#I like how I didn't have time for bederia week

[aurantia-ignis]

53 Bederia?

It was all because of that blasted photoshoot.

The day had started normally enough. With the Gym Circuit was currently closed, Bede spent the morning training in Ballonlea Gym. In the afternoon, he headed over to the Battle Tower in Wyndon for a quick sparring session. 

Originally, Leon had requested it as a favour, to keep the wits of his tower trainers sharp, he said. But Bede found that he liked the chance to fight without the limits of the Fairy Gym, especially since it allowed him to use Reuniclus and Gothitelle again, so he started visiting at least once a month. 

Today had been a good day, with him perfecting a new combination attack between Rapidash and Gothitelle. He cleared his battles, healed his Pokemon, and prepared to head back to Ballonlea for dinner.

Only to come dashing back through the staff entrance of the Battle Tower, because—-

“OVER THERE!! HE’S COMING OUT!!!“ 

"BEDE!! LEADER BEDE!!!”

“OH MY GOSH IT’S HIM!!”

“PLEASE CAN I HAVE YOUR AUTOGRAPH??" 

"CAN I HAVE YOUR SHIRT??”

“LEADER BEDE!! MARRY ME!!!”

What was that crowd of girls screaming his name doing outside?

Bede knew he was fairly popular, enough to be recognised on the streets by aspiring trainers and gym challengers, or lovers of Fairy Pokemon. But this level of reaction was usually reserved for people like Leon, or Raihan, or Nessa. 

Not him.

He ought to be flattered. But while a part of him did feel pleased, the other part had been stunned at the size of the crowd. The two seconds he spent at the door was enough for him to catch sight of a line of security guards struggling to keep them from rushing into the tower.

It was, frankly speaking, terrifying.

“Bede? Is… something wrong?”

Bede froze, then closed his eyes. Of course, she would be there today of all days. Slowly, he turned around.

Gloria was standing just outside the door to the ladies’ locker room. She was dressed in casual clothes, with a fluffy white sweater over her dress. Her soft brown hair looked damp, as if she had just come out of the shower. 

His heart did that stupid jumping thing it always does nowadays at the sight of her. Angrily, Bede drew himself up and folded his arms. 

“Oh, it’s… nothing. Just a group of enthusiastic fangirls,” he said with a careless laugh. “You know how it is. People are dazzled by our magnificent battle skills.”

“But… Wouldn’t they normally look for you at Ballonlea Gym?” Gloria asked. 

Bede frowned. She had a point. He didn’t advertise his visits to Wyndon Tower, after all. 

“They’ve been there for the last hour or so,” one of the Tower staff chimed in helpfully from behind the counter. “Apparently, someone saw you enter the tower earlier, and tweeted it, so they all gathered outside to wait for you.”

That would explain half of the mystery. “But… why, all of a sudden?” he muttered. 

“I think this might be the cause.” Gloria had taken out her Rotom phone, and was staring intently at it. She held it out to Bede. On the screen was a digital edition of the latest InStyle Galar magazine, just released several hours ago.

And his face was on the cover.

For the longest time, Opal had refused to let Bede do a proper shoot, despite the many sponsors that sent them requests. Ballonlea’s Gym Leader was an artist, she proclaimed, and something as mundane as product advertisement was far beneath him. 

Not that he didn’t get any photos taken. Bede posed dutifully for magazine interviews, the way Opal trained him to. Dressed in his gym uniform, with Hatterene beside him, and a charismatic smile upon his face. 

But he didn’t do a full photoshoot until two months ago, when Opal’s Kalosian friend Valerie came to visit, and designed a whole set of fairy-themed clothes for Bede to wear. So he went through nearly 20 glittery outfits, and posed with his team, who also got to dress up with glamorous accessories. Hatterene, in particular, absolutely loved it.

Now the photos were out, and obviously, the public loved it too. Enough to come rushing to ambush him, in hopes of getting his autograph. Or his shirt. 

Gloria was smiling as she swiped the screen to look through the shoot photos. “I think I understand why they’re so excited,” she commented. “These photos are wonderful. You look amazing!”

Bede felt his face reddening at her words. Curse his pale complexion. 

“N-Naturally,” he said. “I am Ballonlea’s Gym Leader, after all.”

He had no illusions about his physical appearance. He knew, without a doubt, that he was quite good-looking, with his pale blond hair and piercing violet eyes. He was tall, with slender limbs often described as ‘elfin’. Opal had stood him in front of a mirror often enough to point out what he had (“Magnificently clear skin!”) and what he needed to work on (“Mascara, child!”). He received occasional fan letters every now and then extolling his beauty.

But if he had known that he would get hunted by a frenzied horde just for showing some skin, he would never have agreed to that shoot.

The panic within him was rising, and he took a few gulps of air to steady himself. Gloria was standing right there, and he would rather die than let her know that he had no idea how to deal with a crowd of screaming fans.

How was he going to get out of here without being mobbed?

“Take off your shirt,” Gloria said.

Bede blinked.

Once.

Twice.

“P… P… Pardon me!?” he stammered. What had she just said?!

Gloria pointed at his gym uniform. “It’s too recognisable. We’ll have to disguise you to get you out safely,” she explained.

“O-oh. Yes. Of course.” His heart, which had seemed to stop at the idea of Gloria wants him to take his shirt off, began beating erratically again.

He had to focus. The most important thing now was to get out of the tower. 

Bede paused, looking uncertainly at the sling bag he was carrying. He didn’t have any other clothes with him that didn’t scream Fairy Aesthetic. 

Gloria undid her backpack and dug around in it. Once she had a strange array of fabric in a pile, she held them out to him. “You can put these on instead,” she said.

Bede raised his eyebrows. “You do realise that I’m a lot bigger than you?”

Gloria grinned. “Luckily for you, these are more or less free-size.”

—

Twenty minutes later, Bede slipped out of the staff door with Gloria, dressed in a Pikachu T-shirt and a dark blue drawstring wraparound skirt. A bright red bandana was tied around his head to flatten and hide his white curls, and a pair of large, iridescent sunglasses sat on his nose.

The last straw? Gloria had to hold his hand to guide him, because there wasn’t enough light at night for him to see out of the sunglasses.  

It was humiliating. Utterly humiliating. So humiliating that his face was burning and his heart was beating like a Rillaboom. 

On the plus side, the crowd of fangirls ignored him as he walked past them, continuing to stare hopefully at the door. He saved his complaints for when they were out of sight.

Of course he had to complain. He didn’t like this. Not one bit. 

“I look ridiculously stupid and unfashionable,” he grumbled.

“It’s not that bad,” Gloria said. “More importantly, we managed to get away without anyone recognising you.”

Bede came to a stop, glaring at her. She turned to look at him, her eyes wide and innocent. So obviously straight-faced that he just knew, deep inside, she was laughing at him.

“You picked these clothes on purpose, didn’t you?” he said accusingly. 

Gloria giggled. She squeezed his hand gently. For a moment, she stood close to him, her bright brown eyes turned up to him, her lips curved in an affectionate smile.

“Don’t worry, Bede,” she said. “You’re still beautiful to me.”  

There was only one thing he could say to that.

“O-of course I am!" 

Gloria laughed, and led him towards the Corviknight cab stand. As Bede glanced sideways at her, one thought repeated itself over and over again in his mind.

You’re beautiful, too.