Say That You Need Me - Hop x Gloria

Chapter 9

A/N - 438 reads?! When the hell did that happen? Thanks again, enjoy the (short) chapter :)

"Champion Gloria, please stay still so I can do your mascara."

Today was debatably the most terrible part of the gym challenge - the magazine shoot. All the gym leaders came to do a massive photoshoot for the magazines all over the world. There would be group shots, solo shots for billboards, and numerous others she didn't care to remember, all that mattered is that it was awful.

"Honestly, Gloria, I don't see what's so bad about being pampered for just one day," Marnie said, closing her eyes when the makeup artist spritzed long-hold setting spray over her look. Gloria stifled a chuckle at the expression on her face before doing the same.

The two girls stood up and exited the ladies changing rooms, walking down to the main room where Bede should be waiting. Marnie's dark-type outfit was fitted to perfection, catering to her every movement and showing off her gentle curves trailing all the way down to her platform boots. Gloria's cape weighed heavily on her shoulders, draped over an elbow-length sleeve variety of her champion shirt, which had been altered in the back to hug her frail frame before being tucked into her short-shorts. She wore knee-high socks with a patterned edge inside her wedge sport boots.

"Look at you two all dressed up!" Raihan said teasingly, ruffling their hair with his hands. "Your pretty pink princess is sulking next to the vending machine over there, if you haven't already noticed. The group shot is in 10 minutes, so get to work on un-sulking him," he said with a wink, gently pushing them towards the vending machine in question.

Bede's shawl ruffled in the light breeze from the vent over his head. It was light pink and light blue, similar to the wings of a pastel Butterfree, if they were real. Light grey pants peeked out at the bottom, a matching grey shirt on his crossed arms. His hair looked almost normal, but it had some products in it so it wouldn't cause a glare when the flash went off. He was only wearing a light concealer, similar to that of the other male gym leaders, but it infuriated him in particular that they had to keep touching up throughout the day.

"Hello, ladies," he grumbled, standing up straight to face them. "Isn't this thrilling?"

"Don't be a prat," Marnie said with a disapproving frown. "Someone else around here has to like the attention besides me, right?"

"It's only because we're the most popular kids in Galar. Sometimes I just want to be like everyone else. Not some chosen one bullshit," Gloria said, earning a genuine laugh from Bede.

"She's right. Everyone else was allowed to do their own makeup and choose their own outfits but here we are, being treated like children and expected to do the jobs of adults."

Marnie tapped her foot on the floor while she pondered a response. Gloria and Bede played a few games of sticks (Bede won twice and Gloria won once), and got pestered by a worker for making Bede crease his outfit before it was aggressively steamed to flat perfection.

The PA system beeped to life, transmitting a highly anticipated message, "All Gym Leaders get onto the platform, Champion and Chairman should be on call." Marnie took Bede's hesitant hand in her own and dragged him away, Bede catching the neckline of Gloria's cape on his way out and taking her along for the ride. 

Gloria stood off to the side while an attendant posed the gym leaders from shortest on the ends to tallest in the middle, much to Raihan's pleasure. Leon tiptoed up behind her, dressed in his battle tower outfit and put an arm around her shoulder for a side hug, willing himself not to pull away while her bony shoulder pressed into his hand. Upon closer inspection, you could see her ribs through her shirt, and her vertebra were poking out of her back. Concern welled up inside him. This was HIS Gloria we're talking about, practically the little sister he never had. He made note to bring up the subject gently later. 

He gave her a reassuring smile and straightened her hat while the gym leaders were rearranged so Gloria and Leon would be in the middle. The ladies were on one knee in the front, the guys standing in the back with Gloria kneeling on both knees in the middle and Leon standing behind her with Raihan's arm sneaking around his waist. "Everyone smile!" After 30 more seconds of photos, and another 5 minutes of going through them and picking the best, the gym leaders exited leaving Gloria and Leon on the stage-like setup. 

The head of the photography team came up to them while hair and makeup fixed their long hair. "Alright, Leon, hold your hat in front of your face and Gloria, balance this premier ball on your finger," he said, handing her a premier ball and angling them so their backs were towards each other.

Everyone knew how Gloria felt about photoshoots. Bored, and displeased. Raihan, being the way he is, was making the most ridiculous faces and jumping around behind the camera to try and get her to crack. Gloria was trembling from how hard she was trying not to laugh, getting a puzzled eyebrow raise from Leon.

"Champion, is something wrong? Please try to be professional for us." She nodded and balanced the premier ball on her finger as they lined up to take the shot.

Gloria couldn't take it anymore when Raihan started mocking the photography director, miming his hand and mouth movements. She put her hands on her knees and laughed so hard her stomach started to ache right as the camera started taking a photo burst. Gloria looked up with tears in her eyes to see Bede passing money to a very smug-looking Marnie, which sent her into a further fit of laughter. Leon followed her gaze, and when it fell on Raihan he put his hat in front of his furiously blushing face. She gripped his arm and laughed for just a little while longer while the photography director sighed and rolled his eyes at her actions.

"Sorry, I don't know what came over me. Just a little tired, I suppose."

Leon stepped down off the stand and examined the photos from the camera, deleting the bad ones as he saw them and stopping with a satisfied expression on his face. He beckoned for the rest of them to look at the picture as he opened it on the big screen. Gloria was smiling, genuinely smiling, pokeball falling out of her hand as she looked off into the background at Raihan while Leon's suppressed smile creeped onto his face. 

Their steely professionalism was nowhere to be found. She was 16, he was barely 25. The fate of their region was resting on their shoulders, and she wasn't even old enough to register for her own passport. Nessa creeped up to the camera and shooed the staff away. Raihan picked Leon up and ran up to the stage, both of them smiling as the picture was taken, running off and trying to convince others to do the same.

Bede took a deep breath and tied his shawl-jacket around his waist before taking Marnie's and Gloria's hands. He brought them both to the stage, putting an arm around each of them and pulling them close. This may be the only league photo where he was actually smiling. Not smirking. A soft, genuine smile that spread across his face and could be seen in shining his eyes. The little camera crew that had been there just sat back and watched while Nessa and Milo ran the show. All of them had sold their innocent youth for their dreams. For today, even if it was just for an hour, they could act their age with no consequences. And it was beautiful.