Where am I...?

Canon-divergent post-game Gloria Indie | Semi-selective | OC friendly | Header by @00_Homura on Twitter

[shieldbond]

realizing that my more recent posts/updated backstory is some wild whiplash lmao

I just don’t want to get rid of the old stuff bc I still find a lot of it genuinely enjoyable, even if the story is taking a different turn than it did originally. There’s still some ideas in the old stuff that are with the new story, mostly just timeline and a few other details have changed.

I’m rambling but it was just a thought stuck in my head

[shieldbond]

https://www.tiktok.com/@calabroskitchen/video/7161188155314588974?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

I dunno how to put tiktok videos on here sue me

but anyhow, once Gloria’s bones stop hurting, she’s gonna make this out of spite for Eternatus and life in general bc she hasn’t eaten in literal years and she’s going to make it everyone’s problem

[brcvebird]

@shieldbond​:

H̷̻͇͎͚̠̦̤͇̘̘͑̿̚̕ͅó̵̡͉̖͇͖͚̙́͊̀͒̋͗̀͆̽̔͘p̷̫͈̬̘̿̈́́̈́̈̚ͅ.̷͕̘̼͗̃̐͘.̶̡̛̰̭̲̟͓̞̏̔̂͌̈́̏͐̃̃̈̒͝.̵̫̙̰̥͗̍͆̎͐

“Hey, this isn’t funny!  If you’re just messing with me, then you can bugger off!”

[shieldbond]

brcvebird:

Fear.

Pure and primal fear courses through his veins at the figure of the woman that stood before him, disheveled and broken with remnants of the very monster that tore her away from him encasing her body like an exoskeleton.  He felt sick, eyes unable to turn from that icy gaze.

No.  No, he watched her die.  As much as it hurt to remember, she died.  There was no way, this had to be a nightmare.

“I said bugger off with this–whatever it is, I’m not having it!”

In a turn of fight or flight, Hop knew better than to pick poor battles.  He ran, as fast as his legs could carry him he ran.  If this thing was real, there was no way he could handle it alone.  He needed to find Lee, and fast.

Gloria’s mishapen form stood there, only able to watch as Hop ran from her in fright. In her confusion, however, she merely tried to follow, heavy steps slow as every movement lingered as pure agony. New flesh, bone, and sinew trying to bear weight in this new form for the first time, but she had to move. She had to find her friends, her family, and Hop and Leon had always been there for her, right...?

“Hop...H̷̱̲̠͗͊͘o̶̤͌̋p̷̜̣͌.̶͒͜.̴̖̳̑̀.̶̹̈́”

Even Gloria’s own voice was something that sounded labored, sometimes her own, sometimes speaking at once with...something else. Only occasionally interrupted as coughs wracked her body, forcing Gloria to spit up viscous, burning liquid that splattered across the floor as she went. But even still, she tried to follow, knowing, just knowing that Hop would help her just like he always did.

Her best friend...

[shieldbond]

I̷̧͈̪͇͋̉͊́̋̿͗̇̏ṭ̷̢̛̰̥͈̠̫̭̤̳͍̒̆͑̀̈̀̾͘͝͝ ̵̢͎̺̯͉͔̺͕̘͙̰̼͔͇͐͗̃̆̇̈́ͅh̷͎͉̫̝̝͎̠̣͚̲̹͖͔̓͆̅̏͊̒͒̀̕ͅṳ̶̲͈͌̇̾̈̍̏͗̊͘͘̚͘͝ṛ̷͓̝̣͉͔͇̠̜̈͒̄̕͜ͅt̸̨͓̣̣̹͎͘ͅś̸͔̙̮̻̊.̸̛̛̩̺̜̥̲̼͕̭̺͚̖͙͑̏̐͌́͛̽̆.̸̙̠̈̒̅͆̌̓͒̒̃̋̐̃̉̉̚.̸̪̱̞͇̺͚͈̘̝̝̤͉̟̝̙̿̌͗ȉ̷̱̞̞̫̯͔̘̖̪̪̻̫̳͆̂̇̈́͋͐͋̽͂̿͝ţ̶̼͙̜͒́͛́͒͗̾̎͒͝ ̴̨̧̦̫̮̰̩͎̼̼̍̃̎͂̂̿̌̽̇̽̈́̀͘̕͝ḧ̸̡̳͎̮̬̥̭͈̩́̎̌ͅu̵̧̢͇̙͝r̶̫̪͍͋̇͗̀̆͐̑̓̌̂͗́͛͝t̶̛̛̖̟͓̯͈̗̭̾̑̉̃̌̄́͊̓̔̕͜͠s̴̢̧̥̦̜̭͓̭̝͚̆̍͋̎̈́.̸͖̙̘̲̭̺̗͔̎̂̇̈́̚̕.̷̨̖̰̞̼͚͙̈́̉͗́̈́̃̂̍.̷̨̊͌͂̅͋!̷̡̭̮͈̘̋̀̓̌͑̓̎̌̓

[shieldbond]

Dying by Eternatus wasn’t the last thing Gloria remembered. Oddly, it was swift--painful, yes, but it wasn’t long before the light inside her faded and her body had gone completely limp. However, when she opened her eyes next, she was...someplace else. She didn’t know where, for a moment, until she saw her friends below, but separated by some sort of barrier. Gloria could see them, hear them, but as much as she shouted and screamed, they never responded.

Then, almost immediately, something tried to suppress her. It didn’t take long to figure out it was Eternatus itself, if only because its overwhelming presence was working to snuff her out entirely. Perhaps not the first time it had done something like this, using another creature’s stolen spirit to feed itself.

All the while, however, she could hear what it intended, what it was about to do. It was going to kill them all--Leon, Hop, Victor, Bede. Her team, all desperately trying to wake her still body. This forced the unexpected to happen, in which Gloria’s spirit glowed just a bit brighter, just enough to resist in a way Eternatus hadn’t experienced before.

“No!” she cried, at first desperate. But the next sound came out angry and fierce, her strength coming back in slow, steady phases, “No! You’re not...going to hurt them!”

For a split second, Eternatus was forced to hesitate, offering just enough of an opening for Leon to weaken the beast and capture it.

Darkness.

Then searing, white-hot pain. Pain unlike any Gloria had ever experienced before, consuming her and making her scream. The creature’s anger taking over and intending to punish--no, squash out the insolent little light of that young trainer, who dared to speak against it when so many others had fallen before the beast. It was going to destroy everything she loved, bring them pain and agony, and she was going to die like she was supposed to.

And Gloria only yelled back, pushing against the pain. It wasn’t long before she understood that she was now the shield standing between Eternatus and all of Galar--that whatever made up her spirit, it was not only enough to piss it off, but to keep it from breaking out and wreaking whatever havoc it wanted. Gloria didn’t even question it. After all, hadn’t becoming a trainer taught her that mysteries were abound in this world? Who was she to ask why something was the way it was, when she could embrace it and protect those she loved?

It was better than just being a corpse, at least.

So that’s how it started. A constant, tireless battle between Gloria and Eternatus, each trying to overpower the other in order to maintain control. Even without a body, the pain she felt was immense, something beyond that of mortal flesh and bone, and even still, Gloria fought and held on. Some days she did weaken, crying for her brother and friends, but she would always latch back on.

One day the pain became...different. Initially, Gloria just assumed Eternatus was trying some new tactic on her. But soon enough, that became illogical--its voice had quieted to nothing more than a mumble, in her mind, yet the pain remained. Then, for the first time in what had felt like eons, Gloria sucked in a breath.

Air. She was breathing. Oh, but it was agony. She cried out, only to find Eternatus’ bubbling poison spilling from her lips and onto the...ground? It looked like ground. No, wait, floor--the lab? That meant...

“H...Hop...” Her voice came out hoarse and raspy, unfamiliar limbs trembling as they tried to lift Gloria up. But she had to move, had to go--Hop’s house wasn’t far, she remembered. Just down the road, if she could make it there, he and Leon would know what to do. How to make this pain end, how to...

Where was she...? Gloria couldn’t remember. Find Hop...find him...

[honedclaws]

🐤 :)

Certified Tweet Hours | Accepting

[brcvebird]

@shieldbond​:

H̷̻͇͎͚̠̦̤͇̘̘͑̿̚̕ͅó̵̡͉̖͇͖͚̙́͊̀͒̋͗̀͆̽̔͘p̷̫͈̬̘̿̈́́̈́̈̚ͅ.̷͕̘̼͗̃̐͘.̶̡̛̰̭̲̟͓̞̏̔̂͌̈́̏͐̃̃̈̒͝.̵̫̙̰̥͗̍͆̎͐

“Hey, this isn’t funny!  If you’re just messing with me, then you can bugger off!”

[shieldbond]

A figure steps slowly from the shadows, footsteps labored, slow. A thick, purple liquid drips from the person’s face and onto the ground below as they step into the light, staring at the one she once called friend.

“H-Hop...Hop p̷̨̲̭̱̹̰̩̟͉̩͈̒̾l̵͇̱̭͉̭̤̫̜͒̕ë̶̢̨̮̲̟̩̻̭̙͉͔́͑̿̅̎ͅa̷̡̬̜̯͙̥̳̫͇̙͉̗͛̋̄̽͗́ṡ̴̡̱̜͚͙̫̖͈̼͖̹̮̾̾͛́͒̅̐̓̈̽̚̕͜e̶̳̖̹͖̮̹̘̮͐̾͛͂̌ͅ ̴͔̖͗͒̐̈́̋͋̉̎̔h̵̛̯̜̞͕͈̰̼̳͋̔̔͑́̊́̽͛͋̐̒̈́͠ȅ̴͇͇̫̿̇͐̇̐́͊͋̈̅̆͝l̸͍̠̱̗̱̘̘̫̱̫̺̘̮̉̽̇̅̌̉̿̋̒̕͝p̷̘͉̮̆̍́̋̽̐̀̈͌̎̋̏̈́̎̕ͅ ̸̛̥̰͛̊m̵̢̢̢̹̗̘̰͓͓̣͎͎͎̦̘̄̽͌̄̍̈́̓͂͒̕̚͘͘̚e̴̢̼̤͖̺̦̥̞͓̪͚͇̓̈́́̏̓̃̋̿̍͆̽̚͜͜.̸̛̗̦̱̼͔͉̣̱̽̂̐͗̋̄͌̍̋̚͜͝͠ͅͅ.̴̙͙̯̭͚̣̰̜̳̗͌͋ͅ.̶̧̧̤̖̮̻͖͖̩͚̭͍̤̗̾̽̉̀̂͊̾͊́̆̇̏̕̕͜"̵̠̌̓͌͜͠

[shieldbond]

H̴̠͇̯͈͑̆̓̆ổ̸̡̢̨̺̠͍̼͚̝̗͎͚͊̀͛͜͜p̶̢͚̝͙̩͎̺͇͈͖͓̙͎͗̿ͅ.̷̧̧̧̡̧̛̛͈͓͉̲̺̥͑̈̾̀́̅̈́̊̌̕͝͝͝.̶̦͚̟̼̝͓̹͌͑̉̀͗̃̇̆͐̽̾͘͠.̷̧̞̘̺̜̪̮͇̩̖̠̙̤̀ ̷̨̱͔̫̠̯͖̩͔̮̫͉̮̬͛̀̈́ ̵̢̝̪̦͉͈͕̲͕͆̔͌̂͝V̶̫̗̀̊͋̕i̸͍̮͎͎̲̤̰̮̥̋c̷̡̖̙͉͈̜̦̥͓̆̇̓̃̈́̿̏t̶̨̢̢̤͚͖̘͎̟̤̜̝͓͔͓̂͛̅̑̂̍̕õ̵̟̯͑͒̐̋̎̅̒͂̔̕͝r̵̢̮̥͖͍̣̭̰̀͂͗͒̌̈́̆̒̚.̷̳̬͕̲̪̩͙̲͎̙̝̠̙̯̉͆̎͒̔̒̊̃̈́́͠ͅ.̴̡̳̩̞͎̞̓͋̂͗̄͠.̵̧̨̝͈̻̼̘̹̦̝͋ ̸͉̟̐͑́͛̄͐͐̚ ̵̢̥͖̭͉̝͒͑́̀̐͋̏̃̓̕͠L̵̨͙̗͇̯̼̥̥͖̦̭̫̦̇̃̉͊̽͑͘͝e̵̜͇̱̹̱͎͇͉͍̩̞̥͆̿͂͊͒̈́o̸̮̘̟̠̭̩̼̳̮͆͆̈̉͐͂͋͛̚n̸͍͈̻̤̥̻̝̄͛̅͆̀ͅ.̸̧͇̜̜̻͉͉̰̬͈̗͚́̋͋̉̈͊̈̆͂͘ͅ.̵̦͕̹͉̪̣͕͚̩̮̱̅.̵̜͓̣̻̲̀́̾͗̅̈́̿͘͝ ̴̢̢̢̛̣̘̲̦̖̺̱̤̳̜̲̍̈̀̕̕͜ ̵̧̖̼̱̬͇̿̈́̅̐̃͛̍͗̇͜H̷̩͚͉̜̪̰̐͂̕͝é̴̠͑̉̓̀̀̃͌̓͌́͐͑ĺ̷͔̳͕̽̄̎̌́̽̒̔͘̚̕̕p̴̲̩̺͓̘̎ ̶̢̨̱̳̤̙̼̩͎̟̩̖͙͑̃m̷̡̛̺̣͍̐͒͛̓̈́̾̆̃͑̓̍̈́͠ẽ̴̳͖̓͒̊̕͠.̷̧̛̞̪͈̙̖̱̮̽͐̂̈́̄͆̈̀̕.̵̨̨̤͖̩͚͍̰̱̥̆̿̇̑́̕͜ͅ.̸̛̙̣̼̝̝͉͕̅́͂͜͠

[shieldbond]

Ȋ̵̘̩̼̥͈̹̜̖͙̋ţ̵̰͕̜̠͉̈̿͂̓͒̓̇̈́̑͘͝͠ͅ ̷̧̛̰̰͉̙̯͖̭̻̏͌ḧ̷̳͎̜̹͚́͛̋́͛̏͛̑̅͌̃͘̕ų̷͍̦̹̠̠͈͉̥̙̀̈͑̈́̍̒̒̇̄̽̚ŗ̶̜͓̹̖̠͙͇̖͕̖̦͎͂͌̂͒͗̾̓͌̂͌͘̕ț̴̢̪̤̼̗̱̟͈̻̍̄̂̆̾͂̍̂͜ͅs̴̤͍̱̤͉͉̘̟̫̙̣̪͚̲͆̓.̶͕͛͜.̶̧̣̻͍͙̭̘̭̫̥̀́̈̅́͌͆͌̏͑̈͗͆̈̕.̸̛̛̦̜̄̀̿͂̆̀̋̔̒̊̚

[shieldbond]

Now that she’s champion, does Gloria ever get challenged to battles by people much weaker than she is? Does she ever hold back to avoid hurting the other trainer’s Pokémon?

It does happen every now and then, either by kids with a lot of confidence and little experience, or by trainers new to Galar who haven’t had a chance to get to know the region’s elite. That said, while she doesn’t believe in forfeiting a battle to offer pity, Gloria has instructed her team to not go overboard and cause serious damage to weaker teams.

Often times, Gloria will even refuse the customary reward money for winning, and will invite these trainers to her camp for easy recovery.

[shieldbond]

>:)

[swordbond-a]

Victor had heard the commotion going on in Ballonlea, that natural urge to help sparking within him, yet he knew deep down that his mother would forbid it.  Even with the events within Hammerlocke so long ago and the battle with Eternatus…he was still treated like a child, and obediently, he listened.

She had her best intentions, he knew that, and perhaps it was for the best.  He had always been in Gloria’s shadow anyhow, she would be able to handle it on her own.

Or so he thought.

Your sister is in Wyndon infirmary.  She’s in critical condition..I’m so sorry, Victor.

A numbness took over the smaller’s form as his mother embraced him, hot tears soaking the sleeve of his shirt.  Eyes wide, it felt like he couldn’t move from the spot, he for sure couldn’t speak, still shaken from the abrupt news.  He had just seen Gloria last night..saying their goodnights and goofing off as always.

After consoling his mother, Victor hurried out to Wedgehurst from his home, practically bolting down that dirt road before calling a Corvidknight taxi and explaining the emergency situation, thankful the driver understood well enough to get a quicker trip than usual.  Of course it had been all over the news broadcasts as they landed in Wyndon, something like this wasn’t simply brushed over when it involved the Champion.

Fans were gathered, some leaving gifts and well wishes, tons of cards, balloons, and the usual run down left outside the door while the tv spouted the news report from the waiting room.

Champion Gloria arrived in tow with Ballonlea’s Gym Leader Bede early this morning, approximately 3 AM to Wyndon Hospital.  Both were in critical condition suffering various injuries from unknown sources.  As of right now both are still under and no other information is available, but we keep them in our prayers.

Numb.  Bitter.  His heart ached as it beat quietly in his chest, approaching the room where his sister resided and slowly opening the door.  Brown eyes were glazed over at the scene before him, both Bede and Gloria side by side in their respective beds, hands connected and weakly laced together between.  Slowly, Victor approached his twin, reaching a hand out to brush over her cheek; cold, but just enough warmth to know she was still fighting.

“Glo…what ‘ave you gone and done to yerself?” His voice cracked a bit, tears streaming down the taller’s face while that hand moved down to hold her free hand, gripping it slightly and desperately wishing she would return the motion.

His bag was set aside before Victor pulled up a chair, keeping a gentle hold on her hand and closing his eyes, silently wishing for his other half to fight this, to break through.  He knew she was strong, stronger than most.  She beat the undefeated champion for Arceus sake!

Yet, he couldn’t stop crying.  Like always, he was weak, a crybaby, leaning on his sister for grounding.  The thought of losing her was just too much.

[moonblcst]

Soft light fluttered in from the nearby window, cast upon the pale features of Ballonlea’s gym leader, once fair skin bruised and bandaged in various places, his torn clothing from the previous night folded neatly in the chair beside his hospital bed, instead adorning typical patient attire.  Slowly, Prism stirred from that slumber, brows furrowed while his mind was riddled with those wails from Glimwood the night prior.

Alive, that forest was alive and tried to take him, almost assimilate him.

Lavender eyes shot open as his ear rung with the lingering shrieks of his nightmares, gasping as if the successor had been holding his breath all that time.  He stared at the stark white ceiling, counting the tiles a moment to ground himself back to reality; slowly, ever so, the surrounding area focusing.

Wyndon hopsital.  Prism knew the location all too well, usually arriving for visits to the local children even when he was still living with Chairman Rose.

Wait, if he was here…Gloria―!!

The boy shot up in his bed, heart monitor beating quicker for a moment before a sharp pain hit him, causing the leader to choke out a cry of pain and collapse back against the bed once more, arms wrapped around his midsection.  Heavy, shaking breaths were all he could manage, the ache in his chest and sides near overpowering while hot tears pricked the corners of Prism’s eyes.

Lucky he was that a nurse had been passing in the hallway, quickly coming to his side to assess the younger’s condition.

Faint poisoning, three broken ribs, bruising and lacerations around the wrists, as well as traces of plant matter beneath the skin.

He didn’t care.  Nothing mattered to him at the moment but where Gloria was, apologizing for interrupting the nurse to ask just as such.  Her expression turned a bit grim..stepping to the side to push back the curtain separating the two beds.  There the Champion lie, hooked to several machines to ensure all her vitals were on screen and kept going.  Gloria’s breath was shallow behind the oxygen mask, skin pale with a faint cold sweat.

Without thinking, Prism began to rise from his bed again trying to get out, despite the sharp pains coursing through, his eyes were wide, trying to reach her, no matter how much the nurse and a few other doctors tried to hold him back.

“No, this can’t be real, I need to-please, Gloria-wake up!”

“Mr. Vidal, I’m sorry-she’s in critical condition at the moment under the effects of poisoning.  We’re doing all we can, but right now..she’s fighting it to the best of her ability.  Normally we would have an anti venom ready, but of course, we weren’t exactly prepared for poison from…Eternatus.”

No, no no no.  This…this was his fault.  If he had stayed put in Ballonlea, this wouldn’t have happened.  His chest ached from more than the broken bones, once proud form crumbling down to lean over the arm of his bed and give a loud, choked sob.  Prism hated crying in front of people, he hated showing weakness to strangers, even friends.  But right now, all he could do was cry, appearances be damned.

—

The cool down took time, Prism eventually granted his wish to at least be able to hold her hand despite the doctors not wanting him out of bed.  Instead, they settled to have the two pressed together, a small gap for the curtain between.  His fingers laced with hers, still feeling a bit of warmth and her steady pulse gave the leader a bit of hope that she would wake up, that this was all just a bad dream in the end.

Perhaps..in due time.

[shieldbond]

Gloria had heard once that many trainers could become accustomed to the effects of poison-type pokemon, if they spent enough time with the creatures. Most pokemon had mild reactions, themselves, which was why poison types were allowed in battles to begin with. But humans weren’t anything like pokemon, and it was in that moment that the young champion understood this the most.

Eternatus’s poison sank into her skin like a thousand burning knives, seeping into her clothes and eating away at everything it touched. Screams of pain were choked as the acidic substance threatened to paralyze her, making her tremble. But even so, she held tightly, dreading even a bit of the poison landing on Bede.

The Tangle itself expressed its rage at her, at this single trainer so bold as to openly defy it. The thought of this made Gloria grin weakly, softly promising more to come if the dreaded spirits of this wood dared cross her again. Eternatus seemed to glow more fiercely with their trainer’s fiery spirit, letting out a cry into the night that finally shook Bede back into reality.

The next few moments were a blur, as Gloria found herself fading in and out of consciousness, with Hatterene’s Healing Pulse offering just enough reprieve for the trainer to avoid falling completely under. A blessing in itself, as it kept Gloria from tumbling off of Zamazenta’s back alongside Bede, though Sherbet had to step in to keep her trainer from following of her own volition, voicing a weak, “Bede....”

In the next blink, however, she was leaning against Bede’s back, arms wrapped around him and fingers curling into the fabric of his clothes with a vice-like grip that was unusual for the amount of strength she had left in her. Even with this small realization, however, Gloria refused to release her hold on the gym leader, a part of her afraid that if she did, the Tangle would surely swallow him up once more.

The last thing she heard before finally giving in to the poison’s effects, was the loud, bone-chilling cry of Eternatus, who--despite freedom for the first time in six years--followed their trainer dutifully from the sky, the great beast seeming to dare the Tangle to challenge the dragon’s might against the burning woodland...

[shieldbond]

😡 : Worst role play-related encounter and what advice you would give to others to avoid similar situations?

✌ : Fondest role-play memory, between muses?

✿ : Fondest role-play memory, between muns?

웃 : An existing character you’ve played in the past that you miss?

ツ : An OC you created that you are proud of?

유 : A role-play related instance that you regret/are ashamed/not proud of?

♂ : Do you have a role-play/writing routine? If so, what is it?

♀ : A trope you catch yourself falling back too often?

☿ : A trope you dislike?

✍ : Offer 3-5 tips on how to get other role players started on interacting with your muse.

✉ : On average, how long does it take you to write a reply that you’re pleased with?

❅ : Advice to non-role play blogs that want to get started?

✔ : What drew you to the character you currently play? What types of characters are you generally drawn to?

☯ : Greatest challenge to writing your character?

✘ : Any head canons you’d like to imply on you character but know they wouldn’t fit?

✯ : A head canon someone else has inspired you to adopt?

➳ : Do you prefer writing on your own, on tumblr/a forum, or on an IM platform? Why?

▲ : What sort of information do you like to see on someone’s role play page that helps you determine whether or not you would want to write with them?

▼ : Are there popular head canons for your character that you disagree with? Why?

♫ : Are there parts of your own personality that you reflect onto your character? How do they work?

❤ : What are some role-plays that you have done/are doing that you particularly enjoy and wish to share with your followers?

✈ : What do you think is your reputation in your role-play community?

⌘ : Where do you get some of your inspirations for plots/head canons? Offer an example, if possible.

ღ : What sorts of plots/characters/scenes do you have the most difficulty writing, and why?

☂ : Spread some love: mention someone you’ve met that has influenced you or your writing in a positive way, and explain how.

[pokecommunitycenter]

Hey there trainers !!

Ditto needs some help welcoming a writer into our RPC !!

If you have a moment, please check out @grimm-oracion​  !! A Pokémon Multi-Muse featuring a couple of new OCs !!

Let’s all do our part to spread the word & make sure they feel welcome in our community !!

[shieldbond]

“Lead the way, Sherbet,” Gloria commanded. Opal had mentioned that Bede’s Hatterene--Sherbet’s mother--had followed after her master. If anyone could find their way through the maze, it was her. Already Gloria was keen on the changes happening around her, though she didn’t care to think about why that was. Perhaps her paranoia was making the strange magic obvious to her? It didn’t matter. Sherbet was in tune with her mother, and that would be their compass.

Zamazenta seemed to agree with Gloria’s decision, keeping close to the Hatterene so as not to be separated from her. There were a few moments where Sherbet seemed confused, but it never took her long to find that link again, charging off onto a new path and pulling them deeper into the wood.

It felt like ages, but at long last, Gloria found her team stumbling upon a scene unlike any she’d thought of before. Bede’s Hatterene was desperately switching between trying to free her trainer from a series of tangling vines, while also trying to fend off a near army of pokemon, eyes glazed over as though possessed by the very woods itself. Fear shot through Gloria like ice, but even so, she leapt off of Zamazenta to charge towards her friend.

Sherbet immediately took place beside her mother, while Zamazenta charged through the thick of enemy pokemon with a mighty snarl. All in distraction as Gloria rushed to Bede, tearing desperately at the vines threatening to seal him up.

“No!” she screamed, tears falling more freely with each bit of plant she tore away, only to find it replaced by another. “No! You can’t have ‘im! YOU CAN’T HAVE HIM!” Gloria winced as her nails tore, skin ripping in small patches as she strained against the vines. “He’s no’ done wit’ this world yet! I’m no’ done wit’ him, you stupid, fucking, vile piece of SHITE SHRUBBERY--”

Finally, however, she was forced to take a step back as the vines pushed her away. Gloria watched in panic, trying to think, trying to figure out what she was supposed to do, how she could save her friend. Someone who meant the world to her, just as much as her own brother--that feeling sinking deep into her heart, as her hands trembled to reach for the one pokeball she never let out of her sight.

Gloria feared the Tangle, but it was Eternatus she feared the most. But even so, she knew the creature was her only chance to combat whatever it was that was holding Bede away from her. Using her body to cover Bede, Gloria gave Eternatus its first command as her trainer.

“Eternatus...use Toxic.”