Chapter Text
"Leon, I'm honestly starting to think your noble knickers are in what has to be the nastiest twist I've seen since your first interview about taking over the title of Galar's Champion. Especially since it's over something so...trivial." Raihan grumbled, yawning loudly as he tried and failed miserably to feel anything sympathetic to his rival's/friend's cause.
It wasn't the asscrack of dawn, yet there they were, waiting for the next train on the self-imposed "mission" that Leon needed to see completed by any means necessary as if the ailing King of Galar himself had entrusted them on...when it could have been done literally any other time of day. Preferably when the sun was out and not feeling like they could collapse from being sleep deprived at any moment.
When they were done buying their tickets, Raihan swore he was gonna grab Leon's snapback and toss it into a mud puddle until he agreed to buy a hotel room and spare no expenses with the room service. Thankfully for them, the Gym Challenge had officially came to an end as of yesterday night, which meant that the Challengers and Gym Leaders themselves were given free reign of their own activities and what they could do during that period of free time became much wider as a result. While Leon's scope of activities was kept somewhat smaller, what with being the region's poster boy, he had the most benefits like an expense free education and tons of money from the sponsorships he had, so it evened out.
As they got hopped aboard and found their seats, Leon simply stared out the train window for a long while until he finally found the words to respond back. Unlike most of their more serious conversations, Leon wasn't in the mood to offer some form of light reassurance or even crack a weak smile to lighten his mood. The visit to the family manor in Postwick was probably going to be all business with little to no fun to be had.
"It's not trivial at all, Raihan. This is a serious matter to me and you know why I have to go see him for myself! This kid that Mum has been telling me about, Victor, just came from out of nowhere like a Bunneary out of a hat and started playing with Hop like it was —and I quote— "as if they've knew each other for all their lives"." Leon finished with his hands thrown up in confusion before pinching the bridge of his nose.
How the hell was Leon supposed to respond to something as dubious as that? Most people would say getting getting along alright was like a Plusle and Minum or use the phrase as thick as theivuls. Leon couldn't help but huff in mild annoyance as Raihan rolled his eyes hard enough to make even a slot machine from Celadon City feel envy before the Dragon type Gym Leader slammed his head against the table in their private train cart.
Hard.
Leon had nearly jumped out of his seat in surprise at first, nearly dropping his Rotom phone in the process by the sudden action before it floated back into his hand, both the device and the champion worrying about their traveling companion. It was becoming painfully evident that Raihan was starting to lose his last amount of patience he had with him and his overprotective behavior. Just as he was ready to open his mouth to get his point across, the Dragon mage beat him to speaking first.
"But why do you have to disguise your snooping as something as genuine as giving them their first Pokemon —the biggest moment for any ten year old's life— to snoop on their friendship? That's pretty low down, ain't it?" Raihan asked with a look of disapproval that made Leon look away for a brief moment in guilt before he looks back to his rival, determination found once again.
"Raihan...you know exactly why I have to go and do this, no? I don't want someone who can manipulate their children into befriending a member of my family so close just so they ride the tailcoats of my ancestors success. It already happened to me before and I'll be damned on Arceus' green Earth before I let anyone I care about go through something like that again...especially if that person just so happens to be my little brother." Leon said sternly with a glare of his own that surprised even himself before he looked down at his phone and started scrolling through the gallery.
The first picture with major personal value he had ever taken with it. Just looking at their first big picture together alone was enough to make him forget about everything. Like an off switch I'm his head, he had easily tuned out everything around him. Leon no longer saw himself as the champion of his homeland tasked with the duties he had to perform for the Chairman or the person that the Galar Leauge came running to when the region needed someone to pull themselves out of a predicament that they had gotten in.
Rather than be the reigning champion of five years, he looks back in his memories and finds himself at a simpler time in his life where he's five years old again.
~•~ ~•~ ~•~
The smell of the stale hospital hitting his nostrils made his stomach feel uneasy. It didn't smell cozy like his home and the food wasn't too appetizing for him either. His mum's cooking was better than this slop he had to eat and he hated his time there. He wanted to go home with everyone and enjoy what was familiar to him there instead of staying another second in a place that had no color or fun in the atmosphere.
Not to mention why he honestly lamented why they had to be there in the first place. A younger sibling that was going to hog most of the attention he craved so much from his parents was something he wasn't looking forward to. He swore he'd hold that mindset up forever once Hop was born. That is until he actually saw him in person when he entered the hospital room his mother was residing in.
Leon was pretty nervous at first, unsure of what to make of the little life in his mother's arms. He was so tiny and...not what he expected. Definitely smaller than he was when he was born, going by his own baby picture his grandparents had showed him when his mother was first admitted into the hospital. He didn't necessarily pay attention to the details, but he remembers was something about Hop being born earlier than planned, but not too early to the point where he needed to be in an incubator to survive.
"Sweetheart, would you like to hold him?" She asked softly, snapping him out his daze.
"No Mummy, w-what if I drop him by accident!?" He squeaked with a shake of his head skittishly as he took a step back from her side by the bed.
"Leon, it's not that hard. I'll show you how." She reassured with a cheeky smile as she reached out to hold his hand to ease his nerves. "Think of this as making it up to me when you called me a Snorlax behind my back and I'll call it even."
"Oh!? Hahaha..." Leon laughed awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head, gaze anywhere else expect on his mother. "M'sorry, Daddy said babies are born when ladies eat a lot of food. So I thought...Hop was gonna be made of curry...or sweets."
Everyone in the room was silent for a long pause and Leon had feared he said something he wasn't supposed to until there was an uproar of laughter. While he breathed a sigh of relief that he didn't say anything bad, he went red in the face like a Tamato berry for embarrassing himself in front of everyone on accident. Still, it was better than getting in trouble. He'll take it as a small victory.
"Come now Leo, it's time to hold your baby brother." She cooed as she set herself up right.
As if compelled by an unknown force from his own nickname, Leon did exactly as she had told him to do while his heart thundered in his chest during the entire process. Once the baby burrito that was and will always be his younger brother was deposited in his arms, he froze up and wasn't sure what to do with the new life he was carrying. Just as he was ready to give him back, Hop wiggled his arm out the blanket and grabbed on to Leon's pinky with a firm with a small coo and even smaller smile. In that moment, the older brother's heart swelled up with several emotions at once he become lost in thought over which to process first. So overcome that he was hesitant to turn ever so slightly to the portrait of his late father that he looking at with tears in his eyes he didn't know he was crying.
The man in the picture was the giving him that genuine, ear to ear smile with his eyes closed after they both rolled down a grassy hill in Turfield.
(Dad...) Leon thought to himself. Hop was starting to cry too, as if he knew he could sense his older brother's distress.
"Oh Leo, I miss him too. C'mere you two." His mother said with tears of her own as she opened her arms to him.
Accepting the invitation to be held, Leon quickly gave Hop to his grandfather before he started wailing heavily into his mothers shoulder.
"Sssh, it'll be okay Leon. Let it all out." She cooed.
"I w-w-want Dad to come h-hohohooome!" He blubbered before wrapping his arms around his mother. "I want him to see Hop and me and you too!"
"And I do too, but he can't anymore Leon... he's in a better place now. Where nothing can hurt him anymore." She offered weakly before her grip tightened, trying to comfort both her baby and herself.
Her husband's death had left a major hole in their family unit and now it'll take a long while to recover from the grief. The Royal Guard may have offered her a large sum money for his sacrifices and heroics for the motherland of Galar, but no fat check will ever be able to make her smile like he did. She looked to her parents and then to Leon, who still crying silently before she nodded in agreement with them.
"Leo, I have a favor to ask of you." His mother asked.
"W-what is it, Mum?"
"Promise me that you will look after our newest member of the family? Without your father, Hop will need a good example to follow. We can only do so much of that from our end." She said with a note of seriousness to her voice. "Be there for him when he stumbles and support him in his times of need."
"I will, Mum. I'll do everything I can." Leon said.
"One more thing, my dear. Stop spacing out."
"...Huh?"
~•~ ~•~ ~•~
"–acing out. Leon, are you sure you're ok?" Raihan asked.
"Huh!? What!? Where are we!?" Leon shouted as he bolted upright and nearly flew into a panic, looking around frantically to see where he was. Only beginning to calm down when he realized that he was still in the train car with his friend who was looking at him with deep concern.
"We're still on the train for Hammerlocke with...almost an hour until we get there. Had a flock of Wooloo on the tracks for a long while so I started talking to you about some history stuff." Raihan said with his arms behind his head before he gave Leon a look that meant he was a little upset until it softened up. "Until I saw you spacing out, that is. Thought you were sleeping till I saw have one hell of a face journey."
Leon groaned as he slapped himself in the face. "M'sorry mate, got lost in some deep thoughts and I abandoned you there on accident.
Raihan yawned weakly and smiled that trademark smile of his before he spoke. "Damn Leon, first it's one-way streets and now your own head? On the bright side, you tend to get stronger after getting lost, so it's not all that bad, right?
"You arsehole!" Leon gasped before bursting into laughter, punching Raihan's shoulder lightly as he looked outside the train window again, more relaxed than he had been previously. Eye lids growing heavy as they were struggling to find the energy to stay open any longer.
Raihan was quick to notice this and put his friend's head on his shoulder. Before he could protest, he muttered one command. "Rotom buddy, set an alarm for when we arrive to Hammerlocke. Can't have the undefeated champ looking any more ugly than he needs to be without his beauty sleep." He whispered jokingly to his phone.
"You got itzzz." The Rotom phone said quickly before lying itself down in front of them on the table.
"Thanks Rai...for...coming along with me..." Leon yawned lazily as he made himself comfortable as possible against Raihan's shoulder.
"Yeah, yeah...get some shut eye, would ya?" He offered back with yawn of his own through gritted teeth, not wanting to be disturb anyone.
As Raihan closes his eyes, he can't help but worry a bit for later on. While Leon's been known to get lost within literal minutes of beginning a trip to any destination easily under any circumstances, he's also been known to botch his own plans at times and make things varyingly worse than how it was before. Chairman Rose, Oleana and an embarrassingly large number of the staff in Macro Cosmos were usually there to help catch him when he stumbled and lost his way.
Without them to help in this endeavor, things seem a tad bit more concerning and weighed heavily in Raihan's mind. Not even he will be there to play the part of back up, considering his has his own duties to perform for Hammerlocke. However, this is a family matter, and Leon has gotten through them all pretty well. It would take a lot to mess up a trip to his see his family and even he's doubtful that even the champion could fuck something up that badly.
(He's got this...) Raihan reassures himself as he lets the desire to sleep overtake him.
Little does he know that he should never underestimate his best mates stupidity because no, Leon doesn't have this.
And is about to make things so much worse.