A/N: Bringing back some OC's that you all probably low-key forgot about, gotta wrap up some loose ends for a story thread that I scrapped before it even started. Eddie and Sam will pop up a couple more times, mostly just to comment on the state of the league (because oh boy things are about to get hairy), and also say hello to Kristy the Stage Manager again! But then it's time for the rematch of the century! ...well not really the century, but it is a rematch I've been teasing for a couple chapters so there. I also tried a little nonlinear writing stuff during the gym battle - just a few quick flashbacks during the battle. I think that's something that works better in tv shows or movies, but it's probably fine here. Hopefully it's pretty straightforward!
The next morning was quiet, and when I awoke, the glow from the mushrooms outside made it seem like it was much earlier than it was. I grabbed my Rotom Phone and tapped the screen. It flashed to life with a big 9:30 on its screen. I nodded and looked around the small room the four of us had rented.
Hop and Victor were still fast asleep on their respective bunks, and Morpeko was snoozing calmly on Marnie's bunk, but she was nowhere to be seen. As I got up, Morpeko awoke and looked up at me eagerly.
"You wouldn't happen to know where your trainer is, would you?" I asked. Morpeko hopped off the bed and skittered up my leg and torso, coming to a stop on my shoulder. She nibbled softly on my ear, and I giggled. "Don't get too excited, Morpeko, I still need to change. Let's go find her after," I said, grabbing my phone and a change of clothes. Morpeko squeaked and then hopped onto my bed, as if to show me where she'd be eagerly waiting mine or Marnie's return.
After changing, the two of us walked into the lobby, which was surprisingly busy for such an early morning. A couple trainers from the challenge had arrived and were eagerly talking about their upcoming match with Opal in a couple hours. Next to them sat an eager-looking Sam and Eddie, who immediately looked over and waved before I saw that they were there.
"Hey, you two!" I said, making my way over to their bench. "Fancy seein' you here. Been a while!"
"Yeah, when was it we last saw you? Outside Hammerlocke, yeah?" Eddie said, scratching his chin.
"Really is fancy, though, Gloria," Sam said. "We're both out of the challenge. Figured we'd at least get a chance to follow you and Hop around, see a couple of your battles, unless you two decide to pack it up, too."
"Hey, is it true you've been traveling with Marnie?" Eddie asked eagerly. "The Marnie?"
I blushed. "Yeah, we've been…hanging out for a couple weeks. This is her Morpeko, actually." Morpeko squeaked and hid behind my hair.
"I thought so!" Eddie cried. "Oh man, do you think we'll get a chance to meet her if we stake out the rest of your gym battles?"
Sam rolled their eyes. "Don't listen to him. Listen, we saw both of your gym battles against Opal; absolutely mad. It's a good thing we dropped when we did; I don't think I'd be able to leave a scratch on any of her Pokémon."
"And she's ranked under Melony and Raihan, I can't imagine how difficult they would be," Eddie added.
I laughed nervously. "Yeah, really got my work cut out for me. Actually, on the topic, Marnie's wandered off and I was wanting to go find her. You haven't seen her today, have you?"
"You mean she's here?" Eddie asked excitedly.
"Again, this is her Morpeko," I grinned. "Obviously she's here."
"Right, right," he grimaced. "I should have guessed."
"We haven't seen her," Sam continued. "Trust me, you'd know if we had." At that point they shot a dagger of a glance over to Eddie, who grinned. "Honestly, I half expect him to join up with Team Yell these days."
"I'd consider it. She's so—Oh man, she's right there!" I felt Morpeko launch off my shoulder, and by the time I turned around, she was halfway to Marnie, who had just appeared from the doors of the ICU. She looked a bit shaken, and not just from the surprise appearance of her partner. I waved when she looked over to me, and I saw a brief wave of relief wash over her before her usual neutral persona took over.
Marnie walked over to us and waved awkwardly. "Morning, Gloria. Who're these, then?" she asked.
"Oh, this is Sam and Eddie. Met 'em near when I started my gym challenge," I said. Eddie quickly extended his arm to her, causing her to recoil a bit. Sam merely rolled their eyes.
Marnie grimaced ever so slightly at Eddie. "Pleasure," she said, not shaking his hand. She then nodded at Sam. "Gloria, do you mind if we can have a mo'?" She jerked her head to the entrance. I clocked some urgency in her eyes.
"Yeah, of course! Sam, Eddie, I'm probably going to rematch Opal later today, if you wanna keep an eye out," I said, following Marnie out of the Pokémon Center.
"Already checking livestreams," Sam said.
"Gloria, two things," Eddie said, grabbing onto my hand. "Is she single, and can you put in a good word for me?"
"Eddie, I swear…" Sam groaned. I just blushed bright red and rushed out the door behind Marnie, hopefully looking much less awkward about the proposition than I felt. Thankfully, he didn't follow me out, and soon Marnie and I were alone on the street together.
"How do you even get used to that kind of attention?" I asked.
"It's cute when it's from certain people," she said, flashing me a grin. "C'mon, let's go for a walk."
"Sure," I said. "Is everything okay? You looked a little upset when you walked out the door."
Her face stiffened. "Nothing you need to worry about."
"It's Grimmsnarl, isn't it?" I asked. "Is he okay?"
Marnie's eyes narrowed and she sped up. "They're making to transfer him to a Pokémon Center at Hammerlocke."
"Oh."
"He's fine," Marnie said quickly. "Or at least that's what they keep telling me. 'Parently they're worried about some lingering Dynamax energy inside him, and they don't really have the means of testing whatever they need to test him for here."
"So, when are they moving him?"
"Right now," she said. "I gave 'em the go-ahead last night. Prob'ly shoulda told you three then, but I didn't want to ruin your night."
"And you're going to go, too?"
"Once we get back to the Pokémon Center, I'll call a Corviknight," she said. "But I thought we could do somethin' quick 'fore I left." With that, she stopped in front of a storefront just down the street from the Pokémon Center. Inside the dusty window, I could make out stacks of CDs, DVDs, records, and TMs lining the shelves, all curated by a scrawny older man in his fifties with enough ink on his arms to look like the tank top he was wearing had dark, form-fitting sleeves. As he saw us approach, he grinned excitedly at Marnie, revealing a couple chipped teeth and one that was missing entirely. "This guy's an ol' family friend," Marnie explained. "Figure tha' if I'm goin' to have to watch your battle live on the trip to Hammerlocke, we might be able to whip up a strategy that even Opal can't overcome."
Against all odds, a Corviknight had managed to fly through the thick foliage that created the dark dome above Ballonlea, though its driver, a surly and unkempt man who looked a couple weeks from retirement, did not seem too thrilled about it. As we walked up with Marnie, I could see him pulling branches and leaves off his cap and thick leather jacket and muttering grumpily to himself. Behind us, a small crowd had gathered to see her off. I didn't have to look back at Sam to know that they were currently engaged at keeping Eddie close to them instead of running up and doing something stupid.
"Let us know how Grimmsnarl is doing," Victor said. "And sorry again, it's my fault that we even went out into that—"
"Save it," Marnie interrupted with a hand raised. "I already got too much apology from your sister. Water under the bridge, right?"
"Right," Victor said with a smile. He brought his hand out as well for a shake. Marnie raised an eyebrow and let out a quick laugh. Victor brought his hand down slowly, but Marnie quickly reached over and gave him a strong handshake.
"See you 'round, Vic," she said. "Keep your sister on her toes."
"Will we be seein' you when we get back to Hammerlocke?" Hop asked.
Marnie shrugged. "We'll see where it goes." The two stood silently for a moment before Hop reached out his hand as well. "You lot are a bunch of prissy posh nitwits, aren't you?" Marnie said, shaking his hand too with as much formality as she could maintain before turning to me, who already had my hand sticking out much like a businessman would. She rolled her eyes and dragged me into a tight hug.
"Thanks for…er…helping me out yesterday," she said awkwardly.
"Thanks for not hating me," I replied.
"Listen," she said, pulling back so we were a couple feet away. "You think you're able to handle the chaos of big fan clubs and crazy journalists asking invasive questions?"
I furrowed my brow and shook my head. "I think I'm finally starting to get the hang of things."
"Good, because I'm about to make it loads worse for you," Marnie said with a mischievous grin. I didn't have time to react before she pulled me up to her, kissing me passionately and wrapping her arms back around mine. I wrapped my arms back around her too, kissing her back until she finally pulled away, ever so slightly out of breath. It was only then that I realized the small crowd behind us went completely silent, until a loud and exasperated "WHAT?!" from Eddie broke the spell over Marnie, me, and our audience.
Marnie glanced over at him. "What's his deal, then?"
"He wanted to know if you were single and for me to, er, 'put in a good word for him' with you," I replied quietly, still reeling from the kiss.
Marnie shrugged. "Tough break for him."
"So that's a…no to being single? Just want to make sure I have the wording right."
"I think you know the answer," Marnie said. "But make sure you kick Opal's arse; I don't date losers."
"It's too late for that, anyway," Victor said. Hop snorted and I glared at him, but he just waved at Marnie. "See ya Marnie. C'mon, Gloria, Hop, we've got gym battles to fight."
"Just stick to our plan, and you'll be fine," Marnie reassured. She waved goodbye and I quickly gave her another peck on the lips before she climbed into the cab. We took a few steps back as the cabbie climbed onto the back of his Corviknight, and with a few powerful flaps of its wings, the bird soared into the leafy dome above the town.
The second time we ventured to Opal's theatre was notably louder than the first, with Sam and Eddie leading a small parade behind us. Over the course of the morning, it seemed they had drummed up excitement for our three gym battles. Even my Mum and Leon texted us to let us know they would be eagerly watching. Hop groaned, knowing there'd be no way to chicken out of a battle this time, with the champion himself watching. As we walked up to the theatre doors, Opal burst through the doors, dressed in a decadent pink and blue dress with a purple feather boa.
"Well, it's about time you lot showed up!" she cackled wildly. "Back when things mattered, we could start a gym battle on time!"
"Well, we're here now," I said brazenly. "I'm ready whenever you are!"
"Oh my," she said wickedly. "I see some new fire in you. Or maybe that's your new entourage lending you some courage, hmm? Right, you buggers, these are still closed auditions, so if you're not battling, go away! Anyone looking to battle besides these challengers in front?"
Silence was her response. No one said a word.
"I swear, these challengers get weaker every year," Opal muttered to me. "Back when I started, you saw this challenge through, or you died trying!"
"Died?" Victor asked, eyes wide with shock.
"No, not really," she sighed. "Unfortunately. Shame, that. But come on, then, Gloria! If you think you've got the pink, I want to see it right away!" She strutted back into the door with surprising speed I had not seen prior, without holding the door for a single soul. I shrugged at the parade behind me and wrenched the door open. Hop and Victor followed me in, but the crowd remained outside, not sure what to make of the fact that they would not be able to see the gym battle live like they had hoped. We walked right past the lone, stressed-out Macro Cosmos Employee, who quickly removed his cap after Opal gave him a vicious glare. He furiously began typing as Victor and Hop walked over to check the three of us in. I veered over toward him, but Opal cleared her throat and smiled sweetly at me, and I instead followed her into the doors, not even bothering to remove my backpack.
"My dear, I hope you don't mind me going through the motions a bit more quickly than usual," she apologized as the doors slammed shut behind us. "Champion Leon insisted on a gathering of all the gym leaders this evening, and I've got three trainers' hopes to crush before I leave! Don't take it personally, of course."
I thought back to the morning spent prepping with Marnie. "Opal's just a bunch of head games, right?" she had told me as we sifted through stacks of TMs. "Give her an inch and she'll take a mile. As far as she's concerned, the battle is on the moment you walk through that door."
My mind snapped back to the present. "How can I take it personally when it's not even true?" I retorted, causing Opal to stop for a moment and grin widely, but not respond. Instead, she quickened her pace, and I surprisingly broke into a brisk walk to just to keep up.
"What's goin-oh, hello again, challenger Dixon," Kristy the stage manager said, standing up from a seat in the front of the house. She was still dressed in all black and looked like she had just woken up. "Up for a quick bout then?" she asked as Opal brushed right past her.
"Yes, yes," Opal said. "Come along then, Gloria!" Soon enough, the two of us stepped out behind the proscenium arch and into the large arena behind it. We were quickly followed by the same three Rotom cameras whizzing past my ears. I half-expected Opal to stop once she got to her spot at the edge of the pitch, but she walked directly to the other end of the pitch without even a glance back towards Kristy or me.
"Thought your old bones didn't want to work as much as they used to," I taunted.
"Oh, my dear," Opal replied sweetly. "the magic of live theatre is that no one truly sees the same performance twice." She then tossed her umbrella cane to the side and freely walked to the other end of the pitch, as if she were forty years younger. Head games from the moment I walked through the door indeed. I grimaced and grabbed at my first Pokéball, thinking back to what Marnie and I had planned.
"So, if she's going to be playing head games with me, I should play right back?" I asked Marnie.
"I cannot believe you've made it this far without realizing that Pokémon battles always begin well before the first Pokémon come out," Marnie replied, "but yes. She can't throw you off your game if you throw her off hers first."
"I think I know how I could do that," I said, grabbing a pair of TMs.
"Challenger Dixon," Kristy the Stage Manager said as she took her spot at the sidelines. "Are you ready?" I nodded and held the Pokéball up to the sky.
"Leader Opal," Kristy said, looking over at the old woman. "Are you?" Opal smiled and nodded.
"Begin!"
"Here we go!" I grunted, lobbing my Pokéball, as Opal did the same. Her Weezing appeared and as it shot off a confident burst of green fog through its top hat vent, I saw Opal's eyes widen in surprise as in front of her, Vibrava popped onto the scene.
"Interesting choice, sending a dragon out in a battle against fairies," she tittered. "Fairy Wind!"
"Don't get too close, Vibrava!" I ordered. "Keep flying around Weezing and use Screech!" Vibrava zipped around Weezing in a counterclockwise circle as Weezing spun around in its spot, belching gusts of its strange gas. As he did, he opened his mouth and let out a harrowing screech loud enough that it caused both Opal and me to wince from our spot on the sidelines. Between belches of the Fairy Wind, I saw Weezing also cringing from the noise, growing a little disoriented.
"Disengage!" I cried, and Vibrava zipped back near me. He looked pretty weathered from the Fairy Wind, but I knew Weezing's strengths lied in its defensive power, not its offensive power. "You're doing great. Same thing, now. Give it one more screech to lower its defenses and fly as fast as you can so it can't get a good hit on you," I said. Vibrava buzzed excitedly and zipped back into the fray just in time to miss the brunt of another Fairy Wind. I waved my hand in front of my face, clearing the thick fog that made my head spin like I was sniffing a permanent marker.
Opal took the bait, and as Vibrava zipped around Weezing again, she ordered another Fairy Wind. I breathed a sigh of relief knowing that at least this time, I wouldn't have to worry about her gunking up the whole stage. Vibrava let out another piercing screech, and this was enough for Weezing to stop its attack entirely, instead looking at us as if it had a splitting headache.
"Alright, Vibrava! Bulldoze!" I cried, and Vibrava immediately dove to the stage floor and shot like a bullet towards Weezing, kicking up bits of dust and loose set dressing from whatever play had been put up last. Opal cried out for Weezing to use a move, but it was too late. Vibrava crashed into Weezing hard, knocking it up high into the air; higher than the Pokémon usually floated. Weezing then came crashing down, and Vibrava quickly zipped back to my side. I gave him another once-over and he looked rough. Even a weak attack like Fairy Wind was incredibly dangerous to take as a Dragon Type, and I knew Vibrava couldn't take much more of it. I looked over to Weezing, hoping that my strategy had paid off.
The dust finally settled and slowly, Weezing floated back up. It looked to be in about as rough shape as Vibrava. I swore under my breath, but it wasn't the end of the world. I wouldn't have even considered Vibrava for the battle if there wasn't a good way to pull him out safely. "You gave it your all, Vibrava, and you did great," I said. "Give me one U-Turn and Boltund can take it from there." Vibrava zipped out and smacked one last time into Weezing, and as he ricocheted off the gray husk of its opponent, he dematerialized and was sucked back into his Pokéball in a flash of red light. In his place, I threw out Boltund's Pokéball, and in a glimmer of sparks, the small foal appeared just in time to watch Weezing crash to the ground.
"Weezing is unable to battle!" Kristy shouted. I gasped in surprise and excitement. Vibrava would be getting a big snack tonight for taking down such a fearsome opponent who had a massive advantage over him.
"Excellent job, my dear," Opal grinned. "I always love to see someone thinking outside the box!" And with that, she tossed out her second Pokémon – Mawile. I grimaced, knowing that Boltund, much like Vibrava before her, would be fighting an uphill battle. But surprisingly, I had a plan for that, too.
"You got anythin' for that Mawile?" Marnie asked.
"Honestly, I figured Cinderace could get me through Mawile with no problems. Steel melts in fire, right?"
"I guess," Marnie said slowly, picking up a red TM case. "But Cinderace ain't the only Pokémon with that kind of power."
"What do you mean?"
"Who d'you know whose bite is worse than her bark?"
"Iron Defense!" Opal shouted, and both of Mawile's mouths grinned viciously.
"Get in there quick! Fire Fang!" I ordered, and like lightning, Boltund zipped forward, fangs bared. As she ran, she barked viciously and repeatedly, and by the fourth bark, I could see embers shooting out of her mouth. Her whole jaw lit up in a blaze of fire, and just as Mawile was about to settle down in an extra defensive stance, Boltund had clamped down on the large black jaw protruding from Mawile's head. Boltund skidded to a halt but kept her jaw tight on the maw and shook her head, pulling Mawile off its feet. When Boltund unclamped her jaw, Mawile went flying into the air, tumbling to the ground in a daze. The attack hit hard, but it still wasn't quite enough to knock it out.
"Iron defense again!" Opal screeched.
"Playing the long game, huh?" I taunted. "Boltund, Nuzzle!" Boltund ran up, sparking bright with electricity this time instead of fire, and sent a shock down Mawile's body. It wasn't enough to fully paralyze the Pokémon, however, and as Boltund trotted out of range from Mawile's attacks, I began to see Mawile glow with a slight blue, signifying that Mawile's already rather impressive defense was only higher. No cheap screech tactics would get her this time around, and Boltund probably wouldn't be able to knock it out with just one more Fire Fang either.
But that wouldn't stop me from trying. "Boltund! Fire Fang again!" I shouted.
"Draining Kiss!" Opal cried.
The two Pokémon lunged at each other, and as Boltund once again grabbed onto Mawile's black jaw, Mawile turned itself around and with its smaller mouth, leaned in for a peck on the cheek. Both Pokémon managed to make their mark, and both Pokémon let go of each other, stumbled backwards, and shook their heads, clearly having taken a hard hit. Boltund looked ready to go still, but Mawile was certainly worse for wear. I chanced a look at Opal and saw her frowning, which told me all that I needed to know.
"Boltund, one last fire fang!"
Boltund leapt out and latched her jaw onto Mawile again. Opal already had her Pokéball ready to recall Mawile when Kristy called out that Mawile was officially unable to battle. Boltund hopped on her paws eagerly, proud of what had mostly been a smooth and easy battle for her.
"You really had some time to think about this while you were out playing in the storm, didn't you?" Opal cackled.
"How do you know literally everything?" I asked, dumbfounded.
"Oh, you know us old ladies love a good gossiping," she snickered, tossing out her third Pokéball. "Anyhoo, I don't suppose you've thought up a clever little plan for my Togekiss, have you?" The Togekiss in question exploded onto the stage in a burst of sparks and cried joyfully, completely ignoring the playful growling from Boltund.
"Oh, I have a plan alright," I said, wiping some sweat from the crook of my cheek.
"So, what was your plan for Opal's Togekiss?" I asked Marnie.
"Honestly?" Marnie said, eyebrows raised. "That thing's a menace. I just hit it real hard."
"Boltund! Nuzzle!" I cried as Boltund bounded toward Togekiss.
"This old hat again?" Opal tittered. "Dazzling Gleam!"
"Hey, whatever works," I said coolly as Boltund jumped and rubbed her fur up against the Togekiss. Togekiss bristled as the electricity transferred over to her, but as Boltund landed safely on the ground, it began to glow so brightly that I had to shield my eyes. The light faded, and I saw that Boltund looked a bit weary.
"Alright, Boltund, same as before. Use Spark!" I cried.
"Ancient Power," Opal harrumphed. Instantly, the strange stones appeared and surrounded Togekiss. Boltund, meanwhile, had turned to her left and was running along the sidelines of the pitch, picking up speed and building up static electricity, almost as if she were with Marnie and me when he heard the phrase "just hit it real hard." Togekiss flung the stones at Boltund, and although none of them directly hit her, as they exploded into pinpricks of light and energy, I could see the shattered stones sticking into her fur. Boltund howled in pain but kept running and had soon run an entire half-circle around Togekiss before taking a sharp right turn and barreling into it from behind. Togekiss, slowed from the partial paralysis, could only turn around to see what was happening before Boltund slammed into it. There was a flash of golden light, and right after, Boltund appeared in front of me, panting heavily. I looked up, hoping that Togekiss was still paralyzed, but only saw Opal smiling in that sickeningly sweet way.
"I suppose you know what's coming next!" Opal screeched, and Togekiss exploded into another dazzling burst of white light. I heard Boltund yip in surprise, and as soon as I was able to see again, I saw Togekiss crash into Boltund and send her flopping to the ground right in front of my feet.
"Boltund is unable to battle!" Kristy cried. Togekiss lazily swooped back over toward Opal, who patted it softly on its large white head.
I knelt down next to Boltund. She opened her eyes and looked at me weakly. "You were great as always, Boltund," I said with a sad smile. "I couldn't have done it without you." I saw her tail slap the stage floor a couple of times before recalling her, and then I decided to truly take Marnie's advice on Togekiss. I had one Pokémon who could hit harder than anything.
"Let's go, Bewear!" I cried, tossing his Pokéball high into the air. Bewear popped out and looked over at Togekiss. I could see a fire in his eyes; he was ready for round two, and he didn't plan to lose this battle either.
"My my, this does feel familiar," Opal said with a laugh. "The critics won't like this, dear; it gets a little stale repeating yourself too much."
"I'm so sorry, Opal," I yelled back. "Guess we're stuck in our ways. Iron Head, Bewear!" Bewear roared and started to run at full speed toward Togekiss, lowering his head. As he did, a small silvery sheen washed over the top of his fluffy ears, almost as if a hard helmet were encasing his head. Opal only had time to laugh in surprise before Bewear lunged headfirst into Togekiss, whose paralysis had left it completely unguarded.
Bewear stood back up as Togekiss flew backwards in the air, ready to attack again. Togekiss righted itself before it managed to hit the wall or the floor, but it was clearly in much worse shape than it had expected to be in.
"Ancient Power!" Opal cried again, as I ordered a second Iron Head from Bewear. Togekiss had barely gotten a couple pebbles to materialize before Bewear was on it again, smashing into it with incredible force. Weakly, some stones flew into Bewear's fur, but it didn't look bothered at all.
"One last dazzling gleam then! Go out with some flair!" Opal cried.
"Third time's the charm, Bewear! Finish it with Iron Head!"
Another blast of white light rocked the pitch, but I wasn't worried anymore. The light soon faded, and I saw Bewear standing over Togekiss' unconscious body.
"Togekiss is unable to battle!" Kristy yelled. Bewear and I both jumped up in excitement and happiness, and before I knew it, he was wrapping his massive paws around me in yet another strong and fuzzy hug.
"I knew you could do it, Bewear!" I said, face covered in pink fur. At the sound of soft clapping, he quickly let go and turned back around to see Opal applauding us.
"Excellent, even better than last time, my dear," she said with a grin. "But if you're truly looking to not have a repeat performance, you know what you'll have to do now." She tossed her final Pokéball into the air and caught it, then bringing it to her brooch. Dynamax Energy swarmed all around her. I could feel it swarming my wrist too, and strangely, I felt a kick coming from Cinderace's Pokéball, almost as if he was thinking exactly what I was thinking.
"I may need you later," I told Bewear, "but I think it's time Cinderace and I tried something out here." I returned Bewear to his Pokéball and brought Cinderace's Pokéball out. I could feel the Dynamax vibrations inside it, almost as if Cinderace himself was creating the energy. Was this what I thought it was? I brought the Pokéball to my lips as I watched Opal send out her gigantic wedding cake Alcremie.
"I'm with you, buddy," I whispered. "Just like I always have been." I kissed the button on Cinderace's Pokéball and brought it down onto my wrist. Dynamax energy flowed all around me, even more potently than before. I could feel Cinderace's energy straining inside the ball, waiting to lash out, but at the same time, I could feel a strange sense of calm coming from him: he was fully in control, and he had complete trust in me. The ball inflated and I tossed it out with all my might. "Let's Go!" I bellowed, as his Pokéball exploded in a burst of violet light.
Dynamax clouds swirled around the two, and I could only just make out the outlines of the two forms growing rapidly. Opal's Alcremie shot up like a tower, but Cinderace suddenly stopped growing about halfway through. The clouds began to dissipate, and I could see that Cinderace, outside of his ears, had barely grown at all, having grown nearly thirty feet and flopped down onto the ground. "Is…is that really your Gigantamax form?" I asked under my breath, and as I did, I saw him stomp his foot hard onto the ground. A couple strange rocks, similar to the ones Togekiss was able to produce, appeared and congealed into a small ball, which Cinderace began to dribble around. With each kick, sparks began to fly out of the rock until it burst into flame, and as Cinderace continued to dribble, the fireball grew bigger and bigger until he had created a roaring ball of flame half the size of Alcremie, at which point he hopped on top of the ball and kept it moving by deftly maneuvering it through precise steps with his feet. Cinderace zipped around Alcremie, never once taking his eyes off it.
"My my!" Opal called out to me, "You really have done some preparation, haven't you?"
I grinned. "Glad you noticed!" I called back. "Now! Cinderace! G-Max Fireball!" It felt weird and exciting to be able to call out my own G-Max move, and it looked like Cinderace relished at the opportunity to use it. He roared in delight and jumped up, landing hard on the ball to cause it to bounce up. After, he pushed himself backwards off the ball, arcing his back perfectly in a graceful backflip as the ball reached the zenith of its bounce. Then he kicked out with all his might, sending the fiery inferno directly into the middle layer of Alcremie.
"G-Max Finale!" I heard Opal yell, barely making herself heard over the roar of the fire. Before Alcremie even had the chance to move, it was blasted hard by the fireball. I held my breath as fire and smoke exploded out from it, but Cinderace took no rest, kicking up another rock and building up another fireball to roll around the field again. The move ended up being a smart one, as the powerful fire blast was not strong enough to knock out Alcremie, who roared eerily. Much like the last Finale move, daggers of frosting shot out of the cake, crashing down to his left, and then his right. Each time one hit the ground, it exploded in a burst of bright white and pink light. Cinderace did his best to dribble through the chaos, but was eventually caught up in the attack himself, getting knocked prone by the last dagger. His ball, only half-formed, rolled just to the edge of the pitch and started to lose size and fire.
"Cinderace!" I called. He sprung up and dusted himself off and rushed toward his ball, ears flying out like a cape behind him.
"So, an encore, eh?" Opal laughed maniacally. "Let's give 'em another, Alcremie!" As Cinderace reached his ball and began to dribble again, the frosting daggers launched out of Alcremie again.
"Bat them away with your ears! First one on your left!" I cried. Cinderace glanced to his left, seeing the dagger, and then jerked his head to the right, sending his left ear flying into the dagger and knocking it off its course. It crashed into the ground far from anywhere it could do any damage. "Way to go!" I encouraged. "Keep dribbling! I'll tell you where they're coming from! Right!" Cinderace followed my command, and jerked his head again, this time to the left. Once again, his ear caught the dagger directly in its path and sent it flying to the side wall, once again far from anywhere it could hurt him. A few other daggers crashed into the ground near him, but he was gone before the radius of their explosions could touch him, and within seconds, he was back on top of the ball, literally now.
"Alright," I yelled as Alcremie's attack finally ended. "Bring it home! G-Max Fireball!" With another bounce and backflip, Cinderace launched the fireball directly into Alcremie and the entire cake burst into fast-burning flame. When the flames disappeared, Alcremie had shrunk down to its usual size, wobbled once, and collapsed on the floor.
"Alcremie is unable to battle! Challenger Gloria wins!"
I screamed and rushed into the pitch to where Cinderace was starting to shrink and lose his Gigantamax energy, and almost knocked him off his feet with a hug that even Bewear would be intimidated with. "You were incredible!" I cried, nuzzling his furry face. Cinderace chirped humbly and hugged me back and when he pulled away, I returned him and walked over to Opal, who was gently helping her Alcremie back up.
"You pack quite a punch," I said to the small Pokémon. Opal and Alcremie both smiled before Opal returned her partner and held out her hand. In it was the Fairy badge.
"Well, I must admit, I know when I'm beat. An impressive battle, my dear," Opal said warmly.
"Thank you, Opal," I said. "Once again, you didn't make it an easy one."
"Of course, I didn't," she said grumpily. "What kind of gym leader would I be if I let you just have this?" But then she laughed and held out her hand again for a handshake.
"So, does this mean I have the pink?" I asked.
Opal snorted. "Oh, heavens, no. There's more to being a gym leader than just being a good battler, don't be daft now," she replied. "You've got some pink, but it's not quite the shade I'm looking for. But something tells me you didn't come all this way to become a gym leader, did you, dear?"
I furrowed my brow as the two of us walked back to the theatre. "I suppose not," I said slowly.
"Got your sights set on the Pokémon League, I would guess?" she asked pointedly. "Bet you fancy yourself beating Leon himself, don't you?"
"Oh, of course not!" I said with a laugh. "He's unbeatable, after all. That's his…his whole thing."
"Everyone loses eventually," Opal pondered. "And I've learned quite a bit about you from these two battles, Gloria. You may not have my preferred shade of pink, but you have a lot more of it than you may know." Her eyes glinted mysteriously. "And I think you may have to call upon that pink a bit sooner than you expected."
"What do you mean?"
We had reached the lip of the stage. Opal did not answer my question but merely gestured to the aisle that led to the heavy wooden doors. "When you see Sonia Magnolia next, I think it wise to ask about her new research. Call in your brother. I want to see if he's improved as much as you have." And with a theatrical twirl, she headed back toward the pitch, giggling.
A/N: Opal knows so much about what is going on because she's actually just that old. This is canon (it is not actually canon, but could you imagine). I had a LOT of fun with this gym battle, and not just because Opal is such a joy to write. It's a lot more fun to not stick strictly to game moves and how they work in a turn-based battle, but don't worry, we're not going to have any "aim for the horn" moments (IYKYK, amirite fellow geriatric anipoke fans?)
ALSO: Even though I sent Marnie away on a Corviknight, she's obviously still going to be a major player in the story. My original outline just did not call for her to show up between Stow-on-Side and Circhester - the whole Grimmsnarl thing was going to be for Victor of all people and looking back I don't know why I thought I was going to do it that way. So Marnie won't be around AS much over the next few chapters, which I'm probably sadder about than you, believe me, but she's still going to be around and be awesome.
NEXT WEEK: HAMMERLOCKE, AGAIN