Chapter 10:
The Cotton Kerfuffle
Location: Turffield
"Today's the day!" I said. "We're actually taking on a Gym Leader!"
"Calm down now," said Hop. "Remember, we promised Sonia we would meet her here." Yep, we were sitting on a bench that overlooked the hill art.
"I still can't wait though!"
Hop smiled. "That's our Gloria."
"Sorry I'm late!" We saw Sonia walking up to us, Yamper at her side.
"We've only been waiting 10 minutes," I replied. We looked at the massive art piece again. We were not sure what Pokémon it was supposed to be, but there was a spiral pattern next to it. Was it the sun?
"I've spent a good part of my life trying to figure out the many secrets that this amazing region holds," Sonia replied. "With that said, I may have come to a conclusion. This might be depicting… the Darkest Day."
"The Darkest Day?" Hop asked.
"Which one?" I asked. "There was that time Kyogre and Groudon awakened, that time Lysandre tried to create a beautiful world, that time a bunch of Ultra Beasts invaded Alola…"
"It's not recent," Sonya replied. "It happened 3,000 years ago, around the same time as the Great War of Kalos. Maybe they're connected."
"Wow," I said.
"It was millennia ago so we don't know much about it," she replied. "But I do believe that it has strong connections to Dynamaxing and Gigantamaxing."
"So… it's not a conclusion," I replied.
"Well, it's something okay?!" Sonia snapped. Clearly the frustration of her job, as much as she loved to do it, was getting to her. "I guess I have my work cut out for me. The things we know about the Darkest Day was that it was connected to a Pokémon, a hero and the Dynamax phenomenon. But whether that one Pokémon is the one depicted here, and whatever the Pokémon is, I don't know."
"We'll let you know if we think of…" Then I remembered. The two Pokémon we saw in Slumbering Weald. Could they have something to do with it? I kept my mouth shut; Hop and I promised it would be our secret. But it's a secret I should keep in reserve should the time comes...
"What's wrong?" Sonya asked.
"Oh, nothing," I said. "Just thinking about my Gym battle."
"Well, you better stop thinking and start battling!" Hop said. "And I'm going to get some training in for the Hulbury Gym. Good like G!"
"Thanks!" I replied.
Location: Turrfield Stadium
"And you're all set!" set the Receptionist. "Okay. You may make your way through. Get changed into your Gym clothes and be prepared for the Gym trial."
"Trial?" I asked.
"Uh huh. You can't just waltz up to Milo and demand a battle. You need a bit more of a test than that. You'll find out when you go in!"
After getting changed, I found myself in a makeshift field of some kind. There were multiple Wooloo grazing. At the end of the field were a stack of hay bales.
"This is a Gym?" I asked.
"Ayop!" It was Milo's voice. "Challenger, what you have to do is rear all the Wooloo into each field. Then you can progress. You can't leave one out! Attacking the Wooloo will also result in disqualification, but you may use your Pokémon to help. Your challenge begins… now!"
I walked into the first field where the Wooloo were… being Wooloo I suppose. Munching away at the grass and rolling around without a care in the world; in many regards, I envy them.
"Okay!" I said. "Come on Wooloo!" I chased some Wooloo through a wooden fence; they reluctantly followed. "Well that was eas-" There were three left. "Urgh. How does Hop deal with these? Wait… I know!" I sent out Lombre. "Use Astonish to scare the Wooloo!" Lombre made a sudden scary face… but the Wooloo didn't budge. "That's right. Wooloo are Normal Types. They can't be damaged by Ghost Type moves. Fine." I just chased the other three Wooloo in. I passed, and the Wooloo charged into the hay bales, destroying them. "Alright!"
Before I could go into the next field, a Trainer spotted me. A Gym Trainer. He was wearing green Gym uniform.
"Hey, great work there!"
Gloria Vs. Gym Trainer Samuel
"Go Gossifleur!" Samuel sent out a red-floating Pokémon with a yellow flower on its head.
Gossifleur (ヒメンカ)
#126
Grass Type
Flowering Pokémon
1'04" (0.4 m)
4.9 lbs (2.2 kg)
It whirls around in the wind while singing a joyous song. This delightful display has charmed many into raising this Pokémon.
"And I choose Scorbunny!" I shouted. "Use Ember!" Scorbunny kicked a flame into Gossifleur, almost knocking it out.
"Gossifleur, Sing!" Gossifluer started singing a song. Scorbunny, upon hearing this, fell asleep.
"This isn't good," I thought.
"Now use Rapid Spin!" Gossifleur span into Scorbunny, who was still soundo. "And now Razor Leaf!" Gossifleur then fired sharp leaves at Scorbunny. After this, it woke up!
"Alright! Now, finish with Double Kick!" Scorbunny kicked Gossifleur twice. It was defeated.
"Just a warning; the next field is bigger!"
Samuel was right; the next field was not only bigger, but also had hedges and a Yamper.
"Let's try again," I said. I walked forward, but the Yamper started barking. This caused the Wooloo to run off in separate directions. "Oh brilliant," I said. There were 20 Wooloo, just over half of which had run off to the right. "Let's just focus on getting these into the zone." And I did. I chased the 13 Wooloo into the counting area. "Now for the others. Rookidee!" I sent out my Flying Type to keep an eye for any strays.
I went round the long way to see if I had missed any. I had missed two. So, I got them into the counting zone. I saw Rookidee circling in the sky.
"That's where the others must be!" I said. I ran over, but I walked in front of another Gym Trainer.
"You're not getting to the Wooloo that easily!"
Gloria Vs. Gym Trainer Mark
"I choose Budew!"
"And I'll use Rookidee!" I shouted. "Peck!" Rookidee stabbed Budew with its beak.
"Now use Absorb!" Budew sapped a very small amount of health from Rookidee.
"Peck it again!" Rookidee did just that; Budew fainted.
"Okay, the Wooloo are yours."
With that, I had the Wooloo go to the rest of its herd. They all knocked down those hay bales. With that, it was onto the last field. This was even bigger than the last one I just went through and had a Yamper.
"We can't risk attacking the Yamper," I said. "So… let's distract it!" I sent out Scorbunny. "Hey Yamper!" It looked over to me. "Fetch!" Scorbunny kicked an Ember far away, to which Yamper chased after it. "Now!" I shouted as I had the Wooloo go round to… the way that a Trainer was waiting.
"Clever strategy, I'll give you that!"
Gloria Vs. Gym Trainer Leah
"Bounsweet, go!" Leah shouted. She sent out a round-pink Pokémon with a green head.
Bounsweet (アマカジ)
#207
Grass Type
Fruit Pokémon
1'00" (0.3 m)
7.1 lbs (3.2 kg)
Its body gives off a sweet, fruity scent that is extremely appetizing to bird Pokémon.
"Rookidee, I choose you!" Of course, it tried to eat Bounsweet. "No! I want you to beat it, not eat it! Use Peck!" Rookidee jabbed at Bounsweet.
"Rapid Spin!" Whilst in close range, Bounsweet span into Rookidee.
"Come back with Fury Attack!" Rookidee stabbed at Bounsweet multiple times, knocking it out.
"So that's how you wanna play? Go Oddish!" The other Pokémon was blue with some leaves growing off it.
Oddish (ナゾノクサ)
#055
Grass/Poison Type
Weed Pokémon
1'08" (0.5 m)
11.9 lbs (5.4 kg)
If exposed to moonlight, it starts to move. It roams far and wide at night to scatter its seeds.
"Scorbunny, do it!" Out came my ace. "Use Ember!" Scorbunny kicked a flame at Oddish. It survived.
"Acid!" Oddish fired some purple liquid at Scorbunny.
"Finish with another Ember!" Scorbunny gave Oddish a fiery finish.
"Keep at it!"
"Uh oh," I said. I saw Yamper coming for us, holding the fiery rock that Scorbunny kicked in its mouth. "Wait… we can use this to our advantage! Rookidee, Lombre, Purrloin!" All my Pokémon came out. "Block the other paths! We need to get these Wooloo to the counting! All my Pokémon went off and blocked any alternative ways. With this, the Wooloo had no choice but to have Yamper steer them into the count. They destroyed the hay bales, allowing the path to the battlefield to reveal itself. "Great job everyone!" I recalled them all. "Okay, now onto the main event!"
As I walked through the corridor, I could hear the crowd cheering for me and Milo. I was finally here. It was difficult to comprehend. Now all I needed to do was win.
I stepped out onto the battlefield, where people were holding up banners. Some for myself, and some for Milo. And speaking of Milo, he was waiting for me. We walked up to each other.
"So," he said. "The kid Leon endorsed."
"Like I said, who endorsed me doesn't matter," I said. "What matters is the fact that I'm standing here, and that I'm going to win."
Milo grinned. "Well, someone is chuffed."
I saw my Dynamax Band glowing. "Oh," I said. I completely forgot; Turrfield was a Dynamax Spot!
"Don't forget to use it in today's match," Milo replied.
Just then, the referee came on. "I will now go over the rules. This will be a single battle with substitution allowed. Dynamaxing may be used once per battle. The challenger may use as many Pokémon as they wish whilst the Gym Leader may use the Pokémon they have. Now Trainers. Assume your positions."
Me and Milo walked to the other ends of the court.
"Hello everyone!" came a booming voice. It was one of the commentators, Caleb. The festivals are narrated by Caleb Michael and Aaron Ridgley. "You're in for a real treat today! From Postwick, it's challenger 227, Gloria Smith!" I waved nervously. The phase of excitement had passed to make way for the phase of anxiety.
"Thank you!" I said, doing that cheesy blowing of kisses to the audience.
"And her opponent, the fighting farmer from right here in Turrfield, Milo!"
Milo waved. "I hope to see a fantastic battle!"
"Alright everyone! Let the match… begin!"
Gloria Vs. Gym Leader Milo
"Gossifleur, I choose you!" Out came Milo's first Pokémon.
"And I choose Rookidee!" I replied.
I heard the announcer. "Gloria is coming out strong with a Pokémon that has a Type disadvantage!"
"Rookidee, Peck!" Rookidee stabbed at Gossifleur with its beak. However, it didn't do an awful lot. This was no ordinary Gossifleur; it was a Gossifleur fit for a Gym Leader of the Galar region.
"Gossifleur, use Energy Ball!" Gossifleur made a green ball in front of itself, then fired it at Rookidee. It wasn't very effective, but still packed a punch. Additionally, Rookidee's Sp. Defense fell. The crowd cheered.
"Look at that! Despite having the disadvantage Type wise, Milo lands a great hit with Energy Ball!"
"Use Peck again!" Rookidee attacked Gossifleur once more.
"Give it another Energy Ball!" Gossifleur attacked once again. This time, Rookidee was down for the count. The crowd went nuts.
"Rookidee can't take it anymore!"
I recalled it. "Unbelievable. Even against a Flying Type, Milo is able to keep his cool. And so should I. I still have three Pokémon left! Go Purrloin!"
"Well, this is interesting! Purrloin is a Dark Type; neither side has the advantage! But Gloria shouldn't get ahead of herself!"
"Fake Out!" Purrloin clapped in front of Gossifleur. It was forced to flinch the next turn. "And now use Fury Swipes!" Purrloin scratched at Gossifleur multiple times; it almost went down.
"Now use Pollen Puff!"
"WHAT?!" I shouted. "It knows a Bug Type move?!"
Gossifleur fired some pollen at Purrloin which exploded upon impact. This fainted it in one go.
"Purrloin!" I shouted.
"And with that, Purrloin is down in one Super Effective strike!"
As the crowd cheered, I knew that I really needed to get my A-game on. "Scorbunny, go!"
"And Gloria goes with a Fire Type!"
"Quick Attack!" Scorbunny dashed into Gossifleur. This was the final blow. The crowd cheered!
"And would you look at that! Scorbunny defeats Gossifleur!" However, Scorbunny's Speed fell. "And that is Cotton Down, Gossifleur's Ability! When a Pokémon makes direct contact with it, its Speed falls!"
"Don't' let it get to you!" I said. "One down, and one more to go!"
At that moment, the crowd REALLY started getting into it. They started chanting. I knew what this meant. Milo smiled. "Yes. And you know what that means! Go Eldegoss!" Out came the Pokémon I saw Dynamaxing the other day.
Eldegoss (ワタシラガ)
#127
Grass Type
Cotton Bloom Pokémon
1'08" (0.5 m)
5.5 lbs (2.5 kg)
The seeds attached to its cotton fluff are full of nutrients. It spreads them on the wind so that plants and other Pokémon can benefit from them.
Gossifleur -Lv 20- Eldegoss
"It's time!" I shouted.
Milo recalled Eldegoss. Then, his Dynamax band started glowing, and the Pokéball got bigger. "Let's show you the power of agriculture. Eldegoss, it's Dynamaxing time!" Milo threw it, and Eldegoss came out again… and it was massive! As big as the stadium! The sky grew red as smaller red clouds circled around Eldegoss and the crowd went even more nuts.
"So, this is it!" I shouted. "Scorbunny, you ready?!" Scorbunny nodded. I recalled it, and Dynamax energy started surrounding it's Pokéball, causing it to grow. "Ready Scorbunny? It's time to… DYNAMAX!" I then threw the Ball, and Scorbunny came out just as big. Both Scorbunny and Eldegoss looked at each other fiercely.
"And Gloria comes in with her first Dynamax in her Gym career!"
"We can expect to see more of this if she's successful!"
I was awestruck. "Ha ha! I can't believe it! No, let's keep an eye on the battle. Scorbunny, Max Flare!" Scorbunny kicked a large fireball at Eldegoss. This did about half to it. The weather also became sunny.
"Eldegoss, Max Overgrowth!" Eldegoss fired some seeds everywhere. This caused large flowers to bloom, damaging Scorbunny in the process. The field then turned to Grassy Terrain.
"Now use Max Knuckle!" Scorbunny caused a large fist to come down onto Eldegoss. It hit, and this also raised Scorbunny's Attack.
"Now use Max Strike!" Eldegoss fired a generic beam at Scorbunny. Doing so almost defeated it, but also lowered its Attack once.
"And now… MAX FLARE!" Scorbunny kicked another fireball at Eldegoss. It was a direct hit, knocking out the Dynamaxed Pokémon! It got smaller and smaller, reverting back to its general size. Scorbunny, followed suit. I had won!
The crowd roared in excitement, as Milo frowned. His large hat fell off his head. "Like a weed, I have been pulled."
"Scorbunny!" I shouted, as I went to check up on it. Scorbunny fell down. It hadn't fainted or anything; it was just exhausted. "Dynamaxing can take a lot out of you."
"Hey," said Milo. "That was a great battle. You really proved that you can use Dynamaxing well in a tough spot. And so, it is my honour to give you… the Grass Badge!" Milo handed me a gold part with a leaf on it that I put into a gold ring.
I got… the Grass Badge!
"I would also like to give you this." He gave me a TM. "It contains the Grass Type move Magical Leaf. It never misses!"
"Thank you so much." We shook hands, then Milo held it up. "Her first victory!"
"Finally," said Milo. "My League Card." He gave me a card with him on it. "Please take good care of it."
Location: Turffield
"Congratulations!" Hop said as we ran into each other's arms excitedly.
"I couldn't get enough of it!" Sonia replied. "All your Pokémon fainting and them, BAM! Dynamaxing Scorbunny!"
I sent out everyone. Lombre seemed a bit down that it didn't participate. "Cheer up," I said. "The next Gym is Water Type, so you will have your time to shine then, I promise." Scorbunny jumped onto my shoulder. "We won our first Badge!"
Scorbunny smiled. Then, as if things couldn't get anymore exciting… Scorbunny started glowing!
"Could that be?!" Hop said.
Scorbunny evolved into a Pokémon with orange fur covering its mouth, larger feet and black fur over its body.
Raboot (ラビフット)
#005
Fire Type
Rabbit Pokémon
2'00" (0.6 m)
19.8 lbs (9 kg)
It kicks berries right off the branches of trees and then juggles them with its feet, practicing its footwork.
Scorbunny -Lv 16- Raboot
"Well after a match like that I think Scorbunny deserves to evolve!" We saw Milo come out to greet us. "That was a fantastic match!" He saw Sonia. "Oh hey! Long time no see!"
"You to Milo," she said. "So, going by what you just said, I'm guessing your next stop is Hulbury?"
"That's right!" I said.
"Hulbury is a great place," Milo said. "It's a coastal town with some lovely chips. Don't forget to order some whilst your there! And of course, good luck to both of you! Watch out for Nessa; she can very unpredictable!"
"We will," I said.
"Dinner's on me tonight!" Sonia told us.