Just as the two boys had promised they would, Raihan and Piers had travelled together ever since their encounter in Motostoke. On Route 3 they had been chased all over the place by wild Growlithe and Tyrogue when Piers had tried to make a new addition to his team. He did succeed in catching a Stunky which he couldn't help but find cute, even if it cost him the defeat of a horde of puppy Pokémon.

Proceeding to Galar Mine, the two young Trainers had come across another unique event. Raihan had realized that his friend's Zigzagoon was a trouble-seeking, energetic little mischief-maker ever since their first fight, but his image of it only intensified when the black and white Pokémon decided to attack a Carkol that was twice his size without any valid reason.

Piers and Raihan had to run away various times because the space they found themselves in at those occasions was far too cramped for a battle. As if to capture all the moments for narrative purposes, Raihan snapped a few selfies of himself and Piers as the events unfolded, even if that 'sometimes' got the two in an even tighter situation.

Once they had enough space to move freely in, Raihan and Piers joined forces in a double battle against the somewhat stronger coal Pokémon. With the combined attacks of their respective aces Trapinch and Zigzagoon, they managed to seize victory, Raihan high-fiving the shyer boy to show his excitement. They had battled alongside one another even if their opposing Pokémon weren't as strong as the Carkol. Raihan began to think that double battles were too much fun to miss out on, so more often than not, he found himself sending out his Goomy to aid Piers' Stunky.

Right now, the two boys had just exited the Pokémon Center in Turffield after their Pokémon had been fully healed by the friendly Nurse Joy at the counter. At long last they had finally reached their first destination, the place where they could take on the first Gym Leader and earn themselves a Grass Badge as proof of their skills.

"Man, you're so lucky to have caught yourself a Stunky! With a poison-type like him on the team, you can totally ace this Gym!" Raihan stated as the two walked down on the path that led to said Gym. Ever since journeying together, Piers found himself feeling more and more at ease around Raihan. Sure, his cheeks still got red sometimes, but the slim boy had gotten rid of his bad habit of stuttering when being nervous — and that was most probably possible because he no longer felt nervous around the taller Trainer.

"Well, your Trapinch and Goomy are so strong, you don't need type advantages to win." Piers retorted and even if his answer sounded like he was trying to flatter his friend, all he did was speak his mind truthfully. Raihan chortled in response, hitting Piers' frail back playfully and without putting too much force in his hand. "It's gonna go to my head if you keep saying such things!"

When the two boys entered the Gym in order to get themselves signed up for their first battle, they saw two individuals occupying the way to the reception. Raihan had already seen them before, and knew one of them quite well. Leon turned around at the sound of people entering the building, his golden orbs locking on Raihan's figure as the latter strolled inside along his friend. "Raihan!"

"Hey Leon." The light brown-skinned male greeted casually, nodding at the orange-haired girl that stood next to him in order to not be rude. Piers nodded his head slightly at both of them, not wanting to appear unfriendly to Raihan's friends. For some reason, he found that to be of high importance, even if up until then he hadn't cared much about what other people thought of him. "So you finally made it here, too!"

"Check this out!" The purple-haired boy cheered, fishing out an object from his bag and holding it out for the two other males to see. What he held between his fingers was a golden item with green details carved into it, details that reminded Raihan of the spinach he hated so much. What the drawing actually portrayed was simply a stylized leaf, and given the place they were all at, the object as a whole was unmistakably the Grass Badge.

"You already defeated the Turffield Gym Leader?" Raihan blurted out in slight disbelief. Once he analyzed the situation for another moment, he realized that Leon's accomplishment actually wasn't all that shocking. After all, the boy who wore his blue jacket like a cape had chosen a Charmander as his first Pokémon, so it would have been a bit embarrassing to lose against a Gym Leader that specialized in grass-types. "Pretty amazing, right? I feel unbeatable right now."

"Want to try out your luck and have a battle against me?" Leon added, smirking at the person he considered to be a worthy rival in an almost provoking manner. Raihan would never run from a challenge, not even if he suspected that the purple-head might be stronger than himself due to his first official victory in a match. "You're on!"

The two knuckle-heads along with Piers and Sonia who had been dragged into their competition left the stadium in order to hold their battle in the open. The girl with bright orange hair stood in the middle of what they considered their battlefield and announced the rules: Both Trainers were allowed to use two Pokémon each, and the first side to defeat both of the other would be declared the winner.

And so Raihan and Leon sent out their Goomy and Axew at the beginning of the battle, the two dragon-type Pokémon ending up taking each other out mutually. The fight got much more intense when their aces were up against one another, and even if Raihan possessed the advantage in type matchups, Charmander was just too good at dodging attacks.

As much of a close call as it was, it was Leon who won the battle in the end.

While the purple-haired male cheered victoriously, getting praised by his female companion, Raihan ran up to his defeated Trapinch, returning it to its Ultra Ball while speaking words of reassurance.

He was so upset that he had lost and all he did to vent his anger was grit his teeth and clench his fist tightly. As he slowly rose to his feet, his Rotom Phone escaped from his pocket and took a quick photo of the disappointed boy — and believe it or not, the Rotom had been told do so by its owner in advance.

Leon boasted some more about his strength before actually praising Raihan for the good battle. Piers who had been observing from the sidelines all that time could tell that the purple-haired boy's words didn't do much to improve Raihan's morale. It hurt Piers to see someone who was usually and naturally confident have his conviction shattered.

Sure, their little competition appeared like a simple Pokémon battle, but Piers had grown close enough to Raihan to know that a loss like this one was a blow to a person with his competitiveness. The tall Trainer had pulled himself together until both Leon and Sonia had left, and once they had, he no longer put up a front.

He had met Piers at his weakest and perhaps because of that — and the influence of other minor factors — Raihan felt like he didn't have to hide his feelings around the shorter boy, like he could expose his bare emotions without having to worry to let down anyone. Though the raven-haired boy was silently being consumed by the thought that perhaps he did disappoint Piers. They were friends, but for a reason unknown to him, he only wanted the slim boy to see him at his strongest, see only the good things about himself.

Piers on the other hand struggled to come up with a way to cheer the taller male up as he stood across him, looking at him and the way he stared daggers at the ground. He wasn't as funny as Raihan was, so he wasn't confident he could crack a joke that would lift his spirits and neither did he master the way of words. Then again, it was actions that spoke louder anyway, right?

Before sinking too deep in his thoughts, Piers walked up to his friend and enveloped him in his thin arms, his hold so fragile and gentle that Raihan didn't allow himself to jump in reaction. The latter was surprised, sure, but just as relieved that he had a shoulder to cry on. Though he didn't cry, he simply leaned his face in the crook of Piers' neck and relaxed in his embrace.

"Um... don't let it get to you, OK? Leon got lucky, you'll win the next time for sure." The pale boy spoke, his voice as soft as his touch. A smile forced its way on Raihan's lips at his friend's sweet attempt of encouragement and it was as if all the frustrations had left his system when he pulled away. "Thanks Piers."

"Can I ask you something?" The shorter male questioned, allowing his arms to drop back to his sides as Raihan dusted his clothes off. He raised a brow at the boy, not quite comprehending why he still felt like he had to ask for permission for such things. With a brief nod and a 'sure', Piers came forward with his question while rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "How come... you also take pictures when you lose a battle?"

"Well, it's to never forget the pain of defeat!" The taller Trainer responded truthfully, gaining a slightly uneasy look from Piers. It was as if he was holding back something, as if he wanted to say something but didn't know if it was his place to butt in. Raihan urged him to do it anyway though, and he didn't regret it. "Don't you think it's better to take pictures in happy moments?"

Raihan was actually driven to not blurt out just any reply but rather think about the matter throughly, and now that he did, the boy did feel as if the pictures he had taken together with Piers caused pleasant feelings to bubble up in his stomach. "Hm... I guess you do make a point. Alright then, let's take one!"

"Right now?" Piers uttered inadvertently, his eyes widening just a tad more than necessary. The boy wearing his orange hairband couldn't stop himself from laughing at his friend's bashful reaction. He threw his strong arm around the shorter boy and pulled his face closer before calling his Rotom Phone. "Yeah, right now! You made me happy by cheering me up, so this counts too, right?"

"I-I guess." He felt self-conscious when Raihan so openly declared something so embarrassing, but he was inwardly unexplainably happy that his poor attempt at cheering him up had worked out just fine and even better. Piers reflexively ran a hand through his black and white hair, a gesture that implied his slight nervousness as he attempted hiding the bright red blush that seared across his cheeks.

"That's right! So now let's hurry to the Pokémon Center and back to the Gym, so that we can get ourselves those Grass Badges!"

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My note to you:
I've added quite a few tags and the mature rating for this book, so I guess I'll tell you a spoiler and say that this story is a full-package — of course, my intention isn't to brag. xD

What I mean is that there'll be drama, fluff and smut (with a warning of course), so don't feel discouraged when things don't go too rosily from the get-go! :3

Thank You for Reading!