"For real? We're goin' to Unova?" Raihan asked. He rubbed his temple and took a seat in a deep leather chair. Since it was a weekday, his living room was empty, and he was alone in the spacious house built into the side of Hammerlocke Stadium. It was an off-season for Galar so he had no gym challengers to keep him busy and it had been Milo's turn to watch over the vault. It had been a pretty boring day up until that point.

"That's what I said," Chairwoman Oleana said dryly from the other end of the Rotom Phone. "This one's mandatory. Unova has had icy relations with Galar in recent times so it would look very nice on Galar if you lot went and just talked and got to know them. You're all going. You can each bring one approved friend at most. I'll send travel instructions and payment once I have a full roster of who's going, and they're approved."

Raihan nodded. "Okay. But just the other leaders, right? Please don't tell me you're goin' to make me track down that bloody new champion," Raihan begged. "Nobody can find her, mate."

Chairwoman Oleana was silent for a few seconds. "No, you don't have to track her down," she said at last. "Just get the rest of the leaders together and give me a final roster of who's going." She then hung up abruptly. Raihan swiftly let go of the Rotom Phone and the Rotom turned to look him in the eyes plaintively.

"I know," Raihan said, nodding his head, "Oleana's the worst, mate. Still can't believe they couldn't find anythin' to put her away. And she's still in charge of all of Rose's finances!" He shook his head. "Evil wench." He then popped to his feet and stretched. "Alright, Rotom, text all the leaders and let 'em know that we're headin' to Unova next week for three days. The demoness says it's required."

The Rotom Phone buzzed happily and gave a short series of vibrations which indicated it sending off the requested message. Raihan winked at Rotom and stepped past it. "Thanks, Rotom, you're the best," Raihan practically sang.

"Are they still coming?" Burgh asked as he tapped his foot impatiently against the hardwood floor beneath their feet. He brushed some tawny hair out of his face and adjusted the red scarf around his neck so that it stopped slipping off his shoulder. He cast a dubious look at Skyla. She shrugged at him.

"They said they were according to Clay," she answered sweetly. She was wearing an azure sweater and long, thin blue pants. Her pink hair was straightened and almost touched her lower back. "I hope they get here! We put a lot of work into getting this place ready for so many people!"

"That's for sure," Elesa chimed in as she stepped over to watch the door impatiently. Unlike Skyla or Burgh, she was barely wearing anything at all. She sported what would have looked like an electric blue and yellow bikini to anyone else. A baggy yellow jacket clung to her frame. If she straightened her arms out too much it would fall off. Her dark, thin hair fell all the way to her knees. "I was also just kinda looking forward to getting to know them."

"Yes, getting to know them, that's what you're upset about," Cheren commented from across the room. He sat cross-legged on a bench pushed against the dark, muted green wall. Unlike the rest of them who were in either comfortable, lavish, or revealing clothing, Cheren was in his usual attire—skinny blue jeans, a bright red tie, and a tan button-up whose sleeves reached to the center of his forearm.

"Cheren, don't start," Elesa laughed and rolled her eyes. "You'll probably be naked before me, lightweight."

Cheren's cheeks turned a dull red and he rolled his eyes.

Knocking rumbled from the door and everyone in the room seemed to jump in excitement. Burgh and Skyla almost squeaked and they bounced a little in place. Clay lumbered over past them and cracked the door. Through the crack and in the darkness of the outside world, he saw a group of ten or so individuals hunched within black jackets. A few Unovan-uniformed officers flanked the group and the one who had knocked was also uniformed. Stoutland stood proudly at their sides. The person in front nodded and dipped their head, "Clay?"

"Uh-huh, Clay's the name," Clay muttered and smiled about as warmly as he could manage. Admittedly, it wasn't all that inviting, but the gathered Galarians seemed to get the point anyway. Clay waved the Unovan guards away from the door and they marched back to their squad cars in front of the yard. One would remain to keep an eye on the home as the Unovan and Galarian leaders spoke, but Clay knew from experience they knew better than to interrupt any of the Unovan leaders' rare 'meetings.'

The figures in the black jackets entered and were quick to toss off the scraggly coverings. Skyla eagerly offered to hang the coats up near the door. The Galarians thanked her and, turning back to Clay, offered a fast rundown of who they were. There was the former champion of Galar, Leon; the gentle farmer and Grass-type gym leader, Milo; the austere Fire-type leader, Kabu; the passionate Fighting-type leader, Bea; the former Fairy-type leader, Opal; the current and arguably snarkier Fairy-type leader, Bede; the showy, glittering Rock-type leader, Gordie; the sweet and caring former Ice-type leader, Melony; the punk-rock star, Piers; current Dark-type leader, Marnie; and lastly, the impressive and intimidating Dragon-type leader, Raihan. When pressed about their current champion, Gloria, Leon was quick to admit that frankly, nobody knew where to find her, and she didn't answer her phone, so she was unfortunately absent.

"Well, allow us to introduce ourselves," Clay said as he clapped a hand on Burgh's shoulder. "First, we got Burgh here, our Bug-type gym leader. Then there's the triplets, Cilan, Chili, and Cress, they used to be the gym leaders of Striaton City. Huggin' the walls, you got Cheren, our Normal-type leader, Brycen, our former Ice-type leader, Drayden, our Dragon-type leader, former champion Alder, and current Champion Iris. Why are you all hidin'? Come over here and act like you got some manners," Clay said. He gestured for the people he had named off to get up from where they were seated on a bench. Cheren glared daggers at him while the rest awkwardly shifted to come over to shake hands with the Galarians.

Cheren took that a little literally and was surprised when he got rowdy pats on the back and loud greetings from Marnie and Gordie. Drayden chuckled as he watched Cheren and he more readily accepted the more personal greetings, offering a firm and somewhat intimidating handshake in return. Brycen approached and just dipped his head at the Galarians. Alder was much less formal, waving his hands and striking up a conversation with Kabu. Champion Iris eagerly talked to a much more subdued Bea.

"Why are y'all standin' in the middle of the room to talk like that? Take seats, relax," Lenora exclaimed from the long, white table set up further back in the spacious room at them. She was sipping from a red solo cup and had one hand flat against the table, gesturing at the food spread from one end of the table to another. "There's food and drinks here, courtesy of the triplets. Help yourselves." Some of the Galarians slowly made their way to the table and they examined its offerings carefully.

"That's Lenora, she used to be the Normal-type leader before Cheren," Clay explained to the Galarians' quizzical expressions. "Other than that, we got Elesa, Electric-type leader and model, Skyla, our Flyin'-type leader, her family owns the airports here, and Roxie—"

Roxie cut him off with a whooping holler and she grinned knowingly at his irritated expression.

"—our Poison-type leader," Clay finished, grumbling.

"Please, please!" Cilan called and stumbled over to where Leon was standing. He shook the former champion's hand rather erratically and then used his left to gesture to the rest of the room. "M-my brothers and I are s-so excited to meet you! We hope you e-enjoy the food. Skyla, Elesa, and Burgh handled the décor and furnishing. Y-you did a wonderful job, girls!"

"Hey—" Burgh interjected only to be cut off by laughter. Cress shot him a mischievous grin from behind Cilan (who looked genuinely apologetic).

"Yeah, you're welcome," Skyla commented to Leon as she came to a stop just a few steps in front of him. She winked at him and Leon's eyes practically lit up. The curiosity in his eyes fled as he felt a sudden pressure on his stomach. Leon looked down to see Raihan had lightly jabbed him with an elbow.

"Raihan," Leon whined, "what was that for?"

Raihan just looked at him without saying anything.

"Well, anyway, y'all enjoy yourselves," Clay muttered. He moved to the side of the room and plopped down on a lone, dark blue recliner. He kicked out the footrest and thanked Lenora as she brought him a red solo cup of his own. He owned this private manor, and admittedly, these get-togethers were about all it was ever used for. Even if he didn't do much at the parties, he enjoyed the company and loved to watch the shenanigans everyone else got to. Tonight, there was certainly no shortage of them, either.

"Alright, with awkward intros over, let's get this party started!" Roxie howled as she jumped to her feet. She had a striped purple and blue, baggy hoodie covering her body and she snatched a pink and black guitar from where it had been leaned against the wall. Somebody tossed a microphone at her from the crowd of people standing about the center of the big room and she flicked a switch on its side. "We got three days off, I'm plannin' to make use of it!" she then shouted into the microphone. Massive black speakers projecting from each corner of the enormous room carried her voice out loudly. Within minutes, the party was alive thanks to her rapid, vibrant music.

Hiding in the furthest corner of the room, Bede scowled as he took in the scene. "Here I thought this was a business venture. Figures," he muttered. Lenora, who had been standing only a few feet away and was dancing along with Gordie, turned to face Bede with a gleeful expression on her face. It was Gordie who spoke though.

"It's a very serious business venture, alright!" he assured him. "We're goin' to get to know each other, then we're goin' to get drunk enough to forget it!"

Lenora laughed and grinned at Gordie. "Young man, why are you so bad?"

Gordie winked at her and she giggled before squealing a response that was too high a frequency for Bede's ears to understand. Listening to Gordie attempt to flirt was the worst, even more so when it was with an older, married woman. Covering his ears, he practically bared his teeth at them in a grimace. His attention was suddenly drawn to somebody taking a seat next to him on his couch. A sturdily built man dressed in blue and white robes had sat down beside him and he appeared to stare at his hands in thought. Brycen, he thought he remembered Clay having called him that. Bede uncomfortably shifted a little farther away from him and pulled out his phone, opting to surf whatever mediocrities the internet had to offer him as opposed to interact with any of the insanity that was unfolding.

Gordie and Lenora made their way over to a group of more reserved partygoers, consisting of Cheren, Kabu, Bea, Drayden, and Opal, with the intention on making them less of a buzzkill. Lenora snapped her fingers at them and put her hands on her hips. "Y'all gonna be having any fun at this party?" she asked them.

Cheren looked up at her and blinked. "I am having fun," he said blankly. "We're just talking."

"I'd love to party like everyone else," Opal chimed in as she tilted her azure hat up. Her eyes glinted in amusement. "But I have to say, my primary care doctor probably wouldn't appreciate it very much."

"We're new here and it's best to have at least one person remain sober so we can leave at the end of the night," Kabu added quietly. "We've got a hotel we're going to pay for—"

"You think you're leavin' here tonight?" Lenora asked with her eyebrows raised. "What do you think Clay's got like eighteen bedrooms in this house for, looks?"

"Oh, you lot worry too much!" Gordie added. He placed a hand on Cheren's shoulder and smirked at him. "Bet I could chug somethin' way faster than you, mate."

Cheren blinked at Gordie's hand on his shoulder and scoffed. "First of all, that's gross. Second of all, you're wrong. Third of all, get your hand off me." He brushed Gordie's hand off and lightly dusted off his shoulder. Drayden to his left snickered and Cheren shot him a dirty look. Kabu shook his head.

"Don't act so tough, Gordie," Bea said quietly.

"Ohh, Bea, think you can beat me? Come on then," Gordie teased and began to back away with his arms outstretched.

"You sure you ain't here to have some fun?" Lenora asked Opal as she took a seat next to her. She winked at her. "I don't think you're ever too old for a little fun, hun." Opal snorted and leaned on her umbrella.

"I'd like to keep my liver for whatever few years I have left," Opal joked. "So, no contests for me. Though I guess that doesn't mean I can't join you…" She got to her feet with Lenora's help and they both went to watch Cheren and Gordie. Drayden and Kabu shared a look between one another as the others left them alone on the bench.

"So, uh…" Kabu started and then rubbed the back of his head as he found he didn't know what to say.

"You don't sound Galarian," Drayden noted.

"I'm not," Kabu shrugged, "I come from Hoenn. Moved to Galar years and years ago. Stubborn Hoenn accent still won't go away though, ha."

Drayden chuckled and stood. He shuffled over closer to Kabu and then sat back down. The force of his muscular body hitting the bench almost knocked Kabu off. The Fire-type leader swallowed hard and scratched his chin to play it off. "Nervous?" Drayden asked with a twinge of amusement in his voice.

"A little," Kabu admitted. "I must admit, this is… not what I was expecting."

Drayden nodded. "What throws you off the most? Roxie singing that racket loud enough to damage our ears? Maybe the group of idiots chugging beer that'll have 'em sick by the end of the night? Or is it the fact Elesa's basically naked at this point?" Drayden asked as he gestured to Elesa's thin frame. She was leaned against the wall and talking to Leon. Her baggy yellow jacket was gone and her 'bikini' barely clung to her body and was extremely thin.

"So, how's life treating the former champion of Galar?" Elesa asked teasingly as she lightly brushed his arm. He was so muscular, she thought.

Leon, who appeared already buzzed, glanced at her and then gently raised a hand to wave her away. "Sorry, but I don't want you gettin' the wrong idea," he slurred a little, "y'see… I'm gay." He crossed his arms and the shadow of a smirk crossed his lips.

Elesa almost choked on her own spit. That had certainly been an abrupt change in pace. Though, she supposed he was drunk, and it would make sense for him to be blunter... "Y-you are?" she squeaked. "Oh. My apologies, Leon."

"But," Leon added, smiling widely, "Raihan over there, now he loves your work. Loves you, really. Won't shut the bloody hell up about you, even." He pointed out the Dragon-type leader who was sitting on a couch with Piers, Burgh, and Milo nearby. Burgh had pulled up a chair in front of him while Milo sat in a nearby recliner. Piers lounged across the end of the couch Raihan wasn't using. They looked deep in discussion, with each of them waving their hands animatedly as they talked.

"Really, now?" Elesa giggled.

"Oh yeah," Leon nodded vigorously. "He'd super love it if you went and chatted with him for a bit." Leon winked at her and away she sauntered toward Raihan and the small group around him. Leon sipped glass in his hands and did his best to stifle the laughter that was building up in his throat. It caused his lips to press to a thin line and he looked almost displeased. Or maybe that was the unpleasant feeling brewing in his stomach… He decided to go over to the food table to peruse the options.

Raihan chuckled as he swiped to the next photo in his Rotom Phone's album. Burgh was so fun to talk to, he thought. Raihan didn't have an artistic bone in his body as far as painting or drawing went, but he found that Burgh appreciated many of the pictures he had buried within his Instagram. "Oh, that's a good one!" Burgh commented on a picture showing a sandstorm that was just blowing in. Billowing clouds of sand rushed across a green field. "Very nice composition, and the detail! What kind of camera's in that thing?"

"Hey boys," Elesa interrupted. She put a hand on Raihan's shoulder and rubbed her thumb over it. Piers greeted her with a simple flick of his wrist while Milo excitedly waved his entire arm. Burgh smiled up at her brightly.

"Elesa!" Burgh exclaimed. "I've been over here chatting with Raihan and his friends here, Piers and Milo, they've been showing me all sorts of pictures from Galar! You should totally see the pictures Raihan here takes! So bold."

Raihan tensed uncomfortably at Elesa's hand on his shoulder. He glanced up at her nervously. "Hey there," he offered lamely. She took the opportunity to clamber over his knees and past Burgh, and she slipped into the sliver of space between Raihan and Piers on the couch. She leaned uncomfortably far over onto Raihan and innocently looked down at the phone in his grasp. She touched her hand to his right. Piers picked his head up groggily and looked at her in confusion.

"I'm sure he does take some amazing pictures," Elesa commented, "That's one thing I've heard about Galar's leaders." She fluttered her eyelids at Raihan, and he tore his gaze away from her, stammering as he flicked his thumb through some pictures in his phone. Before, nobody had been able to see the photographs he was looking at until he switched the phone around, but now he had Elesa looking directly at it. He slightly tilted the phone away from her face in hopes she would catch the hint, but she only laughed. "What, something you don't want us Unovans to see?" she teased.

"I—no, I m-mean—" Raihan stuttered and brought the phone up close to his nose to flick through the images. "I j-just want to find somethin'… uh… somethin' good to show..." Raihan felt pressure on the inside of his right thigh and his entire body locked up. Tongue like sandpaper, no more words would leave his throat despite his mouth opening and shutting in a floundering attempt to speak.

"I bet you have something good to show, for sure," Elesa giggled.

"Elesa!" Burgh gasped and tapped her on her shoulder. "Be good, would you? Leave him alone."

"Oh, come on," Elesa whined to Burgh. "We're just having fun. Right, Raihan?"

Raihan's head jerked to face Piers and Milo. Piers clasped a hand over his mouth to try to stifle laughter, and he seemed like he wanted to say something, but it kept dying in his throat. Milo watched Raihan with concerned green eyes.

"Raihan, are you—" Milo went to ask a question but was cut off when Elesa took it a step up by getting up and sitting down on Raihan's lap. Raihan's heart thrummed and he frantically went to push her off, but his arms would fall limp the second his hands actually met her back. His whole body tingled in an uncomfortable, almost fearful feeling.

Finally, Raihan managed to squeak, "M-Miss Elesa, please, can you get… off…"

Burgh adopted a more serious tone and he snapped his fingers in Elesa's face. "Elesa, for real, get off the guy, you're being a little mean, don't you think?"

"Aw, I know he's just shy, his good friend Leon over there told me all about him," Elesa reassured Burgh. She winked knowingly at Raihan.

"Wh-what… are you talkin' about?" Raihan gasped as she shifted in his lap. His cheeks burned as a bolt of sensitivity ran up his leg. He managed to find the courage to push at her back some, even if the shoves were still very weak. "I-I—I'm not—I'm gay!" he finally exclaimed. Elesa jumped off him in a hurry at that and put her hands on her hips. She looked him over in annoyance.

"Everyone's gay today, huh?" she puffed. "Could just be honest and say you don't like it."

"I was bein' honest and sayin' I didn't like it!" Raihan spat. Now that she was off him, anger surged. "Frankly, I don't care if you believe it or not, but I am gay!"

Leon's raucous laughter broke the tension and Raihan looked over to see him spilling a drink down himself and the floor in his amusement. "Shit!" Leon gasped between chortles. He snatched the cup before it hit the ground and set it precariously close to the edge of a table with a teetering hand. Raihan glared daggers after him.

"Lee! What did you—"

Burgh jumped in his seat a little, cutting Raihan off. He, Piers, and Elesa abruptly turned away from Raihan, and the confused gym leader blinked.

"What now?" Raihan groaned. How had he suddenly become the joke of this party? He looked to Milo, the only one that was still acting even relatively normally. "Milo?" he practically pleaded.

"Um…" Milo looked down and his cheeks flushed red. He rubbed the back of his head. "We're… not goin' campin', Rai," he said in a barely audible tone.

Raihan raised a brow at that remark and was about to dig into everyone around him in frustration for not making sense, but he happened to glance down and noticed the tent taking shape in his pants. His blood ran like ice but his face burned red-hot. Raihan snatched a pillow up from the end of the couch to his left and planted it over himself. He leaned forward with his elbows on said pillow, and then glowered at Leon. "Lee! Get over here!" he demanded.

"Nah," Leon said. He had already found a new drink and joined a throng of people hanging about the drink table. He giggled here and there as he spoke. He became keenly aware of just how drunk Leon was at that point. "You come get me, mate."

Raihan didn't think he could hate Leon any more at that moment, drunk or not. Raihan had picked up on the fact the Unovans were a little more intense than they were back in Galar, but he hadn't considered how their behavior might rub off on his Galarian friends. If this was what Unovan parties were like and if they had this sort of impact on Leon, he was not interested in coming back for this sort of treatment. Humiliated and with the entirety of the party focused on him, Raihan struggled to keep whatever composure he had left.

"W-well, what are you all staring for?" Elesa finally spoke up, doing her best to draw the attention over to herself. It worked out quite well when she dispatched the thin top she had been wearing. Whoops and hollers were thrown her way, including from Leon.

Raihan shook his head. "I think I'm goin' to go find somewhere to lay down," Raihan muttered. "Pretty sure we're goin' to be stayin' the night anyway."

Burgh tilted his head at Raihan and then nodded slowly. "Sure, sure, let me go get Clay and ask him what rooms are fine for that. I'll be right back!" he beamed as he hopped to his feet.

"That was really uncalled for," Milo said. "I know Leon likes to joke, but…"

"But that was a little cruel? Yeah, I know," Raihan said bitterly as he watched Leon, along with a small throng of others, gather around Elesa as she drew them toward where Roxie was performing. She danced, topless at Roxie's side, while the rest watched.

Burgh plopped back into his seat, jerking Raihan's attention back to him. "Hey! I can show you to a room," Burgh said triumphantly, almost as if he had completed some quest. "Follow me, Mr. Raihan."

He led Raihan past the group of those dancing around Elesa and Roxie, still clutching the pillow, and Raihan heard Leon call his name. Raihan ignored him. He was not in the mood for anymore of Leon's games. Down the darkened hall, Burgh flicked a light switch and illuminated a nice-sized bedroom, complete with a comfortable bed and a television suspended from the wall. "Clay said this is the nicest one," Burgh explained proudly, "said you deserve it after that," Burgh laughed a little.

"Thanks, Burgh," Raihan mumbled. He did appreciate the effort, but he was tired and wanted this night to be over with, and he was fairly sure that come tomorrow, Burgh would want nothing to do with him after the awkwardness of the party. He curled up in the soft, silver bed and noted the mattress seemed to be made of memory foam, and the blanket weighted. He sank into its comfort. Just before Burgh left, Raihan called for his attention. "H-hey, would you mind… lockin' the door?" Raihan asked. "I don't want Lee comin' back here later tonight."

Burgh nodded in understanding. "Sure thing! See you." With that, he locked the door and then closed it gently.

As they prepared to board the plane in Mistralton, Raihan was still doing his best to simply ignore Leon. Leon could tell he had done something egregiously wrong this time because of it and was going far out of his way to try to engage Raihan. What would have been an endearing display of affection a couple of days ago irritated Raihan that day to no end, and unlike a few of the others, he could guarantee his bad mood wasn't from a hangover.

"Oh, c'mon, Rai," Leon whined when his third question in a row went unanswered. "You're not that mad about it, are you? I didn't mean anythin' bad by it."

Raihan finally snapped. He whirled on his heel, his arms crossed, and shook his head. "That almost makes it worse!" Raihan shot at him. "You made me the joke of that party in front of a dozen or more gym leaders and former gym leaders, not to mention a former champion! I was tryin' to have a good time like the rest of you, but no, when Leon's around, everythin' is a joke for his entertainment! Well, I'm tired of bein' your cheap entertainment! Not like you seem to have a problem finding some elsewhere."

An audible gasp escaped the gym leaders gathered around them. They all seemed to pull back some, giving Raihan and Leon space. Bede glanced at Opal. "Do you see how ridiculous this all is, Opal?" he hissed at her quietly. "Who wants this in their life?"

Opal did her best to chuckle under her breath so as not to draw Raihan's ire. She patted Bede on the head. "I know, Bede, I know."

"Any news on that plane?" Piers mused as he glanced to a woman standing at a podium near a big, gray door that would lead to their plane. She was watching the outburst with an exasperated expression. At Piers' question, she hung her head and shook it.

Leon flinched and raised a hand in an almost surrendering pose. "Okay… So, I might have gotten a little carried away…"

"A little!" Raihan huffed. "Shut it, Lee, I don't want to talk to you right now."

Finally, their flight was ready, and they boarded in silence after the lady at the podium informed Leon and Raihan they needed to calm down before they would be allowed onboard. Leon nodded and at last, he left Raihan alone. Raihan appreciated the peace and quiet. *That was fun,* he thought sarcastically in his mind about the party, *but never again.* He found himself quite missing the 'parties' he and his friends had back in Galar, which consisted of them just drinking something light and talking like old friends do. His phone buzzed, drawing his attention momentarily, and when he opened the screen, he was pleasantly surprised at the text waiting there.

Burgh: hey buddy, everything ok?

A lady over the intercom asked everyone to turn their devices off. Raihan smiled at the text and decided he would respond later when he had more time to talk with Burgh. He was much less upset now that he knew Burgh still wanted to talk—but he didn't forgive Leon by any means just yet. They had a lot to talk about, he and Leon, but based on Leon's quietness and subdued movements as he settled into the seat a couple rows ahead of him, he knew Leon was sorry; he just didn't know how to say it and Raihan was still too hurt to have the patience to listen to him try to apologize in some roundabout way. Some time to himself to decide what he wanted to say to Leon, and with a new friend such as Burgh, was exactly what Raihan felt he needed. He relaxed into the seat of the plane and closed his eyes to catch some rest on the flight home.