Gloria moves to Postwick
Gloria was born into a small family. It was just her mom and dad. She grew up lonely, but she didn’t mind. Using the free time she had after school and the weekends, she studied Pokemon. Soon enough, she was well versed in the Pokemon of her home region Galar. She could list off all the types, weaknesses, and strengths from a very young age. It wasn’t much to brag about, she thought. After all, many people could do much more than that.
Gloria went to school in the small town of Turffield. There were a few other kids her age, but she didn’t associate herself with them. She preferred being in the corner, looking through books about Pokemon. It wasn’t long before kids stopped asking her if she wanted to play tag. Besides, they seemed more interesting in only battling Pokemon, not learning about them the way she did.
Nothing ever happens in Turffield, she thought. The next few days would change her way of living.
~
It was a sunny and hot day in Turffield. Gloria had just come home from school, carrying her bag that her mother had given her. She said hello to her parents, and quickly went to her room. Putting away the bag in her closet, she went back to the living room, hearing the call of her mother to come back.
Sitting down at the chair that her father pointed to, she stared patiently at her parents. “What is it, mommy?”
There was a small pause before her father spoke.
“Well, Gloria… Me and your mother decided we are going to move houses!”
Her mother quickly nodded her head, agreeing with him. “We just wanted to tell you, so you could tell your friends at school that you’ll be moving away.”
She scrunched up her nose. Friends? She didn’t have any. There was no need for them. At least that’s what she thought. She nodded anyways, not wanting to worry her parents with the fact that she hadn’t made a single friend after all these years.
“We know this could be hard to deal with. You’re young, and used to living here in Turffield. But there’s nothing to worry about, Gloria. We’ll still be in Galar, after all.”
She was a little relieved to hear that. She didn’t want to move regions. She liked this one.
“But, since it is a big change, we thought it might be a good idea to give you your first Pokemon!”
At this, her eyes widened. Her first pokemon? A million thoughts raced through her head. What type are they? Was it small, or big? Was it her favorite type? Or maybe it was a legendary… No, no way it could be a legendary, that’s too far, Gloria, don’t get your hopes up.
Pulling out a pokeball, her father handed it over to Gloria, wrapping her small hands around it. “I want you to take good care of her, alright? She’s still small, just like you. I’m sure in your care, she’ll grow to be an amazing Pokemon!”
Gloria wasted no time in releasing the Pokemon. She wanted to know what it could possibly be. A bright light shined out, the silhouette of the Pokemon showing itself on the living room floor. She closed her eyes, the light too bright to stare at.
A second passed, and the light was gone. Gloria gasped. In the place of it, was a small Pichu. It’s small form was looking around nervously, not used to its surroundings.
Gloria jumped up from her seat, almost running over to the Pichu before catching herself. She didn’t want to startle the Pichu and have it shock her.
The Pichu noticed her, knowing that the little girl in front of her was her owner. It looked hesitant at first, but Gloria smiled at it, a genuine smile, and it quickly ran into Gloria’s arms.
Gloria giggled, petting the small Pokemon in her arms. It cried out lovingly, trusting the little girl that held it.
“Daddy! She’s so cute! And she’s my favorite type!”
Her father chuckled, nodding. “Of course! It took me a while to find a good breeder, let alone find one with a Pichu. I wanted it to be the perfect gift for you.”
Setting down the Pichu, Gloria ran to her father, hugging him tightly. He laughed, ruffling her hair while returning the tight hug. Separating from him, she ran to her mother next, giving her a tight hug as well.
“Thank you… She’s perfect!”
She didn’t return the Pichu into her pokeball during dinner. In fact, she put the ball away almost permanently. Gloria enjoyed having the Pichu to keep her company.
~
The following week was filled with packing and readying their belongings to be moved. Her parents told her they were moving to the small town of Postwick. She hadn’t heard of it, but looking at a map revealed that it was a couple hours away from Turffield.
It was small, smaller than she expected. Why would her parents want to move to such a small town? There didn’t seem to be anything but fields, which wasn’t much of a change from Turffield, if she was saying anything. Perhaps all her parents wanted was a change in scenery, even if it was a small change.
She would later learn that the reason they moved was trivial at best. The house in Postwick was definitely cheaper than their house in Turffield, and it seemed that her parents had a better job opportunity in Wedgehurst, the next town over from Postwick.
Moving to Postwick wasn’t too hard. Corviknights gracefully took the heavier boxes, lifting them into the air and taking them to the house in Postwick. The smaller stuff, like their suitcases and of course, themselves, would be taken in a single Corviknight. It was a swift and easy move, only taking them about an hour to get everything to their new house.
Gloria didn’t know what to expect when she first arrived, but it was definitely not the neighboring house to be throwing them a welcoming party. It seemed that everyone in Postwick (which wasn’t much, just a single mother, her child, and what seemed to be a pair of grandparents) and Wedgehurst had come together to welcome Gloria’s family.
The party was small, nothing too big since everyone wasn’t about to go all out for a family they barely met. It was pleasant though. The curry served tasted different from what Gloria was used to, probably due to the different berries used in this area, but it still tasted great.
What Gloria was definitely not expecting was for the small kid to come running up to her, an excited sparkle in their eye. Gloria knew this could probably end wrong. They stopped right in front of her, a huge, bright smile plastered on their face. She returned a small smile, a little nervous to talk to what seemed like a very energetic kid.
“Hi! My names Hop! What’s your name?”
Gloria cringed at how loud he was. She should have expected it, if anything. “Um, my names Gloria…”
Hop excitedly began rambling about something that Gloria couldn’t quite keep up with, let alone make out. He talked so fast and so much it was a little bit too much for Gloria. She barely responded to his questions, not as responsive as one should be. She fumbled with the pokeball at her belt, wanting to release her Pichu to deal with the bundle of nerves that seemed to keep building up with each sentence Hop said.
He stopped, quick eyes noticing the pokeball in her hands. “Woah! Gloria, you have a Pokemon?”
She nodded, gently grabbing the pokeball and hugging it close to her. “My parents gave her to me before we moved… I’ve been training her for a couple days only…”
If Hop wasn’t curious before, he definitely was now. “Oh, oh! Can I see them? I don’t got my own pokemon yet, but my mum said I would get one for my birthday!”
Gloria was a bit nervous to show her cute little Pichu to a stranger, but she guessed it wouldn’t hurt. Hopefully Hop knew to stay away from unfamiliar electrical types.
With a press, bright light escaped the pokeball, releasing her Pichu from its pokeball. For a moment, Pichu looked around, noticing Hop and all the adults surrounding them. Her ears twitched, not used to being thrust into such a loud environment.
Hop looked like he was going to explode from excitement. “Oh! It’s a Pichu!”
Pichu turned around, facing Gloria. Pichu and Gloria had bonded over the last few days, training and learning about each other. Pichu trotted over to Gloria, climbing up her leg, body, and ending up on her shoulder.
“She’s a bit shy. She only really knows me…”
Hop nodded, taking a step closer to Gloria. “She’s awfully cute. Didn’t realize that Pichus could be so cute.”
Gloria nodded, agreeing with Hop. “Um, you can pet ‘er if she lets you… Be careful she don’t shock you.”
With his small hands, he reached over to Pichu. He stopped right before touching her, allowing them to sniff and inspect his hand. Pichu made a small noise before pushing her head against his hand, rubbing against it.
Hop grinned happily, petting the small Pichu. The proximity made Gloria blush. He was close, really close. He didn’t seem to notice, too busy petting the Pokemon.
Gloria’s face was flushed red by the time Hop moved away, grin ever present on his face. “Wow Gloria! I can tell you’d be an amazin’ Pokemon trainer! Pichu looks really happy with you!”
She didn’t want to be a Pokemon trainer, but she didn’t say anything. Pokemon trainers just want to battle. Gloria just wants to grow her Pokemon and make them strong for no one but herself. “Yeah, I guess I would.”
“Y’know, my brother is the Champion!”
Huh? Gloria looked at him, confused. There was no way his brother was the champion! Wouldn’t they have moved to Wyndon? They would definitely be able to afford it. In fact, the Pokemon League would probably pay their house off!
“You’re pullin’ my leg, Hop.”
“I really ain’t! His name is Leon, and he’s really strong!”
Gloria scoffed, still refusing to believe him. Hop scowled, crossing his arms in a fit. “I swear I ain’t lyin’, Gloria! He really is my brother!”
Gloria rolled her eyes. “You’ll have to prove it to me, then.”
Hop almost pulled out his hair. “Well I can’t prove it to you right now! He’s always busy doing matches and meetings! But I’ll prove it eventually when he visits!”
With a nod, Gloria looked at Hop, smiling. “Well, I guess we’ll see about that, then.”
Gloria enjoyed his company. Hop seemed a little different from the kids from Turffield. He was definitely gentler with Pokemon than the other kids, that’s for sure. Pichu seemed to enjoy his company as well. She guessed she could consider Hop a friend.
A voice rang out from the crowd of adults, calling Hop’s name. He turned around, spotting who called him and smiling their way. “That’s my mum! I guess we’re leaving already, then.”
Gloria looked around, surprised to see that almost everyone was gone. She guessed their conversation lasted longer than she thought it had. “Um, you’re my neighbor, right?”
Hop nodded, putting his hands behind his head. “Yeah! If you need me, you can always come knockin’ on my door. My mum won’t mind.”
Gloria nodded. This felt nice… Having a friend was different, but she could definitely get used to it. “Alright. Um, it might be a few days while I get used to livin’ here an all..”
The voice, which you now knew was his mother, called out again. “Alright! I’m not moving anytime soon, so I’ll wait for you! I’ve got to be hopping away now, so I’ll see you then!”
With that, Hop ran towards his mother, looking back to Gloria and waving goodbye. Gloria shyly waved back, other hand petting the Pichu on her shoulder. He seemed to be speaking with his mother about something.
Gloria could say that today was successful. After all, she had made a new friend!