Chapter Text
Entering the Galar region, you inhaled deeply, breathing in the strange air of a foreign land for the first time. The train ride had been a long one, but fortunately you were accustomed to riding the bullet train in Johto from region to region, so such journeys were familiar.
With your tubby flaaffy clutched in your arms, you made your way to your hotel in Hammerlocke, which was situated near its famed stadium. You dragged your bags into your room and threw them at the foot of the bed with a grunt of effort. The Galar region was known for its cafes and pubs, and you could hardly wait to knock back a couple of cool ones.
Arriving at the local pub, your eyes were drawn to a stage where a Beauty serenaded the audience with her thwackey tapping on a drum. You settled at a table, your flaaffy happily plopping into the seat beside you as a waitress swiftly appeared at your side to take your order.
"I'll have a pint of whatever special is on tap," you said to the waitress. "Oh, and a side of fries--err, chips--for my flaaffy, please."
The atmosphere in the bar was welcoming. This was just what you needed, a trip to a faraway land to forget the sorrows of the past. No one knew you here, and that's the way you preferred it.
"That's not a pokémon you see in Galar every day," a voice interjected, interrupting your thoughts.
You looked up from your glass to meet the gaze of a tall young man staring at you with his piercing teal eyes. Despite his attractiveness, irritation bubbled up within you as he rudely disrupted your moment of peace.
"Well, aren't you a pain," you exclaimed. "If you couldn't tell by my accent already, I'm not from around here."
"Ah, aren't you a cheeky one?" he replied with a smirk. "Trust me, I could tell, which is why I'm standing here conversing with you right now."
Flaaffy was entirely unfazed by the stranger's presence, delightfully indulging in the plate of food the waitress placed down before it.
Squinting, you noticed there was something familiar about the man. A realization slowly dawned on you as you recognized him.
"Wait a minute. Aren't you that Rai guy? The dragon gym leader of this region or something?"
Raihan smirked, bearing his unique fangs in a grin. "Hah! Guilty as charged. They call me Raihan, the dragon tamer."
"You're pretty famous, even in other regions," you acknowledged. "But if I may ask, what are you doing in this sleazy bar?"
"If you must know, I wasn't able to defeat my rival, for the eleventh time. So here I am, drowning my sorrows." Raihan lifted his glass in mock celebratory fashion. You knew exactly how he felt.
"Well, fellow loser," you murmured, "take a seat and let's drink our disappointments away, shall we?"
You proceeded to down the rest of your beer in one swig.
"'Fellow loser'? I sense overwhelming resentment in those words."
"Oh, shush," you snapped, waving the waitress over for another round. "Just because you're cute doesn't mean I'll let you talk."
"So you fancy me, do you?"
"What? Listen, just shut it. It's not like I... follow you on social media or anything," you trailed off, a blush slowly creeping over your face. "You're such a cam whore."
The waitress set down another beer on the table and you accepted it gratefully. Raihan sat across from you, crinkling his nose at your harsh words and yet recognizing that you thought about him in some way, and that intrigued him.
"So, where are you from?" he asked, swirling his drink in his hand, peering at you from beneath the red rim of his hat.
You gestured towards your oblivious flaaffy. "Originally, my family is from Johto."
"New Bark Town?"
"No, Goldenrod, actually."
"Ah, a large city in Johto, if I'm not mistaken," Raihan remarked. "I've never been there personally."
You nodded, and your eyes locked with his in a playful clash.
"Hey, listen. Did you want to battle me or something?" You suddenly asked. "Because I assure you that you'd lose."
His smirk only widened. "What if I told you that's what they all say?"
"Hmph. Tough luck, since I'm not in the mood for a battle anyway." You felt a bit of your vision swirl. "After all, I'm not... I'm not a Challenger. I'm a tourist, got it?"
Raihan continued to flash his pearly white teeth at you. His eyes shone like sunlight on the reflection of a lake, you thought, a reminder of the shimmering waters at the Lake of Rage on a sunny day. And his grin, ever so lively, only served to remind you of another in your past...
You inhaled deeply and averted your gaze to the ceiling, trying to steady your beating heart. Were you blushing? Stupid hormones.
Raihan watched the scene unfold, observing flaaffy blissfully munching on fries. The plate was almost empty by now.
"So, Johto girl. What brings you to Galar?" He rested his chin on his hand and began scrolling through social media on his rotom phone.
"Nothing special," you answered, "I'm here on vacation."
"You really didn't come to challenge the Champion? I have to say that I'm a bit put out. I wanted to see how well you would do in battle."
"You're really nosy."
The alcohol was taking its toll, and you felt dizzier by the second. Despite this, you found yourself ordering another drink, sinking deeper and deeper into the cozy stupor.
"Hey, haven't you had enough?" Raihan's voice; you heard it somewhere far off. Your cheeks were rosy and your mind felt fuzzy, but you didn't care.
"Do all people from Johto act like this?" Raihan muttered to himself, as he watched your head slowly slump down onto the table.
By now flaaffy had finished its plate of fries; it now had remnants of salt all over its pink face. It seemed to smile apologetically. "Flaaaaaff!"
"We should get you two home. Where are you staying?"
Flaaffy shook its head, as if to say, no idea. It had always been your most clueless pokémon.
"I guess it can't be helped then."
After all, he couldn't leave you in such a state.
With a sigh and a playful grin, he set money down on the table and made his way around to scoop you up in his arms. He heard several camera clicks from curious onlookers; though he had spent most of the night signing autographs and taking photos with the pub's patrons, he was certain this particular scene would be blowing up on social media the next morning.
Not that any of this fazed him. You hadn't exactly been wrong when you'd called him a "cam whore".