Blue didn't get much sleep that night. As he expected, Bede gave him the silent treatment for the rest of the day. He was content to just sit on the bleachers and watch the few more challengers that came in. Strangely enough, he didn't seem as focused as before, like he had something else on his mind.

   Several times Blue thought about trying to apologize for upsetting Bede in the first place with his talk about Victor and Rose. As much as Bede had upset him, he didn't want things to go out on a bad note, if not for the sake of his dying embers of hope, then his actual sake since there was a chance that this wasn't going to go down well with the League Board. Blue was confident about maintaining his status, but it would make future Gym Leader conferences awkward as hell. Opal was a scary lady.

   The only thing that kept Blue from apologizing was the fact that Bede has been the one to start things off with a bad attitude. While an apology could be given, it wasn't completely warranted. Also, Blue wasn't going to chance giving the kid any satisfaction in admitting his wrongdoings. Maturity at its finest, but it wasn't like Blue cared. If Bede was going to be immature about all of this, then Blue would do the same.

   Surprisingly, Silver didn't say a word about what had happened when he dragged Bede out. When Blue asked later on, the answer was maddeningly inconclusive.

   "You should be able to guess, and maybe give things more thought."

   That was sadly the most confusing thing Blue had heard that day. Thought? What thought? He'd been doing nothing but thinking since before he asked and even until now. And to top it all off, Red didn't answer Blue's message. It took all he had to not compulsively check his Pokégear every two minutes. He could've been busy for all Blue knew, but how could he not make time for his rival?

   Blue did make the comparison of his own actions to those of an obsessed partner waiting for their significant other's response, but he refused to acknowledge it. After all, these were important matters. He was just making sure that things were... as usual.

   The morning came, and still no reply from Red. Blue was again the first one up, and he appreciated the silence that filled the apartment. The Gym naturally opened later on Sundays, so there wasn't as much of a rush to be ready as there'd been yesterday.

   At around nine Blue sat at the kitchen table, half-slumped over a cup of coffee. A haze of tiredness draped over him, weighing like a thick blanket. This was his second cup, and he hoped the caffeine would kick in soon. He gave the office door a glance. No signs of life yet.

   Just today and tonight, and he'll be outta my hair, he thought wistfully.

   He was halfway through his third cup of coffee when he heard the quiet creak of the office door open. Out of the corner of his eye Blue glimpsed a flash of pink, and then the bathroom door closed. Well, Bede was up now. Time to continue the silent treatment, this time with marshmallow-less Lucky Chants included for an even stronger scowl from Bede.

   A loud buzz startled Blue, and it took him a second to realize that it was his Pokégear going off. His heart jolted in worry when he saw that Red had finally responded. He hurriedly opened the chat log and read the message.

   "Sorry, was flying to Sinnoh and I didn't see this until now. That's a pretty weird question."

   Blue was experiencing a mixture of embarrassment and irritation as he replied. "Yeah, I know. But answer." He sent it and eagerly/nervously awaited a response, and then continued to wait.

   No reply, not even an opening of the message.

   "Dammit, Red..!" Blue cursed under his breath. He heard the bathroom door open then, and he shut up.

   Bede entered the dining area, regarding Blue with a blank look before heading into the kitchen. He'd learned from his previous mistake and chose a different cereal this time.

   Blue knew he had to at least say something about what was going to happen today. "I'm going to make sure you can battle some challengers today. No more strategy questions or battle outcomes," he said simply. For once he was thankful he'd put off his weekly paperwork, because he could just do it today.

   "That's fine," Bede replied.

   "And someone's gonna come pick you up tomorrow, right?" He received a nod in response and didn't say anything else. Already this was feeling awkward as hell, but he'd just have to bear with it... for an entire day. He drowned a groan in his last mouthful of coffee. At least Silver would be around soon to help alleviate it like he had yesterday.

   Even if it was Sunday, there were Trainers already waiting to make their Gym challengers. Blue was glad Trainers today still had just as much drive and dedication as they did when he was younger, though he found himself wishing that they would chill a bit on Sundays.

   Arceus, I sound like Blaine, Blue thought with a wince. Again he gave his Pokégear a glance, and nothing. There's nothing wrong with being worried about somethin' like this, he thought. ... Right?

   "Hey, you there?" Silver said dryly, catching Blue's attention. He slipped his Pokégear back in his pocket, glancing at the redhead who then said, "Out of an obligation to ask, everything okay?"

   "Yeah, just checkin' something."

   Silver's expression was unreadable, and Blue wondered if he suspected anything. "Alright, because we kind of have to open the Gym right now," he said.

   Those words admittedly snapped Blue back to attention. Just focus on getting things goin' for the day. "Wait, before you battle anyone, I wanna ask the challengers about the whole 'battling the kid' thing," Blue said.

   "Do what you want," Silver said as he left to unlock the Gym.

   Blue approached the challengers, who were eager to meet and talk with him. That did lift his spirits, even if their admiration was anything less than expected.

   "Hey, so right now I have a Gym Leader-in-training here," he gestured to Bede without looking at him, "and I was wondering if any of you would be willing to battle with him?" This warranted a chorus of questions from the group.

   "Is he as strong as you?"

   "We've heard you have to battle someone before you. Can we battle him instead of that Trainer?"

   "Wait, isn't that guy one of the Galarian Gym Challengers from last year?"

   "If we lose to him, does that mean we can't challenge you?"

   Blue quickly tried to quell the noise. "You still have to battle my top Trainer in order to face me. Don't worry, it won't affect if you can battle me or not. If you beat my top Trainer, you battle me, no changes to that." Two of the four Trainers agreed, and that lifted a bit of weight from Blue's shoulders. Positive that Silver overheard the conversation, Blue told him, "If any of them start anything with the kid or vice versa, let me know."

   Silver shrugged, pushing the Gym doors open. "I don't think that'll happen. Still, okay." Blue didn't expect that response, but he went with it. After making sure everything was in order at the arena, Blue retreated into the Gym's office.

   The office wasn't as cluttered as one might expect. Stacks of paper were minimal, and things were cleanly pinned up on the corkboard hanging on the wall. The secret was that the mess was hidden inside the drawers and filing cabinets. Once Blue had offered extra pay if Silver was willing to try and organize some things, but not even he would do that, nor would Jade. It was up to Blue to keep things from getting messier.

   Blue hated paperwork. It was the one thing he didn't like about being a Leader. He was glad he didn't have to mess with anything numbers-related—that was the League Board's job—because he was horrendous with math. If Silver had anything over him, it was his ability to handle anything besides simple calculations.

   Slowly but surely, Blue made his way through the papers piled on the desk. It was hard to concentrate with his lingering concern over Red's message, but he managed. Nobody had come in to interrupt him, so Silver was seemingly doing a good enough job of managing things.

   Then his Pokégear buzzed.

   In seconds Blue was snatching up the device. Red had finally replied. Instantly, he was confused when he read the message.

   "What do you mean by 'rival'?"

   The unpleasant emotions were briefly interrupted by exasperation as Blue scoffed. Red was as dense as he always was, but Blue wasn't going to spell things out. "The hell do ya mean? Are we rivals or not?" he replied. He waited on the chat log, eyes locked on the status of his sent reply. Though it took about two minutes, the text was opened and answered.

   "In a traditional sense, I don't think so anymore."

   Blue had to reread that message a couple times, just trying to process what it was saying. Red wasn't the joking type, but he'd occasionally try something, and Blue was hoping this was one of those times. "You're kidding, right?"

  "Why would I be? You asked me if you think we're rivals. I gave you my answer."

   Even with the response clear on the screen, Blue waited for some kind of follow-up, an alleviation to a last-ditch effort to psyche him out. But nothing followed. As the seconds passed, it began to dawn on Blue that Red wasn't kidding, and his heart sank. What he dreaded was coming true. "Why not?" He hoped that question came off as innocent. It took longer this time, but the response arrived.

  "We aren't competing for a certain title, and we aren't trying to surpass each other's strength. If you're not a bit ahead of me, then we're both evenly matched." There was that humbleness that had always made Blue want to spit with frustration. Now it just made him feel hollow. "Our last battle was in Alola, right?"

   Blue replied. "Yeah..."

  "I think rivals should battle more than once every few months lol." The same point that Blue had considered. Then came another message. "I didn't think you still cared about our rivalry, I thought we've moved on from that. Like, you're a Leader, and I'm a League Board associate. Hardly the same position, yeah?"

   Blue didn't think his heart could sink any lower than it already had. He was wrong. It had to be in his shoes now. He echoed his previous reply and sent it with reluctance.

  "Don't tell me you're actually upset! I thought you'd be happy, like I finally admitted defeat to you or something." And maybe Blue would've been happy with that outcome if the true weight behind that admittance wasn't there. A pause, then, "Are you upset?"

   Although it went against every instinct in regards to Red, Blue admitted the truth. "Yeah, I am."

   Two messages came, one after the other. "Oh..."  followed by "I'm sorry..." Then there was a third after a second of silence. "But I still think you're my friend, so that counts for something?"

   Blue blinked, puzzled. A friend? That was definitely a term Blue hadn't heard in a while coming from Red. He thought their friendship had ended once they became rivals. But apparently that wasn't the case? While he wasn't sure how to feel about it, he still replied with, "You see me as a friend?"

   "Well, yeah. Not all rivals have to hate each other or not be friends on some level. Not to mention the trip to Alola. You agreed to go when I asked you."

   Because it would've been weird if only you went to commemorate the opening of the Battle Tree. What's... he frowned solemnly, Red without Blue?

   The slight doubt that had been dwelling in him made a resurgence and began to grow. "Red and Blue." He'd hated that phrasing for so long, and yet he couldn't imagine it not existing. It was like he was... clinging to it.

   Arceus, that damn kid is right..! It felt like part of Blue's soul left his body then, or at least his breath as he almost felt winded. He slumped forwards, resting his head in his hands. His thoughts felt scrambled, though something was painfully clear. He really had been clinging to this rivalry like Bede had said.

  "I get it if you don't feel the same. You probably wanted to go for your own reasons. At least I had a fun time haha." Blue couldn't tell if Red was being oblivious or just trying to lighten the mood.

  "It's weird to think of it like that. It's not like we were at each other's throats for six years straight all through Trainer School and our journeys." He was glad they weren't actually talking over a call, because he knew Red wouldn't let him live down having a response like this.

  "You were more at my throat than anything. But yeah, we can say that." Blue couldn't help but smirk as the tension was slightly alleviated, only for it to lessen at the next text. "If you want, we can become rivals again."

   Blue squinted in slight confusion. "Wait, what?"

   "We can find something new to aim for and try and pursue it," came the reply. "It might not be battling-related, but it'll be something since you seem to care so much."

   Blue stared at the message, lips pursed. So badly he wanted to say yes. He'd been so used to the idea that Red was his rival that it not being the case was extremely hard to swallow, and it didn't feel right that there wouldn't be a "Red and Blue." "Do you care?" he asked. There wasn't a point in a rivalry if both parties weren't enthusiastic about it.

   "I don't really care; it's your call."

   That was all the information he needed. "Nah, it's fine." It felt like something was breaking then, a thin but vital thread had snapped. It felt horrible knowing how vital that thread had been. "It's not worth it knowing I won't get any real satisfaction beating you," he added. He had to put in some of his usual flair, or else Red might start getting suspicious.

  "If you say so."

   "Besides... being your friend's good enough." That sounded so corny, Blue wanted to roll his eyes. Too bad that he was actually thinking what he had sent. He didn't want to cut all ties with Red even if they weren't rivals, so he might as well give this friend thing a try.

  "Then you'd better text me more often, or else I won't believe that!"

   Blue managed to smile. "Lol yeah. Guess I'll have to." He placed his Pokégear down on the desk, sighing as he leaned back in his chair. Did this still count as being clingy? He hoped not, because he truly couldn't forget what had happened before. But at least he could try to develop something new from it besides just dwelling on it.

   You were right, Bede, he admitted. I lost.