Crimson Blues

The Long Ride Home

Galar

The sound of shunting trains blocked out the busy city. Ringing and rumbling silenced the breeze. Gloria held onto her backpack tightly as the train pulled into the station bringing with it a gust of cool wind.

She boarded, took her usual spot on an empty table and crashed her head against the window, staring out into the metal plated tunnel on the opposite side of the station. The train began to depart and the metal was soon replaced by countryside and large green fields and forests.

Gloria rolled a PokeBall around in her hand, barely able to look at. Her failure. Her disappointment. Her loss was tearing away at her like a wave leaves the shoreline. Every second, every glance cost her apart of herself. She had never felt so low, so miserable.

It wasn't just rare. It was unheard off for a trainer to lose all six Pokémon. What was worse was that she had to refuse every battle which came her way, something which was looked down on by all trainers.

Could she even call herself a trainer anymore?

Gloria brushed a strand of her short brown hair and tucked it behind her ear, wiping away a tiny blob of water from her eye subtly. She refused to cry. Not in public. She'd wait till she got back home where she weep and scream as loud as she could without anyone hearing her or judging her.

"Anyone sitting here?" A voice called out gently.

Gloria looked up and stared at the young man in the red button shirt and tight jeans. He held a beanie in his hand and gestured with it to the free space the other side of the table.

She had been silent for to long and her voice was weary and weak. "No." She mumbled out hesitantly and quietly, rapidly turning back towards the window and away from the young boys inquisitive eyes.

"Nice view, huh?" He said softly, genuinely. "I see it a lot."

Gloria had enough things on her mind and she knew the last thing she needed was some guy flirting with her while she was miserable. She nodded and huffed in response, making it clear she didn't want to be spoken to or have a 'chat'.

"Out of Pokemon?" He asked surprisingly with a cheeky smile.

"How the hell-" Gloria turned to him, open mouthed.  "How did you know that?"

"Good guess?" He chuckled. "Don't worry, happens to everyone. I've been there a few times myself, you know." He gestured at the PokeBall which Gloria quickly placed into her bag. "Whoa. Don't worry, I'm not going to rob you." He held up his hands in a surrender position. "I'm, Vincent. But call me Vince." Gloria stared at him in an almost glare. "This is the part where you tell me your name?"

"Gloria. But you can call me, Ma'am." She smirked and then turned it quickly into a scowl. "Look, Vince." She hissed his name. "I've had a really, really rubbish, no-good, bad day and the last thing I need right now is you."

"Sorry, Ma'am." Vince lowered his hands and leaned back, placing his hands behind his head and using them as a pillow. The two where silent for a few moments before Vince sighed and glanced at her and her bag. "You know you can scrape together a potion from those berries right?" He added with a smile.

Gloria eyed her bag and zipped it shut. "Don't look through my stuff!" She barked at him. "What the hell is wrong with you? Go away."

"You said I can sit here." Vince covered his mouth so he didn't laugh. "But hey, I'm only trying to help a fellow trainer in need." Vince lifted his own PokeBall up and placed it onto the table. "Wanna' guess what I have in there?"

"If i managed to guess right will you piss off?" Gloria snarled.

"Sure." He replied

"Arceus." She answered.

"Wrong." He laughed. "Close, actually. Same category." He spun the PokeBall towards her and she caught it before it fell of her end of the table.

"Sure." Gloria leaned closer and Vince did the same. "You know, guys like you think your so cool don't you? Well you know what? Your nothing mate, your absolutely nothing." She barked. "So I am asking nicely, would you and your nothing life disappear out of mine!"

Vince just smiled and turned out the window towards Hammerlock stadium which slowly disappeared out of sight. Gloria followed his gaze onto a large poster and her jaw fell off.

"Oh, shit." Gloria mumbled out. "That's-" She turned back to Vince. "No, oh god, no. How did this day get worse!" She buried her head into her hands.

"No sweat." Vince chuckled again. "Not everyone recognises the new 'champ.'"

Gloria banged her head onto the table. "Oh, fudge me."

"Oh, don't be like that." Vince waved her away. "Look, I'm serious. Don't be so defeated, kid." Vince ruffled her hair and she immediately shot her head up and stared at him. "I can see a good trainer in you. I mean, just look how you reacted to losing. That's something special. That guilt. That anger. That fire."

"That disappointment." Gloria interrupted.

"Well, yeah." Vince leaned in closer. "I've lost. Loads. All the time. And you know what? That's okay. It's okay to lose. It's okay to remember that we aren't perfect, alright? So, stop beating yourself up and keep going. Get better." He leaned back and Gloria smiled at him. "By the way, if you don't want anyone to notice you have no Pokémon, then hide your PokeBalls. They're a couple shades darker when the little chap's are unconscious inside. Some nasty people might take advantage of that, you know."

"So you came to see me just to tell me to keep going?" Gloria asked as the boy stood up, stretched his back out and huffed.

"Actually, I came to give you my number." Vince slide a piece of paper across the table. "The rest I just noticed when I sat down."

Gloria made fake 'evils' with her eyes and snatched the paper, turning it into a little ball and throwing it in her bag. "Fair enough." She smirked at him and he replied with a nod.

"Fair enough." Vince waved at her as he left. "Good luck." He added as he disappeared into the trains corridor.

Gloria waited for a moment before taking the note and unwrapping it out to its slightly torn and scrunched up form. She added the numbers into her PokeNav and smiled to herself.

He's a bit of a cooky git. She thought. But he was right.

Sometimes it's okay to lose...

...Especially if you get the Champions number afterwards.