Chapter Text
“You want to join me for training?” Gloria stared up at Raihan incredulously.
Raihan at least had the decency to look abashed as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, “Y-yeah, you don’t mind?”
“Why?”
Raihan nodded at the Champion, “I… figured if I want to beat Leon and subsequently you, I’d take a page out of your book?” The disbelieving look on Gloria’s face was almost answer enough. Raihan didn’t blame her, that excuse sounded flimsy even to him. Not to mention it was the League’s worst kept secret that he held a mild dislike for Gloria. How could he not, she’d single handedly destroyed his dream of dethroning Leon and set herself up as an even stronger opponent. If he couldn’t beat Leon yet how on earth would he be able to defeat the reigning Champion of seven years?
Groaning internally Raihan wondered how he even got in this situation? Oh yeah, Nessa and Sonia…
The three of them had been hanging out in Nessa’s apartment trying to make plans for Leon’s return from Kalos. He’d been gone for a two years, off to explore the other regions in what he’d called a soul searching mission. Raihan called it being bloody bored with Galar. He couldn’t blame Leon either, Galar was a small region and once you’d been through it, there wasn’t much else it offered.
Leon was lucky, no longer being the Champion and Gloria having turned 18 three years ago now being old enough to lead the League on her own, Leon was left with little responsibility. The only thing he had was the Battle Tower but it took care of itself. Raihan was jealous, he wanted to go on a journey as well but being a gym leader tied him down. With the annual league challenge he had to be in Galar for its six month duration and as the strongest gym leader he couldn’t just up and leave his gym to whomever as he went off on a journey.
“So…” Nessa’s voice broke Raihan out of his thoughts, her tone cheeky, “Are you going to confess when he gets back?”
Sonia’s face went redder then her hair, “What?! I-I don’t know what you’re talking about…”
“Leon! Come on, you’ve fancied him since you two took on the gym challenge! It’s been years Sonia, it’s time to tell him!”
“I can’t…” Sonia sighed, an air of defeat surrounding her.
“Why not? Look at you, he’d be insane to turn you down, you’re gorgeous! Tell her, Raihan,” Nessa said, turning to look at Raihan pointedly.
“Yeah… he’d be insane to turn you down Sonia,” Raihan’s heart clenched painfully, just another thing he couldn’t beat Leon in, “You’re beautiful, amazing with pokemon, and wickedly smart.” Sonia smiled weakly at him.
“Thanks guys, but I don’t think it’ll work out. I don’t think I’m his type,” Sonia crossed her arms over her chest, gaze directly to the floor.
“And just what do you think his type is?” Nessa asked, her tone sarcastic.
“Someone strong and fierce, that can keep up with him and challenge him.”
“So Raihan?”
Both he and Sonia balked at Nessa.
“Wha-” he sputtered as Sonia hastily traded to clarify who she’d meant,
“No! Gloria! Gloria is his type! Look at her she’s grown so much and so strong! She’s a fine young woman. I can’t compete with the Champion and I don’t want to…” She trailed off.
Nessa cocked an eyebrow, “Really, Gloria? What makes you think she even sees Leon in a romantic light?”
“It’s Leon how could she not?” Sonia’s said, her tone matter of fact, “Not to mention I heard her talking to Hop in the lab the other day, she was planning on confessing to Leon. How could I get in the way of that? They’re well suited for each other.”
“You did? What did she say?” Nessa asked. Raihan looked towards Sonia, even his interest was piqued. Confessing her feelings to someone seemed out of character for the normally reserved Gloria.
“She and Hop were talking about something and she mentioned that she’d talk to Leon when he gets back next weekend and ask him. Hop asked her if she was sure about Leon and that it’d be a big commitment. Gloria said she was sure. Hop saw me before they said anything else, so I had to pretend to have been looking for him” Sonia concluded.
Both Nessa and Raihan’s eyes were blown wide in disbelief at Sonia’s reveal. Except Raihan couldn’t help but feel as if they were missing the full story. The story just seemed strange to him.
Nessa recovered first, “This just means we have to act faster than Gloria.”
“What.” Sonia looked at Nessa in confusion.
“Listen, I know you see Gloria as your adoptive little sister, but you got to be selfish. She’s got Hop on her side which means she may have the advantage of knowing exactly when and where Leon will be coming back so we need a plan…Hmm…” Nessa trailed off, already thinking of schemes.
Raihan looked towards Sonia, “Sonia.” He called. She looked to him, waiting for him to continue, “I don’t think you have to worry about Gloria. Leon still sees her as nothing more than a kid.”
“But she’s not a kid anymore Raihan, she’s 21.” Sonia smiled sadly at him, causing the Butterfree’s in his stomach to return. Damn Leon…
Sonia’s words had apparently snapped Nessa’s attention back to the conversation and away from whatever scheme she was cooking up, “Raihan, I know you hate Gloria.”
“Hate is a strong word, dislike is more accurate,” Raihan interrupted.
“Fine, I know you dislike Gloria, but even you have to have seen her. There is nothing childlike about her anymore. Nothing. Plus you’ve seen her gradually change, Leon’s been gone for roughly two years, it’ll be quite a change for him and who knows how he’ll take it. Might just change his thoughts on Gloria.”
“Change his thoughts?” Sonia squeaked in alarm at Nessa’s thoughts.
“Who knows. It’s not like she’s unpopular with men,” Nessa stated. Even Raihan had to grudgingly concede that point, he’d seen what the press and web had been saying.
“So here’s the plan,” Nessa plowed right on through, “We keep Leon from seeing Gloria first and allowing her to confess to him. That way Sonia can confess first and we’ll see the birth of a beautiful couple meant to be!”
“And just how do you plan on doing that?” Raihan asked.
“See, that’s where you come in Raihan,” Nessa’s smile was positively wicked.
“-han… Raihan?” Raihan’s focus snapped back to the present as he registered Gloria repeatedly calling him.
“Oh, uh, sorry, zoned out there for a second,” he sheepishly smiled.
“I noticed,” Gloria looked less than impressed, “None the less, I said fine. You are free until the gym challenge begins, yeah?”
“Uh yeah, should be. Why?” The gym challenge? That’s four months away, what kind of training is Gloria planning!? Raihan suddenly regretted ever agreeing to Nessa’s plan, he didn’t even want Sonia and Leon together!
“Brilliant! I’ll let Hop know, you’ve really saved my skin, Raihan, I’ve been looking for a partner. I’m surprised you’re volunteering though. Thanks though. Pack your bags, we’re going to the Wild Area for the foreseeable future. I’ll meet you at the south gate of Motostoke at 6am. Don’t be late.” And without even waiting for an answer, Gloria began to walk off.
She stopped after a few steps, “Ah, just to let you know we won’t be back in the cities for a while so be prepared. And don’t tell anyone please.”
What have I gotten myself into?
*Ring Ring Ring Rin-*
“ ‘Ello?”
“Raihan!” Nessa appeared on the Rotom phone’s screen, “How’d it go? You manage to rope Gloria into spending the weekend with you instead of meeting up with Leon when he comes back?”
“Erm… yeah, I did… abou-” the tinny sound of high pitched squealing coming from the speakers cut him off.
“Brilliant Raihan!” Nessa exclaimed.
“Thanks Raihan!” Sonia smiled warmly at him as she appeared next to Nessa on the small screen.
Faking a brilliant smile and throwing a thumbs up at the two girls, Raihan managed a “No problem!” Before he was hung up on in all the excitement and he could even begin to explain his unexpected predicament.
Damn… So packing huh…
The next morning couldn’t have come any faster, Raihan thought as he trudged down Motostoke’s main street, heading down to the gate.
Blimey, 6 am, kill me.
He stopped to take a selfie in the streets, taking advantage of the morning’s Golden Hour and captioning it ‘Early start to training, #LeonYoureGoingDown’. He saw Hop and Gloria waiting by the gate, Hop waving at him with a large smile. Raihan quickly posted the photo to SmeargleGram, his phone already beginning to buzz with incoming likes. If he’d known that was about to be the last photo he’d post in a while, he would have put more effort into it, or maybe posted an SOS message in the caption begging his fans to save him from the hell trip awaiting him.