I think it's about time that Gloria finally (officially) meets Bede.
Also, who else agrees that Bede's battle theme is amazing??
•••
Gloria woke up to the light of the sun coming through her tent and shining in her face. She groaned and rubbed her eyes, wanting to return to her slumber once more. She closed her eyes once more. . .
"Rook!" Almost immediately, she heard a chirp and felt Valiant's hard beak as he pecked her face.
"Valiant!" Gloria whined, swatting the air to try to push the avian away. However, he dodged her blows effortlessly and landed on her forehead, tapping her several times with his talons.
"What?" Gloria growled, finally looking at him. He blinked and pointed to Tuff with his wing. Oh, yeah, she immediately thought, panicking. She sat up and looked at Tuff, finding her asleep, but still looked to be in pain. At least the curry from the night before seemed to help her feel a bit better.
Wordlessly, Gloria picked up her sleeping starter and opened up her tent, noticing that the fire had completely gone out and was now nothing more than a thin trail of smoke. I probably should've put out the fire before sleeping. She set Tuff down gently onto a thick pile of leaves before turning back to Valiant. "Let's pack up the tent quickly, and bring Tuff over to Turffield. There should be a Pokémon Center there to help heal her up," she told him. He simply nodded and darted back inside to carry out the objects he could lift. Gloria grabbed the things he couldn't carry, such as her bag.
In only about three minutes, the tent was emptied, and now came the struggle of disassembling it.
She started by taking out the metal poles from the tent canvas, placing them into her bag. Then she tried folding her tent up neatly, only to give up almost immediately and shoved it back into her bag, not caring if it tore or not.
"Okay, let's go." She gently lifted up Tuff into her arms, frowning as the rabbit whimpered softly from her injuries. She placed her finger carefully to where Tuff's heart was, feeling a quick heartbeat. We have to hurry. With a silent nod to Valiant, Gloria hurried past the rest of Route 3, making sure not to hurt Tuff any more. Valiant flew right beside her, watching Tuff anxiously.
Up ahead, she could see the entrance to the Galar Mines, and ran in without another thought.
The stone walls were illuminated by multi-colored crystals embedded in the walls, giving the cave system a calm and peaceful feeling. If Gloria wasn't so worried about Tuff, she might have stopped to admire the beauty and serenity of the area.
"Roly?" She turned her head around, seeing a small Pokémon rolling towards her. It was light gray, with a single orange eye in the middle of its head. "Coly?"
"Not now," Gloria told it, watching as Valiant flew down and narrowed his eyes at the strange rock Pokémon.
"Rolycoly!" It cried out and turned to escape. It fled into a small hole in the wall.
"Come on," Gloria said, nodding to Valiant so that he would continue traveling with her. Together, she and him went, following old mine cart tracks on the ground. At times, the glittering crystals were gone, and Valiant had to stay on her shoulder as Gloria pressed along the walls of the cave in order to navigate the dark portions.
There were a few times in the pitch-black areas that she thought about sending Penny out to help, as Dark-Types were able to see in the dark. However, she also knew that Penny would do nothing but cause more trouble and mischief in the darkness.
After what seemed like hours of traversing the uneven ground, she finally saw light coming from a chamber up ahead. We're almost there! She quickened her pace, only to come to a halt as she heard another person's voice from inside.
"I'd stop right there if I were you. That is, unless you want to hand over your Wishing Stars to me."
Gloria gulped, slowly turning the corner, finding someone in the middle of the chamber, dressed in a dark pink jacket that went down to their knees. She was so focused on the figure, thinking that the voice sounded familiar, that she failed to notice a small stone underfoot. She kicked it, sending it against the wall and ricocheting along the floor.
Immediately, the person whirled around, his violet eyes locking with Gloria's. His mess of hair lit up with all sorts of different colors thanks to the gemstones glittering from the walls and ceiling around.
"You," he growled, narrowing his gaze at her. "You're the Gym Challenger endorsed by the Champion, am I right?" He must have noticed the look of surprise on Gloria's face, as he smirked. "What a joke."
"What?" Gloria stared at him. How could he say such a thing?
"Surely the Champion would never have endorsed someone as embarrassing as yourself," he mused. "Or maybe it's because he endorsed you that you're such a failure."
"Take that back!" Gloria shouted, stepping towards him. Tuff shifted slightly from in her arms, but she hardly noticed.
"Why should I?" He stayed still, his smirk growing. "At least the Chairman knows what people are worth when he endorses them— unlike Leon."
Gloria glared at him even more, just about ready to drop Tuff and swing a punch at his all-too-perfect smirk. However, she faintly heard Valiant's chirps of warning, and glanced instead at a Great Ball in the kid's hand. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes before lifting her head to meet his gaze. They were no more than a foot apart.
"You're a Trainer," she commented quietly.
"Yes, and you're a weak excuse of a Gym Challenger," he replied.
He just wants to annoy me. Ignore him. She blinked and opened her mouth slowly, trying to resist the urge to yell at him. "I challenge you," she finally said quietly.
The kid laughed. "You? Challenge me? You've got some nerve, Weakling."
"I'm serious," Gloria insisted. "If I win, then you can't say that I'm weak, and you can't make fun of Leon."
He turned away. "I refuse."
"What?" Gloria ran back in front of him, staring at him. "You're probably just scared you're going to lo—"
"No, actually," he interrupted. "It's for your own good. Well, really for your Pokémons' good." He glanced down at Tuff, and for a second Gloria thought she could see his face soften. But his proud demeanor returned just as quickly, making Gloria question if it really left in the first place. "I refuse to battle someone who doesn't stand a chance against me. . ." He trailed off, and slowly reached for Tuff without another word.
"What do you think you're doing?" Gloria stepped back, holding Tuff closer to herself.
He simply ignored her and walked back to them, placing his hand on Tuff's head. "Tch," he muttered. "Worthless. . ." Gloria opened her mouth to argue, but the kid stopped her. He took out a yellow bottle from his coat pocket and sprayed a little bit over Tuff's injuries.
Gloria watched in curiosity as Tuff's eyes opened, and she looked around, her gaze locking on the kid.
"Scor," she hissed, now squirming to get out of Gloria's arms.
The boy rolled his eyes and took a step back. "Relax, rabbit. I am the one who just saved your life, so you'd better be grateful."
At that, Tuff froze and looked instead to Gloria.
"Well, do you want to battle now or no?" He stuck his hands into his coat pockets, watching Gloria.
"Y-yeah. . ." She was a bit startled by his sudden question. One moment he was saying that he was too strong for her, then he was helping her Pokémon, and now he was demanding a battle after all that.
He nodded and pulled something out of his coat pocket. "Here," he muttered, tossing it at her before she could even react. She managed to catch it, and found that she had a light purple bottle in her hands, much like the yellow one he had used on Tuff. On the side were letters written neatly: "BEDE".
"Why—" Gloria began, but was cut off.
"Because I know you'll need it in our battle," the person apparently named Bede replied. "And besides, it's not like I'm losing anything by giving it to someone as weak as you, since I have so many with me anyway." Before Gloria could reply, he tossed a Great Ball out in front of him, letting a light green blob appear. It was small, only about the size of Gloria's two fists put together.
"Solo!" It cried out, blinking at Gloria.
"Bunny!" Tuff shouted, running out in front of Gloria, eager to fight the person who had saved her life only a few moments before.
Gloria smiled at her partner's enthusiasm. "Ember!"
Tuff charged up a fiery flame in her paws before throwing it at her opponent. It took the hit, but didn't seem too pleased by the attack.
"Ember again!" Gloria shouted, eyeing Bede. Something wasn't right, and she could tell; why was he failing to give a command to his Pokémon?
Perhaps he really is weak. Maybe he is too scared to actually battle me. But one look at his prideful face and she could tell that he was planning something. But what?
She got her answer when Tuff landed a more powerful Ember at the Pokémon. Just one more hit and it would be done for. . .
"Solosis, Endeavor," Bede said calmly, as if he was having a normal conversation with it. His Solosis closed its two eyes before sending a powerful blast of energy back at Tuff. Gloria could see little traces of multiple Ember attacks, as if it was hurting Tuff the way she hurt it.
Tuff whimpered and fell for a second, before standing back up and facing the Solosis, although she seemed to have taken a lot of damage.
Gloria bit her lip, and then took out the purple bottle Bede had given her prior to the battle. It seemed to work then. . . And he said I would need it for our battle. . .
"Tuff!" Instantly she ran to her, and closed her eyes as Gloria sprayed the purple mist over her head. She smiled and ran back to the Solosis. "Double Kick!"
"Confusion!" Bede said, his voice raised now.
As Tuff ran towards Solosis, it fired a purple beam of light at her. She faltered, but managed to jump up and slam her back legs into Solosis, knocking it out.
However, Tuff was wobbling slightly, and fell down onto the ground. She didn't seem to have been seriously injured by the Confusion, so why was she acting so strange. . ?
"Return," Gloria said, recalling her back into her Poké Ball. Bede chuckled lightly and threw out another Great Ball, letting a small white and green Pokémon appear. Two pink horns stuck out from the top on its head.
With a nod to Valiant, Gloria's Rookidee flew down to land right in front of her. "Dee!" He chirped.
"Okay, Valiant, start with Peck!" Gloria shouted, watching Bede's Ralts and waiting for Bede's command to it.
"Teleport, then Hypnosis," Bede said calmly. His Ralts waited until Valiant was right in front of her before teleporting right behind him. She waved her arms up above her, and almost immediately, Valiant dropped from the air, asleep.
"What?!" Gloria watched, not knowing what to say next. "V-Val, wake up!"
"Swift," Bede commanded. Ralts lifted her head as floating stars materialized right in front of her. Then, at once, they all flew to Valiant, hitting him multiple times.
Gloria stared at her Pokémon, lost for words. I can't lose, especially not to him! Their scene from earlier replied in her mind, with Bede claiming that she was a pathetic Trainer. And it wasn't just her pride on the line; it was Leon's too. Valiant, wake up! She wished silently, closing her eyes. I need you to. . .
"Ralts!"
Gloria opened up her eyes as she heard a loud thump against the cave wall. Ralts fell to the ground, fainted. Before her stood Valiant, scratching his talons along the rocky floor. His beak was a bright whitish-blue.
"Roo!" He chirped in a lower voice, casting a glance back at Gloria. The Rookidee blinked and turned his head back to Bede as he returned his Ralts.
"Your Rookidee isn't that bad, I'll admit," Bede said. "But I've wasted enough time here; let's wrap this up." His gaze locked with Gloria's and then he tossed two Pokémon out onto the ground.
The first was a small black-and-white Pokémon, reminding Gloria of a small doll with her small stature and large purple face. The other was pink and blue, with a pointed hat on her head.
Hatenna, Gloria realized, recognizing it from the night when she met Bede back in the Budew Inn lobby. Hatenna seemed to recognize her as well, as she narrowed her eyes and gazed at her with hatred.
Gloria bit her lip, looking at Bede. He seemed to be waiting for her command first, but was gazing at his golden watch on his wrist impatiently. I can't send out Penny. She can't fight well yet. She remembered how the tiny Hatenna knocked out Penny's second evolution in one hit. And Tuff is. . . confused. She let out a breath.
"Alright, Val. I'm counting on you— use. . ." She stopped, seeing his expression. He had a plan. With a slight nod to him, she said nothing and instead looked to her opponent. Bede was watching with a confused and unsure expression.
"Gothita," he began, drawing the word out for a few seconds. "Psybeam. And Hatenna, Moonblast."
Valiant flew up into the air as the two tiny Pokémon fired purple and pink beams of light at him. As he flew parallel to the ceiling of the cave, he flipped onto his back and scratched his talons along the rough surface. The loud sound made everyone cover their ears and cower in pain.
"Ughh!" Bede said aloud, squinting his eyes enough to see and give a command to his two Pokémon. "Psychic!" However, with Gothita covering her ears to block out Valiant's noises. "Gothita!" Bede shouted once Valiant stopped dragging his talons along the rock. "Gothita!" He tried again, trying to bring her attention back to him.
At that, Gloria noticed his Hatenna flinch and blink slowly. "Wait! Bee-Dee!" She called out, remembering how the Pokémon had acted back when she was upset at the hotel.
Bede lifted his head to her, a scowl on his face. "'Bee-Dee'? Pathetic, you can't even say my name—" He was cut off abruptly as his Hatenna leapt up, tackling him to the ground and pummeling him with strong blows from her hair.
"Val!" Gloria shouted, jumping to action. She ran towards the rude (and very undeserving) platinum-blonde haired Trainer. Her original plan was to return the Hatenna back to her Great Ball, but it seemed to her that Bede had it hidden in his coat pocket. She glanced at Gothita for help, however the Psychic-Type was watching her Trainer being attacked with huge eyes and a scared expression.
She looked back at Bede struggling to keep his Pokémon away from hitting his face, and was about to grab her when something swooped in from the side, grabbing Hatenna and narrowly missing Bede's face. The blue bird pushed Hatenna to the ground, his tiny raven-colored talons struggling to keep her in place.
"Dee!" Valiant chirped, trying to keep her still, even with her whipping her hair at him violently.
Gloria immediately knelt down beside Bede, looking at him worriedly. "Are you alright? I'm super sorry that—"
"Shut up," Bede muttered, wiping his cheek. Gloria could see a faint red smear on the back of his hand. He reached into his pocket and pulled out Hatenna's Great Ball, returning her back inside. He avoided Gloria's gaze and said, "Well it looks like you win. Happy?"
"No, I'm not," Gloria replied, leaning back. "You're hurt. . ."
"Yeah, and I don't need your pity!" Bede shouted, instantly shutting up Gloria. "I can handle this on my own, so just leave me be." He sat upright and winced a tiny bit. Then he caught Gloria watching and quickly stood up, obviously trying to hide the pain he was in.
"Come on, Gothita," he growled, turning to leave the cave. "We've got everything we need from here." He started walking, Gothita following, when he suddenly stopped. "Oh, and you." He didn't even look at Gloria. "Don't ever tell anyone of this, and never speak to me again." And with that, he exited the cave.
"Rook. . ." Valiant grumbled, glaring at his back as he left.
"You said it," Gloria told him, sighing. She blinked and turned to Valiant, stretching out her hand to him. "Good job, though, in that battle."
Valiant narrowed his eyes at her hand before facing away. "Dee."
"Fine, be that way." She stood up. "Well, I'm leaving now, so bye."
"Rook?" He looked at her confused for a second, only to realize that she really was leaving. "Dee!" He flapped his wings as fast as he could to keep up with her.
The first thing Gloria noticed when she stepped outside was the bright sunlight. The second was the fact that Bede was nowhere in sight. Thank goodness. . .
As she and Valiant traveled through Route 4 and towards Turffield up ahead, Gloria began to take in the different sights and sounds from the new area. Short brick fences surrounded large piles of golden grass. The air here felt very different as well; it was a bit warmer and more humid, and a crisp breeze drifted past.
In the grass Gloria could spot all sorts of Pokémon, such as tiny little Joltik, Eevee, and even a Yamper.
After about an hour, they reached Turffield, and immediately rushed into the Pokémon Center to heal up Tuff and Valiant, and to get something to eat.
And at a little bit after noon, Gloria rented a Pokémon Center room, as there apparently wasn't a Budew Inn in Turffield. She went inside her room and threw her things on the floor, before collapsing onto the bed.
She thought about Bede and how to say his name. She thought about him and how rude he is. She thought about Victor and Marnie, and wondered when she would see them again. Then she thought about Hop and how he must be feeling.
In all her thinking about everyone, she never once remembered to call Hop and let him know that she made it to Turffield safely.
And so, she fell into a relaxing and peaceful sleep.
°•°•°
Sorry this chapter wasn't the greatest. I'm trying to work on another story, and I want to reveal what it is in a few weeks. Also I have school and stuff going on.
And then there's the fact that I can't write battle scenes for the life of me... this is what, the fifth battle Gloria's had? And it still is really bad.
Anyway so our Fairy Prince is finally named, and now he and Gloria have more of a reason to hate each other. Yay for complicated characters and relationships...
So Gloria saw a terrifying Pokémon just mercilessly beating up her Trainer (sorry, Bede!). What Galarian Pokémon do you think is the most scary?
In case you haven't been able to guess, for me it's the Hatenna line. They are terrifying.