Chapter Text
With a satisfied stretch, Gloria leaned back on the tree stump she sat on. Her campfire was crackling merrily, her Pokémon had all been fed, and the evening training was done, so it was time to enjoy a mug of tea. This Trainer stuff was easy.
Of course, she hadn’t even fought her first Gym Leader yet, so she hadn’t really battled anyone but Hop and some wild Pokémon, but still. She’d managed to catch at least a Rookidee and a Growlithe, who would probably be able to do some good work against the Grass-types of the first Gym in Turffield, which she’d probably reach in a few days or so. She wasn’t in any particular hurry, anyway, and though it was already dark and it was a clear evening, the temperature was still pleasant. She was camped just off the road beyond a small forest and had a great view over the rocky path ahead.
There was a rustle behind her as someone emerged from the trees, and Gloria turned around, a bit worried that someone was approaching her camp at this time of night. She was relieved to see, however, that she knew the person coming toward her. Or, well, they’d met once, anyway.
“Marnie!” she said, raising her hand in greeting.
“Hey,” Marnie replied, her expression as neutral as it had been when Gloria first met her in the Budew Drop Inn. “You’re Gloria, right? Weird question: can I hide in your tent for a moment? I’m tryin’ to avoid some people.”
Of all the reasons Gloria would’ve figured Marnie dropped by her camp, that wasn’t one of them, but she said, “Yeah, sure.” She gestured to her tent, pitched a short distance away. “Help yourself.”
“Thanks.”
Marnie quickly went into the tent and zipped it up.
Gloria wondered who she’d be hiding from, since it didn’t look like she was in any danger, or anything.
A minute or so later, though, she got her answer. Three guys clad in leather vests, wearing spiked bracelets and magenta face paint emerged from the forest, and Gloria remembered that she had battled some people: these guys. What did they call themselves again? Team Yell, or something?
“Hey, you,” the guy in the front said. “Did you see a girl come by here?”
Gloria shook her head. “Nope. I was enjoying a peaceful night until you guys showed up,” she said.
“She must’ve come by here; there ain’t any other paths,” one of the other guys said.
Gloria shrugged. “What do you want me to say? ‘Sure, I’ve got her hiding in my tent’? I didn’t see her, it’s as simple as that.”
The lead guy’s eyes narrowed. “Hey, ain’t you one of those Gym Challengers?” he asked.
“Weren’t you looking for someone?” Gloria asked in an annoyed tone. “Look, guys, if you don’t mind, I’d really like to just relax for a bit, okay? If whoever you’re looking for drops by here I’ll tell her you were looking for her, but if you’d be so kind…” She made a ‘go away’ gesture with both her hands.
“Alright, we’ll keep lookin’,” the lead guy said. He turned around and walked away, beckoning the other two to follow him. “Come on, you lot.”
Gloria watched them set off down the path. After waiting about a minute or two, she said, “Hey, I think you can come out now.”
Marnie zipped open the tent and crawled out. “Thanks,” she said. “But why’d you tell them you were hidin’ me in your tent?!”
“Oh, relax,” Gloria said dismissively. “It’s not like I’d actually let them look.” She grinned. “I should’ve told them they were free to check but that all they’d see was a pile of underwear.”
“C’mon, they’re not pervs,” Marnie said with a shake of her head.
“I know, that’s why it would’ve been fun to see how they’d have reacted,” Gloria said, still grinning.
“Well, anyway, I’d better be goin’,” Marnie said.
“Go where?” Gloria asked. “I mean, your fan club went towards Turffield, so unless you want to risk running into them again, you’re either going back where you came from or just the wrong way entirely, if you’re doing the Gym Challenge too. Here, I know, just stay here for a bit, have some tea. I’ve got enough in the pot and I know I brought an extra mug…”
Marnie seemed to hesitate for a moment — it was a bit hard to read her expression — but then she said, “Got any sugar?”
Gloria smiled widely and said, “‘Course I do! Can’t have tea without sugar! Well, I can’t, anyway. Would’ve loved to have some milk too but I don’t exactly have a fridge, so…”
She scooted over on the stump she sat on to make some space and dug in her backpack for an extra mug, which she quickly found. She handed it and a teabag to Marnie, waved her hand at the dented kettle close to the campfire, and said, “Help yourself. I’ll dig up the sugar and a spoon in the meantime…”
A few moments later, Marnie sat next to Gloria holding her own mug of tea, into which she’d put even more sugar than Gloria had put in hers.
“Thanks,” Marnie said quietly, followed a moment later by, “Again.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Gloria said. “Hey, why were you hiding from those guys at all, anyway? Weren’t they your fan club, or something?”
“They are,” Marnie said. “But this lot’s…a bit too supportive. Don’ get me wrong, I really appreciate Team Yell supportin’ me and all, but some of ‘em…well, you saw them in Motostoke. These guys’d cheer me on for takin’ a leak, almost.”
“I thought you said they weren’t pervs,” Gloria said teasingly.
“It was just an example!” Marnie said, and in the light of the fire Gloria could see that she was a bit embarrassed.
“Just screwing with you,” Gloria said soothingly. “I can get why you’d get a bit tired of people cheering on your every move. Although I bet Hop would love the attention.”
“He’s that friend of yours, right?” Marnie asked, clearly glad for the change of subject.
Gloria nodded. “Yep. We’ve been friends for ages. His brother Leon’s the Champion, and Hop got him to give us Pokémon and endorse us for the Gym Challenge, so…here I am,” she said.
“You’re just doin’ it because your friend is?” Marnie asked.
“Kind of, I guess?” Gloria replied with a shrug. “I mean, I never really knew what I wanted to do, but Hop always wanted to outshine his brother, so when he got us a chance to go on this adventure, I figured why not? What about you, then?”
“Ever heard of Spikemuth?” Marnie asked.
“Vaguely. That’s that small town east of Hammerlocke, right?” Gloria asked.
Marnie nodded. “That’s the one. My bro Piers is the Gym Leader there, but it’s not near any Power Spots, so you can’t Dynamax there, and it’s the least popular Gym because of it. I wanna show everyone that there’s strong Trainers there, too, and I’m gonna do it by completin’ the Gym Challenge and winnin’ the Champion Cup.”
“Ah, man, you’re probably thinking I’m not taking this seriously at all then, huh?” Gloria asked with a wince. She suddenly felt extremely inadequate and she nervously shifted her feet. “What with me just doing this for fun and everything.”
Marnie looked at her sideways, and again it was hard for Gloria to read her expression. Unlike before, it was now making her a bit nervous, though she tried not to show it.
“I don’t know you well enough to know if you’re takin’ it seriously,” she said. “Guess I’ll find out once you collect some badges.” She stared at her tea. “I should probably down this and get movin’…” she said.
“Just pitch your tent here,” Gloria said with a shrug that wasn’t quite as casual as she wanted it to be. “Or don’t bother and throw your sleeping bag in mine, whatever. I doubt you’ll be traveling far tonight anyway. I’m not sure what time it is, exactly, but it isn’t early. Hey, why don’t we just travel together for a bit?” she asked.
The idea just popped into her mind, and despite Marnie saying she didn’t know Gloria well enough to know if she was taking her challenge seriously, Gloria was still bothered by the idea that Marnie might be thinking she was some jobber to shill Hop, or something. She’d beaten Hop in their battle, after all, but of course Marnie wouldn’t know that.
“I mean, we’re both heading to Turffield, right?”
“We’re rivals in the challenge, though, aren’t we?” Marnie asked.
“Are we, though? We don’t officially face off against each other until the Champion Cup, right?” Gloria asked. She was determined now, determined to make Marnie see she was a strong Trainer too. A part of her wondered why, because she’d never felt that way around Hop, but of course she’d known him for most of her life; she didn’t need to prove herself to him.
“I guess it’d be fine,” Marnie said after moment’s consideration, and Gloria had to stop herself from pumping her fist.
“Awesome!” she said instead. “It’ll be fun!”
She smiled at Marnie, and, though it might have been her imagination, she could swear she saw the corner of her mouth go up a bit.
They finished their tea in silence, and then Marnie said, “You said I could just throw my sleeping bag in your tent, right? I can’t be bothered to put mine up now…”
Gloria nodded. “Yeah, it’s supposed to be a two-person tent anyway, so it should fit just fine. Guess lugging that thing around comes in handy after all,” she said. “Just shove my stuff to the side. I’m gonna go brush my teeth and stuff.”
They both got up, and Gloria went to clean out the mugs and brush her teeth in the nearby stream while Marnie prepared her sleeping bag. Gloria wondered why she’d so readily suggested that she and Marnie should travel together. It wasn’t like she knew her very well, or anything, so why did it even matter if Marnie took her seriously as a Trainer? She didn’t seem like the kind of person to look down on people, despite the whole cool and aloof vibe she had going on.
She was certainly nice enough to talk to, yes, but Gloria hadn’t even suggested traveling together with Hop, even though they’d been friends for ages. Although Hop would probably want to blaze through the challenge as quickly as possible, while Gloria intended to really make the most out of the journey. If she’d start to run low on time she could always take public transport to get to all the Gyms in time, anyway. And yet, despite having met Marnie all of two times, Gloria wanted her to like her, or at least acknowledge her as a fellow challenger. Well, whatever, it would probably turn out fine.
A short time later, Gloria entered her tent as well. Marnie was reading something on her phone, and apparently listening to music through her earbuds, because she was rhythmically bobbing her head. She looked up at Gloria and said, “You bothered if I keep readin’ for a bit?”
Gloria shook her head. “Nah, go right ahead. I can sleep like the dead. Just don’t go calling the coroner on me.”
She settled herself down in her sleeping bag as well and said, “By the way, what time do you want to get up? I usually just set the alarm at nine or something.”
Marnie shrugged. “Nine’s fine,” she said.
Gloria gave her a thumbs up, put her phone down, and flicked off the lantern that hung from the top of the tent, leaving it only illuminated by the light from Marnie’s phone screen. “Alright, then. Good night,” Gloria said.
“G’night,” Marnie replied. “And…thanks. For lettin’ me share the tent and all. I’ve been thankin’ you a lot tonight,” she said.
“‘S fine…” Gloria mumbled, already half-asleep. She smiled faintly just before she fell asleep completely. This was going to be a fun adventure.