That Summer | Raihan x Piers [Pokémon]

Chapter 4 ❀ Selfie Occasions

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.