I turned back to her and saw that she was kneeled next to Grimmsnarl, who wasn't moving.
"Marnie…" I said, walking over. "Marnie, is he…?"
Grimmsnarl was lying down, bent in an uncomfortable looking position. His hair had receded back so that I could see dark green skin covered black with blood and dirt. Marnie was shaking slightly at his side. She was holding Grimmsnarl's limp arm in her hand. "I feel a pulse, I think," she said. "But…but it's really weak." Her voice was steady and controlled, but as she reached the end of each sentence, I could hear her tone waver.
"Oh no," Hop whispered.
"Let's get going," I said. "We gotta get back. Where's his Pokéball? He'll be safe in there—"
Marnie did not respond, but instead she held up a Pokéball with a large crack right down the middle of the red top.
"Oh no," Hop whispered again.
"What…Victor, what do we do?" I asked, but he had already gone on to get the mushrooms, completely oblivious to what was going on here.
"I told you to ease up, Gloria."
"Marnie," I sputtered, "I…I had no idea he was that badly injured."
"Well do you have an idea now?" She shouted. Her voice echoed feebly in the open. "He's going to die here."
"N-no! He's not! We'll…we'll get him to the Pokémon Center; it'll be fine…I…"
Finally, she turned to look at me. She was furious, and her eyes were wet, almost to the point of crying. "How do you suggest we do that? We don't know where the hell it is. He's barely breathing."
"Lemme just…" Hop said, dropping and rifling through his bag. He pulled out a Potion and clicked the spray bottle to an open position. He sprayed some of Grimmsnarl's wounds. Grimmsnarl twitched but was otherwise unresponsive. "It's not much," Hop said, but if we make it back to the Pokémon Center in time, I think he can pull through."
"Here," I said, tossing out Bewear's Pokéball. "Bewear, help us bring Grimmsnarl in. Be gentle." Bewear grunted and cautiously picked Grimmsnarl up, careful not to move it.
"Cool, we've got plenty for—oh no, what happened?" Victor said, returning with a bag full of mushrooms.
"We need to get back to the Pokémon Center now," Marnie said with disgust, looking at the mushrooms.
"R-right," Victor gulped. He tossed out Drizzile's Pokéball. "Drizzile. Find the trail you were making and let's get the hell out of here." Drizzile nodded and quickly bounded off. Bewear followed, and so did Hop and my brother, leaving Marnie and me alone.
"Marnie, I'm really sorry, I truly had no idea he was that weak," I said, my voice barely a whisper. I held my hand toward her, offering her help up, but she batted it away and got up on her own.
Her face was now wet with tears. "You can tell me when we're at the Pokémon Center," she spat, quickly turning and following them away.
A/N: And that's that. As promised, summary of the chapter is below. Next week, we get to have the fun of dealing with the fallout from THIS.
NEXT WEEK: MAX SOUP'S ON!
Summary: Our four heroes head into Glimwood Tangle again, only this time a much more sinister air is upon them. After being attacked suddenly by a Wild Pokemon, the blowing winds turn into a full-out Dynamax storm so powerful that it drives all Pokemon to madness. In the chaos, Marnie's newly caught Morgrem evolves into Grimmsnarl and Gigantamaxes, losing all countrol. Gloria's bond with Cinderace proves strong enough that Cinderace can fight through the pain, but Gloria gets knocked out. In her dreams, she has a brief conversation with the beast, who tells her the Darkest Day is soon approaching. Upon waking, the storm has reached its zenith but Grimmsnarl is still too wild to contain. Using as much force as she can muster, and despite Marnie's wishes, Gloria and Cinderace manage to subdue Grimmsnarl, but both have taken incredibly severe injuries. The group walks back to the Pokemon Center, having found the Max Mushrooms, but causing their Pokemon severe harm in the process.