"No king rules forever". Those were the words Norman spoke to you, which seems to be so long ago. You knew these words to be true...but it didn't make the pain any less dull. There will always be those who desire to stand at the peak of excellence. And, should any be in their way, they will attempt to knock those perched in said position down so that they may take the lone spot for themselves. Just like you did with Steven and how he did with Wallace before him, your position as "Champion" has been stripped from you. Although in the cases of both Wallace and Steven, they seemed almost...happy to be knocked from the perch. You're not too sure what you felt at the moment of defeat, but you're certain "Happiness" wasn't among the emotions.

Fortunately (or the opposite depending on how you look at it) for you, instead of "letting talent go to waste", the Pokémon League Committee offered you a position as gym leader, to which you accepted. It didn't take long for you to be moved into the position of the one who took yours to begin with: The Rustboro Gym. Much to your relief, the Pokémon league guaranteed you would not have to stick to one "type" if you did not wish, although you still need to hand out the Stone Badge in the event a trainer finds success in their gym challenge

It's a slow day. You don't have any challengers scheduled until later in the evening. You knew the life of a gym leader involved much more than just handing out badges to rookie trainers, but knowing about something and putting that knowledge into practice are two different things entirely. As you ponder how you'll spend the next few hours, a familiar voice rings out

May: You look bored...and hungry. I think I can fix both.

You turn to see your childhood friend, May, holding two lunch boxes with a wide grin on her face

May: What's the matter? Don't have time for a friend now that you're a bigshot?