That Summer | Raihan x Piers [Pokémon]

Chapter 23 ❀ Shopping For Occasions

Lately, Piers found himself in Hammerlocke more often than in his own hometown. Sometimes it was for business, but the majority of the times was because he and Raihan would meet up, eat together, go see a match together or be on any kind of other date. The time he spent with his taller lover was something he truly enjoyed, something that constantly drove him to appreciate Raihan having approached him back in Motostoke.

Today was actually a bit different though. Piers was in Hammerlocke again, yes, but this time he had come here to do some shopping. Marnie had been doing incredibly well on her Gym Challenge, and being the attached older brother he was, the spiky-head wanted to buy a gift for her. Spikemuth was too rundown to have any shops that offered fancier articles and Circhester was too troublesome to get to, so the Tamer of Dragons' city seemed the perfect location to do it in.

He had already checked out various boutiques, food stores and other shops, but nothing really piqued his interest. Piers had always considered shopping to be something girls were better at, but he didn't expect to be at such a loss when he actually had to do it himself. With a heavy sigh escaping his throat, the pale man exited yet another small store, having given up entirely.

He decided that he would give it another try later, and before he knew it, his feet had unconsciously dragged him to the front of the stadium. He could hear deafening cheers emanating from it, and he could only guess that someone was taking on Raihan in a Pokémon battle. He hadn't heard of there being any exhibition matches, so he figured it had to be a Gym Challenger.

He was already here to begin with, so checking up on his lover wouldn't hurt, right? The spiky-head didn't ponder the matter too long and instead entered the large building, immediately proceeding to the spectator areas. As expected, the stadium was filled — after all, everyone loved to see Raihan in action — but Piers still found a little spot to take a seat in.

It seemed like the two Trainers were already down to their last Pokémon: Raihan's Sandaconda and Gigantamax Duraludon and the challenger's Gigantamax Hatterene. Sand was twirling just about anywhere and reached all the way up to the bleachers. It had been quite a while since Piers had seen the other battling it out on the field, but watching him filled the pale young man with contentment. He could see how Raihan was able to rile up the crowd so well, because observing his match certainly brought back memories of when they were young Gym Challengers.

The battle ended quite soon, Raihan emerging as the victor. He walked up to his opponent and shook his hand despite the loss, congratulating them and encouraging them to come challenge him again. Of course, all of that happened once a selfie had been taken. Just as the two disappeared into the respective tunnels, Piers also stood up and left the bleachers, heading for the reception desk.

He didn't even need to wait because Raihan came just a moment after he had arrived. The ravenet's reaction was so satisfying to watch. His facial features lit up the instant he laid eyes on Piers, and he immediately changed his course and approached him. The three Gym Trainers that followed him couldn't do much but do the same. "You came to watch my match?"

"I did, weather boy." The spiky-head retorted somewhat smugly, even flashing the other a playful smirk which Raihan gladly returned. He closed the distance between their bodies by wrapping his strong arms around the other's slim figure, pulling him even closer. His hands rested firmly on the shorter male's hips, and before Piers could pull away or react altogether, Raihan pecked his lips.

"R-Raihan..." The young man finally managed to stammer, his pale cheeks allowing a bright red color to take over. Not only were his three Gym Challengers fully exposed to the scene, other people that had gathered in the hall were also around and yet Raihan didn't seem to have a care in the world.