RIVALS MAKE THE BEST OF FRIENDS ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦
The air smelled faintly of woodsmoke and cold leaves.
From here, the hill dropped into a sweep of copper and gold—trees shifting restlessly under the autumn wind, their crowns tossing like waves in a burnished sea. The trail to Floccesy wound along the treeline, vanishing in places where the mist clung too tightly.
You were still catching your breath. Snivy stood at your side, tail low and defeated but eyes still fierce, the grass around its feet pressed flat from the battle’s last charge. Across from you, Hugh straightened from his stance, one hand brushing the hem of his red training jacket, the other curling around the Poké Ball he had just returned Tepig to.
His expression was still bright with the afterglow of the fight—cheeks flushed, eyes lit with that unshakable fire he always carried. But when he stepped toward you, it was with a grin, not a smirk.
“That,” he said, voice ringing with the same energy that had driven every command he’d shouted moments before, “was good enough for your first battle!”
The wind tugged at his spiked hair, catching the faint blue sheen in it. He tipped his head, gaze flicking from Snivy back to you. “Don’t get me wrong—you’ve got a long way to go. But… you’ve got something. You kept fighting well, even with Tepig's type advantage. That’s the part you can’t teach.”
His grin widened, almost daring you to argue. “So here’s what’s gonna happen. You’re heading to Floccesy, right? To take on Cheren?” He slid his hands into his pockets, but there was no mistaking the challenge in his voice. “Good. Train hard. Because the next time we battle, I’m not holding back—not even for an old friend.”
A lone leaf broke free from the nearest oak and spiraled between you, landing on the path toward the woods. Hugh stepped aside, glancing down the trail as if he could already see the future ahead of the two of you.
“Come on,” he said, turning back to you with that same relentless spark. “If we’re both going to get stronger, there’s no time to waste.”