Chapter 13:
The Hurdles of Hulbury
Location: Hulbury
"Oh yeah!" I said. "It's time for my Gym battle today!"
"Alright," said Hop. "Have you decided on your strategy?"
I nodded. "Lombre, come out!" I sent out my Grass Type.
"I mean…" Hop replied. "I know that."
"You see, Lombre is going to Dynamax today!" I said. "And with my new Electric Type Toxel, I at least have a good back up plan." I sent out Toxel. When it came out, it started crying.
"I understand you're excited," Hop said. "But isn't Toxel a bit young for something as large as a Gym battle? Sure it's took down a few things, but it is still an infant in the grand scheme of things."
"Needs to get in there eventually!" I said.
"That's our Gloria!" Hop replied. "Hey, look! By the lighthouse!"
In the distance, we saw Nessa! The Gym Leader! She was doing a photo shoot. You see, Nessa is a model, and a famous one within the Galar region.
"And cut," said the Director as we got a closer look. "Okay Nessa, that's good. You can rest easy for the day. Wait, you have three Gym battles today. Two of which had endorsements by Leon, so please do your best."
The crew went away. We saw Nessa collapse onto a bench.
"Hey…" I said.
"I'm not doing any autogra-" She looked at me and Hop. "Hey. You two! Who are you?"
I shrugged. "I'm Gloria and this is Hop. We're both taking you on today."
"Can you please do the talking AFTERWARDS?! I have 15 minutes of alone time and I would like to spend it that way."
I edged for Hop to go with me. So, we took our leavings.
"What's up with her?" Hop asked.
"I guess being a model as big as Nessa AND a Gym Leader takes a lot out of you," I replied. "She didn't come off as rude as we may have thought. She needs some breathing space. For now, I think I better get myself to the Lobby. You'll be watching?"
"I want to do some last-minute training," Hop told me. "Plus, I want Nessa's team to be a surprise."
"That's fair!" I said. "See you later!"
Location: Hulbury Stadium Lobby
We walked along the blue carpet towards the Reception area.
"Nothing can stop me now!" I said.
"HOWDY!"
"WAH!" I shouted. It was that stupid Ball Guy again. "What do you want?"
"A Pokéball for you!" He handed me a blue Pokéball with red diamonds on it that had three yellow lines on the diamond closest to the button. "This is a Lure Ball. It works best on Pokémon that are fished!"
"You have a Fishing Rod, right?" Hop asked.
I got one out my Bag. "Yep!" I said. "But now's not the time for fishing; it's the time for battling!"
I went over to the Reception.
"Challenger 227," said the Receptionist. "Yep! You're ready! Please go into the changing room and into your Gym clothes!"
"Good luck mate!" Hop told me.
Location: Hulbury Gym
Inside the Gym was a metal platform. There were pipes along the ceiling which had water gushing down through steel grates at different parts.
"Hello challenger!" said the coach. "Welcome to the Hulbury Gym! What you have to do is get to the other side. Of course, that water is gushing down too hard for you to go through, so you need to flick some switches to get through them. Good luck!"
There were four switches around the room. Red, blue, yellow and gold. The gold one turned off the pipes at the end which would lead to the Stadium.
"Let's go get ourselves a Badge!" I said as I saw a red switch. This was the only one not blocked by any waterfalls. So, I went over to it. Or at least, I tried to. A Gym Trainer, wearing a two piece uniform like Nessa, stopped me.
"You will NOT be making a splash today!"
Gloria Vs. Gym Trainer Julia
"Toxel, go!" I shouted.
"You're up Tympole!" My opponent was a cream Pokémon with no legs that bounced on the surface. It had a blue tail and two blue bumps on its cheeks.
Tympole (オタマロ)
#132
Water Type
Tadpole Pokémon
1'08" (0.5 m)
9.9 lbs (4.5 kg)
It uses sound waves to communicate with others of its kind. People and other Pokémon species can't hear its cried of warning.
"Tympole, Mud Shot!" Tympole fired mud at Toxel for lots of damage. It almost went down.
"A Ground Type attack? Clever idea. Toxel! Use Nuzzle!" Toxel rubbed its cheek against Tympole's. This led to Tympole becoming paralyzed. "Now come back!" I recalled Toxel for Corvisquire, who was unaffected by the Mud Shot. "Pluck!" Corvisquire pecked at Tympole.
"Now Tympole! Bubble Beam!" Tympole fired a round of bubbles at Corvisquire.
"Use Pluck again!" Corvisquire finished off Tympole.
"I'm feeling sunk…"
With that done, I went over to the red button and pressed it. All the red pipes were turned off. "Onto the next one!" I said.
The next button that wasn't blocked was the blue button. Of course, I made my way over. Another Gym Trainer however was guarding it.
"Can you get through my crusty Pokémon?"
Gloria Vs. Gym Trainer Heather
"Krabby go!" Out came a red Pokémon with sharp pincers and multiple legs.
Krabby (クラブ)
#098
Water Type
River Crab Pokémon
1'04" (0.4 m)
14.3 lbs (6.5 kg)
It can be found near the sea. The large pincers grow back if they are torn out of their sockets.
"And I'll use Lombre!" I replied. "Mega Drain!"
"Use Protect!" Lombre attacked with green energy, but Krabby made a shield that blocked it. "Now Metal Claw attack!" Krabby's pincers turned to steel, and it slashed at Lombre for not much at all.
"Another Mega Drain!" Lombre sapped all the HP from Krabby, beating it.
"Okay. Corphish, go!" This Pokémon looked a bit like Krabby, though it had rounder pincers and a smoother shape.
Corphish (ヘイガニ)
#102
Water Type
Ruffian Pokémon
2'00" (0.6 m)
25.4 lbs (11.5 kg)
It was originally a Pokémon from afar that escaped to the wild. It can adapt to the dirtiest river.
"Mega Drain!" Unfortunately, it missed.
"Double Hit!" Corphish hit Lombre twice, one for each pincer.
"One more Mega Drain!" Lombre sapped the rest of Corphish's HP away.
"You got through my shell…"
After that, I pressed the blue button. Sure enough, the blue pipes were turned off.
"Last one," I said.
I went over to the yellow button. I just needed to beat one more Trainer.
"You're one push away from beating Nes- wait… two pushes!"
Gloria Vs. Gym Trainer Lynn
"You're up Remoraid!" Out came a blue Pokémon that looked a bit like a hand pistol.
Remoraid (テッポウオ)
#149
Water Type
Jet Pokémon
2'00" (0.6 m)
26.5 lbs (12 kg)
The water they shoot from their mouths can hit moving prey from more than 300 feet away.
"I choose Lombre!" I shouted.
"Remoraid, Aurora Beam!" Remoraid fired a beam of colours at Lombre.
"Use Mega Drain!" Lombre sapped HP from Remoraid. It almost defeated it.
"Now use Psybeam!" A pink beam was shot at Lombre.
"One more Mega Drain!" This defeated Remoraid.
"Chewtle, come out!" The final Pokémon.
"Mega Drain!" Lombre defeated Chewtle in one go.
"Why am I so bad at math?!"
"Alright!" I said, pushing the yellow button. This caused the yellow pipe to turn off, giving me access to the golden button. I ran over to it, before a whistle stopped me.
"Don't run!" said the coach.
I apologised, walked over and pushed the button. The pipes turned off, giving me access to the battlefield.
"It's time…" I said.
Location: Hulbury Gym Battlefield
I walked out again into the cheering crowd.
"Here we go again," I said, slapping my face.
"Hey," said Nessa. "So… I'm sorry for my attitude earlier."
"It was me," I said. "I had no respect for the little free time you had. Now I know." Nessa rubbed my hair, but I pushed her hand away. "DON'T touch my hair please."
"Oh, sorry," she replied. "It just looked a bit soggy." She started waving to the crowd. "Hello Hulbury and all of those watching at home! Today's match will be a wet and wild one! My challenger, Gloria of Postwick!"
"Hear that everyone?!" said the announcer. "Get ready for an exciting match with the raging wave herself, NESSA!"
We walked to the opposite sides of the battlefield.
"Ready?" Nessa shouted. "Bring it on with the force of a tsunami!"
Gloria Vs. Gym Leader Nessa
"Go Goldeen!" Nessa's first Pokémon was a silver and red Pokémon that shone in the light. It had a horn on its head.
Goldeen (トサキント)
#146
Water Type
Goldfish Pokémon
2'00" (0.6 m)
33.1 lbs (15 kg)
Its dorsal and pectoral fins are strongly developed like muscles. It can swim at a speed of five knots.
"Toxel, go!" I shouted.
"And Gloria brings out Toxel to battle against Goldeen."
"Yes, this is one that she didn't use against Milo. It must be a new team member."
Nessa smiled. "Goldeen, use Drill Run!" Goldeen's horn started spinning, and it rammed it into Toxel. It took it down in one! The crowd cheered.
"Toxel!" I shouted.
"Oh, and Goldeen gets in a strong Ground Type attack on Toxel! That clearly hurt! Gloria is already down by one Pokémon, and she hasn't even made a dent to any of Nessa's Pokémon!"
I recalled Toxel. "Sorry for an anticlimactic debut. Go Corvisquire!"
"And Gloria wastes no time sending out her next Pokémon."
"We saw this one as a Rookidee when Gloria faced Milo, so its evolution is evidence that Nessa's challenger is a hard working Trainer."
"And a smart one. Being a Flying Type, Corvisquire won't be affected by Drill Run."
"Use Pluck!" Corvisquire went over and attacked Goldeen with a Flying Type attack.
"Horn Attack!" Goldeen jabbed Corvisquire with its horn.
"Fury Attack Corvisquire!" Corvisquire pecked Goldeen repeatedly.
"Now use Horn Attack again!" Goldeen rammed Corvisquire in close range.
"And finish with Pluck!" Corvisquire jabbed Goldeen. It was finished! The crowd roared with excitement.
"After dealing with a one shot from Goldeen, Gloria is back on her feet! Goldeen has been taken down!"
"Yes, Gloria may be heated, but Nessa is more than capable at quenching that fire in Gloria's heart."
Nessa nodded. "Go Arrokuda!" Nessa sent out a brown-scaly Pokémon with sharp teeth.
Arrokuda (サシカマス)
#180
Water Type
Rush Pokémon
1'08" (0.5 m)
2.2 lbs (1 kg)
If it sees any movement around it, this Pokémon charges for it straightway, leading with its sharply pointed jaw. It is very proud of that jaw.
"Arrokuda is next on the field."
"With that slim body, it can go into battles quickly. How will Gloria get around it?"
"Aqua Jet!" Arrokuda dashed forward, water gushing passed it. It struck Corvisquire for a Critical Hit.
"Come back with Pluck!" Corvisquire gave Arrokuda a violent peck.
"One more Aqua Jet!" One more Water Type attack took down Corvisquire. The crowd roared again.
"And Corvisquire goes down! What other options does Gloria have?"
"Well judging by last time, one of her Pokémon is Scorbunny. But being a Water Type Gym, that won't do much good. In a Gym battle, you always need something up your sleeve if you are going to get anywhere."
"Liepard!" I shouted.
"Well, this is interesting. As we saw last time, Gloria's Liepard was a Purrloin."
"But will this new strength be enough to defeat Arrokuda?"
"Fury Swipes!" Liepard scratched Arrokuda a few times, defeating it.
"And with that, the Arrokuda is down!"
"But this means it's time for Nessa to get her game on. You can see she's really excited to show what the crowd has been waiting for."
Nessa smiled. Now the crowd started chanting. "It's time. Go Drednaw!" Nessa's final Pokémon was a blue Pokémon with a large brown shell and a yellow horn.
Drednaw (カジリガメ)
#043
Water/Rock Type
Bite Pokémon
3'03" (1 m)
254.6 lbs (115.5 kg)
This Pokémon rapidly extends its retractable neck to sink its sharp fangs into distant enemies and take them down.
Chewtle -Lv 22- Drednaw
"It's time," I said. I recalled Corvisquire. "Go Lombre!"
"And Gloria sends out a Lombre."
"Not used in her battle against Milo for Typing reasons, but here its in its comfort zone. Or is it?"
Nessa recalled Drednaw. "Ready Drednaw?" Her Pokéball got bigger. "Let's create a match monsoon! Its time to… DYNAMAX!" She threw the large Pokéball and Drednaw came out, much larger.
"And now it's our turn!" I shouted. I recalled Lombre. Its Pokéball enlarged. "It's Dynamax time!" I sent out Lombre who grew to be exceptionally large.
"Drednaw, Max Rockfall!" Drednaw created a large rock that fell on top of Lombre. When it did this, a Sandstorm started swirling.
"Max Overgrowth!" Lombre planted seeds around the battlefield. They bloomed, doing lots of damage to Drednaw. Grassy Terrain was also activated. Lombre took damage from the Sandstorm, but both Pokémon gained HP from the Grassy Terrain.
"This is what we watch a match for!"
"Dynamax Vs. Dynamax!"
"Now Max Darkness!" Drednaw fired some black energy at Lombre. It hit and almost knocked it over. Its Sp. Defense also fell.
"One more Max Overgrowth!" Lombre fired a few more large seeds that bloomed around Drednaw. It was defeated! Drednaw got smaller!
"YEAAAH!" the crowd roared. Lombre returned to normal size.
"We did it!" I shouted, hugging Lombre. In the excitement, I forgot that Lombre was slimy. "Urgh. Congrats anyway."
Nessa walked up to me. "You truly dried me out that match, you and your Pokémon. I believe you are deserving of this." She gave me a Badge that had a droplet on it.
I got the Water Badge!
"Also, this will be helpful. TM36, which contains Whirlpool. It prevents the opposing Pokémon from escaping. Great job. Finally, here is my League Card."
"Nessa!" A cameraman came out. "We need to get another shoot ready!"
"But I have two more battles today!" Nessa replied.
"This takes priority!" the cameraman said.
"Hold on," Nessa replied. "I was asked to be a Gym Leader by Chairman Rose himself. I will take on these challengers. And tomorrow? I'm taking a day off. You tell them that!"
I decided to leave before things got ugly…
Location: Hulbury
"Haha!" Hop said. "I heard all about it! You did great!"
"So you did," said Sonia. "You're making great progress Gloria, and you to Hop."
Hop looked at his Thwackey. "So, shall we go snatch ourselves a Badge from Nessa?"
Thwackey hit the ground twice with its sticks; guess that meant a yes. "Then let's go!" Hop marched into the Gym.
"And this evening…" said Sonia. "I've booked us a table at Bob's Your Uncle!"
"Great!" I replied. "This will hopefully make up for…" I saw a Wingull flying over the sea and looked at it angrily. "Yesterday's incident. For now though, I need to head to the Pokémon Center. Everyone except Raboot is exhausted."
"You go and do that!" Sonia replied. "Table is booked for 6pm!"
Location: Hulbury Pokémon Center
"I will take your Pokémon then," said Nurse Joy. She put my five friends into the healer, and they were restored. "Oh. Gloria, can you have a look at this?"
"What?" I asked. I saw a purple ring around Liepard. "Is everything okay?"
"My…" said Nurse Joy. "Gloria… your Liepard has Pokérus!"
"Wow!" I shouted. "I have no idea what you mean by that!"
"It's a microscopic life form that attaches itself to different species. It means that your Pokémon's strength, in this case Liepard's, will double! So, you better get training when you can! This is a very rare phenomenon!"
"I'll start tomorrow!" I replied.
Location: Bob's Your Uncle
"Pokérus!" Sonia said later that evening. "Gloria that's amazing! You better get on the training tomorrow then! It'll still gain stat boosts after it's cured, though it can also spread to your other Pokémon."
"That's the plan," I said.
"Are we not going to talk about my victory?" Hop said.
"Oh yeah," I said. "Did you win?"
Hop slapped his head. "Yes. Did you even hear me?"
"Sorry," I said.
"My Thwackey Dynamaxed and gave that Drednaw a good Max Overgrowth it won't forget! And then, I won!"
"Nice!" I said. "So… Motostoke next?"
"Yep!" Hop replied. He looked down at his food.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Next is Kabu…" Hop said. "He's a real toughie. There are Trainers who have dropped out of the League challenge because they can't beat him. He's that difficult."
"Oh he can't be tha-"
Hop got up a video on his phone. We saw Kabu using a Pokémon named Centiskorch, Sizzlipede's longer evolved form, but much bigger and with different features. "That's Gigantamaxing!" Sonia said.
"Yep," Hop replied.
"And it comes in with a G-Max Centiferno!" Centiskorch fired a pillar of flames at the opposing Pokémon, a Dynamaxed Sawk. It was downed.
"Oooohh…" I said. "Well, then we'll have to double down with training on the way!"
"Yeah!" Hop replied.