Chapter Text
"We really should battle sometime! It'll be fun!" Elesa grinned.
"Elesa…you use electric types. Don'tcha think I'll just sweep yer whole team?"
"Nuh uh! Emolga is immune to ground type attacks! And Eelektross has levitate."
"Right, but, yer whole strategy revolves around Volt Switch. Ground types are immune to electric type attacks, renderin' yer main strategy useless."
"Aw man! I hate when you're right!"
"Yer lucky not many trainers think to bring ground types into your gym."
Clay and Elsa were just walking around Nimbasa, and Elesa was returning to her gym.
"Ugh, just when we were having fun! You're so busy all the time! We rarely get to hang out…and trust me, I love Emmet and Ingo but you do not want to spend time with them every day…when are you gonna be free again?"
"I can't say, sadly. But I'll try to clear up my schedule…I can't promise anythin' though."
"Right…hey, actually before you're completely gone, why don't we ride the ferris wheel?"
"I really do have to go, Elesa…"
"Come on! It'll only be five minutes, and then you can be on your way!"
"Alright, fine. But you better not hold me up after."
"Got it!" The pair got on the ferris wheel and sat down on the benches in the car. "Man…I rarely ever ride this thing. Even though it's in my home town! It sucks that you've gotta ride with two people. Emmet is scared of heights and Ingo gets motion sick so neither of them can ride with me…and the depot agents don't like me."
"What about Skyla? She is your girlfriend. Ferris wheels are known for being romantic."
"I dunno…I feel like it wouldn't have the right feeling. She's used to being high up, I don't think it would be anything new for her." Elesa smiled. "Well, I'm glad I got to ride it with you, Clay!"
"Yeah…"
"What's on your mind? You've been seeming troubled this whole time, and you rarely ever get stressed about work."
"It's…you don't need to know."
"Come on, Clay." Elesa suddenly got serious. "It's not going to make either of your jobs easier when you're stressed about something. Just spill the beans! I'm sure I can help."
"...You don't know when to give up, do you?" Clay sighed. "...could I ask a question first?"
"Yeah, go ahead!"
"How…how did you…confess…to Skyla?"
"Oh, it just sort of happened. We were-" Elesa paused before gasping. "Do you have feelings for someone!?"
"A-ah well-" Clay's face went red.
"You do!! Is she cute!? Is he cute!? Are they cute!? Who is it!? No, wait, don't tell me! I want it to be a surprise! When I meet them!!"
"Elesa…calm down, please."
"Sorry, sorry…No, I get the feeling. It's hard to tell someone you like them. Because you feel like if you tell them and they don't feel the same way…they won't want to be friends with you anymore. Or like you'll lose the connection you already have if they do share your feelings. It's rough…"
"Any advice?"
"Be straightforward. Being vague will only push them away. And if your anxiety takes over, remember to breathe."
"Thank you…"
"No seriously, remember to breathe. You could pass out."
"Ah-"
"You'll feel better once it's over. I promise. So you'll want to free your schedule fast if you want to clear your head." The ferris wheel came to a stop. "Aw man…it's already over. Well, I promised not to hold you up, so I'm heading to the gym. Let's hang out again sometime soon, alright? You'll have to tell me about your new partner." Elesa smirked before getting up and heading for her gym.
Clay sighed and got up himself.
"You can't avoid this any longer…" He straightened out his hat and got out his phone. "I hope he's free…" When the dial tone stopped playing, Clay spoke up. "Drayden, are you free today?"
"Yes, I've got the rest of the day. Just finished up at the gym. I don't get many trainers this time of year. What do you need me for?"
"Just…training. Excadrill could use someone tough to battle against."
"I see. I'll meet you at the usual training grounds then."
"Thanks." Clay hung up and put his phone into his pocket. He felt his heart start to race. "...no backin' out this time."
"It's been quite a while since you've asked me to train with you."
"I've been, er…busy…"
"You're always busy." Drayden chuckled.
"Well, I wasn't now, was I?" Clay sighed.
"Something on your mind?"
"...you could say that…" He groaned. "The truth is…I didn't call you to train at all…there's been something I've been meaning to tell you for a long time now, I just haven't had the time…or the will power…"
"Well it must be important then. I'm listening."
"...I might…be interested in you…romantically…" Clay slowly pulled his hat over his face as he spoke.
"Oh…I-I see. That…explains quite a bit." Drayden cleared his throat and sighed. "I've known that you haven't been as busy as you say you are. I didn't want to bother you by bringing it up, because I could tell that something was stressing you out. I…didn't expect this to be the reason, however…"
"...No one else knows, if you're worried about that…"
"Why on Earth would I be worried about people knowing I'm loved? Clay, you know that the other gym leaders won't care. If anyone has a problem with it, that's on them. Not on you or I."
"You-?" Clay lifted up his hat.
"I feel the same, yes. I have for a while. I didn't say anything because I thought you didn't feel that way. I'm glad I was wrong…"
Silence hung in the air, before Clay decided to speak again.
"...What now?" He asked.
"I'm not entirely sure…"
"Eugh…I feel like I'm gonna be sick…" Clay groaned. "I've tried to tell you before but…I chickened out those times. Now it's done an' over with but my heart is still runnin' a marathon…"
"We should probably sit down and talk…"
"...what is there to talk about?"
"More than we think, probably…" Drayden put a hand on Clay’s shoulder. “We can start small.” He said. “I can tell you’re nervous.”
“Nervous?” Clay scoffed. “Yer understatin’ it.” He said. “I really didn’t think this far… I didn’t think you’d take any of this well. Let alone reciprocate…” He sighed. “I’m sure you think I’m crazy… fer waiting so long to tell you.”
“No, I understand. It isn’t easy to admit that to someone. I’ve been on this Earth long enough to know that myself. It doesn’t get easier when you know there are people out there who wouldn’t approve.” Drayden said.
“Right…” Clay cleared his throat and started coughing. “I…” He grumbled as he gathered his words. “I haven’t told anyone that I’m… not… straight. Not even Elesa. You’ve been much more open than I have…”
“You have no idea. That took me years to reach. Besides… Knowing Elesa, she likely has the idea in her head already.”
“I ain’t got a clue what t’ do next… Am I supposed to ask you out? Where’d we even go…?”
“Don’t worry too much about it. Nothing has to be decided tonight. Why don’t I walk you home?”
“That’d… Be nice. Thank you…” Clay sighed. “…I’m not botherin’ you, am I?” He asked.
“Of course not.”
The rest of the walk was dead silent. Clay kept his hat lowered and his head turned away, avoiding eye contact. His thoughts were running at a million miles per hour. What if Drayden change his mind? What if he was lying the entire time? What if they did go on a date but everything went horribly wrong?
“Clay. Before I head home myself, I need you to understand something.”
“A-an’ that is?”
“Nothing that happens, nothing that you say or do, will make me hate you.”
“Wh-”
“You’re a good man, Clay. Even if we decide we’re not meant for each other, I’m not going to treat you like a stranger.” Drayden said. “We’ve been friends for how long?”
“Y-years by now…”
“And we’ve been business partners for even longer. I know that you’re the type to silently worry. I may not know exactly what’s going through your head at any given moment, but I can assure you…it’ll be fine.”
“...I don’t know what to say to that.”
“Then don’t say anything.” Drayden held out his hand. Clay hesitated before shaking it. “Have a good rest of your night.”
“...You too.”
Clay sighed as he got out the keys to his gym. It had rained rather intensely the night before, so the roads were extremely muddy and there was slight flooding. Clay wiped his boots on the rug in front of the door and started taking the duct tape off them.
“You’re still duct taping your boots to your pants?” His gym assistant, Minerva, quickly brought it up. She was young, around her mid twenties, but people often assumed she was much older. Her long white hair and glasses made her look much older than she really was, and it didn’t help that her back issues made her use a cane. But she didn’t seem to mind all that much. At least she never vocalized it.
“It keeps the mud and rain out.” Clay untucked his pants from his boots and crumpled the tape into a ball. “Duct tape is-”
“Good for everything? I know, you’ve said it so many times before. But I still think it would be a bit more affordable to buy a pair of rain boots…”
“Can’t find ‘em in my size.”
“I could always help you…” Minerva offered.
“Now, don’t you go wanderin’ around a shoe store off the clock. Knowin’ you I can sense what yer plannin’. It ain’t good fer yer back” Clay huffed.
“Who, me? No, I would never!” Minerva laughed. “Yeah, you caught me. But I could probably look online. That’s how I got this.” She smiled and tugged on her jacket.
“You got a new jacket…?”
‘Yep! I thought my usual black suit and gray pants were growing boring on their own so I decided I’d switch it up a bit. I saw this jacket on the PokeMart website and though it was perfect for your gym them. Got this pair of red gloves and these red tights with it to match my tie!”
“You look nice.”
“Thank you!” Minerva started twirling her hair. “...Are you feeling okay? You’ve got this um…air. Like you got hit with an Ominous Wind.”
“I’m fine. What’s on my schedule?”
“Well…a few of the lights in the bottom half of the gym are out, and one of the conveyor belts seems to have something caught in it. Those should be an easy fix, but it’s difficult to tell when it’ll be done… We’ll probably want to get started on that right away if you want to open the gym today.”
“I see… Call an electrician t’ deal with the lights.”
“Right away!” Minerva paused. “Clay, are you sure you’re-”
“I am doin’ just fine! I understand yer concern an’ all, but I promise you, nothin’ is wro-” Clay was interrupted by his cell phone ringing. "...one moment." He stepped aside and answered the call. "Yes?"
"How free is your schedule today?" It was Drayden.
"A-ah, well- I can make space-"
"Perfect. When's the best time for us to meet?"
"R-right now is fine!"
"You're certainly excited. I'm over by the subway entrance."
"Yeah, thanks…" Clay hung up the call and shoved his phone in his pocket. "Minerva, I'll need'ya to postpone all the maintenance. Somethin' has come up…"
"Uhh, sure thing."
Clay tucked his pants back into his boots and headed back outside. "You couldn't've made it less obvious, could ya..?" He groaned. He made his way over to the subway and met up with Drayden.
"Glad you were at least somewhat free. I hear it's going to start storming tonight." Drayden mentioned.
"Yeah…" Clay cleared his throat. "So… What d' you have planned, exactly?"
"Just a coffee date. I figured you'd want to start small."
"I appreciate that…" Clay gave a nervous smile. The pair got onto the subway but were forced to stand due to the crowd. "...darn. 'T's not usually this crowded on weekends…"
"I don't ride the subway very often, so I wouldn't know." Drayden said.
"I don't ride nearly as often as you think. Most've my business is either in Driftveil or Mistralton. That's just a walk away." Clay pushed up his hat. "Same with Nimbasa. If I'm hangin' with Elesa. I only need t' ride if I'm headed your way…" He paused and cleared his throat. "...which might happen more often now." Drayden gave a small laugh as a response. Halfway through the trip, the train car suddenly stopped. The intercom came on and a woman's voice came through.
"Good morning, Unova! This is Depot Agent Miles speaking. We apologize for the sudden stop. There are a few Pokémon on the tracks. The subway bosses are currently handling the issue. All stopped cars will start moving again soon. Have a good rest of your day!"
"Well that's unideal…" Clay sighed. "Guess yer plans are on pause fer now…"
"Right…at least we're both stuck." Drayden said. Though after a few minutes he started visibly sweating.
"Drayden? Is everythin’ alright?”
“It’s just hot in here.”
“Really? They’re blastin’ the air conditioning.” Clay lowered his voice. “I’m guessin’ yer claustrophobic…” Drayden sighed but didn’t say anything. “I’m takin’ that as a yes.”
“Does Elesa know about your deduction skills…?”
“Mm, probably. I don’t hide ‘em.” Clay laughed a little. “On a more serious note, if you need anythin’ I’m right here.”
“It’s not like your’re going anywhere.”
“Was that a joke?” Clay smiled. “An’ here I thought you lacked a sense of humor.”
“You thought that and you still liked me…?” Drayden asked and raised an eyebrow.
“W-well…” Clay stammered and flushed red. “...I-I thought I was funny enough fer the both of us…”
“If we’re being honest here…I thought you were the one missing a sense of humor.”
“Wh- That’s not another joke, is it…?”
“It is not.”
“...Arceus…we’re both wrecks, aren’t we…?” Clay gave a nervous laugh. Drayden simply nodded. The train car started moving again and the intercom came back on.
“Greetings passengers. This is Depot Agent Miles speaking. We thank you for your patience. The issue has been taken care of and you will arrive at your destination soon. Thank you for riding with us!” When the train pulled into Castelia City Station, the pair got off.
“There’s a restaurant close to the Pokemon Center. It’s nothing fancy. Just a small location. I believe it popped up last year.”
“Last year? That’s fairly recent…you don’t seem the type to keep track of restaurants outside Opelucid.”
“The twins seem to like it. Ingo especially.”
“Really now? Wonder why…” The inside of the restaurant was fairly quiet. The interior was small, and the staff turnout even smaller. Only two waiters were inside the place, and there was only one cook. Despite this, things seemed to be going smoothly. The aforementioned cook had her dark blue hair pulled back into a bun, food themed hairsticks stuck into it. Her face looked stern and focused. The most noticeable thing about her was how efficient she was.
“Dear lord…that’s somethin’ impressive.” Clay muttered. Despite how quiet he had said it, the woman seemed to hear him. She looked up from her work and called to one of the waiters, telling them to help with seating.
“How many?”
“Just two.” Drayden said.
"Right this way!" The waiter led the pair to a table. "Y'know… gym leaders don't really come here. Especially not multiple at once, let alone together."
"Really?"
"It's just the way it is!" The waiter gave a small laugh.
"Mind telling us about her?" Clay gestured towards the cook.
"Oh, Miso? She's the owner. She's been trying to find more chefs so that she's not the only one cooking here, but it's been a bit difficult. Thankfully it's not affecting her too negatively. She's still in a pretty good mood. I think it's because the restaurant has been doing well."
"She’s clearly workin’ hard.”
“Definitely! It’s kinda admirable… Back on track, could I start you two off with any drinks?”
“Just water.”
“Alright the, I’ll be back in a second!”
“Why were you so curious about Miso?” Drayden asked.
“It’s good to see young people workin’ so hard. She’s clearly got drive. You don’t see that in many people. I haven’t been seeing it in my peers much.” Clay scoffed. “I’m not talkin’ ‘bout you, of course.”
“I didn’t think you were.” Drayden smiled. “Though…I do recommend you take more breaks. And I don’t mean dates with me or outings with Elesa.”
“Yer talkin’ about this now?”
“It’s good for you to take time for yourself. You shouldn’t fill every waking hour with either work or time with others.”
“Of course I’m takin’ time fer myself! Who do y’ take me for?” Clay huffed and started getting defensive. He sighed and immediately backtracked. “...Sorry, I shouldn’t snap like that. Let’s talk ‘bout somethin’ else…”
“Right, sorry. Now wasn’t a good time to bring it up anyway.” Drayden cleared his throat. Silence hung in the air for a few moments.
"Here we are!" The waiter placed two cups on the table. "Do you two need more time to order?"
"What's your special for the day?"
"Johto style omurice. With fresh local ingredients."
"That does sound nice…"
"Then we'll both have it."
"Alrighty! It'll be just a moment!"
"I haven't had Eastern food in forever…" Clay said. "It's not exactly easy to find it 'round here."
"That's true. I admit I'm not the most adventurous person when it comes to meals. I tend to have the same things over and over."
"Well that doesn't sound pleasant. Don'tcha get sick of it?"
"No, not really."
"Ah…I get nauseous if I eat the same things too often…"
"That sounds awful."
"It is…" Clay sighed. "Especially if I'm havin' a moment an' nothin' else sounds good. Some days I just want t' eat nothin' but hamburgers. If I do, nauseous. If I try to eat somethin' else, nauseous."
"I couldn't stand that"
"I can't stand it either!" Clay started laughing.
"... What's funny?"
"Nothin', nothin'…I just realized how weird I am…" Clay leaned back slightly. "It's not exactly funny…more…upsetting than anythin'..."
"...I-I see."
"Oh! Sorry, I shouldn't talk 'bout that here…it's nothin' you need t' worry 'bout anyway."
"I don't think you're that weird. We all have our quirks." Drayden smiled.
"I s'pose so…"
"And here you are! Enjoy your meal!" The waiter returned and placed the plates on the table.
"Thank you very much." Drayden gave a relaxed sigh. "This smells amazing…"
"It tastes even better…" Clay was already eating. "It beats fast food… That stuff is loaded with so much grease…"
"You can say that again…" The pair sat in silence until they finished. Clay insisted on paying, and ended up winning.
"Is there anything else you want to do while we're out?" Drayden asked.
"I really should head back t’ work now…" Clay started but paused. "But…I think it might be alright if I'm out fer a bit longer."
"That's pleasant to hear. Anywhere in particular?"
"Ah…well-"
"Why don't we just take a stroll?"
“Er…yeah, alright. That’s what I was gonna say anyway…” Clay cleared his throat and started walking. He could feel his heart starting to pick up speed. He was having fun, and Drayden seemed happy, but this didn’t feel right. It didn’t feel like a date. “Drayden…I hafta be honest with you…” He groaned.
“I’m listening. What’s on your mind?” Drayden stopped walking and turned to face Clay.
“I don’t think I’m ready for any of this…” Clay said. “Dating, I mean…this whole time I’ve been feelin’ like…this isn’t really a date. I’m havin’ fun an’ all, but…all the things that everyone else does durin’ one…I-” He sighed. “It’s hard to explain…I’m just…not feelin’ anythin’ here…an’ I don’t know why…” He sighed and pulled his hat over his eyes. “There are things that everyone else does on a date…like holdin’ hands an’ all that. But I haven’t been able to bring myself t’ even try…I still have feelings for you, I still want to be with you…but I can’t do it right…”
“It’s alright. I understand.”
“...I’m sorry fer wastin’ yer time…”
“Don’t say that. My time wasn’t wasted at all. Neither was yours. You said you’re having fun, didn’t you? If you’re having fun, it’s not wasted time.” Drayden made Clay lift his hat back up and smiled. “You shouldn’t cover up those gorgeous eyes either.” Clay felt his face go hot.
“I-I- Well-” He immediately turned away so that he wasn’t looking at Drayden anymore.
“Clay, I want you to head home and take the day off. By yourself. Don’t head to the gym, don’t call Elesa or your family. Just go home and tak
e some time for yourself, alright?”
“...R-right. Yeah…I’ll do that…” Clay nodded and sighed as he watched Drayden leave. He didn't know if he should feel relieved or upset. Neither felt right.