"Thanks for breakfast mum!" Gloria called back before rushing out the door. As she descended the steps, she started to second guess herself. The whispers of doubt were many, making her feel a gnawing dread in her gut.

"What if this is a bad idea? Maybe I shouldn't do this…" She whispered. But Sonia's encouragement from yesterday popped into her head. It allowed her to quell the beautiflies in her stomach and she was able to call a taxi and ask to be taken to Ballonea. That taxi ride was the longest she had ever taken.

As they descended into the mythical darkness of the charming town, Gloria could feel her heart start to race. She was ready to tell the taxi driver to turn around, but she held back.

"I'm doing this… no turning back!"

The glowing mushrooms illuminating the path of the town provided some comfort for her. As did the soft, warm lights from the houses. She walked over to one mushroom and tapped it lightly, making it glow even brighter. This made her smile, "I can never resist doing that."

With little glowing beings hovering about in a kaleidoscope of colors around her, Gloria nonchalantly walked the path leading to the gym. Her eyes peered around slowly, slightly worried that someone would recognize her. This made her pick up her pace until she reached the wooden bridge crossing the small lake. That last stretch to the gym doors made her freeze in place. She took a long, deep breath.

"I must…" She whispered. Shaking her hands nervously, she forced her feet forward. Until she finally made it to the gym doors. She felt her heart leap when the automatic doors flew open. Regardless, she went inside where she was immediately noticed by one of the trainers.

"Miss Gloria, is that you?" She spoke.

Gloria recognized the trainer and nodded, "Heh, the one and only. Nice to see you, Annette."

Annette's face lit with surprise, "My goodness! It's really the Champion Gloria! Coming to visit our gym, are you? We're happy to have you here!"

Gloria could only manage to chuckle awkwardly, but the lighthearted greeting did help her feel a little more at ease.

"Champion Gloria, what brings you here today?"

Gloria promptly inquired, "Is Bede available?"

Annette shook her head, "Nope! He's in the middle of a match right now. Sorry!"

Gloria paused, "I see. It can't be helped."

"I wasn't aware that you two had a meeting." Annette remarked, "Has there been a reported issue with our gym?"

"Huh? Oh no, nothing like that! It's just that-"

"Well now, look who's here!" The voice of Opal interrupted them. The wizard approached the two with her attention focused on Gloria, "So the path of a pink-lacking Champion has brought you back here I see! I'm quite surprised to see you although you are much welcomed."

"Hi Opal." Gloria greeted, "I didn't know you were here." She was still a bit confused on what Opal meant by 'pink-lacking'.

Opal chuckled, "Well this was my gym for the past seventy years, it'd be odd not to stop by every once in a while! It must be good luck for both of us!"

That's when Annette decided to spill the beans, "Gloria's got a meeting with Bede."

With a curious expression, Opal replied, "A meeting? I wasn't made aware of any such thing."

"It's not that, Miss Opal." Gloria explained, "I just wanted to speak with him, that's all." She was starting to feel nervous again. None of the women saw the victorious young trainer passing by and exiting with his newly acquired gym badge.

"I'm still a little confused to be honest." Annette replied.

"What's going on here?"

Bede's voice caught everyone's attention; Gloria's heart immediately leapt. When their eyes met, a look of shock from him was immediate.

"What are you doing here?" He inquired somewhat forcefully.

"Bede!" Opal scolded, "She came all this way to see you and that's how you're going to greet her? How troubling. Maybe I need to adjust that attitude a bit more…"

Gloria saw a hint of fear flash in his eyes. Though she felt incredibly embarrassed herself.

He blurted out, "Ah! No! That's… that's not necessary Ms. Opal."

Opal smiled and relaxed her stance, "Well then, why don't you allow Gloria here to say what she needs to say? Gloria? Go ahead, young lady."

Gloria had never felt so put on the spot in her entire life. Sure, she was used to having multiple eyes on her at once, but this was different. Bede had his arms crossed again; his brows furrowed.
"What is it?" He questioned.

Gloria replied, "Um… well…" Her voice trailed off.

Opal's face lit up, "Ooooh! I understand!" She quickly grabbed Annette's arm and led her out of the room, "Annette my dear, let's focus on some training!"

A few seconds later Opal re-appeared alone with a big smile, "I'm sorry for being so inconsiderate, I didn't realize!"

"Wha… uh…" Bede uttered.

"Good luck, Bede!" She winked, "You two take your time!" After saying that, she giggled and gradually slinked away.

Gloria wanted the ground swallow her right then and there, "This was a mistake…" She thought to herself.

"Let's go outside." Bede stated and began walking without waiting for Gloria to respond. After a moment's hesitation, she followed him outside. He led her to a quiet area, away from anyone's eyes. When he faced her, she noticed something that surprised her.

"Is it me or does he seem more comfortable now? I hope he's not too mad… that was the most embarrassing… geez… I don't want to know what Opal was thinking about."

"So… what did you want to talk about?" His voice was calm without a hint of irritation, contrast to before. This helped Gloria feel more relaxed.

She spoke, "I uh… know you don't care for me too much. But I wanted to know more about you."

Bede's eyes lit up slightly. She swore she saw a bit of a sparkle. He replied, "Huh? You want to…. I… Um, ahem. I'm flattered to have the champion as part of my fan club."

"What? No! That's not it! Are you crazy or something!?" Gloria fired back at Bede's devilish smile.
He chuckled, "I suppose I can humor you for a bit. What do you wish to know?"

Gloria was able to come up with a question quickly, "You've been a gym leader for some time now. How are you liking that so far?"

Bede pondered a bit before answering, "Eh, I'm managing just fine. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy it. But I can't help but feel like I've stagnated."

Gloria was confused, "What do you mean?"

"Well, not that this concerns you. But I don't have much else going on in my life. I suppose you can say my routine has gotten a bit dull. But that's the life I've chosen for myself, so I'm fine with it."

"You're quite busy these days, aren't you?" Gloria observed, "No one said the life of a gym leader was easy."

"Hmph, way to state the obvious Gloria." Bede rolled his eyes before reverting to a more subdued expression, "But… I suppose I'm a bit disappointed in the lack of variety in my schedule…"

Curious, Gloria inquired, "When you aren't at the gym, where do you spend most of your time?"

She noticed his face slightly redden and contort, as if that question had bothered him. He looked away from her and answered, "I just… stay at the gym really. It's not a big deal. It's just what I do."

Gloria took note of his defensive tone and the somewhat embarrassed expression on his face. It made her think, "Ah… it's clear that he doesn't get out much. He seems troubled by that although he's trying to hide it."

She pointed out, "You were at the Isle of Armor the other day."

"Not by choice. Although I did appreciate the free time." Bede replied, "Seeing you there was quite a surprise."

"Well, I wasn't expecting to see you either." Gloria replied, "Sorry if I disappointed you."

Bede raised an eyebrow, "Why would I be disappointed?"

Now it was Gloria's turn to feel a little awkward, she responded, "Well… because I know you kind of hate me."

"I don't!" Bede's sudden objection caught her off-guard. She quickly snapped her gaze to meet his stunned violet eyes. Gloria stood frozen, completely speechless. From the look on his face, she could tell he was surprised at himself.

After an uncomfortably long pause, Bede uttered, "Um… I mean… What I meant to say was, I've been itching to show you the new, stronger me I've become by training on that island!"

"Uh…"

"So don't neglect your training, got it? I want our battle to be worthwhile!" He declared.

Gloria couldn't help but snort, "Okay. Don't worry, I won't.

"Good. I'm glad we're on the same page. Speaking of battles, I must get back to the gym. I've chattered too long with you."

Satisfied, Gloria responded, "Okay Bede. I'll see you later. Don't work too hard, okay?"

Bede sighed, "No guarantees on that. But I appreciate your concern. Now then, I'll be excusing myself."

Gloria watched as he walked past her and disappeared. She couldn't help but smile, "Heh, he doesn't hate me? I'm happy to hear that! He sure acted weird though. What's gotten into him?"

As she thought about that, she summoned a flying taxing to take her to the lab, "I'm gonna tell Professor Sonia how my talk with him went!" She proclaimed to herself as she boarded the taxi.

Once they got to the lab, she excitedly hopped out the taxi and thanked the driver while she was rushing to the door which almost made her run right into it. Quickly correcting herself, she opened the door as nonchalantly as possible and went inside.

"Sonia!" She called out before getting a real look at her surroundings. Because if she had done that, she would've seen Hop close to the door carrying a few books in his arms. Her sudden entry plus her shouting startled him into dropping the books.

"Wah!" He yelped and whirled around. The books hit the ground with a few loud thuds.

"Ah, Hop!" Gloria exclaimed, "You're here!"

He placed a hand on his chest, "Gloria, you gave me a fright mate!

She spoke fast, "Hop! I didn't know you were here! I'm so sorry!"

Hop laughed, "Heheh! Relax mate, no harm done!" He crouched to pick up the books, "You looking for Sonia?"

"Uh… yeah! I am! Is she available?"

Sonia's little Yamper scampered from around the corner and rushed up to Gloria, resting his front paws on her legs, "Yip, yip!"

"Hi Yamper!" Gloria bent forward to pet the small electric type.

"He just had a meal. He's a happy little guy!" Hop mentioned while grinning.

"I can tell!" Gloria replied.

Sonia appeared, "Is everything okay here? I heard something fall."

Hop faced her, "It's fine Professor! Gloria's dropped by for a visit! She really startled me, heheh!"

"Hey Gloria!" Sonia greeted.

"Sonia, I need to talk to you! It's about… you know." She alluded, making Hop confused.

"Huh? Am I missing something here?" Hop inquired.

Sonia's eyes widened with anticipation, "Oh, I see! All right, let's go outside!" She rushed over to Gloria and began guiding her out, "Hop, I'm gonna talk with Gloria outside! I'll be right back, okay?"

"Wait, what are you lot talking about?" He prodded.

Gloria, not wanting to reveal the real reason, blurted out without thinking, "It's that time of the month!" Sonia nearly stumbled from shock but composed herself quickly before getting them both outside and closing the door.

Hop stood frozen, left in the silence and not sure what to say except, "Um… I… okay?" He walked toward the desk to place the books down, shaking his head.

Outside, Gloria felt a little embarrassed at the excuse she gave to Hop. Sonia was having a stiff chuckle at that one, "Well, that certainly threw him off. So… you went and spoke to him? Bede?"

"I did."

Sonia became excited, "How'd it go?"

"It… actually went surprisingly well." Gloria explained, "He acted a bit odd."

"Odd? How so?" Sonia questioned.

Gloria explained exactly how it happened. Sonia nodded as she listened carefully.

"He doesn't hate me at least!" Gloria concluded, "Or at least that's what he said. I believe he's being honest. He's always been that type, you know."

"I'm aware of that." Sonia nodded.

In that moment, Gloria felt like she was being tugged by some intense determination, "I wonder if it would be possible for him and I to become… friends?"

"I suppose it is Gloria. But are you sure about that? Considering the history of you two…" Sonia cautioned.

"I can put that aside…" Gloria assured, "But… I really want to try."

Sonia smiled in assurance, "Well, all right Gloria. Just do your best! To be honest, I wasn't expecting to work out well this first time! So now I'm at a loss for words! Haha!"

"I understand." Gloria chuckled.

"By the way…" Sonia glanced toward the lab door, "Have you told Hop about this?"

"No way!" Gloria asserted, "I can't tell him that! It'd make him feel bad… I think it would."

"I wouldn't keep it a secret." Sonia cautioned, "Hypothetical situation, you and Bede end up friends. He's going to find out."

"I'll cross that bridge when I get to it." Gloria assured, "Don't worry."

Sonia shrugged, "I'll try not to. Okay, I better get back to work. It wouldn't look good to leave it all to Hop, right?"

Gloria smiled, "Okay Sonia, thanks for listening to me."

"No problem! Just… remember what I said, okay?"

"Don't worry, I will!"

After Sonia went back into the lab, Gloria turned to walk back to her house. She needed a quiet space to think of her next course of action. Her bedroom was her favorite spot. It was her private space and she felt most at ease there.

"What's the plan now?" She whispered.


Author's Note: So... this chapter was a bit difficult for me to write if I'm being honest.

But hopefully you all found this humorous nonetheless... I will focus on improvement!

See you all next time!