#「 SONIA MAGNOLIA 」 SO TELL ME ; DO YOU KNOW A LOT ABOUT POKEMON ?

[kisenth]

"How come the taller a man is, the less common sense he'll have..."

[kisenth]

Sonia and Canaria -- Sonia wants a drink and Canaria can arrange this for her bestie!

[champion-prism]

Me, You, and Mew!

Pairings: Champion Leon x OC

Word Count: 4,617

Commission for @meloettium! This was great fun to work on, thank you for commissioning me ^_^

He’s in trouble. He’s in so much trouble. He is in. Such. Big. Trouble.

Charmander leads the way, tail aloft, singing what Leon calls his “Charmander Song''. It basically goes: “Char, char, charmander char. Mander, mand, Charmander mand~” and normally, Leon is very fond of it, but now really doesn’t seem to be the time to be singing happy songs.

Right now is the time for distress calls.

It’s not that he usually gets into big trouble for getting lost- everybody knows he’s got trouble keeping his head straight, and his mum does give him a few talking tos here and there about how his head is always in the clouds… but this situation is different.

He was specifically told to stay put, to not get distracted, to be careful because he’s not at home, he’s not in Postwick where everyone knows him. He’s not even in Galar- he’s in Kanto, a trip preceded by lots of tears and begging on his part. A lot of his favourite Pokemon are native to Kanto, he’d been dying to visit, and he told his mum he would be alright! Professor Magnolia was more than willing to drop a line to Professor Oak, let him explore the lab and things.

Leon truly has no idea how he ended up in a forest, of all places. All he was doing was chasing after a Rattata- a strange, angry looking purple Pokemon which he knows is like the Kanto version of a Skwovet- and he ended up surrounded by trees on all sides. The longer he’s been walking, the more he’s certain that this forest is never ending. He doesn’t know if he’s been going straight or in circles- if he’s going straight, then he must come out on the other end of the forest somewhere, right? And if he’s going in circles, he can’t be too far from Route 1!

But what if he went straight into the forest, far enough to be far from civilization, and then started going in circles?

He tells himself not to cry. Crying was okay when he was nine, but he’s ten now, and double digit people don’t cry. He’s not even a kid anymore. He’s a man.

He’s very embarrassed of what comes next.

“Hey, kid!”

The voice hits him like a ton of bricks in this empty forest, and Leon lets out a shrill shriek, jumping up and turning in the direction of the voice, eyes blown wide.

He blinks owlishly at the young girl who peers at him through a clump of trees, and only has it in him to blurt out-

“I’m not a kid!”

Well, way to make an embarrassing situation extra embarrassing.

She gives him a weird look for a second, then breaks out into a little laugh.

“Whatever you say, mister,” her voice is teasing, but her expression makes her look good-natured, and Leon finds himself more flustered, than anything.

“Sorry,” he mutters, a bit sheepish. “I uh, Charmander and I are a little lost, I was kinda surprised when you called out to me.”

She steps out of the cluster of trees, her white high top boots hitting the narrow, beaten path. For a moment, he’s a bit distracted. He wants white high top boots.

“Viridian can be confusing,” she says. “But lucky for you, I know my way about this place! I’m Klee,” she grins, extending a hand out to him.

He takes it.

“Leon,” he smiles back.

He’s normally very careful about stranger danger, but Klee looks like she’s his age, and rather non-threatening. Her hand is warm in his, and he drops it suddenly, remembering that bit Raihan told him about girl-germs.

Sonia had been adamant that girl-germs aren’t real (“just another myth like cooties”) and Leon’s too old to buy into that stuff, but he’s already gotten into plenty of trouble in Kanto and he doesn’t want to risk getting sick.

If Klee thinks the hand dropping is weird, she doesn’t say anything. Instead, she drops to her knees in front of Charmander and begins to talk to him.

“Hey, Charmander, have you seen a Pikachu around here?” she asks, her tone completely straight, as if she were talking to a person instead of a Pokemon.

“Uh, we’ve seen plenty,” Leon says, crouching down and then sitting cross legged in the dirt, finally realizing how tired he feels.

“I’m looking for a very particular Pikachu,” Klee tells him, her face very serious. “Listen, how about we go try to find it, and then when I’m heading out, I’ll lead you out of the forest!”

Leon doesn’t regard it for even a second.

“Sure!” he says, cowlicks bobbing as his head perks up. “I like Pikachu!”

Klee laughs again, and gets to her feet, offering him a hand up. He takes it, all thought of girl-germs completely gone from his head.

Klee leads the way as he and Charmander follow, and Leon is determined to follow her exactly, and not get separated from his new friend.

“So, you must really like Pokemon, huh?” he asks.

“Yeah!” she answers, leaves crunching under her boots as she strides up ahead, eyes peeled for Pikachu. “I’m friends with most of them here,” she adds.

“Most of the Pokemon in the forest?” Leon asks. “Are you a trainer?”

Klee shrugs. “Not yet,” she says, “but I’m gonna be one, someday. My friend Weston says that the best way to really, really become friends with Pokemon is to battle alongside them! And I think he’s right.”

Leon laughs a bit, him and Charmander now walking directly alongside her.

“Makes it sound like you want to be a trainer to be friends with Pokemon, rather than making friends with Pokemon to be a trainer, like most people,” he says.

“That’s...exactly it,” she says, stopping all of a sudden to look at him. “Battle is great and all, but I think, I think I just want to be friends with Pokemon. Do you ever think of how like humans they are? The way they feel, and things. You ever wonder what goes on inside a Pokemon’s head when they react with love to their trainers?”

“There are so many Pokemon in the world,” she sighs, “and I want to be friends with each and every one of them.”

Leon listens to this with his eyes wide, then turns suddenly when he sees a flash of yellow in the grass.

“Hey, look!” he exclaims. “There’s a Pikachu!”

Klee turns quickly, her eyes wide and searching. But when she catches sight of the Pikachu who is now crouching in the grass, eyeing Charmander, her smile turns into a little frown.

“That’s not the one I wanna see,” she pouts, but perks up again. “But that’s okay! We’ll keep looking.”

And so they do. Leon points out multiple Pikachu to her- they must be native to Viridian Forest, even though they are far rarer a sight than all the Caterpie- but Klee is unsatisfied, insisting that she’s on the lookout for a very particular kind of Pikachu. Leon asks if it’s her Pikachu, but she shakes her head no, a loop of brown hair on her head bobbing along to her movements. Leon has the strangest urge to reach out and tug on it, like he sometimes tugs on Hop’s hair to tease him.

But no, his hair pulling days are behind him now. He has to look ahead, be as serious and mature as he can to convince his mum that he’s responsible enough to participate in the Galar Gym Challenge this season.

He wonders about Klee as they wander around the forest, recalling her bright expression as she talked about Pokemon. He likes that look on her face, her warm light brown eyes shining, lips upturned in a smile. He wonders if she’ll want to be friends with him after this.

“Oi! Look over there!” Klee says, suddenly sprinting off towards a patch of particularly tall grass. Leon and Charmander sprint after her, and he sees-

“Is that Pikachu floating?” he half yells.

Klee lets out a gleeful laugh in response, flopping down in the grass and looking up at the floating Pokemon, who isn’t-

-isn’t a Pikachu anymore.

“Woah,” Leon whispers, looking in awe at the pink Pokemon now floating where Pikachu was. It has large, warm eyes, and it floats up to Leon, sniffing his nose as if Leon were a fellow Pokemon.

“Mew, mewew,” it says, floating down to Klee and nuzzling against her head. Leon cautiously sits down beside her, and Mew floats to the side of his head, suddenly giving him a small push and making Leon’s head bump against Klee’s.

“Ow, Mew! That wasn’t very nice,” Klee says, but she looks more amused than annoyed.

“You’re friends with it?” Leon asks, pushing his shoulder against her lightly and grinning at the contact.

“Yeah! Told ya, I’m friends with all the Pokemon here,” she says, smiling as she reaches out to pet Charmander, who now appears to be trying to teach Mew the melody to the Charmander Song.

“I wanna be friends with all the Pokemon in the world,” she says, her voice dreamy.

“Is that even possible?” Leon wonders out loud.

Klee looks him dead in the eyes, her expression more serious than he’d ever seen it.

“I’ll do it, though,” she says, quietly, firmly. “Or atleast, I’ll get as close to it as anyone possibly can.”

Leon is silent for a while. His mind wanders to the Gym Challenge, and he finds himself echoing Klee’s words in his head.

I’ll do it, though.

“Maybe you will,” he says softly, watching Mew and Charmander singing together, even though the words are now “Char-” “-mew-” “-mander-” “-mewew-”.

“What do you want to do, Leon? In life, I mean” Klee suddenly asks, looking away from the two Pokemon.

“I want to be a Pokemon trainer,” he answers immediately- his go-to answer when someone asks him what he wants to do in life. Train Pokemon, yes. Be strong.

“Why?” she asks, catching him a little off guard.

“Nobody’s ever asked me why, before,” he says, squinting at her. “I guess it’s cause I really like battling Pokemon, and if I don’t battle as often as I can, I get really antsy! If you were a trainer, I would have challenged you by now,” he grins.

Klee gets a glint in her eye.

“How about you challenge Mew?” she suggests. “Only if you’re up for it, of course.”

She had meant the last part kindly, but Leon takes it as a challenge.

Mew seems to have had enough of singing, because it floats up again, and tugs gently on the loop of hair on Klee’s head.

“Mewew,” it says, motioning for them to get up.

They both get to their feet, and Mew floats on ahead, looking back at them expectantly.

“Would you like to battle me, Mew?” Leon ventures cautiously. He’s confident in his skills as a Trainer, but he really has no idea what kind of Pokemon Mew is, and he doesn’t want to risk sending Charmander off in the dark like that, figuratively speaking.

Mew looks to be considering it for a while, and then it takes its place in front of Charmander.

“Mewew!” it says, and Leon takes it in affirmation.

“Get ready to be impressed,” Leon grins at Klee, feeling his personality falling away from him. His mum has always said he’s more of an entertainer than a Trainer, but Leon disagrees. He likes to be both, he likes to really win with flair, making sure his audience is as entertained as he is, although most of his audiences have just been Sonia, Raihan, and his mum.

What follows is the most whirlwind battle he’s been in, yet.

Mew’s attack pattern is erratic, and it’s stamina is unbelievable. Even after all the endurance training he does with Charmander, he can see Charmander beginning to tire. At one point, Mew even transforms into Charmander, firing off a powerful Smokescreen to hide behind. Leon can’t help but glance at Klee from time to time- she seems entirely engrossed in the battle, her eyes wide and shiny.

Somehow, this makes Leon even more determined to win. He doesn’t want to lose face in front of her!

Unfortunately, it looks like it’s not upto Leon to decide.

Mew suddenly says something to Charmander, and they both stop, Charmander panting and returning to Leon’s side. Mew floats over to Klee, as she turns to Leon, eyes full of admiration.

“You looked so cool battling!” she says. “I mean, I think Mew’s tired now, but you’re so intense!”

Leon’s a little disappointed, but Mew doesn’t look to be in a battling mood anymore.

“Mewew!” it says, and Charmander perks up, trotting off behind Mew, leaving Leon and Klee no choice but to follow.

“I think it wants to show us something,” Klee says happily, and Leon decides he rather likes the sound of her voice.

They follow Mew for what seems like a while, and even though he knows somewhere in his head that he really needs to be getting out of this forest, he ignores the feeling in favour of talking to Klee more.

He finds out that she was named after clovers, and that she’s been on the lookout for a four leaf one for a while.

“Most people think clovers are weeds,” she says, a little sadly. “But I really love them. I think they’re beautiful.”

Leon shrugs.

“There’s nothing wrong with weeds! I was named after one,too” he grins. “My mom really likes dandelions, and she named me after the “lion” part.”

“Clovers and dandelions,” Klee says, in that dreamy tone that Leon’s come to like so much. “We should plant a little garden full of them.”

Leon’s about to agree when he stops short.

“Oh my Arceus,” he says, blinking at the clearing that Mew has brought them to.

They’ve stumbled into a little meadow, with a cliff on one side and the forest on the other. A small waterfall bubbles down from the edge of the cliff, feeding into a little pool where Leon can see a few Magikarp swimming around. A sense of longing washes over him as he glances at Klee, whose eyes are trained on Mew flitting around, talking to Charmander.

“I didn’t even know there was a clearing like this in the forest,” she breathed.

Her hand brushes against his, and Leon wonders if this is a little slice of heaven.

The peace doesn’t last, because Charmander tackles him, and a squealing Klee joins in, tickling him as he rolls in the grass.

“Cut it out!” he gasps, and she relents.

“Sorry!” she laughs. “It’s just, I feel like I’ve known you for ages, really.”

Leon takes the opportunity to tickle her back and Mew flits around, making happy chirping noises.

They stay like that for a while, talking to each other and watching the Pokemon have a one sided game of tag, Charmander struggling to tag Mew when the Pokemon floats into the air.

It’s been so much fun, that when Mew finally leads them back to the main forest path at sundown, Leon doesn’t know how to say bye.

Apparently neither does Klee, but she waves at him happily as she takes off in the other direction.

“I’ll see you again sometime, Leon!”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once again, Leon is in big trouble. Very familiar trouble, to be honest, but with a new twist- he can’t find Charizard. He is lost. In the Wild Area. And he can’t find Charizard.

He feels a familiar panic overtake him as he runs around through the Dappled Grove, calling out to Charizard. His partner could be anywhere- the Wild Area is massive, taking days on end to traverse, and without his partner Pokemon, Leon isn’t sure if he can even get to the nearest Watt trading station for help.

He debates letting out Dragapult, but eventually decides against him. For now, he’d like all his wits and all his Pokemon on him, just in case. Not only is the Wild Area huge, it is also quite dangerous.

It’s still mid afternoon, and Leon has high hopes for finding Charizard before sundown. He doesn’t let up, walking around and periodically calling out. If he’s very, very lucky, he might run into a trainer with a Flying type on them, someone who could take to the sky and scope out large areas for Charizard, whose brilliant orange would be easy to spot amongst the green foliage of the trees.

“Charizard!” he calls out.

“Blastoise!” a voice calls back, and he recoils a bit in surprise when a trainer, a girl with bouncy brown hair and an Eevee sitting on her head, emerges from the trees.

When he looks at her in confusion, she says-

“Oh, were we not calling out random Pokemon names?”

Her light, happy expression makes Leon laugh out loud a bit, momentarily forgetting his stress.

“No, I seem to have lost my partner Pokemon,” he admits.

“It’s nice to meet you both, though,” Leon says, shifting his weight from one leg to the other. This meeting is nice, but he’s still tense about Charizard.

“Listen, Eevee and I could try and help you look for your Charizard!” she says, taking in his expression. “Don’t be so sad, I’m sure we’ll find him,” she says comfortingly.

“That...I would really appreciate that…uh-”

“Klee,” she says, smiling at him. “And you are?” she asks as they begin to walk side by side.

Leon tilts his head slightly, unsure if she’s joking or not. Sure, he’s not decked out in full champion regalia, but the hair and cap on his head are signature enough for anyone to recognize him, even in the joggers and tee shirt he’s wearing.

“Uh, it’s Leon,” he says.

“It’s nice to meet you, Leon!” she chirps, looking all around her as she walks, presumably for Charizard.

“Are you a trainer?” she asks, and he nods.

“You’re not from Galar, are you?” he asks on an impulse.

“Hm? No, Arceus, is it that obvious?” she laughs. “I’m basically from Kanto, and I’m on a journey to meet and befriend Pokemon! I’d love to learn more about them, too.”

“That sounds wonderful,” Leon says. “Are you planning on taking the Galar Gym Challenge?”

“No, I’m actually here on a set task from my mentor,” she says. “And I like battling, but the Gym Challenge isn’t really what I’m interested in at the moment.”

Ah, that would make sense. Leon is pretty sure that any trainer in any region has heard of him, if they have any hopes of entering a Pokemon League. He is the reigning Monarch, after all.

Years ago, the title might have flustered him. Now, he takes it in his stride.

“Are you planning to take the Gym Challenge?” Klee asks, and Leon suppresses a laugh.

“Ah, in a manner of speaking. My goal right now is to encourage as many trainers as possible to take the challenge. I want everyone in Galar to be a Pokemon trainer,” he ends with a passionate ferocity, making Klee look at him curiously.

“That’s very admirable, Leon,” she says, finally. “Wait, hey! I think I saw a bit of orange over there!”

Said flash of orange emerges through the green, letting out an excited roar at the sight of his trainer.

“Charizard!” Leon exclaims, his stress draining out as he moves forward to give his partner a hug. “I am so sorry, buddy, I’ve been looking all over for you!”

Klee stands to a side, watching this little reunion with a small smile on her face.

“Eevoiii!” her Eevee chirps, making Charizard turn towards them with a grunt. He perks up even more at the sight of Klee, and lumbers towards her.

Leon half expects her to be afraid, but she stands her ground as Charizard gives her what can only be described as a delighted hug, snuffling her face all over and making soft sounds, as if he were excitedly talking to her.

“Wow,” Leon says, his head tilted to the side. “He doesn’t normally take to strangers like this, I can’t imagine what’s gotten into him.”

“Ah, now maybe I’m just some sort of Charizard prodigy,” Klee laughs, winking at him as she pets Charizard’s snout.

Leon rubs the back of his neck as Charizard seems to say something to him, but he can’t for the life of him understand why Charizard is greeting the girl like an old friend. Weird.

“He seems awfully strong,” Klee comments, glancing at Leon. “You must be a hell of a battler with this guy at your side!”

“Yeah, he’s pretty much my ace,” Leon says fondly. It’s almost nice, saying this aloud to someone who doesn’t both know and take for granted the fact that his Charizard is his strongest Pokemon.

“Maybe we could have a battle?” Klee suggests. “Me and Eevee against you and Charizard! I’d say we should have a full team battle, but I really only have Eevee with me right now.”

Leon regards her with amusement.

“I’d love to battle,” he says, “though you should know, people typically have to go through a lot to get into a battle with me.”

Klee frowns as she regards this.

“How come?” she asks.

Leon mentally kicks himself as he gears into position. She clearly has no idea who he is, and he’s probably coming off as a real arrogant prick right now.

“Uhhhhhh that was a joke, ha! Just, come on, battle me!” he says.

Wow. So eloquent.

Klee doesn’t seem to mind; if she thinks he’s a prick, it doesn’t show on her face.

She faces him with a smile as Eevee hops off her shoulders, ready to face Charizard. Leon almost feels bad for pitting a giant like Charizard against a lil fella like Eevee, but his years of experience has taught him never to underestimate a Pokemon based on its size. He once had a battle where a Jigglypuff gave Charizard a run for its money, so he’s always on his toes, even against small opponents.

In line with his thoughts, Eevee and Klee start out with a vicious Iron Tail attack.

“Charizard, counter with Flamethrower!” he yells, and Eevee narrowly avoids getting torched. Smaller size, greater agility, Leon reminds himself.

“Air Slash!” he commands, and this attack hits Eevee full force as the smaller Pokemon is knocked off its feet, stumbling backwards.

“It’s okay, Eevee, counter with DIG!”

To Leon’s surprise, the little Eevee dives underground. Before Charizard can take to the air, Eevee comes up from underground, knocking Charizard off balance.

Klee cheers Eevee on, and Leon’s heart warms with the affection she clearly has for her Pokemon. But he has no time to indulge in the arm fuzzy feelings, commanding Charizard to charge on.

Eevee puts up quite a fight, but Charizard eventually emerges victorious, letting out a blast of fire into the air as celebration.

“Leon… that was incredible,” Klee says, returning Eevee to its Pokeball as she moves forward to shake his hand. “You’re an amazing trainer.”

Something about her praise, simple and heartfelt, makes Leon blush. He’s used to praise being heaped on, but it’s lost some of its appeal over time. Something about how genuine Klee is makes him happy as he looks into her pretty brown eyes.

“You and Eevee make a great team,” he says, still holding onto Klee’s hand. “I’d love to have a full team battle with you someday.”

Klee gives him a bright smile, not pulling her hand away.

Leon knows that his job keeps him busy, with busy being an understatement. To that end, he’s careful about his private life, choosing not to date, choosing not to give in to his interests and having a life outside of being the Champion. It’s hard, but it is what it is. But looking at this girl, her earnest look, her real admiration for him in spite of having no idea of the power he holds, both literal and political...it makes him yearn for something he hasn’t even given thought to in a while. Something about being a normal twenty one year old, getting her number, exploring this feeling that looking at her gives him.

Klee pulls her hand away from his grasp, and the reverie is broken.

“I should set up camp,” she says, her voice soft, aware of the small moment they just had. “I’d love for you and Charizard to join me while I cook something to heal up Eevee.”

“I’d love that,” Leon says quietly. He moves to set his rucksack down and unpack, Klee doing the same. They work in silence for a while as they both set up their respective tents, and Charizard lumbers off to gather wood for a campfire. Klee remarks on how smart he is, and Leon grins as he tells her about the numerous times he’s gotten lost in the Wild Area, forcing him and Charizard to set up an impromptu camp.

“He knows the drill by now,” Leon laughs as Charizard returns, arms full of twigs and small logs.

“So, Klee,” Leon starts as he builds the campfire. “You’re obviously an experienced trainer. Have you had Eevee for long?”

“Are you gonna ask why it hasn’t evolved yet?” Klee asks, tilting her head at him.

“Ah, I was, but I won’t if the question offends you?” Leon says, confusion laced in his tone.

“No, that’s okay,” she shrugs. “Really, it’s because he doesn’t want to evolve. And I have a bone to pick with the idea that an Eevee is only as good as its future evolution,” she says, frowning. “He’s a normal type, and normal types are strong! I don’t know if you’re familiar with Whitney from Johto, but she runs a Normal Type gym and Champion Lance himself has said that he’s honestly quite afraid of her!”

Leon nods. He respects Lance, and he wonders momentarily if Klee is a fan of his. The idea makes him a little uncomfortable, though he doesn’t know why.

“You’re weird, you know,” he says. “In a good way! I mean, the way you take your Pokemon’s feelings into consideration is the mark of an excellent trainer, in my opinion. We could use more trainers like you in Galar.”

“Thanks, Leon,” she smiles. “I can tell you’re like that, too, because most people are kinda condescending about my decision not to force Eevee to evolve.”

The camp is all set up, and he helps Klee cook while Charizard curls up close to the campfire.

The sun has set by now, and it makes Leon’s heart sink to think that they’ll probably go their own separate ways in the morning.

Klee seems to be thinking the same thing, because as she spoons curry into a bowl, she asks him where he’s headed the next morning.

“Wedgehurst,” he replies, “though if I’m to be entirely honest, I have no real clue how to get there.”

Klee perks up immediately.

“Wedgehurst? Where Professor Magnolia lives? I’m headed there myself!”

“Do you wanna come with me?” they both say in unison, and then burst into laughter.

“I’d love to,” Leon says, grinning wide, watching the fire reflected in her eyes. “I do hope you know how to get there, though.”

Her face turns thoughtful and then she laughs.

“We’ll figure it out, dude. I prefer taking the long, scenic route anyway.”

“Klee?”

“Yeah?”

“Nothing,” Leon says. “It’s just, I’m glad we’re doing this.”

“-I just feel like I’ve known you for ages.”

[torterragarden]

Okay so you know what I said yesterday about how Hop’s character arc felt Weird to me and I was having lots of Thoughts? Yeah those also turned into Thoughts about Bede and Marnie too and the way all of your rivals in this game are written around you and well I overthought it

So like, you and Hop are parallels to Leon and Sonia, that’s always been clear. When we first meet Sonia she’s adorable and I loved her immediately, but she also had a very sad and bitter vibe to her. Leon doesn’t introduce her as a former rival, he doesn’t even really suggest he still sees her as a close friend and Sonia is obviously annoyed and corrects him. At first I thought this made Leon seem like an asshole, and it kind of does but I also kind of get it? Sonia doesn’t compete anymore and hasn’t for a long time, and Leon has a new rival in Raihan. He probably doesn’t realize that this still matters to Sonia. Other NPCs also hint that Sonia and Leon’s rivalry turned sour. Sonia doesn’t seem very happy with where she ended up, or at least she feels very unsure about it. She laments that she’s only an assistant and not even an official one, she says she feels like she’s not going anywhere or doing anything with her life and apparently Magnolia agrees. Sonia does end up uncovering something amazing and earning the title of professor but she starts the game in a pretty bad place

There’s an overall theme in this game of the older generation stepping down to make room for the new one, but also one of history repeating itself. And it kind of sets up a dark path for you and Hop. However much Hop wants to be like Leon, well. He’s not. You are, because you’re the Main Character. You’re gonna be champion and Hop is gonna be left behind. He never stood a chance. He’s the Sonia. And Bede and Marnie? Yeah they definitely never stood a chance. Leon even has the starter with the advantage over yours, as rivals traditionally do, almost like Leon was your true rival all along and the others didn’t matter

What gets me is that Hop, Bede and Marnie all have like, interesting and strong motivations for wanting to be champion. Hop spent his whole life in Leon’s shadow and wants to live up to him. Bede just wants approval from the only parental figure he has and is being manipulated by adults who don’t really care about him. Marnie wants to bring attention to her poor home town that’s falling apart because the real evil in this game is capitalism (in more ways than one but lets not get into that 🥴). But you, the Main Character? You’re just some guy. You're given a Pokemon one day and you proceed to obliterate all of your competition, and where does that leave everyone else?

Honestly it’s pretty obvious that Marnie was the one they cared the least about actually developing and she deserved better. She becomes the new Dark gym leader, but that was never what she wanted. It’s not even clear if Spikemuth’s situation improved. You’re never required to go there in the post game so I didn’t, and it only gets brought up to tell us that no we don’t have to go there, no one is in danger over there. But is it better off now? Idk! Marnie made it far enough that she certainly got attention and fans, but was it enough to bring more people to Spikemuth? Does anyone care? And is Marnie even gonna be happy being gym leader for long? It was never what she wanted and like with Hop, it feels like she settled, but unlike with Hop the game doesn’t give a shit about her so oh well

Bede easily gets the best ending of the three and it’s still kind of bittersweet. He doesn’t get to be champion and he’s not thrilled about that, but the most important thing for his development was getting away from his abusers and gaining an actually good adult influence in his life, and that’s what happens for him. And he seems happy enough with where he is, he’s determined to get stronger as a gym leader and he seems to like his new title. But after fighting him in the post game I got to thinking something. Most of the game builds up Bede to be a really tough competitor, he’s endorsed by the chairman himself, he’s always ahead of you, he apparently wipes the floor with Hop when they battle. Even when you beat him in the post game, you, Hop and Piers spend a few minutes standing around talking about how Bede is a force to be reckoned with and wow he’s so super strong but still not enough to beat you. And it made me think, if you’re the next Leon and Hop is the next Sonia, I think Bede is supposed to be the next Raihan, the one who’s strong enough that they probably could have been champion in another region, or even just if you weren’t around. If you fight Bede in a tournament later his defeat quote is something like “why did I have the misfortune to be born in the same time period as you”, and it’s funny but it’s also like. Yeah true that was unlucky for him, how was he supposed to compete with the Main Character?

Which brings us back to Hop, your main rival but not really. Hop really goes all over the place in this game. He starts out enthusiastic and a bit overconfident, he always loses to you but he’s a good sport about it. Then Bede wrecks his confidence and he goes into a whole depression spiral for a while. He starts to realize that he can’t keep up with you, let alone with Leon. He tries changing around his team to see what works (which was a really cool way to show this development btw), but he still can’t beat you. He goes on kind of a losing streak because his confidence is so low. Then he bounces back very suddenly and makes it to the semifinals where of course he still loses to you. And he’s still friendly toward you but the jealousy is definitely there. Then you become champion and Hop spends most of the post game not knowing what to do with himself now. He wanted to be the one who beats Leon and instead his friend did. Hop doesn’t consider himself a strong trainer compared to you, but like he’s obviously not incompetent if he managed to beat all of the gym leaders and get to the semifinals. That’s more than a lot of trainers in Galar manage to accomplish. But apparently it doesn’t mean anything if he can’t be champion, and that’s never gonna happen because it was always going to be you. And tbh, I felt kind of guilty which I think is why I felt Weird about his ending. Other Pokemon games have this kind of story too, like how Blue is only champion for like five minutes before Red takes it from him, and then to add insult to injury his grandfather comes in to congratulate Red and basically tells Blue “damn you really fucked that up”. But SwSh really puts a lot more emphasis on how you basically crushed the dreams of 3 different kids, one of them being a close friend. At least Hop seems less bitter than where Sonia started, but you still get the impression that he’s settling. He shows 0 interest in being a professor until the last ten minutes of the post game. He even spends a lot of the game just. Not listening very closely to Sonia because he wants to run ahead. Being a professor just doesn’t seem like something he would want, but I guess there was nowhere else for him to end up. He doesn’t measure up to you and he has to accept that, and yeah that is just kind of how it goes sometimes, but it’s still sad to think about

Yeah it’s probably Not That Deep LMAO idk why I’m getting so emotional about fucking Pokemon SwSh but okay

[mystical-writer]

Could you do a Pokémon Sonia x Reader head canons? Like you two meet as you are trying to learn about some history behind the Darkest Day when you were taking some time off as a trainer. Thanks in advance.

You got it! I'm gonna change your request a tiny bit as in you two already know one another so I hope that's okay. Since ya didn't mention the gender I'm gonna go with gender neutral.

(f/d)= Favorite drink

Common Interest

Sonia stares out of the window and watches the rain fall down from the sky. The sound of various people chatting and pokemon playing fill the cafe with a pleasing atmosphere. The bell to the door rings suddenly and she looks over to see you puting your umbrella down. You look around and spot her in no time. She waves at you as you walk over and sit down. "Hey (Y/n), thanks for coming here with me."

"Oh it's no trouble Sonia, I'm glad we can hang out today. With me being a trainer and you working under Professor Magnolia we hardly have time to spend together so this is nice." She nods and before she can speak a waitress walks over. She orders a latte and you order a (f/d). The waitress leaves and you two continue your conversation.

"As unfortunate as it is at least the time we do get together is even better when we have lots to talk about."

"Ain't that right. Speaking of which how's your research going on the Darkest Day? I haven't had any luck with my search."

"I'm as stumped as you are." You chuckle and shake your head.

"Well if anyone can figure it out it's you. You're not just a beauty ya know, you're also brains." Sonia blushes at that comment and looks down.

"Oh come now, you help me with my research a ton. You're just as smart and just as attractive." You laugh and thank her for the compliment. With that the waitress returns with your drinks and you two continue on speaking. You tell Sonia that you decided to take a break on pokemon training in favor of the research about the Darkest Day. She said you didn't have too but you stood your ground. You wanted to help her but juggling both was too much.

It warmed her heart to see you choose her over your own path, though it also makes her feel a little guilty, but you reassured her. After that little conversation she pulls out a few books about Galar past and the both of you begin to read them. Taking notes and bouncing ideas of one another you don't notice the time flying by. "Ah! (Y/n), look at the time!" Sonia says in shock.

You look over at the clock in the wall and see it says 9:34 p.m. You look out of the window and see the moon peaking behind some clouds. You chuckle and rub the back of you neck. "Looks like we were so caught up in our study session we forgot to pay attention to the time." She laughs along with you and the two for you begin to pack up. Before you leave the cafe you order several pastries and begin to walk back to Sonia's place.

As you walk Sonia looks over at you and smiles. The way the moon shines it highlights your figure and her heart gives a flutter. When you two fist met she had to admit you were good looking, but that was nothing but a physical attraction she had towards you. The more you hung out though that attraction changed into a crush. She just adores the way you laugh, how your eyes shine, and just your entire personality.

But, do you feel the same way towards her? That question had plagued her mind almost every day. She hopes you do otherwise she wouldn't be able to live with herself for ruining your friendship over her one sided feelings. With how deep in thought she was she hadn't realized the two of you arrived at her place. "Hey Sonia, were here." She jumps and blushes.

Grabbing her keys she unlocks the door and the two for you walk in. "Granny were back!" You spot Professor Magnolia at the table and when she turns around she gives you two a smirk.

"(Y/n), glad to see you walked Sonia home. How polite. It is quite late I wonder why it took you two so long to return." Sonia's faces flushes a bright red as she scolds her. Grabbing your hand she huffs and drags you up to her room. "Don't be to loud kids." That comment really messes with Sonia as she lest out and embarrassed screech. You laugh but feel your cheeks heat up as well.

When you get into Sonia's room you put the food on her desk and watch as she flops onto her bed. Walking over to her you kneel by her side. "You good Sonia?" She huffs and nods, shifting her head to look at you. The two of you stare at one another for a bit and without realizing it the two of you lean in. You only realize what is happening when you feel her soft lips on yours, but you can't find the strength to pull away.

After a moment you two pull apart and Sonia stares at you with wide eyes. She sits up and starts to stutter."I-I am so sorry for kissing you. I-I know you don't like me like that so-!" You cut her off with another kiss and she looks at you in shock.

"Seems like ya don't know me all that well. I like you too Sonia. I have for a while." Her face soften and she pulls you onto the bed with her giving you another big kiss. After separating the two of you begin to cuddle and look at one another with dreamy eyes. That is until you make her laugh with your stupidness. "Ya wanna talk science to me?" She laughs and smacks your chest. The two for you share a few more laughs before the both of you get ready for the night.

She offers you to sleep beside her and you agree. Laying in bed with her your mind wonders and you think of how you met. You ran into her on your first day of your adventure and just started stumbling out apologies. That is until you saw her books on Galar history. Then your nerdy side came out and the two of you quickly bonded over that. You smile at that thought.

The two for you became close all because of your clumsy geeky side and you wouldn't have it any other way. As for Sonia, well she would say the same thing. Your first meeting was dorky but she wouldn't trade it for anything. Now you to are close because you both have an interest in the history of Galar and each other.

[epicspheal]

Sonia Deserved Better

I’ve been thinking about Sonia’s arc and character in Sword and Shield and while I adore her character, after thinking about it, I feel she was also shafted in terms of development.

I’ll start with the good, Sonia has a very relatable backstory in being a young adult that has no idea what she wants to do with her life. And seeing her childhood friend Leon and her good friend Nessa go on to be successful household name also hits close to home in the age of social media when you can see people you grow up do great things while it seems like your own life is stalling. This setup I think I was really great and probably the best thing about her character. I can relate to her a lot as I’m sure many others can as well, it’s a backstory that makes people want to root for her character. She also actually does make a name for herself which is what she wanted in the end.

But that’s where in my opinon it ends as far as good things for Sonia in my opinion as the narrative tends to take away a lot from her in the story.

She doesn’t get to battle: Now there’s nothing wrong with having non-battlers in Pokemon be a part of the main narrative. But there is an issue when a narrative continuously makes a deal about Sonia being a former gym challenger and once-rival to the then unbeatable champion and not allow the player to battler her at least once. That information primes the player to expect a battle with her to see why she was Leon’s rival yet the fact that it never happens just ends up making this fact of her “telling rather than showing” (this is something that plagues many SwSh characters). She doesn’t have to have level 70+ Pokemon or anything, but her character would’ve benefitted greatly from this not to mention this could’ve helped Hop to in realizing just because you’re not the number one trainer in the region doesn’t mean your bad and that you can still have fun. What’s worse is that there has been evidence that she was supposed to be battleable based on datamined battle poses for her. 

She lacks agency in her goal: One thing that had bugged me is how in the end she only really starts her arc because she’s yelled at by her Grandma to do something because a couple of kids are starting their journey. Especially when if you talk to her again after her initial introduction in the Wedgehurst lab, you’ll know that Sonia herself has been feeling quite restless. Sonia’s overall arc would have in my opinion been a lot stronger if she herself had of decided to go out and do the research and not be yelled at by Magnolia (which realistically would’ve likely demoralized her rather than motivate her). We already know at this point in the story that there’s a lot to uncover about Dynamaxing, that Magnolia is old, and that Sonia is restless. Perfect moment to give Sonia a chance to say “You know what I want to prove to my gran that I can be her assistant so I’m going to finish up some loose threads on her research that I find interesting”

Her Flaw In Giving Up Too Easily is Never Exploited: Something that is brought up on Opal’s note is that Sonia has a tendency to give up too quickly. The type of person who instead of adapting to challenges, runs away. Again this is a flaw that lot of people can relate to. But this is never exploited to give Sonia meaningful character development. Unlike Bede who has a undying loyalty to Rose which backfires spectacularly and Hop who’s initial arrogance backfires spectacularly on him, Sonia being too quick to give up NEVER comes into play while she’s doing research which I call major BS on as a researcher myself.

I do research as a day job and let me tell you, research is hard. You make wrong hypotheses, your experiments flat out fail, you go weeks even months without making any headway. Everyone I know who has done research has had that moment where you want to quit even the most persistent of people. Sonia was not ever put in a position where her flaw comes to bite her in her butt. With the type of research she was doing in game, I could easily see a situation where she just doesn’t have leads for a long time making her discouraged (something that with the whole historical coverup thing would’ve fit easily). This could make her want to give up but she eventually finds her resolve to keep going because maybe her doing historical research rather than looking at the physics of Dynamax is more her thing, thus making her graduation into being a professor feel actually earned. Not only that it would show that she’s doing this research for herself and not just because her grandma asked her to.

Good Plot Points Go Nowhere: Sonia has three things that are mentioned in game that could’ve great aided her characters and others that is never expanded upon. The first is her soured Rivalry with Leon. It’s clear the Sonia/Leon rivalry is supposed to parallel the MC/Hop rivalry and show what could’ve happened if things went differently...except we never find out what happened that made it soured. It’s especially jarring when you consider that the first onscreen interaction between Leon and Sonia is kind of tense (again leading credence to the soured rivalry and friendship) but scenes afterwards gloss over it.  A cutscene or a bit of dialogue that explained it would’ve gone a long way in fleshing out Sonia’s backstory and also would’ve benefitted Leon’s character as well.

The second point is that she is under professor Magnolia’s shadow. It never really gets the attention it deserves which is a shame because this is a perfect way for her to bond with Hop who is also dealing with the same being in Leon’s shadow. This could’ve allowed the two to bond and give them both the chance to realize they don’t have to be exactly like their family members in order to be successful. 

The final point is the fact that when she was younger she wandered in the slumbering weald and came back “in a state”. Yet this is never brought up again. Considering that Sonia’s arc revolves around the history and mythology of Galar you would think this would be brought up again. This ties back to her lack of agency as her wanting to find out what happened during her time in the weald could’ve been added motivation for her to get out and travel herself, rather than have Magnolia yell at her to do something. Let her be motivated by her own experiences rather than being shoved out the door

So yeah that’s where Sonia’s arc just doesn’t do well for me. The sad part is I feel like the fixes are relatively simple. Just:

Give her a chance to battle to show why she was a trainer that could be Leon’s rival and earn Opal’s praise

Allow her more agency in choosing her direction rather than her being sent out by her grandma

Let her struggle with the research and her tendency to quit and let her find her resolve so she can show she’s not the same kid who gave up on her gym challenge

Explore her past rivalry with Leon, her dynamic with her grandmother and her experience in the weald to flesh out her character as well as other characters

All it would’ve taken were a maybe a couple of cutscenes or extra dialogue bits to really make her act the best that it could be. 

[pokemonswshbutionlyplayedsword]

I thought of this a long time ago but I never really put much thought into it. It's like a turf au or an apocalypse au I don't really know. But it's like it eternatus wasn't defeated galar went into this state of panic and basically collapsed. Now like everyone's against each other and like galars divided into the cities themselves based on the gym type. So most dragon trainers in hammerlock's and so on. The wild area would be life free war areas just thought it would be a cool postgame thing.

Okay, so I’m kinda new to the idea of turf aus, but I like what I’ve seen so far. As for apocolypse aus??? I love them. Like, a lot. One of my favorite types of aus. And now, Anon, you’ve got me thinkin about it, so sit down and lemme tell ya, cause I’ve got somethin’ to say. And tonight I’m feeling like ranting, so buckle up.

So here’s the plan, you’re on the right track. Eternatus demolishes Galar. There’s no leader that can ease the chaos that’s broken out. The economy is just gone. Wyndon fell apart and every other town was either mostly destroyed or abandoned. Now, what exactly is preventing Galar from putting itself back together? Good question. If you know me, you’ll know that my favorite game is Hollow Knight. In Hollow Knight, the player battles a plague caused by a godlike creature known as The Radiance. The Radiance creates this infection to gather the bugs of Hallownest and restore them to her hive mind (Yeah, I know that’s a lot to take in, but just go play the game. You’ll understand and you’ll also love it because it’s the best game.)

Now, I’m not saying that Eternatus creates a plague of sorts to bend the people and pokemon of Galar to its will, except that is exactly what I’m saying. That is what is happening. No other region can come help them because there’s nothing they can do, and even if there was some way to help, there’s no way for them to know if there’s actually anything left to save at all, and since Galar’s a big island, there’s no way for it to spread, so they’re on their own.

Here’s the vibe. Y’all ever heard of Darkwood? Yeah, another video game. Fantastic, incredible, intense and emotional. Aside from the fear and desperation to survive the night, the players of Darkwood will experience foreboding, hopeless and violent feelings. Protect what is yours and trust no one, essentially. Kill on sight kind of vibes. You know what I mean. And if you don’t, well, go play Darkwood, you won’t regret it. Warning, though, it’s graphic, bloody and can be really gross at times. But, like, that’s the aesthetic of it.

So, as a quick recap, what Eternatus has done: Effectively destroy most of Galar, especially the northern part of it; scorch the earth where Wyndon used to stand; spread plague and disease to technically enslave people and pokemon to only their base, animalistic instincts; and pretty much ruin the lives of the people who weren’t killed by the blast.

And, for the sake of convenience and my poor little heart, let’s say that no one was present for the event. Yes, Eternatus emerged in Hammerlocke, but it wasn’t defeated and it moved to Wyndon, taking possession of Rose Tower before creating the devastating blow that caused Galar to fall. No, no one we know dies, so that’s nice. But Eternatus is gone. There’s no tower to climb. No evil to defeat. No way out of this hell hole. Oh, and dynamorphing is officially cancelled, too.

ANYWAY, here’s where things get interesting. We now get to see what happens to our dear characters.

Milo is in Turffield. It’s a mess, but it’s not the worst place to be in Galar. He was there on his farm when it happened. Almost every plant was wiped out. Most barns were destroyed and the pokemon in them were either released or killed. It was hard, but Milo and his farmhands were able to salvage what was left and create a new, less impressive farm. Still, they have the most reliable food source in Galar. They had to build a lot of defense and acquire a lot of guard pokemon. They had to get really aggressive about defending their things because so many people would try to steal. But they get everything they need by trading with the other mini-societies that formed when the dust settled.

Nessa was in Hullbury. Things are extremely hard, but they’re on the sea, so a lot of the survivors tried to sail away. Nessa stayed, but she did help them try to leave. This was before the plague spread, so it was relatively safe, if not dire. After that, and when things get bad, she finds Sonia and Magnolia, and they go to Turffield to work and get protection. Magnolia definitely needs the sanctuary. Hullbury was abandoned.

Kabu is leading Motostoke the best he can. There are some survivors that follow Kabu, and they keep the production that comes from Motostoke, you know, metal production and shit. Most of Motostoke is abandoned. There’s a line of large warehouses and a nearby grocery store that the people made into a base. They’re a large crowd, but they do well because they’re so close to Turffield. There’s a lot of paranoia, though, because there’s not a lot of room for trust.

Bea is an excellent fighter, of course, so she protects Allister and the rest of the people who stayed in Stow-on-Side. They moved into the cave with the statue of the two kings. It’s so easy to fortify and, in fact, due to their pokemon, and the fact that a lot of people there have the right kind off pokemon, they are able to carve the cave out more and make an actually viable place to stay. They struggle with food a bit because they’re far from any reliable source, but they’ve made it work for their small group. There are very few of them left, so there’s a lot of trust.

Allister stays close to Bea. He’s terrified of what’s happening. He does his best to help, but mostly he stays in and tries to think of ideas. He’s come up with the idea of making tunnels to the other mini-societies. He understands that they survive if they have something worth trading. They have the power to make transportation possible. He’s currently looking for other ideas, too. If they make resources easier to access and they get means to acquire them, they’ll have a better chance of survival.

Opal knows that the woods around Ballonlea are thick and hard to traverse when the proper paths are not kept up. Thus, she has a choice to make. Does she make her town vulnerable or does she isolate herself from any other resources? She chooses isolation. They build into the trees to expand. They’re able to make farms of sorts, but they also forage. The survivors in Ballonlea isolate themselves from the plague and survive by living like the fairies- with the fairies. Most of the outside world don’t know if Ballonlea still exists. Opal knows she likely won’t live to see the end of this situation, she can only hope that she can teach her successor to lead the people of the forest.

Melony sets aside her problems with Gordie to protect her family. She works with Circhester to isolate herself from the rest of Galar. It’s hard to get to Circhester because the event caused the snow to come down harder. That makes resources hard to come by as well, though. The hot spring and a large home that houses the survivors are their stronghold. They’re not worried about being stolen from. However, monthly a group of people have to take their pokemon out and journey to the rest of Galar to trade and get resources. It’s risky, but its their only option. Melony normally leads these expeditions, and Gordie takes over while she’s gone.

Gordie is the second in command in Circhester. He’s the strategist, so to speak. He comes up with the plans. He takes care of everything while Melony is gone. He’s especially protective of his younger siblings. It’s going to be hard to grow up in a post-apocolyptic world. He used to sit around and think of what would happen in this situation, but now that he’s actually here...? He’s completely forgotten about his problems with Melony before the disaster.

Piers counts himself extremely lucky. Spikemuth has walls. It protected everyone within the city from the blast. But the walls are thin and they were already poor to begin with. The thing about Spikemuth is that they’re survivors. They may not specialize in anything, but they scrape by any way they know how. Piers may come off as an apathetic and careless person, but in this disaster, Piers steps up to lead Spikemuth. He fortifies the town with metal from Motostoke, he manages to barter with Milo to get food. They’re on cliffs right next to the sea. Some days it’s an Arceus send, some days it’s another way for Eternatus to laugh at them, but it does bring in food and scavenge sea garbage. In a town full of Zigzagoons, what else do you expect? One of the things they barter with is sending people to be temporary warriors/bodyguards. The people of Spikemuth can mf SCRAP.

Raihan fled from Hammerlocke with the rest of the survivors. They went to find Leon in Wedgehurst. There was nothing left to salvage in Hammerlocke. Some people split off from the main group. Raihan convinced Piers to let them seek refuge in Spikemuth. Some of them joined Milo. A few hoped to find Ballonlea, which wasn’t unheard of. Compared to the rest of the Galar, the rumors sounded like utopia. Raihan still has hope that help is on the way, and he’s used that to lead his people as far as they will go. His pokemon are strong and he can defend himself and his loved ones. He joins Leon in Postwick, where they retreat into the Slimbering Weald.

Leon evacuated Wyndon along with everyone else who was smart enough to leave. He immediately returned to Postwick to join Hop and his mother. The people there were pretty unharmed, since the blast didn’t reach quite far enough. Wedgehurt was abandoned for sure, but that didn’t really matter. They’re close enough to Milo to not have to worry about food so long as people came to help tend to the farms sometimes. Eventually, when things turned even worse than they already were, Leon led Postwick into the Slumbering Weald. With his powerful pokemon, he was sure he could protect them, especially with Raihan at his side. They’ve made themselves a home there, in that Weald, hoping that Zacian and Zamazenta reveal themselves to end this.

Rose is not safe anywhere. The people of Galar hate him for what he’s done, and there’s no one there to listen if he tried to explain himself. He’s not a survivor, he doesn’t know what he’s doing. He and Oleana end up leaving Wyndon with a certain small group headed towards Motostoke. He keeps his head down and his hood up. He wants to find the gym leaders and other authority figures around to make a plan to fix the region, but he can’t do that yet. He doesn’t have the means or the plans to make it happen. He eventually branches off from that path because he has no choice but to follow Oleana. She leads him to Spikemuth, and she convinces Piers to accept them. It’s not easy, but Spikemuth is probably one of the safest places for him now.

Oleana stays with Rose. She calls all the shots, but she protects him at all costs. She knows he never meant for this. She’s a fighter and good at surviving. Through rumors and travelers, she learns that Spikemuth is accepting of all stragglers who need walls to protect them. One of two things happen if she takes Rose. 1. They’ll be killed on sight or 2. Piers will accept them and they’ll be safe. Oleana doesn’t ask Rose, because she knows he’s still in shock and not of right mind right now. She thinks she’ll be able to get through to Piers, they understood each other. Luckily, she’s right, but she has to work extra hard to earn both their keep. She doesn’t exactly mind, since she rises through the ranks quickly and proves to be especially valuable to Piers.

Sonia goes with Nessa to Turffield with her grandmother. She regrets leaving Leon behind, but she had no choice. She had no idea if he was even alive. She hears rumors that he’s leading Postwick, but she can’t make the trip to see for herself. She won’t leave Magnolia behind, even if it means mucking around in Wooloo pens to earn her and her grandmother’s meals. It’s a simple life, not much to it, but she knows she’s extremely lucky. A lot of people never got this far. Plus, Turffield is an empire compared to the rest of Galar, and it’s one of the best places to be since they’re so wealthy there and Milo is so kind.

Magnolia is too old and weak to survive on her own. She knows she’s lucky that her granddaughter brought her with her. Turffield is the perfect place to be for them. Sonia earns both their keeps, so Magnolia lives a very easy life. She’s researching the phenomenon that’s happening, and Milo is happy to let her. She really hopes to find out what happened to everyone and to find a way to end this. She really needs Oleana and Rose to help her, but she thinks they’re dead, so there’s no point in looking for them. She’d go to Wyndon to look for answers, but there’s no Wyndon left to go to.

Hop was terrified when it happened. Luckily, not days after the disaster struck, Leon came home and led them all to the Slumbering Weald. He’s been Leon’s apprentice of sorts. He’s been learning to be a leader like him. He hopes that he’ll be able to help more soon. He misses his friends, and right now, he’s been looking into a communication method without cell phones or electricity.

Marnie is in Spikemuth, as Piers’ second in command. She’s incredibly important because she can see things that Piers can’t. He’s fiercely protective of her, more than he was before. She’s looking for solutions to all of Spikemuth’s problems, and she’s the one that convinced Piers to let Rose and Oleana into Spikemuth. She has been listening to all the rumors and stories that pass through, hoping to hear about anyone she knew.

Bede is in Ballonlea, being taught everything Opal knows. He was the one who suggested building into the trees. Opal’s proud of him, but he knows she worries. Bede doesn’t know how long they can last until they need to make contact with the rest of Galar. He’s stressed about the future and he doesn’t know how to fix any of these problems.

Anyway, the point is, Eternapocolypse AU is a thing now, and I encourage all of you to interact with it. I love apocolypse aus so much. Only post for tonight btw because I’m tired and this took an hour to write out.

[invictarre-archive]

@behemothbash​​ asked: "... So then they sent the Z-Crystals over to Sonia, b-but she couldn't— uh, sh-she didn't wanna use 'em 'cause she— she said I'd— uh— I'd be bet-better since 'm stronger— or, uh, my team— my team's st-st—"

Hop stops speaking and huffs with a frown, clearly frustrated with himself. He's quiet for a moment, clenching and unclenching his fists. There's a nod from him before he continues, "since my team. Is stronger." The assistant plays with the fur on one of his sleeves, embarrassed. Arceus, he hates how hard it is to speak properly when he gets excited like this.

"It's... real neat stuff." He finishes lamely.

Leon has always been fascinated by battle techniques. A lot of his later childhood had been spent clinging to Sonia’s side, pestering Professor Magnolia about the latest developments in Dynamax technology and how the phenomenon worked. He could still remember the delight he’d felt upon learning that Charizard had a Gigantamax transformation, and he could just as easily recall the way Charmeleon’s eyes had sparkled as it looked at the image.

He’d had that same flutter of excitement back when he’d arranged the Mega Evolution vs. Gigantamax cultural exchange battle. Though it hadn’t gone according to plan, it had sparked an interest in Megas that he continued to pursue even to this day, hours of his time having been poured into reading every publicly-available paper he could find on the topic.

Z-moves were, admittedly, something he didn’t know much about. He knew the basics, that they required crystals sorted into specific pokemon typings, but aside from that he was lost.

Part of Leon’s brain tells him to go read up on it. He’s got his RotomPhone on him, he could pull up all sorts of academia in seconds, but that would deprive his brother of the chance to explain it himself. Hop is clearly excited about this, and for good reason! It’s no secret Galar so rarely allows its population the chance to explore battle techniques from overseas, Leon had to beg the League just to let Mega Evolution be showcased,  and yet now Hop is being offered the opportunity to train with his team and see how Z-Crystals work. 

It’s something exclusive, something new.

Leon is so proud of him.

                     ❝  It sounds exciting! Your team must be thrilled, too.  ❞ Leon can see him getting frustrated with himself. He offers a smile and gently nudges the conversation back onto the topic at hand.

                     ❝  You must have done so much research into this, especially since you've been chosen to use the crystals, so... Could you tell me about them? Do you know what pokemon you’re going to train with first?  ❞

Leon assumes it’ll be Felt, but still. Always best to ask.

[kisenth]

"Looks adorable, too." She teases, though the grin on her lips is a clear indication how pleased she is to see him in it. Even better that he seems to like it.

"You're often dressed so thinly, you should take care not to get sick, okay?"

"A'ight then...," he opened it and chuckled once he fully took both out. Even placed the hat on over his head.

"Ah..this brilliant. Been meanin' ta get a new scarf. Thank ya. Bloody love this hat though. So adorable."

[imjeralee]

Comfort in Despair: Chapter 22 - Legend of the Void

Leon x F!Reader

Disclaimer: Do not own Pokemon

Summary:

Galar is rich in folklore and tales of the supernatural.

As a Pokemon Researcher who specialises in ghost types, this is a great opportunity for you to investigate and learn more about the paranormal.

Along the way, you meet Leon (in the most awkward way possible) who becomes embroiled in your adventures.

^ Basically this story is about ghosts :/

NOTE: I can’t really believe I'm at Chapter 22... I know it doesn’t seem too long but I feel like it is lol. Here’s when things get a bit science-fiction-y and also more to do with cosmology. 

Rating: General/Teen

@marydragneell​ here is the latest update

Legend of the Void

…

…

[1. Whatever begins to exist has a cause.

2. The universe began to exist.

3. Therefore, the universe has a cause (which was itself not caused).

- The Kalam cosmological argument.]

…

…

“I’m home.”

“Welcome back!”

Upon your return to Wedgehurst, Sonia and Magnolia, Runerigus and Cutiefly are in the conservatory enjoying tea. You greet everyone, share an embrace and Cutiefly dives for your hair, burrowing himself under your locks.

“Would you like some tea, dear?” Magnolia asks, lifting up an empty cup.

“Yes please.”

She smiles and begins to wander into the kitchen.

“Ah, wait – professor, I can do it myself-“

“It’s okay, come sit,” Sonia says, grabbing your arm and pulling you into the empty seat beside her. “Where’d you go last night?”

“Oh, I met up with Leon,” you reply nonchalantly. “We’re together.”

Her jaw drops. “You’re what??”

“Sorry, I should’ve told you earlier. I didn’t really know what to say, nothing was official.”

Sonia blinks wide-eyed for a moment before she slaps a perfectly manicured hand over her mouth. Emitting a muffled squeal of glee, she proceeds to throw her arms around you, enveloping you into a tight hug.

“I knew there was something between you two but I didn't think -- oh, never mind, I’m so happy for you!” she exclaims, and you smile awkwardly, gently placing your hand over her arm.

“Thanks, I, um…I have a favour to ask of you though.”

“What is it?”

“I need you to-“

Unfortunately you’re interrupted when Magnolia returns with your cup of tea. Polteageist floats beside her, having helped with the brewing and when he sees you, you both share a hug.

“Here you are, my dear,” Magnolia says as you accept the cup. It’s piping hot and smells wondrous.

“Thank you, professor.”

“Inspector Graves came by earlier; he told me to give you this,” Magnolia picks up an A4 envelope from the table and hands it to you. “He says they’re accepting new recruits and he wants you to try it out.”

You open it carefully and pull out the contents; it’s a pile of application forms for the police academy recruitment scheme. “Oh��” you mutter, “thanks, I’ll have a look at it later.”

“Can I tell her?” Sonia says giddily.

“What?? No, it’s too early!” you yelp.

"But-"

“Girls, what’s going on?” Magnolia demands, swapping glances between you and Sonia.

“N-nothing, professor.”

“Let’s go upstairs,” Sonia says and before you can reply, she tugs on your arm and pulls you up and off the couch, guiding you to the staircase.

Magnolia watches as you both scurry away and out of sight before she slides into a plush seat beside the stone pokemon who has been enjoying his cup of tea silently, holding the floral teacup daintily in his shadowy hands.

“Would you like some more Darjeeling, Runerigus?” she asks, lifting up the teapot.

He nods and she empties some into his little cup before she fills her own; they exchange smiles as they take a sip at the same time.

...

Upstairs, Sonia closes the door behind her and joins you on the bed, sitting cross-legged and clutching your arm.

“So! Tell me everything. I want all the details. All of them.”

You recall last night’s events though you do omit some information, namely the dream. You feel bad for not telling her there was something between you and Leon, especially the time when you had almost kissed at the hospital and when he brought you flowers, but she doesn't appear nonplussed and nods to herself, hand under her chin.

“That’s typical of him,” she says with a giggle before she sighs and flexes her hands together, smiling to herself, "I've known Leon since we were kids so I'm really happy for him. It's so strange; you've been here for a few years and you kept missing him and he kept missing you...and even when gran and I wanted you to meet him, you were always busy or away investigating so you never got the chance and neither did he...but then this happens and now you're together!!! You were always closeby but you never even got the chance to see each other...oh, I don't know, but I was always hoping for you to meet; I knew you two would hit it off."

"Yeah, I guess we wasted the years."

"Nooo, that's not what I meant at all; it's what people say 'when it's supposed to happen, it happens'," she replies, and you laugh. “So…you’ve kissed, right? You must have. How was it? What was it like to kiss the Champion of Galar?”

Your cheeks grow pink. You've never really spoken to Sonia about boys before, but this is rather refreshing.

“...Well, it was really nice,” you mumble, throwing your glance down to fiddle with the hem of your sleeve. You’re not sure whether to tell Sonia that he was really shy and nervous.

“Oh, come on! Tell me bit a lot more than that!” she whines, pouting.

“I’m serious. It was fine, it was really nice. A bit wet?”

Sonia blows some hair from her face and looks at her nails. “Of course it was wet, it was a kiss. Fine, you don’t wanna tell me.”

"We’re going to practice more-“

Her eyes light up at once. “Oh!”

“And we’re going to meet up again later.”

“Oh.”

“Actually, now there’s two things I need your help with. Leon’s invited me to a party and I need an outfit-“

“I’ll help you!”

You chuckle at her enthusiasm. “And the other things is...well, it’s a little complicated to explain in its entirety but I have a new client; her sister is dead and is about to become an evil spirit – the thing is, she was Miss Motostoke but unfortunately she died and now she wants to participate in the pageant in order to move on so I was thinking we’d set up a fake pageant and I’ll let her possess my body so I would like you to be my hair and makeup artist and the presenter if possible. Don't worry, I'll compile a script for you to follow.”

Sonia gawps at you, wide-eyed.

“So, what do you say?”

“…...Sure?”

“Thanks so much, Sonia!!”

"What's going on?" she asks, and you explain to her the case you're currently working on. She listens intently to your plight and when you're all caught up to speed, she nods once more, armed with far more thorough understanding.

“No problem, I can help you... but are you okay doing this? Is this going to be dangerous? Can’t she move on in a different way?”

“It’ll be fine; I know what I’m doing, don’t worry.”

“Where are you going to hold this fake pageant anyway?”

“I was thinking the lab; I could ask Jace to help with the lighting and we could just fix up a curtain or something around upstairs to use as a changing room and cover the rest of the lab with the whiteboards put together. Picture this, we’ll hang some red drapes over them so it looks like the Miss Galar Beauty Pageant stage. I’m not too bothered about the floor. The floor’s fine.”

“…Okay,” she says, tilting her head to the side.

“And I could ask if Leon could be the ‘judge’ again. Maybe ask Volkner…if he’s up for it…We’ll set up some tables in front of the stage for them to sit.”

“You seem to have a plan already," she comments with a sniff.

“I do,” you reply, “I just hope it all works out.”

…

With Sonia’s help secured, your little plan is indeed coming together rather nicely. Your next task is to ask Jace for assistance for lighting and if he can help fix up some  curtains and as usual, he’s glad to help in any way, replying to your text message with multiple smiley face emojis.

You also ask him if Volkner would like to be a guest judge and he says he will check with the gym leader.

There’s plenty to do so you head to the lab where you don your white lab coat, put on your reading glasses and begin your investigation.

You’re not sure why you’ve decided to wear the coat but somehow you feel better wearing it today. It's been a while since you put it on.

At your desk, you put Graves’ application forms to the side for the time being and instead, spread out the contents of the folder Frankie had given you and lay out all the documents, namely the newspaper article about Flora’s death and murderer.

You had spent the taxi ride home reading the contents of the folder and now it’s time to display your findings on your trusty whiteboard which you wipe down, grabbing several pens and some magnets in progress.

Taking a step back, you look at the empty board with marker in hand before scribbling down ‘Miss Galar Beauty Pageant Case’ at the very top before underlining it. The pen squeals loudly with each stroke.

“So we have two sisters, Flora and Francesca Warren aka Frankie,” you write their names along with their ages underneath and attach their photos which you printed off earlier.

Frankie’s photo is a school portrait and Flora is a photo you found online from a previous beauty pageant.

Your audience consists of Vulpix, Mimikyu and Rotom who watch you silently as you work whilst Gengar returns with three cups of steaming hot Boltund Dash Coffee on a tray.

“Thanks Gengar,” you utter, taking the cup off him and he grins in response; he raises his own mug and Mimikyu takes her mug off the tray with a shadowy tendril.

The three of you take a sip at the same time.

“That’s a damn good cup of coffee,” you add.

Gengar nods whilst Mimikyu proceeds to devour the entire cup, swallowing it whole into her body.

“No, no, give that back; that mug belongs to Sonia.”

Mimikyu squeaks angrily but you shake your head firmly. With a growl, she navigates a tendril into her mouth and pulls the mug out and settles it atop the desk. You rub your chin, realising Mimikyu must possess hammerspace.

“Right. Let’s get started then. Flora was to compete in this year’s Miss Galar as Miss Motostoke but unfortunately she passed away a few weeks ago. Frankie immediately came home after news of her elder sister’s death. She was attending boarding school in Kanto. Flora is on the verge of becoming an evil spirit unless we do something about it. She haunts her family and Flora believes she will be able to move on if she gets to participate in a beauty pageant which we can reenact in order to satiate her restless spirit. This can be achieved if I let her possess me.”

Gengar lifts his hand up.

“Yes?”

He says, are you sure about this? Are you okay with a ghost possessing you? What about the incident with Edward Rose?

“I understand your concern but I can risk her possessing me. I managed to expel Edward Rose, I’m sure I can expel her too if anything goes wrong.”

Gengar nods a little unsurely and takes another sip of his coffee.

“Now Flora’s murderer is…” you quickly glance at the article you left on your desk, “Her boyfriend, Hank Walthamstow. Also known as ‘Hank the Tank’ to locals.”

As expected, the news article doesn’t provide enough information, namely the nature of her death. The paper articulates that it was a ‘passion of crime’ and that her boyfriend was suspected of the murder and was in custody.

You ask Rotom to commence a quick search online using viable resources but he comes up with nothing; you’re baffled that there is limited information on her murder but it could be due to Rose censoring negative press on the pageant, which was what he did for his art gallery.

The lack of information frustrates you either way and it means you may need to call Graves, which you won’t do because he has already made it quite clear he does not want you to work on cases and you had also agreed to take a break.

“I suppose I have no choice but to speak to Hank Walthamstow in person then," you mutter, the pokemon watching as you pace up and down. "Let’s find out where he’s being held.”

“Bzzrt, good idea,” says Rotom as he runs a quick search. “Bzzzrt, found him! He’zzzz being held at Wyndon Jail!! Unfortunately, it zzzzeemzzz we have mizzzed vizzziting hourzzz.”

“It’s fine, can you arrange a visit for me first thing tomorrow?”

“You got it!"

“Thanks, Rotom.”

With that out of the way, you pin up Hank’s mugshot beside Flora’s picture. He is an attractive but bulky-looking young man with fearful eyes.

After a few hours of further study, your board has taken more distinct shape and form as you begin to link some of the information together, including a full breakdown of what every contestant had to participate in the beauty pageant, most noticeably a Q&A session, swimsuit and dress catwalk and a talent showcase between three to five minutes long.

Furthermore, the actual Miss Galar beauty pageant took two and a half hours. With Flora as a single contestant, you calculate that you should be able to squeeze everything into roughly half an hour.

Tired and wanting a change of scenery, you head upstairs to sit on the floor with your papers in hand against the white railing, allowing your legs to dangle.

During this time, your pokemon have decided to do other things – Mimikyu and Vulpix are getting along together very well and had spent the remaining hours playing together.

Rotom is sleeping whilst Gengar has remained by your side to help you out with the whiteboard and the documents.

Leon had messaged you earlier too, informing you that he will pop by the lab when he’s finished, which inexplicably makes you plough through your work at an increased pace so you are ready when he is due to arrive. It's growing dark outside and the lab is swamped in a tawny orange glow from the sunset outside.

You yawn and your stomach grumbles loudly. You’ve been so wrapped up you did not even eat.

A gentle knock on the door grabs your attention and you peer through the gaps of the railing as the door is pushed open; Leon enters along with Charizard at his heels, glancing around until he looks up and spots you upstairs.

“Leon! Charizard!” you exclaim happily.

“Hey – oh,” he looks stunned by your appearance, “I’ve never seen you wearing your coat before.”

“Oh, this old thing? Yeah, that’s because whenever I wore it outside, people kept staring. It attracts too much attention.”

Leon looks at you from head to toe before his cheeks turn a bit pink. “…It suits you,” he utters and you grin in response, standing up and dusting yourself down. “Anyway, are you ready to go? My mum says she has a surprise for us.”

“Sure, I’m almost ready. Just let me get the rest of my papers….”

Leon and Charizard saunter further into the lab and he heads over to the whiteboard and your desk, peering at a small stack of books in one corner before ultimately realising that you’re the author.

Intrigued, he flips through them one by one and as you approach, he murmurs, “I had no idea that you had written and published several books.”

You hop down the stairs and in front of him, shrugging and with your hands in your pocket, “I don’t like to throw it out there.”

Leon smiles at you appreciatively; he is seeing you in a new light and you ask if he’d like to keep one but he tells you he wants to go to the stores and buy it to further support you.

You didn't quite greet him properly and he's thinking the same as he shyly reaches for your hand and tugs you closer to him, sliding his strong and sturdy arms around your waist and you wrap your arms around his neck, pressing your cheek against the fluffy, soft material of his cape. You close your eyes and sigh quietly, relishing the feel of being in his arms as he buries his nose against the side of your head and into your hair.

"How was work?" you ask, your muffled against the thick fabric.

"Fine," he replies, though he sounds tired.

He proceeds to tell you everything he did whilst you hold onto him tightly, snuggling against his chest and enjoying his warmth and he chuckles before he smooths his hand over your hair and pecks the crown of your head.

Unfortunately, you must pull away and he flings his glance to your whiteboard; it is full of your diagrams, bullet points, blurbs and random scribbles. Some of them are connected together by a red string and pins.

Stunned by the intricacy of it all, Leon asks, “What is all this?”

“It's for the new case; it’s rather complicated."

“How so?”

“Here, let me explain. Have a seat,” you guide him to sit down on an empty chair in front of the board.

As he sits, he crosses his arms over his broad chest and his muscles clench under his tight-fitted champion shirt. You gulp down unconsciously as you receive an eyeful, heading to the board to begin the explanation of your findings.

“The hairclip we discovered last night belongs to a dead beauty pageant contestant called Flora Warren. She was Miss Motostoke. According to the press and police reports, she was murdered by her boyfriend, Hank Walthamstow.”

You witness the wince on Leon’s face yet you continue.

“He’s from Stow-on-side and he trained with Bea as a Blackbelt,” you say, gesturing to his mugshot on the board, “He’s currently being held in Wyndon, pleading not guilty. Flora’s body showed signs of struggle and assault. I don’t have a full autopsy report but it said her exact time of death can’t be determined due to the decomposition of her body when she was found but the good thing is I’ve seen her ghost and from what I can see, she appears as she died. Her neck is broken and she has several grievous injuries on her head.

“Her Rotom phone is missing and it’s believed Hank did away with Rotom as well…which is easier to do than people think. All you need to do is separate a Rotom from its device to incapacitate it. I met her family today - her little sister wants me to help her move on, but I believe the circumstances of her death warrants further investigation so I booked myself in for a visit tomorrow and I’ll speak to Hank myself.

“I’ve also spoken to Flora and she believes she will move on if she gets the chance to compete in the pageant. She doesn’t remember anything about her murder either so for the time being, I’ve proposed we reenact the pageant to appease her spirit. I will let Flora possess me so she can carry out her performances and move on. I’ve already asked Sonia and Jace for help and they’ve agreed.”

It occurs to you that you have never spoken to anyone except Jace and Sonia when it comes to cases and you’re somewhat nervous about Leon’s response to all of this.

The conflict is evident on his face. “...She’s certain she’ll move on if she competes in the pageant?”

You nod.

“This sounds dangerous.”

“I’ll be okay, Leon. Trust me,” you reassure him. “She’s on the verge of becoming an evil spirit. If we don’t act now, it’ll be too late.”

He cocks his head to the side. “Are you certain about this?”

“I know this sounds crazy, but yes I am. Please trust me. I know what I'm doing.”

He nods. “Okay. I trust you and it sounds like you need my help too so I’ll help you in any way I can. Ah, I can be the judge,” he replies with a grin, “I should be free this Saturday evening.”

How amazing is it that Leon will extend his help no matter what the circumstances are?

“Leon! Thank you so much! I could bloody well kiss you right now,” you belt out without thinking twice before you step forwards, placing your hands on each side of his face before pressing your lips against his quickly.

Taken aback by the kiss, Leon blushes furiously but he’s smiling when you pull away.

“Great!” you continue to exclaim to yourself, twirling the cane in your hands happily. “Everything’s all coming together nicely.”

“How do we know if Flora has moved on? And when she’s possessing you, will you still be yourself?”

“If I remember correctly... when Edward Rose possessed me, I was still me. I was self-aware," you mutter, “And I should know if Flora has moved on or not. Hopefully, we’ll able to witness it. Do you have any further questions?”

Leon ponders before he throws a quick glance to one of your books. “I’ve never asked you about your research. I’m sorry, I should’ve asked you earlier..."

You smile widely, brushing a strand of hair behind your ear. “It’s okay, I don’t mind. What would you like to know?”

“What kind of research have you conducted regarding the spirit world?”

“Excellent question. Allow me to elaborate.”

Swapping the cane for a marker pen, you switch the board to the other side where it is clean and blank.

“It’s known that we occupy a three dimensional space,” you say as you draw various lines messily on the board, “dimensions are simply the different facets of what we perceive to be reality. However, it is widely theoreticized that there are more dimensions, either within these or in between these or even outside of these.

"The possibilities are simply endless, but this also means that across these millions of universes, there is a singular universe which has remained constant and consistent across all of these since the creation of the universe.”

Leon continues to watch as you feverishly draw on the board, drawing various overlapping circles along with arrows going right and left and back again, crossing over each other.

“And this singular, consistent universe is known as the spirit world, or ghost world, land of the dead, the great beyond, take your pick,” you mutter, “it’s another dimension that solely exists outside of time and space and has remained unchanged and unaffected for eons. It’s where spirits and ghost pokemon reside and they can freely travel back and forth between their world and our world. Unlike our universe, separate universes cannot be branched off from this one. It will always remain as one, singular spirit world.

“However, our ability to comprehend it is simply beyond our mental capacity. Does this mean heaven and hell does not exist? Not really, the spirit world could be a form of limbo or purgatory. So you’re probably thinking ‘what does this all mean?’, ‘what does this world look like’ and ‘who created it’?? Well, these are certainly great questions and I myself haven’t seen what the spirit world looks like because Gengar once informed me one had to be dead in order to get there but I’ve seen a portal before.”

“Where?”

“In the basement of my old house. My dad researched on communication between the spirit world and our world. He discovered there's many forms. Ghost pokemon, for example, are a source of communication. They're pretty much bridges between our world and theirs but there's still a lot we don't know about them. My dad also discovered the spirit world can receive and transmit communication in the form of binary or morse code but we never figured out the origins of the transmissions-“

Leon waits for you to finish, but you grow silent.

“...Anyway, the answer as to who or what created it, Ezra told me it was created when the universe was created...which was probably fourteen billion years ago, maybe more, but that’s another can of Weedles for another day.”

"What about Arceus?"

"Ezra says it wasn't Arceus. It was before Arceus."

"The legends say there was a void before Arceus."

"Well, yes, but who or what created the void, thus creating Arceus? Who is the creator of Arceus?"

"...The void?"

"Okay, but if I go back to my previous point, why was there even a void in the first place? And where did the void come from? I could dive into quantum physics and talk about the Big Bang Theory but scientists are still asking the question, 'what was the absolute beginning', 'was there something before it'?"

“I think people are quite content not thinking about that, or knowing in general," Leon replies, placing a hand under his chin in thought, "they’re rather content with the legend of the void.”

"That's what they teach kids in schools, surely there must be more."

Leon looks confused and you finish with a heavy inhale and an equally ragged exhale; your head is beginning to throb, your vision growing dim. Exhausted, your body no longer seems to obey you and you start to sway on your spot until your legs give way.

Leon rushes forwards and catches you in his arms, sweeping you up.

“Hey, are you okay? Take it easy…” he murmurs your name soothingly whilst you deliriously moan and mumble for him under your breath, “You need to rest.”

You shake your head weakly as he applies his palm over your forehead. Luckily, you’re not coming down with something.

“Have you had anything to drink?”

“Yeah…coffee and tea.”

“And when’s the last time you ate?” he asks as he scoops an arm under the back of your knees whilst his other arm remains firm around your shoulder; he effortlessly lifts you up bridal style and carries you towards the direction of the couch.

“I…I think it was this morning…when we were camping…before we left to watch the sunrise…” you croak out sluggishly.

His eyes widen; that was more than twelve hours ago. He shakes his head. This simply won’t do. Once he’s arrived at the couch, he seats himself down and props you up in his arms, letting you rest comfortably against him.

Leon slips off his cloak before he lets go of you briefly to drape the cloak over your body and bundle you up. The cape is so nice and cosy. As the thick fluff of his cape tickles the base of your nose, you unconsciously rub your cheek against it. You sigh contentedly and let yourself sink against the rich, soft material as he carefully wraps you inside before he settles his arms around you once more and rests his chin atop your head.

He glances around the lab or so and the lab descends into silence for a second time; he sits with you for a few minutes or so until you stir and reopen your eyes.

“How’re you feeling?” he asks.

“Nmm…I’m fine…let’s go…your mum’s waiting…can’t afford to waste any more time,” you mutter, and he nods.

Releasing you, you carefully slide out of his hold and stand to stretch whilst Leon reattaches his cape back over his shoulders. You recall your pokemon and swapping your white coat for a warmer one, you join Leon at the door after ensuring the lab is properly closed up before locking up.

It’s dark outside and Leon offers you his hand.

Together, you make your way down the path, walking close, shoulders bumping. He’ll look at you and when you look at him, he’ll smile and squeeze your fingers.

“I told Sonia we’re together," you blurt out.

“Oh...how’d she take it?”

“She was really happy for us.”

Leon goes pink in response.

“I haven’t told Jace yet. I messaged Graves earlier. I don’t know how he will react.”

“…I haven’t told Raihan yet,” Leon confesses, “he's the gym leader of Hammerlocke."

"Oh."

"We're good friends and he’s always asking me to go on a double date with him and his girlfriend.”

“You can go now."

"Ah, yes, if you want."

Once you arrive at Leon’s house, the outdoor lights are switched off which you find strange; the front door opens and his mother and Hop greet you at the doorway, waving happily.

“Welcome home!!!” they cheer.

Leon’s mum is dressed in a chef’s outfit whilst Hop is wearing a bartender’s uniform, complete with bowtie. He tosses some confetti and blows into a kazoo whilst Wooloo bleats loudly by his heels.

“Mum…Hop, what’s going on?” Leon asks, bewildered.

“We’ve prepared a nice dinner for you!” Leon’s mother exclaims and she quickly hauls you both inside and slams the door shut. “You two must be starving.”

You and Leon exchange glances before he grins widely and you let out a chuckle under your breath.

“I’ll be your chef today and the Hop-meister will be your maître d’.” Leon’s mum adds with a grin.

“May I take your coat, ma’am?” Hop asks, with his arm out.

“Oh, Hop,” you squeak out, whilst Leon looks a little embarrassed. His mother merely winks at him however, so it’s best to play along with their little skit and you remove your coat. “Thank you.”

Hop gathers your coat and turns to Leon next, “And may I take your cape, sir?”

“Um…okay, thanks,” Leon removes his cape and hands it to his brother who proceeds to scurry to the coat rack with Wooloo bounding after him.

“Unfortunately, dinner won’t be ready for another ten minutes. I do apologise for the wait but I will send your maître d’ to get you when it is ready,” Leon’s mum says and she grabs Hop and they return to the kitchen, leaving you and Leon alone.

With a smile, Leon nudges his head to the stairs. “I have something to show you.”

Slipping your hand into his, you both scale the staircase and he follows the signs to his room; once inside, he flicks on the light and you move to sit on the bed. His room  hasn't changed a bit; it looks exactly the same as last time.

He heads to his closet, opening the doors to reveal a hanger that’s holding up a red coat with a black lapel, gold buttons and cuffs. There are also a pair of pale light trousers and black riding boots to complete the look.

“This is what I’m wearing to the party,” he says as you stand up and join his side.

“It's lovely. I should wear something that matches this then,” you utter and an image of a wine red dress with black heels springs in your mind. Maybe you could complete it by fastening a white corsage?

Leon blushes. “Um, yes, but it’s entirely up to you.”

“I still don’t know how to dance though.”

“Let’s practice now. Give me your hand.”

You feel anxious as you slip your hand into his; he holds it firmly then slips his other hand over your waist. You're standing very close together and you throw your glance around, wondering if there’s enough room in general and when you look at him, you notice he hasn’t looked away from you, his gaze pinned on your form.

“I’ll lead, starting with my left foot, so you should step back with your right,” he instructs, and you nod.

He steps forwards and you move backwards.

“That’s one step. Now I’ll step forwards with my right foot and you should step back with your left.”

You nod once more and you both complete the next step as he had outlined. Leon moves onto the third step and so forth. Soon, you have completed the simple steps and have shifted from the middle of the room to a corner near the desk, although you did step on his foot once or twice during the process.

“Sorry,” you say but he grins.

“It’s alright. You’re learning really quickly.”

“Thanks, I’ll practise more at home.”

“Just remember one-two-three.”

“Thanks for teaching me,” you reply, and Leon lets go of your hand to hold you by your waist.

“Um…should we practice now?” He asks shyly.

“Dancing?”

“No, not…uh, not dancing.”

His cheeks go pink again and you realise what he is talking about.

“Oh, right,” you reply, “yes, let’s practise."

"Should we sit down?" he suggests, "...the bed?"

You nod and together, you wordlessly climb over his bed, the mattress shifting under your combined weight as you sit opposite each other, cross-legged.

Your gazes meet and Leon's face soars to various shades of red as you clear your throat and you furl and unfurl your hands with trepidation, ready to begin. He watches you silently, his golden eyes glued to your form until he begins to lean forwards and you do the same until you are inches away from each other.

Leon drops his gaze to your lips before closing the gap, gently tilting your face up with his hand under your chin.

You blush from the action, closing your eyes as your lips finally meet. So much for practice, you think to yourself as Leon ravishes your mouth with his own; it’s a sloppier, needier kiss compared to last night and this morning, as though he's making up for the time you had spent apart. Leon presses his lips against you hungrily, deepening the kiss, and you’re not in the mood to correct him in any way.

Enjoying the feel of his mouth against yours, you kiss for what seems to be a long time and the room is quiet save for the sounds of your lips meeting and some light, muffled moans from the back of your throats. You move your arms to rest around the back of his neck, pecking him on the lips affectionately and he smiles against your mouths before encircling his arms around your waist and drawing you into his lap, capturing your mouth once again.

A polite knock on the door makes you both retreat in a span of a second, your hands untangling from each other.

“Hop!” Leon exclaims loudly whilst you pull down your shirt and adjust your hair.

Hop is grinning widely at you two and you cannot help but think how much he saw. “Pardon my intrusion, but your table is ready. If you’d kindly follow me, please.”

Leaving Leon’s room, Hop leads you downstairs, into the kitchen and towards the backdoor.

A nice aroma wafts in the kitchen, which is a chaotic mess; there’s a tower of dirty dishes sitting in the sink and all the hobs are occupied with all sorts of pots and pans. Leon’s mum is busy tidying up, but she shoots you a grin.

You step out of the house and into their back garden and you don’t see anything out of the ordinary until Hop flips a switch and the entire back garden flickers into life.

Their gazebo has been decorated with roses and fairy lights, along with a small two-seater table that has been carefully set up for you and Leon in the middle of the garden. The table is decorated with a candlestick and rose petals have been carefully scattered over the floor, lining the path.

Leon is stunned as you stand side-by-side; you let out a gasp of awe and Hop leads you to the table.

Hop pulls the seat out for you and as you sit down, thanking him, he presents you with a menu. Meanwhile, Wooloo throws a napkin over your lap and does the same for Leon.

You throw a quick glance to the Champion, who is obviously overwhelmed by the entirety of it at all.

Inspecting the menu, it’s been written by Hop in his neatest handwriting and you see there are two options for starters and desserts and three choices of main course. Leon’s mum and Hop have really outdone themselves. He leaves you alone so you can go through the menu together.

“Leon, your family are so lovely,” you mutter, watching as his cheeks go pink, “this is amazing.”

“They know how difficult it is for me to be seen in public with someone, especially if we were to have dinner but I apologise if this is too much for you, I can ask them to tone it down," Leon replies.

“No, there’s no need. This is wonderful."

Hop returns with a little notebook and pen a few minutes later. “Are you ready to order?”

“Yes, we are, thank you,” you reply with a giggle, “I’ll have the salad for the starter and the fish for the main course.”

“Fine choice. Our fish is the most delicious in all of Galar and are simply sublime, madam,” Hop says with a grin. “And what would you like for dessert?”

“I’ll go for the tiramisu.”

“Fantastic. And for you, good sir?”

Leon gives his little brother a wide smile in response and orders the soup, steak and sorbet.

“Excellent choice, sir. It’s our chef’s specialty. And what would you like for drinks?”

“I’ll have a beer.”

“I’ll have water,” Leon says. Looks like he’s wanting to play safe.

“Very good. Thank you very much.” Hop collects your menus and returns to the kitchen with Wooloo.

As you wait for the food, you and Leon chat as Hop makes several trips to and from the kitchen; he sets a glass on the table filled with iced water along with your can of beer and promptly leaves, then re-emerges a few minutes later, balancing a plate and bowl in hands. It’s the soup and salad and Leon’s mum watches you through the window as Hops serves the starters.

“Bon appetit,” he says, kissing his fingers with a smack and you laugh as he bows and saunters away.

He joins his mother’s side in the kitchen, they exchange a high five, then they peer at the two of you outside, grinning hopefully.

You eat the salad quickly, growing nervous as you and Leon eat in this romantic candlelit setting. You’re aware of how close you are, that he’s watching you and suddenly you’re conscious of the way how you eat and also how handsome he is under the dim flickering light. When you look up, he's still looking at you and to calm your nerves, you take a few sips of your beer.

He inches his chair closer to yours and when the main course arrives, Leon’s mum suddenly steps outside, stops shortly in front of your table and does a little bow. She’s holding a bagpipe which she settles neatly into its proper position in her arms and she briefly explains that she will be tonight’s entertainment.

Clearing her throat, Leon’s mum takes a deep breath and begins to play, filling the garden with a loud but jaunty tune. You watch her cheeks puffing and her face seems to go a little red and when she’s finished, she wheezes slightly and wipes her forehead.

“Phew! I still have it in me…” she utters whilst you and Leon burst into applause. “Thank you, thank you, my dears…do enjoy the rest of your evening.”

She departs hastily after a bow so you can eat.

The evening progresses and Leon moves his chair even closer; you are sitting so close together he can place his hand over yours. And when the dessert arrives, you are so full you’re not sure if you can eat it but Leon’s mum had put so much effort in putting this dinner together just for you and Leon so you tuck in as much as possible despite your protesting stomach.

Hop eventually returns to clean up the plates once you’re finished, Leon wipes his mouth neatly with a napkin before rising from his seat and you look up at him expectantly as he offers you his hand.

“Would you like to dance?”

“I would love to,” you reply, slipping your hand into his with a smile.

He pulls you up onto your feet and leads you further into the gazebo, sliding his arm around your waist securely whilst you loop your arm over his shoulder as he had taught you; with your hand in his, he begins to lead you around the small space of the gazebo.

Recalling his earlier instructions, you repeat the mantra of ‘one-two-three’ in an attempt to match his steps and to your surprise, you’re able to keep up with him and also, you have barely made any errors.

“I think I’m getting the hang of this,” you mutter.

“You’re doing great," he replies, and you smile as you complete another circle around the gazebo together.

You wish this evening will never end.

…

Meanwhile.

In Wyndon, Graves relaxes at home in his robe and slippers. He is a busy man but it doesn’t mean he shouldn’t take some time off for himself every now and then for self-care.

And what a marvellous day today had been.

He had no problems, no issues at work. Everything had gone swimmingly and he had left the office in a good mood.

He didn’t think anything would ruin this day.

With his feet up on the table, he lounges in his leather recliner with a hot towel slapped over his face, eyes closed as soothing music plays in the background of his lounge.

“Ah, this is the life,” he mutters as he sinks into his plush armchair.

Suddenly, his phone hovers into the room, bobbing up and down by his shoulder. “Sir, you have a message from your god-daughter.”

“What is it? Read it out for me.”

“Yes, sir,” Rotom replies, before he says loudly, “I’m dating Leon. Thought you ought to know.”

Graves sits up properly, the towel peeling off his face and dropping over his lap.

“WHAT?”

…

[kisenth]

|| @argent-soldier

"You said you're... concerned for Galar?" She slides a cup of coffee his way, before taking her seat opposite him at the table. "What brought that on?"

[champion-leon-imagines]

Trapped - Leon x Reader

FINALLY. Did I really needed 3 days to translate my own story?! Damn.. I apologize if it sucks..

Well..

here ya go with your own little fluffy and slight!smutty oneshot. It’s just lime, so it’s not 18+ But it’s mentioned sex and  (mild?) sexual situations Word Count: 5000+ (that’s why I put it under a cut)

"Do you still need some help, Sonia?" you asked after you had digitizing all the new data on the archive to brought it up to date. It seemed like Professor Magnolia hardly cared about the archive.

"Oh, that's nice of you, but you did so much work since morning. Actually, you even did Hop's tasks." Sonia said, looking up from her monitor. Hop looked up from his own tasks, feeding the Pokemon in the laboratory and doing reports on their stats, and blinked. "I have only two hands Sonia. You should also take care of general tasks sometimes. You are a professor, but that does not mean you can pass unconvienient tasks on us." the younger male chided her. Sonia only cleared her throat and sighed.

"You're right. Thanks for your help Y/n, but I think we are fine now." she waved you off. You smiled and glanced around the lab. Playful Yamper ran through the rooms, while Hop took care of the Wooloos and shearing them.

"Are you sure? You know I like to help. It's a good distraction though.." you mused. Hop blinked in worry and Sonia cocked her head in confusion.

"Distracting from what? Did something happen?" she asked, getting up from her seat to walk closer to you. You shook your head in order not to unnecessarily worry your friends.

"No, no. That sounded more serious than it should. Haha. I'm sorry, It's just .." you began and played with a strand of your [h/c] hair in slight embarassment. Sonia raised an eyebrow at you before it made "click". "Oh! Lovesickness, huh?" she asked.

"It's not lovesickness. He has not broken my heart at all." you mumbled.

"But my brother is the reason you want distract yourself, right?" Hop intervened. Almost everyone of your friends knew about your feelings for Leon. Well, everyone except the slightly inattentive Champion himself.

"I know he has a lot to do and many appointments .. But .. it's been so long since we've seen each other. He even hardly answers to my textmessages because his phone is off a lot. ... God, I sound like we're a couple .. " you sighed and facepalmed with both hands.

"Just tell him how you feel then? I'm pretty sure Lee will gladly take time for you if you invite him. Just give it a try." Hop spoke encouragingly. You looked up and saw your two friends smiling.

"..This is not as easy as you think it is! I will not risk our friendship with an unmindful confession if he does not return my feelings. " you muttered. "Y/n. You are a smart person, unlike our inexperienced champion. " Sonia began. "It is so obvious how much it sparks between you whenever you see each other. Everyone is aware of your mutual feelings. And I think you can see it aswell, but you're just telling yourself otherwise because you fear a rejection that would not even come. " she said and crossed her arms.

"Can we please change the subject? ? Do you need me anymore?" you sighed and hoped to get out of this embarassing situation. At least it was embarassing for you. Sonia sighed even more and shook her head slightly. Then she get back to her desk and took some books from her table.

"Actually yes.. I borrowed these books from Leon when he was at home a few weeks ago. These are about Dynamax and the phenomenon of wild Pokemon that dynamax without having a trainer. I learned plenty much thanks to them. So you could bring the books back if you want. "Sonia spoke and offered you the books. Hop threw a keychain to you a moment later.

"If mother is not at home, you can use the key to get into our house." he told you. You smiled at them and bid them goodbye to left the lab, on your way back to Postwick.

When you arrived at the house of Leon, Hop and their mother,you noticed that the door was unlocked. So their mother was at home. You entered the building and walked straight to the kitchen to greet the owner of the house. You always thought it was polite to reveal your presence and not directly go to the rooms in a house that was not yours.

In the kitchen, you quickly noticed a written letter on the refrigerator and a lack of any trace of anyone. You blinked and went to the refrigerator to read the note.

'I got invited to a weekend trip to Alola with Gloria's mother.  If you need anything, there is money on the table and I just filled the refrigerator. Love, Mom.'

You blinked again, perplexed. Actually whom did she meant with that message? Hop lived in the laboratory, since he started to help Sonia as an assistant and Leon was never at home. But someone  had to be there because the door was unlocked and the note was also addressed to a person ..

"Snor." a sudden gruff voice growled behind you. You turned around and saw a young Snorlax. It did not have the proportions of an adult Pokemon, but it was still a large, heavy Pokemon.

Huh, since when owned their mother  a Snorlax?

Snorlax sniffed around and you looked to the refrigerator.

Uh oh.

"No, this is not for you!" you said, putting your hands on your hips. Snorlax just pushed you aside, completely disinterested in your protests and tried to open the refrigerator.

"Snorlax, I told you not to walk into the kitchen." a familiar voice sighed and you immediately recognized that masculine yet gentle voice. Your cheeks turned rosy and your heart skipped a beat. How long had it been since you had heard that voice? You straightened up after being pushed away from Snorlax and saw Leon standing in the hallway. His hands were on his hips, but his face was amused and he smiled broadly. Snorlax stopped his movements and turned around, making a really sad face at the purple-haired male. "Snor.. lax? .. " the Pokemon mumbled and Leon laughed heart-warming.

"I know you're hungry, but I already fed you." Leon said smiling and finally he was able to see you standing behind the broad Pokemon. "... Y/n ?!" his voice softened and his smile got noticeably wider. You fought against blushing stronger when you realized that you were the reason his mood lightened up even more. "Hey ... Long time no see." He smiled and scratched his bearded chin. ..

"Yes. Too long. What are you doing here? And.. .. is this Snorlax yours? I did not know that you have one. " you asked him and ran to Leon to pull him into a greeting hug. Leon smiled and laughed lihghtly while he returned the hug and pressed you tightly against his body  before he pulled away and looked at you lovingly. "No, it is not mine. This Snorlax was attacked by a Dynamax Machamp in the Wild Area and got  seriously injured. It destroyed some trees and furniture when they tried to bring him to a Pokemon Center in the Wild Area, so I took him home before it causes more grief to anyone. " He explained. "Because.. since mother is on a weekend trip in Alola and Hop lives in the Lab, I thought it would not bother anyone while it can recover. Can I give the question back to you? You are rarely visiting our house. Did you look for mother? " Leon asked and offered you a seat on the couch next to him. You smiled and stifled a lovingly sigh because of Leons explanation for the poor Snorlax. This man was truly a gift .. You pressed the books to your chest and shook your head slightly. "I helped out Sonia and Hop in the lab and my last task is to bring the books back. She had borrowed them from you." you said. Leon looked at the books you carried and held close to you. "Ah." He nodded and stood up again. "That's very nice of you. I thought Sonia wanted to keep the books for as long as she had them. These must be heavy, come here. " He said then, and without waiting for permission, he took the books from you and smiled.

"I put them back. I'm right back, okay? Then we may talk while enjoying a refreshing glass of lemonade. We certainly have a lot to say to each other. "You watched him as he walked to his room. A chuckle left your lips and you smiled to yourself, before plopping on the couch. Despite the fact, that you hadn't seen each other in a while, it was really smooth and easy between you too. As if you never stopped talking. It was so amazing ..

You closed your eyes and let your thoughts wander. When you almost dozed off, you heard a loud crash and falling objects that almost startled you. You almost fell off the couch and blinked.

This sounds came from Leons room?

You ran straight to his room and opened the door. There you saw Leon, who stroked his neck, troubled and stood in front of the many books lying on the ground and his broken shelf. It seemed as if the boards no longer held the weight and now the already rotten boards were all broken from its hinges.

"I did not realize how old this shelf was .." Leon sighed when he noticed you. You smiled at him and knelt to the books to help him picking them up. "Or did you just tried to stack the books too much, because you no longer knew where they belonged, didn't you?" You asked teasingly, making him blush slightly because he felt caught. "Maybe."

His answer made you giggle and when you were about to grab one of the books, Leon had just the same thought, as his hand reached for the same book and both of your hands touched. You looked at each other, gazing longingly into his eyes and Leon swallowed slightly before he picked up the book quickly and put it on the side next to the shelf. "Maybe the shelf can still be saved. Mum's tools are in the cellar. I'll get them. "Leon spoke and went to the door. He pushed down the door handle and tried to open it, but there was a resistance after a few centimeters that made Leon blink perplexed. He saw dark blue fur and a thick white belly. "... Snorlax, how are we supposed to leave the room when you take a nap right in front of the door? That is a little impractical .. .. "Leon sighed, nudging the sleeping Snorlax several times with the door. No response from the Pokemon. You cocked your head and went to the door. When you peered through the small gap of the open door you saw indeed the young Snorlax blocking it.

"There is nothing that could wake a sleeping Snorlax. Well, except for a PokeFlute. I don't have one. " you spoke and crossed your arms. "...Neither do I. But wait. I think there was an App in the phone that can play tunes of the Poke Flute, wasn't it? " Leon remembered and reached for his phone. "Unfortunately it was removed from the App Store because some people have used it to purposely keep Pokemon awake, especially in the Wild Area. There was this scandal, where a Pokemon was kept awake until it's almost died of exhaustion .., " you muttered the last sentence. Leon closed his eyes and lowered his arm with the smartphone. "It's just disgusting what some people are capable of .. These people should never come into contact with Pokemon again ..," he added sadly. You nodded and browsed through your Pokedex for useful informations regarding Snorlax. "Oh I found something. It's sleep varies, depending on how much it ate. Do you know when and how much you fed it the last time? " you asked, trying to get away from that sad topic too. "Uh-huh. About an hour ago. I gave him a few berries. "

"..A few? For a Snorlax? " you chuckled incredulously. "Okay okay, three wheelbarrow loads of berries." Leon corrected, laughing. You giggled and calculated the calories of these berries with your phone and checked the result with the entries in the Pokedex. "So, according to the Pokedex it should wake up in about 3 hours because." you explained. "Three hours ?!" Leon repeated and sighed. "That means we're locked for three hours?"

"Well, it seems like it. Snorlax will not wake up, no matter what we do. " you shrugged. "At least you could still squeeze your body out the window. Sadly, I do not fit through it. " Leon mused. "Hey, I don't want to let you alone. Especially not after we didn't seen each other for so long. " you smiled and poked his shoulder affectionately. Leon smiled and then looked at you. "But I can't keep you 'hostage' here with me for so long." He said lightly. "Leon, you make it sound as it's a punishment to sit here with you. Hey, we can talk just here." you smiled at him and sat down on his king-size bed before you motioned him to join you. Leon closed his eyes briefly and shook his head, laughing softly. He sat down beside you and you began to tell each other what you had experienced in lately.

"I can not believe that Raihan and Taiko (Author's Note: Taiko is a OC and takes a small part in the long Leon-FF I am writing. You will learn more of here when I upload that fic. She is your best friend in this.) really got banned from the restaurant." Leon laughed and wiped a tear of laughter from his face. You giggled and let your form fall backwards onto the soft cushions. "I couldn't believe it either, that they really try to have sex at the table and really think nobody noticed .." you sighed. "Well, this is something I believe .." Leon admitted, laughing shyly. "Are you serious?"

"Well, I can't speak for Taiko, but Raihan has absolutely no sense of shame. He never had. " he explained and looked at your lying form next to him. "Oh man." you giggled even more before you noticed weight beside you on the bed. Leon had settled next to you and that made you blink in slight confusion. "I prefer being eye level with you while talking to you." He said when he saw your questioning look. You smiled and raised your arm to play with a purple strand of his hair that had fallen around his shoulder during his movements. "I missed this." you confessed. "You missed what?" Leon asked and smiled broadly at you as you continued to run your slender fingers through his hair. "Everything. To talk to you, To laugh with you. Just.. being around you. " You smiled sheepishly and Leons cheeks turned rosy. "M-Me too, if I'm honest." He said softly. Now it was your turn to blush. "Really ..?" you asked and you both locked eyes. His stare was intense but so was yours. The purple-haired male suddenly and unexpectedly grabbed your hand that was in his hair and pulled you closer to him in this process. "Yes .. I .. I missed you." He spoke softly and gentle. Your heart began to race because of his words. "Leon .. I missed you too so much .." you replied, your voice barely above a whisper, causing Leons smile to widen. He closed the distance between your bodies to hold you into a tight embrace. He pressed you to his chest and stroked your back. Contented sighs left both of you and you closed your eyes. Leon let go of your wrist to take your hand and intertwined your fingers. The position, you both were currently, was that intimate, that you recalled Hops advice and asked yourself if you should just go for it now..

A comfortable silence fell upon both of you, while you held each other's bodies, enjoying the closeness and warmth of the other. Leon suddenly sighed, barely audible  and you were almost sure to hear him mumble something. 'Why is this so difficult ..'

"Huh ..? What's difficult? " you asked, looking up. Leon gasped in shock and blushed a deep shade of red. "H-Did I say that out loud ..?" He asked, shocked. You blinked slightly and nodded cautiously. Leon swallowed a lump down his throat and sighed again when he averted his gaze from you, embarassed. You started to smile, after all you know this kind of behavior of yourself. You took his face in both of your hands, to raise his head and made him look at you again. His eyes widened a bit when he noticed that your lips were that close that they almost touched. "Leon .. There's something I want you to know and I'm so desperate to tell you .." you began, smiling. "And I .. feel as if it's the same as what seems to be on your mind .." you added.

Leon opened his mouth to say something, but every syllable died in his throat. The shade of red of his cheeks had now penetrated up to his ears and you felt as if your chest will explode if you not finally give in and tell him how you feel, which you longed for months.

"But I believe actions speak louder than words .." you finished your timid whisper and closed the final gap between your lips for a tender and hesistant kiss. Your eyes closed instantly and a shiver ran down your spine when you felt his hands gripping on your hips and kissing back. "You were right .." Leon whispered against your lips and pulled you close again to let his lips collide with yours once more. "It's the same." He mumbled, his hot breath tickling your skin before he kissed you one more time. This time the kiss was much softer and shorter, but all the more important.

You draped your arms around his neck and kissed him back, demanding for more. Leon caressed your sides and licked your lower lip before he started to kiss your jaw tenderly. "I .. I have never felt so much for someone .. And .. I have no experience in such matters .. .. .. So... do not expect too much ..", he warned you with an apologetic smile. You smiled and put your hand on his cheek to trace it gently with your finger. "Do not talk nonsense, Leon. I don't have experience in love matters either .. And I never felt like this before too. And .. the thing with the experience is something that can be changed. " you winked making Leon blush again. Your smile widen and you pecked his chin, between his beard. "Even if you may know it already, I say it anyway .. I .. love you. I love you so much .. "

There it was. You finally told him how you felt. The confession, which burned on your mind for so long. Leons smile became happier as he pressed you close to his body and kissed your forehead. "I love you too .. I thought of you al the time .. No matter what I did, my thoughts and aspirations were always with you." Leon sighed. "During fights, interviews, autograph sessions .. Business with President Rose .. I always had only one thing in mind .. you." he added shyly.

His words warmed your heart. He had the same trouble you had the whole time. All that time that you  could not see each other, your thoughts wandered at each other. Tears of joy crept out of your eyes and this alerted the champion of Galar. "D-Did I.. Did I said something wrong ..?" he asked panicking, wiping your tears tenderly with his thumb. You sobbed briefly and then shook your head. "No, no ..that are tears of joy .." you explained. "Because I always felt the same about you. I longed for you so much. I could not sleep or eat properly .. I checked my messages almost every minute if you answered .. I have missed you so much that I almost went crazy. " you confessed.

Leon blinked before he smiled gently and put his index finger under your chin to lift your head and kissing your lips sensual and slow. His amber irises shone with so much dedication and passion. "Why did we take so long for this?" He asked softly and dropped next to you again on his bed. He pulled you close and his lips lingered on her cheek before he left gentle kisses on your skin. "I do not know .. Apparently everyone sort of knew already about our feelings. Hop and Sonia tried to convience me to confess for months. " you laughed. "Really? Raihan and Gordie tried the same with me .." Leon chuckled and stroked your back lovingly, as he looked at you devotedly. You looked back at him tenderly and giggled. "At least they had the decency and never tried any stupid 'Let's get Y/n and Leon together' stuff. In the end, Snorlax was our helper. " you said, playing with his soft hair. "Remember me to thank it later." Leon smiled and leaned in again to caress your lips with his. You sighed softly in these gentle kiss and wrapped your arms around his neck. "I will." You whispered against his lips and then there was silence. You hugged each other in comfortable silence and exchanged small kisses occasionally. Leons gaze eventuellay shifted to your neck and he bit his lip. He took your hand in his and squeezed it softly. "Y/n ..," he began, and swallowed awkwardly. "I hope this question is not too strange or inapproximate.. but .. M- May I kiss your neck ..?" He asked, noticing how ridiculous this question actually sounded. But it was important for him to have your permission before he went a step further. You blinked when Leon turned his head away in shame of his own question. You took his face in both hands and lifted him so he could look at you. A gentle smile was on your lips. "You don't need to ask for permission Leon. Of course you are allowed to, " You reassured him and pecked more short kisses on his lips. "You can just be so incredibly sweet, you know that ..?" You added, whispering. The champion of Galar was a blushing mess now. On one hand, he felt ashamed of the question and the other, because of your words. He chuckled and let his index finger dance from your cheek to your neck in gentle traces. "Then you obviously are not aware of how sweet you are. Because you're much sweeter .. " he smiled and nibbled on your jaw lightly. You gasped softly and your fingers began to massage the back of his neck until a faint moan left his throat. This sound made your cheeks burned up. That sounded too sexy. "These are sounds I could get used to hear. No, I Will. " You corrected yourself, laughing and Leon smiled slightly as he kissed your neck and nibbled at your soft skin. He kissed millimeter by millimeter until, at a certain spot made you moan. Leon stopped his actions fully and blinked at your embarrassed and flushed face. "Uhm .." you began, but Leon put his fingers on your lips and to prevent you from saying more. "I would not mind to hear more of these sounds too." He chuckled seductive and you closed your eyes when his lips found your weak spot again and started to attack it with his mouth. He sucked, licked and bit gently into place until you moaned and quirmed beneath him and gave him more access to your neck. His fingers were still on your mouth when you moaned, resulting in sucking at his fingers when you closed your mouth again. It was almost an impulse. Leon got brave enough due this and nibbled on your neck, while his free hand lifted up your shirt a bit that he can caress your bare hip. You continued to suck and licked his fingers, when you felt his hot mouth going further and kissing your sternum as much as your cleavage allowed him.

You enjoyed his kisses and touches for a while until you stopped to nip on his fingers and you raised his head again to kiss his face until you reached his ear. When you blew some hot air on his ear shell, you felt him shiver and chuckled. Provocatively, your fingers caressed his chest over his jersey.

"I'd like to return the favor to kiss your skin below your neck .. But your shirt is in my way." You whispered softly and Leon chuckled before he grabbed your hips and pulled you flush at his body. His lips were on your neck and he sucked again at the already red swollen weak spot until you moaned loudly. "Then get rid of it~?" It was not a question, but a plea, when Leon continued to kiss your neck, until you threw your head back and gasped in pleasure. He was hell too good in this. "Are you sure? Don't you think.. we're moving too fast? " You asked uncertainly and played with the hem at the bottom of his jersey. Leon blushed again and cleared his throat before he took your hand in his and intertwined your fingers. "If it's not too fast for you.. It's not too fast for me either.. Because .. I know it feels right, what we do. You're the only one... the only person I ever thought of doing this kind of things .. As long as I can remember knowing you. So .. if it's okay with you, then ... we go as far as you want. .. I'm ready for anything. " He admitted shyly, leaving you kind of speechless and blushing of his consideration and love towards you. You gently caressed his cheek and squeezed your intertwined fingers, when you thought for the right words to say. "Leon .. I-I thought actually that .. I need more time for such things. But now that we are here .. it feels so natural. Really. And I also know that you would never urge me to something. I trust you. I trust you 100 percent. And .. I'm ready for anything, especially after I know that you're thinking the same. " You said, and looked at each other for a long time before the purple-haired male pulled you closer to give you a chaste kiss. "I love you, Leon. And .. I want to feel more of you .. " you whispered against his lips. Leon smiled and took your hands to lead them back to the hem of his jersey. "Well, as I said earlier .. get rid of my clothing then." He whispered seductively and helped you as you took his jersey tentatively and pulled it up slowly. He raised his arms so you could pull it completely over his head. Underneath his jersey was a pretty muscular upper body, which sent an interesting electric tingle down your lower abdomen. "Well .. I knew before that that you have a toned body, but .. Leon, you're really sexy .. .." You purred. Leons handsome face held an arrogant grin because of your praise, before he put his arms around you and pressed you closer again. "Thank you." He smiled and his eyes fluttered closed as he felt your fingers dancing over his bare skin and felt each muscle. Your lips caressed his chin, before you went lower and kissed over his shoulders, down to his chest. Leons mouth left  deep sounds of pleasure and his hands ran through your [e/c] hair while he enjoyed this treatment. You suddenly gasped in surprise, when you felt something hard poking on your hip. The bulge in his pants had grown significantly and Leon looked down on his body and his face flushed a deep shade of red.

"T-I'm sorry .." he whispered, ashamed and wished he could hide his red face behind his cap if he would wear it right now. You smiled sympathetically and patted his cheek before you leaned forward and gently kissed his lips. "Don't be sorry. That's just a natural reaction of your body. " You explained to him and took his hand to lead it under your own shirt to her breasts. "You have said, you were ready for anything, but .. if it's still too much for you, we'll stop. Okay? I don't want you to feel uncomfortable.“ you spoke quietly and felt Leons hand timidly and shyly gracing over your bra. You closed your eyes and leaned into his hand while his warm fingers wandered under the cup and felt your soft skin. "I don't feel uncomfortable." Leon said. His voice was already hoarse and a little deeper. He sounded so sexy. "I-It's just that I never did something like this before .. I don't really know what to do." He muttered, though his fingers moved on his own as he took your nipple between his index and middle fingers and tweaked and rolled it between his fingers until you moaned. "Don't worry. Most of it is instinct. Just do what you did before. You .. ah .. have a good intuition anyway. " You gasped and buried your nose deep in the crook of his neck, as Leon moved his other hand under your shirt and bra too, to give your other nipple the same treatment. He rolled both buds between his fingers, massaging the tender meat. He nudged your head with his, so that you raised your head to meet his for a soft kiss.

"You are just amazing .." he breathed against your lips and his massage got a bit rougher until you inhaled sharply and you rocked your hips against his. "I love you.."

"I love you too Leon .. And we have .. so much time to dive into this new pleasure." You promised him and looked at him. Leon returned your gentle gaze, before both of you smiled and leaned in for a longing kiss, when Leon started to pull your shirt over your head. The evening was still young and infact you had the whole house for yourself..

THE END?

EXTENDED ENDING

Hop started to worried after you haven't brought back his keys. So he went to his house too at evening. It kinda surprised him and so he searched the house for signs of his mother or you. After reading the note, he was still more confused that someone was here and you didn't went back to him. He went instinctively to his brother's room and saw a hungry Snorlax, which scanned the corridor for food. "Eh? A Snorlax? Is my brother around here? " he wondered and then went to the door of Leons room. He expected nothing wrong and opened the door innocently. "Brother are you-"

"Leon .. Ah .. faster .."

"Y/n ..so tight.."

The door was closed as quickly as he had opened it. Seeing his brother naked hovering over one of his best friend was something he never wanted to witness. Hop chuckled and called Sonia. "Good news .. And you owe me 2000 PokeDollar .."

The End.

[gastlyash]

Pokemon Sw/Sh Hug Headcanons

my first time actually posting headcanons, just thought of this and it made me happy

(under the cut b/c it’s pretty much all important/recurring characters minus Swordward and Shieldbert b/c,,,i don’t like them)

Hop: Quick, tight hugs. He’s hyper, and doesn’t have time to have a long hug with one person, he wants to hug everyone right NOW! Only exception to this is if he’s comforting someone, or he’s being comforted himself. In times like that, he’ll just let the hug last a bit.

Leon: TIGHT HUGS, AND BEST HUGGER IN GALAR!! Who do you think Hop gets his tight hugs from? Lee will squeeze you, pick you up in the hug, and just hold on for a moment (i just really need a hug from lee, i think we all do). Will keep an arm around you after the hug, just to keep you close.

Sonia: Gentle hugs, usually a brief side hug. Unless you’re Nessa close to her, then it’s a full on hug, tight and with a kiss on the cheek. Pulls away so she can look at you and talk, but keeps her arms around you.

Professor Magnolia: She’s a grandma! Of course she gives good hugs! Very gentle since she’s old and kinda frail, if you squeeze her she’ll probably laugh, or demand you let go. Could go either way.

Bede: Oh, this bastard. He’d act like he hates hugs, like he’s too good for them, above some stupid show of affection...But as soon as someone he can tolerate hugs him, he doesn’t want them to let go. Loose hugs, just puts his arms around the other person gently. However, if the other person squeezes him, he’ll squeeze back tighter. He’s not losing to them in this “who can hug tighter” game.

Marnie: Very gentle hugs. She’s gotten confident since she started the Gym Challenge, but is still pretty timid. Basically just a shy kid/teen that feels kinda awkward with hugs, but also kinda likes them and wishes there were more chances to hug people (totally not speaking from experience here). 

Chairman Rose: Gladly gives fans hugs, and accepts hugs if he has time...Usually he’s too busy though, having Oleana pull him away from anyone that wants a hug. His hugs are quick but firm, usually patting the other person on the back. 

Oleana: Not a hugger. But if she does let someone hug her, she’s very light with her hugs. Just a quick embrace, probably just uses one arm, not even a full-on hug. If she’s hugged unannounced, she just calls for security. Do not hug her if she doesn’t explicitly tell you she’s okay with it (i mean, same goes for anyone tbh). 

Milo: YOU ALREADY KNOW THIS BOY GIVES 10/10 HUGS. Do you see his arms? Those arms probably feel like pure comfort and affection. He HUGS his pokeball when he Dynamaxes, so I imagine he will hug you on sight. How dare you enter his line of vision and not prepare for a bone-crushing hug. Definitely pats the other person’s back, kisses their head, and lets the hug last a while, squeezing real tight before letting go (Piers and Rai may be my big faves, but Milo gives off Amazing Hug Energy). 

Nessa: Kinda like Sonia, she gives gentle hugs. A bit firmer than Sonia, though. She’ll rest her head on the other person’s if they’re shorter, or rest her head on their chest if they’re taller. Gentle as heck. 

Kabu: Grandpa time. Gives quick hugs, patting the other person’s back/shoulder before letting go. If you’re close to him, he probably hugs a bit longer and tighter (guess you could call it a warm hug??).

Allister: TIMID. Do NOT try hugging this boy, he’ll get uncomfortable. If he initiates a hug, he’s very gentle, and still extremely unsure. Hug back, but GENTLY. Don’t squeeze! He WILL get upset, and Gengar WILL come out to defend his trainer! Really comfortable with the other gym leaders, though. Will occasionally run to Melony, Bea, or Raihan for a hug.

Bea: Also not the biggest fan of hugs, but if you ask her for one, prepare for a tight hug. Will make you regret hugging her, squeezes until your back cracks. 

Opal: Another grandma, but different hugger. Picky with who she hugs, and when she does hug someone it’s usually light. She’s frail, but don’t underestimate her. Will trick you with a hug sometimes, gentle at first...But will squeeze the HELL out of you...Just because she can. Worst part: You never know which hug you’ll be getting. Loves keeping people guessing.

Melony: For an ice type user, she give the warmest hugs. Very snug grip, pretty much cradles the other person in the hug. Will reassure the person she’s hugging if they need it, or just ask how they’re doing. If someone needs a hug, she’ll be there right after Lee. Her battle style is brutal, but her hugs are so, so gentle. 

Gordie: Oh, you want a hug? Sure, he doesn’t mind hugging a fan! Gives pretty tight hugs, pretty quick ones too, definition of “bro hug”. Pats the other person’s back, will ruffle their hair when they pull away (he has like 4 siblings, he’s pretty skilled at hugging).

Piers: Big fave time. He has a lot of fans, and a little sister, so he’s become pretty comfortable with hugs over time. Quick hugs for fans, tighter and longer hugs for Marnie. If you’re close to him, he gets pretty flustered with hugging. If someone else initiates the hug, he gets pretty shy and flustered, but hugs back gently. If HE initiates it, expect a tighter hug (nothing bone-crushing, but just very firm), a hug that’ll last a bit before he decides that it’s been long enough. He doesn’t seem like the kind to be into hugs and touching, but actually probably craves it.

Raihan: SECOND BEST HUGGER IN GALAR (since he’s Lee’s rival). Will hug you tightly, pick you up in the hug, spin you around, and not let go for a while. Also expect videos and selfies, he’ll let Rotom fly around to capture the hug. Has probably recorded himself hugging every gym leader + Lee by surprise, just hug-tackling all of them out of the blue to get a reaction. This resulted in Gengar chasing him, Opal lightly hitting his head with her cane/umbrella, a very flustered Piers, and Leon totally expecting it, and hugging even tighter.

Avery: Ew, a hug?? Fine, but only because he feels bad that you’ll never be as great as him. Another case like Bede, except he’s genuinely somewhat uncomfortable with hugs. Only seems truly comfortable with hugging Mustard and Honey. His hugs are pretty light, nothing extreme. 

Klara: I know next to nothing about Klara except that she’s similar to Avery. But judging from that, I assume she’ll hug reluctantly, very light, and shove the other person away when she thinks it’s been too long. If someone asks for a hug, she’s smug about it. Why, of course you want a hug from her, she’s the best!

Mustard: For an old man, he gives stupidly tight hugs. Hugs like a Bewear, blames that on being the Dojo Master.

Honey: Quick and tight hugs, will gush over the other person like a proud mom if they’re close. Actually, even if she’s not close to someone/has just met someone she’ll hug them as a greeting. 

Hyde: He’s probably more of a high-five person. Only hugs his parents, and high-fives/fist bumps everyone else. Super chill inventor kid.

[sad-goomy]

what is probably the first in a series of vignettes of older!lonashipping in Galar because self control? don’t know her :)

featuring appearances from Magnolia, Sonia, and Leon! no spoilers for SwSh

Gladion knows that Moon is relatively good friends with Galar’s Champion.

It doesn’t make it any less strange to see in person.

They decide to start their vacation in Wedgehurst, because Gladion is fascinated by the Dynamax research Professor Magnolia has done (and it’ll be his only work-related activity, he swears), and Moon is just excited to see Leon before he goes off to prepare for the battle season. Even a few days before the opening ceremony, he only has time to visit for tea on their third and final afternoon in Wedgehurst.

As Magnolia goes over her sensor’s most recent readings at various power spots, Gladion listening intently and making a few notes on his tablet, Moon sets up tea in the kitchen, brewing a pot and laying out the snacks that Sonia bought that morning. She has a small smile on her face as she hums a rhythmless tune, excitement radiating off her to the point that Gladion pauses, watching her for a minute with his own smile tugging up a corner of his lips.

“–and I’d go on but you’re a wee bit distracted.”

Gladion flinches, turning to see Professor Magnolia giving him a smirk, and he tries not to wilt sheepishly at being caught. “Sorry about that.”

“No need to apologize,” she says, waving off the very notion with a hand before she continues with a pleased hum, “It’s lovely to see. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you two were married.”

He pales, fumbling with the tablet in his hands as he tries not to drop it, clearing his throat. Magnolia’s eyes widen a fraction, and she’s quick to give his arm a pat as she shakes her head. “I don’t mean anything by it, dear. You two are still young, no need to worry yourselves over things like that.”

Too late, Gladion thinks to himself, because he knows that tucked away in his suitcase, buried under a pile of folded shirts, is a velvet ring box that he’s had for months now; he bought it the same day that Moon first brought up that she was thinking about marriage. They’ve since both agreed that they’d like to get married, and Gladion knows this, and he thinks about it constantly, and yet every time he thinks he’ll propose, he psyches himself out. He packed the ring for no real reason, considering he hasn’t exactly planned anything for a proposal during their trip, but even just a week in it has him on high alert, suddenly itching to drop to one knee despite the Butterfree still in his belly.

With a firmer grip on his tablet, and avoiding the professor’s eyes, he mumbles, “We’ve, uh, actually been talking about it. No set plans, though.”

“Well then I expect a wedding invite in the future – consider it payment for our little lessons.”

He chuckles, a faint blush on his cheeks as they go back to the readings, though it’s considerably harder for him to focus now with things like weddings, proposals, and Moon knocking around in his head.

It’s probably for the best, then, that they’re interrupted just a few minutes later by the door opening, Sonia’s Yamper yipping as he runs in, Sonia herself following behind as she declares, “Delivery for my favorite Champion.”

Leon’s figure fills the doorway, and Gladion realizes that while Moon has been around him at conferences, he’s never actually seen the Galar Champion in person. He cuts an intimidating figure, broad shoulders made all the broader by the fur on his cape, and the flame of the large Charizard still in the yard gives him a bit of a halo.

For a brief second, Gladion is impressed.

But then Leon’s face pulls into a pout, and his voice is pitched and petulant as he whines, “Aww, but Sonia...”

The young woman in question rolls her eyes, but she’s smiling all the same. “You’re a close second, if it’s any consolation.”

“You’re my second favorite Champion, too.”

Moon smirks at the two by the door, arms crossed. Leon’s grin grows as he throws open his arms, laughing, “C’mere you bully!”

She does, throwing her arms around him in a hug as the two mention how long it’s been since they’ve last spoken, how they’ve missed each other, and Gladion has to keep from snorting at the sight. Moon is 5’2” on a good day, and Leon’s got a solid foot on her, engulfing her in their hug.

Sonia goes to pull up another chair to the kitchen table, Magnolia walking over to take a seat as Gladion sets down his tablet and heads towards the pair. His footsteps draw Leon’s attention, who smiles at him as he extends a hand. “Gladion, right?”

He nods, shaking Leon’s hand as Moon steps to his side. “Nice to finally meet you.”

“Same here – you're a proper legend at Battle Royals.”

Gladion blinks, more than a little surprised that the Galar Champion has even heard of Battle Royals, much less actually seen a match. Alola doesn’t broadcast them internationally, but when he looks to Moon to share his confusion, she’s instead sheepish.

“I may have forced him to watch all the matches I had recorded on my phone.”

“It was a lot,” Leon adds somberly, eyes lost in a memory before he blinks out of it, a fire in his eyes as he smirks. “She also tells me all about what you do at Aether, but if I’m being honest mate, I can’t make heads or tails of it. Sounds impressive, though.”

Moon laughs, and when Gladion looks down at her, she gives him a shrug and smile. “I brag about you a lot at those conferences, but it’s your fault for making it easy.”

And the way she says it, so simple and earnest and warm...Arceus, should he just go get the ring from his luggage right now?

Leon snaps him out of his thoughts, though, clenching a fist as his eyes ignite. “We have to organize a Battle Royal; I’ve been thinking up some strategies and–”

Magnolia clears her throat, drawing the trio’s attention to the table where she sits next to Sonia, who’s watching them with an amused twinkle in her eye and a cookie in her mouth. As the professor finishes pouring herself a cup of tea, pausing in adding a sugar cube to chide, “If you must battle, at least wait until after I’ve had my tea. Now sit before it gets cold.”

Leon deflates, but agrees with a sigh, Moon and Gladion chuckling as they follow behind him, careful not to trip over Sonia’s Yamper as the Pokemon dashes back outside, intent on playing with the Charizard still in the yard. As they fill their plates with cookies and fall into conversation, Gladion takes another moment to watch Moon, this time as she talks with Leon.

It’s a little strange to see her like this – he's so used to her being reserved, and she still is, but she’s also playfully punching Leon in the arm, a little extra dry in her humor. He sips his tea, hiding a smile when he realizes that the “bro energy” she likes to tease Sun and Hau for supposedly having hasn’t totally escaped her, and he now has a front row seat to it.

Next to him, Sonia chews on her cheek as she leans towards him, whispering conspiratorially, “Bit odd, isn’t it?”

“Like watching an unlikely interspecies friendship,” he agrees, and the two share a snicker, drawing the other three’s attention.

Moon hums, her right hand reaching out for his under the table, interlacing their fingers as she smirks. “What’s so funny?”

Gladion gives her a lopsided smile, squeezing her hand under the table. “You are.”

“I’m downright hilarious, but how so this time?”

“You have a funny face.”

“Then why do you enjoy looking at it so often?” Moon grins as he rolls his eyes with a chuckle, but when she opens her mouth to continue, she pauses, seeming to remember they’re very much not alone and glancing at Leon out of the corner of the eye.

Who only smiles, far too confident as he asks, “So how long have you two been married, anyway?”

To which Gladion pales, Moon splutters as she pretends to find her tea incredibly interesting, and Sonia very nearly throws a napkin at the Galar Champion before steering the conversation towards the upcoming battle season.

And so they go on with their tea, Gladion and Moon’s hands remaining linked under the table as they listen to Leon retell his latest battle with Raihan, Sonia interjecting with a few cracks at him as the others laugh. As the last of the day’s sunshine filters in through the windows, a pleasant tranquility settles in the kitchen, one that not even Leon’s gesticulating can pierce.

It’s quite a surprise, then, when Sonia glances over at the clock and realizes over two hours have passed. She looks across the table at Leon, raising a brow as she says, “This has been a lovely little chin-wag, but don’t you have a dinner to get to?”

“Ah, nearly forgot,” he mumbles, his chair scraping against the floor as he stands with wide eyes, “Thanks Sonia.”

Hop and his friends are probably still preoccupied with their starters, but he did promise his mother that he’d be home in time for dinner. Still, he looks a bit crestfallen when he glances back down at Moon and Gladion, feeling like he hasn’t nearly had enough time to catch up with the Alola Champion, and he’s only scratched the surface of the Aether President’s cool exterior.

Sonia stands, mumbling something about having to lead him back or else he’d end up wandering in Slumbering Weald as her grandmother nods. Moon and Gladion follow suit, preparing their goodbyes when an idea smacks Leon across the forehead, his eyes lighting up as he looks around the table. “Say, why don’t you all join us?”

The others pause, Gladion and Moon exchanging a look before she mumbles, trying to contain her excitement, “Are you sure?”

“No doubt my mum’s gonna grill up too much food anyway, and Hop and his mates would lose their minds to meet another Champion and Battle Royal ace.” He nods, giving Magnolia and Sonia a grin as he adds, “You know you’re always welcome, too.”

Magnolia hums, standing and retrieving her cane from where it leans against the table. “Since you asked so politely.”

Sonia smiles, looping an arm around Moon and Gladion as she pokes her head between them, turning to look up at the blond as she chuckles, “What do you say, Gladion? Fancy a chance to take field notes on the interspecies friendship we discovered?”

Moon rolls her eyes, and Gladion laughs softly, shaking his head. “Can’t pass that up.”

“You’re lucky you’re cute,” Moon warns without a hint of acidity, giving their interlocked hands another squeeze as she teases him.

He smirks. “You think I’m cute?”

“Well do you think I am?”

Sonia gags. “You’re both disgustingly sweet, is what you are.” They all share a laugh as she brushes past them, clapping a hand on Leon’s shoulder as the two head out the door, leading the way up the path along with Yamper and Charizard.

As they walk towards Postwick, holding hands, Moon stops him for a moment, leaning up (and with a little help of him leaning down) to place a kiss against his cheek, whispering against his skin, “I think you’re very cute, by the way.”

And it takes every ounce of impulse control within Gladion to keep walking, and not turn around and get that ring out.

[shieldsurf]

nobody asked but i feel annoying when i infodump on my irl friends so heres my expert opinion on every single main series pokemon professor :)

professor oak: i dont like him sorry. its the blue stan in me. it also annoys me that pokemon is trying to make him a new mascot or whatever so they keep rolling out generic ass clones of him. i miss when spinoffs/supporting applications would get their own new professors

professor elm: i think hes sweet :) he seems like the nicest of all the professors but in a very subdued way. he's just kinda quiet and nervous but if you're having a rough day he'll invite you to his personal office for tea. he's like your gay english teacher that you stay to talk to after class every day. but i do think it's funny as fuck that he got robbed by a 12-13 year old and his immediate response was to call ANOTHER 12-13 year old

professor birch: big. dad. energy. the khakis the short sleeved t shirt the stubble. it's all there. he's probably the really goofy but surprisingly emotionally aware & insightful type. its also very funny how he got attacked by a wild dog and just ran around screaming for god knows how long until a random preteen showed up. in short i like him and i think he and brendan are sweet :) they probably go fishing together and birch helps him w his math homework at night

professor rowan: underrated!!!! has a very good theme!!!! i like him a lot he gives makes me think of like, a really stern and strict college professor who's actually really nice in his own grouchy, professional way. and like always has your back & goes and gets you fantastic internship opportunities without even telling you. but on the flipside his email responses are probably monosyllabic and he just does whatever the fuck he wants because he's tenured so his university can't do shit about it. like he just fucking gives u & barry rare starter pokemon in platinum because he feels like it! he doesnt even know you??? king

professor juniper: i loooove her 🥺 she also has a good theme song. she just seems like a really chill person. super go with the flow and fun, always trying to be positive and confident. probably listens to classic rock. but she also has big soccer mom energy, but like, a cool soccer mom, the one that brings the BEST team snacks to her 8 year old's saturday games and takes her out every friday like clockwork to get ice cream. and is like the neatest science teacher who schedules cool field trips for her rowdy class of 6th graders. i don't know why her dad is there but he's cool too i guess. he has a good theme song too and Cedric is a cool name. pretty fly for an old guy

professor sycamore: probably my favourite professor LMFAO has one of the best character themes of any pokemon character period. very few fans of him have Taste however. he's not some suave sexey smart guy get real he's like, a huge fucking mess, very book smart but otherwise an idiot, can't dress himself, gay as hell, pays his scientists well but he cant manage finances for shit so he ends up eating ramen every night. a literal trainwreck but every few years he'll publish some crazy research that blows everybodys tits into next tuesday so everyone respects him. chronic child adopter (first dexio and sina, then serena, calem, shauna, tierno, trevor.... jeez dude)

professor kukui: YEAH. YEAH!! he's just good!!!! i like him. outgoing eccentric dudebro who's actually really smart. he's funny, the whole masked royal thing is dumb as hell but i like it, also he and burnet are so CUTE as a gen 5 nut who bought all the weird spinoffs and minigames on my 3ds, it was AWESOME to see burnet back and with a man that treats her like a QUEEN. back to kukui he's the fun uncle type who takes you and your cousins out to do shit that your parents would kill him over but you love him so they can't do anything about it. he's actually crazy responsible though despite the fact that he lets his pets beat him up for funsies he would NEVER do anything that would put someone else in danger. also hes the only professor that's also a unbelievably talented trainer imo

professor magnolia: i thought a cool chill old lady professor would be cool but unfortunately with magnolia there's not a lot there :( she does seem like a cool grandma though. but i still would've liked an unassuming but secretly badass and no-nonsense old lady prof. as for the other magnolia, sonia, i think she's neat also but her arc could've been written better. instead it felt kinda forced :( she has a cute design tho its Unfortunate that a large portion of pokemon fans are weird nerd men in their mid to late 20s. i don't have a lot to say about these two they just got done really dirty compared to how cool and interesting a lot of the other swsh characters are

[axel-swsh-adventure]

11/2/20: a cast of unique characters

Between Froslass and Raboot, I took Milo down pretty easily. Lombre was my main Pokemon when I faced Nessa, but Toxel ended up being surprisingly helpful too, given its relatively weak skillset. It’s really pulling more than its own weight!

While on our adventure, Nat and I have run into this weird group that call themselves Team Yell. They don’t seem to be evil, just...overly enthusiastic without reason, maybe? They’re a big fan of this girl named Marnie, who is another participant of the Gym Challenge. I don’t really know much about her. Nat seems to be a little enamored with her, though, so I’ll keep an open mind.

We met another participant of the Gym Challenge while on our adventure, too. Bede is being sponsored by President Rose, and he’s very good about reminding us about that at every possible opportunity.

That said, President Rose seems more interested in Nat and me than he does Bede. He asked to speak with us personally after we beat Nessa. He talked about Dynamax and his relationship with Professor Magnolia. He also pointed Sonia toward a research opportunity. I might have tuned out at that point, though, because--no offense, President--it seemed like he was talking for the sake of hearing his own voice rather than actually wanting something from us. We left soon after to travel back to Motostoke through the Galar Mine.

In the mine, we met Kabu, the gym leader in Motostoke. Something tells me that I’m going to have a tougher time defeating him than Milo or Nessa, especially with my team’s general weakness to fire. But I can’t let Nat or my team down, so I know I’ll pull through.

I told Nessa about my goal to obtain a red Gyarados, and she gave me a few tips about how to find shiny Pokemon, like how I should only fight and defeat Magikarp and I need to do it dozens, if not hundreds of times in a row. Apparently shinies are attracted by challenges--if a lot of their species is defeated, they’re more likely to want to battle you. I don’t know if Nat will have the patience to wait for me while I hang out in the Wild Area to search for an elusive golden Magikarp, so I think I’ll wait until we beat the Gym Challenge.