Author's Note: I'm absolute Raihan trash. I kind of ship him with Gloria but I don't see a lot of works with that pairing so I'm going to write my own. Gloria and Hop are eighteen, Raihan, Sonia and Leon are maybe five years older.
Might eventually turn smutty? But keeping it rated T for now.
If there was just one person in the entire Pokemon League who could get under her skin, it had to be Raihan.
Yes, he was kind of cocky, but that wasn't the main issue. Gloria was perfectly fine with people being confident in their own abilities, and Raihan had more than earned the respect of Galar's pokemon trainers. He wasn't called the most powerful Gym Leader and the tamer of dragons for nothing.
But did he always have to keep posting all those selfies on Rotogram? She huffed, ignoring yet another notification from the stupid app as it popped up on her Rotom Phone. She was busy enough trying to cycle through the Wild Area without accidentally crashing into a tree or something – Gloria was kind of embarrassed to admit it, but she didn't have fantastic control over her bike.
"Gloria, you gotta stop looking at your phone or you're going to miss out on rare pokemon!" Hop yelled from in front of her. She slipped her phone back in her pocket, wondering how he had managed to notice when he was tearing away through the field, practically a blur.
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" she called, putting her all into cycling. She might be Galar's newest champion and the one who finally toppled Leon from his throne, but that didn't mean she had gotten any faster on her bicycle. Hop had cycled all the way to a bridge and was now waiting for her as she pedalled towards him, a look of amusement on his face.
"I see a den! Think there would be anything good inside?" Hop pointed out when she reached him, panting a little from the exertion. She glanced in the direction he indicated and raised an eyebrow, surprised – she had been too distracted by Rotogram earlier, but now she could see the giant ray of purple light shooting up into the sky, dark clouds encircling the pillar. It wasn't just any old den – there was probably some rare pokemon inside. Maybe even a Gigantamax one.
"No harm taking a look! It'd be good for your research too, right?" she asked. Hop beamed. Ever since Hop started helping out at Sonia's lab and decided he wanted to continue Professor Magnolia's research into dynamax, he had been going to the Wild Area almost daily, on the lookout for Gigantamax pokemon. Hop reasoned that if working with Dynamax pokemon all this time hadn't led to much, then maybe it was time to start looking even further, and who was she to disagree with the professor's assistant?
Besides, now that she was champion, there were so many official duties she needed to handle, and it was nice to just escape from work once in a while and accompany her old friend to do something she actually enjoyed. Leon was really good at guiding her along, though admittedly he could be a little absentminded, and he told her that whenever she needed a break, he could step in to cover for her. She was making good use of that, sneaking out to the Wild Area whenever her responsibilities permitted it.
The den was getting closer, and Gloria's heart rate was going up – partially from the strenuous exercise, but also because it had been a good, long while since she last had any kind of pokemon battle, and she missed the thrill of working together with her partner pokemon. The past week had been spent with the other Gym Leaders figuring out a way to streamline gym operations and reduce expenses, and to tell the truth, work like that just flew right over her head.
"Excited?" Hop called, grinning at her. She nodded, gnawing on her lip, the pillar of purple almost blinding up close. She had to wonder what pokemon was hiding in the den this time. They were quite close to the lake, so she was hoping for Gigantamax Lapras. But anything would do, really. She was itching to get all this pent-up energy out of her system.
Heck, she'd even clear the Battle Tower again if she had to. But she simply didn't have the time. "Hey, wait. There's a camp right there! You don't think there's someone already in the den, do you?" Hop came to an abrupt halt in front of her, some distance away from the den. Gloria stopped as well, seeing the same tent Hop was pointing to. She squinted a bit – the tent was orange and blue, which were very familiar colours, and she suddenly had a very strong suspicion who might be the owner of the tent.
"I think we should go." It wasn't like Gloria hated him or anything. Nope, she most certainly did not. She got along well with the entire League, even Bede, though Bede had taken a while to warm up to her and could still be a prickly asshole at times. But it was pretty funny watching how Bede reacted around Opal. She was like his strict grandma or something.
She just didn't think it would do her any good to bump into him now, after that shirtless photo he posted on Rotogram just this morning. It would be awkward. Not for him, but most definitely for her. But Hop just looked at her, confused, and she wondered if there was a way for her to explain her rationale without it sounding outright weird.
"We're already here, and it's so rare to see a pillar like this! Who knows when our next opportunity will come along?" Hop asked, clearly trying to change her mind. She sighed. She knew he was right – she just really, really didn't want to bump into that guy right now. "We can just go take a look. Whoever they are, they'd probably be okay with fighting alongside you. Not everyone gets a chance to battle with the champion, you know."
Gloria couldn't say no to the pleading look in Hop's golden eyes. It would feel like kicking a puppy. Heaving another sigh, she got off her bike, leaving it close to the tent. She and Hop approached the den, and when they reached the entrance, they saw a familiar figure leaning against the wall, posing for a selfie with his Rotom Phone. Gloria sighed for the third time. She was absolutely right.
"Hey, Raihan!" Hop greeted the dragon-type Gym Leader, who looked up at the sound of Hop's voice, surprise on his face. His teal gaze landed on them and he grinned, waving his phone away. "Glad to see you out of Hammerlocke Stadium for once." Hop walked right up to the Gym Leader, clearly comfortable around him. Gloria hung a little further back, kicking at the grass with her boot. She wished she could be that easy-going around Raihan, but then again, Hop probably didn't use Rotogram often enough to notice Raihan's extremely questionable account.
"Great to see you, Hop. And little miss champ herself!" Raihan whistled. "I'd ask what you two were doing out in the Wild Area, but I could already guess. A beauty, isn't it?" They all turned to look at the active den behind Raihan, and Gloria had to grudgingly agree. You'd never be able to see the glowing coloured light of an active den outside of the Wild Area.
"Did you manage to take a look?" Hop asked, leaning over the den and peering inside. Gloria doubted he could see anything – the pokemon usually hid pretty deep inside. If there was one thing she didn't like about raids, it was the journey in and out of the den. "Hope it's a Gigantamax pokemon. I really need to make some headway with my research."
Raihan shook his head. "Isn't it more fun when it's a surprise?" he asked, and Gloria caught herself glancing at the Gym Leader again, her gaze alighting on his prominent trademark canine. He had a cute smile. Not that she would ever admit it. There was no need to feed Raihan's already overblown ego.
"I guess so…" Hop shrugged. "Let's go then – what are we waiting for, right?" He cracked his knuckles, clearly ready to get down to business. But Gloria cleared her throat, catching the attention of the other two.
"We need four people for a Max Raid, remember?" she reminded them. "With you, me and Raihan, that means we still need one more person. Unless we're okay with some random dude crashing our raid." Raihan and Hop exchanged a look. Gloria carried on. "Or we could invite the other Gym Leaders, but I don't think –"
"Ah, nah. I'd rather not," Raihan interrupted. "I got into a really dumb argument with Nessa the other day and I'm pretty sure she's complaining about me to the others right now, so I kind of want the whole thing to blow over first."
Somehow, it was not surprising that Raihan had gotten into a dumb argument with Nessa. Or with anyone, for that matter. Gloria knew he was smart – he was the only Gym Leader who actively made use of weather effects to give himself an advantage during battles – but he was also so – so…her words failed her.
"Guess the random trainer it is, then," Gloria muttered. Looking around, she saw a girl in the distance who looked eerily like her, just with long black hair instead of her short brown bob. Sending an invite via her phone, within minutes the girl was at the den and they headed in, wondering what pokemon they would find this time.
"That was amazing," Hop gushed, still tossing his newly-caught Sandaconda from one hand to the other. The girl hadn't been interested in the Sandaconda – apparently, she had been looking for Milcery, and she claimed she already had a couple of Gigantamax Sandacondas in her box – and Gloria figured Hop needed the pokemon more than she did. While all Raihan wanted, evidently, was a selfie.
This actually explained the random photos of sandstorms he occasionally posted. Not that she was paying any particular attention to Raihan's Rotogram. She just couldn't help but notice that because it was so weird. "Are you heading back to the lab now, Hop?" Gloria asked, hoping he could still hang out a while longer.
"Yeah, I have work to do." He laughed, patting her on the shoulder. "Come on, don't look so disappointed! You can still explore the Wild Area without me. Lee is covering your champion duties for you, right?" She nodded. "There you go. Besides, maybe you can teach Raihan a thing or two about beating Lee!"
She gasped, hoping that Hop's blasé words hadn't offended the Gym Leader or anything, but Raihan seemed entirely unbothered, sitting outside his tent in front of an empty pot. He had let his team out of their pokeballs, and they were crowding around him now, clearly hoping for some curry. Gloria sighed. "Fine, Hop. Good luck with your research!" she called, waving as Hop got onto a Flying Taxi.
Gloria continued to watch as the Corviknight flew away, wondering what she ought to do now. She was used to being in the Wild Area, especially by herself, but she had never spent time with Raihan on her own before. Then again, she supposed there could be a first time for everything.
Raihan was stirring his pot, which now had curry bubbling away inside it, but he looked up when she approached, a lazy grin on his face. "Hungry?" he asked. "I make a pretty mean curry if I can say so myself. You can ask Flygon here." He nodded at his pokemon, who just fluttered his wings in response. Flygon was a gorgeous pokemon and pretty powerful too – she had yet to catch a Trapinch, but she was determined to do so one of these days.
"What did you put inside your curry?" she asked. She could smell its fragrance from here, and it made her wonder if it tasted anywhere as good as it smelled. Raihan continued stirring, but he looked up in thought, using his free hand to count.
"Spice mix…and a couple of berries." He grinned. "You'll like it, trust me. I've never met a trainer who didn't like my curry!"
"You say that like you cook for lots of people." She settled next to him, watching as he lifted his spoon to his mouth, taking a quick sip. He considered for a moment, then picked up another berry and tossed it inside the pot – she thought it was an Enigma berry, but she couldn't be sure because they were pretty rare and she wasn't entirely familiar with what they looked like.
"Well, sometimes we have potlucks and we're all expected to bring some food. Maybe you'll get to attend one of them soon," he chuckled, tapping his spoon against the pot. "Why don't you let your pokemon out? I'm sure they're hungry after that battle with the Sandaconda." He tasted the curry again and nodded this time, looking satisfied with its taste.
Gloria let her party pokemon out of their pokeballs, watching as they frolicked with each other in the grass. She smiled, watching them. This was her team – the team that had brought her through the entire Gym Challenge, the team which helped her take down Eternatus, the pokemon which helped her secure the championship. They fought and breathed in sync, and she adored them – it was nice to see them playing with each other, and she was reminded of when they were all still young and unevolved, just newly added to her team. How far they had come.
Inteleon wandered over to Raihan's curry pot, looking curious. "Are you hungry?" she asked, startled. She had just given her team some curry earlier in the day. "You just ate, though!" Inteleon looked sullenly at her, and Raihan laughed – it was a rich, deep sound, and she felt a little shiver run through her. She tried to ignore it.
"Told you," he gloated. "No one can resist my curry. Do you have a bowl? Think I'm done." He tapped the spoon against the pot once more, and Gloria rifled through her backpack, looking for her dishes and utensils. She pulled out a plate and gave it to the Gym Leader, and he scooped out a generous helping of curry for her. Pairing it with some rice, she took a deep breath and sighed – it did smell heavenly.
She fed Inteleon first since he kept lingering around the pot, casting Raihan hopeful looks. Inteleon looked extremely pleased as he ate the curry, and she found herself wondering just how good could it be – among her entire party, Inteleon was the fussiest eater, and he only ever looked that pleased with Copperajah Class curry at the minimum. Gloria rarely ever achieved Charizard Class, much to Inteleon's chagrin.
"Here's yours." Raihan handed her a plate heaped with curry, and hesitantly she took hold of the spoon, giving the curry a sniff. Pure, concentrated flavour hit her nose, and her eyes widened in surprise, intrigued by the smell. It was rich and mysterious and there was a simmering hint of spice, but since it didn't smell overwhelmingly spicy, she figured she could handle it. Either way, these were not berries she had used before in her own cooking. Carefully, she scooped up some rice with the curry and placed the spoon in her mouth, savouring the taste.
The first bite was both pain and pleasure. She sucked in a deep breath, hurriedly fanning her face as the spiciness of the curry assaulted her senses. Raihan scooped out more curry for his pokemon, but he was watching her, and he looked extremely amused. Gloria was not the biggest fan of spicy food, and Raihan's cooking made her want to plunge her face headfirst into the nearest lake. But even she had to agree, as she reached for her water bottle and gulped down all the water she had, that the curry had a unique, almost addictive flavour profile that made her crave another bite. But maybe after she managed to cool off her burning mouth.
How was Inteleon eating his curry so calmly? She didn't understand. Raihan was outright laughing now, watching her as she beckoned to her pokemon, asking him to use Snipe Shot on her. "Aw, c'mon Gloria, it's not that spicy," he teased.
"Shut up, Raihan. Just shut up." She spared him a glare before she opened her mouth and Inteleon blasted blessed, cool streams of water at her face. She ended up soaking wet but it was worth it – at least it no longer felt like Hell's inferno on her tongue. Her lips had gone numb by this point, but bravely – or perhaps stupidly – she picked up another spoonful of curry and stuck it resolutely in her mouth.
Raihan sighed. "You never learn, do you?" he asked, watching as Gloria ran to her Inteleon again, her face turning red. She could swear Inteleon rolled his eyes, but he did as she requested, hosing her down with water once more. At this point, she might as well just jump into the lake, but her pokemon was significantly nearer.
"I admit it. Your curry is good. I just can't deal with spice," Gloria moaned, clutching her tummy. Raihan had taken the curry away after her second mouthful, and Gloria was now squatting in front of the fire in an attempt to dry her clothes, shivering as the spiciness slowly wore off and the chill set in. Her Arcanine was close by, but she didn't dare ask him to use any of his moves to help her out of fear he would set the entire place on fire. Maybe she shouldn't have made him forget Ember.
"Next time, I'll make a non-spicy curry especially for you, miss champ." Raihan was petting Flygon's head, and the pokemon had his eyes half-lidded, clearly enjoying the attention. "Leon sucked at eating spicy food too, at first. But he got used to it."
"Really? That…that would be nice," Gloria admitted, feeling a little embarrassed. Raihan just smirked at her, but for once the lazy smile seemed more charming than annoying to her, and feeling a little confused, she looked away from the Gym Leader. "So, how long did you and Leon know each other?" she asked, changing topics.
"Since we were kids. We were from the same batch of Gym Challengers, actually. He was always a bit of an idiot, getting lost all the time. He's lucky Sonia was there." Raihan shook his head. "Who would have thought he'd ever become the champion?"
Gloria just stared into the fire, wondering whether Raihan was disappointed that she beat Leon before he had a chance to. Everyone knew that Raihan wanted to beat the champ – they were rivals, after all. "Not to say you're no good, Gloria." She heard Raihan speak, and she lifted her gaze, meeting his teal eyes. He looked serious for once. "You beat all the Gym Leaders, you saved Galar, and you knocked the unbeatable champ off his pedestal. I'd say you're pretty damn good yourself."
"Thanks, I guess?" It came out sounding more like a question than a statement, and she winced. Raihan just chuckled, and they sat there together in silence, him eating his curry, her just waiting for her clothes to dry. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, and it was almost deafening.
"Well, it's been a long day. It was fun running into you and Hop, Gloria. Maybe we can go train together in the Wild Area sometime." Raihan finished his curry and got up, his Flygon floating behind him. "I'm going to wash up, so you can go on and head back to Wyndon. I'm sure Leon is praying you'll return to relieve him of his responsibilities soon. He was like you, you know. Hated all the administrative work."
"You don't look like you particularly enjoy it either," she called to him, wrapping her arms around herself. Her clothes were a little drier, but not enough for her to feel comfortable. Arcanine snuggled against her, wrapping his fluffy tail around her ankles, and she felt slightly better. Raihan laughed in response, but he didn't turn back. "We should stay and help him clean up, shouldn't we? Since we ate his food," she asked her pokemon. Her team seemed to agree.
She was cold, but her chest felt warm. It was a strange feeling. She glanced at the fire and at Raihan's tent, then she sighed, leaning her cheek against her left knee. Helping Raihan clean up would only be the right thing to do. Besides, it was such a nice day – it would be a shame if she headed back to Wyndon this early.