Piers took in a deep breath… then let it out.
It was just an exhibition match. It didn't mean anything. Raihan didn't have any reason to go all out or anythin'. But still, it… hurt.
"Piers!" there was Raihan, running into the locker room from the pitch, "Man, that was amazing!"
"Raihan," Piers started, not turning to face him, "Did you let me win?"
That was the only explanation he could think of. Maybe the dragon type leader thought he needed cheering up after giving his gym to Marnie. Maybe that was why he'd said all those nice things when Piers had been helping the Champion and Leon's little bro stop all the Dynamaxin' Pokemon. That was why this exhibition match had even happened after all.
"What?" Raihan asked, and the dark type former leader could hear the other man stop in his tracks.
"I gave up bein' leader at Spikemuth for a reason, ya know?" Piers replied, studying his spiky platform boots like they were new, "I know I'm not all tha' good as a gym leader. Wasn' all that good, anyway. And ye've been shootin' yer gob about our match in the Gym Challenge almost as much as one'a yer matches with Leon. And I ain't no Leon. So-"
He was cut off by the sudden weight of Raihan throwing an arm around his shoulders, "Okay, one - I never let anyone beat me. Two, I meant every word - you were amazing at the finals, and if I'd made one wrong move, I might've lost that day, too. Three, we have got to work on your self-esteem, cause the only person I know who doesn't seem to think you're amazing is you."
Piers leaned away, looking askance. He didn' know what to do with… this. Raihan was always a hands-on guy, an intense guy, a focused guy - and the dark type leader never knew how to handle it when that intense focus was on him. He… believed Raihan, and that the dragon type gym leader wouldn't lie to him, but…
"I ain't all that special," Piers said, ducking out of the one-armed embrace, "But...thanks, I guess."
"I'm usually a lot more sore about losing," Raihan grinned, showing off his fangs as he put his hands in his hoodie pockets, "Especially when it's down to the wire Iike that. But seeing your sad mug, it seemed weird to feel worse about losing than you did about winning."
The dark type leader gave a one shoulder shrug, "Jus' got lucky, is all. Bet you'd win in a rematch."
"Is that a challenge?" the dragon type leader's eyes shone with a familiar fire.
Piers sighed, realizing he'd gone and stepped in it now, "Nah, but I see there's no stopping you now."
"How about next time we battle in Spikemuth?" Raihan said, clearly already picturing the rematch, "I know you aren't the leader anymore, but it seems fair, yeah?"
"I 'spose," the shorter man replied, already feeling tired. The dragon type leader was exhaustin' and no mistake. So… full of energy, all the damn time. He was almost as bad as those brats - the Champion and Leon's kid brother. He shook his head, "I'll ask Marnie, but she'll probably be fine with it."
"Let me know," Raihan said, then tossed an arm over Piers's shoulders again, but this time it was to tug him along, "In the meantime, let's get something to eat - my treat, since you won and all."
"How generous," Piers snorted, just goin' with it to keep it from turnin' into a bigger pain. And he knew it would - the dragon type leader was pretty stubborn, and not averse to makin' a scene.
Not that Piers was averse to makin' a scene either, but not… that kinda scene.
As Raihan released him to lead the way out of the Hammerlocke stadium, he pulled out his Rotom-phone to text his sister.
Hey Marnie, gonna be later than I thought. Raihan's insistin on treatin me to a meal fer winnin
The response didn' take long, not that he thought it would. Marnie was pretty busy bein' the new Spikemuth Gym Leader, but never too busy to talk to him.
Good. I knew ya could do it.
That makes one of us.
Piers tucked his phone away and looked up to see Raihan had paused, turning back to wait for him.
The dragon type leader was smiling as he asked, "Texting your sister?"
"Yeah," Piers replied, taking his usual slouched posture as he caught up, "Not tha' she'd be worried or nothin' - she knows I can take care a myself."
"You can?" Raihan grinned, taking up the lead again, "Thin as you are, I figured you were the type that forgot to eat."
This was always a… twilight area for Piers. He and Raihan had known each other for years - and they'd been at various VIP and Gym Challenge events together. Piers had always felt… like he wasn' where he was 'sposed to be. He really only thought of himself as holdin' down the fort till Marnie could take over - now he was ready to focus on his music career.
As a result, he never really… connected with the others. Pokémon battles weren't his passion. Sure, he loved the thrill of workin' with his team and battlin' was alright, but… he always planned to leave. He thought of these exhibitions as his farewell tour in the gym circuit.
They were all friendly, yeah, and they all kinda knew each other but… they didn' know each other. They were all busy runnin' their gyms and other stuff, like Nessa bein' a model, so it wasn' like they all hung out or nothin'.
So Raihan's easy casual way, like they were good pals, was… twilight. Cause they knew each other, yeah, but not so well that Piers was comfortable - but not so strange that they were strangers.
I should use that in a song, Piers thought to himself, but out loud, he said, "I'll have you know that I can out-eat a Snorlax and still have room for dessert - I jus' never gain any weight, is all."
"Seriously?" Raihan put his hands behind his head, "Man, now I'm jealous. You know how hard it is to maintain this figure?"
"What, tall?" the shorter man snorted, "Ya can just wear heels fer that."
The dragon type gym leader laughed, "Okay, I guess the hoodie doesn't really do anything to show off my rocking abs, but these shorts should def make it clear I don't skip leg day."
Piers snorted again, "If you're inta tha', I guess."
Raihan huffed, "You don't have to be gay to appreciate fit legs."
"Yeah, but it helps to be allo," the dark type user rolled his eyes. Like, yeah, he could tell the taller man had muscular legs, but… so what?
"Oh you're ace?" Raihan asked, "Learn something new everyday…"
Piers… rubbed the back of his neck. He hadn't expected the other man to know what allo meant, but… well, Raihan was on social media a lot, so maybe he'd been giving him too little credit. At the same time, it was… refreshin' to have the conversation end there. Of course, it wasn' like he knew where to take it next. If he wasn' grippin', he found normal conversations… hard to grasp.
Raihan didn't seem to need his help, though, as he seemed to realize something, "Oh, is that how you picked your color scheme?"
"Huh?" Piers asked, "What are you on about?"
"Y'know," the dragon type leader waved a hand, "Black, white, gray, purple - aren't those the flag colors?"
The shorter man looked down at his clothes, then up in annoyance, "Does this shite look purple to you?"
Raihan grinned and shrugged, "Kind of, yeah."
Somehow, knowing the other man was probably trying to get a rise out of him just pissed him off more, "It's fuckin' magenta."
The dragon type leader immediately pulled out his phone, grinning wider, "Which is a reddish-purple. Congrats on the serendipity, there, mate."
"... are ya taking the piss out of me?" Piers tilted his head back to glare, though the effect was probably a bit ruined against a giant like Raihan.
"Pfft, duh," said giant didn't even deny it, the wanker, "Come on, you gotta know I'm a sore loser by now."
"Everyone knows yer a sore loser," the dark type user grouched, shoving his hands in his pockets, "But nah. I just like magenta and my hair's like this naturally."
Looking around the streets of Hammerlocke helped keep him from gettin' too incensed. After all, this was Raihan's town, and they loved him near as much as Spikemuth loved Piers. It was so different though - the old old well-appointed stone walls and buildings, the cute little townhouses… nothin' like his own city.
Well… that was probably his fault, after all. If he were a better gym leader, they woulda got more tourists, and that meant more money to fix up the place. Build a stadium. All a'that.
It was probably better to leave it ta Marnie, he thought.
"Your hair…" Raihan snorted, "Is naturally spiky?"
"Yeah," Piers spat, "Got a problem with that?"
"Like, other than not believing it for a minute?" the taller man grinned.
The dark type user rolled his eyes, then looked around, "Where are ya takin' me, anyway? Some posh digs?"
"Yeah - but only because it's the only place in Hammerlocke I can go without getting swarmed by fans," Raihan replied, "Kind of why I wanted to rush out. Unless you want a mob asking about your victory…?"
Piers shivered - he was already dreading what Team Yell was gonna do to celebrate when he got back to Spikemuth. No tellin' how Raihan's fans were gonna react, "Fuck no."
"Thought not," the dragon leader snorted, "You know, for a rock star, you're pretty reclusive."
"Wha' I do on stage is differen'," Piers said, "It's not… ya know tha'... tha' perfect moment a clarity in a battle when you and yer team are on the same wavelength? Like yer in each others' 'eads?"
"Yeah?" Raihan asked, pausing outside a set of surprisingly modern glass doors for the ancient walls surrounding them.
"Like… tha crowd jus'... you can feel their energy, but they ain't there, ya know? It's jus' you, yer team, and yer opponent," the musician said, not sure he was makin' any sense, "But 'stead of you and your team, it's you an' the music. Ya ken?"
The dragon type leader nodded, holding open the door, "Yeah, I get it. Surprised you would use a battle analogy, though."
Piers walked in and felt an immediate chill from the air conditioning. There was a chic-like front desk with a dark haired maitre d. The wall behind her hid the restaurant part of the place - or so the dark type user assumed.
"Hey Lucy," Raihan said as he followed inside, "Got my usual table?"
"Of course," the woman said, "Would you like me to show you and your guest the way?"
"Nah, I got it," the dragon type leader replied, waving over his shoulder for Piers to follow.
"Figured battlin's tha only thing to get through tha' hat a yours," the shorter man replied, looking around. There was a very posh dining room behind the wall, but Raihan led the way up a discreet staircase to a second, less populated dining room on the second floor. There were only a few other diners, but compared to their fancy togs, Piers felt… somehow both over and underdressed.
Raihan, in a hoodie and shorts, definitely looked underdressed - not that it seemed to give him much pause as he led the way to a table near the wall of tinted windows, "Wait, so I can't poke fun at your outfit, but you can take the piss out of mine?"
"You 'spect me ta believe a bastard that can't tell tha difference 'tween purple and magenta has a fashion sense?" Piers asked, checking his phone.
Marnie had texted him back.
Will ya stop talkin' like tha'?
Jus' cause bein' leader wasn't yer passion don' mean ya were a bad 'un
Have some fun fer once, ya earned it
He put his phone away with a sigh - he was the big brother. Marnie shouldn' be lookin' after him.
"You and your sister are really close, huh?" Raihan asked, smiling at the waiter who delivered menus.
"Yeah, I mean… it's pretty much jus' been the two of us, after all…" Piers said, uncomfortably. He didn' really like talkin' about all tha'... family stuff. Early years were hard, but tha' wasn' the important bit. Now they had more family than they knew what ta do with - tha' was the important bit.
But Raihan didn' ask about any a tha', 'stead he sighed and said, "Kind of miss that. Nes and I were close as kids, too."
"Wha's stoppin' ya?" the dark type user sometimes forgot the two were siblings, since no one really talked about it.
"Well," the other man shrugged, "Folks split when we were kids. I went traveling with dad, she stayed here with mom. Just… drifted, I guess."
"Ain't tha' jus' what used ta stop ya?" Piers asked, squinting at the food selections. There were no prices listed - real genuine posh, tha'. Would help if he knew what he was readin', though.
Raihan snorted, "Can't deny that. Still, we're both off doing our own thing, so…" he shrugged, "Just be hard to build a new connection after all this time."
"Well yeah," the dark type user said, givin' up on the menu, "Tha's how it works. Ya want ta be in someone's life, ya gotta make an effort. 'Specially with busy people - Nessa's got her gym and modelin' career, after all. Was hard 'nough managin' a gym and raisin' Marine ta find time to make music."
The waiter came back then, "Have you made your selections, gentlemen?"
"I'll have my usual," Raihan said, then seemed to consider before adding, "And some champagne. It's a celebration, right?"
Piers rolled his eyes, "Ya got anythin' vegetarian?"
"We have several vegetarian selections, sir," the man said, deftly flipping open the menu and pointing them out with brief descriptions. Piers just picked one at random - he wasn't a picky eater past no meat, after all.
"Vegetarian, eh?" Raihan asked, throwing an arm over the back of his chair, "Feels like I've learned more about you today than the past three years."
Piers shrugged, "Never bothered ta ask, did ya?"
"Fair," the dragon type leader grinned, "You haven't really invited questions either, though."
The other man scratched at the side of his head, not quite able to deny it. But he really was always busy - besides the distance he felt from having different goals, he usually had to get back to Spikemuth right away for one reason or another.
"It's weird," Piers said, thinkin' aloud by accident.
"What is?" Raihan asked.
Realizin' he couldn' take it back, he sighed and leaned on the table, "Fore, I was always… puttin' out fires. I thought bein' able to focus on me music would be… relaxin'. Freein'. 'Stead, I feel… restless like. Ain't managing the gym. Marnie can take care of herself. Jus' feels like…" he looked out the windows, over the city, "There's somethin' I'm 'spose ta be doin' that I ain't."
"That's…" the dragon type leader frowned, then sat forward, "I kind of know what you mean."
"Yeah?" Piers asked, surprised.
Raihan had never looked so serious before, folding his hands on the table, "I've been Leon's number one rival for years. And then some kid comes along and trounces the both of us. I've been single-mindedly training to beat him. So… now what? Do I keep training to beat the second strongest trainer in the region? Do I start training to beat the new Champion? But she's already got rivals - your sister among them. And that Bede kid…"
The dark type user looked over, studyin' the uncharacteristically introspective look on the taller man's face. Of course, neither of them had actually battled against Bede - the boy had been disqualified too early for that. But they had both battled the new Champion, and Piers had seen her and Bede battle twice. Not to mention impressin' Opal…
Raihan shook his head, seeming to shake off the serious mood, "Well, feels like maybe it's time to start thinking about what to do next. Don't get me wrong - I don't plan on retiring any time soon - but seeing this new generation, ready to take the reins… it got me thinking. And I realized that I don't do anything outside of battling or training."
"Neither do most the other Leaders," Piers replied, startled as the waiter brought the champagne and glasses, "Ta b'fair. Jus' lookit Kabu - trainin' has been his entire life."
The other man nodded, "Yeah, but Milo and Gordie are still pretty young, Opal's training her replacement," he started counting off on his fingers, "Like you said, Nessa has her modeling career, Bea can still do martial arts… it just feels like I should be figuring out what I want to do next. Whether it's to keep going or do something new."
Piers wanted to say somethin'... profound. Or meaningful. Somethin'... empathetic like. Bloody hell, somethin' nice would do.
What he said was, "Don' be such a daft 'apeth. Battlin's tha only thing ya want ta do, so stop ya chattin'."
Raihan thought he should probably feel… insulted, or at least irritated by the frankly rude comment. But instead, he laughed - because it felt like just what he needed to hear.
Piers frowned in confusion - the dragon type leader could well understand why.
"Sorry," he said, "But you just… I've been having all these doubts and big thoughts about what I should do with myself and…" he chuckled, "You're right. Just because Leon isn't Champion anymore doesn't mean I need to rethink my entire life."
The other man scoffed, trying the champagne and pulling a face before replying, "Exactly. 'Sides, yer goal was ta beat Leon, yeah? I don' seem ta remember ya doin' tha'."
"Guess I can't argue with that…" Raihan said, trying the drink from himself - real top-shelf stuff, but of course it was. He'd never admit it, but the gym leader liked a little posh now and then. Except it didn't seem to be to Piers's taste - which, honestly, didn't exactly surprise him.
If this really weren't the only place safe from his fans, he'd be more than willing to change venues. Instead, he asked, "So what's your goal, Piers?"
"Huh?" the dark type user asked.
"Do you want to be famous?" Raihan asked, "From your music, I mean?"
Piers glanced off, out the window again - it was a pretty great view out into the Wild Area, after all. But the gym leader was pretty sure that wasn't what his companion was looking at.
"Nah," the dark type user said, resting his chin in his hand, "I don' 'ave any big dreams like tha'. Ju's wanna be able to share it, I guess."
Raihan snorted, "You know, for a guy who dresses in purple, you're pretty unassuming."
Piers glared across the table, "You're peckin' me 'ead, ya know tha'?"
"I don't even know what you just said," the dragon type leader grinned, though he could well guess. There was just something… fun about getting a rise out of the normally rather distant man. Well, distant with the other Gym Leaders, anyways - he'd seemed chummy enough with the young 'heroes' of Galar.
Maybe they remind him of his sister? he wondered to himself.
"You're annoyin'," Piers clarified, "I thought this was a celebration or some shite."
"Yeah, but it's pretty tame for a celebration, isn't it?" Raihan asked, a gleam in his eye as he stood, "You know what, I have a better idea."
"What about-?"
"It's nothing - I said I was paying, right?" the dragon type leader showed off his fangs as he practically jogged back down to the front, "Sorry Lucy, change of plans - mind calling a taxi?"
"Of course, Raihan," the lovely receptionist replied, immediately pulling out a phone.
Piers scoffed behind him, with his usual slouch, "Where are ya draggin' me off ta now?"
"Motosoke," Raihan grinned, "Lot of hole in the walls, and less chance of running into a bunch of my fans. More your scene?"
The shorter man did that odd habit he had of going quiet and scratching the side of his head. Raihan had first seen it when he'd been praising Piers's battle skills - but he still wasn't entirely sure what it meant. He didn't think it was embarrassment, but at the same time, it could be.
Whatever the case, Piers shrugged with a much put upon sigh, "If you're gonna insist…"
Raihan grinned, "Absolutely!"
The trip to Motosoke wasn't long, and the dragon gym leader's memory got a little fuzzy after the first beer. At some point Team Yell goons that had heard of their plans (somehow) showed up to join in, and things got pretty rowdy. Raihan was pretty sure property damage was involved, but nothing serious. Kabu might have been called up to check up on them, too. He was pretty sure nothing was going to come of that - mostly.
So, waking up in his own apartment in his clothes from the night before and a massive hangover was neither a surprise nor a matter of concern.
His rotom phone beeping at him insistently with several text messages and more social media notifications than he cared for was a bit more… alarming.
"Shhh," he hushed the phone, taking it in hand. He decided to start with the text messages, since they would likely be easier to handle.
From Leon:
I see you had a fun night out lmao
Didn't think you were Piers's type
Well
Didn't think Piers had a type
That was interesting. Next was Sonia. They weren't as close as they used to be - back when Sonia was also Leon's rival - but they still texted on occasion.
Might want to check your feed, mate
The dragon type leader thought that was probably a good idea, and opted to do so before checking his other messages. It didn't take long to find.
"Shit," he groaned, looking at the pretty clear picture of him kissing Piers at some bar. Yeah, it was dark - but not that dark. He didn't remember any of it - and he had no idea if Piers did.
He moved back to messages, checking if any were from the former dark type leader. Didn't look like it.
Well, he thought, Better to get ahead of this.
He sent a message to Piers himself, asking if the other man remembered last night. While he waited for a reply, he forced himself up and through a shower. It helped him feel ready to confront the media storm - mostly just fans and chatter. The Team Yell members posting about Piers being too good for him were pretty amusing, though.
He didn't want to make any kind of official statement until he'd heard from Piers, though. He only had the man's number from when they were both gym leaders, but it seemed like it was coming in handy now.
Meanwhile, he checked his other messages. He sent replies to Sonia and Leon, more or less just asking them to lay off and not say anything public until he'd sorted it. Then came the others.
Kabu:
You owe me ¥500,000 for the property damage I covered last night
Raihan grimaced, but shot back a thank you and apology. It was a hefty sum - but not even close to out of his pay range.
Milo:
Are you and Piers dating?
Ah, sweet innocent bloke, him. The dragon type leader shook his head, explaining the actual situation and once again asking for discretion.
By the time he's had done with that, the response from Piers came through.
Not after the drinkin' contest
Why?
Raihan very vaguely remembered there being such a contest, which explained how he managed to get so trashed in the first place. He sent a reply:
Have you seen the news?
Yeah?
What of it?
The dragon type leader… blinked at his phone. That… that was it?
You aren't bothered or anything?
Nah, it happens
No use scrikin' over it
Only gettin' all the press cuz you're famous
Raihan snorted, suddenly feeling… relieved. He was pretty used to all the attention, but he'd worried about how Piers would take it. Leave it to the dark type user to not recognize the way his own fame played into the situation - and to surprise him yet again.
Alright then. Don't forget about our rematch!
Like ye'd let me
The dragon type leader shook his head, and went to official account to make a statement about the picture. He snapped a selfie to go with it - trying for how he felt. Which, honestly? Was about as much as Piers seemed to care.
Hate to disappoint everyone, but nothing is going on between Piers and I. I took him out for drinks to celebrate his victory in our
exhibition match and it looks like we both got a little carried away. It happens. But don't think I plan to take defeat sitting down!
We're going to have a rematch - so be on the lookout!
Hopefully, bringing up the rematch would draw some attention away from the picture. Who even took that? he wondered. Probably just some fan that spotted them. Could have been anyone - no use trying to track it down.
And then Leon was calling. With a roll of his eyes, Raihan answered.
"It happens?" Leon laughed, not even waiting to be greeted, "That's it, mate?"
"To be honest, I was quoting Piers," the dragon type leader replied, getting up to look over Hammerlocke. His apartment had a good view of most of the city - perks of being gym leader, "He seems remarkably blase about it all."
"I mean, yeah," his long-time rival replied, "He's a rock star. Probably just another Tuesday for him."
"Not sure about that," Raihan disagreed, though he kept the reason why to himself. He didn't know if Piers would be alright with someone else sharing his sexuality, "But you could be right."
"So you seriously don't remember anything?" Leon asked. It sounded like there was a battle going on in the background - and it only took a moment or two to recognise the voices of the new Champion and Hop.
"Apparently we had a drinking contest," the dragon type leader said, "You at home?"
"Yeah," the other man replied, "Hop's decided to become a Pokemon Professor, but he and Rori still carry on, you know?"
"Yeah," Raihan grinned, "Don't think you're getting off easy, either - I'm still going to beat you one day."
Leon laughed, "Never thought it for a moment, mate. Sure you aren't trying to gain another rival, though?"
"Who, Piers?" the dragon type leader snorted, "Nah, that's different."
"Want to meet up?" the old Champion asked, "Been pretty crazy lately - finally have some free time."
"Sure - get back to looking out for those kids," Raihan said, and they decided on a cafe in Hammerlocke before hanging up. Since the new Champion was still a kid, Leon was still taking on most of the Champion responsibilities - the politics and managerial duties. It meant Leon's schedule was pretty packed most of the time.
Not that Raihan was free - he was still the gym leader, and had his own duties on top of training and gym management.
In any case, they met at the gym leader's usual place - they had plenty of times before.
"So what's so different about this rematch you've got with Piers?" Leon asked, never one for small talk.
Well, neither was Raihan, honestly, "The battle is different. I know what to expect with you - you and Charizard are right brutes, you are."
"Guilty," the other man laughed.
"Piers though," the dragon type leader scratched at his chin, considering, "He keeps me on my toes. I never know what to expect - when I went up against him for the first time in the finals-"
"That was your first battle against Piers?" Leon asked.
"Yeah?" Raihan shrugged, "Just how it happened. Anyway, I thought it was going to be a cake job, you know?"
"Because he doesn't Dynamax his pokemon?" the old Champion guessed.
"Exactly," the dragon type leader replied, "But instead, it was anyone's game - he put me and my team through our paces. Then in the exhibition-" Raihan grinned, "Different again. True I didn't Dynamax that time but… I don't think it would have made much difference."
Leon smiled, "Sure you aren't gearing up to have another rival?"
The other man rolled his eyes, "Piers is giving up battling. Would be a poor time to start a rivalry."
"Is he giving up battling?" the old Champion asked, "Or is he giving up being a gym leader?"
That gave Raihan pause, "I don't know, actually."
"Should probably find out," Leon grinned, "Since you're trying to make him your new rival and all."
The dragon type leader rolled his eyes good naturedly, "Come off it."
"It's alright, I'm willing to share," the old Champion's grin grew as he put a heartfelt hand to his chest, "Don't try to spare my feelings, mate."
Raihan gasped in mock betrayal, "Have you been seeing other rivals behind my back?"
Leon laughed, "I never knew you were the jealous type."
"Yes you did," the dragon type leader said, kicking the other man under the table. He wasn't, but it was a joke they'd shared for years. Speaking of rivals, "Have you seen Sonia recently?"
"Yeah," the other man said, "She's really come into her own since taking over for her grandmother. Hop's studying under her now. It's… different."
"Feels like things are changing, doesn't it?" Raihan asked.
Leon laughed, "Things are changing. There's a new Champion, two new Gym Leaders, a new Professor..." a shadow seemed to pass over the man's face, "Rose is in jail," but it was gone just as quickly, "It's a new world out there."
The dragon type leader nodded, "It certainly is - almost had me thinking about retiring."
"Really?" the old Champion asked, "You?"
Raihan nodded, "Thought maybe I should start preparing for the future, you know?"
"Something change your mind?"
"Piers," the dragon type leader laughed, "I told him after the match yesterday how I was thinking… well, that maybe it was time for a change and all that. I had this whole thing about the new generation and everything."
Leon arched a brow with a smile, "And?"
"And he told me to stop talking rubbish because battling was all I wanted to do," Raihan laughed, then shrugged, "He was right."
"I could have told you that," the other man snorted.
"Yeah but who listens to you?" the dragon type leader grinned, "All you do is get people lost. Including yourself."
Leon laughed, "I can't argue with that. Though I think most people would say especially myself."
"I don't know, mate," Raihan shrugged, "I was really serious about preparing for the future and all that. You at least would have heard me out. What are your plans, anyway?"
"Plans?" the former Champion looked completely lost by the statement.
The dragon type leader snorted, "Yeah. I know you're still handling a lot of 'Champion' duties for the kid, but what are your plans? Going through the Gym Challenge next year to reclaim your crown, or something else?"
Leon blinked, then tilted his head, "You know, I hadn't even thought about it. I've been so busy cleaning up the mess Rose left, I don't think it's quite sunk in that I'm not Champion yet - you know?"
"Is that why you're still wearing that dumb cape?" Raihan grinned, resting his chin in his hand.
"My cape is flawless, thank you," the other man punched his shoulder good-naturedly, "At least I don't wear a hoodie for a pokemon I don't use."
"Hey my da sent me this hoodie," the dragon type leader snorted, "You stitched that rubbish yourself."
"So now you're jealous of my sewing skills," Leon joked.
"Oh, I already know I can sew better than you can," Raihan replied. Years of traveling to remote locations without having a town nearby had made him a deft hand with a needle. Well, when it came to darning and repairs. He couldn't really do anything fancy, but he was still a steadier, more even hand than his rival.
"Probably," the former Champion conceded, "Anyway, better win your rematch with Piers - otherwise I might have to challenge him to see where I shake out."
The dragon type leader scoffed, "Steady on - I thought you didn't mind if I had other rivals?"
Leon grinned, "I thought Piers wasn't your rival."
Raihan rolled his eyes, "Well, we'll see."