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The first thing Leon does when he steps off the train is kneel and let Hop barrel into him.
His mother scolds them for doing so in front of the train entrance but pulls Leon into a tight hug anyways. Sonia is standing to the side as she waved, but Leon just laughed and pulled her into the hug as well. Hop was giddy, gripping the fluffy ends of his coat and tugging, so he let go of Sonia and his mother. Leon tried to pick up Hop before the boy pouted and swatted his hands away.
“I’m big now!”
Leon laughed, standing up. Hop had grown. Before he barely passed his knees but now almost at Leon’s waist. The thought almost brought tears to his eyes. A hand clapped onto his shoulder, and Raihan smiled at Hop’s excited gasp.
“Ooh? You don’t look too big to me- off, ok ok.” Raihan looked like he didn’t know what to do with Hop clinging to his leg. He patted his head, and Hop let go, flapping his hands and laughter echoing the station. Leon was thankful that Raihan visiting so soon since Hop had quickly grown attached to him as well. Leon had worried, after the tournament, but it seemed Raihan felt better after some moping.
(“What did Sonia send you?”
“What? What, uh- nuthing, champ.”
“Arceus don’t call me that, you sound like a grandpa.”)
Hop is laughing, pulled on his pants legs.
“Leon! Leon, let’s battle!”
Leon blinked. “What?”
Hop pulled a Pokeball from his jacket, running out the station. “Battle! Battle!”
Leon gaped, looking to his mother who merely grinned. “He...When?”
“We should go, don’t wanna keep him waiting!” Sonia skipped out, grinned ear to ear.
Raihan whistled, hands folded behind his back as they hurried outside. “Look at that! Already trying to steal your crown, pretty boy.”
Leon rolled his eyes, but knew he would sound too flustered responding to ‘pretty boy’.
At least, from Raihan.
Once they got home, Leon’s mom kissed him on the forehead and went inside to start on dinner. Apparently they were going to have a party for him coming back, but he was just happy to be home.
Hop was standing on the right side of the field, swinging his hand in motion and muttering to himself. He smiled wide as Leon stood across from him, tilting his head. Raihan and Sonia leaned against the wooden fence, Raihan recording them (he’d have to ask for the footage later). Hop, got his first Pokemon without him… Well, Leon didn’t have to guess what it might be, when he thought about it.
Hop puffed out his cheeks, a single giggle escaping before he yelled. “Our eyes met! So let’s battle!”
Leon grinned, pulling out the ball for his Charizard. “Alright, you’re on!”
They threw the ball, and Leon could hear a few gasps of his names when Charizard came out. Hop threw the ball underhanded, and a young-looking wooloo tumbled out. It looked docile, flickering its ears lazily as it looked around. When it spotted Hop, it baaed and bounded happily towards him. Hop pouted, pushing it away but ultimately giving in to being licked. Leon about died.
“No no- hee, hee! No, wooloo battle, battle!” It blinked up at him before snuggled into him, practically covering him in its wool by leaning into him. Sonia and Raihan were giggly like mad, holding onto each other as Sonia was slipping off the fence. Leon felt so close to giving in just to smother his brother in kisses but he knew that would probably make Hop mad. Leon gave a low whistle, and Charizard looked to him, amusement in her eyes.
He gave a patting down motion as she nodded. His starter had spent enough time with Hop to know how to be gentle with him. It slowly hunkered over, huffing a bit of warm air over Hop and the wooloo. Wooloo looked up, finally squaring up as it stood protectively in front of Hop. Hop pumped his fists excited.
“Yeah! Yeah, tackle!”
“Crunch, Charizard!”
The wooloo let out a war cry and bumped into Charizard. It winced, before leaning down and chomping down hard on wooloo. It let out a harsh whimper and fainted.
“Fuck, Leon!”
“Leon!- Sonia, no cursing!”
Oops. Maybe it only could play softly with Hop.
Hop stared blankly at Wooloo on the ground, as Leon hurriedly returned Charizard and knelt next to it. Leon jumbled through the items in his bag before Hop could process, but it was too late.
Hop’s eyes looked teary, and he walked over to pat its head. He sniffed when it didn’t move, looking away with big watery eyes. Leon gulped. The high he’d been on since winning the tournament sent him flying face-first into guilt. Not even an hour home and he made his brother cry.
He made Hop cry. With pokemon. He was the worst brother.
“It-It’s alright, hey, look at me buddy.” He was relieved that Hop didn’t flinch away, but he still looked away from him. Which was still devastating.
“I got a max revive! Wooloo’s gonna be just fine!”
Raihan squatted by the right of Hop. “Yeah, it’ll be fine, Pokemon faint all the time. You can’t win every battle.”
Sonia pulled out a hanky and dabbed at Hop’s eyes while Leon fixed up the wooloo. “Leon’s gonna make it up to Wooloo right now, don’t worry.”
Hop took the hanky, not looking at any of them, gripping and squishing it in his hands. Leon sighed, as he finished using the item, and Wooloo’s eyes blearily blinked open. Hop shrunk, before hesitantly raising a hand over its head. The wooloo got up to stand and baaed cheerfully before settling back down, placing its head in Hop’s lap.
“See? It’s just fine!” Sonia tilted her head, meeting Hop’s eyes as he smiled back. He looked over at Leon, briefly frowning, before looking back to Wooloo and patting its head. Leon felt his guts twist up, and he grimaced as he tightened his grip on his knees. He looked up at Raihan, who was looking past them.
“Um, there’s-”
“Oh my god! Leon’s back!”
“Leon! Hey!”
“Welcome back!”
Hop looked even more upset, ran his hands over wooloo’s ears, before huffing and returning the wooloo. Before any of them could say anything, Hop ran into the house, clutching the ball in his hands. Leon groaned and looked at the crowd filtering in. Raihan touched his hand, speaking under his breath. “Want us to deal with them?”
Leon nodded. “Please.”
They nodded, and Leon rushed inside as they stood in front of the door. An array of confused yells and calls for his name came through the window, but Leon could hardly care. He looked into the kitchen, and the living room, before climbing upstairs and peeking into Hop’s room. He was curling up on the bed, no lights and lying on an unfamiliar jacket.
“Oh Hop.” Leon is struck with a sad sense of deju vu as he sits on the side of the bed, wrapping him in a hug. Now that he’s closer, he understands immediately why Hop would be lying on it- it’s covered on the inside in wooloo wool. It’s so large though, and he wonders if Hop had only gotten it as a blanket.
“I just-” Hop tries to look back at him but shakes his head, and leans into, what’s turning into, a very cramped hug. “I didn’t think it felt that bad. Watching it faint.”
Leon sighed, climbing onto the bed and pulling Hop into his lap. Hop wrapped himself in the jacket before leaning in closer. “I know, watching them get hurt though, it’s part of battling.”
“Hm.”
“...I’m sorry Hop, I should have been more clear with Charizard about going easier.”
Hop huffed, burying deeper. “We didn’t...you only had to use one move.”
Leon felt his insides cramping, and he turned away. “...Yeah, I’m really so-”
“You’re so strong!” Leon snapped back to look at Hop smiling up at him. Hop furrowed his eyebrows, pushing at his checks. “It’s ok!”
Leon hadn’t even noticed that he was looking upset. Normally, he had to tell people when he was upset, but. Leon smiled, ruffling Hop’s hair- Hop was such a good brother. “Yeah? Well, you’ll have to get stronger on your journey and beat me!”
“Not Raihan?”
“Haha, he’ll try!”
A pillow smacked Leon in the head, as Hop waved in Raihan and Sonia from the doorway. Raihan sighed, flopping onto the bed making the brothers bounce and laugh. “After I faced a mob of fans for you, you two are talking behind my back? For shame.”
Sonia pulled over a chair, albeit comically too small for her, and leaned onto the bed. “Feeling better?”
Hop hummed and climbed out of Leon’s lap onto Raihan’s chest, the boy, letting out a small ‘oof’. Hop handed the jacket back to Leon. “Fold please.”
Leon held the jacket out, carefully folding it in his lap and reminding himself to come back to wash it. “When’d you get this, anyway? It looks a bit big for you so I doubt mom got it for you.”
Hop patted away at Raihan’s phone, looking through it as Raihan looked on warily. “Piers.”
They all paused, waiting for him to continue. Hop swiped around on the phone before frowning, giving it back to Raihan. “No games.”
Leon looked at Sonia, and she shrugged. Raihan wheezed before they all ended up laughing as Hop looked at them in confusion.
“What’s so-”
“Leon! There you are, come down here!” Leon shrunk back, rubbing his stomach before standing up to stretch.
“Guess I avoided everyone enough, you wanna stay up here away from the crowd, Hop?” The boy nodded, and Leon smiled, patting him on the head. Raihan looked thoughtful, before flopping back as he realized he was in a trap with Hop playing with his hoodie strings. Sonia looked. She looked tired, so Leon resigned himself to going down alone. She curled up on the bed, pulling up some Pokemon Ranger movie on her phone (and Leon hopes is appropriate for Hop).
On one hand, he felt bad leaving so many people out of sorts without him.
The rest of him was glad he got time with Hop, and with a quick snap from the doorway, a new phone background.