Undying Devotion

[27] Recounting the Day

 On the way back to Leon's house, Hop and Gloria recounted what happened when I was unconscious.

"Eternatus got REALLY big- it like, had all the Dynamax energy inside it I think? It looked like this big super-giant worm monster with a hand for a face!" Hop exclaimed, making wild gestures with his hands.

"We had found some super ancient relics in the Slumbering Weald earlier," Gloria interjected. "And we used 'em to summon these legendary Pokemon! Za-"

"Zacian and Zamazenta." Hop spoke over Gloria. "They helped us take down Eternatus!"

"And! And." Gloria stuck her tongue out at Hop. "When we beat Eternatus-"

"Gloria caught it!"

I blinked multiple times fast, struggling to fully ingest all the information they threw at me at once. "So.. you have Eternatus? With you right now?"

Gloria twirled her hair between her fingers. "No, it's in the P.C. right now. I don't know if I plan on using it, but if I do..."

I turned my head to Leon, who was absentmindedly sniffing the flowers he was carrying. "What were you doing during all this?" I asked.

"Ah- well-"

Hop grinned, nudging Leon's side. "He was busy rushing you to the hospital, like your knight in shining armor~" Then, his face fell slightly. "You looked pretty bad. There was a lot of- of blood."

I had a vague memory of my head feeling warm, and feeling extremely lightheaded. "Oh."

There were a few heartbeats of silence.

"So, what's the plan for the Champion's Cup?" Gloria asked eagerly, suddenly starting to bounce from foot to foot. "It's gonna start back up soon, right?"

Leon nodded. "I sent word to some higher-ups. I'll resume tomorrow." He grinned, his eyes flashing in the late-afternoon sun. "I'm excited to see you battle, Gloria."

Hop and Gloria exchanged matching looks of excitement. "You'll be amazing!" Hop exclaimed, grabbing Gloria's hands and swinging them back and forth. "Next year, I'll challenge you for your shiny-new title."

"She hasn't even won yet!" Leon protested. "Save your competition for IF she beats me."

I hummed slightly. "I'll compete next year too. I think I'd like to be Galar's next Champion."

The three of them whirled around, all with shocked expressions. "Really?!" Leon exclaimed, looking positively ecstatic. "You will?!"

"Yeah, you ding-dong. I told you this before!"

"You did?!" All three of them exclaimed in unison.

Hop puffed out his chest. "Well, I guess you'll have to TRY to beat Gloria when she's Champion. I just KNOW she'll win!"

Gloria blinked multiple times fast, then wrinkled her nose. "I haven't even won yet, you loon!"

Leon looked like a kid in a candy store. "I'm so excited for tomorrow. I'm so excited to see how much you've learned, Glor!" He cast me a sly look. "I'm excited to see just how strong you are."

"Believe me, I'm pretty strong." I nudged Gloria with my elbow. "I bet Gloria's got a fair amount of power behind her."

Gloria blushed, playfully swatting my elbow away. "You're just saying that because you helped me train." she said bashfully. "And it's not me who's powerful- it's my Pokemon."

"We'll see just how strong they are tomorrow." Leon said breezily, looking almost as excited as Gloria. "I think this'll be the most exciting Champion's Cup yet."