Chapter Text
Gloria might have underestimated how hard it was to be Champion. It felt like there was constantly a heavy weight on her shoulders, but thankfully, it wasn’t a cape – no way she was wearing that fur rug Leon used to wear.
Everyone called her Champion now. Not Gloria. Like when she healed up her Leafeon at the PokeCenter. No ‘Hey Gloria? How’s Leafeon going?’
Instead, ‘Champion!! How nice to see you! Can I assist you?,’ followed by a whole lot of people begging for autographs. It had been nice the first few weeks of being Champion, but two years later and it was starting to get a little tiring. She just wanted people to call her by her name – not some title. It completely changed everyone’s perspective of her! She couldn’t walk around anymore without people casting excited glances at her.
Now, if she wanted to walk outside without being recognised, she had to go in a hoodie and pull it up over her head and she couldn’t take her Leafeon out in case anyone recognized it.
The only person that made her tiredness evaporate like water in the desert was a certain, annoying, lovable, purple-haired boy. With amber eyes.
Hop.
Stupid name, yes, she knew. Who names their first kid Leon, and then names the second one Hop? But he was her best friend, and the only one who made her forget about the interviews, the constant audience, the trainers coming to the stadium. Unfortunately, with the very VERY busy schedule Gloria had, she barely got to go visit him in Wedgehurst, as an apprentice to Sonia.
Which was sad. And every time he called, she could barely stay on the line before getting called for something else.
It felt like their bond they’d made over the years was slowly breaking. Chipping, fracturing. Slipping through her fingers like sand. And she couldn't let that happen.
Another reason it she missed visiting him was maybe – just possibly because she liked him.
Like. Like like. Like not just like, but like-
Are you getting the point?
He was so kind. He'd been there for her forever. Since they were kids playing around with plushies, watching his brother's battles on the TV. His hair was just so nice and he was so…dumb? Not in a mean way. He was a genius. Way smarter than her, with all the science stuff. But he was the most oblivious person she’d ever encountered. Ever.
You know, she’d tried dropping hints. Tried jokingly confessing. “Hey Hop, I got you a present!” Said that on Valentines day.
It was chocolate.
He’d been so happy – they were super cute Wooloo shaped ones, and he’d given her a hug. Gloria had thought he’d finally caught the hint.
Surprise!
He didn’t. Hop had said “Aw thanks Gloria! You’re such a nice friend.” She had felt like he’d punched a massive Wooloo shaped space in her heart.
She’d even asked him, “Do you know what day it is?”
Hop had given her a confused look and said: “Yeah, Tuesday.”
This boy. Honestly, sometimes Gloria questioned why she had feelings for the moron. “No, but the date.” She had protested.
“14th of February. Why? Is it a special day?” He’d asked, with such innocence in his eyes. With a mouth full of chocolate which made him look annoyingly cute and less punchable, which annoyed her even more.
HOW COULD SHE BE CLEARER THAN THAT???
She had walked out of the laboratory.
A couple weeks later and it was another day of battles.
Hop had come to watch the battle against a trainer – another one that Luna, her Umbreon had absolutely annihilated – she would have to remember to give her extra poképuffs later.
It was over in a few minutes, and the trainer receded back. Once the people had moved out, she saw a blur of purple running over. Arms wrapped around her.
“Nice job Gloria! That was so good!!”
Gloria. Not Champion, Miss, Lady. Just Gloria.
She hugged Hop back. “Thanks, Hop.” She pulled away from the hug to see his sparkling amber eyes – god he was adorable.
“How’s your research going?” She questioned as they walked out of the stadium. He had his signature jacket on, cuffs rolled up.
“It’s incredible.” He bounced as they walked around the streets outside of Wyndon stadium. “We just found out about how heat could be linked to evolution speed! Depending on the type of pokémon, the temperature could affect how fast they evolve!!”
“Wow.” His excitement was infectious. Gloria wished she could say she was focusing on his chatter and rambles, but she was looking at his smile. His Lucario walked ahead of them, playing with her Jolteon.
Have you ever met someone that was sunshine personified? That was Hop. His smile could light up a city.
It was only then she realised he was waving a hand in front of her face. “Uh, hello?? Gloria!”
“Uh huh?” She said intelligently.
He frowned. “Were you listening to what I was saying?”
“Yeah. Something about…research.” She gestured with her hands.
Hop looked at her with concern. “Are you okay? You seem a lot more tired these days.”
Yeah. I’m exhausted. I’m also hopelessly in love with you and have been for 5 years. I just want to go to sleep and lean on your shoulder while you do your science stuff.
She shoved that idea out of her head, because holy damn that was not a thing to be thinking about. She really hoped her cheeks weren’t red.
“Nah, I’m okay.”
Lucario turned around and let out a disapproving sound.
Hop looked at her deadpan. “You know Lucario can sense when people are lying right?”
Shit.
“I’m fine, really.”
Lucario grumbled.
“Gloria, please. You know you can tell me anything, right?” Hop pleaded, stopping and turning to her. “What’s going on?”
“It’s just...Hard. Things are hard.”
He hugged her again, and pulled back, looking at her with so much concern she nearly combusted on the spot with gratefulness.
“Tell me what’s happening.”
A few hours later, and they were in the wild area, sitting on a meadow and she was spilling out her whole heart to the purple haired boy. Spots of colour bloomed all over the grass, their pokemon playing in the water.
“It’s just so hard! Everyone expects me to be the best and to have all the answers when I don’t.” Gloria flopped back onto the grass, defeated. She mutilated a few innocent strands of grass. “I almost want things to go back to the way they were before. The only person I can be completely myself is with you.” She watched a cloud go by. “Thanks for listening to my shit, by the way.”
“Gloria. I’m always here for you. You don’t have to be the Champion when you’re here with me. Just be you.”
“Thank you.”
Hop lay down next to her, intertwining their pinkies. “Best friends forever, right?” He beamed. “Pinky promise.”
“Pinky promise,” she agreed, smiling. He put his arm behind his head, looking up at the endless blue sky for miles, clouds like fluffy cushions in the sky.
“Hey, that one looks like a Piplup.”
She squinted at it, the cool grass refreshing on her neck. “How?”
He pointed into the sky to a big cloud. “See? That one.” Concentrating, she tried to see it. Where would the head go, tail etc.
“Where??” She asked incredulously, laughing slightly.
“There! See, that’s the head, and the body.”
“I don’t see it,” she complained. Hop rolled his eyes fondly, then grabbed her hand and pointed for her. The warmth of his hand made heat bloom in her cheeks. She could not focus on the clouds.
“Do you see now?”
Oh wait, there was the Piplup.
“Yeah.”
The warmth of his hand vanished, and she immediately wished for it back.
They continued pointing out clouds, while their pokemon played joyously, yapping and making noises, playfully blasting the other with moves.
When his Inteleon blasted her Leafeon with water, Leafeon was pissed. It squealed and used razor leaves to hammer Inteleon. They both burst into laughter at the silly ordeal.
Why was he so damn cute?? It was illegal, surely.
As she looked into Hop’s eyes, and his wide smiling face, and noted the dimple he had-
Wow. She was down bad for this boy.
And she needed help.