Chapter Text
It had been raining in the Galar region on this day. Heavy droplets hit hard against the windows of the quaint buildings in the quiet town of Wedgehurst. Most of the population made sure to stay inside the comforts and safety of their own homes to avoid becoming drenched. Puddles pooled around the roads and created hazardous conditions for travel between towns. It would’ve been advisable to all citizens with jobs to have taken the day off in order to ensure a safe trip home.
However, the option didn’t appeal to everyone. The lights in the Pokemon Lab had been on at this time in the afternoon. Professor Sonia had been working diligently on some plants in the corner of the lab, having not noticed the stormy weather happening outside. On a desk near the stairway, her assistant had been going through some books regarding Pokemon from other regions of the world. He was extremely focused and hadn't actually moved from this spot for a while. When feeling an uncomfortable kink in his back, Hop had finally stretched for a moment. As he did, something in his back cracked before he relaxed back into his chair again. Hearing his groan of relief, Sonia walked over and giggled.
“Working hard over there?” she asked. He grinned in reply, turning his attention back to his book.
“Yeah, it’s just… It’s interesting to learn about all these different regions” Hop commented, though he was fighting a yawn. “I never thought about the many different Pokemon that appear in other regions before”
“You have NO idea, Hop!” Sonia responded, patting his back. “I never really went around the world myself, but I heard from Leon and Raihan about their training on the Isle of Armor eight years ago. They told me about all of the different kinds of Pokemon they’d seen, and that’s not even really outside of the region!”
At that, Hop turned away from his book to look at her. This was the first time they’d ever really talked about his brother’s adventures as a Gym Challenger. It was bound to peak his interest.
“I remember that… I hadn’t seen Lee for a long time because of that” he mentioned, thinking back to when he’d been too young to follow Leon on his journey.
Hop remembered it like it was yesterday. It wasn’t his favorite collection of memories as it meant having to live without seeing or hearing from his brother for weeks. He had been so young and without his hero for so long because of that training. Hop could remember that his mother worked hard to cheer him up when he was depressed about it by giving him sweets and playing with the Wooloo outside. When the time finally came that Leon had come home from the Isle of Armor, Hop had practically jumped into his arms. Leon had been Hop's hero ever since he could remember. He was always so kind to others, yet so strong. Hop admired his older brother to the point of being recognized as his number one fan in the whole world. Nothing stopped him from wondering what his brother had been up to the entire time he was training on that island.
Thinking about it more, this comment from Sonia had also sparked another question in Hop’s mind.
“But… Raihan went, too? I didn't know that!” he pointed out.
Sonia tipped her head to the side before having thought about it more.
“Oh, yeah… Raihan doesn’t really talk about it” said Sonia as she rubbed her chin in thought. “Everytime I asked him, he’d avoid the question or brush it off. I never pushed it with him, though”
Hop noticed the way Sonia’s face flickered with concern and questioning upon talking about it. He debated whether or not it was a good idea to press further, but his curiosity had gotten the better of him. It’s not often that he gets to talk about the other Gym Leaders. Before the Gym Challenge, he hadn’t known very much about Raihan aside from what his social media explained about him. There were many Pokemon battles that he watched take place between Raihan and his brother, but aside from being League friends, Hop could openly say he knew next to nothing about the famous Dragon Gym Leader. That is, until he'd participated in the challenge to earn his brother's championship title and battled Raihan for himself. With the little he knew of Raihan outside from their few interactions, Hop had to admit that he was rather curious about the tall dragon trainer.
“Why not?” he asked. Sonia shrugged in response.
“Well, I hadn’t known him that well at the time” Sonia responded simply. “I wanna say it was on the Isle of Armor that he and Leon really became rivals”
“So they… Both trained under Master Mustard?” Hop questioned.
Master Mustard, as far as Hop was aware, was in charge of a dojo on the Isle of Armor. Hop remembered Leon talking about him upon returning from his trip. Leon hadn’t told him or his mom about the trip itself, though, aside from that he had learned a lot while he was there. Aside from the techniques Leon learned from him, they never really were told much about Master Mustard. At the time, it didn’t matter much to Hop since he was more excited to see how much his brother had learned from his experiences on the Isle of Armor. Having witnessed such an increase in his battle strategies, it didn’t surprise Hop that Leon eventually became the famous and unbeatable League Champion. Sonia’s response had interrupted his thoughts on the matter.
“Yep, as far as your brother’s told me, they were both students!”
As she said this, Sonia began flipping the pages of the book Hop was reading. After a few pages, she stopped on one that had a huge picture of an island and pointed to it for Hop to see.
“There’s a picture of the Isle of Armor right here! Big island, lots to see!”
Hop marveled at the sight before him. The island wasn't as large as the region of Galar, but it was still in the middle of the ocean. It looked as though no other big spots of land were immediately nearby. It had honestly been a beautiful picture of the place, as Hop himself had only seen the ocean from the docks in Hulbury. But the ocean view of Hulbury had nothing on the views presented in the pictures of the Isle of Armor. Even the pictures he saw of the Alola region seemed dull in comparison to the ones he was still looking at in his book. The Isle of Armor looked like an amazing place to have spent weeks away from the region for.
Having seen just a picture, he could only imagine what it would have been like to stay there for a long period of time. Exploring, battling, training to become a better trainer- it brought a feeling in Hop’s chest that he couldn’t necessarily identify. His brother had been so lucky to have gone on such a journey before becoming the League Champion. What could he have seen? What did he do when he was bored? Hop could come up with a few adventures that could’ve taken place on this land he’d never seen before, but he knew the real thing was probably better than what was going on in his head.
“I wish I got to know what it was like…” Hop muttered to himself.
Sonia was not deaf, however, and smiled at her young assistant. She patted his shoulder comfortingly.
“Why don’t you go ask Leon about it, then?” she suggested. "Maybe you should go see it for yourself!"
Hop turned his head back towards her, eyes widened in surprise at the idea of it.
“W-What?” Hop stuttered. “B-But Sonia, the lab needs me and there’s work-”
“Hop” she interrupted.
Sonia bent down on one knee and placed her hands on his knee. She made sure to look up at him with the utmost reassurance in her eyes as the boy reciprocated her stare with confusion and a hint of guilt. He wasn’t exactly sure what she was going to say next, but he didn’t dare to cut her off. Moving her hand up to cup his cheek, she smiled reassuringly.
“The lab and I will be fine...” she asserted. “You are my assistant, but becoming a professor also means going out on your own to make discoveries for yourself… Personally, I think it would be good for you and get you headed in the right direction”
At that, he gave up arguing and merely nodded excitedly.
“But again, ask your brother. He may have some things you should know about the isle first”
~~~
In the Battle Tower, Leon stood at the top and watched as the rain continued to pour against the rooftop of the glass ceiling dome. There weren’t many battlers today due to the terrible weather, and he had considered going home to spend time with his family with the lack of participants.
However, this was not a day that Leon felt like enjoying himself to, nor was he willing to feign it. Ever since the previous Chairman Rose left the tower in his custody, he’d been trying his hardest to follow his dreams of creating strong Pokemon challengers for the region. He started the Battle Tower as a way of testing all individuals with the ability to train their Pokemon. It was his dream ever since before becoming the champion of Galar. He wanted to be strong in order to inspire and motivate others to do the same. Once he became champion, that had all been put aside to fulfill the needs and desires of his endorser, Chairman Rose, among other reasons. After everything that happened during this recent Gym Challenge, Leon felt that he had more time on his hands to pursue the dream he held since he was a child.
For one thing, he was no longer the champion. One of his endorsed challengers, Victor, had been the first to defeat Leon in his many years protecting Galar. Hop’s childhood friend and neighbor had taken the title of League Champion, and while it was a little sad to have lost it, Leon was also relieved. The fact that someone had been able to defeat him meant that he was slowly getting closer and closer to his dream. Victor had only been one of the three endorsements he gave out this year, though. The other two went to his own little brother, Hop, and Victor’s twin sister, Gloria.
Leon fully supported his brother’s ambitions to take his title, but was ultimately proud of Hop’s eventual path towards becoming a professor. He saw no better rival in achieving their goals than his own younger brother, who’d always supported him from the audience while he reigned as champion. Even now, he continued to give the three best friends his support whenever he was needed. He could’ve gone home to check on all of them if he wanted to, despite the awful weather outside.
But today, he hadn’t felt like doing anything. Nothing specifically happened today that brought about this behavior, but Leon still felt unmotivated. He looked up at the sky to see nothing but droplets of water, no light whatsoever. He’d turned off the main lights on the top floor, intending to leave the Tower, but got stuck watching the sky. This scene of strong rain, dark clouds, and the solitude felt familiar to him. Continuing to look up and seemingly endless sky, Leon sighed, letting his eyes flutter shut and remembering the feeling of having the rain poured on him. He remembered the feeling of being drenched, despite being inside the tower right now. There had also been a numbness in his skin that he couldn’t ever forget the feeling of.
“... It’s been years…” he spoke to himself. “... Since that day...”
As he said this, he looked away from the sky for a moment, just to look at a yarn bracelet hiding beneath the cuff of his jacket. He clenched his fists and looked down at the ground, the sounds of rain continuing to surround himself. As he clenched his fists, he shook off the numb feeling within his skin. It was almost as though his senses were reacting to the surroundings in the same way as back then, but he couldn’t understand why. At least, he couldn't understand why it would still affect him.
Leon almost jumped at the sound of his Rotom phone, whipping it out with a slightly shaky hand. He grinned in relief at the sight of his brother’s avatar peeking through the screen. His earlier nerves fading, he answers the phone as confidently as he always does when talking to his younger brother. He may not have been in the mood to spend time with everyone all at once, but he could always spare a call with his number one fan.
“Hey, Hop!” Leon answered. “What’s going on?”
“Hey, Lee!” he heard his brother call out. “Sorry, I know you’re working today, but I wanted to discuss something with you”
“Hey, don’t worry about it. The Tower’s empty today!” Leon assured. “What’d ya wanna talk about?”
“Well… I wanted to know about your trip to the Isle of Armor!”
At that, Leon felt his body tighten uncomfortably. The rain outside the tower was suddenly louder in his ears than it had been when he was alone. Despite being inside, he began feeling the dampness of the rain as though it were actually raining on him. He could remember screams in the back of his mind, a lack of feeling, and an emptiness in his chest. All of these feelings flashed through his body so quickly, yet he wasn’t aware of how long he’d been silent until Hop’s voice popped through the phone again.
“... Lee? You there?”
Leon jumped again at his brother’s voice when it interrupted his thoughts. Shaking the feeling off as best as he can, he cleared his throat before rejoining the conversation.
“U-Um, yeah! Sorry” he apologized awkwardly. “W-Why would you wanna know about the Isle?”
He needed to shake off this feeling. He didn’t want to remember what happened, but he couldn’t stop his stomach from dropping at what his brother said next.
“I wanted to go there like you did!”
So many memories flashed before his mind. Smiles, laughter, and fun times while training alongside with his Pokemon. However, in the midst of those memories was also a blurred memory of a boy. He couldn’t remember them clearly, nor did he want to. Thinking about it was beginning to bring discomfort to Leon that needed to be shaken off. He was still talking with his younger brother.
“Hop…” Leon started, hesitating to let out the next few words from his mouth. “I-I don’t think that’s a good idea”
Hop was silent on the other line, and Leon knew right then that this wasn’t going to end well. He placed his hand on his head as he could only be imagining the face his brother had right now. This was the first time Leon had ever said anything like this to Hop. Usually, he could get away with simple redirection of a conversation, but he never had to outright refuse his brother of something before.
“... What?”
Leon could hear the disbelief in his brother’s voice and he tried so hard to not let it break his resolve. There was no negotiating this in his mind. He couldn’t let Hop go to that island.
“It… It’s not really a place for you” he said. “There are… many strong Pokemon out there”
It was a weak excuse and he knew that, but he wasn’t sure he could bring himself to tell Hop the truth. He didn’t want his brother going to the Isle of Armor, though. Despite the excitement Hop’s voice held when presenting him with this news, he couldn’t allow his little brother to go there. It was more dangerous than his brother realized, but how could Leon express that without going further into detail?
“But… That’s WHY I’m going, Lee! I can learn so much about other Pokemon that don’t reside in our region, and… And I wouldn’t be too far away!”
The excitement in Hop’s voice was picking up again, but Leon could also hear that he was struggling to argue his take on the situation. He didn’t want to hear his brother sound this way with him, but in his eyes Hop just didn’t know what he was trying to get into. He sighed.
“I get that, Hop, but… Couldn’t you just do that at the lab with Sonia?” Leon asked, hoping his brother would give up soon. This discussion was beginning to exhaust him.
“... I… could…”
A sigh of relief nearly escaped Leon before Hop continued.
“But I wanted to go to the Isle for myself…”
“Hop, is this really about going to the Isle to see Pokemon and the scenery?” Leon asked.
Hop was quiet on the other line for a moment, and Leon put his hand to his mouth. What was he saying? Where did that come from?
“What do you mean…? What WOULD it be about?”
Leon wasn’t sure he wanted to go this route, but he knew one thing and that was that Hop should not go to the Isle of Armor. He had an idea of why exactly Hop wanted to go to the Isle of Armor, but would it be wise of him to point it out? Was upsetting his brother the only way to protect him?
“You sure it’s not… just because I went there?” Leon asked, almost hesitant to push this further. Hop’s response was almost instant.
“I’m not going there to train, Lee, I’m going to explore and do some research”
Leon could tell his brother was trying to control his tone. The insinuation he’d left with that last statement was bound to rub his little brother the wrong way and he’d already known that. But how was he supposed to convince his younger brother not to go somewhere like that? Somewhere Leon himself hasn’t gone back to in years? He didn’t know what else to do or say to convince his brother against the idea. He spent so much time trying to think of excuses and distractions from it that Hop seemed to have gotten impatient.
“... You’re really not gonna tell me anything?”
Leon’s silence continued. He didn’t know how he wanted to proceed with this without potentially hurting his little brother’s feelings more so than he was likely doing already. He knew staying silent wasn’t going to answer Hop’s question nor close the discussion, though. He took a deep breath in order to force it out.
“... I’m sorry, Hop” he forced. “I just don’t think it’d be a good idea”
Even though he couldn’t see his brother’s face, Leon could only imagine the disappointment that probably painted Hop’s features at this moment.
“... Fine… Later, Lee”
“I love-” Leon started, before getting cut off by the dial tone. “... you…”
Hop would always tell Leon he loved him before ending a call. Letting his phone hand drop down while the other ran through his hair, he groaned. He didn’t want Hop to be upset with him, he just wanted to make sure he was safe. If only his brother could have known just how much trouble Leon was trying to spare him of. He had enough memories to know that it wasn’t going to be safe for Hop to go to the Isle of Armor, no matter what the circumstances were...
~~~
“He said WHAT?”
The next morning had been much brighter, but the puddles still filled many holes in the roads between towns. At the very least, in the small town of Postwick, it was possible to visit friends for a casual conversation without disruption. Hop had bolted over to Victor and Gloria’s house without hesitance the minute they texted him about having been awake. The twins had been eating their breakfast while Hop himself had been sitting at the other end of the dining table. His face was planted into the table’s surface.
“He said it wasn't a good idea” Hop muttered into the table.
Gloria shook her head at the news while her brother, Victor, continued eating silently. The two exchanged glances before looking back at their obviously depressed friend. This had to have been really bad to have gotten Hop this bummed. The two of them don’t remember him getting this bad after the Pokemon battle Hop had with Bede during their Gym Challenge. But they knew that because it was Leon, it would bound to shake up their friend more than any rival ever could.
“Why wouldn’t it be a good idea?” Gloria asked, poking her fork in his direction. “This would be the first step for you to become a professor!”
“I know” Hop muttered in response, still not lifting his head up from the table.
“And it would open you up towards going to other regions and learning from their professors, too” Victor added in before chomping on another piece of egg.
“Yeah, I realize” Hop muttered, before finally lifting his face up from the table. “But he wouldn’t tell me anything!”
The twins looked at each other for a moment, silently trying to figure out what should be done about the dilemma. Gloria gestured Hop’s direction to Victor, hoping her brother could say something to appease their upset friend. He wasn’t sure what she wanted from him, but decided to give it a try anyway..
“Well, um… What was that about strong Pokemon?” he asked. Gloria huffed at his lack of help.
“An excuse, if you ask me!” she argued. “You have ZACIAN on your team! How strong would the Pokemon on the Isle of Armor have to be to give you trouble with ZACIAN helping you out?”
Hop had already explained to his two best friends about the conversation he had with his brother the night before. After elaborating on every detail of the phone conversation, the twins were now discussing their thoughts on the matter. Both were presenting their own inputs on the situation. Usually Gloria would be the one to react the most while Victor would be the more level-headed one. Yet, even Victor found this situation puzzling and rather out of nowhere for the previous champion. However, Hop knew better than to think that despite Victor’s contributions, he still wanted to be the voice of reason and recognize that Leon probably had a good reason for his decision. As if on cue, Victor finished his plate and stood while putting more of his thoughts into the discussion.
“Well, hang on, mates, let’s think about this for a sec” started Victor. “What if Leon’s got a point here? Some strong Pokemon on an island decently far away from the Galar region? Who knows what you’d be up against, even with Zacian?”
At this, Gloria and Hop both gasped excitedly.
“You mean like another LEGENDARY Pokemon?” they both asked at the same time.
Victor sighed as this wasn’t necessarily the type of reaction he wanted.
“Yeah, or- stop that and let me finish” he started, cutting the two off before they got excited again. “Or stronger enemies that could hurt not just your team, Hop, but also yourself”
Hop looked dejected as he slumped back into his seat again, watching as the two brunette twins begin debating each other. He loved the two to the ends of the world, but this wasn’t necessarily helping him get an understanding of his brother nor helping him with his inner desire to see another part of the region.
“Look, guys, I get it” Victor said. “I think it’d be cool for Hop to do this, too, but I’m an older brother as well and I wouldn’t wanna hear about my sibling going to some potentially life-threatening island alone where I may never see them again”
“But Hop says Leon went when he was just our age” Gloria replied, poking her brother’s nose with her finger. “Plus, you're only 5 minutes older than me! I believe in Hop! I think he’d be fine”
“At least SOMEONE believes in me…”
Upon hearing that, the two twins stopped their arguing and turned to Hop, who had his hands shoved in his pockets and was looking at the ground again.
“No matter what I said to him…” Hop started. “No matter what we’ve all done together up til now, Lee just… doesn’t see me as a rival like he said he did”
The twins looked at Hop sadly. They remembered just how bright his face became when the golden-eyed boy realized his dream of becoming a Pokemon professor. They also remembered the way Hop’s grin had never been wider upon hearing Leon compliment him. They recognized that Leon was Hop’s hero and role model since they were children. Neither one of them could imagine the way the boy must’ve felt now having heard from older brother first hand that he shouldn’t pursue this part of his dream.
“Come on, Hop” Gloria started, walking over to grasp his hands. “You know that’s not true. Your brother believes in you, and… probably has some good reason for this, I’m sure…”
Victor would’ve been surprised at Gloria’s turn-around, but he knew better. He knew just how much Gloria appreciated Hop’s friendship and thought about how the two were so similar to each other. He knew that she especially had a soft spot for Hop, and was always the first to back him up on anything he would do. Despite the fact that Gloria was always the more pushy one of their trio and could sometimes use some very colorful language, she was a real soft soul willing to help her best friends when they needed it.
Victor also knew that what she said about Leon was true, though. He knew just how much Leon cared about his younger brother. It was a little sad that Hop couldn't always see just how much his older brother looked to him for inspiration and love, too. In the midst of this train of thought, Victor hadn’t noticed how Gloria's eyes grew a sparkle in them from an idea as she lifted Hop’s hands with her own excitedly.
“... Which is why we’re gonna go with you!” she stated confidently.
At that, both boys in the room blanched at her .
“Wait, WHAT??” the two practically shouted. Gloria smiled sweetly in response.
“Oh, come on!” she said, rubbing her hands together. “What better way to assure Leon of Hop’s safety than by going with the League Champion to the Isle of Armor?”
Hop looked between her and Victor for a couple of seconds, recognizing that they were both on different pages again. Victor sputtered for a bit before pointing at his sister accusingly.
“Y-You can’t just go making that kind of decision for me, Glo!” Victor stammered, causing Gloria to pout at him in protest.
“Our best friend is having a personal career crisis and you’re not willing to help him out, Vic?” she teased with a playfully disappointed look on her face.
“Th-That’s not the point and you know it!” Victor shouted.
“Would it really… be too much?” Hop asked.
At that, Victor looked at his best friend and couldn’t help but stop himself from rejecting the idea immediately. He remembered that he and Gloria both told Hop that they were going to support him in his endeavors towards becoming a Pokemon professor after he’d taken the championship away from him. Victor ran his hand through his hair and pulled his hat off in order to avoid giving off a frustrated sigh. While he loved his sister and best friend just as much as they loved him, even he admitted that they could be somewhat tiresome.
“I… I guess I could go!” he caved. “I’d be able to catch more Pokemon anyway…”
At that the two excited challengers clapped each other’s hands happily. Hop was initially very excited before his gaze hit the ground again. It didn’t necessarily matter whether or not the two came with him, they didn’t know how to get to the Isle of Armor. Somehow, even if they’d asked Leon with the addition of the champion and friend, Hop felt that they would only get rejected again.
“I… appreciate it, guys, but I still don’t think Lee will be on board…” Hop admitted dejectedly. Gloria shrugged.
“Then… let’s not tell him!” she said simply.
This would be the second time that the two boys blanched at her over some potentially awful idea she’s had today. Victor could feel his hair turning white almost anytime his sister said or suggested at this point, let alone anything else that could get them in major trouble.
“Let me get this straight… ” Victor says, clapping his hands together. “You want to go to the Isle of Armor, where Leon- former champion of the Galar region- does NOT want us to go, and you DON’T wanna tell him we’re going?”
Gloria and Hop looked at each other for a moment, before both of them grew playful smirks.
“Yup” Hop agreed.
“Sounds about right” Gloria added.
Victor sighed. Gloria rolled her eyes at this before continuing.
"Look, Vic, we're not just running away like vigilantes" she explained. "We obviously gotta tell our parents, but if Leon's the only one who's against Hop going to the Isle than he's the only one who doesn't need to know, right?"
At this point, Victor had given up arguing with the two.
“Alright, wait, but how would we even find this place?” Victor asks. “Leon’s the only person who would know anything about it!”
At that, Hop paused for a moment.
“... Well… he’s not… the ONLY one” Hop admitted, causing the two to turn around and face him.
“... Really? Who else would know where to find this place?” Victor asked, sharing the same confused look as Gloria.
Hop scratched the back of his head before answering.
“Well… Raihan went, too”
Hop proceeded to explain to the twins about what Sonia had told him while he was reading in the lab. Needless to say the two were surprised at the sudden information. However, Gloria rubbed her chin in thought while processing the information.
"I don't think he'll tell us" Gloria stated. "If what Sonia says is true and he was adamant about not talking about it, it could be the same situation as Leon"
“Plus, it could be dangerous to let Raihan know” Victor said, crossing his arms. “He’s a close friend of Leon’s. If we ask, it may end up getting back to your brother and the plan would be pointless”
This whole conversation had been making Victor uneasy about going on this trip to begin with. Not that he was worried about surviving- he was the League Champion, after all. Rather, he was more worried about the other two, and about the consequences of what they were planning. Actions and adventures like this always got the three of them in trouble when they were children and he had hoped that they'd have outgrown the days of getting grounded for getting mud on their clothes.
"Wait..." Hop started. The two looked at him curiously. "The book I was reading... There was a huge picture of the Isle of Armor... Sonia might be able to help us find a way to go! She knew all about the Isle without having been there herself!"
At that, the three friends looked at each other, some with uncertainty while others held excitement. Seemed like a good direction to go. It was time to take action.
"Alright, then" Victor stated. "Let's go see Sonia"