The Shield of Galar

The Cost of Fame

Frustration drives Gloria forward as she leaves Turffield behind. The conversation with Milo, especially his last words, ring in her mind as she activates the charge Rotom has stored in order to power her even faster forward.

When going through the Gym Challenge, she had made lots of friends. Sonia, Marnie, Avery, Klara, most the Gym Leaders, and to a point, Bede. After being crowned Champion, she figured it would allow her to further those friendships, while hopefully making more.

Despite her hope, she actually found the opposite to be true. At first, she didn't even realize it, and was just happy to help out her fellow League members. They would call, asking for her influence, either as the Champion, or as an assistant to Leon in the rebuilding of Macro Cosmos, and for years, she would happily surrender her time to help out any and all of them.

The breaking point came shortly before she moved two years ago. Gloria and Leon were spending a lot of time together, between the Battle Tower, the League, Galarian Star, or even normal Tourneys, and they got close. Probably closer than she would like to admit. They had been close for about a year, making sure that anything and everything non-business, was kept a secret from everybody. At least, until the leak.

How it reached the papers was anybody's guess, but all of Galar knew within an hour of the picture going public. The picture itself was little more than them holding hands, but it was enough for everybody in the region to hop on board and talk about how the old and new Champions were a "thing"

Then Leon's big announcement. She remembers it clearly, him standing in front of the Battle Tower with every important news outlet there. A smile on his face he proudly announces "People of Galar, rumors have been spreading across our region, and I am here to tell you the truth of the matter. Gloria and I work very closely together on many projects, both personal and for Galar on the whole. People seem to believe that this means the two of us are in a relationship," Leon clears his throat, as every single person in the crowd waits with bated breath. "Well allow me to squash that idea completely, " A groan of disappointment soars through the group of people who have lost their fire to continue. "Allow me to be clear, Gloria and I are very good friends and co-workers. But we aren't, weren't and never will be a 'thing'"

Having heard that, Gloria's heart shattered. It had been the single most painful thing that had happened in her life. It felt as though pawniards were slowly sliding their bladed hands into her chest, all while simultaneously multiple other pokemon used explosion from within.

There were only three people who didn't believe the announcement on the news. The first of which was Hop, who was hurt from having been lied to. Feeling betrayed, he went to go study with another student under Prof. Juniper in Unova.

The second was her mother, who though hurt, felt far worse for her daughter. Not only did she feel guilty for not being able to help, but for forcing the situation of a move on Gloria so that she could head south to Kalos for a job opportunity.

That left Marnie, who having recently been demoted to the minors after an abysmal performance in the prelims, was also quite down. The two found solace in each other, be it due to their shared misery, or their actual feelings for each other.

It had been Marnie who taught Gloria to stand up for herself, and to stop being walked over by her supposed friends. So with a new best buddy at her side, Gloria reinvented herself, and threw away the naïve attitude that resulted in her broken heart in the first place.

For the next year or so, the two were rarely seen without the other. Of course, the inevitable happened with the headline "Champion Choosing Favorites?"

The paper read about how Gloria was choosing favorites, and trying to use her influence to get Marnie back into the Majors and recertify her gym in Spikemuth. This action of course was very frowned upon, and the lectures she got were endless. First Oleana, then Rose, and finally Leon. All of them said the same thing about keeping the credibility of the League.

When she went to go talk with her friend, the sullen face and puffed cheeks made it obvious that the torment had been shared. Saving Gloria the pain of having to talk about how they need to see each other less, Marnie said

"I think, I am going to head out to different regions in order to train a bit," Marnie explained, her eyes glistening a bit as she talks. "If I am ever going to get out of this funk and return Spikemuth to it's natural place in the Gym Challenge, I think I need to step away,"

"You're not just doing this because of the papers and well, them, right?" Gloria had asked.

"Nah, they don't bother me, and don't let them bother you," Marnie and Gloria both shared a hug, and Gloria slipped the only copy of her Rare League Card into Marnie's jacket pocket as a token of good luck.

With a blush on both their faces they leaned in and...

Gloria stops on her bike as she replays the memory again. Maybe she is just remembering wrong, since nothing ever happened between them. Or maybe...

A tear rolls it's way down her cheek, which she promptly wipes away. Shaking her head she loudly announces

"No," though there is nobody around her besides the wooloo grazing in the nearby pastures. Putting her feet back to the pedals, she continues her trek home, remembering how different Marnie had looked after a year abroad.

Her normally pasty skin was an almost brownish color, and she joked about how she didn't even know it has been possible for her to tan. They talked the night away, though Marnie had not been her usual self. Typically she was out going and loud, regardless of their surroundings. Yet she was much more reserved that night, and would even pause her far more interesting stories just to listen to Gloria rant about how things had been going here.

Gloria just summed it up to the trip resulting in a change in her friend. Though now it seems, it may have just been so that Marnie could ease her way into using Gloria's influence.

Before the frustration can resettle, it is replaced by a different brand of it. Reporters lined up filming her legendaries wandering around the back, each waiting to ambush her. This always happened when she went out. None of them were brave enough to just brazenly approach when she was home, but while the property was empty. Well, that's an entirely different beast.

Having now noticed her, the reporters start to block her pathway to her house bombarding her with questions.

"When's your next big interview," "Who will you battle in the Star Tournament with?" "Are there any young trainers you may endorse this year?" "Do you have anybody special in your life?"

All these questions fly at her simultaneously from multiple angles. She has heard every single one of these a million times before, though she has gotten much better at ignoring them. Hoping off her bike, she gives her bike bell a ring, slowly heading toward her front door as the crowd migrates with her. After a few moments the beating wings of Gawain and Hamilton can be heard, and each land on either side of her door.

Upon hearing them land, the questions halt just long enough for Gloria to escape to the safety of her stoop.

"Champion, please won't you answer any questions?" a reporter pleads as Gloria gives both the Corviknight and the Charizard, who had been a gift from Leon, a quick pat on the head.

"If you all want to set up a time to talk to me, then go ahead," Gloria barks. "But this is my home, my private domain, and all of you are trespassing. Since you can not give me the simple decency of allowing me some privacy, then I won't grace you with the answers to questions you so desperately want to ask," with that she opens her door and steps inside before slamming it shut behind her.

Once inside she takes a few steps in and begins flailing and cursing. Once that hit the air, her Rotom Phone would be blowing up about how bad for press that was, and how unmarketable that personality is. Taking off her shoes, she hums them across the room before grabbing a pillow and yelling loudly into it. Her muffled screams still echo through the house a bit.

With that out of her system, she takes a deep breath and lets the three Pokémon she took with her to go join their companions outside. With that she sits down, and prepares for the worst.