The Shield of Galar

A Glimpse of Normalcy

After the incidents involved with the Star Tournament, the four trainers are all ready to use the next few months to just relax and get healthy again.  Unfortunately, it wasn't too many days later that Gloria needed to be present on behalf of the League as Rose was taken by Devon Corp to Hoenn.  All four of them attend, deciding it to be unwise to leave a still-weak Gloria to her own devices with the man who she blames for all the recent events.

The group of people attending isn't large, with only ten people in total at the airport in Wyndon.  Seven of them from Galar, three from Hoenn. 

"We'll make sure he is well guarded," The Hoenn Champion Wally assures Gloria.  "Back when I was first training for the League, Team Magma took over the spaceport, so we will make sure any other potential team leaders aren't doing something similar. 

"I appreciate the assurance," She responds and looks over toward the man who has caused so much trouble in her life.  He is talking with the CEO of Devon Corp, who was an ex-champion himself. 

"Oh, by the way, I have something for you," The green-haired Champion says, and hands her a card from her mother.  "She has been helping out the League with some stuff, and heard I was flying to Galar.  Figured it wouldn't hurt to be a delivery boy," he chuckles as Gloria takes the card from him.  She glances it over before putting it in her pocket.

"Thank you," she smiles and shakes his hand before walking over toward Rose.  Bea puts a hand on her shoulder to stop her before she gets too far.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Bea asks.

"I have to," the Champion responds before finishing her trek over.

Rose stops his conversation with the blue-haired former champion once he notices Gloria in his peripherals.  He, with a hand in his pocket, takes the few steps over to her.

"Come to say goodbye?" he chuckles, running his free hand through his bangs.

"More like good riddance," she retorts.  She then shakes her head and smiles.  "You know, I thought I would be happy to see you go," she pauses and takes in the look on Rose's face at her comment.  His head is tilted, and he has an eyebrow raised, so she continues.  "Instead, I feel nothing.  You have caused such pain in my life, and to the people around me, and yet I find myself almost pitying how pathetic your existence must be that you found yourself threatened by a bunch of women in their twenties.  Nobody here will miss you, and the only person who might of, you have scorned far too many times," She pauses again and takes a deep breath, deciding that she doesn't need to see how he reacts, she continues.  "So honestly, I wish you the best and hope whatever you have been missing in your life that has led you to the decisions you made, that you find it abroad"

Gloria doesn't even linger long enough for him to respond but instead walks over to the Devon Corp CEO and pulls a pokeball off her sash.  "You take good care of them.  They might have caused trouble here, but they have been my friend for several years now," she states before giving him the ball Eternatus is in.

"You have my word, young lady," he responds, bowing his head before gesturing to everybody that it was time to go. 

Taking another deep breath, Gloria walks over to Oleana who has been standing away from the rest of the crowd the entire time.  Her eyes have remained transfixed on Rose but she has made no move to go confront him at all. 

"You sure you don't want to say anything before he goes?" Gloria asks.  "You may never see him again,"

"I spent my life working for him, helping him...loving him," she sighs, a tear forming at the corner of her right eye,  "But to him, I was a tool, likely his most reliable one. For years, I was fine with that, but now..." She trails off again as the former Chairman steps on the plane, and out of their lives.  "Now I know I deserve better than that, and I am going to work toward making my goals come true,"