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The crackle of the campfire punctured the silence of the night as the light of the stars shined overhead. The Pokémon of the Wild Area that reveled in the darkness wandered about, eyeing the camp with curiosity, but dismissed it as unimportant. The solitude definitely helped considering Blake could hardly get any sleep. He watched the flames dance across the firewood, keeping his blanket wrapped around his shoulders, partly because he wanted to stay warm during this cold night and partly because it was a gift from his mother before he took off on the Gym Challenge.
He sighed. The Gym Challenge...It seemed like only yesterday he had begun his journey across Galar along with his friend Hop, who had been adamant about him coming along. His passion for Pokémon and his desire to surpass his brother to become champion was infectious, but it was tough for Blake to reciprocate that passion. It wasn't that he didn't want to do it in the first place or just didn't care about Pokémon. Far from it. Going on the Gym Challenge was something he really looked forward to. Postwick and Wedgehurst were small towns. He had seen and experienced practically everything there, so getting that endorsement letter from Leon and finally being able to venture out to see new sights and new Pokémon was a chance he didn't want to waste, but he just didn't reach the level of passion for battling that Hop exuded as they left their homes for the first time.
Which only made him feel guilty for the numerous defeats Hop had suffered at his hand. Hop already saw Blake as his rival, an honor that he tried to live up to as best he could, but no matter how hard Hop tried, how hard he prepared, Blake always seemed to steal victory away. It wasn't always so one-sided. In the beginning, it always was pretty even. Hop's knowledge of Pokémon as well as studying Leon's matches certainly gave him an edge whereas Blake only relied on instinct and getting incredibly lucky, but the gap had started to widen with each subsequent battle.
Then there was what happened with Bede after leaving for Hammerlocke. He didn't see the actual battle, but judging from Bede's ridicule when Blake met him at the city entrance and Hop's mood when starting to head to Stow-on-Side, about how he was dragging down Leon's name, it definitely hurt Hop a lot more than he showed. It was especially hard when Blake realized that Hop had switched out his Wooloo, his very first Pokémon, and whom Blake always saw by his side. If only Bede hadn't been stolen away by that Opal lady, he would've been fine giving him a proper thrashing right there at the gates of Hammerlocke Stadium. Seeing him get kicked out of the Gym Challenge by the very person that endorsed him satisfied the itch only a little bit. He wanted to get some actual retribution after how unbearable Bede's been for the entire journey.
Blake shook his head. No, he shouldn't be thinking like that, but it just felt like he had been doing a poor job of standing up for Hop. Sure, he could be stubborn and a bit clueless, but he was still his friend. He knew Hop was strong enough to push through this and make it to the finals, which led to another worry all on its own. What worried him was if they faced each other during said finals. The winner would have a shot at facing the champion of Galar while the loser was sent home. Should he throw the match so Hop could achieve his dream? If Blake beats him, he'll be crushed. He wasn't sure if he could do that to him after Hop has tried so hard in making sure that he gets to that point.
He sighed again. Close by, he could hear faint snores as his team slept under a nearby tree. He turned away from the fire, watching the rise and fall of their chests as they slept soundly through the night. If there was anything good that had come out of this journey, it was his team. There was his Boltund, Lacy, and his Thievul, Jiro, nuzzled up against Gaius, his Bewear. Blake had caught Lily and Jiro before he even received the endorsement letter and started the whole Gym Challenge. He found Lily as a Yamper on the road to Wedgehurst and she immediately jumped at the chance to join him while he found Jiro further along Route 2. Gaius was his first catch in the Wild Area, found as a Stufful, who quickly turned into the group's surrogate guardian after he evolved. He definitely became the heaviest hitter as well as the most protective of the team, leading to a few times Blake had to get him to calm down during Gym Battles after one of his other Pokémon had fainted. He quietly chuckled to himself as he remembered Bea's Pokémon hardly standing a chance when Gaius came out after Jiro had fainted. That battle didn't last very long.
Then there was the most recent member of the team. A Riolu he named Zane. Blake had found him during his first trip towards Hammerlocke. A snowstorm had appeared out of nowhere causing the entire area to be covered in thick, white snow. By some miracle, he had bumped into him somewhere along Giant's Cap, curled up in the snow. If he hadn't caught him and taken him to the Pokémon center…
Blake shivered, quickly putting that dark thought aside. What mattered is that Zane was quickly healed and gladly decided to join the team immediately after finding out that it was Blake that had saved him. And boy was he a handful. The Pokédex didn't lie when it said Riolus were energetic. There were several times during the trek to Stow-on-Side and through Glimwood Tangle that Zane would end up getting lost because he always ran too far ahead, always ending up getting into trouble with another wild Pokémon. He wasn't weak by any means. Just hard to keep track of. It was a miracle that he was fast asleep in Gaius's arms, something Blake smiled at and thanked Arceus for.
Though his contentment quickly faded away when he realized one last member was missing from the pile. One that constantly weighed heavily on his mind, even now.
Sapphire, his Raboot.
She was one of the Pokémon Leon had caught for him and Hop. Back then, she was only a Scorbunny. Lively, exuberant...Blake didn't really bother looking at the others. He made his choice as soon as she saw her. From that point onward, they were always together. Blake never put her in Pokéball since he never understood how you can bond with a Pokémon if they were always stashed away in a tiny little ball. That was never the case with Sapphire. She was always by his side for every battle, every meal, every catch. But then she evolved into a Raboot and things started to change.
She had evolved just after he had defeated Kabu in Motostoke. It was a close match, but Blake was able to clutch victory and earn that Fire Badge with Sapphire's evolution being a bonus. He was excited at first. Who wouldn't be after a hard-fought battle? The excitement quickly vanished when he saw how she started to act towards him. What once was a partner that never left his side was now a partner that he hardly ever saw. It was like she had changed into a completely different Pokémon. Outside of battles, they hardly interacted like they had at the beginning of the Gym Challenge, and often times during the night, just like tonight, she was hardly seen until the morning and he had no idea where she went off to.
Was it something that he had done? Had he upset her in some way or was this just normal for other Raboots? If only he could understand what she said, then he might have some idea. All it did was make him question himself, and given his already growing worries about Hop and the rest of the journey, including the frightening chance of facing the proclaimed "unbeatable" champion of the region, it's a wonder he hadn't started freaking out yet. He wasn't even sure who to talk to about this.
Hop? Blake didn't want to unload his baggage onto him when he was going through his own troubles. His mother? That seemed like the rational choice, but he feared what her reaction would be as well as not wanting to make her worry. Leon? He scoffed at himself for even thinking of that. He respected Leon as much as the next guy, but he didn't strike Blake as someone to confide in, even with being Hop's brother and all that.
He let his head fall against the log he sat against and groaned. He was never gonna get any sleep like this, and he definitely wasn't tired at all with so much going through his thoughts. "It's just gonna be one of those nights, huh…"
"Rab…?"
Blake snapped his head to his side to see Sapphire at the edge of the firelight, staring right back at him with a confused look on her face.
"Oh...hey, Sapphire," he shifted around, "I...didn't think you'd be back before dawn."
She just shrugged and sat down a couple of feet away from him, staring into the campfire.
He pulled the blanket tighter as a breeze blew over the camp, making him shiver. Blake wasn't sure what to do. This was the first time in a while that Sapphire had come back to the camp before daybreak. He didn't really know how to strike up a conversation like when she was a Scorbunny.
"Rab, Raboot?" he heard her say again. He glanced over at her, noting the same confused look on her face.
He shook his head, "It's nothing. Just had a lot on my mind recently…"
"Raboot?"
He turned away from her, staring back into the campfire. He was sure she wanted to know what he had been thinking about, but it still caught him off guard just how much she wanted to know.
He pulled the blanket tighter and sighed, "I just...have been thinking about everything that's happened so far. The Gym Challenge, Hop, the Finals, and..." he stole a glance at Sapphire, "...other things."
Sapphire stared back at him. His glance hadn't gone unnoticed from her and she knew what he was talking about. She knew that they hardly interacted now since she had evolved. She couldn't even give a reason why. She just wanted to be to herself at times.
Blake took a deep breath, "Sapphire, I want you to be honest…" He looked her in the eyes, "...Have I been a good trainer?"
That caught her off guard.
"Not just a good trainer, but a good friend…" he continued, "Everything that's happened with Hop and...you...it just feels like lately, I've been doing so many things wrong. I haven't really been there for Hop, I'm worried about whether we'll actually have a chance at winning the Gym Challenge..." Blake paused, turning back to the fire, "...and that I did something that made you not want to be around as much."
Sapphire's eyes widened. She knew she had been giving him the cold shoulder, but she didn't realize it was affecting him this badly. Blake fell silent as he gazed absentmindedly into the flames while Sapphire's gaze remained locked onto him. She had to admit, she did miss how close they had become before she evolved. They really were inseparable and there wasn't a single thing he had done to turn her away. That was all on her.
If anything, he had been the greatest friend to her. Ever since she popped out of that Pokéball and saw him for the first time, she knew she wanted him to be her trainer. There wasn't a thing about him that she didn't love. He was kind, compassionate, funny, and he cared about every single Pokémon he caught, even those that he sent to his Box. She felt awful for being so distant from him, for seeing him like this. Now was the best time to apologize.
She stood and made her way over to him. Her quiet steps didn't alert him to her presence as she drew nearer. His eyes were still fixed on the rising embers of the campfire when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He jumped slightly and faced Sapphire, who was now right in his face. Her shoulders slumped as they stared at one another before she quickly averted her gaze.
"R-Rab...boot, rab..." she squeaked out.
Now it was Blake's turn to be surprised. Even if he couldn't know exactly what she had said, he knew her well enough to know she was apologizing for how she's been. Just like that, most of the dark cloud that had been hanging over his head for most of the night had dissipated. He was still worried about Hop and the inevitable end of the Gym Challenge and whatever obstacles that would bring, but he felt better knowing that she was back to the Sapphire he knew and cared about.
With a small smile, he pulled her into a hug, "It's alright, Sapphire. I'm not mad at you. Just promise me you'll be around a little more often, okay?" She nodded and returned the embrace, her warmth spread through him, easing his worries even more.
As they let go, another cold breeze blew over them. Blake shivered again, "Ok, maybe I should try and get some sleep inside the tent instead of sitting out here freezing my butt off."
Sapphire looked over the blanket as a small smile crept onto her face. Before Blake could get up, she laid a hand on him again, keeping him from getting up. He raised an eyebrow at her before he noticed her smile hidden behind her collared fur. He didn't have time to ask what she was smiling about before she hopped up onto his lap and leaned back against his chest. Once she was comfortable, she simply looked at him and grinned as another breeze blew past, but this time, Blake hardly shivered at all. The warmth from her provided him much-needed protection against the chilly night.
He smiled back and chuckled in response, "Alright, then. We'll do it your way." He wrapped the blanket around the two of them, keeping Sapphire close to him. They both relaxed, watching the flames dance against the wind before they both fell into a deep sleep, happy that they had reconciled and more prepared than ever to conquer the Gym Challenge.