(Don't play music yet)
A misty fog covered the air as Gloria left her home, Tuff in her bag. She had arrived home extremely late, and now was having to pay the price; Hop had told her to be at his house at 10.
Thump.
Gloria squeaked in alarm and turned her head, only to see the Wooloo from the day before rolling into the fence gate again. She sighed.
"You should know that you're not allowed past here," Gloria told it, going to it. She checked quickly to see if the lock was still there; the last thing she wanted was to have to go into the Slumbering Weald In order to save a crazy Wooloo.
The lock was still intact around the gate, but it seemed to be a bit loose.
"Bun!" Tuff tapped her head with its paws. "Scor bun!" It sounded impatient.
"Right, right. Hop first, Wooloo second." Gloria took a few steps back, realizing what time it was as she checked her new Rotom-Phone screen.
10:03.
"Oh no! No no no!" Gloria started running as fast as her legs could take her, leaving the Wooloo to its hopeless quest to knock back the gate. It's only my first day with Tuff, and I'm already late to meet Hop! She sprinted down the path that led her to her friend's.
"Hop! Hop, I'm sorry I'm late!" Gloria stopped once she reached his front yard, placing her hands on her knees and taking huge gulps of air.
Hop turned around, seeing her. He blinked a few times before smiling. "It's no biggie! There's no need to worry!" He patted her back.
The brunette took a final breath before standing up straight. Tuff wiggled in her bag and jumped out to play with Hop's Grookey, Nori.
"So, what was so important that you had to text me at two this morning to tell me that I had to be here at ten?" Gloria put her hands on her hips and looked at Hop, waiting for a reply.
Hop blinked. "What were you doing at two in the morning?"
Gloria sighed. "Fine, don't tell me. See if I—"
"Sorry to keep you both waiting." The two turned their heads, only to see Leon standing there behind them. He had on an old t-shirt with a Charizard design on the front, as well as gray sweatpants. His purple hair was a mess and it covered his face and back.
"Even as the Champion, its hard to wake up early." He stretched his arms above his head.
"Lee, you told me to be awake at this time, and Gloria too." Hop crossed his arms.
"Did I say that?" Leon raised an eyebrow at his brother. "I don't remember." Amusement sparkled in his eyes as Hop puffed his cheeks out in annoyance. He cut him off before he could say anything. "So, did the two of you have a good night with your Pokémon?"
"I—"
"Yep!" Gloria interrupted Hop. "I learned a lot about Tuff, and we're already really close friends!" She beamed.
"Yeah, me too." Hop sighed, most likely giving up on saying anything after being cut off twice.
"That's great to hear." Leon tossed a Poké Ball up and down in his hand "So," he stopped and looked at them, "if you believe in yourself and your Pokémon, then you can surely do anything. You have to build up trust in order to be able to get stronger." He turned his head to Gloria and looked her right in her brown eyes. "And who knows, someday you might even become strong enough to take on me, the unbeatable Champion!"
"W-wait, Lee!" Hop ran in front of Gloria. "Why are you looking at her?! I'm your brother! I'm going to be the next Champion!"
"Calm down, Hop." Gloria walked beside him. "You're getting too worked up about something that doesn't even matter." Hop crossed his arms and looked down, grumbling to himself.
"You know, she's right," Leon spoke up. "You need to control yourself."
Hop took a few seconds to collect himself. "Fine, if you think she might be able to challenge you, then that makes her my first rival then, right Gloria?"
"Uh, I guess?" Gloria shrugged, not following the conversation.
"Good." He nodded. "Now, since you and I are officially rivals now, I know I'm not going to lose to you in any battle. I'll be an unbeatable Champion, just like Lee!"
Leon chuckled. "Oh, and you think you're such an unbeatable Trainer already, Hop?" His lips curved into a smile. "I'll be the judge of that!" He stepped back. "Let's all see how well you go against your rival, Hop, in a Pokémon Battle!"
"Oh, uh." Hop bit his lip. "Don't you think this is a little unfair to—"
"I'm down for that!" Gloria grinned, her gaze on Leon.
"Of course you are. . ." Hop groaned.
Leon nodded at them both. "Alright, then. Call your Pokémon back to you, and let's begin this!"
"N-Nori!"
"Tuff!" The Rabbit Pokémon looked up and ran in front of Gloria, more than ready to fight.
"You know, maybe we shouldn't do this," Hop said quietly, eyeing Gloria.
"What's wrong, you scared?" Gloria taunted.
"No! I just. . . Don't want to hurt your Pokémon, that's all."
Gloria sighed. "If you don't wanna battle, just say so. If you want to call it quits, I'll be more than happy to accept the glory of winning."
The teen bit his lip before setting himself into a fighting stance. "Alright, fine! I'll battle you, and I'll win! I- I watched every match Lee's had, and read all of his books about Pokémon battles, so I'm prepared." He gulped. "Okay, Wooloo, I choose you first!" Nori was sitting on his shoulder.
"You get first move," Gloria called out to him. Tuff bounced from foot to foot, eager for a fight. It rubbed its paws together, creating small embers in between them.
"Tackle!" Hop commanded. His Wooloo jumped up in the air before curling himself into a ball and barreling right into Tuff's side, crushing the poor Scorbunny. A ghost of a smile came upon Hop's face; could he actually win this?
Gloria noticed his newly-gained confidence. Secretly, she was glad to have helped him feel better about battling her; that's why she let him attack first.
"Okay, now it's my turn." She thought quickly. "Tuff, use Tackle as well!"
"Defense Curl!" Hop yelled at his Pokémon.
Wooloo curled up into a tight ball as the Scorbunny ran to him, ready to strike. And the , at the last second, the Wooloo rolled to the side, avoiding the Tackle attack.
"Huh?!" Gloria was caught off-guard by the sudden movement.
However, with the target now gone, and no way at all for Tuff to slow down in time, it crashed into Hop's legs, knocking him down.
"Oh no! Hop!" Gloria ran across the mini battle field and stopped at her friend's side. "Are you okay?" Nori sure didn't seem too pleased.
"I-I'm fine." Hop glanced away. "Let's keep battling."
Gloria bit her lip, glancing at Leon. If she had attacked Hop, then that meant that he won by default, right?
"If he's saying he's fine, then battle on," Leon told her, his arms over his chest. "Normally, you would be disqualified in an official match, but this isn't that. Besides, the move you used is weak, and I know that Hop can handle it, can't you Hop?"
"Yep. . ." Hop gave a thumbs-up, forcing a smile. Gloria stretched her arm down to him, and he gratefully took it. She pulled him to his feet.
"Now we're even," she whispered, smiling a tiny bit.
Hop laughed. "Oh, it's on now!"
"That's the excitement I wanted to see!" Gloria told him, going back to her own side. Tuff and Wooloo went in front of their respective Trainers, ready to resume the match.
"Oh, um, Tackle!" Hop seemed a bit surprised by Gloria's comment.
"You use Tackle too!" Gloria commanded to Tuff.
Wooloo curled up for his attack, while Tuff ran towards them. Their attacks hit their targets, and both Pokémon staggered, feeling the full blunt of the attacks. Then, the Wooloo collapsed onto his side before being recalled back into his Poké Ball.
"It was. . . a Critical Hit?" Hop questioned aloud. He glanced at his Grookey, about to send it into battle.
Gloria noticed something right then. Watching Tuff, she saw that it was rubbing its paws, tiny embers coming out from the friction. Fire. . .
The most basic Fire move. . .
"Nori, go on and show them what we're made of!" Hop stuck his arm out, and Nori raced down to the ground. It beat its stick on the ground, eyeing Tuff's every movement.
This only seemed to make Tuff more pumped, as it rubbed its paws faster, making sure to keep its gaze on its opponent.
"Tuff, use Ember!"
Tuff rubbed its paws once more, this time creating a flame in its paws. However, rather than being terrified (like Gloria would have been), Tuff swung its arm back and threw the tiny ball of fire at Nori.
Hop, having been too mesmerized by Tuff's new move, was unable to react quick enough. He flinched when his Grookey fell, its leafy skin charred black. (How did she know about Type-matchups??)
"N-Nori, use—"
"Ember once more!" Gloria gave him no time to finish. What started off as a simple battle now turned into a fight that Gloria had to win. She could feel it rushing in her, boiling her blood to the point that she would do anything to become the victor.
"Dodge it quickly!"
Nori barely managed to jump out of the way. Its stick wasn't so lucky though. The piece of wood was set ablaze, flames licking every inch of it.
"Groo- KEY!" Nori charged at Tuff, too blinded by its own anger. It ignored Hop's yells for it to come back, and instead began using Scratch over and over on Tuff.
Tuff growled and rubbed its paws, smoke rising from the friction. Then, it simply touched Nori. The heat itself was enough to knock out the Pokémon, and it was called back into its Poké Ball silently. The battle was over.
Gloria had won.
But, she didn't feel like she did. Or at least, not fairly. She dropped her bag onto the ground and rushed towards Hop, leaving Tuff behind.
Hop's lip was quivering slightly, his gaze locked on the charred stick his Grookey had had.
Leon said nothing as he went to Tuff and healed its injuries. He watched as Gloria wrapped her arm around Hop's shoulders, whispering small words of encouragement.
"You and your Pokémon were super strong. . . Tuff and I had a really hard time battling against you. . . You'll only get better over time." Nothing seemed to work, so Gloria added jokingly, "Better be careful; if Leon sees you crying like this after just one battle, he might just give you the crying Sobble instead."
That seemed to raise Hop's spirits a little. He rubbed his eyes, smiling. "Thanks, Gloria. I honestly don't know what I'd do without you."
"I'm sure you'd cope just fine without me," she replied, looking at him.
"Alright, alright. That's enough for one day, you two Luvdiscs." Leon pushed them both apart, looking between the two of them.
He fixed his gaze on the brunette first. "Gloria, you did amazing recognizing your Scorbunny's attacks. You both cooperated extremely well for having only just met. I know I made the right choice in letting you pick your Starter."
Gloria looked at Hop.
"And Hop," he turned to his brother. "You and your two Pokémon fought really good. You and your Pokémon were able to get back up, even after being hit multiple times. The only thing I ask that you fix is that attitude after losing. You aren't going to win every battle that comes your way, alright?"
Hop nodded quietly.
"Hey, Gloria. I have a favor to ask of you." Leon looked at her. "Since you both have your Starter Pokémon now, I assume you both want to leave this small town and explore the world." He closed his eyes for a moment. "Please, Gloria, promise to be a good rival for my little brother. Push him to be his best, and the both of you will succeed."
"Of cour—"
"I'm already going to succeed," Hop cut her off, earning himself an annoyed glare. "I'm going to take on the Gym Challenge and win!"
"You? The Gym Challenge?" Leon raised an eyebrow at Hop. "Don't you think you're putting the cart before the Rapidash there, little brother?" He put his hands on his hips. "Both of you have a lot to improve upon before you go taking on the Gyms." He glanced at Gloria. "Before you even think about getting Gym Badges, I suggest you get yourselves a Pokédex first."
"Right!" Hop grinned, his enthusiasm returning. "Pokédexes, then! You've got it!"
"Alright, alright, Hop." Leon laughed warmly. "I'll let Professor Magnolia know to expect you two." He stretched his arms. "Well, I'm going to go back inside and change into my Champion outfit." He gestured to the t-shirt he was still wearing. "Gloria, you'd better go tell your mum everything that's going on."
Gloria nodded. "Sure, I'll do that."
"Great." Leon turned and walked to his front door. "Meet me back here in about half an hour." He went inside.
"I guess I'm going with you, then," Hop said, looking at Gloria. "Come on, let's go talk to your mum, and get on with our journey!" He ran ahead to the edge of his yard and looked back at Gloria. "Come on! I want to race you!"
"Calm down, Hop." Gloria laughed at her friend's excitement and picked up her bag, which Tuff jumped into. "Leon said we need to be back in thirty minutes, so we have more than enough time to do everything. There's no need to rush."
"I know, but still! You're so slow!" He bounced from foot to foot.
"Alright, fine. I'll race you." She checked really quick that Tuff was safely stored in her bag before going to Hop. "Ready? Go!"
Hop took off running as fast as he could, never once looking back. Gloria smiled in amusement and walked after him.
"Scor!" Tuff complained, hitting Gloria's head with its paws. "Scorbun!" It was obviously annoyed that Gloria was going so slow and purposefully making Hop win.
Gloria ignored her partner's shouts and carried on walking. True, she liked to win, but she also enjoyed being relaxed. Unlike Hop, she valued people's placid behaviors.
"Gloria!" Hop yelled. "Why do you never want to actually race?"
Gloria shrugged, finally catching up to him. "I'm just not in the mood right now." She looked around herself, only to freeze as she saw something.
The gate was open.
The Wooloo, who had been rolling into the gate for so long, was gone. Gloria broke off from Hop and rushed to the open gate, noticing that the lock was broken. This is my fault! Ugh! I should've done something instead of leaving to meet Hop!
"Oh no!" Hop ran to her. "If the gate's open, do you think that. . ."
"Yes," Gloria told him solemnly. "The Wooloo's in there."
Hop shuddered. "You're not saying that we're actually going into the Slumbering Weald, are you? I heard that the Professor's granddaughters went in there once when they were younger, and they came back covered in cuts and bruises."
"I never said you had to come."
"I— you—" Hop struggled for words. "I'm going with you then. I'll help you."
"Your Wooloo and Grookey are fainted still from our battle, remember?" Gloria glanced at Tuff. "Sorry about that, by the way."
"I'm still coming!" Hop insisted. "I'll protect you as we're going in there."
A small smile spread across Gloria's face. "Okay, fine. Let's go, then." Without warning, she rushed into the densely packed forest.
⚔️ 🛡
Fog.
The stuff was everywhere the eye could see. All around, the cloudy fog obscured Gloria's vision as she tried seeing ahead of herself. Even trees only five meters ahead had become invisible.
"I don't like this one bit," Hop whispered from behind Gloria. "It's quiet. Too quiet."
"It's peaceful," Gloria corrected, walking down a dirt path. The grass swayed and tree branches rustled, adding character to this silent world. "I honestly feel like I could live here because of how calm everything is."
"Yeah, well let's just get that Wooloo and leave this place as soon as we can; I don't want to be here any more than I have to."
Gloria nodded, walking forward still. She reached a patch of grass and looked around. There didn't seem to be any wild Pokémon. Odd. . . She kept moving, searching for any signs of life.
"Grrrrrriiieeeld!"
The brunette stiffened as she heard a howl from nearby. Her hands quivered and she glanced at Hop.
"That sounded like it was coming from up ahead," Hop breathed. "I think it was a Pokémon howling."
"I know. Let's hurry!" Gloria quickened her pace to a jog, with Hop tailing after her. With every step she took, the fog seemed to thicken.
"Grrrrrriiieeeld!" The sound was much louder this time.
"That Wooloo could be in really serious trouble!" Hop put his hand on Gloria's shoulder. "Come on!"
Gloria began running ahead. A feeling of horror and dread began to wash over her as she could feel the eyes of hundreds of Pokémon staring at her.
"Wait, Gloria!" She halted as Hop caught up to her. Something wasn't right.
It was silent. The sounds of plants from earlier had ceased.
The silence itself felt deafening, as if it was something tangible that could grab ahold of Gloria and suck her breath away. And no one would ever hear my shouts for help.
Gloria reached for Hop's hand and slowly walked forward. The fog was so thick she could barely make out her hand in front of her face. Neither of them said a word as Gloria led them deeper into the Slumbering Weald.
"This whole thing is crazy," Hop whispered. "I can't even see you, and you're right beside me."
"Yeah, I think I get now why this place is off-limits," Gloria responded softly, hoping to fill the quiet with something, anything.
"Yeah—" Hop's grip on her hand tightened. "Gloria, we're not the only ones here." His breathing was quick, as if he was scared.
As Gloria turned around, she saw why.
(Now play music)
Through the fog, she could barely make out a creature. It was canine-shaped, standing nearly twice as tall as Gloria. She could only make out the outline of it, but whatever it was seemed to have thick fur around its neck and on the top of its head.
It raised its head to the sky. "Grrrrrriiieeeld!"
"T-Tuff!" Gloria shouted, watching as her Scorbunny rushed in front of her and Hop. "Use Ember!"
Tuff ignited its paws and threw the flames at the creature.
Nothing happened; the fire died out on contact.
The creature turned its gaze towards Gloria, it's malicious amber eyes glowing.
"Tackle!" Gloria screamed at Tuff, fear making her voice crack. She moved closer to Hop as she heard Tuff ran into the creature. Yet, the move still had no effect.
The creature's eyes narrowed to slits, still boring into Gloria. It growled, white clouds of fog surrounding it.
"Run!" She shouted, trying to leave, but she found herself unable to move.
"I can't see anything!" At that moment, Gloria was pried away from Hop. "Gloria! Are you okay!"
"Yeah, I'm—" Something rammed into Gloria's back. She screamed and fell to the ground.
"Gloria!!" Hop's voice sounded far away.
Gloria quickly got back up, her back in so much pain. "I'm right—" The creature hit her head.
And she was met by a wall of dirt.
Hello once again, lovely readers!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read yet another chapter of Feeling of Glory. It really means a lot having people read and comment on my stories.
Anyway, my question for you today is: Sword or Shield?
Originally, I was hoping to get Sword because Zacian is so much better-looking than Zamazenta (in my opinion anyway). However, I think I'm going to end up getting Shield, since the gym leaders are 10x better than the Sword ones (in my opinion).
And yep, that's right. Here I am, writing a SwSh story based on a game that I haven't even played.
(...I'm ruining the games' story for myself by watching people play it...)