Disclaimer: Nothing of the Pokémon franchise or the idea of the Moemon Hackrom belongs to me, everything is in the hands of its creators.


Chapter 4

The Path We Choose


For a moment nothing was heard in Professor Magnolia's yard, only the sound of the wind passing by, while the group of teenagers assimilated what Leon had said. Elio and Hop's responses were immediate.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SAYING?!"

"Hmm? I thought I had been clear, you two will fight each other, and Gloria will face me" The champion repeated again, as if it were nothing important to the disbelief of both young people.

"This is incredible brother! How can you ask Gloria to confront you? It's completely unfair!"

"Yes that's it! Leon, no matter how you look at it, it is completely impossible, our journey is just beginning, we are just rookies, and we're not ready for something like this!"

"Then don't expect to have a chance in the gym challenge." A shiver ran down their spines when those words came out of Sonia's mouth, who saw them with an unreadable expression on her face. "Sooner or later, facing Leon is a challenge you will have to face, and the gym leaders are no joke compared to him, they all seek to dethrone him as the champion of Galar, and if you are afraid to face him now, you will never be able to go as far as trainers, much less overcome the Gym Challenge."

"B-But, still…"

"If Gloria loses, then…" Both Elio and Hop had a worried look on their faces, with their eyes on the girl, who hadn't said anything until now.

"Listen, I understand that you are worried," Leon spoke, looking at them seriously, "but what Sonia says is true, the world out there is not as peaceful as it is here in town, and that's why I want to make sure that all of you will be ready to face the challenge, even if I have to prove it myself."

Nervously, Gloria looked up, meeting Leon's gaze intently. She didn't know when he had gotten there, lost in thought as she was, not that she had paid much attention to it.

"So, what do you say, Gloria, are you willing to face the challenge?" He asked, looking into her eyes.

She couldn't help but swallow thickly, looking down once more as she closed her eyes. Saying she was nervous now seemed like a joke, she was terrified at the thought of facing him, the unbeatable champion, Leon, but if she wanted to be a trainer, and stand next to Elio and Hop in the Champion Cup, she knew what she had to do, so she exhaled, and looked at Leon decisively.

"I will." she said, and Leon smiled again.

"That's just what I wanted to hear."

"Gloria, are you sure?" She heard her cousin say, and seeing both him and Hop, she smiled at them to try to calm them down.

"Yes, I'm sure guys. Everything is going to be fine."

"You don't have to worry," Rumi exclaimed, smiling, taking Gloria's hand while the Nickit and the Chewtle stood on either side of the trainer. "We'll take care of her, won't we girls?" She asked, receiving a nod from both Pokémon, much to the rabbit girl's happiness.

"Very well, let's not say any more." With his cape fluttering in the wind, Leon retraced his steps to the battlefield where Professor Magnolia watched them with a smile on her face "Let's begin the battles!"


Following Leon's orders, Elio and Hop each took a place opposite each other on the Pokémon field, with Sonia, Magnolia, Gloria and Leon on a side of the field staring at them.

"Very well, we start Elio and Hop's Pokémon battle, they're allowed to use all the Pokémon on their teams, so, Hop, are you ready?!" Leon asked excitedly, seeing his brother, receiving a smile from this.

"Of course!"

"Elio, are you ready?!" He asked Elio this time, but he didn't get a response from him "Elio?" he asked again, but once again he didn't get a response "Elio!"

"Huh?" The boy finally reacted, acting as if he had been taken out of his thoughts. He quickly glanced at everyone around him, noticing that they were looking at him confused. "Sorry, I got distracted guys, I'm fine now."

"Are you sure Elio?" Hop asked this time, seeing his friend unsure. He was eager to fight him, but he didn't want to end up defeating him just because he wasn't at his one hundred percent.

"Yes, come on, let's get this started!" He responded as he took out one of his Pokéballs, and before Hop could question him, his brother's voice echoed across the field.

"Very well, then, let the battle begin!" And with that shout, both trainers threw their Pokéballs into the air.

"Come on Darlene!/Alright, let's do this Jeanne!"

Both Pokémon came out of their Pokéballs. Darlene was nervous, but determined to give her all for her trainer in this match.

"Come on, use Peck Jeanne!" But she wasn't prepared for the Bird Pokémon's sneaky attack. As soon as she touched the ground, propelling herself with her wings, she shot towards her, surrounded by a white aura.

"Dodge it Darlene!" Elio tried to warn her, but his Pokémon did not have time to react, receiving the attack squarely "No!"

Feebas is a very fast Pokémon in water, unfortunately on land, that speed is drastically reduced. Inform his Pokédex, which would have been useful to know beforehand!

"Don't get distracted Elio!" He heard his friend/rival say, just in time to see how Rookidee flew towards Darlene.

"Quickly Darlene, defend yourself with Brine!" He exclaimed hastily, seeing his Pokémon nod as she prepared the attack.

"Sand Attack!"

FUSH!

Darlene's shot was lost in the cloud of dust caused by Jeanne, both she and Elio were unable to see what had happened on the other side, and could only wait for their rival's next move.

"Rock Smash!" Coming out of the cloud at high speed, with her fist surrounded by an orange aura, Jeanne lunged at the Feebas, hitting her stomach.

"Ugh!"

"Darlene!" Alarmed, Elio saw his Pokémon fall to his feet, holding her aching stomach.

"What's wrong with you Elio?! I know you can do better than this!" He heard Gloria scream, trying to cheer him up, but Elio couldn't hear her.

Darlene looked very tired, he didn't think that she could continue like this for long, but he couldn't think of what to do, he couldn't think at all. If he lost this match, then he wouldn't be able to get a recommendation for the Gym Challenge, but even if he did, if Gloria lost hers then...

NO! There has to be some way! Come on, think, think, think!

"Elio!" Hop exclaimed, breaking him out of his thoughts, "I know you're worried about Gloria, I am too, but now it's me who you're facing!"

Planting himself firmly, Elio found Hop looking at him with complete disapproval.

"Your Pokémon is giving everything for you in this battle, and you should do the same! You are one of my rivals, and if you dare to lose this way, I will never forgive you!"

"Hop..."

"Master Elio..." Getting up shakily, Darlene stood once again against the flying-type Pokémon, "I can still fight..."

"Darlene…" Stunned by these events, Elio could only look at his two friends in complete shock.

I'm really stupid.

PAF!

Alarmed by the sound, Darlene turned to see Elio, finding him with his hands on her cheeks, and when he removed them she could see how they had red marks around them.

"Darlene, I'm sorry for giving this pathetic performance in front of you, I'm your trainer, and while you had your mind on the game, mine was somewhere else, I'm sorry for that."

"Master…" Surprised, the girl smiled timidly at her trainer. "There is nothing to forgive."

Returning the smile, Elio returned his gaze to Hop, who was only waiting for him anxiously.

"I'm sorry for the wait hop, but now we will begin the real fight!"

"That's all I wanted to hear!" Smiling more animated than ever, Hop extended his fist toward him. "Go Jeanne! Use Peck!"

"Wait for it, Darlene." Elio whispered softly, taking advantage of the recent closeness he had with his Pokémon, while Jeanne resumed flight.

"Yes..." She responded, preparing herself.

"Wait for it…"

Rookidee dove towards them.

"Wait for it…"

A sharp white aura surrounded her body.

"Wait for it…!"

She was about to hit Darlene!

"Now, Dragon Breath!"

FWOSH!

"Jeanne!" Hop exclaimed worriedly, watching his Pokémon fly towards the ground, surrounded by multicolored smoke.

"I'm fine, Master Ho- GH!" As soon as she tried to get up, rays surrounded Jeanne's body, restricting her movements.

"WHAT?!"

Dragon Breath is a dragon-type move that allows the user to hit with a very powerful blast. This move is also capable of paralyzing its target. To his doubt, his Pokédex flew to give its answer.

"It just can't be…"

"Don't be distracted Hop!" Returning his own words, Elio shook Hop out of his thoughts, just in time to see Darlene's next attack connect with his paralyzed Pokémon "Brine!"

SPLASH!

"No Jeanne!" Hitting like a machine gun, Darlene launched a point-blank flurry of water-type attacks that the flying-type Pokémon, due to her paralysis, was unable to dodge.

Once the scuffle ended, and the dust raised by Darlene's attacks dissipated, there was Jeanne, completely soaked, and with her arms crossed trying to protect herself as best she could from Darlene's Brine.

There were a few moments of silence on the field, before Jeanne collapsed on one knee, unable to move.

"Jeanne come back" Returning his Pokémon to her Pokéball, Hop gave her a grateful smile "You did a great job."

"We did it, Darlene!" Elio celebrated, smiling animatedly at his Pokémon.

"Y-Yes!" Impressed as she was, Darlene was also excited about having managed to win her first Pokémon battle for her trainer, and she couldn't help but let a happy smile take over her face.


"I can't believe it, Elio won!" Gloria smiled animatedly. "For a moment I thought he would lose."

"Me too," Sonia also admitted, smiling the same way. "I have to say, for just being rookies, they both put on a spectacular fight."

"Aren't you worried about your brother's defeat, Leon?" They heard Professor Magnolia say, and they both turned to look at the champion.

When they saw him, they could see the flames of emotion dancing in his eyes.

"Of course not," he responded immediately, without losing his smile and without taking his eyes off the field, "after all, the fight is not over yet."


"Very well Elio, I admit it, you surpassed me for a moment."

Elio cut short his celebration, both him and Darlene turning her gaze to Hop.

Without being able to avoid it, for a second they both saw the image of the champion behind him.

"But this fight is not over yet!" He exclaimed, taking out another of his Pokéballs, "Go ahead, Lulu!"

Elio couldn't help but worry a little, seeing how Hop's Wooloo looked at them with a challenging smile on her face, he wasn't sure if Darlene could face her after the fight she had against Jeanne...

"Don't worry, master," Feebas called his attention, seeing him with a determination that overshadowed even her fear, "I-I can do this."

"Darlene…" Elio was speechless, but a smile soon appeared on his face. "Alright, let's continue Hop!"

"That's it!" Excited, Hop gave his first order to his Pokémon "Tackle!"

"You know what to do Darlene!"

"Yes!" The girl responded, planting herself firmly on the ground, preparing her Dragon Breath once again.

"Not this time, now, Cotton Guard!"

"Dragon Breath!"

FWOSH

BLOOM!

"What?!" With dismay and surprise, Elio and Darlene saw how right where Lulu was, there was now a huge ball of cotton, which dispelled her attack as if it were nothing.

"Go ahead Lulu, tackle!" And this increased even more when they saw the sphere rolling towards them.

"Dodge it Darlene!"

"Ah!" Moving just in time, the Feebas was able to barely dodge Wooloo's attack, but she didn't give them time to breathe.

"Now, use copy!"

POP!

Bursting into wool fluff, Lulu lunged at Darlene, grabbing her arm. Before the girl could realize what was happening, a multicolored glow began to emanate from Lulu's mouth, and then it was too late.

"Dragon Breath!"

FWOSH!

"Darlene!" Being hit at point-blank range with his own attack, Elio saw Darlene fall at his feet, unable to move.


"Doesn't this mean that Elio already lost the fight? I mean, he only has one Pokémon left, while Hop still has two, and even more so now that Darlene was barely able to hurt Lulu" Gloria commented worriedly.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Gloria." Sonia replied, without taking her eyes off the fight.


"Darlene, are you okay?" Elio asked, helping his Pokémon.

"Y-Yes, I-I can still-" She said trying to sit up, but she would have failed if it weren't for Neo, who came out to catch her just in time.

"Neo!"

"You didn't do so bad, for being food," she exclaimed, unable to give Elio or Darlene a clue as to whether she was joking or not, while she took some berries out of her pockets. "Here."

"T-Thank you Neo" The girl timidly accepted them, happy for her partner's help, to which she nodded before seeing Elio.

"Now is my turn."

All of this happened too quickly for Elio's mind to process it, but as soon as he did he smiled once again at his starter Pokémon.

"That's how it is!"

"Are you going to make me wait all day Elio?" Hop exclaimed impatiently, eager to resume their combat.

"Here we go Hop! Rest Darlene, and go ahead, Neo!" And while Elio's water-type Pokémon returned to her Pokéball, the battle began again.

The Fire Cat Pokémon didn't think about it for a moment, with all her speed she pounced on Lulu, preparing her claws to attack.

"That won't work against me!" Hop answered smiling "Lulu, use Cotton Guard again!"

"Neo, jump!"

"What?!"

Without expecting it, Lulu once again covered herself in a sphere of wool, but Neo jumped over it, landing on top of the sphere.

"Now, Ember!" Embers of fire came out of Neo's mouth, and when they made contact with the cotton curls that surrounded Lulu, they caught fire.

"AAAAAAHHHH!"

"No Lulu!" Hop could only watch worriedly as his Pokémon exploded its wool defense with some slight burns, badly injured by a single attack.

Fluffy, the main ability of the "Wooloo" spice, is a defensive ability that halves the damage generated by contact attacks, but instead, gives the Pokémon a strong weakness to fire-type attacks. Once again Hop's Pokédex was quick to inform to him, and the dark-haired boy could only click his tongue in annoyance.

"I had forgotten her ability..."

"Let's finish this, Neo, use Fury Attack!" Without thinking twice Neo launched herself towards the defenseless Wooloo, but before she could connect her attack, Hop returned her to her Pokéball. Confused, Elio looked up at his old friend "Hop?"


"Why did Hop return to Lulu? I thought she could still continue..." Gloria asked, looking at the adults next to her. Leon, with a smile on his face, was the one who gave her the answer.

"Lulu is the Pokémon that has been by my brother's side the longest, and he knows her better than anyone, and she knows him. That's why Hop knows when she's at her limit."

"Knowing when to retire is also part of being a good trainer" Professor Magnolia added, looking at Hop with approval.


"Lulu was already at her limit, plus she already did her part, she earned a break if you ask me," the purple-haired boy explained, putting away Lulu's Pokéball, and then smiling at him with defiance as he took the last of his Pokéballs. "But don't even think this is over, go ahead Ellie!"

Throwing the Pokéball into the air, the girl landed on the field, watching Neo with a confident smile while around her the grass began to grow. In response, the cat girl began breathing fathoms as her gaze sharpened.

"Very well, then there is no time to hesitate" Tossing his cap back, Elio gave his order "Neo, go for her with scratch"

"Defend yourself with Branch Poke!"

With her claws growing and glowing white, Neo launched herself on all fours at Ellie, while she grabbed the branch of her bun, causing her hair to cascade behind her back. The branch soon began to glow with a green aura, turning into a staff that she used just in time to deal with Neo's claw attack.

"Don't let yourself be intimidated Neo, Embers!"

"Improvised Sand Attack!"

"What?!" This time it was Elio's turn to be surprised, while his Pokémon carried the flames in her mouth, Ellie hit her staff against the ground, throwing a curtain of dust at Neo, taking the opportunity to retreat.

Neo, annoyed, prepared to let out a threatening Growl, but before she could do so she caught a glimpse of Ellie looking at her mockingly, while gesturing to her as if saying to come and get her. Annoyed, Neo abandoned her attempt to use Growl as she lunged at her with a Scratch.

Taunt is a Dark-type move that prevents the opponent from using status moves. Reported his Pokédex to Elio.

"Damn, we're falling into their game." Elio clenched his fists as he watched Neo attack Ellie without thinking, using her claws while the Grass Pokémon defended herself with her staff. "But two can play this."

Neo was upset, but the sound of her trainer's voice brought the clarity of the fight back to her.

"Neo, use Embers while you bite her!" And so she did.

Without further hesitation, Neo took Ellie's staff in her hands, preventing her escape, and during her rival's surprise she pounced on her, biting her shoulder while fire exploded from her mouth.

"Ellie, push her away with Branch Poke!" Not wanting a repeat of the above with Lulu, Hop gave his order, and his Pokémon responded by giving Neo a strong blow with the tip of her staff, sending her flying away from her, but the cat girl recomposed herself in the air, landing on her feet.

They both stared at each other, Neo with a bruised stomach, and Ellie with a deep bite mark on her shoulder, surrounded by a burn. However, Elio noticed how a green glow began to surround Ellie, while the grass around her seemed to come to life. He wasted no time calling his Pokédex.

Grassy Surge, the hidden ability of Grookey's evolution line, allows the formation of a field of grass around them, although this lasts only a few minutes during combat. The grass field weakens the strength of ground-type moves, and restores the health of those in range.

Ellie must have high control of her ability to make it only affect her, or she was not yet strong enough to make it cover a greater range. Be that as it may, they had to finish the fight now, they couldn't afford to let her recover completely.

"Neo finish her off with Scratch!"

"Finish it with Branch Poke!" and Hop must have felt the same, because he soon gave the order to attack his Pokémon.

Both girls lunged at each other, one with glowing claws, and the other with her staff glowing with the power of nature. The clash did not take long to come, both attacks impacted, and both were left back to back to each other. The battlefield remained completely silent, while the trainers of both looked expectantly at the arena.

TUMP-TUMP

And at the same time, both women fell, unable to do more.

"Neo and Ellie can't continue, it's a tie!" Leon announced as both trainers went towards their Pokémon.


"Both were incredible, that was a spectacular battle!" Gloria encouraged them while both boys gave their Pokémon's Pokéballs to Professor Magnolia. Elio saw his cousin with a big smile as he thanked her:

"Thank you very much Gloria" But on the other hand, Hop next to him was pouting, making Sonia and Leon laugh.

"It's not fair, we were so close to winning!"

"Even so, I must admit that it was an incredible fight, you both have a lot of potential," the Professor's granddaughter told them, making both of them blush. Leon, meanwhile, smiled proudly seeing both boys.

"I knew they both had it in them," the champion thought as he looked at both candidates, before placing his gaze on the only one missing. "I hope you prove the same to me, Gloria".

"Your Pokémon are already recovered" Taken out of his thoughts, Leon could see the moment where the Professor returned the Pokéballs to both teenagers, who congratulated the Pokémon inside them for doing a good job.

"You were both magnificent, Elio, Hop" Regretting to cut off the joy, Leon caught everyone's attention, his voice echoing strongly in the small ranch. Although he was talking to both trainers, his eyes were fixed on Gloria, "but the battles are not over yet. Now it's your turn, Gloria".

Worried, both boys turned to look at their friend.

"Are you sure you want to go, cousin? The professor already healed our Pokémon, so you could face Hop or me instead of Leon".

"That's right, facing my older brother right now is impossible!" Hop added, also worried about his friend, but she only smiled at them with gratitude, without losing any of the determined spark she had when she accepted this fight.

"Thanks for the offer guys, but I have to do this, to prove not only to Leon that I'm ready for the Gym Challenge, but also to myself, and to my Pokémon".

"Well said!" Although it seemed impossible, Leon's smile had grown bigger with Gloria's words, and without waiting any longer, he headed to the battlefield "Let's begin then!"

"Yes!" And without even hesitation, Gloria followed him.


As soon as they arrived at the arena, Leon brought out the only two Pokémon he brought with him, Natsuki, his Charizard, and Lily, his recently captured Sobble.

"Lily, pay attention, I want you to observe this combat so that you can learn how we function in battles".

"Y-Yes, Master Leon!" Leon nodded satisfied at the words of the shy water type, and set his gaze on Natsuki.

"That means you'll have to take care of Gloria's Pokémon alone, do you think you can do that Natsuki?"

"Please, the doubt even offends," the dragon girl snorted as she took a step forward looking at Gloria, who already had her three Pokémon out of their Pokéballs. "Let's do this quickly girl, your three Pokémon will fight against me at the same time".

"What?" Exclaimed the girl confused, looking at Leon.

"Are you fucking underestimating us?!" Meanwhile, Emi, her Chewtle, did not hesitate to show her annoyance, showing her fangs at the fire-type Pokémon.

"Although I don't like my partner's… manners, I'm also offended. Do you really think you can take the three of us, sweetheart?" And for a change, Kate, the Nickit, supported her.

And even though she didn't say anything, Rumi, Gloria's Scorbunny, remained still in her place, her permanent smile replaced by a frown.

And that said more than anything else.

"I may be her trainer, but Natsuki is the one in charge in the battle, Gloria" was Leon's entire response, looking at the girl with a smile. "Do you think you can live up to your first triple battle?"

"I-I…"

"Oh, let's make that fire lizard pay." Sensing her trainer's doubt, Emi took a step forward, ready for combat.

"Hmph, until you finally say something sensible, seaweed brain." For once, Emi did not respond to Kate's insult, both focused on the opponent in front of them.

"We can do this, Gloria" But it was the confident smile of her first Pokémon that made Gloria make her decision. Copying the fire rabbit's smile, Gloria set her sights on the champion.

"Let's do it Leon!"

"Alright then!" Taking Leon's place as referee of the fight, Sonia smiled at the two "Let the fight begin!"

"Okay, let's go with everything! Rumi, Kate, Quick Attack, Emi, Water Gun!" Giving their orders, Gloria's Pokémon wasted no time in complying.

Running at the same time, Rumi and Kate shot towards the fire Pokémon, while Emi quickly carried a sphere of water that she threw in the middle of them towards her target.

But Leon wasn't the champion for nothing.

"Defend yourself with Ancient Power!"

"Hmph" With a simple swing of her tail, Natsuki levitated several rocks from the field, throwing them at the girls.

"Rumi, Kate, dodge it!"

The first of the rocks completely destroyed Emi's water ball, while the rest went straight towards the fox Pokémon and the rabbit. Kate took advantage of Quick Attack's speed to escape from the flying rocks, but Rumi showed her experience by using them as springboards to get closer to Natsuki.

"Eat this!" Plumping towards the fire dragon, Rumi prepared her strong legs to deliver a powerful kick, but Natsuki blocked it with only her arm "What?!"

"When your trainer tells you to retreat, you retreat" Was all the experienced Pokémon said, giving her a look that made Rumi shudder.

But that was just the opportunity they needed.

"Emi, now! Use Bite!"

"What?!" So focused on the rabbit girl, Natsuki had not noticed the little Chewtle sneaking up behind her back. Showing her strong fangs, the girl bit the dragon Pokémon's tail, making her growl in pain "AGH!"


"She got her!" Hop exclaimed happily, putting his arm over Elio's shoulder.

"Yeah!"

"I wouldn't be so sure guys" But Sonia's words brought them both out of their little celebration, and she soon proved to be true.


"You little brats!" Angrily, Natsuki first threw Rumi into the air, and Emi soon followed with a flick of her tail.

"Kate, catch them with quick attack!" Neither slowly nor lazily, the orange-haired girl quickly helped her companions, unfortunately, the weight of both of them was too much for her, knocking down the three on the spot "No!"

"It's time to end this, Natsuki, use Fire Blast!" Snorting once again, Natsuki made wings emerge from her back, with which she took flight to create a large fiery sphere that soon exploded into a star of fire, heading towards the defenseless Pokémon.

Gloria little by little saw how the Fire Blast went towards her beloved companions, her mind was blank and she saw everything in slow motion. She saw the panic in Kate's eyes, the fear in Emi's eyes, but when she saw her first companion, Rumi, all she saw was determination, a determination burning like the flames that were going towards them.

And she was not going to let them down.

—Rumi, activate Blaze and use Embers!


"WHAT?!" Hop shouted in astonishment, the concern he felt for his friend changed to great surprise.

"Blaze?" Elio asked next to him, as worried about his dear cousin as he was, he felt like he had heard that before.

His Pokédex soon responded.

Blaze, the signature ability possessed almost exclusively by members of the Fire-type starter family. Its elemental equivalent is Torrent for Water types, Overgrow for Grass types, and Swarm for Bug types. In a moment of emergency, fire-type moves made by the user are boosted by the sheer energy deployed by the Pokémon.

"And to think that a rookie trainer can make one of the starters activate her ability at will" Even Professor Magnolia sounded impressed by Gloria's feat.


Getting up and putting on her companions, Rumi's legs and eyes burst into flames, a furious growl escaped her throat as her eyes began to glow with a red glow that had nothing to do with the star of fire that was coming towards them. With all the strength in her legs, she kicked a small pebble that was found on the ground, probably a remnant of Natsuki's previous attack, but at that moment it didn't matter as she began to play as if it were a ball.

Under normal circumstances, that pebble would only turn into an insignificant flaming stone, but with the power of Blaze, it grew to the size of a small ball with every bounce the girl made, and then she threw it at Natsuki's Fire Blast, and the collision of both attacks caused a great explosion of fire.

Unfortunately, the 3 girls were still in range of the explosion.

BLOOOOOWSHHHHH

A strong gale was generated from the shock wave of the explosion, and the smoke prevented the current view of Gloria's Pokémon. Little by little, the smoke cleared, revealing the three girls completely defeated and with traces of soot on their faces, lying on the ground.

"Rumi, Emi, Kate!" Concerned, their trainer ran towards them, kneeling and pulling them into a tight hug "I'm so sorry girls…"

"That's what you should aspire to overcome, Gloria" Without realizing it, Leon had approached her. Behind him, Natsuki stood, strong and proud as always. "Many have tried, and have failed in their attempt to dethrone me, do you really think you can do it?"

"…" Unable to respond, Gloria looked down, feeling tears beginning to form in her eyes. However, that action gave her a perfect look at her fellow Pokémon.

And they were looking at her with trust and affection, with all the faith in the world in her.

Even if she didn't have it in herself.

And so the girl quickly dried her eyes, to face the champion once again.

"It may not be now, or tomorrow, but I swear that one day we will be able to defeat you Leon, it's a promise! I'm not giving up!" The girl exclaimed with conviction, and Leon could see it, there was fire in her eyes, and that's what made him smile.

"Then congratulations," he said, extending a hand to help her up, "you and the boys have earned my recommendation for the championship."

"Eh?"

"GLORIA!" Still shocked by the news, the girl couldn't avoid the tackle/hug she received from her best friend and her cousin, ending up with her and her Pokémon in a huge tangle of arms and legs.

"You had us so worried! Are you OK? Leon had completely beat you up."

"That's right, but you were still amazing, that Rumi's Ember looked like a real Fire Blast! It was so cool!"

"Thanks guys, but could you get off of me?!"

"Yes, you weigh too much damn idiots!"

"Someone get these donkeys off my back!"

"I c-can't breathe..."

Leon could only laugh as he watched the group of kids do their antics, while behind him Sonia and Professor Magnolia, as well as his Sobble, approached the scene.

"Did you learn anything from the fight Lily?" Leon asked his newest companion as he looked over his shoulder at her, but the girl's gaze was fixed on Gloria's Scorbunny.

"They weren't bad, and Rumi, as usual, has always been the strongest, but even so, Miss Natsuki faced them with confidence and power..." Sighing, the girl lowered her head "I still have a long way to go…"

"That's it little one, but don't be depressed, you'll get there eventually," Feeling a hand on her head, Lily looked up to see the Charizard smiling friendly at her, "and just call me Natsuki, after what we did with Leon yesterday, we are now like sisters."

Ignoring the huge blush on Lily's face, the dragon girl approached the group of trainers, more specifically, Gloria and her Pokémon.

"You are a good trainer, have more confidence in yourself Gloria, your Pokémon already trust you, and both Leon and I know that you will go very far." And then she placed her gaze directly on the fire rabbit, smiling defiantly at her "To you, above all, I hope to see you in the final of the Championship. At that moment, I hope you will show me how much your fire has grown."

"Yes!"

"B-But I don't understand…" Despite Natsuki's words, Gloria saw at Leon lost, still surprised by the turn of events "I lost our fight, so doesn't that mean you shouldn't recommend me?"

"I didn't challenge you to recommend you to the Championship, Gloria," the champion denied, looking at her seriously, "I did it to prove that you could do this alone."

Both Gloria and her friends were silent at this, and Leon took the opportunity to continue.

"All your life you have been leaning on Elio and Hop, and they always took care of you without hesitation, but once you start this journey, you will be alone with your Pokémon, and your Pokémon will be the ones who depend on you. I've seen many trainers try their hardest in the Champions Cup, only to be crushed by the pressure, collapsing, and taking their Pokémon with them, and I didn't want that to happen to you..."

Throughout his speech, Leon's expression had a spark of sadness, but it soon changed to a cheerful smile once again.

"But after this fight, I see in you the strength to continue, even in the face of an unattainable challenge, even in the face of defeat, you did not let yourself be knocked down, and that, when you are a Pokémon trainer, is the most important thing Gloria" Seeing the three boys at the same time, he couldn't help but feel full of pride, because in addition to Hop, Elio and Gloria were also like his siblings "Congratulations guys, you've earned it."

From his pocket, he takes out three envelopes.

Three letters.

Three recommendations to participate in the Gym Challenge.

"WE DID IT!" Screaming in unison, Elio, Hop and Gloria jumped once again into a big group hug, laughing and shouting with happiness.

They were going to do it.

They were one step closer to their dreams.

"I wouldn't like to be the bad guy here" But Professor Magnolia's voice soon took them out of their little world. The woman was already next to Gloria's Pokémon, looking at the young trainers with reproach, "but these little ones here need to rest, and so do you if you are going to take the train to Motostoke tomorrow. You can sleep here tonight, it's late anyway, and I have room for you to stay here. I will only ask you to keep the noise to a minimum, I already know the activities that you young people usually have at night."

"Well, it's a perfect time then for you to try my food!" Trying to get them out of the shame their grandmother put them in, Sonia took a step forward, smiling at them, trying to fake her own awkwardness "come on guys, let's go back inside."


Night had already fallen, and Gloria was lying in the room that Professor Magnolia had lent them. It was not an exaggeration to call the old professor's home a mansion with how large and spacious it was, it even had enough rooms for Leon, hop, Elio and her to have individual rooms, not counting Sonia's personal room. But her mind was not thinking about the room she was in, but about the fight she had against Leon, about how she and her companions had given everything.

And yet they had lost.

"If you keep thinking so much you're going to end up getting wrinkles before your time, dear," she was woken from her thoughts by the voice of her newly captured Nickit. The girl had stripped off her elegant clothes, leaving her in lace underwear. "It's not your fault we lost, that lizard girl was much stronger than us."

"That's right Gloria" in the same way, Chewtle had changed, but unlike her companion, she wore more sporty underwear "it wasn't your fault we lost."

"It's still frustrating, you gave everything you had, you trusted me... It feels like I failed you," the girl confessed with her head down, but Rumi, also in her underwear, climbed on top of her and raised her head, smiling at her kindly.

"Stop blaming you Gloria, you are the trainer I chose, and right now we may not be the biggest or the strongest in the Region, but one day we will get there, and it will be with you as our trainer."

"We trust you, darling."

"S-So trust yourself a little too, d-dammit" unaccustomed as she was to giving this kind of support, even Emi joined her teammates in trying to cheer up their trainer, all lying around her like a protective blanket.

"Girls…" Moved by their words, Gloria smiled brightly at them. She was still a little sad about her defeat, but she didn't care so much anymore, she couldn't stagnate, not when she had her teammates by her side "You're the best!"

In her mind, Gloria promised herself that she would be the best trainer possible for these girls, but for now, they could only rest and prepare for tomorrow.

Or at least, that was her plan.

"And now with that off the table," but Kate's smile soon showed her that there were other plans afoot.

"I seem to remember that we have a pending task, right Gloria?" Still blushing, Emi tried to imitate her partner Nickit's suggestive voice. She failed miserably, but seeing the blushing face of her stoic companion was an equally effective blow to the teenager.

"I hope you're ready, Gloria," and Rumi gave her the final blow, smiling as she stripped her of her shirt.

In a couple more rooms, two boys were also being assaulted by their Pokémon, they would probably wake up extremely exhausted tomorrow, but that mattered little to them now.


Having stayed up so late definitely mattered to them now.

The three young trainers looked completely exhausted, even the always cheerful Hop looked with all his energy drained. Everyone had already prepared themselves, and they were at the station of the town of Wedgehurst, ready to take the first train to Motostoke, if drowsiness didn't make them miss the train that is.

Luckily for them, Sonia and Leon arrived in front of them with 3 steaming cups of coffee in their hands, which they offered to the three teenagers.

"I see you had a busy night, didn't you?" Not even Sonia's teasing registered in the kid's brains while they drank their coffee, only Leon laughed gracefully as he watched them.

"The same thing happened to me and you when we were their age Sonia, they will soon learn."

THE NEXT TRAIN TO MOTOSTOKE IS ABOUT TO DEPARTURE, PLEASE PASSENGERS FROM THE WEDGEHURST STATION, ENTER WITH QUIETLY

"It seems it's time guys," Elio exclaimed as he threw his cup in the trash, smiling as he watched his companions.

"Many adventures await us."

"And fabulous trainers and Pokémon galore!" Even Hop and Gloria seemed to have been revitalized, but before they could take their first step to enter the train…

"You three, wait there!" A voice stopped them. It was Hop's mother, and at her side, Professor Magnolia and Gloria's mother were approaching them.

"Mum?" Hop and Gloria asked at the same time, almost barely realizing that they were about to leave without having given any advance notice. Elio at their side had begun to walk away little by little from his friends, but his aunt's hand soon stopped him.

"This also includes you Elio."

"Hehehe, hello auntie..."

"Our maternal intuition told us that this would end up happening sooner or later, that is the influence that Leon has on you" Hop and Leon's mother sighed, while the champion laughed without a hint of shame.

"Luckily, the Professor informed Dracanea and me of everything, that's why we brought you this." With a smile, the women handed each of them a bag, which they had not noticed they had with them. "There we packed everything we thought you might need for your upcoming adventures, including your changes of clothes and your camping gear."

"Thank you very much mum/aunts!" the teenagers responded, grateful and happy that they didn't have to save money to buy all this. In their haste to leave they had almost forgotten them, and probably all their money would have gone into buying supplies for their trip.

But at that moment they noticed the old professor approaching them, and in her hands, she was carrying a strange tube-shaped device, with the symbol of a Pokéball with a star in the middle engraved on it.

"And for my part, I brought you this," opening the tube, which from the way she opened it turned out to actually be a box, the three young people couldn't help but gasp in shock at what was in it.

Three Dinamax Bands.

"All applicants in the Gym Challenge are allowed to have one of these, and I have seen how capable you are, I think you have more than earned them" smiling at them, the lady offered each of them one of the wristbands.

"We'll do it that way, lady, it's a promise!" Always encouraged, Hop was the first to take his, placing it around his right wrist.

"T-Thank you very much!" and still shocked by the surprise, Gloria did the same. Elio, being the last, smiled at the professor gratefully.

"We will not disappoint you."

LAST CALL FOR PASSENGERS OF THE TRAIN BOUND TO MOTOSTOKE, PLEASE BOARD THE TRAIN

"Well, it seems like it's time," Elio exclaimed as he grabbed his things.

"Be careful," their aunt/mother told them while hugging Elio and Gloria.

"And don't do anything crazy," Dracanea supported her as she hugged her youngest son. The three teenagers, overcome by their feelings, hugged them back, releasing a few small tears of emotion.

"Yeah!"

And with that, they separated from the hug, saw all the people gathered around them, and smiling they went towards the train.

Just like when they first entered route two, none of them looked back.

Their Adventures in Galar had just begun.


Hey people, this has been a hell of a trip. First I want to apologize for the delay in updating this story, which honestly was one misfortune after another. To begin with, my laptop decided to go to a better life, a problem with the motherboard or the hard drive, I'm not sure anymore, then of course, the situation with the pandemic that had me locked up (like everyone else), and to finish, online classes at my university. Literally these last two years I've had zero breaks while pursuing university. The good thing is that I only have 2 more semesters left to get my degree, YEAH.

Now that I am having some free time, and that I was finally able to fix my laptop, I was finally able to complete this chapter, which before the disaster, I had left half written, and it is finally going to come to light. This time the translation of the chapter came completely on my own, I did it with my knowledge of English (I won't lie, I improved a lot during the pandemic), and Google Translate. I'm not an expert in the language yet, so if you find any errors, I apologize in advance. And returning to the chapter, if you have played sword and shield you already know what is next, the Wild Area, what new Pokémon and adventures will await our heroes there? Stay tuned for the next chapter to find out friends.

But well, that's all for now my people, leave your comments, favorites and follows, and we'll see you in the next chapter, Sayonara.