#manifesting champion raihan in the sv dlc

[evening-winds]

(for context: the design on archaludon's front is giving massive hammerlocke gym uniform vibes....... which, obviously, got me daydreaming about raihan's surprise appearance in the sv dlc with his new evolved ace......... which resulted in this)

~

the kitchen table was scattered with travel brochures, each of them advertising a different location with bold colors and excessive superlatives. beach resorts, nature trails and tourist attractions from all over the world were vying for their potential readers' attention.

instead of comparing possible travel destinations like he was supposed to, raihan found himself transfixed by only one brochure, wistfully gazing at the page with the picture of the paldean evolution of duraludon.

"pining for archaludon again?" his husband chuckled, peeking over his shoulder.

raihan sighed, not bothering to deny the obvious. "i kinda want one," he admitted and accepted the hot mug of tea leon was offering him.

leon sat down on the chair next to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "there's only one thing you can do, then," he said. "you have to go to paldea." he neatly stacked some of the brochures to make room for his own mug and a plate of scones with jam. "take on the gyms and become a champion while you're at it."

raihan groaned into his tea. the joke was old, and he had never found it particularly funny. he had never wanted to take on another region's league, even though he had all the skill needed to become champion anywhere else, because of leon. because why would he give a hoot about a championship if his one true rival, the love of his life, wasn't there? if anyone knew his stance on the matter, it was leon. "oh, come off it, you - -"

"i'm coming with you," leon interrupted him matter-of-factly. "naturally."

the paldean system, with the possibility of multiple people being able to hold the champion title simultaneously, was like the polar opposite of what the galar league had been during leon's at the time unbeatable reign. he had gained more self-awareness since his loss; the stagnation had been unhealthy, for both galar and himself. so maybe the paldeans were onto something with that system of theirs. whatever the case, we wanted to see and experience it for himself. he wasn't all that interested in being a champion in two regions (well, ex-champion in the other, to be precise), but everything that came before the so-called champion assessment appealed to him – for obvious reasons. despite enjoying the gym challenge, he had never had the chance to do it again, having won the first championship cup he had participated in and now having his hands full running the battle tower.

all of this leon explained to raihan in between mouthfuls of scone. "and don't try to pretend you're not interested, too," he concluded with a knowing grin. "i know you, darling. you live to compete, and you love a good challenge."

again, raihan had no room for argument. he couldn't help the smile breaking out on his face. "you're right." he gave the brochure one more once-over. "so you'd be okay with it?" he asked, turning his eyes back to leon. "going to paldea?"

leon's grin only widened. "i'll catch you a third applin once we're there," he announced blithely, slipping his arm around raihan's middle, "so you can get its paldean evolution, too."

raihan's heart swelled with affection. how could he say no to that?

and so, on their next wedding anniversary, instead of the usual week-long holiday, they took a longer leave of absence and went to paldea to take on the league, just like they had done back home as kids some twenty years ago...