Chapter Text
“Goodnight Hopscotch! Sleep well!” Leon tucked his baby brother into bed as best as he could, with his Apom plushie being tucked in alongside him. Hop was squirming, clearly not in the mood to sleep yet.
“It’s only seven at night! Why do I have to sleep?” His brother, now 6 years old, was quite peeved about his bedtime situation.
Leon smiled. “Well, you have to go to bed early so you can rest up! Then you’ll have the energy to get big and strong!”
Hop practically shone with delight. “Like you?” He squeaked. Leon’s heart almost burst with affection.
“Yeah, like me Hoppy!” He ruffled his brother's hair.
All the time at school his classmates complained about their siblings- she took this, he tattled about that, and whatnot. Maybe it was because of the age difference between him and Hop, but Leon never felt that way. He was eight years older than his brother, and remembers the day his mom and dad announced the pregnancy like the back of his hand. Everyone was really excited about it, even his mothers Purrloin understood the significance. Unfortunately, their father wouldn’t stick around long enough to see Hop be born.
Still, Hop just seemed to adore him unconditionally, and he would be lying if he said it didn’t make his heart swell. Even when he was a baby, he was always reaching out for his big brother with stubby hands.
“You sleep tight now, ok?” Leon pressed a kiss to the top of Hop’s head. The younger kid giggled, then looked up at Leon with a serious expression.
“Hey, Lee?”
“Yeah Hop?”
Hop frowned. “You’re going away soon, right?” Leon sighed.
“For a bit, yeah,” he admitted. “But I’m going on my pokemon journey, remember? I’ll come back all strong and cool, like the trainers on TV!”
Hop smiled slightly. Then frowned again. “I wish I could come with you.”
“I know bud. But I’ll come visit. And I’ll tell you all about my adventures and call everyday!”
Hop finally seemed content with this answer. He smushed himself into Leon’s side, hugging him as tightly as he could at this age. “Ok. But only if you visit.”
Leon smiled. He petted his brother's hair soothingly and hugged back. “I promise, Hopscotch.”
-
When Hop woke up and turned to look at his clock, he practically threw himself out of bed once he saw that it was 10:34 in the morning. His mother’s Purrloin, who had taken to sleeping on his pillow every once in a while, jumped into the air, agile as ever despite her age.
He was on some mood regulators, and while they did work they left him feeling quite sleepy. This was a contrast to before them, where he never slept until his body demanded it.
Hop got dressed swiftly. Within the past month and a half he had retired the blue denim jacket, instead wearing a light blue sweater over a black long sleeve shirt. The shoes and pants were still the same as before, however.
Dubwool, having just realized that its trainer was awake, also rolled out of bed. It seemed sleepier than usual, letting out a weary baa in Hop’s direction.
“Morning to you too, buddy.” The purple haired boy laughed. They both seemed to be off rhythm, perhaps due to Leon accidently waking them up.
I wonder what that was about. Hop thought. He quickly shook it off, however, as he realized that he had promised to meet with Sonia in about 10 minutes.
He rushed himself through his own and Dubwool’s breakfast, and didn’t even comb his hair before rushing out the door.
Hop arrived at Sonia’s lab one minute after he was supposed to be there. His clothes were damp with sweat and he was panting heavily.
Sonia raised an eyebrow at him from the second floor balcony where she was rearranging books.
“Sorry,” he gasped. “Alarm didn’t go off.” The ginger only rolled her eyes fondly, before motioning for him to come up there with her.
“I’ve got some fieldwork I want you to do.”
“Fieldwork? You’ve never really had me do fieldwork before.” Hop said, skeptical. Sonia shrugged.
“Well, I want you to do it now.” She walked over to him and handed him a notebook and a box of new, pre-sharpened pencils. “Go out to the wild area and observe as many natural behaviors of pokemon as you can. I’m counting on you.” Hop nodded.
“You got it, Sonia!” He moved to leave but Sonia stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.
“Wait a second,” she said, pausing. She then pulled him in for a quick hug. “Make sure to answer my calls or I’ll be very angry. Stay safe.” Hop shivered a bit, not ever wanting to see Sonia very angry (he had heard about it from Leon, and apparently it wasn’t good for anybody involved). Still, he was happy that she was worried about him.
“Yes ma’am!” He ran towards the door, waving as he left.
Sonia smiled as he exited the lab. “Stay out of trouble!” She shouted out towards him, but she was pretty sure that he didn’t hear her.
It was exactly five minutes after Hop left when his brother charged into the lab, wide smile on his face.
“Heyyyy-“ his joy faded as he scanned the lab. “Guys?” Sonia looked over at him, sitting at her desk.
“Don't look so happy to see me.” She teased.
Leon seemed nervous that she had taken it personally however. “It’s not that Sonia, it’s just, you know- I expected Hop to be here.”
“I sent him out on some fieldwork in the Wild Area.” She said, turning back to her computer.
Leon walked over to her desk and practically hung off her shoulder. “Really? I mean, are you sure he’ll be fine?”
“Of course he will, you big lug. He’s your brother after all.” This didn’t seem to comfort Leon at all. Sonia’s gaze softened and she turned to face him. “Hop will be fine, Leon. He’s a tough kid, never let any injuries or anything get him down. And now that he knows he can rely on us to help him when he’s in need, I have no doubt that he’ll come running the second he needs us.”
Leon smiled a bit. “Alright. Guess I’m still just a bit worried.”
“Of course you are, it’s natural.” Sonia smiled at him, before getting up and stretching out her arms. “Well, since you’re here, why don’t you help me with a few things? I could use an outsider perspective.”
Leon opened his mouth to say something, but paused and turned towards the door, which had just slid open a little bit. If Sonia was in her lab by herself she probably wouldn’t have noticed it, but Leon was always quite attentive. Through the door, they could see a pair of purple eyes peering through. Immediately upon seeing them, the person on the other side of the door attempted to retreat.
“Hey, wait!” Leon ran over to the door and swung it open. Bede, who was on the other side and also still holding onto the door knob, stumbled through and barely managed to steady himself before he fell over. The white haired teen brushed off his coat before standing up tall and facing them.
“Leon. Ms. Sonia.” He was pointedly avoiding eye contact with them.
“Don't call me Ms. Sonia, it makes me feel old.” Sonia grumbled. “What are you here for Bede?”
Bede’s cheeks turned a shade of light pink, and he nervously put his hands in his pockets. “It’s nothing, really, I’m just, you know-“ he paused for a bit, before saying in practically a whisper “I was here to see Hop.”
Sonia grinned. “Aw, that’s sweet. Worried about him, are we?”
Bede turned a bit pinker. “N-no! I mean- he can take care of himself, he doesn’t need me to watch out for him or anything…” he tucked his face into the collar of his coat.
Leon laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. “It’s already Bede, no one’ll judge you for caring!” The former champion then leaned down to speak at Bede’s level. “If it makes you feel better, I was here to see him too. Turns out Sonia sent him out on fieldwork.”
The professor in question laughed awkwardly. “Sorry guys, bad timing on my end.” She rubbed her chin pensively, and then smiled. “I know! Why don’t you two go plan something for Hop together!”
Leon seemed happy about that idea, but Bede was unsure. “I mean, I don’t want to take up Leon’s time. I’m sure he’s very busy.”
“Trust me, he’s not doing anything. If he was he wouldn’t be here. Big guy has to spend a few hours looking for the place beforehand so he can actually get there on time.”
Leon looked slightly offended, but made no move to defend himself or deny the accusations.
Bede doesn’t want to- not because he hates Leon, but because he wants to repent for his mistakes on his own terms. However, the way Leon’s looking at him and the fact that Sonia has already gone back to her computer solidifies the idea. It’s happening; no way out of it.
“Alright,” he sighs. “ Let’s go.” Leon grins like a little kid and bounds towards the door.
“Bye Sonia!” He excitedly gestures for Leon to follow him.
Bede sighs again. Wrong place, wrong time.
Leon crashes out into the open, nearly running into a passing Cutiefly. The pokemon looks quite anxious about it and buzzes away quickly.
“Alright, why don’t we go choose some activities for Hop over food?” He says. “I know a great dessert place in Circhester.”
Bede wants to refuse, wants to make this less of a big thing than it already is, but with Leon he guesses that everything is a big thing. “Sounds good. Train or taxi?”
Leon frowns. He takes a pokeball out of his pocket. “Charizard?” Bede is about to shake his head no, but relents.
“Fine. But don’t fly over the Wild Area, or Hop might see us.”
“Good thinking kid.” Leon pats Bede on the shoulder and tosses out Charizard. The orange pokemon studies Bede for a second, before letting out a big puff of smoke. Leon hops on its back, then pulls Bede up to sit in front of him.
“Charizard, to Circhester!” Leon shouts boisterously. The fire type lets out another plume of smoke and takes off into the sky.
Apart from the take off, the ride is actually quite nice and relaxing. Charizard is warm and smooth, the weather is pleasant, and Leon doesn’t try to start conversation, only guides Charizard and comments on occasional things he sees down below. Bede nods along, hoping he won’t appear rude.
The air chills suddenly, indicating that their destination is near. Leon lands Charizard a little bit away from the city. They leave a big imprint in the snow.
“Sorry for landing so far away,” Leon apologizes. “I just didn’t want to disturb the locals with Charizard’s landing. We can be kind of loud when touching down sometimes. Charizard sighs passive aggressively. “You know it’s true.” The former champion whispers to his companion before petting him affectionately on the head and retracting him into his ball.
Bede straightens out his coat and walks towards the city with Leon.
“Hope you don’t get too cold.” The former champion says. “Want my cape?”
Bede shakes his head. “I’m more worried about you. You’re wearing short sleeves.”
“Always been more tolerant of the weather than most folk. It’s kinda a special talent of mine.”
“Is that how you win against Raihan so much?” They step onto one of the stone paths leading into the city. Leon laughs.
“In a way, yes. But don’t tell him about it, or instead of changing the weather he’ll just start having his pokemon attack me instead.” The former champion winks. Bede smiles.
They enter a small shop off one of the side streets. Leon holds open the door, letting Bede in and a young couple (who stare at Leon in awe) outside. Inside the decor is very cozy. The wooden furniture and fireplace contrast the cold blues outside, and a Ruby Swirl Alcremie lounges by the fire, close enough that it’s starting to drip a bit.
They sit down at a two person table, furnished with a doily and a small vase in the middle, containing what seems to be fake flowers. Leon and Bede each pull out a chair and sit down.
A young waitress comes over quickly, menu in hand.
“Leon! Nice to see you again.” She tucks a strand of black hair behind her ear. “Now, what can I get for you two?” Bede’s a bit surprised that he seems to be a regular at this cafe. Leon orders a small chocolate tart for himself and some sort of parfait for Bede, insistent that he’ll like it.
Bede has his doubts, but the food seems to come out almost instantly, and he finds the dessert, which has cute pink frosting with star sprinkles, to be quite to his taste. He takes a bite of the yogurt and pecha berry, and as expected by its appearance the sweet is sugary like cotton candy. He loves it. He hasn’t even realized that he’s just been eating without saying anything until Leon sighs, content. Looking up, Bede sees that he’s finished his chocolate tart and is now sipping on a glass of water.
“So,” the former champion says, pressing a napkin to his lips. “I’ve been thinking about things to do with Hop, but I’m sure that as his friend you have plenty more insight.”
Bede winces internally. Hop and him are friends, as they had made up their differences and Hop seems to have forgiven him for his behavior during the gym challenge. However, he wasn’t expecting this development to please Leon at all. In fact, the fairy-type trainer was pretty sure that Leon was going to have one of his pokemon eat him or something for the way he treated his little brother.
“I’m not sure,” he admits. “Hop likes battling and pokemon a whole lot, but I think it would be nice for him to do something specifically for people. Get away from the whole trainer and professor thing for a bit.” Leon nods attentively.
“That makes sense.” He says, leaning back in his chair a bit. “Although Galar is a very pokemon centric region. It might be tough to find something he likes that doesn’t involve pokemon in some way.”
“That’s true. How about…”
It goes on like this for a while between the two of them. Every time they think of something it’s either not to Hop’s liking or something that could be difficult for him to do with his weak ankle. Eventually, they settle on going to an art exhibit they have set up in Wyndon, and then going out to eat afterwards.
“It’ll be a fun surprise for him,” Leon says, grinning ear to ear.
After they finish chatting, Leon calls over the waitress to pay the bill. Bede tries to pay for his portion but Leon refuses to let him, going as far as to hold it out of the way on his lap.
Just like Hop. Bede thinks, with a surge of a strange emotion.
They leave, and it’s snowing more than it was when they arrived. The path and railings of the town are lightly dusted by the snow. Bede checks the time, and it’s 11:27. Not even that late in the day. They trek over to a nearby hill to call Charizard out, but Bede finds himself distracted by the view. He can see pokemon frolicking in the snow, such as a Beartic with her cubs and a snow grazing on grass. It’s a peaceful view, one he enjoys.
Suddenly Leon is right beside him, also looking out.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” He says, a melancholy look on his face.
Bede nods. “Yes.”
Leon sighs, fiddling with his hat. “When I was younger, about eleven or so, I came here with Hop by myself.” Bede’s eyes widen in surprise, and he turns to look at Leon.
“By yourself?” Leon nods.
“Our mum was at work, and Hop wanted to come see this street performance they were going to have. Mum had said no since she was busy, but he was so disappointed that I decided to sneak us out. I remember that he had a coat, but it wasn’t exactly weather appropriate for here. So, I just carried him in my coat with me. It was really cute; just him snuggled up by me and the snow falling all around us.”
The corners of Bede’s mouth lift up in a sad smile. “It sounds like a good memory,” he admits. He doesn’t know much about good memories himself. They started when Rose gave him Hatenna, then adopted him, then endorsed him for the gym challenge. That was quite recent in comparison to other kids, who had memories of parents and being tucked in and love.
“It is.” Leon’s voice cracks, and suddenly he’s kneeling before Bede and looking into his eyes.
“You‘ll get your pants wet.” Bede says, hoping his voice isn’t as high pitched as it sounded just now. Leon ignores that comment, eyes watering up slightly.
“Hop told me all about you. During and after the gym challenge and the Darkest Day.”
Bede gulped. “Then you should hate me.”
“You made mistakes. Said hurtful things because you were hurt. You were a kid. And now, you’re changing and growing into something better.”
“I’m really not.” Bede doesn’t feel worthy of forgiveness or redemption or whatever it is. Leon puts a hand on his shoulder.
“You are. You did bad things, but you made up for them. And now, you’re one of Hop’s closest friends; you’re someone he can really count on.”
“What I said to him, I-“ he sighs, looking down at the floor in shame. “I’m probably the reason he jumped in the first place.”
Leon places his other hand on Bede’s other shoulder. “You’re the reason he’s alive right now, Bede.”
Bede hadn’t cried in years. Not since he was a young boy at the orphanage with a broken toy, or since Rose betrayed him and the city. But now he was getting pretty close to it, pressure forming behind his eyes. He squeezes them shut.
His voice quivers as he speaks. “Thank you, Leon.”
Leon smiles, then stands up. “Anytime, kid. Let’s head back now, shall we? Sonia will be worried if we’re gone for any longer. Might start tearing the entire continent apart.” He takes a few steps, calls Charizard out, and then motions for Bede to come near.
Bede lets Leon lift him onto Charizard, and squeezes his eyes shut as they ride through the snow and storm.
They land with no problem, and Leon goes to speak to Sonia. Before he does, he reaches out his hand for a handshake from Bede.
“From one guy who’s trying to do better to another,” Leon says, like it’s the most casual thing in the world.
A small smile forms on Bede’s face as he shakes the former champion's hand. “Aye.”
Sonia is especially smug when Leon renters the lab. She doesn’t even bother to look up from her computer.
“Knew you boys would get along,” she says, pausing to lean down and scratch at Yampers ears. He jumps from the floor into her lap. Leon rolls his eyes. Better to let her think that she formulated this, made it happen. Better not to tell her what she sort of did.
Sonia was still smirking when Hop arrived back an hour later with a whole notebook full of the behaviors of many different species of pokemon.
“What are you so happy about?” He says, placing the notebook at her side. “Finish one of your romance novels?”
She just grins even wider. “Something like that.”
-
It’s about midnight two days later when Hop feels it creep up on him.
He wasn’t able to sleep, but he blamed it on all his working lately. But today he had done nothing major, just gone into town and played with his pokemon, but his body and mind were still shaking like he was being hunted as prey.
Hop buries his face into Dubwool, trying to calm himself down. Healing isn’t linear, his therapist had said. You have to deal with the waves; the up’s and the downs.
But it was awful. He could have three really good days and it could all be torn apart by this feeling, this drowning sensation that he thought that he had gotten rid of. It was familiar, yes, but not welcome. Especially now that he had gotten help- he didn’t deserve to be sad at all.
He sat up, Dubwool sleepily raising her head. He shouldn’t be alone, he knew that much; he had come too far to be set back like this.
Hop picked up his blanket and crept across the hall, Dubwool nudging him reassuringly the whole time. He knocks on the door to his brother’s room, once, twice, before it opens to a sleepy Leon.
“…Hop?” His brother asks. Hop clears his throat.
“Sorry to bother you, Lee, but um- I just wanted to- I just need too-“
Leon cuts him off. “One of those days?”
Hop nods shyly. “Yeah.”
His brother's eyes crease in sympathy, and he’s suddenly pulled in for a sleepy but still firm hug. Leon rubs reassuring circles on his back, and rests his chin on Hop’s head.
Hop immediately buries his face in his brother's chest, feeling a bit better now. Unfortunately, it still doesn’t chase away the feeling of utter worthlessness and self-loathing he feels.
“Wanna sleep here?” Leon asks, carding his fingers through Hop’s hair. His younger brother nods.
Dubwool and Hop are pulled into the room, and Hop immediately settles in the bed, on the side closest to the wall. The bed is a bit too small for Leon, let alone both of them, but they make it work. Hop really squishes against the wall, and Leon settles in beside him. Dubwool tries to find a comfortable spot on the bed, but unfortunately is too big and just decides to sleep on the floor next to the bed.
“Sorry buddy.” Leon pats her head apologetically. She bleats in response.
Hop pulls his blanket up to his chest, immediately resting his head against Leon’s chest. Leon in turn puts an arm around him.
“Don’t worry Hopscotch,” Leon whispers, trying to soothe his brother. “You’re doing so well. I’m so proud of you. I love you so much.” His brother then kisses him on the top of his head.
Hop almost starts crying at the words of affirmation and the affection that he’s receiving. Instead, he just snuggles closer and closes his eyes. He focuses on the familiar feeling of his brother's heartbeat.
He’s asleep in mere minutes.
When they wake up, it’s a bit later than Leon normally wakes up. Hop goes downstairs to eat breakfast with his mum, and feeds his pokemon while he’s at it. Leon comes downstairs a few minutes later, in his outfit for work.
“Get your stuff together,” he says, grabbing a slice of toast. “I want you to come to work with me.” Hop nods.
He goes upstairs to back up his computer and notebooks into his backpack and get dressed. Leon likes to bring him to the battle tower when he’s feeling this way, just to make sure he has company. It hasn’t happened too many times before, but enough so that they have a routine for it.
They take a flying taxi to the tower, Hop still a bit sleepy and leaning on Leon’s shoulder. However, the chill of the morning air wakes him up a bit.
The day at the tower is quite uneventful. Usually Leon supervises battles and such, but today he decides to take it slow and catch up on some paperwork. Hop lounges on a couch in his office, taking the time to play a game on his computer and look up some pokemon facts.
Surprisingly, around noon, Raihan comes. He has a bag of pastries in his right hand and a tray of drinks in his left. Hop figures that Leon must have asked him to get food for them. The dragon type gym leader sees him on the couch and his eyes soften a bit.
“Heya kid,” he says. Raihan leaves one of the drinks, a smoothie of sorts on Leon’s desk next to him, and walks over to Hop. “Got you some things. You know, to get your energy up.”
Hop smiles, happy to see him. Because of this he can tell that his mood has gone up; when he ever felt depressed before (which was most days), he would try and avoid people as much as possible, going as far as to go in the opposite direction when he saw someone he knew.
“Hi Raihan.” His eyes flick over to the bag. “Thank you for doing this.”
He feels a bit guilty, but had been learning from his therapist and others that letting people do nice things for him wasn’t being selfish or demanding.
“You didn’t have to do this, Gloria!” Hop says, guiltily looking at the plate before him.
“You’re right I didn’t have to,” Gloria leans over to pinch his cheeks. “But I want to. Let people do things for you mate.”
“Anytime buddy. Now then, let’s get you eating this, shall we?” Raihan pulls a ham and cheese sandwich out from the bag and hands Hop his drink. Upon sipping it, he can immediately tell that it’s a vanilla iced brew from that bakery in the city.
“No coffee?” He teases, noting the drinks pale color.
“Nope,” Leon pops his lips, spinning his chair around to face him. “If you want energy you’re gonna need to sleep buddy.”
“Noted.” Hop sighs.
He eats the sandwich slowly, savoring the taste. Raihan tells him all about his recent battles.
Eventually, Hop starts to get a bit sleepy, his vision growing soft and blurry. Raihan pauses mid story when he realizes what’s happening, and chuckles a bit.
“Someone’s ready for a nap.” The dragon type gym leader says, moving to take the trash from the food away.
“That’s good,” his brother’s voice grows nearer, and although Hop closes his eyes he can feel Leon’s presence. He can feel his computer being pulled away from his lap, and Leon gently lays him down on the couch. His big brother pulls the blanket he brought over him. A warm hand brushes his bangs out of his face, and he feels his brother press a kiss to his forehead.
“Rest well, Hopscotch.” He says. “I’ll be here when you wake up.”
In only about five minutes Hop’s breathing slows, and Raihan and Leon take the chance to sneak out into the hallway to throw away their garbage.
“He’s a good kid,” Raihan says, tossing the cups in the recycling. “Got me good in the gym challenge. Tough but also kind at the same time.”
Leon smiles. “He’s always been like that.”
They stand in the hallway in silence for a bit, just listening to the bustling sounds of the tower floors above and below them. Then Raihan hears a sniffling sound.
Turning quickly, he sees a tear streaming its way down Leon’s face. The former champion is holding his hat to his chest and clenching both fists.
“Are you alright?” Raihan asks, stepping closer.
“No, I-“ Leon sniffles again. “I almost lost him. I almost lost my baby brother because I was ignorant to him and his feelings and he wanted to die and it’s all my fault-“
Raihan wraps an arm around Leon and pulls him in for a hug. Leon stiffens a bit at first, but leans into it after a second.
“Hey, none of that now.” Raihan soothes. “You’re a great older brother. Everything you’ve done proves that. You love Hop, and he obviously loves you, so you can’t say that what he chose to do was your fault.”
The former champion coughs. “But, I-“
Raihan cups Leon’s face into his hands and looks him straight in the eye. “Obviously things have happened to Hop, tragic things to make him do what he did. But all the evidence shows it wasn’t your fault. You may have made a mistake or two, but that doesn’t mean you have to carry all this guilt for something that wasn’t caused by you.”
Leon blinks at him.
“You’re a good person, Leon.” Raihan whispers. “Always have been.”
He wipes away one of Leon’s tears with the edge of his sleeve. “You’re so lucky,” he grumbles, trying to lighten the mood. “If I cried all my foundation would come off.” Leon chuckles at this.
“Thank you, Raihan.” He says, hugging Raihan tightly. “You’re the best, you know that.”
Raihan feels his face heat up a little. “Whatever,” he grumbles. “Flattery will get you nowhere, you know.”
-
When Hop wakes up, it’s to the sound of papers being stapled. Looking blearily at his watch, he can see that it’s around 4:27. About the time when Leon would head on home.
Sure enough, his brother is organizing his paperwork and packing up his bag, neatly but quickly stuffing the folders into the big pocket. Looking down at his feet, Hop can see that his bag was already packed for him, save the blanket covering him. Leon looks at him and smiles.
“You slept for quite a while Hop,” his brother teases, giving him a pat on the head. “Are you sure you’re getting enough rest back home?”
“I am,” Hop mumbles, still weighed down with sleep. He pushes into his brother's hand affectionately. “Just feel sleepy today.”
“Well come on, let’s head home. I think mum’s making that bitter sausage curry you love.”
Hop sleepily gets up from the couch, stretching his arms upwards. He grabs his bag and shoves the blanket into it, then slings it around onto his back. Leon walks both of them out, and then turns off the lights and locks the door.
Despite it being the time that Leon would usually head home, there are still plenty of people on this floor of the battle tower. They greet Leon as they pass with friendly waves and quick nods of their heads.
They walk out of the battle tower and call a flying taxi. It comes almost immediately, the Corviknight barely avoiding slamming into the ground from the speed it was flying at.
The ride home is quick. Hop once again leans on his brother the whole way home.
He gets home and is greeted by the scent of curry and his mum. She hugs him and kisses him and even though it’s a bit strange because she never lathered him with this much attention before that whole incident of his happened, he still melts into the embrace. Dubwool, who had to stay home, tackles him to the ground and won’t let him leave until she’s had at least five minutes of pets, and even then she’s nipping at his heels as he traverses the house. Purrloin, who is usually dozing at this time, wakes up to greet him and rubs against him like she always does when he has these kinds of days.
It’s only a few minutes before dinner is ready and out at the table, and he sits down and devours it. Hop has always loved the taste of his mom’s curry; even following her recipe by the word he could never replicate the taste. They talk about their day at the dinner table like it’s normal for them, which, to be fair, is becoming normal for them.
Hop washes his plate and watches one of his favorite movies with Leon while his mother does housework on the second floor. Although it isn’t even late when the movie ends, about ten or so, Leon herds him and Dubwool off to get ready for bed and even takes the time to tuck them in when they’re all ready.
“You need anything, you come straight to me, alright Hop?” Leon says, sitting on the bed to arrange the covers. Their mother hovers behind him.
“Alright Lee, I promise.” Hop says, smiling. Leon leans down to kiss his forehead and so does his mum. Dubwool snuggles into his side and even Purrloin decides to sleep at the end of the bed. With one last wave from his family the lights turn out and Hop is left in his room.
It was a good day,” he thinks, wrapping an arm around Dubwool. It didn’t start that way, but we made it work. We made it good.
He falls asleep in mere minutes, waiting for the next morning.
-
It’s the next Saturday when they’re going to the art show, and although he doesn’t admit it to Opal or the gym staff he’s buzzing with excitement when he wakes up that morning. (Although, he suspects Opal already knows judging by the smirk on her face.)
He takes challengers from 7am to 10 am, which doesn’t seem like a lot of time but the incentive to finish the gym challenge actually gets a lot of challengers up and about at that hour. As he closes early, locking the gym doors, Opal approaches him.
“Excited for your little day off?” She asks, raising an eyebrow at him.
“Oh please, it isn’t really my day off,” Bede says. He takes Opal by the arm and they walk off towards her cottage, where they both live. “Besides, if I was really excited I wouldn’t have taken on any challengers at all today.”
“We both know that’s not true dearie, you’re super dedicated to your job.” The older lady yawns even though it’s mid morning already. “Plus if you weren’t doing anything you would be all nervous energy. You gotta channel all the excitement into something.”
Bede rolls his eyes, although deep down he knows it’s true. “Sure.” He heads inside to change into casual clothes while Opal brews herself some tea. He picks out a pink sylveon graphic tee and wears a long sleeved white shirt underneath, along with some bell bottom jeans to match. He also brings along his purse, which is light brown with an Eevee embroidered onto it.
“You sure you’ll be ok while I’m gone?” He asks, shuffling down the stairs as he puts on his shoes at the same time.
Opal waves a hand at him dismissively. “I’ll be fine, you act like I’m on death row. You just go hang out with that Hop boy you’re so fond of; you have got to do something fun before that frown of yours becomes permanently etched on your face.”
Bede’s face heats up a bit. “Whatever,” he grumbles. “Bye.”
He exits and calls a flying taxi to meet him at the entrance of the forest, since it would be too difficult for a Corviknight to land in the woods. The temperature is perfect; not too hot or too cold. Bede allows himself to smile as he looks up at the canopy- today had the potential to be a really great day.
-
Bede gets to the exhibit about ten minutes before he’s supposed to meet the others. Luckily they’re all there, save Leon and Hop. Marnie (who is dressed quite fashionably in a gothic Lolita dress and white leggings) is seated on a bench doing something on her phone, Victor is pacing around the entrance, and Gloria has stopped to pet a wild Pidgey that she’s found.
Victor looks up as if sensing his presence and smiles. “Oi! Bede, nice to see you!”
Gloria looks up from her petting. “Hiya mate!” Marnie looks up from her phone and nods at him while patting the spot next to her quickly.
“Hello everyone,” he sits down next to Marnie. “Is everything in order?”
“No need to sound so professional,” scoffs Gloria, waving goodbye to the Pidgey and walking over to him. “But yeah, we’re just waiting for the guest of honor.”
Victor looks up towards the sky, shielding his eyes from the sun with his right hand. His left hand goes onto his hip. “I hope they get here soon. It would be a real pain to get around this place once it starts filling up for the day.”
As if on cue, a big shape swoops down from the sky and lands right next to Victor, startling him enough that he jumps about a foot in the air. The shape turns out to be Leon’s Charizard, who snorts out a puff of smoke in what appears to be amusement.
“Charizard, be nice.” A familiar voice scolds. Leon jumps off of the Pokémon’s back, then helps Hop off. “Sorry about the delay guys. I may have taken a wrong turn.”
Marnie raises an eyebrow from the bench. “In the air?”
“I don’t know how it’s possible either.” Hop sighs. He looks around at his friends, and as he meets Bede’s gaze he smiles. Bede feels his heart jump for a moment. Hop had clearly dressed up for this- he was wearing a black blouse with a gray cardigan over it and green khakis. His hair was pulled into a low ponytail, which looked more like a strange bun due to his hair being too short. Hop’s shoes and backpack were the same, but besides that, everything about him was practically brand new.
Bede gulps. “You look nice.”
Hop smiles. “I could say the same thing about you.”
They stare at each other for a moment before Marnie awkwardly clears her throat.
“Alright then,” she says, pointedly avoiding their gaze. “Let’s get in there.” The group nods and heads inside to the gallery. Once they give the receptionist their tickets, they’re free to start looking around.
There are several artists featured at this show, and while it has no official theme it’s quite obvious that all the artists chose to exhibit pieces portraying the relationships between people and pokemon. There’s a painting of a Miltoic saving a young girl from drowning out at sea, a finely made vase showing a Jinx carrying stuff for its trainer with its psychic powers, and a set of photos displaying the relationship between a man and his Parasect throughout the years, ending with the Pokemon and the man facing the camera with a smile, both clearly a bit older than the first picture.
It’s beautiful , the way the different artists use paints and pencils and ink to express themselves and the love they have for Pokemon, and the whole group is positively enchanted by the thing. Eventually they all sort of seperate, staying in the same room but drawn to different pieces by its color, theme, or other details. Bede is the only one who doesn’t wander off at all, staying firmly by Hop’s side.
The two of them are staring up at a mosaic, a family portrait showing two middle aged women, their three children, and their pokemon. The pokemon is a Pachirisu, who is perched on the shorter woman’s shoulder. The title is Roschbard Family Portrait, and according to the description is one of the daughters, who is now an adult, pieces she made as an anniversary gift for her mothers. They put it in front of an actual window, so real sunlight flows through the glass, lighting up the whole room.
Bede looks over at Hop, who is staring in silent awe at the piece. The light gathers and breaks into a rainbow at the peak of his forehead, lighting his face up with brilliant colors. His friends eyes are bright and full, like stars in the night.
The fairy type gym leader swallows. He’s nervous, in a way that’s different from typical nervousness.
Hop seems to notice him looking, because he runs his eyes over to meet Bede’s and smiles at him; it’s a bright, forgiving smile, one that he never thought he would receive yet here it was.
I can’t believe I almost never got to saw this, Bede’s throat tightens at the thought. I can’t believe I almost lost him.
Bede preferred to not take chances- better to act when things are certain, he thought. The first chance he took was challenging the twins at the league finals. The second one was accepting Opal’s gym leader invitation, and letting himself have a family again. Today he wanted to take a third one. He reaches over to grab Hop’s hand and intertwine his fingers with his own.
Hop seems surprised, but the look of shock fades as the smile from earlier returns. The purple haired boy gives Bede’s hand a reassuring squeeze.
“I have made lots of mistakes,” Bede admits. “But I don’t want to make another one with you. I want to be by your side.”
Hop grins, his cheeks turning red and his head tilting to the side. “I’ve been hoping you would say that for a while now.”
Bede blinks. “Really?”
Hop nods.
“Keeping things from me, are we?” Bede grumbles, kicking Hop’s leg half heartedly. “Confession revoked.” Hop laughs, and pulls them closer together, until their shoulders are touching.
“No take-backsies.” He says, sticking his tongue out. Bede smiles, wide and genuine.
“I mean it,” the white haired trainer says. “You and me.”
Hop takes his free hand and places it on the further part of Bede’s face, then pulls him in to give him a kiss on the cheek. If Bede wasn’t red before, now he definitely was.
“You and me.” Hop says.
Bede smiles even more, if it’s possible. Some people were worth taking chances with.
-
When they leave the exhibit it’s a bit later than expected. The place turned out to be a bit bigger than they had expected, so there was plenty more art for them to see. That leaves them rushing to get to their lunch reservation as a popular place nearby. Luckily they make it just in time, though they are panting by the time they sit down in their chairs.
They order plenty of food, hungry from the art exhibit and the subsequent rush to the restaurant. Sharing food and a table makes them all feel more sociable than they already were, and they chat and laugh merrily for what must be two hours. They order dessert, a cheesecake to share, and leave a nice big tip before leaving the restaurant.
Since they all have to go in different directions, the group stops to say their goodbyes before heading home.
“Thank you all so much,” Marnie says, a shy smile on her face. She looks at Bede and Hop. “Congratulations you two.”
Victor elbows her, then leans over to whisper to her. “They’re not supposed to know that we know,” he says urgently.
Marnie blinks once, then twice. “Oh. Sorry. Still congrats.”
Hop chuckles. “Thanks!”
There’s a beat of silence, and it seems like everyone is about to start heading home when Leon clears his throat.
“I want to say something,” he says. The former champion takes off his cap and holds it to his chest, before kneeling so that he can be face to face with his younger brother. “Hop, I know things have been hard for you. You’ve had a hard life, and had expectations thrust upon you that you didn’t need to take on. And things got really rough for you, and you were hurting, and I’m so sorry. I should have been there for you.”
Leon blinks and tears start to well up in his eyes. “But, I just want you to know that I want to fully be there for you now. I want to be a big brother that you can rely on.”
Hop’s lip quivers, and it seems like he’s about to cry as well. “Lee, I- I already rely on-“
“I just want to say that- I just mean that-“ Leon saya, frustrated by how the words are escaping him. He takes a deep breath and continues. “You are so loved Hop. By me, mum, your friends, your Pokemon- hell, even the stadium was cheering for you out there when you were up in the tournament. You have people who care about you, and you don’t need to be successful or anything for us to love you. We love you for you , because you’re kind and smart and funny and- because you’re Hop.”
The younger of the two brothers is crying fully now. “Leon- big brother-“
Leon smiles, more tears streaming down his face. “We believe in you, Hopscotch. Keep on fighting.”
Hop bawls and launches himself at his brother, wrapping his arms around him.
“Leon,” he sobs. “ Leon, I love you too, thank you-“ he buries his head into his brother's shoulder.
“Happy tears, huh mate?” Gloria says. “Lame.” She goes in for a hug as well, and everyone chooses to not call her out on the fact that her voice is wavering as well.
“What he said was all true buddy.” Victor hugs them too.
Marnie settles herself into the hug, leaning against Leon’s back. “You’re great Hop. I admire you a lot, you know.”
Bede pauses for a moment, but then Leon meets his gaze and nods and he kneels down to wrap his arms around his friends.
“You’re something else Hop,” he mumbles, so quiet that only the six of them can hear it. “You’re something exceptional.”
It’s barely a second before a pokeball tumbles out of Hop’s bag and Dubwool is on top of them, practically burying them in wool.
“Hey! The tickles!” Hop laughs, muffled by the sounds of his pokemon partner’s happy bleats. The rest of his team takes this as a queue and all exit their pokeballs too, eventually burying the humans in a pile of fur and feathers and fuzz and everything else.
Hop and the others can barely contain their laughter, so caught up in the moment that they lose track of time and everything else.
He knows he’s in public. He knows that everyone is probably staring. But for what seems like the first time in his life, he doesn’t care about what others think. He cares about himself and his friends and his pokemon because they care about him and he feels so loved he feels like he’s about to explode.
Hop smiles, and pulls everyone closer. It’s warm, so warm, and he can feel the heat seep into his heart and soul. He closes his eyes, and takes a deep breath.
Everything is going to be alright.