Love in the Time of Temerity

Chapter 14: A Friendship

Since it's been asked, and it was a guest reviewer, we call this the Code Trilogy because it's a coda to the story that is the Ancienverse. Not Ash's story, but Gloria's. The actual story finished in Tomorrow. This is more a nice little addition after the end. But anyway, back to Gloria and her next battle in Chapter 14!

Chapter 14

A Friendship

The energy of the stadium was electric, if not the battle taking place below. Gloria sat forward, watching with great interest. Already, Marnie was proving to be her own force of nature. Around her, the lights of the stadium now becoming the beacon of illumination at dusk, the crowd writhed and cheered as Grimmsnarl landed a Spirit Break atop a Kingler's head. Both trainers were down to their last, and both had their trump cards.

Marnie didn't play hers, but her opponent did.

"And Kingler is recalled for a Dynamax!" Kalas...well, Gloria supposed it was all of the Kalas family, cried into their microphones, fighting for dominance. "Yet Marnie isn't pulling hers out! Has she made a tactical blunder?!"

"Not likely..." Gloria turned her head, watching as Kahili tapped her foot up and down. "Girl's got a pragmatic head. The kid's Dynamaxing to try and give himself an edge he won't get."

"Kahili, aren't you supposed to be with the other Champions?" Ash asked, only to get a knuckling. Gloria covered her own head, really not wanting the same result from the woman claiming to be her older sister.

"It's boring and stuffy there. The number of eyes they throw at that Leon..."

Gloria could only imagine, and Ash didn't look particularly enthused. The brunette threw it away, however, to lean over the railing. "Come on, Marnie! You got this!"

"Calm down..." Astrid snapped, dragging the girl back with Clemont's help. It was followed by Delia's calming pat, but Gloria refused to rip her eyes from her rival's action.

The Kingler fired a Max Geyser, but with a cross of his arms, Grimmsnarl took it, using Bulk Up as it did so. Then it charged, cutting through with Hammer Arm until it swung against the Kingler's spindly leg. In one move, it destabilized it. The crustacean began to crash down, floundering. Marnie's opponent called for a Max Hailstorm, sending ice to try and freeze Grimmsnarl whole.

It didn't work, and Marnie's ace leapt up the ice before spinning down with a Spirit Break that cracked through the shell. The larger target had left it wide open, and in an explosion, Kingler fell, defeated. Marnie was the victor.

"And we have it, lads and lasses!" Perry cried ahead of his cousin. "Our four semifinalists are decided! Take a look at the holograms as we see who will be facing off in the semifinal round tomorrow!"

Gloria didn't stop with her anticipation, one that could not match the crowd, at least not in the same way. She did pay attention to the rather uncanny holograms, though, her own sporting a very discomfited grin. It was amazing how far technology had come to present it, and just above her, Clemont was eagerly cleaning his glasses, despite this being a regular occurrence at this point. Alongside her own projection were Hop, Marnie and another boy's, whose name escaped her.

Their holograms began to swirl and shuffle, becoming orbs of light that obscured their identity until, after some time, they locked in place with a burst of light, a golden cord tied between the matchups.

"And there we have it, folks! Tomorrow's first round is Graham against Hop! And the second, closing match is Gloria against Marnie! Everyone, please look forward to these thrilling and exciting battles!" Kalas yelled, and with a wave, the holograms disappeared. Ash shook his head.