Unity

Chapter 3

"Bye mum!" Gloria yelled as she closed the front door behind her. With a quick pace she hurried towards Wedgehurst following the quiet country roads of Postwick. In her arms she was safely holding the Shinx that someone dropped in front of her house yesterday. She was meeting with Hop in one hour, but she insisted to go and see Sonia first to tell her about this Shinx. Maybe the new professor had a clue about who the Shinx belonged to and what it was doing on the mainland of Galar. Shinx wasn't native to this enormous island after all. It could be found at the Isle of Armor though! Gloria asked Victor to go with her, but her twin brother always had trouble with waking up early in the morning.
Her mum made her some old fashioned Galarian breakfast, it's been awhile since she had breakfast at home. Gloria nearly drooled when she thought about her mum's cooking skills. It was one of the things she longed the most for when she was away from home to train and work. Her mum even made her starter Pokémon, Inteleon, a plate!

After a good fifteen minutes of walking she got close to her destination. The brown haired girl stood still at the entrance of Wedgehurst. She was standing in the middle of the old stone bridge and gazed around the town. She was wearing her cozy grey parka with her usual pink dress underneath it, combined with some plaid-green socks and her sturdy brown boots. It was the same outfit she wore while she was doing the gymchallenge. The only difference in appearance was her hair. She decided to grow it out for the first time in her life! In one year it grew from chin length to shoulder length! She looked down at the Shinx that was comfortably laying in her arms.

"You still doing okay little guy?" She asked him in a sweet voice.

"Prrr!" Shinx responded happily.

Gloria smiled sweetly at him and started to walk towards the Pokémon lab. The young champion suddenly felt a strange chill going through her spine. It was the same feeling she got as she walked home yesterday from Wedgehurst station, as if she was being watched! She quickened up her pace. The young girl looked through the ivy covered windows of the lab, but saw no one inside yet although the lights were on. Gloria glanced at Shinx a little bit, who looked back up at her with big curious eyes. The champion looked around the area with caution. She alarmedly pulled open the door of the lab when she saw a strange figure standing against a nearby streetlantern, doing nothing but glaring at her from a distance. Gloria was sure, this was the person that's been following her yesterday too! She hurried herself inside and immediately closed the door of the lab shut, holding onto the Shinx tightly. The brunette champion turned around with her back against the closed frontdoor. She let out a deep sigh and looked up.

"Sup mate." Hop said. He suddenly was standing in front of her!

"Aaah!" Gloria screamed and leaped up high in the air as she got startled by him.

Hop laughed out loud and put one hand on her shoulder. Gloria turned beet red out of shame. Her heart was beating loudly in her chest.

"Didn't expect you here today tho... What are you doing here on your day off?" Gloria asked him once she had calmed down.

Hop scratched his head awkwardly and walked towards the coffee table. He grabbed a few papers and handed them to Gloria so she could read them. Gloria grabbed the papers carefully, but before she could put her eyes on them Hop suddenly grabbed the scared Shinx out of Gloria's arms.

"Wow! Is that a Shinx? Where did you catch him? Ya went to the Isle of Armor again?" He excitedly asked her.

Gloria shook her head and frowned at her best friend. "Oi! Go easy on him! Besides, it's not my Pokémon..."

Hop put the blue baby Pokémon on the table and raised one eyebrow at Glodia out of curiosity. "Is it Victor's?"

"Nope." Gloria shook her head.