A/N: Happy Friday y'all, got a good one for you today! I think it's time we made one final introduction to our team. After all, it's been a whole 45 chapters!
After spending a couple hours with Allister at the site of old Hammerlocke, we decided to part ways and head back to Route 8 to continue the journey north. Sonia was a bit upset at us not finding any sort of revelation about Zacian and Zamazenta, but she was more than okay to be away from Gengar, who seemed to have made it a mission to pester her every five steps she took.
"We should really get a battle in before the league starts," I said as we parted ways.
Allister shrunk back. "M…maybe," he said. "It could be rather fun." We waved amicably and split, with him heading South back towards Hammerlocke.
The initially straight road began to bend and twist more and more as we headed north, and once the ruins were completely out of sight it began to quickly rise in elevation. It slowed the three of us down considerably and we found ourselves taking a moment every hour or so to have a short rest before returning to the climb. The wild grass at the base of the mountains shrank in size and we began to see a lot more tree coverage. Soon enough, any direct sunlight was completely blocked by leaf coverage. The air also began to cool dramatically, but this time it was more from the higher elevation than a ghostly presence. In fact, there was barely any presence of anything as we walked. At Sonia's suggestion, Hop released Dubwool, and I released Bewear and the two began picking up and hauling firewood for the night's fire. Her Yamper had already sniffed out a few berries we could have as a quick snack.
Finally, we broke through the trees and found ourselves in a rocky clearing at the top of a hill and we could get our bearings. While we were far from the highest point of the mountain range, we were much closer than we thought to the snowier parts of the route.
"Wow, we really made good time today," Sonia said with a whistle. "We might even get into Circhester a whole day before your battle, Gloria! Wouldn't that be something!"
"We'll be able to watch Vic's rematch in the Pokémon Center!" Hop added excitedly. "Which is good because my service is shite out here," he realized, tapping his Rotom phone with frustration.
"The wonders of technology can never truly compete with the wonders of nature, or some junk like that," Sonia joked with a roll of her eyes. "Listen, this is about as good a spot as ever to set up camp for the night, what do you say?"
"I like that plan," I said, watching the sun start to dip behind the mountains. A cold burst of air came from the north, and I shivered. "Guess we'll need to break out the warmer clothes tonight, huh?" I asked.
"Are you kidding?" Hop asked. "This is going to be great for getting your team ready for ice types! Your Bewear knows the move Hammer Arm, right? I think I'll need to teach it to Snorlax if I want to even have a chance against Melony!"
"Please, just set up the camp first," Sonia groaned, though I could see her smiling underneath the façade.
The air got much colder overnight but Hop and I barely noticed as the two of us trained. Snorlax pretty quickly got the hang of the Hammer Arm move, but we spent a good amount of time with each of our team members; enough that I was starting to get a feel for how each of us could handle Melony's ice types. Cinderace was looking strong as ever, and I knew he'd be invaluable in the fight, but even Sonia told me not to fully rely on him.
"Thing about ice types is that everyone knows you can just melt 'em. You don't get to lead a gym if you don't have that accounted for," she explained from her spot next to the fire. "Hop, you'll remember that even Lee's Charizard couldn't hack it."
"That I find hard to believe," I laughed. I picked up a rock and pitched it to Cinderace, who caught it on his knee, lit it up with a hot breath, and kicked it to Ponyta, who caught it and lobbed it away with telekinesis, sending it over to Vibrava, who wound up and spiked it into the ground with a well-timed Dragon Tail move. I cheered and looked for another rock to throw to repeat the cycle.
"Nah, it's true," Hop insisted. "Not to spoil the fun for you but the reason Melony is so strong a trainer is because of how well she handles fire types. Hell, her Lapras could eat fire for breakfast. Cinderace is really bloody strong, but you gotta make sure your whole team is prepared for anything."
"I wish I could get a chance to actually battle some ice types," I huffed, picking up a second rock. "It's fine and all talking about what we're going to do to battle 'em, but it won't beat any actual practice."
"You'll get your chance," Hop said. "We're about to hit Steamdrift Way; that place is loaded with ice types. You'll see how scrappy they can be." He threw a rock of his own towards the Heatmor he had on loan, who took the rock in its long tongue and whipped it directly into the ground.
"That Heatmor's not too scrappy itself," I motioned.
"I s'pose," Hop mused. "I dunno, kinda feels like cheatin' to use a Pokémon I never caught and trained myself, you know?"
I shrugged. "You're trainin' him right now, aren't you?"
"You know what I mean," he said darkly. He threw another rock, and Heatmor missed catching it with his tongue, and the rock sailed directly toward Vibrava.
"Vibrava! On your right!" I cried, and as if we shared the same brain, Vibrava quickly turned and smacked the rock down with another Dragon Tail attack like it was nothing. I let out a whoop and Vibrava buzzed over to me for a celebratory poffin but Hop only furrowed his brow more.
"See? That kind of bond you have with your Pokémon only comes from one you've trained from the start," he explained. "It's a whole trust thing, bein' one with your partner Pokémon, some Zen shite like that."
"I think I got that on the back of a fortune cookie once," Sonia snickered.
"Laugh it up all you want," Hop countered, "but you know I'm right. Besides, and no offense to you, Heatmor, but if the only way I can win is with Lee's loaners, what good of a trainer am I anyway?" He then looked over to Dubwool, who had decided to sit the training out and was currently napping with Boltund. "If I can't win with Dubwool, I dunno if I wanna win at all. Does…does that make any sense?"
"Makes more sense than the fortune cookie, honestly," Sonia said with a shiver. "Look, it's been a long, weird day. We should all turn in. Once we hit Steamdrift Way, it's just under a day's walk to Circhester and frankly we could all use a shower."
"Why were you only looking at me when you said that?" Hop asked defensively. Sonia smirked, looked over to me and winked, then turned and crawled into her tent. I chuckled, much to Hop's dismay.
"Alright, you lot, bring it all in!" I called, pulling out Pokéballs for Ponyta, Cinderace, and Boltund. "Gonna be a chilly one, so hopefully your Pokéballs will be warm enough. Vibrava? You want to help with the fire?" Vibrava buzzed excitedly and dug messily into the ground next to the fire, covering it with cool soil and loose rocks. Once he had sufficiently put out the fire, I returned him to his Pokéball as well. With one last look around the campground, I walked over to the tent Hop and I were sharing and climbed in, Hop directly behind me.
"Think we might be able to fight a Beartic?" I asked as we slipped into our sleeping bags.
Hop laughed. "Nah, mate," he yawned. "They're much further North, closer to Wyndon. Maybe you'll find an Abomasnow if you're lucky, but I think it's mostly Sneasel and Delibird outside of Circhester. Maybe a Snom or two."
"Anything Melony would use in her battles?"
"No idea," Hop said. "Definitely nothin' like that Lapras of hers, though. I think that one's your big problem. Anyway, g'night!"
"Good night," I yawned. I turned over onto my side and looked at the five Pokéballs that comprised my team. I'd still have to find one more to complete the league-standard of six. Sure, I had caught that little Trubbish the night of the Dynamax storm in Hammerlocke, but I had no intention of bringing it onto the team.
"Maybe an ice type would be good to have on hand," I mused aloud. Hop made a loud snoring noise, indicating that he was not interested in any more conversation for the night. I laughed softly and began to drift off into the night.
"Up and at 'em, Gloria!" Hop shouted, waking me up just before the pillow he threw at my head did.
"Augh, what? Hop, what the hell?" I sputtered, tossing it back at him blindly. "Is it even morning yet?"
"It's seven already, Sonia's getting Durants in her pants, come on then!" He quickly left as I groaned and gathered my surroundings. The first thing I noticed as I rummaged through my change of clothes for the day was a white cloud that appeared with each exhale I made. I shivered, finally recognizing the cold. We must have climbed much higher yesterday than I thought. I quickly changed, pulled out my heavy sweater, and exited the tent.
I stepped out onto the grass with a soft crunch and looked around. The small clearing we were in was covered in a fine layer of frost. Hop was helping Sonia load up their gear on Dubwool's back. Both were wearing a heavy jacket themselves.
"Where the hell's your coat, Gloria?" Sonia asked, noticing I was awake.
"G'morning to you too, Sonia," I said, reaching back into the tent to grab my pack. "I've got it in here somewhere."
"Good," she sighed. "The last thing I need is for Gran to chastise me about getting fired and causing the death of a gym challenger. Anyway, if we hurry, we can be in Circhester by sundown. Victor's gym battle is tomorrow, and I was hoping to catch it on the big screen in a Pokémon Center."
"Sounds like a good plan," I agreed, slipping on my next layer of clothing.
"Very good plan," Hop said suddenly, and pointed to a bag near Sonia's tent. It was ripped open, tattered and in pieces, with food and fabric scraps all over the place. Leading away from the bag were a trail of tiny footprints. "Because otherwise, we're out of food."
"What?" Sonia shrieked. "I told you lot to put the food up in a tree or something! What if it was a Beartic or something? We could've been killed!"
"They're further to the North, though, I thought," I said, looking over to Hop.
Hop rushed to the bag so he could investigate. "Nah, not a Bewear," he said. "These slicing marks are way too precise to be done with those big, meaty, claws of theirs. Blimey, it looks like a sword sliced through this bag."
"We did see a few Pawniard yesterday," I noted.
"Could be," Hop nodded along. "But they're usually pretty solitary. They don't like to mess around with anyone they don't need to."
"You're just a walking Pokédex, aren't you?" Sonia asked, wearing a bemused smile.
"Thank Lee for that," Hop said, blushing slightly. "Anyway, we're all safe, clearly whatever it was just wanted a midnight snack, so let's just get on our way."
"Sounds good," I said, grabbing at a Pokéball and tossing it out. "Cinderace!" I ordered once he appeared. "We had a bit of a thieving last night. Wanna keep an eye out while we hike today?" Cinderace nodded and plodded ahead, leaving sizzling footprints in the frosted grass behind him.
We finished packing and Hop managed to salvage a few protein bars to keep our stomachs relatively quiet for the day, and within a few minutes, we were all off. Hop and I led the way, with Dubwool behind us carrying some of the heavier packs, including the sad sack that had contained our food for the day, precariously tied around his horns. Sonia and Cinderace took up the rear, taking in the sights.
The trail began to shrink in width, and with each twist and turn, it also began to rise higher and higher. Soon the frost turned into small piles of snow, and by midday, that snow was almost completely covering the grassy patches that weren't underneath large coniferous trees. Finally, and much to our relieves, the path began to straighten out and widen out again, and we passed a sign that read "Steamdrift Way" in faded and chipped paint.
"Great time," Sonia panted, rubbing her thighs gingerly. "We should get there just after sun fall at this rate!"
"As long as we get some food before the shops close," Hop added, with a perfectly timed rumble of his stomach accompanying him.
Now that we were on a bit more straightforward terrain, or perhaps it was just from our rather empty stomachs, traveling seemed to go much faster. Eventually, the patches of snow turned into a full-on blanket that sparkled brilliantly on the rare moment the sun was not hidden behind cloud cover. Early into the afternoon, though, it was completely covered, and small flakes of snow began to float lazily down. The minute it started snowing, the entire route began to truly come alive. Some of the smaller pine trees were not pine trees at all, but were in fact little Snover, happily playing in the snowdrifts. The moment they spotted Cinderace though, they rushed away in fear, much to his amusement. As he chased after them, we got a chance to see some of the other fauna alongside the route. Darumaka rolled around atop small hills only to race each other down to the base once they were ready. A couple bright red Delibird hopped out of some trees, watching us cautiously but then flapping away once they did not deem us a threat. Hop was able to point out a few Snom, huddled up at the base of the occasional tree, sleeping away during the day.
"If we wanted to after your battle with Melony, we should come out at night and see the Frosmoth come out," Hop said excitedly.
"It makes for a pretty romantic evening, actually, in case you wanted to bring another guest," Sonia said, winking at me.
My heart fluttered. "D'you think Marnie would be into it? I mean, we never even, like, went on a real date or anything."
"She really doesn't seem the romantic type," Hop agreed.
Sonia shrugged. "I don't know why I even bother with you teenagers. But do it and come thank me when you prove me right." Behind us, Dubwool bleated loudly.
"Listen, can we break for lunch yet?" Hop asked suddenly, looking back and clutching his stomach.
"What would we even eat?" I asked. "Our food is basically gone, isn't it?"
"I think I have a few granola bars left, maybe," Sonia said. "Check the pack on Dubwool."
"Right, I—er, well I have bad news."
"What?" I asked. Sonia and I both turned to look at him and our jaws dropped. What had remained of our food sack was now gone entirely, ripped clean off. Dubwool, looking dazed, slowly turned and bleated again. Following his line of sight, I could just make out a small black figure speeding down the path, holding the last of our food over its shoulder.
"No, you don't!" I cried. "Cinderace! After him! Use Double Kick!" In a flash of white fur, Cinderace sped off after the little thief, ready to pounce. The creature looked back at the last moment and jerked to the left, quickly rolling away from any harm. It landed and twisted its body forward, dropping the pack and assuming a battle stance. The creature was small, only coming up to Cinderace's waist, but the malice in its sharp white eyes made it scarier than something twice its size. It had short black fur all across its body, save for a small tuft of red sticking out of one of its ears. Its hands sported long, glinting claws that almost looked like they were made of steel, and it looked about ready to use them, too.
"Gloria, watch out!" Hop yelled. "That thing's a Sneasel! It's small but it really packs a punch!"
"No worries," I laughed. "Cinderace, Pyro ball!"
Cinderace obeyed immediately, kicking up a nearby rock and igniting it. But before he could kick it towards it, the Sneasel leapt wildly toward Cinderace, spreading its claws and swiping with all its might. Cinderace kicked, but the ball of fire wildly to the side, crashing into a snowbank and leaving a sizzling crater in the drift. Sneasel, meanwhile, continued to take the offensive, reaching down and flinging dirt and snow towards Cinderace.
"Come on, Double kick again!" I cried, but once again Cinderace was just too slow to do anything effectively. He lashed out with his legs and the Sneasel twisted, narrowly avoiding both kicks. In the fury of battle, it hopped back and wound up, as if it were about to pitch a snowball at Cinderace.
"Watch out!" I cried as Sneasel's hands glowed a bright white. Sneasel made a sharp throwing motion and the bright white light crystalized into sharp shards of ice that sped toward Cinderace with alarming precision, hitting him square in the chest. Cinderace stumbled backwards in surprise but was still on his feet.
"Bloody hell, that thing just used Ice Shard! They don't normally learn that in the wild!" Hop yelled in surprise.
"Fortunate all that ice just melts away when it hits him, don't you think?" Sonia asked.
"Any other tips and fun facts?" I shot back with a frown.
"Well, you certainly aren't going to beat it with speed," Hop said.
A lightbulb flicked off in my head. "Then why should I try to do that?" I asked, reaching for a Pokéball. "Cinderace! Return! Come on out, Bewear!"
The second Cinderace dematerialized, the Sneasel rushed toward what was left of the food bag, only to be immediately blocked as Bewear appeared in a flash of light right in front of him. He roared menacingly, and Sneasel returned to its battle-ready pose, although this time, it seemed noticeably more nervous.
"Alright, Bewear, let it come to you and then hit it with Hammer Arm!" Bewear nodded and braced himself, waiting for Sneasel to strike.
"And here I was thinking Whack-a-Sneasel was only an arcade game," Sonia mused quietly.
Sneasel weighed its options and must have decided that the food was still its main priority, as it once again readied its glowing fist, ready to try another Ice Shard attack. As soon as it pitched the shard of Ice, Bewear jumped high into the air, raising his paw. The ice buried itself in his fur, seemingly doing next to no damage at all, and Bewear brought the paw down hard on the little Sneasel, knocking it firmly into the dirt. The Sneasel, dazed, slowly pulled itself up, but as he did, I fished through my pocket and pulled out a Pokéball. "Back up, Bewear!" I cried and chucked the ball with all my might at the small black beast.
"You want to keep that thing around?" Hop cried.
"You saw those moves!" I said, watching the Pokéball bounce off Sneasel's head and open, sucking the Pokémon inside. "Don't tell me you weren't thinking of catching it yourself!"
The ball shook once.
"Admittedly, I was just a little peeved at it stealing all my food," Hop said grumpily.
The ball shook again.
"Besides, dragons don't like ice, right?" I asked. "This thing's gonna be a big problem for Raihan once I get to him."
The ball shook a third time.
"Blimey, your brain is something else, mate," Hop said with a laugh.
There was a click, and the ball stopped shaking. I let out a whoop, and Bewear, in the excitement ran towards me to give me a hug. Hop laughed again and made his way toward the bag, still lying on the side of the route. Sonia, meanwhile, walked over to Dubwool and scratched the poor thing under the chin, waiting for me to peel Bewear off of me.
After a few seconds of trying, I managed to slip out of Bewear's hard grip, and I walked over to the Pokéball with Sneasel inside. I picked it up and tossed it into the air, letting the Pokémon back out. Sneasel appeared before me, looking around a little confused. I took a step forward and it hastily ran a few steps away from me.
"No, hold on, it's alright!" I said, bringing my hands up in a gesture that I meant no harm. "You're just hungry, right?" Sneasel looked at me with narrowed and distrustful eyes. I took a small step forward and sank to my knees, keeping my arms raised. "Hop," I ordered, "bring me one of those granola bars."
"One of?" Hop moaned. "There's only one left!"
"Alright, then break it in two and give me half."
"For that thing? It's probably the one that stole the rest of our food overnight!"
"Hop," I pressed, holding my hand out towards him while keeping my eyes firmly on the Sneasel. Finally, I felt the weight of granola bar in my hand, and I inched forward another couple steps, bringing the granola bar out in front of me.
Sneasel sniffed the air and took a couple tentative steps forward as well. I nodded, smiling, and sat down entirely, crossing my legs in front of me. "Don't be shy," I cooed. "But if you want to eat our food you best be prepared to join the team. Earn your keep, and all." The Sneasel looked at me again, trying to get a read on me, but slowly walked over and gingerly grabbed the food out of my hand, taking a bite. I dropped my hand to my side, a little too fast, causing it to reel backwards and growl, but once it saw that I was not pushing anything on it, it relaxed and began to eat more enthusiastically.
"Not one to trust blindly, are you?" I asked. "Bet you'd love my girlfriend."
Hop snickered, but Sonia folded her arms and smiled thoughtfully. "Actually, you might want to ask Marnie for some tips here. She grew up in Spikemuth, right?"
"Yeah, why?" I asked.
"That's where the Dark-Type Gym is, remember?" Sonia asked. "She's one of the best trainers at that gym; her whole battle team's dark types. She could probably help you train a dark type like Sneasel."
"Not a bad idea," I pondered, watching Sneasel finish up its snack. It did, then turned to look at me again. This time its eyes were curious rather than mistrustful. I slowly raised my hand up, inviting it to come to me. It walked over, slowly and cautiously, but nevertheless it still walked, until it was within arm's reach. I let my arm remain there, and it brought up one of its sharp claws and pressed it softly into my palm. Each nail was razor sharp, and though it did not push the claws into my skin, I shuddered. They were also cold, much like the ice they were forming just a minute ago. Sneasel smiled, then brought its hand down. "What do you say then?" I asked. "Friends?"
Sneasel looked up at Bewear and then to me, then walked over to its Pokéball, lying open on the ground. It kicked it towards me and folded its arms expectantly. "Looks like a yes to me," Hop said, "but it's not getting the rest of this granola bar." I rolled my eyes and picked up the Pokéball. Sneasel disappeared in into it with a burst of red light and I clipped it to my belt, alongside the five others.
"So that makes Cinderace, Boltund, Bewear, Vibrava, Ponyta, and now Sneasel?" Hop counted. "You got a whole team now!"
"I guess," I grinned. "Think it's any good?"
"I think your five gym badges are proof enough," Sonia said warmly. "Now come on, get a leg up, I'm starting to lose the feeling in my fingers!"
A/N: Welcome to the party, Sneasel! Had a tough time figuring out who would fit into the final slot of Gloria's team but I think Sneasel/Weavile would be a lot of fun, because they're really fun Pokemon to use in their own right! I will say it's a little weird that Gloria doesn't have a water type - I always make sure I have a solid water type every playthrough. Probably set in my ways because back in my day we had to use HMs to get around, and TMs only were single use, and we walked uphill in the snow barefoot to get to and from school...
...just cart me away in a wheelchair. I'm old.
NEXT WEEK: A DAY AT THE BATHS