Chapter Text
----- i ----- i -----
Today was the day of the annual summer festival, the Wyndon Gale. It was a weekend long event with festivities like carnival games, Pokemon battles, shopping stalls, and more.
Leon attended the Gale every year since becoming Champion and moving to Wyndon-- but he wasn’t there for the events. His job was primarily to host fan meet-n-greets and signings. Since he no longer held his title however, this year would be the first time he’d be able to spend the festival as a regular attendee, free of obligations.
It would also be the first time he’d be spending it with Hop. And Leon had been looking forward to this occasion for weeks.
They had both agreed to meet up and spend a fun day together at the Gale, as they finally both had some time off. If there was one thing Leon was grateful for no longer being Champion, is that he had more freedom with his spare time. And with that spare time, he wanted to spend as much of it as he could on Hop. They didn’t get enough time with each other when Leon was still Champion and Hop was undergoing the gym challenge, after all.
And that’s the only reason, he told himself. It was natural to miss his brother so much, and to think of him daily even when they were apart. And it was natural to lose sleep from the excitement of finally getting to spend time with someone he loved so deeply.
Brotherly love, of course. They just had a strong bond like that.
Or… at least Leon did. He didn’t know if Hop felt the same way about him.
When he thought of Hop, he thought about just how far he had come from when he was just a beginning trainer-- to now, a keen professor-in-training. Leon could feel his heart swell. He had always known Hop had talent, but now he was really shining through, and he could feel his immense pride and adoration for him start to rise, and wow, Hop really was something and he loved him so--
Leon stamped out that train of thought before it could go any further, and he felt the need to cover his slowly blushing face. Today he would try to put those feelings aside and focus on just spending time with his brother. Nothing else.
Leon waited patiently, leaning against the wall of the station and occasionally checking his phone as Hop texted him updates. Getting off the train now! Meet you outside! his last message read.
And as a large crowd emerged from out of the station doors, Leon kept his eyes peeled as he waited, scanning faces for his brother’s familiar face, and then-- there, he spotted him. He could see him several meters away, looking around and swinging his head from side to side.
“Oi! Hop!” Leon called out to him. Hop’s head swiveled back towards him, looking confused for the briefest of moments, but then he burst into that big, classic Hop smile.
Leon felt his heart skip. That was the smile that could brighten his day. He would never grow tired of it.
Hop made his way through the crowd and towards Leon, but as he grew near, he choked out a laugh that he hid (poorly) behind his hand.
“Hey, uh… Lee? What are you wearing?” Hop snickered, his eyes roaming up and down Leon in bewilderment.
“Oh, this?” Leon hummed, as if he didn’t know what Hop was talking about.
Leon loved over-the-top looks. Usually his outfits ranged from a variety of different styles-- from his posh Battle Tower uniform, to his signature cape and ball-cap. Today, however, he decided to go with something outside even his eccentric tastes.
He glanced down at his outfit, which comprised of a tacky blue tank top with coral reefs and Luvdisc printed on the front, multicoloured tie-dye joggers, red foam sandals, plus a ball-cap with his hair tied in a bun to top it all off. The bright colours clashed together brilliantly yet terribly. Leon wasn’t sure if he hated it or not.
“Yes, that,” Hop snorted. “You didn’t get fashion tips from Chairman Rose, did you?”
Leon had to laugh at that. “No, no. I mean... I don’t want to risk anybody recognizing me,” he said, gesturing down at his outfit. “I just want today to be about us hanging out. No interruptions. Just... us,” he finished. He hoped the blush that was rising to his cheeks wasn’t at all noticeable.
“But it’s so obvious!” Hop huffed and gave a cute pout that Leon couldn’t resist giggling at. “So you’ve got… a... disguise, but I can still tell it’s you just by looking at your face.”
Leon pulled out a pair of dark shades from his pants pocket and slid them onto his face. “Not when I do this, you can’t,” he said, bearing a wide smirk.
If Hop exaggerated his eye-roll any more than he did, Leon thought his eyes might roll backwards instead.
“Well, I’m just glad I get to see you. Dumb outfit and all,” Hop smiled, then outstretched his arms towards him. Leon happily closed the gap between them and pulled them in for a hug, burying his nose into Hop’s soft hair.
It was so nice to see Hop again. He wasn’t as busy as he was when he was taking part in the gym challenge, but assistant work still kept him occupied.
“I didn’t think Sonia would let you have some time off? I know you’re working pretty hard these days,” Leon said as he pulled back slightly, but kept his arms wrapped securely around Hop.
“She actually told me I was working too hard and that I should ‘do something fun’,” Hop shrugged. “But I don’t get it. The things that we’re working on is fun!” he said, looking annoyed.
But Leon just beamed. He knew just how disappointed and lost Hop was when he lost the Champion Cup, and how he thought he wasn’t worth it as a trainer. And for a while, Leon was worried if he was ever going to recover.
Now, however, it seemed like Hop rediscovered the bounce in his step and finally found something he genuinely felt confident in. Hop was already bright and talented, but now he could finally show that off with his hard work ethic. Leon was happy he found a path that worked for him. He deserved this opportunity and he couldn’t be prouder of him.
“Look at my studious lil’ bro! You’re gonna make a fine professor one day, I know it,” he crooned, ruffling Hop’s hair despite his noises of protest.
“H-Hey, Lee! C’mon, cut it out!” Hop yelped, placing his hands on Leon’s chest in an attempt to push him away, but not actually applying force to break free. Leon just chuckled, re-tightened his arms around Hop, and lifted him up.
He was suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to spin them around-- so he did just that. Leon twirled and spun them in a circle, chanting praise of how talented and smart Hop was. Hop’s fussing and protests soon melted into laughter and high pitched giggles, and Leon couldn’t help but laugh along with him.
Eventually Leon slowed and lowered his brother back onto the ground. The two remained closely embraced, chests pressed together, both flushed and panting from how hard they laughed.
“But…I mean...” Hop said in between pants, “Hanging out with you is fun, too,” he finished with a small laugh, and Leon broke out into an involuntary smile.
“I’m glad... I missed you, Hop,” Leon spoke fondly. His voice had dropped into a quieter tone, but it’s not like he noticed. All he could notice was Hop’s soft dimples and reddened cheeks and long, batting eyelashes.
“‘Missed you too, Lee…” Hop returned, his voice just as tender as Leon’s had been. There was something about the way Hop had said those words that made Leon flush, and he wondered just how noticeable his blush was now.
And then Hop smiled.
That classic, wonderful Hop smile that was so wide, and so beautiful. The very smile that made Leon’s heart alight and his blood rush. He loved him. He loved everything about him.
But with that thought, Leon began to notice everything a bit too quickly.
Hop’s legs on either side of Leon’s own leg. Hop’s arms resting on Leon’s hips. Hop’s chest pressing against him. Hop’s long lashes. Hop’s bright eyes. Hop’s handsome face that was inches away from his own. Hop’s plump lips. Hop’s breath fluttering from his slightly agape mouth, and Leon could feel-- no, downright taste just how close he was. Like he could chase the whisper of his breath and follow it back to where it came from. All the way home to Hop’s soft, welcoming lips.
It was dangerous, with Hop being close to him like that. But they were so close. Leon wanted to be even closer.
“Lee…”
It was Hop’s whisper that made him come to. Leon inwardly panicked. He quickly pulled away, turned, and fake coughed, but really it was an effort to look anywhere other than Hop. To forget about the mouth that was just inches away from his, to forget about the soft breath on his lips.
“C-come on, Hop! Not a second to waste! Let’s check out some festivities!” Leon proclaimed loudly, louder than what was necessary. He picked a direction, not really looking to see where he was headed, and fast walked towards it.
Hop giggled behind him. “Lee… I think the festivities are this way,” he said, and Leon looked back towards him to see that he was pointing in the opposite direction.
Oh. Leon felt his ears burn red.
So, putting his feelings aside and hiding them might be harder than he expected.
Leon felt like he was in for a long day.
----- ii ----- ii -----
“Lee, come check this out!”
Leon turned back towards Hop, who had left his side and currently had his face pressed against a store window. He gave a quick giggle at how scrunched and concentrated Hop’s face looked.
“Whatcha find?” Leon asked, making his way back towards him.
Hop pointed to something past the window, indicating what he was looking at. “These! Look!” he exclaimed. Leon put his face to the glass and raised his hands in order to block the sun’s glare. Finally he spotted the items of interest.
A hanging sign inside the store read “Handmade Pokemon Hoodies”, and on display were mannequins featuring several of the mentioned hoodies. From here he could see Grookey, Scorbunny, and Sobble based ones, plus a few others he couldn’t quite make out from his angle.
“Come try one on with me,” Hop said, and before Leon could utter an agreement, he was already being dragged by the hand and into the store.
As it turned out they had quite a larger selection, ranging from Galar’s most popular Pokemon such as Gengar and Yamper. Leon didn’t get to see which hoodie Hop picked for himself before he rushed towards the nearest change room to try it on. In the meantime, Leon decided to try out one that caught his eye.
It was a Charmander hoodie with its face printed on the front of the hood and the design of its tail printed on the back. Although it would probably look better with a different outfit than the one he was wearing, the design was genuinely cute, not to mention it was soft and well-made. Leon rather liked it, he had to admit.
He spent a bit of time checking himself out in the mirror before Hop finally emerged again.
“How does it look?” he heard Hop say, and Leon turned to look at him.
To say Hop was cute would be a complete understatement.
“Adorable” or even “precious” would be a better suited word. The garment was just a tad too wide for Hop’s lanky frame, but it gave the impression of him swimming in a cloud-- the pure white fleece adding to the effect. But that was hardly the best part.
The real highlight was the hood pulled over Hop’s head. It had the soft face of a Wooloo sewed on, similar to the Charmander on Leon’s hood. But unlike his, Hop’s came included with small little nubs for horns as well as floppy ears on either side.
A tiny whine emitted from Leon’s throat. His brother had always been cute, but this…
He didn’t know if he could handle the sight in front of him.
“Lee, I said how does it look? Do y’think it fits?”
Hop was peering at him from underneath his hood with those big round eyes-- those damn eyes-- staring, questioning, waiting. Leon felt a lump rise in his throat that he had to swallow back down.
By Areceus, how could his brother be so attractive and adorable at the same time?
Soon enough Leon was walking forward, closing the gap between him and Hop, approaching, never taking his eyes off him, until there was barely an inch between them. All while Hop was still staring, with those eyes, those golden shining eyes, looking up in question.
And Leon couldn’t.
He looked around to make sure no one was looking. Then he reached out, pulled the front of Hop’s hood down which covered his face and muffled his surprised yelp,
And planted a long kiss to the Wooloo’s face, right against Hop’s forehead.
It wasn’t exactly what he wanted, and Leon wanted so much more. But it was the closest he could get.
“I… yeah. It fits,” Leon coughed, pulling away and letting go of Hop’s hood. One of Hop’s hands shot up and yanked the hood off so he could look up at Leon again.
The look on Hop’s face was one of stunned surprise, and his face was quickly growing a dark flush. And for while, they just stood, staring deeply at one another. Leon swallowed his growing embarrassment.
They’ve had moments like these in the past. Lately it’s been a more frequent occurrence. Moments where they’ve been a little too close or too physically intimate, and Leon notices when it happens of course. But lately, he thinks Hop’s started to notice too.
Hop has never mentioned it, and frankly, neither has he. And because of that he’s gotten bolder and more daring, pushing the boundaries because he can’t help himself when it comes to Hop even though he knows he should be more careful. But it’s there-- present in the air around them, as heavy as a Copperajah.
Hop remained still, staring at him, giving him a sort of complex look. It wasn’t a negative expression, but... Leon couldn’t exactly tell what Hop was thinking.
Seconds of heartbeats passed, and finally Hop broke the silence. “Oh-- I… good. It fits. Nice,” he stumbled, finally tearing his gaze away from him.
In the end, Leon bought the Wooloo hoodie for Hop (as well as his own Charmander one) despite Hop arguing that he didn’t need to spend money on him.
Leon simply disagreed, saying that it was a perfect fit and practically made for him.
Hop didn’t argue back after that. His cheeks were tinted a deep red even long after they left the shop.
----- iii ----- iii -----
After a while of looking around different stores, the two left the shopping district and wandered into one of the city’s many plazas. The streets connecting to the plaza were closed off to any vehicles and was currently buzzing with people and Pokemon visiting various tents, food carts, and attractions. Leon and Hop held hands as to not lose each other in the commotion.
The amount of activity was slightly staggering, if Leon was being honest-- even for someone like him, who was used to people and large crowds. He briefly worried if Hop was overwhelmed with how much was going on, but a glance backwards and a warm smile from Hop quickly melted any worries he had.
They were making their way past a notably large crowd, until Leon heard a booming voice from a megaphone.
“... And it looks like Leafeon has fainted! Hatterene is the winner!”
Both Leon and Hop’s head turned towards the voice and the cheering that erupted immediately after. It was hard to look past the heads of people, but Leon could see that the crowd had formed a large circle around two trainers and their Pokemon. The victor appeared to be a pink haired girl with twin tails standing beside a Hatterene, who loomed over a collapsed Leafeon. Both the trainer and Pokemon looked smug in their victory.
“Kira and her Hatterene remain the victors! Can anyone beat our reigning champs?”
“Whoa, people are battling out here,” Hop said, who was currently standing on his tippy toes trying to get a better look. “Looks intense…”
“Hop,” Leon whispered to him, with urgency in his voice.
Hop immediately turned to look at him. “Huh? Is something wrong?” he said, his face suddenly serious.
Leon shook his head. “No, I…” he paused, taking a moment to inhale a deep breath. Then he spoke:
“I wanna go and battle.”
Hop blinked once, twice, then snorted in laughter. “Really, Lee?” he snickered. “Aren’t you supposed to be taking a break from work?”
“Yeah? It’s not like I’m at the Battle Tower right now,” Leon pointed out.
“I mean, from battling! Plus, didn’t you say you didn’t want to be recognized?”
“I won’t be. I’m disguised, remember?”
Hop snorted. “How could I forget,” he said, his eyes darting down Leon’s body. “Lee, there’s no way no one’s not going to recognize you.”
“I’ll be discreet! I mean, I am discreet!” Leon argued, gesturing down at his outfit. When Hop didn’t seem convinced, Leon kept trying. “Look, I won’t even use Charizard or do the pose.”
Leon watched as Hop crossed his arms and snorted softly. And for a few seconds afterwards, Hop didn’t say anything else. He just stood with his bottom lip bit, with the corners of his smile upturned slightly. But Leon could tell that he was at least thinking about it.
“Last call for challengers! Is there anyone willing to step up to the plate?” boomed the announcer.
Finally Hop exhaled a puff of air. “Oh… just go,” he said, feigning exasperation.
“Yes! Thank you, Hop,” Leon clapped his brother’s hands with his own in appreciation, then dropped them to quickly run up to the front of the arena. He couldn’t help his excitement from seeping through as he bounded past the crowd of people and entered the clearing.
“I’d like to battle!” Leon announced, pitching his voice slightly deeper than it usually was. Somehow, he could sense Hop was facepalming from back in the audience.
As he stepped into the middle of the makeshift battle arena, all he heard were cheers and no whispers of people trying to discern if the new challenger looked like Former Champion Leon himself.
Which meant that his disguise was doing its job. Take that, Hop, Leon smirked to himself.
The coach nodded at him to acknowledge his challenge, then raised the megaphone up. “We have a new challenger! Give him a round of applause!” he announced, and the crowd roared in excitement.
Leon looked up to gauge his opponent. The trainer-- Kira, if he remembered correctly-- had just finished healing her Hatterene and was now staring at him from across the arena.
“Another fool brave enough to face me, huh? And who might you be?” she goaded him while stretching her arms.
Leon ignored her attempt to provoke him, instead choosing to smile at her good-natured way. “I’m just here for a nice, fun battle,” he hummed happily.
“If your idea of fun is getting crushed, you’ve come to the right place,” Kira sounded snide. “I’m at a six win streak. Honourable of you to offer to be my seventh,” she snarked, and the crowd “ooo’d” in response.
Leon only shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know. I think you might be surprised,” he flashed another grinned at her. The glare she shot him was intense, but she said nothing else.
The two met in the center briefly as the coach glossed over the rules. “This will be a quick, one versus one battle,” he explained. “One Pokemon for each side only, and no using items mid battle. Are we clear on the rules?”
Both Leon and Kira nodded, and as the coach gave them the okay, the two trainers walked back towards their respective ends of the arena.
Leon was already formulating a plan. It looked like Kira was going to stick with her Hatterene, so he called out his Aegislash. It had an obvious typing advantage, and it would be able to take a hit from a hard hitter like Hatterene.
The crowd fell silent and the two trainers waited with baited breath, waiting for the match to start. The coach held his hand in the air for a few moments… then quickly brought it down.
“Start!”
“Mystical Fire!”
“Shadow Claw!”
The commands were ordered at the same time, but the Hatterene was faster. Its mouth formed a wide ‘O’ shape to create a ring of fire, then immediately released a forceful stream of fire at his Pokemon. Aegislash managed to shake off the attack and circled behind its opponent to get out of the onslaught of flame, before it swiftly changed to its Blade forme and cut off the Hatterene’s attack with a quick Shadow Claw.
So that’s how they defeated the Leafeon last round. Leon realized. He waved the embers that wafted towards his direction and inspected the damage done to his Pokemon.
It was a heavy hit. Aegislash was already looking worse for wear. Leon was lucky that the Hatterene went first. If Aegislash had taken a super effective hit while not in its Shield forme, it would have been over for him in just one turn. Luckily for him however, the Shadow Claw had dealt a hefty amount of damage to the Hatterene as well.
Leon was used to the flexibility of six on six battles, not the high stakes of a one on one battle where a mistake could cost you the match. However, with how much damage both sides had already taken, it was looking like it might be a quicker battle than he expected.
He just had to play it right.
“Again!”
Leon heard Kira call, but this time he was ready. He ordered a quick “King’s Shield!” before the Hatterene whipped around, preparing another Mystical Fire. Aegislash swiftly turned itself back into its Shield forme and projected a large hexagonal barrier, completely negating the firey attack. The Hatterene screeched in frustration as it tried to wave away the embers that bounced back into its face.
“Ergh, come on! Shadow Ball them!” Kira yelled.
But it was already too late. While the Hatterene was distracted, Leon commanded one final Shadow Sneak. A large shadow extended from Aegislash’s body and struck the Hatterene from behind.The opposing Pokemon shrieked as the blow was dealt and collapsed to the ground, fainted.
The crowd roared into cheer. The adrenaline of winning an intense battle and the sound of a cheering crowd was a familiar sensation. Leon nearly threw up a Charizard pose for old times sake, but he caught himself, remembering his promise to Hop. So instead, he simply smiled and waved at the cheering crowd.
Leon had just finished congratulating Aegislash and returning it back into its ball when Kira approached him. Annoyance was clear on her face and Leon thought she was angry at him for ruining her streak. But instead she extended a hand towards him,.
“Not bad,” she congratulated, even if it did sound a little forced. “It’s not often I get beat.”
Leon took her hand and gave her a firm shake and smiled. “You did great as well. I wasn’t expecting a Fire move. You had me on edge!” he said truthfully.
“Yeah, well. Hatterene and I like to keep some tricks up our sleeves,” Kira began to smirk again as she relished in the compliment. She dropped their hands, but then... she squinted at him, trying to stare through his sunglasses. “What’s your name? You look… familiar?” she questioned.
“Uh, I--”
“Lee!”
Leon staggered a step forwards as a body came barreling into his backside. And as he turned back, he saw Hop with his arms wrapped tightly around his torso.
“You were incredible, Lee! That was scary close, but of course you pulled off an amazing comeback! You made it look so easy!” Hop showered him in praise, squeezing him tight. Leon couldn’t help but blush at his kind words. He always found himself flustered when it came to Hop’s flattery. Hop’s and only Hop’s.
There was just one problem, though...
“So, Lee, huh? Wait a second…” Kira paused. Her gaze slowly shifted from Leon, to Hop, to Leon and then Hop one last time.
Oh. Well, here it comes, Leon thought. He breathed in, bracing himself.
“... Aren’t you Hop? Professor Sonia’s apprentice?”
Huh?
“O-oh, well, I mean, yeah! I am!” Hop untangled himself from Leon and he nodded, although his expression was just as surprised as Leon was.
It was like a switch flipped in Kira. Her expression quickly brightened into one of excitement.
“Wow, it’s so nice to meet you!” she exclaimed. “I've been such a fan of your guys' work. Uncovering the secrets of Dynamaxing and Galar itself is really interesting stuff! Oh, and you came so close in the Champion Cup last year! Can I get an autograph? You’re so cool!” she continued to ramble. Each sentence brought her a step forward, which prompted Hop to take a few steps back every time she edged into his personal bubble. It wasn’t until he bumped into Leon’s side that he noticed he had run out of space to back into.
Leon thought to save Hop from the onslaught of questions, but then Kira’s attention quickly redirected towards Leon’s.
“Wait. Then does that mean…” her gaze pierced through him. “You must be Leon? The former Champion? THAT Leon?”
“I--”
“Whoa, it’s Hop! Who’s that beside...”
“The former Champion…”
“... did she say Leon?”
“... that Hop? The one who took the gym challenge...”
“I hear he’s doing incredible research with…”
“... it true? Leon is here...?”
The crowd broke out into murmurs and chattering. Suddenly everyone’s eyes were on them and they were closing in, growing close, trying to get a better look to confirm the identities of the two brothers.
It seems like they were recognized after all. Just not in the way either of them expected to be.
One glance down at Hop’s expression told Leon he was nervous and uncomfortable. Leon’s heart gave a twinge of guilt and sympathy. His brother wasn’t at all used to the paparazzi like he was.
Leon had to get him out of there. He had an idea, but he didn’t know how else to get them out other than his usual way, which was usually noticeable and flashy. But he had to try.
In one quick, practiced motion, Leon released Charizard from his Pokeball and threw an arm into the air, striking his classic Charizard pose. The large winged Pokemon glanced around, confused for a moment, but then quickly clued in to what was happening. Surrounding them, the crowd erupted into screams and cheers.
“Lee?” Leon could barely hear Hop’s concerned voice over the sound of the crowd. He shot him a quick, reassuring glance, as if to say “don’t worry, I got this.” And then he turned back towards the swarming people.
“Yes, it’s your former Champion, Leon!” he announced. “Have you all been having a grand time at this year’s Wyndon Gale?”
His question was met by sounds of affirmation, several more screams, and shouts of his name. Leon shone a bright smile at the excitable crowd.
“I hope you’ve all been fighting and training hard, so that one day you might take on the Gym Challenge. Or even the Battle Tower, where you’ll have a chance to face me!” he laughed. This was followed by a few more screams and even laughs of people laughing along with him.
Once the noise died down and he had their attention again, he carried on. “Today I’m spending time with my number one fan in all the world, my brother, so unfortunately I have to cut this meeting short. But I hope you’ll all support me in my next battle!” he concluded and waved goodbye at the sea of people.
The crowed ‘aww’ed, but fortunately most of them-- including Kira-- got the hint and began to disperse. Leon subtly started to guide Hop towards him and Charizard.
But then a few overzealous fans pushed their way to the front.
“Leon, over here!”
“Hop, tell us about your research!”
“Leon, can I get an autograph?!”
“Leon, I’m your biggest fan!”
It all happened so fast. An elbow out of nowhere knocked Hop’s back and his brother let out a surprised yelp. He stumbled forward, accidentally knocking into Leon, and then pushed them both into Charizard (who gave a startled grunt) in the process.
Leon was vaguely aware of something on top of him. He blinked rapidly, trying to get his eyes to focus.
And then he realized Hop was pressed flush against his chest and Leon could see every detail of his face, his eyes, his lips, and they were all mere centimeters away from his own.
Charizard grunted again and nudged them off as quickly as they had been shoved on. The two gave a shout as they were suddenly pushed up into a standing position, and Leon had to grapple Hop’s waist to prevent him from falling backwards again, leading them into a sort of dip.
Even he had to admit the whole scene felt kind of cliché. For a moment, Leon felt like they were suspended in time. Hop’s hands held on to Leon’s arms while Leon wrapped around Hop’s waist, and their faces were still very close together, and Leon was hyper-aware of every inch of Hop that touched him.
But then the moment ended and the two corrected themselves into an upright position again. Leon quickly unwrapped himself from his brother and took a step back, putting some distance between them. Hop was left standing there, mouth agape and panting.
Briefly, Leon thought about how their position might’ve looked to an outsider. Would anyone say something? Would anyone think otherwise? Leon could feel himself getting hotter and hotter, either from fear or self-consciousness or because he could still envision Hop’s lips just barely grazing his own, he didn’t know. It had all ended so fast, he didn’t have much time to contemplate it.
But everyone seemed too busy pushing each other, trying to get to the front of the crowd. No one else seemed to notice.
Nobody but them.
They spared each other a quick look. Hop hadn’t said anything, but his face had gone a deeper shade again. The look he gave Leon was intense, plus something complex that he couldn’t quite discern. It made Leon’s nerves flutter.
But there was no time to even think about nearly kissing Hop or untangling his own feelings about it. They still had to get out of there.
Almost simultaneously, they remembered the situation they were in, They nodded at each other, silently agreeing to clamber onto Charizard’s back. Leon whispered a quiet apology to his partner-- which the Pokemon made an annoyed grunt at-- before he took off with a powerful beat of his wings.
Leon could feel tight arms wrap tightly around his midriff and the sound of Hop yelling “Lee!” as they took flight. Eventually the noise of the crowd began to fade away as they soared above the buildings of Wyndon, and eventually, they faded from sight.