Rayna's first week at Blueberry had come and gone. She went to class, completed a few BBQs and thoroughly explored the Terarium. One thing she didn't do was battle. If she had the option, she would always decline. The other thing she avoided was Drayton. Granted, she often saw him around, and always scolded herself for finding him a bit charming, but she didn't speak to him. Not even when he tried to initiate a conversation with her. However, he was making it difficult to resist, especially that day.

Rayna was leaving her room that morning only for her door to hit something. She squeezed out and her eyes widened at what she found. There was a little tin box of cookies at her doorstep. Upon picking it up and opening it, she found a bunch of cookies in the shape of dragon type pokemon, and they were arranged to read “I'm sorry”. She had no trouble guessing who it was from, and she started to regret being so harsh. Taking a bite of one of the cookies, Rayna headed down the hall to leave the dorms.

~~~~~

A heavy sigh left Drayton as he shoveled chip after chip into his mouth. He didn't know why this was bothering him so much. It shouldn't. Yet he couldn't help thinking back on what happened with Rayna. He truly did want to get to know her and help her, but he'd mistakenly pushed her too much. Much to his fellow clubmates’ confusion, he barely even spoke to any of them. Even Kieran was stunned by his lack of teasing.

“Okay, I've had enough.” Lacey marched over to the table where Drayton sat. “You've been sitting in here doing nothing for days now! I get that you're lazy and irresponsible, but this is a whole new low, even for you!”

Drayton looked up at the girl looming over him. “Whatever. I'll go after I finish my chips.”

Kieran, who also happened to be present along with his sister, flinched a little. “Wait, Drayton’s actually going to leave when told? That's…not like him.”

Carmine started snickering. “The bozo’s probably mopey because he got rejected. Saw him leaving a gift in front of someone's door this morning.”

Lacey gasped, her anger fading. “Really?!” She leaned toward Drayton with a big grin. “I didn't know you had a crush on someone! That's too cute!”

“It's not like that,” he responded. There was a brief silence before he realized they were all looking at him expectantly. “It's Rayna. I made her all mad and now she won't even talk to me.”

“Rayna?” Carmine repeated. “Isn't she that new transfer student?”

Lacey looked to the siblings. “Could you guys give us a moment?”

Kieran was a little surprised but nodded. “Uh, sure. C'mon, Sis, we've got class anyway.”

Once they were gone, Lacey sat across from the depressed boy. “Tell me what happened. I did notice Rayna seemed a bit cross the past few days. What did you do to get on her bad side?”

Drayton blinked at her a couple times. “What is this, a therapy session?” He cut the lighthearted remark when he received a glare from her. “I kinda tried to urge Rayna to join our club. I thought it could help with her battling. You saw how reckless she was. She willingly let her pokemon take themselves out just to keep you from winning.”

Lacey sighed. “I know. I noticed it too. Rayna becomes a completely different person when she battles. She admitted she had a problem.” She gave him a stern look. “But I also know she's under a lot of pressure. She doesn't need you to try and force her to do something she doesn't want to.”

That had the boy tilting his head to the side. “Huh? What pressure? You mean from the transfer?”

“No. Drayton, do you have any idea exactly who Rayna is?” His blank, puzzled expression answered her question for her. “Her daddy is Grimsley, the ex-Elite Four member of the Unova League.”

Drayton sat up so suddenly that he almost fell back out of his chair. “Whoa! Seriously?! I wish someone had told me that sooner!” He slapped a hand over his face. “Man, now I really feel like a jerk for pushing her.”

“Well, sometimes you are,” Lacey said honestly. “And really, pressuring someone to join a club is just not right! But I think you had good intentions. Maybe Rayna will see that and forgive you…maybe.”

Drayton smiled a little. “Thanks for the insight, Lacey. I didn't know Rayna had so much on her plate.”

He got up, stretched his arms, and went toward the door, at least until Lacey said, “Be honest with me, Drayton. Do you see Rayna as just a friend, or do you actually have a crush on her? ‘Cause her daddy will absolutely beat you to a pulp if you do.”

Drayton turned his head enough to show that relaxed smile of his. “Guess I'll just have to get on his good side then.”

Lacey watched him leave with a little smile on her face, his response telling her all she needed. She'd never thought Drayton of all people would develop any sort of feelings toward a classmate, especially given how little he attended class. But she had to admit, it was nice to see something actually motivate him enough to leave his favorite chair in the clubroom.

~~~~~

Rayna sat quietly near one of the beautifully bright chargestones, the blue glow lighting up the pages in her notebook. She would occasionally munch on a cookie from the tin or take a sip of her recently bought soda pop, then go back to writing. While there had been a few hostile pokemon in the area, Rayna's team fought them off, making it safe. Morpeko and Grimer ran around and played, befriending a couple of wild pokemon in the process, meanwhile Houndoom and Mightyena napped at her sides. Honchkrow flew around some of the chargestones. The dark shadow of her last pokemon loomed on a ledge overhead. The girl took a moment to rest her hand, taking a look around at the pretty and peaceful cave. She wished she could just stay there all day.

There was a gust as Honchkrow flew by, causing Rayna to look up and see where he was going. He was heading for the nearby exit, likely for some fresh air and open space to fly. She returned to her work, not the least bit concerned. Honchkrow soared out into the frigid air of the Polar Biome. It was cold, but the weather was nice with a very light snowfall. The flying type enjoyed it, at least. He circled the mountain and dove down toward Polar Plaza. He just so happened to catch the eyes of a familiar trainer.

Drayton had just finished a battle when he spotted the dark-feathered pokemon perched on one of the tall columns around the perimeter. Honchkrow weren't native to the Terarium, so it was no mystery as to where it came from. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips. This could be his chance to apologize face-to-face.

“Hey, Honchkrow!” He jogged closer, waving at the pokemon. The bird looked down at him. “Is Rayna nearby? Think you could show me where?”

“Honch.”

Honchkrow took off, glancing back at the boy trailing behind. The pokemon took little stops along the way, allowing Drayton to keep up. He paused at the entrance to Chargestone Cavern before flying right in. Drayton went in after him, being cautious of any wild pokemon while his eyes adjusted to the dim cave. Fortunately, the electrically-charged rocks lit up what would be extreme darkness. And not far from the entrance Drayton spotted Honchkrow and his trainer. As soon as he began making his way toward the girl, the pair of canines perked up and started growling. Rayna followed their gazes, surprised to see who it was.

“Houndoom, Mightyena, enough,” she sternly said, causing them both to fall silent. “Be nice.” She gave them both a pat on the head, but when she looked up toward Drayton again, she gasped. “Drayton, stop!”

Her warning was followed by a snarl from behind him. Drayton turned, staring into the crimson eyes of an angry Hydreigon. She'd swooped down from the ledge above where she'd been keeping watch over them all.

“Hey, cool! You've got a Hydreigon!” The dragon growled, the two smaller heads snapping viciously. Drayton boldly reached toward her main head, seeing that she was just being protective. “C'mon now, I'm not gonna hurt anyone.” She let his palm meet her nose, to which she calmed almost immediately. “There we go. See? I'm no threat.”

Rayna was staring with her mouth agape. “Whoa… I've never seen Hydreigon let anyone else touch her.”

Drayton flashed her a grin from over his shoulder, relieved to actually have her talking to him again. “What can I say? My specialty is dragon types.” He turned and approached the girl. “Guess I'm not the only one skipping class now. I didn't take you for the rebellious type.”

“My class was doing battle training,” she answered flatly. “I'd rather work on my story instead.”

“I didn't know you were a writer. That's pretty cool.”

Houndoom got up and moved aside, letting Drayton sit beside the girl, then proceeded to curl up next to him to continue his nap. Hydreigon flew back up to her lookout above, and Honchkrow headed back outside for more leisurely flying. The boy spotted Morpeko and Grimer playing with a Plusle and Minun not far from them. It was nice seeing Rayna's whole team out and doing their own things.

“So, whatcha writing?”

His question made Rayna look at him. “Just…a story.” She closed her notebook and hugged it to her chest. “It's not done yet so you can't read it.”

“Aw, c'mon. Not even a little bit? I promise I won't judge.”

After a moment, Rayna opened the book to the first page. “You…can read the first chapter, but that's it.”

She passed it to him. As soon as she saw his eyes moving across the page, she began nervously nibbling on more cookies. Why did I agree to let him read it? she asked herself. I never let people read my work. He's gonna think it's silly. Ugh, this is so embarrassing. Her cheeks felt like they were on fire, and she almost felt like she was holding her breath in anticipation.

Finally, Drayton looked at her and passed her notebook back, all while smiling. “You're really good, Ray Ray! Just one chapter in and I'm already hooked! You'll let me read the rest once you're finished, right? Pretty please with sprinkles on top?”

“Th-thanks…I guess I could…maybe.”

Drayton fist pumped. “Oh, yeah! Can hardly wait!” His grin was contagious, and the girl found herself copying his expression. “I do have one question though. Is this inspired by a true story?”

Rayna was quick to turn her head away. “Why do you ask?”

Drayton rested his hands behind his head. “Lacey told me about your dad. Your character, Alice, loved pokemon so much that she wanted to be a nurse. But because of her talent for battling, her dad pushed her to become a Champion. When I was told that an ex-Elite Four member was your dad, I understood the immense pressure you must be under.”

“How would you understand?”

“Because my grandpa is Drayden, the Opelucid City Gym Leader.” That had Rayna meeting his gaze again. “I was trained to take over for him, you know. But that much responsibility…it's not for me. I like where I'm at now.”

“So you do get it,” the girl muttered, earning a nod from him.

“Yeah. I'm sorry I pressured you to join the club. You don't have to if you don't want to. However, I do still think you should tweak your battle style. Preferably not taking out your own pokemon with a move. How did you even end up taking it that far?” He was quick to wave his hands in front of him. “Oh, but you don't have to talk about it if it bothers you.”

Rayna stared down at her lap. “It's okay. You see…um…” She took a deep breath. “My dad has always been very proud of me, for as long as I can remember. He taught me how to battle. He taught me how to love dark types. And I showed such promise that he was certain I'd become an Elite Four member, or even a Champion one day. That's why he sent me to school - to train and get stronger.”

“But that's not what you wanted, was it?”

The girl shook her head. “No. I want…to be an author one day. I just…don't have the heart to tell my dad that.”

“I see. And what of the whole ‘ruthless side of you’ thing when you do battle?”

“It just happens. I mean, I guess I do have a little bit of a mean streak tucked away under all…this.” She gestured to herself. “I've always had that. But every time I battle now, I think of the disappointment on Dad’s face if he saw me lose. So I made it a point to not lose.” With a deep sigh, she covered her face with her hands. “It's a big problem. I can't keep doing this. Not to myself, not to my dad, and definitely not to my pokemon.”

Drayton's hand landed on her shoulder, causing her to uncover her face to look at him. “The offer still stands. I can help you out if you want. We don't have to make it a big thing either. Just you and me somewhere quiet like this training.”

Rayna blushed a little when she realized how close he was, but his offer made her smile. “I would appreciate it. Th…Thank you.” Mightyena nudged the girl’s hand and affectionately licked it. It made her giggle and scratch his head. “I'm sorry I was so harsh with you before, Drayton. You've probably noticed, but I'm not the most outgoing person.”

“Don't worry your pretty little head about it. It's in the past now.” He chuckled. “And yeah, I noticed. But that's totally fine. I like you just the way you are. Quiet and cute, with a feisty side that comes out during battle.”

Rayna stared in stunned silence. He really just complimented her…again. How did he manage to blurt out stuff like that without the slightest bit of embarrassment? Houndoom nudged the boy’s arm, earning his attention and some head pats. It seemed her pokemon actually liked him too. Morpeko and Grimer came rushing over, both of them happily pouncing on him. That had them both laughing.

“Looks like you'll fit right in with my team,” Rayna said, smiling softly. “They all seem to like you. Just be well behaved or Hydreigon will let you have it. She always looks out for me.”

Drayton had a playful smirk on his face at that. “Shouldn't be a problem. I know how to treat girls and dragons. And I can use my charm on her too, if need be.”

“We'll see how that works for you,” she lightly joked. “So, when should we begin training?”

Drayton shrugged. “Anytime you want. I'm almost always free. Send me a message whenever you're ready to set up a battle date.”

With a light blush, Rayna turned her head away. “Do you have to call it that?”

“No, but that's kinda what it is.” With a big grin, he leaned toward her. “Aw, look at you getting all flustered! If you wanted an actual date, I'd be happy to take you out. You just gotta ask.”

“Let's…slow down…and take things one step at a time. I need you to help me with training.”

Drayton laughed. “I know, I know. The Drayster’s got ya covered.”

“I-It’s not that I wouldn't want that though,” the girl swiftly added. “I mean…um…” With her face reddening further, she brought her notebook up to cover her face with it. “A date…would be nice…maybe…once I've gotten a handle on…battling more.”

The boy's smile widened. That was all the confirmation he needed to be able to get closer to her. It was rare that he took interest in anyone like that, so he was eager to learn more about her. Not to mention he genuinely wanted to read more of her story. And she desperately needed his help. He could truly do something worthwhile with his time and train her.

“Then once you've made improvements, I'll treat you. It's a promise.”