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They had changed. It was expected as the years went by, but sometimes Gloria spent her nights reflecting on this fact. Everyone had changed. However, the ones that changed the most had to be herself and Allister. They were still children when they took their positions as Champion and Gym Leader, respectively. Gloria would fully admit how Allister's change awed her.
When they first met, Allister was so quiet and shy. He'd be completely out of place no matter where he went. Except his room of course. Even there he never talked much as he was in his own little world, safe from judgemental eyes. He was guarded around others and it made her sad seeing him like that. Especially once she knew just how much he was like any other kid. They had become friends easily thanks to their love of gengars. She remembered how he would cling to her since she was a full head taller at the time. When they were alone his eyes were always shining with curiosity. He was energetic and loved to play hide and seek. He was just a regular kid.
In their mid teens Allister started catching up to her in height. His gym uniform was no longer baggy on him and he was gaining a small bit of weight. He was still as lanky as she was. Gloria had started to take notice of the physical aspects she liked about him. His hair had gotten long enough that Piers had styled it more than once for some photoshoots. A few, she had personally requested. As Allister was more confident with her he removed the mask more often. Her eyes always drawn to his beauty mark before his eyes then his lips if she allowed her eyes to wander. Gloria was excited when he began showing interest in camping. She gifted him books about the subject. He read them, but usually in his climate controlled room. She couldn't fault him though. Not everyone could withstand the Wild Area's ever changing weather like she and Raihan could. Still it made her happy when Allister would ask questions and listen to her stories with interest and occasionally concern. By this time he had also gotten more social although only a little. He was able to handle situations better and wasn't as awkward as before. Although they still were awkward enough that they had stopped having sleepovers without ever talking about it.
Their late teens is when she'd admit that Allister finally became at one with himself. He had a major growth spurt that left him four inches taller than her. A fact she teased him about quite often. He had also kept his hair short again. A small disappointment, but the rest of him certainly got better. Puberty seemed to have been rather gentle with him. He certainly didn’t have a physique like Raihan or Kabu. He still kept some of his rounder features. His eyes were still round and his emotions shone brightly through them. His nose was still round too. His chin though had gotten more angular as well as his shoulders. Perhaps his hips too, but she hadn’t seen anything besides small glimpses during battles when the wind caught the edges of his shirt. Allister hadn’t changed too much mentally that she could note. Although they were perhaps a bit more awkward if that was even possible. Gloria noticed that several times Allister would even hide away from her after she came back from her trips in the Wild Area. However he’d be back to normal by a week’s end. His staring hadn’t gotten any less frequent although he would look away more often. It often confused her.
Now in their early twenties is when Gloria truly noticed the small things about Allister. She noticed how Allister would stay as close to her as possible without making it obvious. If he couldn’t be close when they were in the same area then he always kept her in his sight. He was really good at it too. It felt really comforting at times know that even if she was at a party with a bunch of sponsors he was there to make sure she didn’t overwhelm herself. He’d pull her away without a word so she could get the space she needed to breathe and calm down. He would lace their hands together and just wait for her. Sometimes he’d rub gentle and small circles on the back of her hand with his thumb. His pulse was always racing as much as hers at these times. By this time she already knew why. Once she overheard a conversation between him and Bede. Bede was asking why he was growing out his hair again. “Because Gloria likes it?” Many things about Allister had changed, but there were some things that never change. Allister was still one of her greatest friends and she loved him from the very beginning.