It had been two weeks since a dynamax anomaly caused Gloria to grow huge. She had enjoyed her time as a giant, but what came next almost made her regret it. For a week after the incident, everyone looked at her like a ticking time bomb. Shew wasn't allowed into any building for fear she might spontaneously grow and demolish it. They wouldn't even let her buy supplies. It was only thanks to Victor she could even get food from them.
Having met during her brief stint as a giantess, the two had soon become fast friends. As Gloria had helped him out with a similar problem, Victor felt indebted to her, so he gladly went into town and bought her whatever she needed while she waited outside.
Thankfully, after the first week, most people forgot all about her. By then, another anomaly had popped up elsewhere in Galar, taking all the attention off of her. She still got some wary looks from time to time, but at least she could go indoors again.
By the end of the second week, the two finally arrived at Hulbury, where Gloria meant to challenge the local gym leader. Come the appointed hour for their battle, she went into the stadium lobby, waiting to be called into the battlefield. Soon someone came for her and led her out into the arena, instructing her to keep going until she reached the center.
After these past two weeks, Gloria had grown sensitive to peoples' looks, and right then, walking through the stadium, she felt the oppressive weight of hundreds of stares bearing down on her. She searched the stands for Victor and saw him cheering for her from one of the front-row seats. His presence gave her confidence, lifting some of the weight she felt.
She and Nessa met at the center, sizing each other up. Gloria had seen Nessa before, both on TV and on the covers of fashion magazines, but she found the media didn't do her real-life presence justice. The gym leader and professional model was beautiful beyond compare, so much so that Gloria almost felt envious of her.
“Sorry to ask,” Nessa said, “but are you that giant girl who caused a commotion at Motostoke a couple weeks ago?” Gloria winced, then nodded. “I thought so. You must have given Kabu quite a scare. What I wouldn't give to have seen the look on his face!” she said, laughing. “Well, here's to a good match.”Gloria was surprised to get such a positive response. That made Nessa the only person other than Victor to recognize her from the incident and still treat her like a normal person. She returned the sentiment with a smile, then each of them went to their respective side of the arena, ready for their battle to start.
No sooner had the announcer called for them to begin, however, than Nessa saw a surge of energy running through the stadium and over the arena. It went right towards her, shooting up into her body. She then exploded upward, looking down in horror as she surpassed five hundred feet in height. As soon as she grew, panic took over the crowd. Everyone started getting up and fleeing, the only ones who stayed being Victor and Gloria.
Gloria stood before Nessa, looking up at the new giantess. She made for such an impressive sight at this size, towering over everything. Gloria felt weak and helpless by comparison, but also awed at her immensity. Had others felt the same way around her when she was giant?
As she pondered this, she sensed a resonance between herself and Nessa, and then she found herself growing to match her size, her sudden growth catching both of them off-guard.
Seeing Nessa joined by another giantess, people grew even more panicked, their screams and yells reaching all the way to Gloria's ears. She sighed, knowing this meant she was in for yet another week of being seen as a danger. At least she'd still have Victor. She crouched and picked him up, cradling him in her hands.
“Wait, don't go!” Nessa said to the crowds. She had to find a way to make them stop being scared, or else her careers would be over. But what could she do?
Just then, the giant gym leader noticed a flash of light coming front the streets outside the stadium. She looked down and saw a bunch of news photographers taking pictures of her. Inspiration struck her like a lightning bolt, sparking an idea within her. “Don't be scared folks,” she said. “It's all part of the show! You have nothing to worry about.”Once she had everyone's attention, Nessa started striking poses for her onlookers. Gloria and Victor were surprised to see that only a few people were still fleeing, everyone else having stopped to admire the professional model. Nessa shot Gloria a look and motioned for her to join in. After leaving Victor on her shoulder, Gloria started striking poses. She knew she couldn't hope to match the other woman's style and grace, but she could at least try to look cute for people.
Once Nessa saw that everyone had stopped fleeing, she ordered them to clear the road, so they could parade through town. They quickly obeyed her, freeing up a street for her and Gloria to pass through, then Nessa stepped out of the stadium, motioning for Gloria to follow along. The two began walking carefully through the town, waving at everyone as they passed. Gloria was glad to see that people were cheering for them, not running and screaming as they had when she visited Motostoke.
When they arrived town's western border, Nessa turned around, blowing a kiss to the gathered crowd, then left, with Gloria following suit behind her. They soon found a wide open field with no people around and took a seat to relax and wait for the anomaly to wear off.
With a sigh, Gloria grabbed Victor off her shoulder and held him in her lap. “Are you two friends?” Nessa asked her. She nodded. “You're very lucky to have a someone who can be there for you through all this. May I... hold him for a moment?” Gloria and Victor exchanged glances. He nodded at her, then she handed him over to Nessa, carefully dropping him into her cupped hands.
Nessa brought the tiny trainer up to her face to get a better look at him. What a wonder it was to be holding a real living person in the palm of her hand. How delicate he seemed, like a newly-formed leaf. Something small and adorable, to be protected and cared for; that's how she saw him right then. “You're cute,” she whispered, then brought him up to her face, her lips brushing against his face. She saw him and Gloria blush, and chuckling handed him back to his friend.
“You know, I'm still surprised my plan worked. Thank you for playing along with it; you did a good job.” Gloria thanked her. “Was the last time you grew anything like this?” The young trainer lay down with her, cupping Victor against her chest, then began relating what had happened the last time she grew giant, and how others had reacted to her afterwards.
“Sounds like you should have been more mindful of people. Well, you can't go back and fix it now, but maybe after today they'll stop thinking of you as that girl who rampaged around Motostoke. I think you've given people something more positive to remember you by.”Gloria smiled. She really hoped Nessa was right about that.
After lying still for a while, Nessa noticed some sounds around her head. She sat up and saw that many of pokemon had gathered around her and Gloria. The tiny things didn't seem to be the least bit fazed by their size, happily letting her scoop them up and nuzzle them against her cheek. They all played with the pokemon until night came, then fell asleep surrounded by them. When they awoke next morning, they were at their normal size again.
After a short walk, they arrived back at Hulbury, where the townsfolk gave them a warm welcome. Later that day, Gloria was finally able to battle Nessa, beating her and earning the water badge while the crowd cheered for her, not minding that she'd grown giant again yesterday. At last, it seemed things were looking up for her again.