As the night gave way to morning, the heavily clouded sky became steadily more visible. Inside Gloria's darkened bedroom, the alarm on her rotom phone filled the silent air. Gloria reached for her nightstand to take her phone and silence the alarm.

"Morning already?" Gloria whispered. She steadily pushed the covers off, sat up, and leaned forward while cross-legged to stretch. Alcremie and Indeedee were still snoozing away at the foot of her bed. She gently stirred them awake.

When the two Pokémon rustled out of their slumber, Gloria held up their poke balls, "Let's put you guys back in your poke balls for now." Alcremie and Indeedee displayed curiosity, but they allowed themselves to be recalled.

After staring at the now occupied poke balls for a few seconds, Gloria hopped out of bed. First thing she did was look out her window. It was an overcast day. Several Wooloo skipped across the fields of the town, making happy 'baaing' noises. Gloria smiled at the innocent sight, before turning to leave her room. In the hallway, her nose detected the smell of waffles floating from the kitchen. There her mother was, cooking while humming a tune to herself.

"Mum?" Gloria spoke.

Her mother turned around, "Good morning, Gloria! Won't you have some breakfast before you take off dear?"

Gloria agreed, "Sure thing! It's been a while since we had breakfast together anyway."

Gloria's father popped out of her parent's bedroom. He was dressed in his work attire which consisted of a grey dress shirt and black slacks, "I'm ready for waffles!" He cheerfully declared.

"They're almost ready, darling!" Assured Gloria's mum.

"Good morning, dad." Gloria greeted her father.

He smiled, "Hey Gloria! That was an amazing battle last night. It got me so thrilled! Did you hear me cheering for you?"

Gloria shot back her most impish smile, "Ha! I thought that was you! Are you going to join us for breakfast?"

"Hahaha! I guess my loud voice is hard to miss! I'm so glad you heard!" He stated, "Also, I'm not missing your mother's waffles for anything! Even if it makes me late for work!"

Gloria laughed, "You're so funny, dad. But I'm happy to hear that! You're usually gone by now!"

Her dad took a seat at the table, "Well, that's only because I like being early to work. But I can show up later and it's no big deal."

Gloria also sat down, "Ah, that's good to know."

Mum came over with a stack of hot waffles on a plate, "All right, who's ready for waffles?"

Gloria's dad enthused, "All right! I couldn't wait any longer!"

Gloria took a waffle after her dad got one. While eating, her mind went to the small conversation she had with Bede yesterday. She was still surprised at how that conversation went. For obvious reasons, she was expecting some backhanded compliment or subtle insult. It's what she came to expect from him after all. But instead, he was… kind. At the end of their conversation, there was no hint of malice in him.

"Was it just a fluke?" She thought to herself. She looked down at her plate and noticed she had finished her waffle. Deciding that was enough, she got up to take her plate to the sink.

Mum noticed this and questioned, "Is that all for you Gloria? You usually go for more."

Gloria waved it off, "I'm okay mum. I'm just thinking about a lot. I'm gonna get dressed and head out. I need to take a stroll."

Mum was concerned, but she smiled back, "Okay dear, just don't overdo it. All right?"
In the background, Gloria's father was still enjoying those waffles.

Gloria nodded and went back to her room. Mum watched her until she disappeared and then said to her husband, "Connell? I hope Gloria's all right."

Connell replied, "I noticed she seems a little aloof this morning, Thea. But I'm sure she's just feeling a little overwhelmed from yesterday. So much happened, she just needs to de-stress. You know what I mean?"

Thea nodded, "Yeah, that's probably it. I understand completely. She's only sixteen and she's already accomplished so much."

"We'll always be there for her." Connell assured, "Even if she's a champion, she always has us behind her."

"You're absolutely right." Thea nodded in agreement and sat down at the table to enjoy a waffle herself. She looked toward the hallway, "I hope you're okay, Gloria." She thought to herself.

In her room, Gloria got dressed in her usual attire and checked the weather on her rotom phone. It was going to be a chilly day. Eleven degrees celsius with a northern wind chill. Taking that into consideration, she threw on a pair of navy fleece lined leggings instead of her usual shorter green plaid socks. After checking her appearance in the mirror once more, she grabbed her rucksack and all her Pokémon, then laced up her boots and hurried to head out.

She witnessed her father kissing her mother bye before picking up his work satchel and throwing on a blazer, "See you later Gloria! Have a good day now!" He bid before rushing out the door.

"Bye dad!" Gloria waved at him. She then turned to her mother, "See you, mum!"

"Bye Gloria! Be safe out there!" Thea waved.

She exited her house into the cool, morning air. After watching her father disappear from view, she pulled up her town map from her rotom phone. After mulling it over, she decided, "I think I'll head for the Isle of Armor today."

Calling a flying taxi, she asked the driver to drop her off at the Master Dojo in the Fields of Honor. Within thirty minutes, Gloria had reached the heathered brown sliding doors of the Dojo. However, her intentions were not to go there but into the Soothing Wetlands nearby. As she gazed upon the vast, water-saturated field, memories of her chasing Slowpoke on a bike came to mind. She giggled at the thought.

"That was a fun day." She spoke in a low voice, "I sure hope Avery is doing okay watching them." When she imagined Avery trying to chase after them and struggling to keep up, she giggled again, "Yeah, I bet he's having a real ball right now."

After admiring the calming view for a few moments, she went on ahead. She carefully avoided being spotted by the wandering Bouffalant. At the river dividing the wetlands and the beach leading to the Tower of Waters stood the entrance to the Courageous Cavern. As she watched the entrance, the wind gusted again, making her face cold.

Gloria turned her face away, "That wind chill is no joke." And she entered the cave for shelter. The air of the cave was damp, but it provided relief from the chill. She grabbed her Alcremie's pokeball and sent her out.

"Mi, mi!" The tiny Pokémon voiced. Gloria smiled and picked up her tiny fairy type, "How about we walk around together?"

"Mii!" Alcremie responded.

"All right, let's go!" She continued onward while holding Alcremie in her hands. She could hear the wind howl through the length of the cave.

"Well, we aren't really going anywhere in particular." Gloria whispered to herself, "I just have something on my mind."

That's when she saw him, speak of the devil. It was Bede. Her breath almost caught in her throat when she spotted him standing with his Hatterene at the curve of the rock path. He was faced toward his signature Pokémon, the wind shifting his hair. He noticed his displaced bangs quickly and brushed them back into place.

She continued watching him, their last interaction playing in her mind again. Alcremie looked at her trainer curiously.

"What should I do?" Gloria thought, "Seriously, why the heck is he here now of all times? What kind of crazy coincidence is this? Do I talk to him?"

That question was answered for her. As she finished that thought, he turned and noticed her. Gloria felt her heart leap. She could see surprise registering on his face, and he approached her.

"Bede." She spoke.

He replied, "What are you doing here? Did that old gran make you come stand guard here, too?"

Gloria became confused, "What?"

"March you all the way to the Isle of Armor so you could reach new heights of pink... or whatever?"

She hesitated, "No, I came on my own."

"I see. Off for some training, are you? You and I seem to run into each other in caves a lot, don't we? It must be fate. Not the good kind, mind."

Gloria frowned, "Guess not."

"Just as I thought. What happened yesterday was just a fluke…"

"Well, bye." Gloria muttered, then walked away.

"Mi?" Alcremie chirped.

Gloria didn't say anything. When she returned to the entrance, she gazed up at the overcast sky once more, "I don't know what I was expecting, really."
Alcremie tilted her head.

Gloria headed in the direction of the Forest of Focus, "It's nice and peaceful in the forest, let's go there."

The Forest of Focus. Soothing, still, yet full of life. That's the way Gloria described it. Silence filled the area as Gloria strolled on. The only sounds were the trees producing soft, brushing sounds with the wind. The chill from the air wasn't as piercing as the chill from Bede's cold words.

Gloria sighed, "I… would be lying if I said I wasn't hoping for… I don't know. But I shouldn't be surprised." She looked at Alcremie, "I guess you already knew that was going to happen, huh? After all, you've been on my team for quite a while."

"Mi, mi!" Alcremie responded with a big smile, much to Gloria's bewilderment.

"You're always so positive, aren't you?" She giggled.

Gloria was about to head deeper into the forest when the sounds of footsteps stopped her advance. She immediately turned and was much surprised to see who it was.

"What the…? Bede? He followed me here?"

She found herself face-to-face with the fairy type gym leader once more. If Gloria didn't find herself feeling like she was in a jam before, she sure did now.

"Um…" He spoke, looking away from her, "Hatterene wanted me to find you. I'm not sure why, but she insisted."

Gloria observed Hatterene nodding her head while wearing a mischievous grin.

"Is that so?" She replied, "She's quite a character isn't she?"

He shrugged, "She most certainly can be. Although I'm quite puzzled as to why she wanted me to find you. Considering she seems right at home in places where there aren't many living things about. They spare her the stress of sensing loads of emotions all around her."

Gloria nodded, "I see. Um… Bede?"

"What is it?"

Gloria realized then that she didn't quite know how to continue this conversation. She wanted to ask him why he was kind to her the previous evening. But she realized that inquiring about that would make things even more awkward than they already are.

"I can tell you want to say something." He stated, crossing his arms.

Thankfully, she came up with an idea. She met his piercing gaze, "You've had Hatterene for quite a while. How'd you get her?"

Bede gave a surprised expression at that question. He sighed heavily before answering, "She was given to me by… Chairman Rose." His face showed obvious bitterness uttering that name, but he recovered enough to explain, "We've been through thick and thin together. She's a very important Pokémon to me."

Despite her growing interest, Gloria felt a gnawing at her gut. Because of that, she decided now would be the best time to conclude this stiff interaction.

"That's great that you have her, Bede." Gloria replied, "Anyway, I'd better get going. I'll see you around."

He hesitated before responding, "All right."

Gloria gave him a small, awkward wave before walking away. She whispered to her Alcremie, "Let's go back home. I think I've reached my tension limit for today…" Alcremie responded with quiet, curious eyes.

Once out of the forest, Gloria called a taxi and asked to be taken back to Postwick. On the way home, she noticed Alcremie shivering.

"Oh my, did you get a bit cold?" Gloria asked gently, "Here, let's put you back in your poke ball."

Alcremie nodded before allowing herself to be recalled. Once that was done, Gloria looked out the window of the taxi, "So he got Hatterene from Chairman Rose… well, he's not the Chairman anymore. I can tell that's a really difficult topic for him… considering what he'd done. I know I wouldn't want to speak of him either."

While she was thinking, she realized something.

"Was it me? Or did he seem a bit disappointed that I excused myself?" She shook her head, "No, I'm probably just imagining things…"

Back in Postwick, Gloria hopped out the taxi and said thank you to the driver. When he took off, she looked off toward the horizon and began to slowly drift back into her thoughts.

"Gloria! Hey Gloria!"

The sound of Hop's voice brought her back to the present. She saw him approaching from the direction of the lab, "Hey Hop!"

"Where were you just now?" He inquired energetically, "I saw your mum this morning. When I went to say hello, she told me you were off for a stroll!"

Gloria smiled, "That's because I was. It's okay though Hop, I just needed some scenery therapy. So I went to the Isle of Armor. Did you need anything?"

Again, she wished to keep her interaction with Bede a secret from him.

Hop grinned, "Oh, not really. I was just still feeling REALLY pumped from last nights win! I'm still so excited and I've been thinking about it all morning!"

Gloria laughed, "Haha! I feel that way too, Hop. It's just one of those things!"

"It's made me really want to tackle the books! I've been at the lab since I woke up!"

"Don't overwork yourself, Hop." Gloria advised, "I know Sonia wouldn't let you do that either."

"Nah, she wouldn't!" Hop assured, "Even if I were to insist! As a matter of fact, she's the one that made me go outside!"

Gloria shook her head, "Oh Hop…"

"Anyway, I better get back to the lab. I've got some more reading to do! I hope she'll let me back in, haha!"

"Okay Hop, take care of yourself now!" Gloria waved.

"You too Gloria, be safe in your travels!" He waved back, then left.

After watching him leave, Gloria walked casually toward one of the many grassy fields and took a seat on the grass. She gazed toward the horizon once more, "I'm nervous to think how Hop would react if I told him I wanted to know Bede more."

She felt the wind brush her face, "Yeah, I'll just keep this as my little secret. My attempts at speaking to Bede probably won't amount to much anyway."

Despite Gloria telling herself that, she was dying to know more about him now. Although, how would she speak to him again? What would she say? How would she even meet up with him again? Truly she couldn't rely purely on chance encounters. Also, would he want to see her? Those questions were driving her nuts…

She put her face in her knees, "Why am I doing this to myself?"

Gloria took a deep breath, "Ah, no sense in being a worrywart. I'm gonna go to the Wild Area."

She hopped to her feet and took off, thinking about a curry recipe that's been on her mind for a few days.