Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Go to the East, hidden in the bay. The movement of the water will show you the way. Battle the elements to get through the strait. Take the Tidal Bell to summon your fate.

Down in the depths of the water in the midst of the Pacific Ocean, a pair of eyes opened up. The barely there light just caught them, and a huge creature swam along in the shadows.

Across the world, once hidden in the forests and long grass alone, little monsters lived in harmony with the people. Different types lived in different places and there were a recorded 252 different types of these creatures across the world. First discovered in Japan, they were given the sweet name of Pocket monsters, or pokémon. The name caught on as more and more were discovered by the explorers and professors who took to researching the creatures. Legends about them formed, becoming stories to pass around the playground at schools between students, and the world was forever changed with the creation of the very first pokéball: a capsule that transferred the creatures into data and allowed them to be stored comfortably and securely away. As more people could catch their own pokémon, a new sport emerged: battling. In 1892, the International Pokémon Union was established and international competitive battling was born. For most around the world, pokémon were work partners, were like pets, but, most of all, they were friends.

Eighteen types of the creatures were recorded and identified, and different types blossomed in different parts of the world. While every country held some normal type pokémon, each other country had at least one or two pokémon types that were more common in the area. In Africa, there were mainly fire types on the west coast, ground types on the east coast, rock types near the south, and grass types in South Africa and Madagascar. Northern countries like Canada, Greenland, Iceland, and Norway held an abundance of ice type pokémon. Electric type pokémon flourished in the technological powerhouse of South Korea, whereas water and grass types were the most common in natural Japan. The United States was unique in that it held huge populations of three types: steel, poison, and fighting types. Despite being a huge country, Russia held much higher numbers of one type than any other: the mysterious dragon type pokémon. Rumoured to be one of the strongest types, they were only found really in a few parts of Europe, Asia, and hidden in the landscape of Argentina. As competitive battling became more popular, coaches across the world established training facilities and international trades, swapping types of pokémon around the world to countries that would never have normally had access to them. While many competitive battlers traded around internationally to get the most balanced teams, the humbler beginnings of most trainers meant journeying around their hometown or home city, catching the types around them to build up a team and attempt to trade internationally.

Lying in the countryside of Sendai, just outside the city, a little girl with black hair that spilt on the grass around her like inky strands played with a little green frog-like creature with a green bulb on its back and dark spots across its body. Beside her, a little boy who looked so similar to her watched, reaching out to pet the head of the pokémon.

"Fushi!" the little pokémon let out a giggle as she bounced him above her head. "Cutest Fushigidane."

"Fushi is so adorable," the boy stroked its head and the creature leaned into his touch, letting out a few little squeaks of happiness. "Cutest. I hope I get a pokémon as cute as Fushi in the future."

"Depends on what Okaasan and Otousan get you, Yuzu. But I bet they'll be so cute and you'll have so much fun together, just like Fushi and I do."

Yuzu nodded and they sat up together. Fushi curled up on his sister's lap and she stroked his head, smiling down at the little green creature. Both the siblings were so preoccupied with Fushi that they didn't notice the creature sneaking up behind them until Yuzu turned and shrieked.

A blue snake with a white belly, a soft white round nose, a white gem at the centre of its head, and fan shaped ears was sitting behind him. It tilted its head at him, watching as Yuzuru calmed himself down and got used to the creature. When he'd calmed down, it circled him and nosed at his cheek, eliciting a giggle from the youngster.

"So cute! Look Saya, isn't it cute?"

Saya's jaw dropped as she looked at the creature. "Woah! Yuzu! That's a Miniryu! They're so rare outside of places like Russia, so what’s she doing here?"

"She's so cute," Yuzu giggled as she wrapped around his waist and he hugged her tightly. "Do you think someone's lost her or something?"

Saya chewed her lip as she looked around the area. Sitting on a park bench, not too far away from them, was a similar looking woman with a red and white bird sitting beside her. The park was full of both children and the creatures. Both wild ones and the ones belonging to other children roamed the grassy area, weaving between the trees, and some of the water types had walked up from down by the beach. Little orange crab shaped ones weaved around on the stone path that led from the park to the shoreline, and bouncing blue tadpole shaped creatures with hypnotic swirls on their stomachs darted around children and parents alike. No one in the park paid the slightest bit of attention to Yuzuru and Saya, and there was absolutely no one looking around for a missing Miniryu.

"Should we ask Okaasan?" Yuzuru mumbled, looking down at the Miniryu. "I don't want to steal her from someone, but we can't just leave her all alone here. She'll get cold when night comes, won't she?"

Saya nodded and the pair stood up, with Fushi bouncing his way through the grass beside them. Miniryu untangled herself from where she was perched around Yuzuru's waist and slithered along beside them as they headed towards the lady on the bench.

"Okaasan!" She looked up and gave her children a smile as they stopped in front of her. Fushi scrambled his way up onto the bench next to her bird pokémon, and it pulled the little green creature into a tight hug.

"What's that there, Yuzuru?" she asked, tone light and gentle with just the right amount of concern that he or his sister might have stolen it from someone. Yuzuru stroked the creature's head and she let out little squeaks of happiness, nuzzling against his hand.

"She's a Miniryu, Okaasan," Yuzuru explained. "She came up to me first. We didn't steal her or anything. She came up to us and gave me a hug."

Their mother looked over at her daughter, and Saya shrugged. "Yuzuru's telling the truth. She did just come up to him and give him a hug. Couldn't see anyone around us who might have lost her so we came over to ask you what you think we should do."

She stroked the creature's soft but scaly head and her gentle smile grew when she heard Miniryu's little squeaks of happiness. Yuzuru giggled, petting her.

"She's so cute!"

"She is. But she's not ours, Yuzuru. Come on, we should go home. I'm sure she'll find her trainer soon."

Yuzuru's smile dropped but he nodded, taking his mother's hand as Delibird and Fushi climbed down from the bench and walked along next to them. They made it to the edge of the park, not far from the subway station, when Yuzuru felt a sharp tug on the back of his shirt. There, with a wad of it held in her mouth, was the Miniryu. She tugged on him again and again, getting more and more demanding, before she let go and nuzzled up to his side.

"I'm really sorry," Yuzuru said quietly to her, "but I'm not allowed to take you home. You're not ours. I'm sorry. Do you have a trainer or someone we can take you too?"

A flash of panic ran through the creature's eyes and, at a very tender young age of four, Yuzuru understood. He reached out a hand to her and she stroked her head against it before her soft eyes met his deep brown ones.

"Okaasan," he mumbled, not tearing his eyes away from the Miniryu, "we can't leave her. She escaped from her old trainer."

His mother frowned but knelt down beside her son. She looked too at the pokémon and drew the attention away from him.

"Is what Yuzuru says true? Did you escape?"

The sweet little pokémon nodded and the woman sighed. Digging around in her bag, moving packs of tissues and a bottle of water out of the way, she held out a pokéball to her son.

"We weren't planning to get you a pokémon until you were eight, like Saya, but she chose you and I doubt she'll leave us alone until we let her come home with us. Go on Yuzuru."

He took the ball, running his fingers over the red and white halves of the capsule and the little white button that sat at the centre on the front. He kept his eyes on Miniryu and she just lowered her head, letting him tap it against her. She glowed red before she disappeared into the ball that he'd dropped on the floor. The family watched in anticipation, collectively holding their breath, as the ball bobbled once, twice, three times, before it clicked and settled still. Yuzuru reached over and picked it up, running his fingers over the tennis ball sized capsule that now held the Miniryu.

"Do you want to keep her out of the pokéball? Walk around with her on your shoulders for a little bit?"

"Am I allowed to?"

"Of course," Yuzuru's mother gestured to where Saya had Fushi sitting on her shoulders and was feeding him a homemade poffin. "Go on. I know you want to."

Yuzuru pressed the button at the centre of the capsule and the two halves opened. In a little bolt of red light, Miniryu appeared in front of him. Yuzuru picked her up and let her sit on his shoulders, giggling at her pops and squeaks. They stood together on the train back toward their home, and Yuzuru couldn't stop giggling with everything that Miniryu did. At the family's home, Fushi bounced into their kitchen with Saya bouncing after him. Yuzuru followed her with Miniryu still sitting on his shoulders, and his mother just smiled at them both.

"We'll have to go and buy you things for Miniryu," his mother filled another bowl, a plastic bowl, with the same food that they fed Fushi: a special blend of pokémon food, "but, for now, she can use this."

"Thank you Okaasan!" Yuzuru giggled and lifted the pokémon off his shoulders. "Mini-chan says thank you too."

"Mini-chan?"

"That's her nickname. Since she's a Miniryu."

His mother just laughed but nodded, setting down the food bowls for the kids' pokémon. "Why don't you go and do some reading before dinner? Read about Miniryus, since I'm sure no one around here knows that much about them."

Yuzuru nodded enthusiastically and bounced out of the room to go and get the family's big book on pokémon. Most households had one on their shelves. Yuzuru lay on their wooden floor on his stomach, flicking through the pages of the book, when he came to a stop on Miniryu's page.

Miniryu, known in English as Dratini, is a dragon type pokémon. Number: 147. Evolves at: around level 30. Serpentine pokémon with a blue body and white underside. Its life energy is constantly building and so can reach lengths of over six feet. Most commonly found in Russia, Argentina, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Georgia, and Hungary.

"So who did you belong to," Yuzuru mumbled to himself. "I wonder if someone amazing like Plushenko-san would know. Oh, I bet he has a Miniryu too, but he doesn't use them for battle."

"Yuzu! Dinner time!"

Leaving the book on the floor, Yuzu bounced off to go and eat with his family. Afterwards, his mother drew a hot bath for him, leaving the door agar in case he needed her partway through. Lying back in the bubbles, Yuzuru sighed and closed his eyes when he felt something soft and gentle pushing at his cheek. Lazily opening one eye, he giggled when he saw his dratini sitting there and nosing at him.

"Oh? You want a bath too Mini-chan?"

She nodded and Yuzuru leaned over the side of the tub, lifting her into it. The room was soon filled with Yuzuru's giggles and bubbles as the two made an unholy mess, spilling the bathwater and bubbles over the side. His mother gave him an exasperated look and just sighed as she helped to rinse and dry both of them off before she tucked Yuzuru into bed and gave his dratini a blanket and pillow as a temporary place to sleep.

"Okaasan, can I train to be competitive like Saya?"

"We'll see, Yuzu-pon," she moved the hair out of his eyes and placed a gentle kiss to his forehead. "We'll see."

Chapter Text

Four-year-old Yuzuru waddled into the training centre after his sister with his dratini sitting on his shoulders, and Yukie Nogami, who greeted Saya and Fushi with a smile, couldn't help but laugh.

"Why don't you try over there?" She suggested gently, gesturing over to the most basic place for Yuzuru to practice battling technique while she worked with Saya on the slightly more advanced section.

She watched the lively child waddle away before she turned all her attention to his sister. It was standard for them; they would give new students an unknown pokémon to battle and watch to see what they would do. Most would shy away from it, unsure of how to start and so they were unwilling to try. When Yukie turned around, she gasped, staring in awe at the sight before her. Working in tandem in a way that she would have expected from a pokémon and trainer pair that had been together for months rather than days, she saw Yuzuru and his dratini. She responded, trusting his every instruction, and he wasn't afraid to fail when trying to express what he wanted and win. In that moment, when she saw the sparkling and lively four-year-old standing unafraid at the start of his battle, she knew that she had a diamond in her hands that it was her job to polish up and make sparkle. He was unafraid and unapologetic for what he presented and did. For the next four years of his young life, he balanced working hard in his training and the start of his elementary school, and he and his dratini developed a strong relationship that was seen in few others his age. Yuzuru would watch Saya and Fushi training and would strive to copy them with Mini-chan, building up a strong relationship with his partner and friend. To help his training and to inspire himself, he watched videos of some of his favourite battles when he could, and he would note things down in his book to help him remember to apply them himself.

Whispers weaved through Sendai like a climbing plant coiling around the base, and it didn't take long for them to reach the training club. Yuzuru was glaring at one of the older and physically bigger trainers who poked fun at him for being so small, so slim, and for only having a dratini when most of the trainers at their club had two or three, except for Saya who only had Fushi. Yuzuru glared at him and hissed, turning his back away from him as his temper bubbled inside of him and he went to translate that irritation into battle results. Saya burst into the training session, flushed from running, and garbled her words.

"Tsuzuki Shoichiro is coming!"

The entire training room froze and everyone looked at her with wide eyes. They all knew Tsuzuki Shoichiro. He was the legendary coach who had managed to coach Sano Minoru to become Japan's first bronze medallist in the Men's singles battling category at the World Championships back in 1977. And he was coming to their humble training centre?!

"What do you mean, Saya?" One of them asked as she and Fushi exchanged a look from where the bulbasaur was sitting on her shoulders.

"He's in Sendai! He's coming around, looking at the different Sendai training centres and seeing what they're like! Apparently, he’s taking over as a coach here. He's coming here! To our pokémon training centre!"

The room was alight with the buzz and chatter of the students, and it was only calmed down when their coach came to send them to practice. Still, most of them couldn't focus properly, particularly when the legendary coach himself came into the training centre. They watched him with starry eyes, neglecting their training to focus on him only. He walked through the room, taking in every sight with his wise eyes when he stopped; it was his turn to stare.

"Who is he?"

"Hanyu Yuzuru. Eight years old. He came in to follow his sister's footsteps when he was four years old. He's at Level One of our training course, so still not very advanced, but he is committed to working and training hard, especially to beat his older sister."

Shoichiro stood and watched the one child in the place who wasn't fawning over him. Yuzuru had his focus fixed solely on his dratini and friend as they faced off against one of the club's oddishs.

"His posture is beautiful. He's like a painting almost. Looks like the old drawings of pokémon trainers and battlers." He kept watching and smiled. "He's very sensitive to his pokémon, isn't he?"

"I believe she chose him. She chose to be his and she chose for him to be her trainer."

He nodded, holding a very wise and knowing smile.

"Let me talk to him."

Astounded with his choice, the other children watched him in awe. After Yuzuru and his dratini had defeated the oddish, Shoichiro walked up to him and gave him a smile.

"Hanyu Yuzuru?"

The young trainer let out a gasp and bowed to the older. His dratini followed suit and the older just let out a gentle chuckle.

"It is nice to meet you, Hanyu Yuzuru. I would like to offer you some one-to-one coaching for a few hours before your evening group lessons."

Yuzuru glanced over to where his mother sat by the edge, watching both of her children training. Shoichiro followed the youngster's eyes, understanding.

"I can ask her if you'd like?"

Yuzuru nodded, silent as he thought about it and stroked his dratini's head instead. Shoichiro left them to contemplate it in silence when he approached Yuzuru's mother, sitting at the side with her delibird by her side.

"Hanyu Yuzuru's mother?" He asked and she nodded, stroking the feathers of her pokémon as he sat next to her. "I'm Tsuzuki Shoichiro. It is a pleasure to meet you and your son. He is very talented as a trainer, isn't he?"

"I think so," she smiled at him and sighed. "He works very hard. Wants to be the best he can. Better than his sister at the very least, and he wants to prove those who tell him he can't, because he's so young, wrong. He wants to be like Plushenko-san."

"If you would like, I would be happy to train him for a few hours before the group sessions. One-to-one training for him to help him develop faster. He's not a simple child. He's someone who has a delicate heart, but is also bold. He has an innate connection with his pokémon, and I believe he could be what Japan needs to improve the battling situation. Here, we are lacking the education that develops the senses and brings them into contact with art and culture. There are many trainers who have the moves, and have learnt about type matches and the like, but they do not have the connection with their pokémon that really leads to true success. While this weakness remains, it is unlikely that Japan will become a leading force in the pokémon battling world. But, with those like your son emerging, he has the ability to improve the battling in Japan. He has the connection and the talent. He is intelligent, knows the type match ups, and also develops a connection with his dratini. He has something that the others do not have, and I would be honoured to train him while I am here."

"I do not know what to say," Yuzuru's mother's tone was both shocked and gentle. "Yuzuru? You think Yuzuru could do something as big as change the entire battling scene in Japan?"

"I do not doubt it. I think he has the ability and it needs to be honed. I think he will be an interesting battler."

"Dare I ask how much more it would cost?"

His face fell and hers did too when they both realised it. She gave him a tight smile but nodded.

"Of course, you may give Yuzuru extra coaching if he agrees. We will make it work, Tsuzuki-san. I promise."

Yuzuru cowered a little, chewing on his lip as he stood before his coach, but he nodded and relayed the instructions to his dratini. Shoichiro watched with careful eyes and, although he was strict, he was fair to Yuzuru. Often at times, he wondered if Yuzuru was going to give up because of how often he was scolded, but Yuzuru's trust both for him and his parents transcended his dislike for the scoldings. He took them in his stride and worked hard. Even at a young age, he understood what was being sacrificed so that he might achieve his dream, and he tried to work hard for them.

"Why not start by using leer to weaken your opponent's defence? And then you can do more damage with wrap each time. They do not just measure and score on changes in Hit Points, but also changes in the pokémon's stats. The changes in their defence will be as beneficial as their changes in Hit Points."

"Because making the opponent faint is worth 120 points in the short and 100 in the free," Yuzuru challenged, meeting the elder's eyes not with arrogance or a rude tone, but with a genuine argument and reason. "I want to make them faint as fast as possible."

"Yes, that is one approach." The older man nodded, fixing the younger with a firm look. "However, it is not the only approach. I understand it is the one that the youngsters like you see. You get points for knocking down their Hit Points, taking them closer and closer to zero, but you would all do to remember that you still get points for bringing down their stats too. You can get points for decreasing their defence stats with leer as well as by bringing down their Hit Points with wrap. If you bring down their defence, it will mean that each of your physical attacks with wrap does more. Your best strategy, at the moment, until she knows more moves, is probably to use leer for your first move, bringing down their fence, before you then use two wraps and bring down their Hit Points. Humour me, Yuzuru, and try it."

Yuzuru nodded and, after putting his dratini's pokéball into the healing machine in the training club, he stepped up onto the main platform. His coach nodded to him, approving, and keyed in a few numbers. A purple rat shaped pokémon appeared before him and Yuzuru pressed the button on the front of the ball, opening it up to let his dratini out. She made ready to attack with wrap but, at the last moment, she hesitated and glanced over at Yuzuru.

"You cannot afford to hesitate in battle!" His coach scolded the pair of them. "I know you are trying something new, but hesitation gives your opponent a chance to attack. You must go, fearless, into your battle. Use leer first. Just try it."

Yuzuru nodded, trying to remember everything to write down in his notebook afterwards. His dratini glanced at him and Yuzuru nodded.

"Leer!"

She used the move, giving the rat the stink eye that made it shudder, dropping its defence stats on the electronic screen behind it. They were displayed in the gyms and battle rooms so that trainers could keep track of their own pokémon's statistics and Hit Points when training or in competition. The rat pokémon's defence statistic dropped and Yuzuru smiled a little to himself. His smile vanished when the rat through itself forwards, smacking into his dratini and earning a squeak from her as her Hit Points decreased.

"It's okay," his coach reminded him. "She's okay. Calm. Use wrap. Remember that in the short battle, you have three moves you can use. Attack with her now."

"Wrap," Yuzuru instructed and she nodded, coiling herself around the other pokémon and trapping it in a vortex of binds that hurt it both after she had attacked, lowering its Hit Points, but after it had slammed into her as well. Yuzuru grimaced and his coach just held up a hand, trying to calm him down a little.

"She is not hurt badly. It is alright. She will be alright. The creature is being hurt more than she is, and that is your main focus in the short battle. You will eventually want to change it so that she is hurt less, but, for now, this is a good strategy."

Yuzuru had to agree after her third attack. The enemy's Hit Points were much lower than they normally would have been after three physical attacks, and, with the decrease in the defence statistic of the opponent pokémon too, Yuzuru's score was rattling around 40 points.

"That sucks," Yuzuru grumbled to himself. "Plushenko would get much higher than that."

"I'm sure he would. But he's also older than you. He's going to the Olympics. He is not battling for Japan Novice Nationals, is he?"

"No," Yuzuru mumbled to himself and his coach patted his shoulder.

"You did well, Yuzuru. Same time tomorrow?"

"Yes sir!"

Chapter Text

"Calm."

Yuzuru nodded, exhibiting anything but calm feels as he bounced on his toes. Shoichiro tapped him on the head with the younger's dratini pokéball to try and get him to stand still.

"Calm down. I know it's a lot to take in, and it's your first Nationals competition, but it is better to approach your competition with a calm mind. If you face your target directly, and work towards it sincerely, you will achieve it. You can do it."

Yuzuru nodded, fiddling with his pokéball as he watched his opponents. Hashizume Shunya and his two pokémon had laid down a solid score that hadn't been matched by Satoshi Wayama. Nakajima Masaki topped both of their scores, but he was soon beaten by Hiroshi Masuyama. Nomoto Shunsuke grimaced at his score, coming last out of the few so far. Suzuki Jun laid down a very high score and Yuzuru grimaced, feeling the pressure mounting inside of him. Lotus Eguichi really felt the pressure, scoring between Hashizume and Satoshi. Yuzuru gave Keiji a little wave as the latter stepped out, ready to battle the three pokémon assigned to the eighth competitor. Keiji, like him, only had one pokémon to battle with while many of the other competitors had two. He still faced three pokémon, just like the others, and Yuzuru wrinkled his nose at the outcome. It wasn't perfect, far from it, but Keiji somehow came away with a score between Nakahima's and Hashizume, coming into fourth at the moment. Yuzuru clapped for his friend before his coach handed him his own pokéball.

"Go on. You can do it. Do your best."

Yuzuru nodded and stepped up onto the competition ground and platform as they announced his name and pokémon. He smoothed down the front of his white shirt, decorated with gold accents and black swirls, and he whispered a few words to his dratini's pokéball. He stepped up, standing in the square marked out for him, and the official gave him a nod. He pressed the button on his own pokéball, sending out his beloved dratini, and the official sent out the trio of pokémon he was to fight: a rattata, an oddish, and a magikarp. Yuzuru's selected battle music, From Russia with Love, started, and Yuzuru gave his dratini a nod.

"Leer!"

His dratini gave all three of the pokémon standing before her the stink eye, and their defence statistics dropped a little. Yuzuru smiled to himself but didn't linger on it for long; the adrenaline from one of his first real battles was coursing through his veins and he could hear his heartbeat in his ears. He breathed a little sigh of relief when the pokémon that the officials had sent out decided that their first move should be splash, magikarp's signature attack, and it did no damage to Yuzuru's dratini. She glanced over at him again for affirmation and Yuzuru nodded.

"Leer again!"

His dratini gave her stink eye to the three of them again and their defence stats lowered. Yuzuru winced as the rattata delivered a physical attack to her with tackle, lowering her Hit Points.

"Calm down," he whispered to himself, not daring to look over at his coach. They had discussed this several times and he knew what to do. Seven attacks in the free, eight for senior men. He had seven. Three to reduce their defence, and then he would hit back with his last four attacks, using wrap to deliver the physical damage. No one had ever won on using status attacks alone. "One more Leer, Dratini!"

In competitions, he didn't call her Mini-chan but kept it more professional. He grimaced when the rattata hit her with another tackle, and his music drew towards the middle. He'd need to pick up the pace a little.

"Dratini! Use wrap, from now until the end!" He instructed, and she nodded, enveloping the rattata first in the vortex. It damaged the creature both immediately and after the magikarp had used splash again. His dratini, with just an affirmative nod from him, surged forward and trapped the oddish in another vortex.

To Yuzuru's horror, the oddish fought back. Yuzuru gasped as it used absorb, regaining its own Hit Points at the expense of his dratini's. With only two moves left, Yuzuru kept going with his strategy, and his dratini seemed to understand it too as they left the magikarp untouched and focused on taking down the oddish instead with the last two attacks. The oddish kept using absorb, bringing Yuzuru two steps forward and one step back each time. As Yuzuru's music ended, the oddish's Hit Points finished rising and the battle was over. Dratini turned to him and Yuzuru gave her a pat on the head before he pressed the button at the centre of the ball, calling her back into it. The official gave him a little smile and Yuzuru returned it before he bowed to the crowd, made up mostly of the parents of the competitors. Yuzuru soaked up their applause like an ambient sponge before he stepped off the battle platform and joined Shoichiro.

"I did it! I did it! I did it!" Yuzuru bounced around him, refusing to stand still. His coach swatted him on the head before he ruffled his hair affectionately and they sat on the bench to receive Yuzuru's score together.

"You did panic. I think everyone saw you panic when the oddish used absorb. We need to expose you to more types of moves before your next big competition but, for a first Novice B competition, this was very impressive. I'm proud of you."

Yuzuru glowed with pride, legs swinging as they were too short to reach the ground, and he brought his dratini out of the ball so that she could get the scores with them.

"The scores for Yuzuru Hanyu are," the youngster's eyes widened and his mouth fell open in shock, "54.97 points. This is his season's best score, and he is currently in first place."

"First place!" Shoichiro ruffled his hair and gave him a bright smile. "Now we've just got to see where you end up. But I could not ask for better than that."

Yuzuru watched, sitting beside Keiji in the back of the stadium, as the pressure from Yuzuru's amazing battle got to Hatano Yoshihide, dropping him to last place, and Kamemura Yoshinobu, who fell to the bottom right after him. Daisuke Isozaki got himself together and brought out a good battle, slotting into third place behind Yuzuru and Suzuki Jun. Yun Wada dropped down into eighth place, and Masato Ikeda fell below him, landing fourth from the bottom. Yuzuru and Keiji sat upright along with Mini-chan and Keiji's ekans, and the pair of them cheered brightly as Ryuju stepped up to the platform with his baby eevee. When he finished in fifth, the pair of them squealed and cheered for him, waving at him to come on up. Kentaro Suzuki, the final competitor, finished in third place, and Keiji and Ryuju shook Yuzuru.

"Yuzu-pon!" Keiji squealed. "You've won!"

"Yuzu-pon won! Yuzu-pon won!" Ryuju chanted, dancing around with his eevee chasing after him.

"We all finished in the top half!" Yuzuru hugged his dratini and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Ha! Ha to all the others who said we couldn't do it because we only have one pokémon in our teams!"

Yuzuru left the competition with a gold medal in his bag and a very proud coach. At home, both he and his mother could barely contain their excitement as they showed the rest of his family over the dinner of chicken gyoza that Yuzuru adored.

"Yuzuru," his sister tugged at his sleeve after they had finished clearing up their plates, "talk?"

He followed her up to her room and couldn't help but smile as Fushi climbed up into her lap. She rubbed the top of his head, giving the little pokémon a wistful smile, before she looked up at her little brother.

"I'm quitting competitive battling."

Yuzuru blinked at her in shock before his face fell. "What? But Saya—"

"Okaasan and Otousan won't tell you this because they don't want to upset you, but both of us doing it is so hard for them. And, well, you've just shown how good you are. I think you will do much better than I will, and so I'm going to quit so you can keep going."

"But Saya—"

"It's my choice," Saya said softly to comfort him. "Fushi and I talked as well, and he's not really into competitive battling."

Yuzuru patted Fushi's head and nodded, giving his sister a small and grateful smile. "Thank you Saya."

"You don't need to thank me. Just keep doing your best."

After Yuzuru's tenth birthday at the end of 2004, his win at the Santa Claus competition in Finland, and then his fourth-place finish at the Asian Novice championship in Hong Kong in March, he and Saya relaxed on the sand of the beach and looked up at the gulls and bird pokémon flying overhead. Their mother's delibird was sitting in the shallows of the water, splashing about as krabbys waddled past him and magikarp swam around in the deeper parts. Yuzuru's dratini had curled up beside him on the sand, and they soaked in the sun rays while Fushi napped, feeding a little from the light.

"Ready to work hard next year too?" His mother asked, moving the hair off Yuzuru's forehead as her son lay back on the sand with his eyes closed.

"Yes," he leaned into her touch a little and sighed in satisfaction. "Want to win more. I don't like coming in fourth place."

She couldn't help but chuckle at her son, but the noise died down and her eyes widened. Yuzuru lazily opened one eye as the beach around him went very quiet. His mouth fell open and he sat up in a state of awe and shock.

The pokémon of the region, the pokémon that the world thought of when they said Miyagi, and one of the most majestic and mysterious pokémon in the world stood before him. Towering above him, even though it wasn't fully grown, was a pokémon that resembled a plesiosaur. On its back was a heavy grey shell with knobs on it, and it had blue skin with darker blue spots as well as a cream-coloured underside. Large brown eyes met Yuzuru's own, and, using its four flippers, it made its way across the sand closer towards him. Just like when his dratini had chosen him, it nuzzled against his cheek and Yuzuru gingerly touched the soft, smooth, and slightly damp skin of the creature.

"Hello," Yuzuru whispered and the creature nosed at his cheek, leaving a little damp trail from the salt water that still clung to it. "Why did you come up to me?"

The creature nosed at his cheek again, giving him a gentle nuzzle, and Yuzuru glanced over at his mother. She gave him a sigh and looked around the beach.

"Doesn't look like anyone has lost her," she said as she dug around in her bag and handed Yuzuru the pokéball. "See if she'll accept it."

Yuzuru held the ball up to the pokémon and she nodded, lowering her head to him. Yuzuru tapped the ball against it and watched as she glowed red, vanishing into it as it landed on the soft sands of the beach. It seemed an entire crowd had surrounded them to watch as the ball bobbled once, twice, three times, before it clicked shut, showing that she had accepted Yuzuru as her trainer. The youngster smiled and picked up the pokéball, tucking it into his mother's bag alongside the one for his dratini. Trying to comprehend what had happened to him, Yuzuru lay back down and looked up at the clouds floating over them. As the afternoon drew closer to the end, the trio packed up and returned home with Yuzuru's newest friend and team member. After dinner, Yuzuru gave his dratini a bath before he turned to his newest friend.

"Lapalace," he mumbled and she nodded to him, trying to nose at his cheek again. Yuzuru stroked her nose, resting his cheek on the top of it as she splashed around in the family's bathtub. "What would you like me to call you? Lapalace-chan?"

She nodded at that and Yuzuru chuckled.

"Alright then. Welcome to the Hanyu family, Lapalace-chan. This is Mini-chan,” he gestured to the dratini, “my first pokémon, and I'll introduce you to Fushi, my sister's pokémon, soon. And then I'll introduce you to Tsuzuki-sensei and everyone at the training club. See if you like it there."

The lapras nuzzled against his cheek and Yuzuru giggled, washing off her shell before he started to dry her off with one of their fluffy towels.

Chapter Text

Yuzuru wiped the sweat off his brow with the back of his arm and grimaced, picking up his pokéballs from the floor. He put them into the machine to heal his lapras and dratini, taking a drink from his water bottle as he waited. His coach watched him with his careful and wise eyes before he tapped Yuzuru on the head.

"You need to practice with two pokémon now to get used to it. You cannot expect to be perfect straight away with two pokémon. You need to reconsider your battling strategy and order now. It would be good to use both of them, as their different types of moves will have different impacts."

"Least I know I won't mess up if I come up against a ghost type now."

"Agreed. Water gun will have an impact on them where wrap, leer, and growl wouldn't. Perhaps it would do you good to practice against a ghost type to help you level up your lapras. So that she can match your dratini in terms of levels."

"But Mini-chan will learn thunder wave at level 8!" Yuzuru protested. "I want her to be the best she can, and—"

"Yuzuru. Remember that you will get a deduction if your pokémon faints midway through the battle and they have to heal them fully with potions. You should get both of them to the same level and work from there."

The youngster nodded, taking his two pokéballs from the machine. He let his dratini out so that she could sit on his shoulders on the walk home and, with a final bow to his coach, left to go home. His heart swelled with hope and excitement, and he was so ready for his next competitions even though they were months away. At home, with dratini draped over his shoulders and his lapras settled on the floor next to his bed where she could peer over his shoulder, he wrote down everything that Shoichiro had told him to do and correct before he pulled up a video of Plushenko battling. His mother chuckled when she came in later to find the three of them sleeping in a little heap. She took the screen from Yuzuru and tucked him and dratini into the bed before she covered his lapras with a blanket and gave her son a kiss to the forehead.

"No, I understand."

Yuzuru rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and sat up, frowning at the tone of his mother's voice as she spoke quietly into the phone, pacing around outside his room. His pokémon were both still asleep as he slipped out of his bed, bare feet padding silently across the floor. He opened up his door, praying that it didn't squeak as he did, and he poked his head out. Standing there was his mother looking like he'd never really seen her before: flustered. She ran a hand through her hair as she stood facing away from Yuzuru's room.

"But you'd still like to coach him?" She asked the person on the phone and Yuzuru's heart dropped but he couldn't stop listening.

"In Kanagawa?"

Yuzuru stopped breathing and his head snapped up to her. Kanagawa? Tokyo?! But it was so far away from them.

"No no, I understand. Of course. One more week, of course. Thank you."

Yuzuru closed his door just as silently and hid himself under his blanket, wrapped around dratini. His mind spun, trying to understand what was happening, and he curled up in a tight ball as the first rays of sunlight slipped through the gaps in his curtains, falling onto his pillow. He went about like normal; he woke up when his mother came in, he went to school with his pokémon in his bag, he played around with his friends, then he met his mother by the gates and they walked together to the train station, ready to head off to the training centre. Everyone had a grim expression, and his stomach churned when they got there. He looked between the grim faces of his mother and coach, silently asking them what was wrong.

"The club is closing next week," his coach's words made Yuzuru's heart drop and he could barely breathe. "We're very sorry, but we cannot afford to stay open. I will be moving to Kanagawa Training Centre in Tokyo, but I understand that you cannot all follow in the same way. I advise you to think hard about whether you would like to continue doing this. If you feel you should, there are other places in Sendai that you can train. Thank you all so much for all your hard work here, and we are sorry we cannot continue to be your coaches."

Yuzuru chewed his lip hard, tossing his lapras' pokéball between his hands as the crowd of children dissipated to start training. His coach weaved through the crowd effortlessly and stopped in front of him, nodding towards his office silently and asking Yuzuru and his mother to follow without saying a word. They settled in the seats across the desk to him and he met Yuzuru's eyes.

"Because you have a special sensibility, Yuzuru, I want you to succeed in the future not just as an athlete but, through pokémon battling, to become someone known as an artist and a respecter of pokémon. It will be hard, but, if you'd like, I would be honoured to keep coaching you."

"In Kanagawa?"

His coach nodded and Yuzuru looked over at his mother. She placed a hand on his shoulder gently.

"Not every day," her tone was gentle and calm, trying to deliver the bad news to Yuzuru softly. "What would you suggest, Tsuzuki-sensei?"

"I suggest that Yuzuru trains somewhere in Sendai after school so that he can keep working hard and make progress, and then we can meet once a week in Kanagawa at the weekends so that I can see what he's done, how he's improved, and what else he needs to work on. Give him assignments for the week in Sendai, you know?"

"Is that what you'd like Yuzuru?" His mother's dark eyes locked onto his own and were a gentle constant to him as his mind spiralled.

Yuzuru's simple nod that day in the office had such an impact on his life that he wouldn't fully appreciate until years later. And he wouldn't understand the sacrifices made by others so that he could take the four-and-a-half-hour train ride to Kanagawa every weekend to meet and train with Shoichiro. The rest of the time, he was training at the Katsuyama Training Centre under the gentle direction of Tatsuyoshi Matsuda. Yuzuru got his strategy from Shoichiro and worked on his technique and execution with Tatsuyoshi. Under her direction, he managed to get dratini trained up so that she learnt thunder wave and reached level ten, and he also got his lapras up to level eight. They decided to keep his battle music for the free as From Russia with Love and planned to keep his short music as Spartacus if he needed it. The Tohoku-Hokkaido Regional Pokémon Battling Championship was his first main competition with his new coach. He bounced beside her, full of anxious and nervous energy as he got ready for his free battle.

It didn't quite go to plan. He'd underestimated just how hard it would be, and his dratini was wiped out on their opponents' fourth move. And then his lapras was wiped out on their fifth move. And then his dratini went again on their sixth move. The officials healed his pokémon with potions so that he could get through the battle and perform the moves he was meant to, but Yuzuru was a tiny ball of rage as he sat beside his coach in the Kiss and Cry. She patted his shoulder, trying to convince him that it was alright, it was only their first competition together and it was his first competition with two pokémon, but Yuzuru was having none of it. He wrinkled his nose at the -4.00 that came up on the screen, completely ignoring his total score in favour of looking at the deductions the officials gave him when he had to have his pokémon healed.

"50.26 is a good score," she tried to tell him as the next competitor stepped out onto the competitive stage. "Should be good enough for you to hold onto first."

"Four points of deductions," he argued with a pout. "And I've only gone into first because I was the first to compete."

"I wouldn't say that," She patted his shoulder, giving him a comforting smile to snap him out of his sulk. "Come on. You did great! It's still early days and you've got to remember that. We'll do better together at Nationals."

Yuzuru won the competition and, inspired by the irritation that came from the four points of deduction, he trained harder and harder with his dratini and lapras by his side. They seemed to catch onto his determination too and worked as hard as they could for both their coaches. The three weeks between the competitions were hectic both at his school and in his training, and they seemed to fly by. Before Yuzuru knew it, he was standing there beside the competition platform, fiddling with his pokéballs as he waited for Matsuoka Shotaro to finish. By the luck of the draw, he was to step up and compete in second.

"Keep yourself centred and take it one move at a time," his coach whispered to him as she patted him on the shoulder before he stepped up.

His name was announced and he took centre stage. His dratini and lapras were sent out and came up against a rattata, a goldeen, and a tangela.

"Dratini, use thunder wave on the tangela!" Yuzuru instructed and she did as she was told, covering the vine-covered creature with electric shocks that paralysed it.

Although the move did no physical damage, the status change was worth valuable points to Yuzuru's team. The physical attack the creature then delivered to his lapras was immense, bringing her Hit Points to well below the halfway point, and he grimaced. Since items were banned in competitive battling, he couldn't heal her. On the fly, he locked eyes with his dratini and gave her a nod.

"Wrap on the tangela!"

His dratini struck, wrapping the creature up and her move both brought its Hit Points down as well as trapped it in a vortex. Unfortunately for Yuzuru, the tangela chose to attack his lapras again and brought her down. The official revived her but the deduction still lingered in the back of his mind as he kept fighting. He kept using his dratini, throwing his old strategy of focusing on reducing the opponents' defence stats before resorting to physical attacks out in favour of spamming physical attack after physical attack. By his fourth move, the tangela had brought his lapras down for the second time and he was getting much more frustrated as well as a little flustered. Luckily for him, the goldeen attacked next and chose to go for the lapras. Its attacks did less damage as they were flying type instead of grass, but Yuzuru had an intense unhappy frown on his face as he took his bows with his pokémon and he joined his coach.

"It's alright," she told him gently before her eyes turned stern, "but what happened to the strategy?"

"I panicked. Got flustered," he admitted quietly so that no one could hear it but them. "What did you think?"

"You looked panicked," she told him honestly but with an almost maternal kindness in her voice. "We'll keep working on it, Yuzuru. Don't worry. Try practicing with even more types for you to come up against. Work on levelling up both your pokémon so that, even if the types don't work in your favour, you have a chance."

"The scores for Hanyu Yuzuru. His free battle score is 67.44 points," Yuzuru wrinkled his nose, "and he is currently in first place."

She patted his leg and Yuzuru patted his dratini's head to comfort her.

"Better than the Tohoku-Hokkaido Pokémon Battling Championships," she told him as they left the Kiss and Cry and took spare seats in the back of the arena so that they could watch the rest of his competitors. "You should be proud that you've jumped up 17 points in just a few weeks. That's huge!"

"Still had two points of deductions. Could have jumped up even higher."

"Next time," she told him gently as they watched Fukui Lingyang's score come up well below Yuzuru's. "Next time."

After him came two more competitors and then Yuzuru sat up straight. Ryuju's turn was next and, as sulky as he was about his own score, he couldn't help but want to cheer for his friend. Ryuju always smiled and cheered for him when he did well, so it only felt right to do the same for him.

Yuzuru's mouth fell open when he saw Ryuju with two pokéballs too, and he sent out not only his young eevee but a cyndaquil. Yuzuru's mouth stayed open in shock and awe as he watched his friend work seamlessly with his pokémon, and the whole thing was over in what felt like no time at all. Soon Ryuju and his two pokémon were bowing to the crowd, and his eevee even gave Yuzuru an adorable little wave when she spotted him. Ryuju scooped her up into his arms and sat down in the Kiss and Cry with her in her lap as he waited for his scores.

"The scores for Hino Ryuju. His free battle score is 76.80 points, and he is currently in first place."

"Woah," Yuzuru gasped, not even angry that he had been kicked out of first but more overcome with pride and happiness for his friend. As soon as Ryuju made it out of the Kiss and Cry, he ran up and gave Yuzuru a tight hug before he slipped into the seat next to him.

"Amazing," Yuzuru said to him as they watched the next group get ready to compete, "you were just amazing."

"So were you!" Ryuju patted Yuzuru's dratini's head as they settled back to watch the final group and Keiji.

Keiji had drawn the fourteenth spot, the penultimate spot, and he shifted anxiously from foot to foot before he stepped up to the battle platform. Like his two best friends, he'd also gained a pokémon and both Yuzuru and Ryuju cooed at the sight of Keiji's newest team member: horsea. All three boys grimaced when each of Keiji's pokémon were brought to fainting once, but he managed a smile at the end of the battle and waved to the crowd before he made it to the Kiss and Cry with his coach.

"The scores for Tanaka Keiji. His free battle score is 65.00 points, and he is currently in third place."

The three of them all held their breaths as they watched the last competitor, Nakatani Atsushi, step up to the battle platform. Yuzuru sat in between his best friends, squeezing both of their hands tightly as they waited with baited breath.

"The scores for Atsushi Nakatani. His free battle score is 47.15 points. He is currently in sixth place. That concludes today's battling event and Novice B men’s pokémon competition. Please stay for the medal ceremony."

"We're the medallists!" Keiji, Ryuju, and Yuzuru practically bounced up and down with excitement together as they were ushered back towards the battling platform. A podium was being set up, and Yuzuru handed lapras' pokéball back to his coach before he let his dratini out; he was only allowed one pokémon with him on the podium. Ryuju stepped out first, and then it was his turn. He bowed to the sparse audience made up of parents and coaches while his battle music played and he gave Ryuju a hug. His friend patted his dratini on the head while Yuzuru stroked Ryuju's eevee's ears before he climbed up onto the second step. A wistful smile came across his face and stayed there as he got his medal, his flowers, and his certificate.

Next year I'll be on top again, he promised himself, Next year, Yuzuru.

Chapter Text

After the national championships, Yuzuru was moved up to the Novice A category which provided more financial support for his family, meaning that his mother didn't have to work to help pay for it. To celebrate, the family shared strawberry shortcake after dinner and fed Yuzuru's dratini and lapras with some pokémon-safe cake so that they could join in the celebrations too. His parents, after their hours and hours of begging, let their children wake up at 2 in the morning so that they could watch the Olympic Pokémon Battling live. They sat up, cuddled together under a blanket with their pokémon nuzzled between them and various boxes of pocky strewn across the sofa.

"Takahashi Daisuke!" Yuzuru whispered in awe as the first competitor stepped up to battle. "Our National Champion! He's incredible with his signature pokémon Kameil!"

Saya cuddled up close to his side, feeding Fushi a pokémon-safe biscuit as they watched their nineteen-year-old champion battled with his signature pokémon, kicking off the Torino Olympic Battling. Mindful that it was so early in the morning, Yuzuru held in his squeals of excitement as they watched Daisuke wave in the Kiss and Cry as he received his score of 73.77 for the short.

"Woah," Yuzuru whispered to himself, "that's huge. That's like what we get for the free!"

"You'll get there," Saya encouraged him with a smile and she watched him sit up straighter as his childhood hero stepped out ready for the battle.

Evgeni Plushenko, Russian Champion, reigning European Champion, three-time World Champion, and reigning Olympic silver medallist, stepped up to the battle platform like he owned the place. In a way, he did own the crowd as they sat firmly in the palm of his hand. Yuzuru and his dratini both stared at the screen as they watched Plushenko battle, and it was almost like he was dancing with his dragonite. He smiled, bowing to the crowd when he was done, before they and their coach took their seats in the Kiss and Cry, both smirking.

"The scores please. Evgeni Plushenko has earned in the short battle 90.66 points." Yuzuru squealed before he remembered himself and clamped a hand over his mouth. Saya raised an eyebrow at him and he shook her shoulders lightly, brimming with excitement.

"It's the highest score ever! And it's the first short battle score to get over 90 points!"

"I mean, he barely got over 90 points," Saya mumbled, earning a sharp kick from her little brother. "Hey! I'm just telling the truth! But that's such a good score! Will anyone beat it?"

"I doubt it," Yuzuru smiled to himself. "He's so cool!"

"Will you stay up to watch the rest of it?" Saya yawned and stretched as Fushi did the same.

"Yep," Yuzu nodded, feeding his dratini another pokémon-safe snack. "I want to watch Johnny Weir, and then I'll be basically halfway through the event and might as well watch the whole thing. Since we don't have school later today."

"You're just lucky we have a few weeks of holiday now so that you can stay up and watch."

The pair watched in a comfortable silence as more competitors stepped up to the platform, taking their turns and facing their pokémon in battle. Yuzuru sat up straighter as Johnny took to the platform with his beloved Nidorina. Whispers flew around the arena but they were soon drowned out by the screams and cheers of his fans: Johnny's Angels. Yuzuru's dratini nuzzled up against him and they watched as Johnny performed and battled with his classical elegance and finesse that so many others didn't have. Plushenko's score was well out of Johnny's reach, and Yuzuru's mind was spinning with numbers as he watched Johnny settle in the Kiss and Cry with his Nidorina.

"The scores please. Johnny Weir has earned in the short battle 80.00 points. He is currently in second place."

"Only one point above Stephane Lambiel," Yuzuru mumbled to himself as they watched the rest of the competitors battle it out.

When the dust settled, Evgeni was in first, Johnny in second, and Stephane in third with Daisuke down in fifth, well within reach of a medal if he put his mind to it for the free battle in two days' time. The siblings yawned, smiling sleepily as the first rays of morning light broke through their curtains while they were curling back up under their blankets in bed, ready to sleep as the morning arrived. Their mother burst out laughing when her two children and their three pokémon made their way through the house looking like sleepy zombies. As long as they did their homework, and Yuzuru trained at the club but much lighter as they were tired, she was happy to provide them with snacks and blankets, allowing them to stay up well into the night to watch the broadcast. Although he was heavily sleep deprived, he still chattered away animatedly to his mother about how talented Plushenko and Weir were. His mother patted his head and sent him off to bed for an early night so that he would have enough energy to stay up and watch the free battle at two in the morning on the 16th of February. He and Saya sat curled up on the sofa together again with their pokémon and yet more snacks that their mother had bought for them. Yuzuru squirmed with excitement.

"Sit still!" Saya told him with laughter in her tone as they cuddled up under a blanket again. "When are your favourites?"

"Plushenko-san is nineteenth, and Johnny is twenty first to go."

Saya nodded and the pair watched the event unfold. They watched pokémon faint, they watched some battlers perform much better than expected, and they watched some battlers perform much worse than expected. Yuzuru sat up a little straighter when Plushenko stepped up to the platform, and he couldn't tear his eyes away for the entire battle. Battlers in the senior men's category had eight moves whereas the juniors, novices, and ladies had only seven. Plushenko performed incredibly and Yuzuru held onto Saya's hand with all of his might as they waited for the scores.

"The scores please. Evgeni Plushenko has earned in the free battle 167.67 points." Yuzuru squealed as Plushenko grinned. "His total competition score is 258.33 points, and he is currently in first place."

"So good!" Yuzuru squeaked, bouncing beside Saya as Stephane Lambiel stepped up to battle. "Three new world records! Perfect!"

The pair kept watching as Stephane scored 152.17 in the free, earning 231.21 overall to settle into second behind Plushenko. Yuzuru's dratini nuzzled up beside him as Johnny took to the battle platform.

It was a bit of a disaster for Johnny, and he missed a move completely. Yuzuru winced as the Johnny's Angels in the audience booed and showed their dissatisfaction at Johnny's scores: 136.63 in the free battle and 216.63 overall, bringing him into fourth with three battlers to go. Jeffrey went next and snuck into third place with a good free battle score of 154.30 and an overall score of 227.59. Plushenko was more than out of reach at that point, but Yuzuru and Saya could feel Stephane and Jeffrey's tension as Brian Joubert competed, landing in sixth with a score of 212.89, and Daisuke had a meltdown, finishing in 8th with 204.89. Yuzuru watched, practically glowing with happiness, as he watched Jeffrey step up onto the bottom step with his quilava, Stephane give him a hug and step up onto the second step with his vaporeon, and then Evgeni Plushenko stepped up with his dragonite, claiming the top spot.

"I'm going to win the Olympics one day," Yuzuru promised his sister as he watched Plushenko get his gold medal. "Next ones."

"Yuzuru, you'll be too young for the ones in Vancouver," his sister told him, ruffling his hair. "Have to aim for the one in 2014 then instead."

"2014 and 2018 then." Yuzuru nodded. "Two Olympics. Maybe three. How old will I be in 2014?" He tapped the side of his chin as he thought.

"Nineteen at the Olympics."

"So close to 20!" Yuzuru lit up. "I want to win gold. For us."

"Win gold for you, silly. I believe in you," Saya pressed a kiss to his forehead before she gave Yuzuru's dratini a cuddle, "and I believe in you too, Mini-chan."

The pokémon nuzzled at Yuzuru's sister before the two kids burst out laughing; their giggles were only cut off by their yawning. Their mother came in the next morning, at a more reasonable time, and just fondly shook her head when she caught the two children and three pokémon napping underneath the blanket together.

Yuzuru was very excited when it got to the ladies’ event, and he was all but bouncing off the walls as they settled down to watch it. One of the battlers from Sendai was competing, and she'd been the World Champion before. Yuzuru could barely sit still as the competition had blessed him with energy, even at two in the morning on a Wednesday in Miyagi. He sat through the first two groups of five impatiently, and the next group of six, before he sat up more attentively. Shizuka Arakawa, last competitor in the third group, was the one he was staying up most to watch. Sarah Meier scored 55.57, then Irina Slutskaya scored a high 66.70, Silvia Fontana scored 42.47, and finally it was Shizuka's turn. Yuzuru watched as she battled with her signature pokémon, a lapras, and she finished with 66.02 points, slipping barely behind Irina. Yuzuru nuzzled his own lapras, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, and he smiled.

"Arakawa-san is also from Miyagi. You're the signature pokémon of our region, Lapalace-chan, so it's really lovely that she has a pokémon like you in her team." Yuzuru sighed and his lapras nuzzled against his cheek. "You're so beautiful and elegant. Beautiful pokémon."

Saya had already fallen asleep, and Yuzuru tucked the blanket around his big sister before he and his pokémon slipped back to his room and curled up, sleeping well into the day after. At training, everyone seemed to be buzzing with excitement at the prospect of Japan's second Olympic medal in battling, and at the prospect that the second Olympic medallist for Japan could have come from the Miyagi region. After a good training session, Yuzuru was all but bouncing on his heels. All through dinner he was squirming with excitement in his seat and there was no chance his mother could get him to have a nap before the event started at 2 in the morning again. Once again, he and Saya ended up huddled under a blanket with their pokémon and, as they watched the first three groups, their adrenaline and excitement only grew. Elene was first in the group, then Sasha, then Shizuka, Fumie, Kimmie, and finally Irina. The siblings held hands underneath the blanket, watching as Elene scored 93.56, and both of them grimaced as Sasha made a huge initial mistake and one of her pokémon fainted. Her score was 116.63, and her total score was 183.36. Shizuka didn't have to break a record to win; she just had to keep calm and do what she did best.

She was the epitome of grace and elegance as she battled. Although some of her moves didn't do the damage she wanted, she still did more than Sasha. Both siblings silently exchanged a look before they turned back, watching as Shizuka sat in the Kiss and Cry next to her coaches and her lapras.

"The scores please. Shizuka Arakawa has earned in the free battle 125.32 points." Both siblings gasped and their faces lit up. "Her total competition score is 191.34 points, and she is currently in first place."

The siblings buzzed with excitement and could barely focus on Fumie or Kimmie's battles. They held their breaths as they watched Irina's battle, and both tensed up when she made a mistake too. They didn't dare to believe that Shizuka could have overtaken everyone. Was someone from Miyagi, from Sendai, really going to be the first person to ever win a gold medal for Japan for Pokémon Battling at the Olympics?

"The scores please. Irina Slutskaya has earned in the free battle 114.74 points. Her total competition score is 181.44 points, and she is currently in third place."

The siblings squealed with delight and Yuzuru was dancing around in front of their television. They sang along to their anthem with the crowd in the arena, and smiled as Shizuka held up her gold. The first gold for Japan in Olympic Pokémon battling. The first gold for Japan in Olympic Pokémon battling was won by someone from Sendai.

Everyone at the training club was buzzing, inspired by Shizuka Arakawa's win. After the World Championships, Yuzuru was training with his coaches when the hair on the back of his neck stood up. Words spoken in a language he didn't understand but in a voice he recognised rang through the training centre.

"It's lovely here. Beautiful training facilities." Stephane Lambiel spoke in kind English to Tatsuyoshi as they walked through the place. The Olympic silver medallist and World Champion paused, looking up at the battling platform where Yuzuru was working with his dratini and lapras. "What's this?"

"Oh, he's training a new battle strategy. He's working more on status deductions and stat changes before he uses physical attacks."

Stephane nodded and his vaporeon circled around his legs as they watched Yuzuru and his pokémon work to take down their gastly opponent.

"I'm better," Yuzuru whispered to himself as he stood up straight at the end of the battle and wiped his forehead. "I'm better. I can do better."

"He's determined, isn't he?" Stephane smiled as he kept watching Yuzuru try. "It's commendable. You have a gemstone here. He could go very far."

"You're not trying to steal my student, are you?" She joked in English words that flew over Yuzuru's head, but he understood the tone very clearly.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Stephane said with a charming smile, "but he should go far. He's like a shining light."

"He is," she nodded and watched as Yuzuru's dratini followed after him, ready to practice harder still even though they'd been working hard together for hours. "He and his pokémon, they all really are. He's irritated he came second at Nationals and is determined to be better."

"That's as good a reason as any. Let his frustration inspire him and push him to the greatest heights."

Chapter Text

It wasn't just the fact that Yuzuru hated to lose that drove him to work as hard as he could. His pokémon carried the same determination within them and the three inspired each other to keep pushing to be the best team in the world. Yuzuru's frustration grew seemingly every time he went to training where he was tormented. He was surrounded by trainers with teams of three pokémon, and he had only two.

"Two well trained pokémon are better than three less well-trained ones," his coaches both reminded him, but their words did nothing to soothe Yuzuru's frustration.

At the Katsuyama training club, Yuzuru, his pokémon, and his mother were called into the office by Tatsuyoshi. He sat there, swinging his legs on the chair with his mother sitting beside him and his dratini balanced on his shoulders. Across the desk from them sat two ladies; one was Tatsuyoshi, and one he didn't really recognise. He'd seen her around the club but had never spoken to her since he'd never had a reason to. She gave him a kind smile as Tatsuyoshi started talking.

"Hanyu-san, Yuzuru, due to some of the shifts in the staff here, we think that it will be best if Abe Nanami," she gestured to the lady next to her, "takes over a section of your training for you. She will coach you, as will I, and both of us will accompany you to competitions. How does that sound?"

Yuzuru and his mother exchanged a look and Yuzuru nodded with a light shrug. The two coaches smiled and Yuzuru bowed to Nanami.

"I'll work hard, Abe-sensei," he said with determination and sincerity. "Promise."

Nanami's first real test as Yuzuru's coach was training him in the build up to the Novice A National Pokémon Battling Championships. Working with a hard to mask frustration bubbling inside of him and his pokémon, Nanami had to try and tame it as best as she could. They selected new battle music for him as they decided to move on from Spartacus and From Russia with Love. Yuzuru helped to pick his short from the choices Nanami offered him, selecting Amazonic, and his dratini chose his free music from the selections. She'd nosed at Yuzuru the most when Nanami played him Summer Storm, and she was adamant about it. Nanami and Tatsuyoshi arranged for his costumes to be designed, and they got Megumu Seki to set out his battle strategy for him so that he knew when he hit the midpoint of the music and how to adjust accordingly to times of trouble midway through the competition. Yuzuru's pokémon were both growing stronger and, just before the National Championships, his dratini hit level 15 and learnt the dragon type move twister. Since it was so close to Nationals, Nanami held him by the shoulders and looked at him with a frown.

"Don't try and use twister. I know it's tempting, but use the moves and strategy that you've practiced. It's less risky that way, and then we can work together on utilising it."

Yuzuru nodded, not really listening as he bounced at the side of the battle platform, waiting for his turn. Keiji had scored high, really high, with 80.50, and he wasn't entirely sure that he could beat him with his planned strategy. Yuzuru handed his coach his empty pokéball holder, a Winnie the Pooh shaped zip-up case, and stepped up, smoothing down the front of his purple costume as he did so. Jun Suzuki, also from his club, bowed his head in the Kiss and Cry at the 51.44 points he'd got, putting him into sixth place, and Yuzuru stepped up onto the platform.

"Representing Katsuyama Pokémon Club, please welcome Hanyu Yuzuru!"

Can you really beat 80.50 points with what you have planned? A nagging voice at the back of Yuzuru's head piped up as he brought his two pokémon out against the three presented by the officials.

Lower their defence. Lower their defence and follow the plan. Do what you're meant to do.

They followed the strategy, lowering two of the opponent's pokémon's defence, but Yuzuru was dissatisfied. His dratini picked up on his hesitation and Yuzuru gave her a nod.

"Twister," his voice cut above the music and he could feel Nanami's glare cut into the back of his head.

His dratini listened to him, wrapping up one of the opposing pokémon in the strong vortex of dragon power. Since the move was still so new to her, it was a little wild and, to Yuzuru's horror, it hit his lapras too, reducing her Hit Points down to zero. He bit his lip hard, grimacing, and the officials revived his lapras for him. He carried on, steadily chipping away at the other pokémon's Hit Points, but his mind was still whirring. He wasn't sure he could get anywhere near Keiji's score now, particularly with the deduction he was going to get, so he took another chance on his last move.

"Twister again!" He instructed, and he could already practically hear the lecture he was going to get from Nanami when he was done. He didn't care though. He was ready to face it, if he could just claw back some of the points to drag himself to the podium.

His dratini was a little more controlled than before with the move, and her accuracy was better, but she still caught his lapras with it. Yuzuru winced, grimacing as she was already weakened significantly by the battle and went down just as his music ended. The officials revived her so that they could bow together and they promised him that he wouldn't get a time deduction for the last bit. The audience applauded them and Yuzuru patted his lapras on the head before he tapped the button at the front of her pokéball, recalling her back to him. His dratini slithered up his outstretched arm and onto his shoulder, resting there as Yuzuru left the stage and gave a less than impressed Nanami a shy and sheepish smile. She swatted him on the head with his Winnie the Pooh pokéball holder as they sat down in the Kiss and Cry together.

"Hanyu Yuzuru."

Yuzuru grimaced and looked up at her with wide eyes, blinking at her several times before he gave her that smile that he always had when he'd done something silly and he knew it.

"Yes Abe-sensei?"

"What exactly did I tell you just before you stepped up to battle? What were my exact words?"

"Don't try and use twister. Use the moves and strategy you've practiced. It's less risky."

"Correct," Nanami sighed and shook her head at him. "And what exactly did you then decide to do?"

"Used twister," Yuzuru mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck as his dratini sensed his hesitation and nuzzled against his cheek.

"Twice." Nanami shook her head. "You used it twice. We'll discuss it when we get back to the club, okay?"

"Okay," Yuzuru nodded, patting his dratini on the head before the team in the Kiss and Cry smiled when the attention turned to them.

"The scores please. Hanyu Yuzuru has earned in the free battle 71.03 points," Yuzuru rubbed his forehead, hiding his face in his knees so that no one had to see the frustration painted on his face. His body language still broadcast it for everyone to see, plain and simple. "He is currently in second place."

Nanami patted him on the knee and gave him a light smile. "You tried. Didn't work. We'll work on it next year, okay?"

"Okay," Yuzuru mumbled as he carried his Pooh bear and dratini to the seats. He flopped down next to Keiji and exchanged words of congratulations with the other. The pair of them still cheered as brightly as ever when Ryuju stepped out with his eevee and cyndaquil.

Ryuju was as calm as he'd been the year before. Calm, collected, and elegant, Ryuju and his pokémon moved about each other almost like a slightly awkward dance. Yuzu's hopes to hold onto silver slipped away with each move of Ryuju's. It was over so fast and Yuzuru held Keiji's hand tightly. The tension could be felt between the three of them as they all watched and waited for the scores.

"The scores please. Hino Ryuju has earned in the free battle 86.56 points," Ryuju's face brightened and he cuddled his eevee tightly, giggling as she licked his cheek and nuzzled up against him, "He is currently in first place."

"Woah, 86 points?!" Yuzuru gasped. "That's such a big score! That's close to some of the scores of the juniors and seniors!"

"So good," Keiji nodded before he nudged Yuzuru with his shoulder. "You'll get it next year. Promise."

"Hope so," Yuzuru admitted before he and Keiji swept Ryuju up into a hug, squeezing their best friend between them while they showered him in praise and congratulations.

Next year, Yuzuru promised himself, trying to quell the inner voice that taunted him about the same failed promise from the year before as he stood on the lowest step of the podium beside his friends. Mini-chan curled up on his shoulders, moving out of the way so that the medal could be put on him before she resumed nosing at his cheeks.

But next year was the least of Yuzuru's worries. After his good finish, he was invited to attend the Japan Junior Championships where he would get to showcase his short battle music and costume for the very first time. He could barely stand still when he got there, and it was his first time competing at a junior level.

He should have known it would not have gone to plan. Ryuju had gone three battles before him and performed beautifully, scoring 40.45 points and keeping him in the discussion, even as a novice guest invited up. Yuzuru couldn't stand still as nervous energy coursed through him, and he and dratini finally took their places, ready for the battle to commence. His dratini got so flustered that she knocked herself out with twister, which they were still trying to get under control, and Yuzuru heard some of the juniors laugh. His anger grew inside of him and they delivered some sound damage at the end, but it wasn't enough. He grimaced, stroking Mini-Chan's nose in the Kiss and Cry as his score of 38.80 came up, putting him below Ryuju and several of the ones who had been laughing at him.

"Don't laugh at him," he looked up, catching the eye of the battler who was in front after the short as the older scolded a group of the junior battlers. "He's just a kid. He'll grow."

"Yeah, but come on Tatsun. It was pretty amusing to see his pokémon knock itself out on its first move. Pretty weak."

"Careful who you call weak," Tatsuki warned them, giving Yuzuru a nod behind their backs. The rest of the group followed his eye line and turned, eyes narrowing at the youngster watching them intensely, "because they'll work twice as hard to become stronger than you."

Yuzuru watched them go, eyes stuck on Tatsuki Machida in a mixture of awe and shock that he was only broken out of by Mini-chan nosing at his cheek. He packed up and followed behind Nanami and his mother as they walked him back to his hotel room.

"Rest well," Nanami told him as she patted him on the head. "You'll do better tomorrow. You've been working so hard on twister. I know you'll get it tomorrow."

The next morning Yuzuru felt a new sense of ready and determination. The bonus that came with finishing so low down in the short, eighteenth when all was said and done, meant that he didn't have to wait as long to start in the free. Backstage, he was running through a few things with his pokémon when he felt a gentle tap on his shoulder. Taking off his headphones, he gasped at the sight of Tatsuki Machida standing before him.

"Don't let them put you off," the older said to him, stroking the fluffy wings of his swablu. "You're not weak. Just inexperienced. Show them what you're made of today in the free."

Yuzuru nodded, a little struck by him, and Tatsuki glanced down at his dratini and lapras.

"Beautiful pokémon. Do you think you're ready?"

"I think so." Yuzuru said quietly.

"Well, Little Mouse," Tatsuki told him as a small smile slipped onto his face, "you're about to face the lions. And, for some reason, I think you're going to come out on top."

As the competitor before Yuzuru stepped off, he felt like an oxymoron; adrenaline coursed through him at a million miles an hour, but he felt a strange sense of calm and serenity. Nanami just gave him a nod and Yuzuru stepped up, armed with his two pokémon by his side. They seemed to match his calm but energy filled aura as they took their places.

The older boys who had been laughing the day before weren't laughing after Yuzuru delivered a high-class battle. Nanami smirked with pride at her student, and Tatsuki, who was leaning against the wall with is swablu next to him as he watched, smiled. Yuzuru doubled over, resting his hands on his knees as he gasped for air at the end of the battle, and the full weight of what he and his pokémon had achieved hit him. No fainting from them, and Yuzuru's dratini had succeeded with three well delivered twisters. He all but bounced into Nanami's arms and hugged her tightly before they sat in the Kiss and Cry together.

"The scores please. Hanyu Yuzuru has earned in the free battle 90.16 points." His jaw dropped at the size of the score and he went skyrocketing into the lead. "His total competition score is 128.96 points, and he is currently in first place."

After Ryuju had finished his battle, he, Yuzuru, and Keiji sat down together and watched as the rest of the battlers competed. Yuzuru was knocked out of the top spot by Yoshida Yukihiro, but Yuzuru still scored above him in the free. When the dust settled, he was in seventh place, but he felt a warmth in his chest and a sense of renewed determination.

Whispers followed him as he turned to leave the arena, but they weren't like before. As he got to the door, a gentle hand tapped him on the shoulder again and he turned, meeting the junior champion's eyes.

"Well done Little Mouse," Tatsuki gave him a smile. "I knew you had it in you. You'll medal next year. I bet you will. See you again soon. I can't wait to see how you grow as you work hard. Best of luck to you, Hanyu Yuzuru."

"You too, Machida-san," Yuzuru said, bowing to the other.

"You're not weak. You're just in the process of becoming strong."

Chapter Text

Coming seventh at Junior Nationals at eleven years old turned several heads, and the world seemed to perk up and notice Yuzuru. Several of his competitors noticed him too, and even some of the seniors noticed him. As a late birthday present for him, his family attended the Japanese National Championships for the seniors, attending as spectators and not as competitors. His parents couldn't help but laugh as Yuzuru bounced in his seat, waving to the three men he recognised from the junior competition. Tatsuki and Takahito returned his wave and he squealed, wiggling with happiness in his seat as he watched them step up to compete. His parents and sister got into the spirit of it too, and Fushi enjoyed watching from where he was perched on Saya's shoulder. The competition was so exciting to watch live, and the family was swept up in the excitement as they cheered for Tatsuki, Yuzuru's favourite, Takahito, Nobunari, who had the most bubbly and fun way of battling that was infectious, and for Daisuke, the fan favourite. Yuzuru did a happy little wiggle dance in his seat when Daisuke had finished, scoring a very good 85.55 points. He was in first, with Nobunari in second and Tatsuki in seventh, despite being a junior invited up.

"Scores at Nationals don't really count," he explained to his parents. "You have to set world records at international competitions otherwise feds would just give more and more and more points at Nationals to give people records that they haven't earned!"

"Aren't scores calculated from changes in statistics and Hit Points though?" Saya asked, settling Fushi on her lap as she played with his front feet, making the both of them smile. "So how could they give more and more points?"

"It's not a direct translation of damage to points," Yuzuru explained as his dratini napped on his shoulders during the intermission between the men and the ladies. "The judges apply the transfer and adjust the scores a little bit to the competition. So the scores are all proportional to the damage, but not exactly the same. And you get points for changes in stats as well as Hit Points, so it would be really hard to measure both of them directly while also keeping the limits of 120 points for a KO in the short, and 100 for in the free."

"Sounds complicated," his sister said with a shrug as she kept playing with Fushi. "I'd prefer to just cuddle my baby than battle with him."

"Mini-chan likes battling," Yuzuru defended, but their argument was cut off by the anthem of the Japan Pokémon Federation blaring through the stadium, announcing the start of the ladies competition.

Yuzuru was entranced right from the start. Saya nearly burst out laughing when Yuzuru's eyes went wide and his mouth fell open, as did his dratini's, as they watched the reigning national silver medallist, and Grand Prix Final silver medallist, step up. Beside her stood tall an elegant pokémon; it was yellow with a white patch on its belly and black rings around its ears, neck, and tail. At the centre of its head was a shiny red stone, and a matching one was on the end of its tail.

"Asada Mao," Yuzuru's head snapped back and his eyes impossibly widened as Nobunari Oda sat down next to him, "she's so very talented. Too young to go to Worlds or the Olympics last year. If she can make it into the top 3, she'll be going to the World Championships."

"What's her pokémon?" Yuzuru asked as Mao took to the centre of the battling platform with a calm aura around her. "It's beautiful."

"An ampharos in English," Nobu explained, sitting back in the seat and watching with a smile, "or a denryu in Japanese."

"Denryu," Yuzuru hummed as he watched the two work together in the battle. They were as exhausting for the trainers as they were for the pokémon, both mentally and physically, but Mao seemed to handle it pretty well. "She's very talented. Will get a high score for that. Similar to some of the men, right?"

"Right," Nobunari agreed. "I'm not a judge but I'd guess... 70 points? And that would put her in sixth place amongst the men."

"Woah," Yuzuru and his dratini exchanged a look before they watched her in the Kiss and Cry. Mao seemed gracious, bowing her head to the audience and waving to them with bright smiles and enthusiasm. Her ampharos did the same, and Saya couldn't help but coo as it swung its legs from where she had sat it down on the bench; its legs were much too short to reach the floor.

"The scores please. Asada Mao has earned in the short battle 71.14 points." Her eyes lit up and she, her ampharos, and her coach smiled with a brightness unmatched by any electric type move. "She is currently in first place."

"Go Mao!" Nobu cheered, catching her eyes. She waved to him, eyes lingering on Yuzuru for a moment before she disappeared under the stands where they could no longer see her. "That's so good. Mao is such a talented battler."

Yuzuru nodded, finding it surprisingly easy to chat to Nobu even though the other was seven years older than him. His dratini took a liking to the older immediately, nuzzling up against his hand when he asked if he could stroke her, and she made several happy pops and whistles.

"Sorry, I got snagged by the press," Yuzuru became tongue tied as Mao flopped down into the seat on Nobu's other side with her ampharos sitting beside her. "Where would I have placed compared to the men this time?" She teased, elbowing him lightly.

"Fourth. Between Nanri Yasuhara and Kanzaki Noriyuki."

"I'll just have to try harder next time so I can beat all of you," she joked before she glanced past him to Yuzuru. "Hi there. I'm Asada Mao. Nice to meet you."

"Hanyu Yuzuru," Yuzuru managed to squeak out and he bowed his head quickly. His dratini followed him, doing the same, and Mao chuckled, waving him off.

"The Hanyu Yuzuru? The youngster who finished in seventh at Junior Nationals? That Hanyu Yuzuru?"

Yuzuru turned bright pink, much to Nobu's amusement, and he could only nod. Mao quirked an eyebrow at him and gave him a nod.

"I have to say, you've become quite the celebrity amongst Japanese battlers. We all heard about you from Tatsuki, Takahito, Hirofumi, Nana, Rumi, and Satsuki. It's nice to finally meet you."

"I've become a celebrity?" Yuzuru asked her, searching Nobu's face for an answer.

"Oh yeah. The kid with gumption and two beautiful pokémon who somehow managed to score much better than those older than him with three pokémon became quite a story amongst the battling population. Plus, you have a dratini and those are pretty rare outside of Europe, especially Russia. And you have a lapras, just like Arakawa-san, and so that's why you're such big news."

"O-oh," Yuzuru sat back in his seat, turning back to the battling but not really paying attention to Mai Asada as she battled. "I don't get it though. Me? I haven't done anything that impressive. I mean, I didn't even win Novice Nationals. I came third."

"So?" Mao shrugged at him. "Okay, maybe for you Nationals are the most important thing in the world, but, as you get older, you learn that they're really not that big of a deal. It's probably my least important competition this season, and all they really do is pave the way for a spot at Four Continents, the Olympics, and Worlds. But, if your international record is good enough, the JPF don't care about whether or not you went to Nationals and are much more likely to give you a spot if you have a good international record."

Yuzuru looked at her, body language telling that he was unconvinced by her words and she rolled her eyes.

"Okay, we'll think about it another way. You're watching Nationals. Did you watch them last year?"

"Yes, but not live."

"You remember who came first in the ladies event last year?"

Yuzuru nodded at her as confusion continued to grow in his mind. Mao gave him a kind smile before she continued.

"Suguri Fumie came first last year. Who came second last year?"

"You did."

"I did. Who came third last year?"

"Arakawa-san."

"Arakawa Shizuka." Mao nodded. "But which of the three of us has an Olympic gold medal? I'm not saying you shouldn't treat Nationals seriously, because you should treat all competitions seriously. I'm just saying that, in the grand scheme of things, as long as you can get to where you want to go, if Nationals isn't your most important competition, don't get too worried about it. So what, you came third at Novice Nationals? You got a medal, and that's amazing. But, if you take on the world and win international golds, no one is going to say 'Oh, he only came third at his Novice Nationals in 2006. Terrible!' No, they're going to say 'Wow, look at that Olympic gold medallist' or something. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Yuzuru nodded, transfixed by her wise words. Mao hummed in satisfaction before she rooted around in her bag.

"I have something for you actually. I was wondering what to do with it but, after hearing about you, and knowing you only have two competitive pokémon, I think you should have it."

Nobu gasped, staring at Mao. "Seriously? You think he should have it?"

"I do," Mao nodded before she held something very carefully in her arms, unwrapping the cloth from around it. "I think he's the right person. Look at how his dratini has been cuddling him the whole time. She obviously trusts and loves him. I think he'll do a good job raising this one too."

"It's yours to give," Nobu said with a light shrug before he patted Yuzuru on the shoulder. "Nice to meet you. See you tomorrow, hopefully."

"Bye Oda-san!" Yuzuru waved to him before he turned back and his breath caught in his throat.

Mao had in her arms a dark blue egg with soft cream flecks, black flecks, and little yellow flecks. Yuzuru blinked at it in shock before his brain registered that she was trying to hand it to him.

"W-what?!"

"My ampharos laid an egg," she explained, "and I think you should have it. I think you'll train the pokémon inside well." She passed it to him, helping him to hold it properly so that he wouldn't drop it and it wouldn't break.

"Are you sure?" Yuzuru asked, feeling the cool and smooth surface of the shell against his fingers. "Are you certain that someone like me really deserves a pokémon egg from someone like you?"

"I can't think of anyone I'd rather give it to," Mao said with a shrug. "Please raise it well though."

"I promise."

At the end of the competition, Daisuke won the gold, Nobu the silver, and Mao won the ladies event. Daisuke and Nobu were named to the Worlds team along with Mao, Miki Ando, and Yukari Nakano. Yuzuru left the competition with a dratini on his shoulder and an egg in his bag, wrapped up in cloth so that it wouldn't break.

When they returned to Sendai, Yuzuru did as much research on pokémon eggs as he could. He kept it warm and became almost fanatical about checking everything to make sure that the egg wasn't getting too hot or too cold. When he was training, his mother took care of it for him and made sure that it was nicely wrapped up in blankets at the cool training centre. Whispers followed him as he walked through the club, talking about how Mao Asada, the Mao Asada, had gifted him with a pokémon egg laid by her legendary ampharos. Yuzuru ignored them as much as he could, focusing on training for the North Japan Figure Skating Games being held in March in Miyagi; they were to be his second ever competition at the Junior level and he wanted it to be better than Junior Nationals.

The games were definitely better than any other competitions he'd been to. His short battle was much better, scoring 45.99 and his free battle scored just below what he'd got at Junior Nationals, landing him in first place in both sections and in first overall with 134.07 points. On the way home on the train from Kurokawa, Yuzuru felt a jostling in his bag. His mother took his pokéballs from him and took Mini-chan into her arms as the crowd on the train parted to give Yuzuru some space. The youngster took off his bag and opened it up, taking out the vibrating pokémon egg. Pieces were chipping off slowly, and Yuzuru was quick to put them into his bag so that they didn't cause a mess. Everyone around them was watching in awe; pokémon hatchings were rare to see outside of pokémon farms. At one point, a tiny little blue paw stuck through one of the holes in the egg. Yuzuru carefully helped the little pokémon inside make more holes and break the egg apart.

Looking up at him was a sweet little sheep-like pokémon with a cream coloured fleece, blue limbs and a blue face, and black and yellow striped ears and tail. It nuzzled against Yuzuru's fingers, letting out the cutest little noises, and he stuffed the rest of the egg into his bag before he held her in his arms like a new-born baby.

"What a beautiful pokémon," his mother said gently, moving some of the curls of wool off the creature's face. "You'll have to message Abe-sensei and tell her what happened."

"Later," Yuzuru nodded, eyes fixed on the pokémon's eyes. "Later. Hello Merri-chan. I'm Yuzu, your new friend."

Everyone at the club crowded around Yuzuru, asking him questions at a million miles an hour when he walked in with a brand new pokémon by his side. Nanami calmly made her way through the crowd and waved them away so that she could talk to Yuzuru in private about it.

"You're going to the Mladost Trophy in Zagreb in a few weeks," Nanami glanced down at her. "It's up to you, but—"

"I would like to take her with me, but she won't be ready to battle. Not in just a few weeks, no matter how much we work. All the information online said to bottle feed her for at least two weeks and not to try and battle with her until she's a month old. So, no matter what, she's not battling in Zagreb. I will stick to our old strategy, the one that worked well at our last few competitions."

Nanami nodded and patted his head. "Good idea, Yuzuru. You've got a good head on your shoulders."

Yuzuru won the competition, and pictures of him bottle feeding a baby mareep backstage spread online like wildfire afterwards.

Chapter Text

Much of Yuzuru's summer training was dedicated to bringing his mareep up to speed so that she was as good as his other two pokémon, and, luckily for him, neither of the other two particularly minded that they weren't being showered with attention like she was. She picked up on their determination and fought as hard as she could, driving herself with her electric personality. Nanami took over as his choreographer too after Yuzuru and his pokémon chose Sing, Sing, Sing, and The Firebird as their music.

"But you don't have any fire types on your team," Nanami countered with a ghost of a smile as she began editing the music for him.

"Doesn't matter. We'll burn just as bright, with or without a fire type on our team. And we have mareep now, and she shines bright as an electric type."

"Whatever you say," Nanami teased him before she nodded to the door. "I'll be out in about half an hour. You train what you think needs the most training, okay? Don't do anything stupid."

Yuzuru nodded and, as he left to go to the training rooms, he and his pokémon were a sight. A young man who resembled a mushroom bounced along, followed by a dratini, a lapras, and a bouncing fluffy mareep. In the training room, everyone looked at them while trying to pretend that they weren't looking at them. Yuzuru just ignored them and stepped up, keying in one of the training codes to get one of the set teams of club pokémon up so that they could practice some battling strategies against them. As a young and slightly irresponsible child, when a bright idea came through Yuzuru's mind, he didn't even think twice about it. He just did it.

"Mareep, thundershock! Lapras, sing! And dratini, twister!"

The three pokémon exchanged a look momentarily but, filled with trust for their trainer, they all attacked simultaneously. The three attacks collided mid-air and energy spread through the club before it smacked Yuzuru, knocking him out cold.

When Yuzuru came to with a groan, he saw a very concerned Nanami and his mother kneeling beside him. It took him a moment to register that he wasn't on the battling platform anymore. He was lying on his back with a cushion underneath his head, propping it up, and his mother had her cool hand resting on his forehead. His dratini popped up in front of him, staring into his eyes before she leaned down and met his nose with hers. He caught his lapras' eyes and she nodded to him with concern in her eyes that softened when she saw he was alright. His mareep bounced around beside him and, because she was shorter than the other two pokémon and couldn't move like dratini, she couldn't see anything. Yuzuru's mother couldn't help but laugh as the little sheep pokémon got more and more frustrated until she took pity on her, picking her up so that she could see Yuzuru was alright.

"What happened?" Nanami asked him with nothing but concern in her voice, raising it so that she could speak over the happy squealing of Yuzuru's mareep. "You got knocked out, and I have no idea how."

"I was trying a new combination move," Yuzuru admitted sheepishly, and Nanami narrowed her eyes at him. "I won't do it again! I promise! I was just wondering if I could have each of my pokémon do a move at the same time in competition and if that would only count as one move. So, I thought we'd try it and practice it in case it did count."

"It doesn't," Nanami told him, folding her arms over her chest. "Otherwise everyone would do it, don't you think? No, if you do that in competition, you'll get a deduction for moving before the opposition has had a chance to attack. Plus, it's dangerous Yuzuru! You're lucky that you only got knocked out here, but so much worse could have happened. You combined thundershock, sing, and twister. Do you know how much more hurt you could have been if that had directly hit you?"

"N-no," Yuzuru mumbled, raising a hand to rub at his forehead that his mother caught before his dirty glove touched the cut above his eyebrow he'd gained when he tumbled over. "I'm sorry."

Nanami calmed down and nodded in understanding. "I'm sorry for shouting at you. But please don't do something so reckless again. It's possibly your last year as a novice and I want it to be good for you. And we can't have a good season for you if you spend a lot of it unconscious because you were trying too many dangerous things. To win Novice Nationals, you first have to get to Novice Nationals, and that means being conscious."

"I'm sorry," Yuzuru sat up with his mother's help as the club medic checked him over for any immediate signs of concussion. "I promise you it won't happen again."

"I know," Nanami patted his shoulder before she nodded to the door. "No more training today. I'm sending you home so that you can get the rest you need, both you and your pokémon."

Yuzuru, under his mother's watchful gaze, packed up his things and they headed home together. For the first time in a while, all his pokémon stayed in their pokéballs and he didn't have the energy to fight his mother when she insisted on taking him to the doctor to check that he didn't have concussion.

Once he was cleared, they got home and Yuzuru flopped face first on his bed, dropping his Winnie the Pooh pokéball container. The three rolled out from his unzipped back, stopping under his bed and by his closet. For a moment, he just stayed there motionless on the bed and breathed in the comforting scent of jasmine on the sheets before he groaned, forcing himself to get up and collect his friends from where they'd rolled around his room. He let the three of them out before he set their empty pokéballs into the holder his father had made for him on the wall, and he flopped down face first on his bed again. His dratini curled up by his side and his mareep wiggled her way into his arms, while his lapras rested her head against his. When his mother came in to collect him for dinner, she found the four of them sleeping in the cuddle pile and just smiled fondly, patting him on the head before she put her dinner away for him to have another time.

In early October, Yuzuru once again won the Tohoku-Hokkaido Regional Championship, which meant he could go to the Novice Championships again. Just a few days after, he and Nanami both moved from Katsuyama Battling Club to Miyagi Pokémon Battling Club, which was much closer to his home and much more convenient for the both of them. Going eleventh out of twenty-nine at Novice Nationals meant that he had more than half the competition after him when there would be nothing he could do anymore. If he was to have a chance at winning, he'd have to give it his absolute all from the beginning.

Nanami seemed to pick up on his nerves and she held him by the shoulders, rubbing them to try and get him to calm down. Keiji had gone third and, armed with his newest addition to his team, he'd laid down an incredibly high score that Yuzuru himself had never beaten of 102.50 points. For Yuzuru to win, he needed to not just break his own personal best but to shatter it completely.

"Just do what we did in training," Nanami told him, patting him on the back as the announcer called his name.

Yuzuru, despite knowing that this would be an all or nothing battle, felt eerily calm as he and his pokémon stepped up. With three beside him, he felt like one of those powerful trainers that he'd always seen on TV or that he'd seen at Junior and Senior Nationals competing rather than the baby he used to feel like with just one or two. He loved all his pokémon dearly, but sometimes it was difficult to see past what others saw him of because of how many pokémon he had.

It was not a perfect battle by any means. The other pokémon were a little vicious, targeting his mareep deliberately and bringing her down twice near the start before Yuzuru got himself together, mentally regrouping. As the firebird music soared around him, his spirits soared and he smiled to himself. He would do this. He could do this! He wasn't even concerned about the numbers at that point; he wanted to finish his battle in a way that he himself was proud of. The ending came so much faster than he expected and it took him and his pokémon a moment to catch their breaths before they started their bows, enveloped in the bright and enthusiastic applause of everyone. His mind started racing as he recalled two of his pokémon and all but fell into Nanami's arms. Would it be enough? What about the two deductions? What about—

"We'll train your mareep further so that, if she gets targeted like that again, it won't be so devastating." Nanami promised him, patting his leg. "That was so good. The entire hall felt alive as you battled, you know. It was so much fun to watch, and there was so much energy in the room."

"Do you think it'll be enough?" Yuzuru asked her, fiddling with dratini's pokéball. "To win, I mean?"

"Does it feel like it was enough?"

"It did, but now I'm not so sure. The two deductions... Could be fatal."

"Someone's being a bit dramatic," she teased him, ruffling his hair as she laughed but her smile then dipped. "I hope it's enough."

"Me too," Yuzuru nodded and his dratini shuffled closer to him, nosing at his side until he hugged her.

"The scores please. Hanyu Yuzuru has earned in the free battle 103.87 points." Yuzuru nearly fell off the bench. He'd done it. He'd broken 100 points for the first time ever, and it felt amazing. "He is currently in first place."

Nanami gave him a tight hug, squeezing him close to her, and Yuzuru could hardly believe it. He was in first! He was in first place and he'd set himself a personal best.

Only two battlers broke 100 points that day, and, as Yuzuru stood on the top step with his dratini beside him and his two best friends on the steps next to him, he remembered why he enjoyed battling and winning so much.

Winning meant being invited to compete in the Junior Championships, which meant putting in even more hard work. Yuzuru's stomach turned with both excitement and nausea as the event grew closer; since it was being held in Miyagi, he couldn't help but start to feel the pressure that was mounting on his shoulders. It grew even more since he'd swapped his club affiliation to the Miyagi club, and his pokémon seemed to pick up on his tension.

It was no wonder that what happened in the short battle happened. None of his pokémon fainted, but his tension and nerves had thrown him off so badly during some of the practices that he didn't feel ready for it. His pokémon picked up on the apprehension and so his dratini had made a mess of her first move, not doing nearly as much damage as she'd intended. Both of them fumed in the Kiss and cry when their scores came up grimacing at the 49.55 points that dropped him into fourth before all the competitors had gone. Keiji and Ryuju tried to reassure him but Yuzuru insisted that he was fine and had helped them check over Ryuju's eevee, making sure that she hadn't been hurt badly by the damage from the battle since it had looked incredibly painful in the heat of it. Nanami just gave Yuzuru a nod instead of saying words that he already knew to him. He could do it. He could bounce back from this. And he would. He would fight and he would do it.

The morning of the free battle, he and his three pokémon were lingering backstage, waiting for his turn. They were all much calmer and their energy was lighter. His dratini's accuracy was better, and his lapras had much more power in her moves. His mareep had grown stronger since the novice nationals, and he felt like they were finally ready for this challenge.

"Good luck Little Mouse," he heard as he stepped up to the edge of the platform. Tatsuki vanished too fast for him to respond, but Yuzuru just smiled.

None of his pokémon got knocked out, and they landed some incredible hits, including some critical hits that took the opponents' Hit Points down even further. The firebird truly did fly that day and Yuzuru and his pokémon soared to a new height, shattering the next barrier before him. Nanami rubbed his shoulder, shaking her head in disbelief as she watched the numbers come up.

"The scores for Hanyu Yuzuru. He has earned in the free battle 111.47 points. His total competition score is 161.02 points, and he is currently in first place."

"You truly do confuse me sometimes," Nanami said with a laugh as he gave her a hug. "Well done Yuzu. Well done.

It was an incredibly nervous wait for Yuzuru as there were still seven competitors to go after him. He cheered for Keiji while he sat beside Ryuju, helping him bandage up his eevee's hurt paw, and the third novice joined their group as they watched the juniors step out. Takuya Kondo: below Yuzuru. Daisuke Murakami: below Yuzuru. Takahito Mura: below Yuzuru in the free but his combined score was well above Yuzuru's due to his massive lead in the short, edging Yuzuru out of first place and down into second. Akio Sasaki: below Yuzuru in the free but again, his combined score was above Yuzuru's due to his lead in the short, knocking Yuzuru down to third. He squeezed Keiji and Ryuju's hands tightly as his eyes remained fixed on the battle area. Two battlers were left and they could knock him down, out of medal contention. He barely dared to breathe.

"The scores please. Yoshida Yukihiro has earned in the free battle 105.24 points. His total competition score is 157.23 points, and he is currently in fourth place."

One more. Please. Please let me do this. Yuzuru silently prayed to any deity that would listen. Naoto Saito would need 109.66 to knock him out of third place: high, but not unachievable.

"The scores please. Saito Naoto has earned in the free battle 90.89 points." Yuzuru tensed up as his two best friends squeezed his hands. "His total competition score is 142.26 points, and he is currently in ninth place."

"Yuzuru!" Ryuju shook him by the shoulders. "Yuzu! You got a medal!"

"A junior medal!" Keiji joined in shaking him before they cuddled him tightly and laughed. "Oh my God Yuzu!"

"I wish it was gold," he blurted out, earning a laugh from the other two.

Next time, Yuzuru promised himself as he watched Takahito get the trophy. Next year. First proper year of juniors, and I'll be on the top step.

Chapter Text

In the six months that Yuzuru had between the Battle Copenhagen Cup and his very first junior Grand Prix assignment, his coach suggested that he and his family should take a break for at least a few weeks of them. In the April, Yuzuru started in eighth grade at Nanakita Junior High School for his second year at the school; the year after he would be graduating. His teachers complimented his dedication and hard work to his studies as he tried to get as much work done before he resumed his training as he could. His friends at school cooed over his pokémon; most of them had one or two at most, and so Yuzuru's three were somewhat of a spectacle. His dratini soaked up the attention and enjoyed all the affection, and snacks, that the other teenagers showered on her. For two months, Yuzuru and his pokémon enjoyed a somewhat calmer life in Sendai than they normally did before it got to June and he started his training after school again, with extras on the weekend when he had more time and could manage it. Nanami sent him music to choose from, and he sat on his bed with his CD player set up beside him and the CD cases with the music scattered around him. His dratini was curled up beside him, resting her head on his lap as she kept her eyes shut but wasn't asleep. His mareep sat on the other side of him, nuzzling up to him, and his lapras was sitting on her blanket set beside his bed, resting her head on his shoulder. The humid warm air of the summer did not agree with his lungs and so he had to spend a lot of time either at home or at the training club. He couldn't do nearly as much training as he wanted to in the summer because of the increased onset of fatigue caused by his asthma. His pokémon weren't immune either; they also couldn't sustain long and intense battles as they also got fatigued, and it wasn't safe for them to battle without a trainer giving them direction. They took advantage of the time that they could battle together, and Yuzuru was getting ready to talk to Nanami about a potential strategy for them so that they could use every training second wisely.

"What do you think of this one?" Yuzuru asked, rubbing the top of his dratini's head as they listened to Bolero from Moulin Rouge. She looked up at him lazily before she nuzzled against his cheek and Yuzuru pressed a gentle kiss to her nose. "I guess that's a yes then. Maybe for the short battle. I don't think it would be good for the free battle."

He searched through the CDs, tossing a couple to the side on his bed. He certainly wasn't going to reuse his old music; they'd already decided that. It was his international junior debut and he wanted it to be both good and original. Nanami and his mother were sorting out his battle costumes for him; all he had to do was choose the music from the options offered to him. Nanami was taking over as his choreographer too, so she would mark out his battle elements for him and they would practice.

"What about this one, Mini-chan?" Yuzuru asked her as he took out the Bolero CD and replaced it with a Rachmaninoff one that Nanami had dug out from the depths of her office in the club. He turned it on, settling down between his pokémon as they all just listened for the full 25 minutes. His lapras bobbled her head along to the first variation and original theme. With the rises and falls of the music, Yuzuru enjoyed the second and third variations' flowing notes too. The instruments seemed to pass around the melody as the music continued on, keeping the tempo up as Yuzuru would want his battle to fit a fast-paced piece. Powerful music gave the illusion of a powerful battler and the hope was that the judges would be more favourable when translating and adjusting the marks to those who fitted the pace and tone of their music with the pace of their battle. His lapras let out the softest humming as the eighteenth variation played, filling Yuzuru's small room with the soaring notes of the variation. Mareep nuzzled up against him with a sense of contentment and Yuzuru let them listen to the rest of it as he thought.

"What about this one? Mini-chan?" She nodded. "Lapalace-chan?" She nodded too, swaying her head about. "Merri-chan?" The mareep nodded, curling up closer by his side.

Getting back to the club was a whirlwind. They had a few months before his first assignment in early September, and, when he got back, Nanami had edited his music choices and worked out his battle plans for him. His mother got to work on designing his outfits for him, since pretty much all of his JPF funding vanished on coaching and didn't nearly cover his travel and competition expenses. Feeling more and more ready, Yuzuru was over the moon when his lapras learnt mist, his dratini learnt dragon rage, and his mareep learnt thunderwave too. Dratini was leading the way in levels, reaching 22, and his other two pokémon were both at 20. Yuzuru had seen it for a little while in his mareep that she was getting antsy, but he didn't say anything; the only thing he could do was help her get through whatever she was going through.

Just before they left for Merano, Yuzuru was having one final run through of his free battle. His nerves were playing on him when he couldn't get it perfect, and he grimaced as one of the club pokémon took down his lapras. His mareep finished off the battle and Yuzuru didn't have time to be frustrated as awe overtook him. Before his eyes, his mareep was enveloped in a pale-yellow glow that stole the attention of everyone in the club. They all watched, transfixed as the silhouette of his mareep changed. The glow then died down and Yuzuru gasped, hands flying to his mouth.

Instead of his soft fluffy mareep with yellow wool and blue features, standing before him, on two legs rather than four, was another type of sheep. Soft white wool wrapped around it like a lion's mane. Its skin was smooth and pale pink with circles of black around its tail and ears. On the end of its tail was a glowing blue bulb, like the red one that had been on the end of his mareep's tail.

"Merri-chan?" Yuzuru tried, offering her his hand. She let out an indignant squeak but bounced over, happily nuzzling his hand. "Oh, okay, not Merri-chan. Moko-chan?"

She nodded, bouncing around him with happiness as Nanami took Yuzuru's other two pokémon over to heal them up after the battle. Yuzuru scooped his newly evolved flaaffy into his arms. For the rest of the night, she was overly affectionate to Yuzuru.

As was standard airport procedure, Yuzuru had to present his pokéballs at security and he had to let his pokémon out to prove that he had pokémon in there and he wasn't smuggling something. His pokémon were all well behaved for the brief time that they were out and he was allowed to return them all to their balls and secure them back in his pooh bear case. All airlines had a strict rule: no pokémon were allowed to wander around planes and had to be in their pokéballs during travel. It was easier that way for the people and the pokémon since the inside of the balls adjusted to the surroundings and made it so that the pokémon wouldn't have to cope with the pressure changes that came with international travel.

Yuzuru couldn't help but feel overwhelmed when he first walked into the stadium. It was his first time battling at the junior level internationally and he wanted it to be good.

In anyone else's eyes it was good. In Yuzuru's eyes, it wasn't. He and his dratini were still trying to fully understand each other on the battlefield and so short battles were difficult for them. Her first move of twister, since she wasn't secure in using dragon rage yet, didn't hit right and they didn't do nearly as much damage as he would have liked. The other two weren't done perfectly, but they were as good as he could manage. He and his dratini sat in the Kiss and Cry waiting for their scores. As the first ones out, they would become the reference point and there was nothing that they could do to change their scores.

"The scores please. Yuzuru Hanyu and dratini have earned in the short battle 51.06 points." His dratini pulled back, raising her nose in irritation that Yuzuru would have mirrored if there weren't cameras on him. "He is currently in first place."

"Well," Nanami tried to comfort him as they left the area, "could have been much worse. At least you didn't have a faint."

"Because Mini-chan is the best," Yuzuru said with a nod to himself. "Best of the best. Most talented."

"Yes, she is," Nanami cooed at her and patted the top of her head. "Come on. Let's watch the rest."

When the dust settled, Yuzuru was down in sixth, 16 points out of first. As much as Nanami reminded him that he was young, that it was his first season, that it was alright, she knew that he was dissatisfied with his results. He eyed the top three enviously, eyes fixed on Curran Oi from the United States especially as he watched him walk around the arena with a little smile, and Yuzuru vowed to do the best that he could the next day.

Yuzuru studied his battle protocols in his hotel room with a grimace, glaring at his marks. He could have done much better; the transfer of his marks from the raw attacks to the scores were not as generous to him as they could have been. His dratini studied them too, not that Yuzuru really thought that she could understand it, but he enjoyed having her leaning next to him anyway.

His free wasn't perfect either, and Yuzuru forced himself to keep it together in the Kiss and Cry. He waved with a forced smile, ranking below Michal in the free with 95.62. His dratini next to him made a noise of displeasure; they hadn't even broken 100 points and she couldn't help but feel like it was her fault after one of her attacks had gone off course and had hit his flaaffy, taking her out and getting them a deduction. With a sour taste in his mouth, Yuzuru stomped out of the Kiss and Cry with Nanami next to him taking the results much better than her student.

"You know, fifth in your first international junior competition is not bad. And 146.68 overall is good. You—"

"Were nearly fifty points behind first place," Yuzuru said with anger in his voice. "I've got to do better next time."

Nanami nodded to him with a ghost of a smile. "If that's how you feel, we will go back and work on this. Look over your protocols and keep working hard."

Yuzuru wasn't given a second assignment which meant that he didn't have a shot at the final either. He won at the Tohoku-Hokkaido Regional Championships with 164.72 points, and then again at Junior Nationals with 182.17 points, and he was invited up to the senior nationals. At thirteen years old, he felt too young to be battling alongside Nobunari Oda, Takahiko Kozuka, and the other older competitors. He bounced at the side of the arena, chewing his lip as he took it all in, when he felt a familiar gentle poke to his side.

"Nice to see you again, Little Mouse, after your win at Junior Nationals. Well done again for that," Tatsuki said to him with a smile. "Do your best. No one is expecting you to make it to the free, so prove them wrong."

"Why are you wishing me luck when we're competing against each other?"

"Because I want to see you do well." Tatsuki said with a shrug. "And hopefully I'll beat you anyway."

He did. Tatsuki got in fifth in the short and Yuzuru was in eighth which, given he was so young, he should have been proud of. Being Yuzuru and his dratini, they weren't.

"Next year," he promised himself as he watched Nobu win the gold, Takahiko win the silver, and Takahito win the bronze while he finished in eighth, just behind Tatsuki overall. "Next year."

His International season ended on a much sourer note than he intended when his dratini had a lingering injury going into Junior worlds. He'd bandaged up the end of her tail beforehand, sitting with her backstage before the free.

"Are you sure you can do this?" He asked her, cupping her face. "Are you sure, Mini-chan?"

Determination burned bright in her eyes and she gave him a sharp nod. Even if Yuzuru was disappointed with his twelfth-place finish, he couldn't help but feel a swell of pride inside when he thought about how hard his dratini had worked.

"A lot of battlers dropped down from seniors," Nanami explained, "to get more points for the Olympics. So really, twelfth isn't bad at all."

"Next year I will not let myself finish off the podium," he vowed. "It won't happen."

The fierceness burning in both his and Mini-chan's eyes brought pride and hope to Nanami, and she nodded in agreement.

"I will help you achieve that too."

Chapter Text

The season after, Yuzuru was given two Junior Grand Prix assignments in Poland and Croatia. With Japan only allowed one male entry in six events, taking a third of them put some pressure on Yuzuru's shoulders to do his best and not waste the opportunities given to him instead of another. In early September, on a cool day in Poland, he took to the stage as the second to last competitor. His dratini came up beside him, nuzzling against his black Training Centre Sendai gloves that were decorated with sequins as they took to the battle stage.

"Please welcome the next competitor, representing Japan, Yuzuru Hanyu!"

Yuzuru waved to the crowd before they put their serious faces on and stood before the pokémon presented by the International Pokémon Union: a jynx. Yuzuru wrinkled his nose and his dratini hissed a little. His music started, Mission Impossible, and he exchanged a nod with his dratini and she used leer on the pokémon, lowering its defence. The jynx, much to his horror, used her type advantage and used ice punch on his dratini. Due to her level, it didn't bring her Hit Points down as much as he feared it might, but the opponent still did much more damage to his dratini than he would have liked. He met her eyes and nodded to her.

"Dragon rage, let's go!"

She attacked, letting out the stream of purple and yellow clouds that wrapped the creature up and dealt the exact damage he knew it would: 40 Hit Points. The jynx used ice punch again, bringing his dratini's Hit Points down from the green to the yellow area. When a pokémon was in battle, the stats were shown on the screens beside them. The Hit Points were shown as a bar that was green to a certain point, then went yellow, went red, and emptied when a pokémon fainted and ran out of the points. Thinking purely about the battle rather than about the points, Yuzuru nodded to his dratini for her final attack.

"Dragon ra—"

Before they had a chance to attack, the jynx moved first and delivered another ice punch, hitting her hard and knocking her Hit Points into the red. To Yuzuru's horror, the crystals of ice congregated around her and froze his dratini solid. His music carried on and there was nothing he could do but pray that she thawed and could deliver her final attack before it ran out; items were completely banned so he couldn't use an ice heal on her to thaw her out faster. Just as his music came to a close did the ice around her break apart, allowing her to deliver her final attack with dragon rage. As the purple power dissipated, the crowd picked up, applauding for him as he and his dratini took their bows. The boy and his pokémon left the battle stage and hugged his coach as Ronald Lam from Canada stepped up as the penultimate competitor for the junior men. Yuzuru bounced his knee nervously as they sat waiting in the Kiss and Cry for his score, with Nanami holding his Pooh bear pokéball holder for him.

"That was good," she told him to try and calm his nerves while they waited. "Very good actually. I know you're irritated by the last move, and I'll take the blame for that. I didn't expect them to bring out pokémon of other types in this battle, so I didn't think that this sort of thing would happen. Normally they go for normal types, but I guess you must have just got the bad luck of the draw and picked the one not normal type. We'll practice more at the club with not normal type pokémon so that you can get used to battling them, and we can adjust our strategy to them too."

Yuzuru nodded, petting his dratini's head lightly as the three in the Kiss and Cry looked up simultaneously.

"The scores please. Yuzuru Hanyu has earned in the short battle 66.77 points." Yuzuru let out a small breath of relief, blowing a lock of his hair out of his eyes before they focused on that -1.00 that showed up under deductions. "He is currently in first place."

"Barely," Yuzuru muttered, eyes flicking between his score and Austin Kanallakan's 66.68 points. "What's the deduction for?"

"It must be a time deduction," Nanami said with a grimace and sigh as he followed her out of the Kiss and Cry, lights catching the sparkles across the back of his black shirt that cast tiny rainbows around them, "but you're sitting in a good position for tomorrow. A lead is still a lead, even if it's little. You've just got to try and keep hold of it, or better, extend it."

Yuzuru nodded with a determined look on his face. "I will. Rachmaninoff and I are ready again. New and improved blue Rachmaninoff rather than yellow Rachmaninoff."

She nodded and patted him on the shoulder. "Get a good night's sleep with your pokémon so that you are ready to compete tomorrow afternoon."

Yuzuru didn't quite listen to her. With his dratini sitting up beside him and his other two pokémon asleep, Yuzuru rewatched their battle. He took down notes in his book and scribbled out some of the notes from the protocol alongside it. Satisfied that he knew what to work on and how to improve both the next day and in the future, he set his notebook aside, kissed his dratini's head, and turned over to get some rest.

Going last was not Yuzuru's preferred place in the competition; he liked to go first in the group and so being the one to close out the competition was not what he wanted. He and his pokémon warmed up backstage together and he snuck glances at the other competitors, watching as they left one-by-one.

"Don't like going last," he mumbled to his dratini who nodded in agreement before she went back to practicing some of her moves in the training area. It had specifically been set up to give each trainer space to practice some moves with their pokémon, but they all had to be aware of each other. There were incidences where trainers and pokémon had nearly collided with attacks from others, and a few where some had got hurt, however, for the most part, it worked. Yuzuru and his pokémon ran through a few more moves under Nanami's watchful gaze. Ronald, Gordei, Stanislav, and Austin warmed up alongside him. One by one they left: Austin, Stanislav, Gordei, and then Ronald. He was left on his own and he recalled his pokémon to their balls, lingering beside Nanami as they waited beside the curtain that separated the warming up area from the battling platform. Only when he heard the crowd burst into rapturous applause for Ronald did he and his coach lock eyes. With a silent nod, Yuzuru stepped forward and out into the arena, soaking up the adrenaline and excitement that had only built with the twenty-four competitors before him. He stepped up onto the platform, letting his trio out and he lingered at the edge with Nanami. He couldn't help it; his eyes drifted to where Ronald was sitting in the Kiss and Cry with his head bowed. Nanami took his head in her hands and covered his ears up so that he couldn't hear the scores announced and he couldn't turn to look at Ronald.

"The only thing that matters is you," she told him when the announcer stopped talking. "Keep calm. Keep your head on straight. Don't forget why you started, and go. Do what you do best. Make yourself proud."

Yuzuru gave her the smallest smile bursting with appreciation and stepped up with his trio of pokémon following him to the plate. The same music as last season came on, but he felt different and stronger. Before, he'd been a pianist with the smallest hands and no orchestra trying to reach the notes of Rachmaninoff, and now? Now he was stronger. Not perfect, but stronger. He didn't quite have the orchestra behind him, and he was painfully reminded of the fact when his mareep's thundershock when a little astray, but he had something he didn't have before. Maybe it was the blue shirt that helped him more than the yellow shirt he'd had before. Blue definitely suited him and his pokémon; he, lapras, and his beloved Mini-chan were all blue, and his flaaffy's skin had used to be blue before she'd evolved. With their combined strength, combined will, and hours of hard work through the summer when their friends had been living like normal fourteen-year-old boys, they finished the battle before they realised it.

A moment of silence rang through the stadium before applause shattered it, filling every corner with the bright sound. Yuzuru couldn't hold back the bubble of laughter, even as he fought against his lungs and asthma for every breath. He and his pokémon took their bows before he recalled his lapras and flaaffy. He and his dratini had all but fallen into Nanami's arms as she hugged the both of them tightly, rubbing his back and patting her head. She helped the pair of them to the Kiss and Cry, giving him a smile.

"I wasn't going to tell you this until later," she said with a kind of smile that made Yuzuru's heart leap into his throat at the possibility that he could have done it, "but the highest scoring free at the moment is Alexander Nikolaev's. And he got 108.62 points. With the points you scored at the beginning with some of your biggest hitters, you should be getting about 130 points, or thereabouts."

"What do I need to be in first?" Yuzuru asked, still fighting for breath as his eyes remained glued to the screen that the numbers would come up on.

"104.43," Yuzuru could have sworn his heart stopped for a moment, and Mini-chan nuzzled up to his side tighter, "since you two were so close after the short, that's what you would need to get 0.01 more than him. And I think you've more than done that comfortably."

Yuzuru stroked his Mini-chan's snout. She nosed at his cheek before they settled down and stared at the screen. The anticipation grew thicker and thicker in the air, and Yuzuru had to put his hands under his legs to stop them shaking.

"The scores please for Yuzuru Hanyu. He has earned in the free battle 131.88 points." Yuzuru nearly fell off the bench, and his jaw dropped in shock at the sheer size of the numbers being presented as his scores. "His total competition score is 198.65 points, and he is in first place."

"So close to two hundred!" Nanami shook her head at him with a fond smile, catching him and his dratini as they threw themselves at her for a hug. "Well done Yuzu. Very well done. You've truly earned this victory."

"One competition down," Yuzuru said to her with a light and teasing voice that they both knew held much more weight than it seemed, "just the regional championship, my second grand prix event, East Japan Junior Championships, the Junior Championships, the Grand Prix Final hopefully, and Junior Worlds to go."

"Yes, well, your first battle is to go and get your medal with Mini-chan." She gave him one more gentle hug before she took his case and other two pokémon with her, leaving Yuzuru and his dratini to exchange congratulations with Austin Kanallakan and Gordei Gorshkov: his neighbours on the podium. He and his dratini soaked up the cheers for him and, although the arena was fairly empty, his heart swelled with pride when he saw the sparse Japanese flags being flown by the fans. He and his dratini jumped up onto the top step, taking pride in the atmosphere and applauding the other two. They shook hands, and Yuzuru shook hands with the officials before they placed the medal around his neck. The weight of his first international junior grand prix gold felt incredible and the people around laughed as Mini-chan licked it and then pulled a face, settling on his shoulders comfortably. It was almost a surreal moment for Yuzuru, watching as his national flag rose between the USA and Russian flags, listening to Kimi Ga Yo echo through the stadium.

And part of him decided he liked it.

Back at the club, they checked the notes in Yuzuru's book and worked hard. Thundershock hadn't gone perfectly, so they perfected it. Dragon Rage was still not perfect, so they worked on it. With Yuzuru and his pokémon's hard work, they easily won the Tohuko Hokkaido Championships. His attention then turned to the Junior Grand Prix event in Croatia, and he vowed to get another gold, and hopefully break the 200-point barrier.

"Next time," Yuzuru said softly to his dratini as they lay on his bed in his room together. "Next time."

Chapter Text

With barely two weeks between the competitions, Yuzuru's training for the Junior Grand Prix event in Croatia was more rushed than he would have liked. After the problem in the short battle in Poland, Yuzuru had focused a lot of his training on his dratini and bringing her levels up. In those two weeks, his pokémon picked up on the atmosphere and didn't cause him any problems; they followed his instructions and Nanami's corrections to the letter. His dratini reached level 25, his lapras level 23, and his flaffy level 22. By early October, they were ready to bring their best to the competition.

They went earlier this time, having drawn the seventh spot, and were in the second group of five. Nanami kept a watchful eye on him as he and his dratini warmed up, keeping their focus only on each other using the cheap earphones his mother had bought for them. When he saw Francesc step into the stadium through the curtains, Nanami nodded to him. He and his dratini joined her and, when the sounds of the crowd broke through his music, they stepped through and lingered by the side of the battling platform. He took off his earphones, and took them off Mini-chan, before handing them to Nanami. She covered his ears and he covered Mini-chan's while Francesc's score was announced.

"Trust yourself," she told him, "and trust Mini-chan. She knows what to do. You've practiced this, and you'll do great."

He nodded, giving her a smile full of confidence, and he patted his dratini's head.

"On the battle platform, please welcome our next competitor. Representing Japan: Yuzuru Hanyu with dratini!"

They acknowledged the crowd before they took their starting positions, watching as the official sent out a pidgeotto for him to battle. His music started, filling the arena with the dramatics of Mission Impossible, and both he and his dratini felt a huge rush of adrenaline. Dragon rage, dragon rage, dragon rage, was the plan, but they both got a little over-excited near the end.

"Twister!" Mini-chan shot Yuzuru a very weird look but did as she was told, leading to Yuzuru mentally slapping himself. He could almost feel Nanami-sensei laughing and shaking her head at the pair of them as they took their bows. Yuzuru wore his sheepish grin as he bowed to her, and he and Mini-chan moved to let Alexander step up, ready to compete.

"Three dragon rages," Nanami raised her eyebrow at him before she brought Yuzuru into a hug, guiding him over to the Kiss and Cry, "but don't worry. You did a really good job out there and I'm proud of both of you." She reached over, stroking the dratini's head. "Especially you, Mini-chan. Well done you sweet little girl. I'm so proud of you."

She responded very well to Nanami's touch, nuzzling the coach's hand and letting out the softest squeaks of happiness. When the camera turned on them, the audience couldn't help but coo at the sweet sight of the trio in the Kiss and Cry.

"The scores please. Yuzuru Hanyu has earned in the short battle 70.78 points, a new season's best. He is currently in first place."

"Yes!" Yuzuru hugged Nanami tightly, trying to hold in his bubbling excitement. "Finally got above 70 points in the short!"

"Well done!" Nanami ruffled his hair as they left the Kiss and Cry, heading out of the stadium and backstage where Yuzuru wouldn't be bothered by any media personnel and they could keep watching the event unfold. "I'm proud of you, you know? It wasn't perfect, and you know that—"

"Twister instead of dragon rage dropped us some points."

"I know. But look at you! You managed to overcome it and still score a personal best. Yuzuru, that shows growth not only with you as an athlete and competitor, but with you as a trainer, and with your partnership with Mini-chan. And we'll have time to prepare for the East Japan Junior Championship, and then almost a month to prepare for both the Junior championships and the Junior Grand Prix Final if you get there."

With Yuzuru in first after the short, the free battle wasn't as good as it had been in Poland, as his poor flaaffy was knocked out partway through, but it was more than enough for him to win overall, breaking the 200-point barrier overall that he'd never topped before. The realisation that he was through to the final filled his veins with a warm pride, especially as he saw his flag rising to his anthem again, nestled between the flags of the USA and Russia. In his ears, his dratini squeaked along to the anthem as he sang, and the photographers all laughed. She was the happiest to take the attention, and she curled up on his shoulders, smiling at the cameras and wiggling her tail cutely. She sat on his shoulders through the press conference too, offering Yuzuru comfort as he was asked about how he felt to be going through to the final.

"I tried my best here," he said honestly, "as did my dratini, lapras, and flaaffy. We're still trying to find our dynamics as a team, and trying to build levels, but the wins at my events and qualification to the final has inspired me to do my best this season."

"You will be age eligible to move up to the senior division next season. Will you?"

Yuzuru paused, stuck on the question. He'd never really thought about it; the senior division seemed a million miles away. But he'd finished in 8th at the senior championships last season, when he'd been fresh out of the novice championships and barely had any experience with juniors, let alone seniors. Surely, if anyone could do it, he could? Tatsuki had even said so.

"I will have to talk to my coach," Yuzuru kept his answer smooth and non-committal, "since we still have half of this season to get through before we can start to think of next season."

Yuzuru brushed the question out of his mind and turned his attention to more important things once they got back to Sendai. His mounting school work and the fast-approaching East Japan Junior Championships took priority for him, and they served as a trial run for the Junior Championships. He won them with his best overall score yet of 202.29, and he couldn't have felt stronger; even though they'd had their worst short battle of the season, they more than made up for it with the best free battle.

The Junior Championships were a different matter. Although Mini-chan excelled with her performance in the short, hitting 76.00, she stuttered in the free and ended up knocked out at one point. Lapalace-chan and Moko-chan weren’t as good as they had been at the international events either, and Yuzuru couldn’t quell the fear gnawing at his stomach. Nanami patted Yuzuru's shoulder, trying to reassure him in the Kiss and Cry, but he couldn't stop his bouncing leg betraying his inner emotions.

"It's okay. You had a good lead in the short. You'll do well, Yuzuru. Besides, this is not your most important competition. You have the Grand Prix Final and, hopefully, the Junior World Championships to think about."

"Yes, hopefully," Yuzuru groaned, pushing his fluffy black hair out of his eyes as Mini-chan curled up next to him, mirroring his irritation and uncertainty. "If I don't do well here, I can't go to the Junior World Championships."

"The scores please," the announcer's voice cut off Nanami and she patted his shoulder, giving him physical comfort when she couldn't give verbal. "Hanyu Yuzuru has earned in the free battle 118.15 points." Yuzuru groaned, rubbing his forehead as irritation boiled over inside of him. "His total competition score is 194.15 points, and he is currently in first place."

"Didn't even break 200," he mumbled to himself somewhat miserably as he picked up his pooh bear pokéball container and trudged out of the Kiss and Cry, half falling into Keiji and Ryuju's arms behind the curtains.

"You did so good Yuzu-pon!" Keiji encouraged, stroking his hair as his ekans gave Mini-chan a nuzzle and a kiss. "You both did."

"You did great," Ryuju agreed, and his eevee climbed over into Yuzuru's arms to lick at his cheek, making him giggle even through his bad mood, "and you had a great lead after the short, so don't you worry about it too much. I'm sure you'll come out on top."

The three sat backstage together in silence, watching as Haruka had a minor meltdown through his battle, before the tension between the three of them grew. They held hands tightly as their pokémon nuzzled by Yuzuru's feet, holding each other close just like their trainers were. Kento stepped up, looking as calm and collected as Yuzuru had ever seen him, and he could feel the gold slipping through his grasp. Kento and his pokémon barely put a foot wrong, and Yuzuru's dread just grew in the pit of his stomach, twisting into knots that made him queasy. His hands were clammy in Keiji and Ryuju's grips, and Mini-chan had curled up around his foot in a mix of nerves and anticipation.

"The scores please. Nakamura Kento has earned in the free battle, 121.56 points." Yuzuru stared at the score, heart dropping. Higher than his. Surely, he hadn't lost the gold? "His total competition score is 186.21 points, and he is currently in second place."

"Second!" Keiji squeezed Yuzuru's hand to shake him out of his daze. "Pon! You've won! You're the junior national champion again!"

He was swept up into a hug by his two best friends, and Yuzuru couldn't help but laugh when the realisation and relief simultaneously hit him. Nanami came to pull him into a hug, telling him how proud she was, before she ushered him out to the medal ceremony. He and Mini-chan bowed to the audience before they jumped up onto the top step, relishing in the applause and the feeling of another win, even if it was a little tainted. He shook hands with Kento, and he almost burst out laughing at the sight of the youngster who had won the bronze. He was tiny, with a giant looming snorlax following him out to the podium. Yuzuru and Kento exchanged a look and both of them dissolved into poorly hidden laughter. Yuzuru offered the child a handshake and he looked so incredibly lost that Yuzuru resorted to just grabbing his hand and shaking it.

"That's a nice pokémon," Yuzuru complimented as Kento got given the silver.

"Thank you. His name is Kabi. I like your pokémon," he nodded to where Mini-chan had settled on Yuzuru's neck, sitting on the medal ribbon.

"Thank you," Yuzuru rubbed her nose and she cooed at him, relishing in his touch. Tatsuki's words from years past came back to him, and he decided there and then to be a good senpai. "Well done Uno-kun. You've done so well to medal at the juniors when you're a novice. And well done for winning the novice championships."

"I'll win next year," Shoma's response made Yuzuru burst out laughing.

"Good for you," Yuzuru encouraged. "They won't make it easy for you. None of us will."

"Challenges are fun. I wouldn't be a trainer if I didn't want to challenge myself to improve."

After the ceremony, Yuzuru waved goodbye to Kento and Shoma before he was left on his own again with just his pokémon. His parents met him and swept him up into their arms and he melted into their comforting warmth.

"You were so good," Saya complimented and Fushi danced around on the floor with Mini-chan, "except when you panicked."

"I did not panic!"

"You did," Saya teased as she looped her arm through Yuzuru's, pulling him towards the car. "You panicked so much. If you hadn't won, I wouldn't be teasing you about it."

"Meanie!" Yuzuru pouted at her, earning yet more laughter from his sister.

"Come on you," his mother's tone was as refreshing as the cool breeze that cut through the hot summer sun, "let's go home. Give Mini-chan, Lapalace-chan, and Moko-chan some rest.

After a few days of rest, Yuzuru returned to the club in Sendai. His heart swelled a little when he saw that Nanami had pinned something up on the notice board.

Entries representing Japan at the 2010 World Junior Championships

Men: Hanyu Yuzuru

Ladies: Murakami Kanako

Pairs battle: Takahashi Narumi, and Tran Mervin

Seeing his name on the list, Yuzuru's spirit jumped and he headed into the club with a renewed sense of determination. His next challenge was the Junior Grand Prix Final, and he had his eyes set on the gold. No other medal would suffice.

Chapter Text

It was just Yuzuru's poor luck that, almost immediately after nationals, he was struck by a nasty case of flu. He spent days curled up in bed, unable to train or do much other than cuddle his pokémon and sleep. His mother brought him soup to try and make him feel better, but he could almost feel the training time slipping out of his hands like sand falling through an hourglass. His mother tried to reassure him that everything would be fine, but even her soothing words and gentle, comforting hands couldn't bring him any relief from his inner torment. His dratini snuggled up by his side, nosing at his cheek and neck even in her sleep. His lapras had taken to sleeping in the bathtub instead of in his room to help her keep cool and damp. His flaaffy curled up on the end of his bed like a cat, and her weight was gentle and familiar. Yuzuru sipped at his glass of water, not because he wanted to drink but because he wanted to make his mother feel better, and he sulked. She'd made him take some time off school as well and, even if he did try to catch up on his school work, his head would start spinning too badly for him to concentrate on much. Combined with his asthma, the illness knocked him off his feet almost completely, meaning that he and his pokémon lost almost a full week of training, and they had only a day before they flew off to the final to get ready. His determination broke through the setback of the illness to ensure that he and his pokémon used their last day to the best of their ability. The junior men were competing on the first two days of the competition, meaning that Yuzuru and his pokémon got to enjoy the last two before the gala exhibition, assuming they made it to the gala. Despite being the national junior champion, the pressure on Yuzuru from his federation was lessened as he wasn't the only Japanese man to be competing; Kento Nakamura also made it through to the final for the junior men, and both Daisuke and Nobu had made it through to the final for the senior men. Yuzuru had let out a little squeal when he'd seen who else was competing, particularly when he'd seen Johnny Weir's name, Kanako's name, and he'd very nearly fainted when he saw that Yuna Kim was going to be competing there too. Seeing such big names competing at the same competition inspired him to throw his all into his own battles. Luckily for Yuzuru, he didn't have to adjust to the time zone and so he could go straight into his first official training session feeling slightly less sleep-deprived than the three competitors from the United States. Kento was the least sleep-deprived competitor there since Yuzuru was still utterly exhausted from his wonderful experience with the flu.

"Just do your best," Nanami instructed him as Ross finished up and Yuzuru prepared to go. Having qualified in first place, he was the last and the eighth to go for the short battle. As much as he'd tried to ignore it, his mind couldn't help but wander back to the 71.70 that Nan had got, "and you'll do well. You and Mini-chan both know what to do, and you can do it if you focus."

Yuzuru and his dratini stepped up to the platform after he'd shaken Nanami's hand and been patted on the back. They waved to the crowd before both of them blocked out the entire world to try and get into the right head space for the battle to come. The moment of silence just before Yuzuru's music started was the most important moment for them as the officials sent out the pokémon he was to battle: a doduo. The intense music of Mission Impossible started and Mini-chan rose up, ready to strike with dragon rage as they'd practiced.

The first move wasn't nearly as good as it had been before flu had struck but it did more than enough. They didn't do enough damage with the second move as her accuracy wasn't as good as it had been at his assignments. Still, they fought through right until the end, taking the hits from the doduo as they made it through the battle. It was only at the end that Yuzuru, while gasping for breath, finally paused to let his mind try to work out the numbers. He and his dratini took their bows to the adoring home crowd before he gave Nanami a little shrug and a smile as they stepped off together.

"Flu didn't help," he joked as they settled down together in the Kiss and Cry, watching as the judges reviewed his battle elements. He waved and smiled to the crowd when the cameras turned to them and Mini-chan bowed her head too, soaking up the attention of the larger audience.

"The scores please." There was a very long delay at that point, and the audience laughed with Yuzuru when he and Mini-chan exchanged a confused look with Nanami. "Hanyu Yuzuru has earned in the short battle 69.85 points." Yuzuru's grimace wasn't as much out of anger as out of understanding and disappointment. His season's best was 70.78, so he could have achieved nearly a full point better than he and Mini-chan had. Still, given that he'd been flattened by the flu, Mini-chan nosed at him as if to silently ask if she did alright. "He is currently in third place."

"Okay," Yuzuru said, looking over at Nanami who gave him a nod. "So, I'm... How far out of first?"

"Two points." She explained as they bowed to the audience and left the Kiss and Cry while the officials started clearing up the platform in preparation for the senior pairs battle. "I think that was your first real test, and I just wish if could have been back home rather than here so that you were more comfortable with the competition."

"Tomorrow." Yuzuru promised her. "The gold has my name written on it. Mini-chan, Lapalace-chan, and Moko-chan have all worked too hard for it to slip away from us. We're going to do it tomorrow."

"I don't doubt that you will," Nanami directed him towards the media room where the press conference would be. "The translator will be in there with you. As soon as I can, I'll give you a copy of the battle protocols so that you can note them down as I know you'll want to."

"Thank you," Yuzuru gave her a gentle smile before he couldn't help but yawn. "Am I allowed Mini-chan in the press conference?"

"Sorry Yuzu, no," Nanami took her pokéball off Yuzuru and tapped it on the pokémon's nose, making her disappear from Yuzuru's shoulder into the ball. "I'll take care of the three of them and give them to you at the end of the press conference, okay?"

"Okay."

As words in English and Chinese bounced around, Yuzuru honestly felt like he was sitting in that seat for hours, trying to entertain himself by counting the bubbles in the sparkling water that they'd provided for them while the questions went to Nan. When the questions were directed to Ross, he tried his best to listen to the English and absorb it, but nothing seemed to stick. When the questions were directed to him, he tried to answer them with a smile and did his best to keep that word out of his answers: kuyashii. He was almost ready to fall face first onto his bed when all was said and done, but he made himself take a shower to get the sticky gel out of his hair. While his pokémon played about in the bathtub together, with flaaffy sitting in the sink instead in case her electricity went wild, Yuzuru sat down and watched his battle, comparing it to the protocol Nanami had given him while he jotted down notes to practice in his book.

Buy TM? he wrote, circling it as a question to ask someone. Possibly his mother. If he could find a more powerful move to teach his dratini using a technical machine, then he would be able to do more damage in the short and could possibly come close to knocking out the other pokémon.

"One step at a time," he chided himself internally. "We win here first with the moves and set up we've got, and then we consider upping the difficulty for Junior Worlds."

After towelling off his pokémon, he lifted up the duvet and let his flaaffy and dratini wiggle in. Covering up his lapras with the spare blanket and giving her a pillow to rest her head on, he climbed into bed beside his pokémon and dreamt of perfect dragon rages, perfect thundershocks, and perfect confuse rays to gift him a gold medal.

In the morning, their practices were as messy as had ever been, but Nanami had a little smile as she watched it. She watched as the frustration boiled up inside of Yuzuru and his pokémon, and it was threatening to overflow them as they stepped off the platform after their official practice.

"Use it," she said to him softly, "and transfer it to your power in the moves later on. Keep it bubbling and brewing inside of you, and bring it out in the free battle soon. Keep it going. Let it inspire you."

Because he was sitting in third after the short battle, that meant he would be going in sixth for the free battle with Ross and Nan after him. Although it wasn't quite first in the group like he preferred, he could deal with going second in the latter group. As Grant and his trio of pokémon stepped off the platform, Yuzuru and his trio stepped on with their intense electric aura radiating off them.

"You've done this before," Nanami told him after Grant's score had been announced, "and you can do it again. Calm. Trust yourself and your pokémon, and you will do well. Ready?"

Yuzuru nodded to her, and his dratini did too.

"Ready."

She shook his hand and watched as he tapped the boards to the platform before he took to the centre with his three pokémon. Out of all the competitors, he was the one pushing with some of the hardest moves that dealt the most damage but also came with higher risks.

Dragon rage first to get everything underway. Then confuse ray from his lapras to get the opponent's pokémon to hurt itself and do some of the work for him. Then thundershock, but he grimaced when it wasn't quite perfectly on target. Then came twister to deal them more damage but also to give his dratini some time to rest before the second dragon rage. The second dragon rage came and he grimaced when his flaafy was hit by a sharp use of bone club, knocking her out. Pushing the deduction to the back of his mind, they pushed through and finished strong with another thundershock, another twister, and a final body slam from his lapras. There was a moment of almost polite silence at the end where only Yuzuru's harsh breathing could be heard through it all before the crowd erupted into applause. He caught his dratini's eyes and exchanged a small smile with her as he fought hard for breath. They'd given pretty much their all, and it was out of their hands now. The trio bowed to the audience before he recalled his flaaffy and lapras, scooping up his dratini onto his shoulders.

Nanami enveloped him in a bear hug, overwhelmed with pride as much as he was filled with exhaustion. The entire audience could see just how difficult it was for him to breathe and catch his breath at the end, and he all but fell into his seat in the Kiss and Cry next to her.

"Well done," she gave him a proud smile and a pat on the back before she took two of the pokéballs from him, putting them into his pooh bear case. "Before you say anything, I understand. We'll work on it when we get back to Sendai, okay? But for now, let's focus on everything you did well. Because there was an awful lot of good stuff in there Yuzuru, and I'm very proud of you for it."

Yuzuru gave her a smile that he hoped could convey everything he couldn't find the air to, and she gave his shoulders a light pat.

"The scores please," his shoulders tensed up as his mind jumped back to the numbers. "Hanyu Yuzuru has earned in the free battle 136.92 points." It was so close to his season's best of 137.05 that he couldn't help but groan at the bubble of frustration that rose up in his stomach. "His total competition score is 206.77 points, and he is currently in first place."

"First place," Nanami gave him a proud smile as she patted his leg and helped him up to his feet towards the green room, "so you're definitely getting a medal."

"Yay," Yuzuru said with a light laugh as he flopped down between Richard and Grant. He sat forwards in his seat, watching the screen intently as Ross stepped up to the battle.

Scoring eleven points below Yuzuru when the latter was only a point behind him after the short firmly put Ross into second place and kept Yuzuru in first, pushing Grant out of the medals and it meant that Yuzuru was the only one to have passed the 200-point barrier overall. When Nan stepped up, Mini-chan curled up tighter to his side, and both he and Ross were watching intently.

Nan's first move was beautiful. And then his second one was too, and Yuzuru bit on his lip hard. Both of those did a lot of damage and would be worth significant points. His third move, however, glanced off the official pokémon and didn't do nearly as much as he'd hoped. His fourth move also glanced off, not doing nearly as much as he wanted it to. Yuzuru's mind was spinning with calculations, and, even as Nan carried on with his final four moves going perfectly, hope swelled in Yuzuru's chest. The one-point deduction of his own floated back to the surface of his mind; he realised just how crucial it could be.

"The scores please," Yuzuru dug his nails into his hands and Mini-chan nuzzled up to his side in anticipation. "Song Nan has earned in the free battle 133.29 points." Yuzuru's breath caught in his throat and he and his dratini exchanged a look. "His total competition score is 204.99 points, and he is currently in second place. That concludes the junior men's event."

It took Ross shaking him by the shoulder for Yuzuru to fully comprehend that he had, in fact, just won. He shook hands with Ross and then with Nan, trying to exchange congratulations in their very limited English. He took great delight in jumping up onto the top step with Mini-chan on his shoulders again, waving to the home crowd and singing along with them to Kimi ga yo, watching with pride as the Japanese flag rose between the Chinese and USA flags. He relaxed, feeling the tension in him unwind before he decided to enjoy watching the rest of the competition and cheer on his friends and teammates.

Chapter Text

Due to the press conference, Yuzuru missed out on seeing Wenjing Sui and Cong Han win the junior pairs event, but, as the platform was cleaned and checked between the different disciplines, he was able to get to the arena in time to watch the senior men's short. His heart fluttered with excitement when he heard Johnny's name announced, and he could barely hold in his excitement through Tomas Verner's performance. He hardly had time to acknowledge the swell of pride in his heart when he saw his season's best score was above Tomas' at the final as Johnny was the next to step up to battle with his nidorina. Having admired him for so long from afar, it was like an ethereal experience to see him battle with a fluidity and a connection to both his music and pokémon that the rest of the world didn't seem to have. Yuzuru's jaw almost ended up on the floor and his hands hurt from applauding.

"The scores please. Weir Johnny has earned in the short battle 84.60 points. He is currently in first place."

"Woah," Yuzuru gasped and stroked Mini-chan's nose, "he's so cool, isn't he?"

They then watched as Daisuke blew the others out of the ballpark so far. Jeremy slipped in between Johnny and Tomas, and then Evan came above Johnny with a score only 0.10 points behind Daisuke's. Then Yuzuru snuck a little wave at Nobu, watching as he battled hard and landed in third, nestled nicely between Evan and Johnny.

"So cool," Yuzuru whispered to Mini-chan as the officials took to preparing the platform ready for the ladies’ event. "They're so cool! Especially Nobu-san and Daisuke-san. And Johnny-san! Did you see how he and his pokémon battled as one? Oh, they were incredible, weren't they?"

As people in the audience shifted around them, Yuzuru played a little on his DSi while they waited for the ladies’ event to start. He perked up when they started, heart jumping in excitement for Akiko and Miki, but mostly for Yuna Kim, the legendary battler who was both the World Champion and rumoured to be one of the favourites for the Olympic gold in the February of the new year. As a trailblazer for her country, Yuzuru couldn't help but admire her. He cheered quietly for Akiko as she battled the best she could, scoring 57.54, and he cheered as well for Ashley but quieter, wishing her the best as a battler but, as a Japanese battler, he didn't feel bad about cheering for the other Japanese battlers more. Ashely scored 54.26, and then Alena from Russia scored 61.60. Yuzuru sat up a little straighter and his eyes kept flicking to where Miki was waiting for her turn. He barely heard Joannie's score and he watched as Miki stepped up, ready to battle. She was legendary in Japan, almost as much as Mao was, and she lived up to that hype with her score of 66.20. The rest of the crowd sat up with Yuzuru and his dratini when they saw her step up.

Yuna Kim and her newly evolved ninetails stepped up together, ready to battle. Yuzuru grimaced when her first two moves didn't nearly land as well as she had wanted them to and she had to try and make up points with her last move. At the end she gave the audience a wistful smile as both she and her ninetails took their bows before they stepped off the platform and joined the legendary pokémon coach Brian Orser by the side. Yuzuru tilted his head, watching the pair of them as the coach seemed to comfort her well as the score came up, landing her just under a point into second after her mistake.

"It's a shame about her mistake," Yuzuru nearly jumped fully out of his seat when he relaxed and smiled, giving a hug to the girl sitting next to him. "Hi Yuzu! Missed you too."

"Kanako! How have you been? Are you excited to battle? I'm so glad I've caught up to you finally!"

"You have," she teased, ruffling his hair before she let go of him and gave his dratini a hug instead. "More importantly, how is my favourite little Mini-chan? How are you, cutie? Are you doing good? is Yuzu feeding you all the treats and giving you lots of love?"

His dratini made several little pops and squeaks, and she nuzzled up against Kanako's cheek. Yuzuru's face scrunched up with a smile as he watched his friend and his pokémon cuddle, uniting like old friends. His dratini gave the cutest little squeaks of happiness, and he and Kanako settled down to watch the senior double battle together. It was scored slightly differently so they had no idea what was going on, but they still cheered as Meryl Davis and Charlie White won, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir came second, and Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat came in third. They only realised how late it was getting when their coaches came to collect them, scolding the pair of them for staying up so late when they should have been tucked up in bed, drifting off to sleep.

It was only once Yuzuru reached his room that the exhaustion fully hit him. His mother smiled fondly at him and helped her very sleepy son into bed before she helped to bathe his pokémon and sent them to bed too, pressing a soft kiss to Yuzuru's head.

"Well done my little champion," she whispered to him with a fond maternal smile, "well done."

After analysing his own battles and making more notes on what to work on, Yuzuru and his dratini sat at the back of the arena to watch the rest of the battling events. He didn't understand the junior double battle but cheered for the competitors nonetheless, and his favourite pair, who had six eevees between the two of them, were the Shibutani siblings from the United States. He sat up straighter when the junior ladies stepped up, and he gave Kanako a little wave before she disappeared backstage, out of sight to warm up. He could barely begin to imagine the pressure on her shoulders as she was the only Japanese competitor in her discipline, battling on the home stage between three Russian competitors and four Americans. He was squirming in his seat and anticipation grew through the competition. When Kanako stepped up, he made sure to cheer extra loudly for her. She had no deductions and Mini-chan let out a questioning squeak as she stepped down from the platform.

"I'm not sure," Yuzuru answered her honestly. "I think she'll have something similar to Polina. Maybe she'll break 60 points? And, if she doesn't, she should be very close."

"The scores please. Murakami Kanako has earned in the short battle 59.52 points." Yuzuru and his Mini-chan both groaned as they looked at the score while Kanako burst out laughing instead. "She is currently in second place."

"By 0.02 points," Yuzuru sighed dramatically to his dratini, "so she can do it. She can win if she puts her mind to it!"

By the time Kanako joined him, the pairs battle was done and Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao were receiving their medals. Yuzuru didn't have to say anything to her for them both to understand what he wanted to say. His dratini cuddled up to her side as they watched the men prepare for their free battle. Kanako couldn't help but laugh as Yuzuru squirmed with excitement.

"Fanboy," she teased when Johnny had finished battling.

"He did so good, didn't he?" Yuzuru's eyes were practically shining with admiration for his idol. "I want to be able to battle like him."

"You will," Kanako patted his shoulder before she went back to cuddling his dratini. "You will, Yuzu. One day."

"Well, now I've nearly caught up to you," Yuzuru grinned at her, "I can do anything, right?"

"The scores please." The announcement cut off their conversation and Yuzuru turned his starry eyes back to where Johnny was sitting in the Kiss and Cry with his nidorina. "Weir Johnny has earned in the free battle 152.75 points. His total competition score is 237.55 points, and he is currently in first place."

"He could medal if one of the others messes up," Kanako hummed, "but will it happen?"

"It might," Yuzuru sat more upright in his seat to watch Nobu battle. He and Kanako both made sure to really cheer on their teammate, and Nobu gave them a wave when he spotted them before he headed to the Kiss and Cry. "I met him at nationals a few years back."

"I heard. And I heard you also met Mao Asada, and rumour has it that she gave you an egg?"

Yuzuru nodded and handed her flaaffy's pokéball. Kanako raised an eyebrow at him as she tested the weight of it between her hands.

"She gave you an egg from her ampharos? That's so cool Yuzu! You'll grow up and have an ampharos too, and hopefully you'll be as cool as she is."

"Hopefully," Yuzuru laughed as they watched Evan get his score and land in first, pushing Nobu down to second and Johnny to third, "cause she's incredible."

The pair cheered brightly as Daisuke stepped up to battle with his pokémon, but their cheers were short lived as he made error after error, and his raichu ended up fainting. The home crowd had been stunned into silence, and there were several moments of hesitation after he was done battling before the applause came.

"Oh man," Kanako grimaced. "I think he's fallen out of the medals."

"Me too."

Daisuke didn't try to sugar-coat his reaction. He sat with his head bowed forward, and his blastoise had a similar reaction. Even with his coach trying to reassure him, the disappointment from performing so poorly at home hit him and dampened his spirits.

"The scores please. Takahashi Daisuke has earned in the free battle 134.65 points." With how close Evan had been to his score after the short, Daisuke shook his head and grimaced. "His total competition score is 224.60 points, and he is in fifth place."

"I wanted Johnny to get a medal, but not like this," Yuzuru mumbled. "Poor Daisuke."

They watched on as Yuna Kim won the ladies event before they parted ways with one more hug and Yuzuru passing words of comfort onto Kanako.

"You've got this. Win it for you."

The next day, Kanako was the only junior lady to pass the 100-point barrier in the free battle, and she and Yuzuru spent the entire gala practice tormenting Nobu. The gala was a chance for them and their pokémon to show off some of their favourite moves in fun programmes set to music that wasn't constrained by the rules of competition. There was also the big group number that they were to participate in where their pokémon would perform a couple of moves before they ended up doing a dance with the other battlers who had been invited to the gala. Yuzuru had to suppress a squeak of delight when Johnny Weir congratulated him, and Kanako burst out laughing when he looked ready to faint as Yuna gave him a smile. Nanami had picked the music for him, and he and his pokémon let loose as they performed to Change by Monkey Majik and the Yoshida Brothers. For the group choreography, if it could even be called that, Nobu ended up next to Yuzuru at one point as the High School Musical soundtrack played.

"No one cares about the group choreography," Nobu whispered to him. "Just have some fun!"

On the way around the platform, Yuzuru and his dratini ended up in front of Johnny Weir, and he couldn't help but bounce with excitement. Victory really did taste good, and now he'd had his first sip, he was addicted.

His hunger for victory and success carried him through training and to the senior nationals where he placed 6th, beaten only by Daisuke, Nobu, Takahiko, Tatsuki, and Yasuharu. Although he couldn't have gone even if he'd wanted to, he felt a tiny bubble of frustration when he saw the lists for the Olympics and Worlds and realised, had he been a few months older and come above Yasuharu, he would have been the second alternate. Since he was going to Junior Worlds, he was overlooked as an alternate for Four Continents in favour of Kento and Keiji who had finished 7th and 8th.

"If you become the national champion next year, they'll send you to Worlds and Four Continents." Nanami pointed out to him during a particularly difficult day of training where it felt like nothing was going right for him. "But first, you have to get through the rest of this season, and then win at the national championships. Can you do that?"

"I'm going to," Yuzuru pushed himself back up to his feet with a renewed sense of determination. "Mini-chan! Let's practice the short battle again! We'll get you up to at least level 29 before Junior Worlds."

Yuzuru was ready to rip his hair out as he sat in the Kiss and Cry with Mini-chan, glaring daggers at the scores. That teasing '3' flashed beside his name and second lowest international short battle score of the season. Mini-chan looked just as irritated, but Nanami gave them both a knowing smile.

"You were in this position three months ago, Yuzuru. And you overcame it and won. You've got three months of experience under your belt, and your pokémon have all gained levels. You're stronger than you were before."

While the earlier groups of the junior men took to the stage, Yuzuru and his three pokémon trained backstage. His dratini squirmed uncomfortably and Yuzuru took out his headphones to sit beside her.

"Mini-chan?" He asked her gently and gasped.

She glowed light yellow and wiggled a little away from Yuzuru before the yellow serpentine shape extended. The others warming up and training beside Yuzuru stopped and stared too, and they all watched in awe as the glow died away to reveal her new evolved form. She was longer than dratini had been and, on the end of her tail as well as below her head, there were shining blue balls. Yuzuru offered her his hand and she approached him with caution.

"Mini-chan?" He offered and she turned her nose up at him dismissively. "Hakuryu?" he tried and she faced him that time. "Haku-chan?"

She nosed at his cheek and Yuzuru felt a wave of relaxation run through him. They still had time before it was his turn.

Yuzuru became the World Junior Champion, winning by a margin of almost 11 full points, thanks to his best ever scores in the free and overall, and the entire world couldn't stop talking about the rising Japanese star with a rare dragonair who was about to move up to the senior battling scene.

Chapter Text

After returning home from the Netherlands and Junior Worlds, Yuzuru went back to school for a special Junior High School graduation ceremony after he'd missed the official one. A whole school meeting was held, and Yuzuru reported the championship to the younger students and teachers with his newly evolved dragonair sitting on his shoulders. The teachers who knew him best couldn't help but smile, and his eyes glittered and grew starry as he held up his gold, showing it to the others. After that was done, he headed to the principal's office before the red and white curtain that had been set up for festive occasions. He received his junior high school certificate, smiling bashfully.

"I think both skating and studying are equally important," Yuzuru said. "I want to do my best in both if I go to the high school. Arakawa-san has graduated from the Touhoko Senior High School and she won the Olympic gold medal. I'd like to follow in her footsteps too."

His teachers congratulated him and wished him the best in his future endeavours both as a student and an athlete, and, when spring came, he enrolled in Touhoku Senior High School as he said he would. Most of his focus, however, was taken up by his training. With his transition to the senior division and his first competition in Nagoya, he had six months to get himself fully prepared for the NHK trophy; he'd been given the spot at the Rostelecom cup for his results in the previous season and had been given the one at NHK as a host pick. He could barely begin to think about starting to prepare for the new season and new experiences to come when his dragonair turned her nose up at everything he did. When he offered her food, she ignored him. When he tried to bathe her, she squirmed and writhed around to get out of his grip in an attempt to escape the bath. When he went for walks with her, she didn't want to sit on his shoulders anymore but instead slithered beside him. By mid-June, when Yuzuru was forced inside the training centre as his asthma got worsened by the summer heat and humidity, she was still indifferent to him at best and ignoring him at worst. His flaaffy and lapras looked at him for answers when they came to the club and she blatantly ignored his instructions to practice using slam, choosing instead to use dragon rage. Frustration bubbled up inside of him that was only dispelled when Nanami called him into her office on his own.

"I just wanted to congratulate you on winning Junior Worlds and the Junior Grand Prix Final," she reached over the desk and passed him a box, "and I thought this might do? So that you're not stuck listening to the terrible music that the IPU play in the warming up area."

Yuzuru gasped, opening up the box to reveal a sleek iPod touch. He turned it over and traced the engraving on the back. On the back was a sleek serpentine silhouette that was unmistakably the form of a dragonair, and he raised an eyebrow at her with silent questions.

"I had a feeling that she would evolve at or around Junior Worlds. And it's to remind you how proud I am of how far you've come. When I first met you, you were an excited young man with a dratini. And now you're a much more determined young man with a dragonair by his side. You've grown, and I wanted to give you something to remind you of how far you've come and where you started."

Yuzuru ran around the desk to give her a tight hug, and she patted his back lightly. He held onto her for longer than necessary, seeking comfort as insecurities rose up inside of him.

"Abe-sensei," he asked quietly, voice muffled and lost almost entirely in her shoulder, "why does Haku-chan hate me?"

"She doesn't hate you," Nanami promised him. "She's... How do I best explain this? You're a teenager, and you don't always do what your parents say, do you? She's just evolved, so she's a little rebellious at the moment. I think your best bet is to provide her lots of comfort and show her that you care for her. When she knows she has you, she'll open up to you again."

"Do you think we'll get it together before the NHK trophy?"

"I don't doubt it. Now, speaking of NHK, what music are we thinking of using?"

Yuzuru tapped his chin once he'd pulled back from her and he hummed as he thought.

"Swan Lake. But not normal swan lake. A different version of it. And I'm thinking of something with lots of rises and falls for the free battle."

"I might have an idea for that. Leave it with me and I'll get you some pieces to choose from."

As Nanami had suggested, Yuzuru tried to show his dragonair that he was there for her, even when she didn't want to be around him at all. He did his best to be patient with her and she eventually started to open back up to him during their training sessions in early October. After a particularly difficult day where his flaaffy spent more time getting knocked out and his lapras couldn't aim, Yuzuru sat down in the locker room with his head in his hands as he considered everything. At this rate, he wasn't going to achieve anything as a senior, and he'd already said to the media that he wanted to win in Sochi. He couldn't win at the Olympics if he didn't get there, and he wouldn't get there if his competitions were as messy as his training was. Sitting all alone in the locker room, his insecurities rose up, ready to strike him down and stop him achieving his goals. In the empty space, they echoed around the room louder than ever.

I can't do it

I can't do it

I'm going to fail

I'm going to disappoint the world

I—

Something gently nosed at Yuzuru's cheek and he raised his head, meeting his dragonair's eyes. She tilted her head at him and Yuzuru almost burst into tears when he saw his dear baby dratini's actions mirrored in the dragonair. She was his dratini; she was just a bit more grown up at this point. When Yuzuru opened his arms to her, she threw herself into them and cooed into his shoulder, just like she always had done when he was younger. As she nosed at his cheek, Yuzuru pressed a kiss to her smooth skin and felt some of the tension leave his shoulders. In that moment, sitting in the locker room with his best friend and main pokémon in his arms, he just knew he was going to be alright.

His mother was less than impressed with the costumes she had to design and make and, to Yuzuru's delight, she and the JPF contacted Johnny Weir about his costume design for the free battle. Made to feature a gradient from skin-coloured mesh to dark pink before it connected to the black trousers, Yuzuru's poor mother had hand placed hundreds of rhinestones on it for him.

"It looks incredible," Johnny told the translator, who relayed the information back to Yumi and Yuzuru. "It represents perfectly what is happening in Yuzuru's life right now. You are very talented, Mrs Hanyu, and your son is a very talented battler."

Yuzuru practically glowed with pride and Johnny's encouragement only inspired him to work harder. In his last few weeks of training, his dragonair reached level 32, his lapras reached level 30, and his flaaffy reached level 27. His lapras learned perish song, which was incredibly risky as a move when used at the wrong time in a battle but had the potential to earn 300 points in itself if it was used at the right time. His flaaffy also learned cotton spore, another status altering move that Yuzuru wasn't convinced that they were going to use during battles, but it was nice to have the option open to him. When the 23rd of October arrived, he walked into the short programme buzzing with excitement. Going last in the first group wasn't what he would have liked, but it was what he drew and what he was given. The pressure was also a little off him that way because he'd be going before Daisuke and after Takahito so he didn't have to open the trio of Japanese men, and he didn't have to close it either. He waved to Ross backstage before he went back to warming up, listening to his music on his new iPod touch as the other took to the battling stage. He and his dragonair focused on each other as they ran through their planned content: dragon rage, slam, and twister. That was his plan, anyway, and they would do their best both for the home crowd and themselves. As Florent Amodio took his bows, Yuzuru stepped out into the stadium to soak it all in. With nearly five years between them, Yuzuru felt a small shudder run down his spine when he locked eyes with Florent for a fleeting moment before he looked past him to the man's coach. The Russian, Nikolai Morozov, was staring at his dragonair with hungry eyes that made the teen's skin crawl, and he turned back to Nanami. She shot Morozov a glare out of the corner of her eye before she gave Yuzuru a smile and patted his shoulder.

"Show what you can do." She whispered to him as Florent's score was announced. Yuzuru gave her a smile before he and his dragonair took a deep breath together. He shook her hand and patted the boards before they stepped out. He walked towards the centre, oozing confidence, and his dragonair wiggled beside him. The music was representing a swan struggling to spread its wings and take flight. Yuzuru and his dragonair, as they battled together making only small mistakes, embodied the struggling swan, and Yuzuru's costume caught the attention of many people. Made of black, white, and purple feathers, it was striking and wasn't what most people would have expected of him. Nanami hugged him tightly once he was done and helped him and his dragonair to the Kiss and Cry.

"That was very good," she patted his leg, "not perfect, but very good. We'll work on them when we get back to Sendai before the Russian cup, okay? But you and Hakuryu," she squished dragonair's cheek and earned squeaks of joy from the pokémon, "did very well for your first international senior competition. I'm incredibly proud of you."

"The scores please. Hanyu Yuzuru has earned in the short battle 69.31 points," Yuzuru pulled a face but nodded in understanding alongside his dragonair. "He is currently in second place."

"Amodio scored 70.01 points." Nanami explained as they left the Kiss and Cry together after Yuzuru had tucked his dragonair safely back into her pokéball. "But, then again, he is twenty years old and you're only fifteen and have much less experience than him."

Yuzuru's skin crawled again and he glanced over his shoulder. There, staring at him still, was Nikolai Morozov. Yuzuru couldn't understand his expression, and all he knew was that it made him incredibly uncomfortable. Even after the free, just before his own student was about to start competing, Morozov's eyes were fixed on Yuzuru as he sat gasping for breath in the Kiss and Cry with his dragonair and Nanami. He shuffled up closer to his coach's side and Haku-chan nuzzled up against his side, hiding herself away from Morozov's gaze.

The fourth-place finish was frustrating for him, but he was only six points away from a medal, and that reassured him that he could do it in the future. With one senior competition under his belt, he and dragonair exchanged a firm and determined look.

"We're going to do better at the Rostelecom Cup event," Yuzuru promised his mother back up in his hotel room.

"I'm sure you will dear," his mother raised an eyebrow at him, "but first things first: are you going to bathe your pokémon before you have a bath, or are you going to have one first?"

"Bathe them first," Yuzuru scooped up his flaaffy and ruffled her wool, listening out for the crackling of electricity, "and then I'll watch back my free battle and make notes before bed."

"Don't stay up too late. And don't put too much pressure on yourself. It was a fantastic effort, and you can only grow from here."

Yuzuru nodded and, after bathing his pokémon, he curled up with his dragonair in his arms as his exhaustion lulled him into a sleep full of successful battles and gold medals.

Chapter Text

"Hanyu Yuzuru, if I have to tell you to focus one more time, I'll send you back to Sendai in an Asahi shipping box."

"But look at him!" Yuzuru whispered to his coach in a poor excuse for a whisper as he stared at Patrick Chan and his rapidash. "Seriously, look at him!"

"Yes, I have eyes. I can see him." Nanami rolled her eyes and bopped Yuzuru on the head with his pooh bear pokéball case. "What I'm not seeing, though, is you training. Yuzuru, you need to pay attention."

"Look at how they move together," Yuzuru stared at the Canadian and his dragonair tilted her head as she too stared at Patrick and his pokémon. "The fluidity, the connection, everything, it's incredible. Do you think we can achieve something like that?"

"You would if you spent more time training and less time ogling Patrick Chan."

"I'm not ogling him!"

Nanami quirked an eyebrow at him and Yuzuru laughed sheepishly as he bounced off. "He's pretty incredible!" He called back to her before he went back to practicing his short battle with his dragonair.

He went fifth in the group, following Tatsuki who'd had a difficult time, and, once again, it wasn't as perfect as it could have been. He shrugged to Nanami and she gave him a gentle smile as she pulled him into a hug, patting his back. The next competitor stepped past him, up onto the platform, and Nanami sat Yuzuru and his dragonair down in the Kiss and Cry. Instead of watching his elements back on the screen, Nanami followed Yuzuru's narrowed eyes to where they were fixed on Nikolai Morozov. The coach was completely ignoring his student, who was pacing around with a charmeleon following him, and he had his eyes on Yuzuru's dragonair, like she was a prize for him to claim and win.

"Shouldn't he be focusing on his own student instead of me?" Yuzuru whispered to Nanami in quiet Japanese that the cameras hopefully wouldn't pick up. She sighed and patted his leg lightly.

"I don't tell others how to do their job and I hope that they give me the same courtesy. However, if I were in Morozov-san's position, I would not be acting the same way."

Yuzuru glanced up at the competitor and recoiled in horror. Whoever had picked out the terrible purple suit jacket, neon green shirt, and bright pink bow tie, and then decided to put them together should never be allowed near fashion again.

"I wouldn't particularly want to look at that hideous costume either," Nanami rolled her eyes and gave his white, black, and purple feathers a sharp look, "but he's his student. Come on!"

"I know, Yuzuru. I know. But there's nothing we can do about it."

"What's wrong with him though? Why isn't he paying any attention to his student?"

"Some coaches tend to do that when they feel that a student isn't meeting their standards or when they've picked a favourite. It's awful, really, because one inevitably falls and suffers when they could have been incredible. I saw his battles at the Olympics last season and he certainly has talent, but he's a raw diamond to say the least. Without the proper guidance, he'll never get off the ground."

"He came in fifth at Battle Canada though. Surely that's got to mean something?"

"Like I said, he has talent. But he'll need help spreading his wings."

Yuzuru sighed, reaching out to stroke the top of his dragonair's head. "How mean of him."

"Indeed. And, keeping this between you and me, he seems very much like the greedy type."

"The greedy type?"

"I detest how he's looking at Hakuryu," she said quietly, and Yuzuru moved his pokémon so that she was sitting between them. "Unfortunately, he's still staring. If it gets to be too much, I promise you that I'll say something."

"It's okay," Yuzuru put on a smile for the cameras when they turned to the Kiss and Cry, and he played about with his pokémon. Nanami gave him a fond smile and they both bowed to the people who had come to see them.

"The scores please. Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan has earned in the short battle 70.24 points. He is currently in first place."

Nanami elbowed his side lightly as Yuzuru clapped his hands and gave his pokémon a gentle cuddle. The camera turned off them and they lingered for a moment as they watched the coach and student interact by the boards of the platform.

"You go, you follow the battle plan, you do well." Nikolai instructed his student. "If you mess up, you should have come to practice more."

The student's face fell but he patted the top of his charmeleon's head and they stepped up together.

"Please welcome the next competitor, from Spain, Javier Fernandez!"

Spain? Yuzuru's head snapped up and, despite Nanami pulling him away, he lingered by the side to watch. It was messy, for sure, but something made it so that Yuzuru couldn't tear his eyes away from him, despite the hideous costume. His charmeleon was also extremely cute, and Yuzuru had never seen one so close before. Japan was known for water and grass types, not fire types. But Spain, along with some of the countries in West Africa, had an abundance of fire types, so it was no surprise to see a Spanish battler using a fire type as his main pokémon. Curiosity about his other pokémon gnawed at Yuzuru's stomach, and his excitement for the next day made his heart flutter with excitement.

Even though Yuzuru was in the second group for the free, he arrived early so that he could watch Tatsuki. Or, that was the excuse he told himself. Really, he lingered by the curtain and watched through it as he saw Javier Fernandez battling with a charmeleon, a pupitar, and a seadra. His seadra got knocked out at one point but Yuzuru could almost see something in them, like untapped potential. Nanami dragged him back to get warmed up just before he could see the score, but the look that Nikolai Morozov gave his own student was enough to make Yuzuru's skin crawl with discomfort. After seeing something so wrong, he couldn't focus as well on his own battle, and, due to his distraction, his flaaffy ended up knocked out. When he met Nanami's eyes, they both silently said the same thing to each other without exchanging a word. When he finished down in seventh place overall, that old sense of frustration and irritation he hadn't felt since his first season as a junior rose its ugly head internally.

"No way to the final now," Yuzuru said with a groan.

"True, but you've got to think about how far you've come. It's pretty impressive Yuzuru, and I'm proud of you. We'll work hard for nationals so that you have a good shot at going to Four Continents or Worlds, okay?"

Yuzuru shot one more look back at the Spanish competitor he caught sight of disappearing down the corridor after his coach with his tail between his legs.

"Okay."

He watched the final when they were at the club, and some of the others sat with him to watch the events together. His mouth fell open in a gasp when he spotted Florent Amodio at the boards and, beside him, was Nikolai Morozov. He didn't look at all like the same Morozov who had been with Javier. He looked like a much brighter and happier Morozov. The others at the club all cheered along with Yuzuru when they saw Nobu, Takahiko, and Daisuke fight well, and Yuzuru grinned when he saw that his skating sister, Kanako, had missed the silver medal by 0.01 points. He did feel a pang of something when he saw the juniors, saw the guys he had been competing with the year before, and he couldn't help but miss them. Moving up to seniors meant eight elements in battle instead of seven, which exhausted him and his pokémon even more. It meant longer music. It meant coming up against people with years of experience on him. When the training club lost funding just before Nationals, Yuzuru was at a loss, but Nanami kept training him so he was ready for the fight.

Not that she would ever tell anyone, but Yuzuru fainted when he realised he'd finished in second place after the short battle, nine points behind Takahiko in first and beating Nobu and Daisuke as well as Takahito, Tatsuki, and so many others. His free wasn't as good and dropped him out of the medals, filling his stomach with anger and regret. He was named not to the World Championships but to Four Continents instead alongside Daisuke and Takahiko near the end of February. With twenty men competing, and at only sixteen years old, this was Yuzuru's biggest competition ever. He recognised Nan Song from junior competitions and gave him a little wave as their group warmed up; he was to go 18th and Nan 19th. Nanami collected him and gave him a firm nod. He silently followed her out and tried his best to ignore the cheers and screams that came for Daisuke. The entire world adored him, it seemed. Still, he couldn't bring himself to blame the pressure as he scored one of his best shorts and ended up in third after the short, sitting above Adam Rippon by nearly four full points, and he was only behind Jeremy by 0.3. He snuck in and watched some of the ladies’ event, cheering for Mao when he saw her sitting in second place with only Miki above her. It was more than worth being told off by Nanami for sneaking out and not focusing on his training.

His free battle was as successful as it could have been. While he began to run out of energy towards the end of it, none of his pokémon fainted. Their attacks weren't perfect and, at times, they were nowhere near it, but they managed to get through it and come out the other side relatively unscathed; Daisuke and Takahiko both had a pokémon faint. Nanami spun him around in her arms when he saw that he was getting a medal, and he squealed with delight when he saw that it was the silver. Daisuke chuckled when he saw him bouncing around with all the delight and energy of a sixteen-year-old winning his first senior international medal.

"Next year you're coming to Worlds with me kiddo," Daisuke told him and poked his forehead. "Promise me I'll see you there?"

"I promise Takahashi-san."

Yuzuru's promise was shaken. As he was training with his dragonair at the club, a noise like no other echoed through what seemed like the world. The racks of club pokéballs fell down, and the entrance door could be heard going askew. The doors flew open with a loud bang and, in his confusion, tears streamed down Yuzuru's face. A quake. An earthquake. They weren't particularly rare in Japan; one had occurred offshore twenty-one days after he had been born and he'd experienced light aftershocks from the 2005 Miyagi earthquake, but this was like a demon was ripping the earth around them. As the first wave came to a close, he dared to let relief flood his system. Almost as soon as he did, he looked around and saw that the whole wall of the club had slid sideways. He and several others crumpled, curling up on the floor with the single pokéball for his dragonair in his arms, and he heard Takumi saying "this could be the end."

Encouraged by others, he tried to move and get out, but his legs were so stiff and everything was so bad that he couldn't walk. He crawled out and ended up sitting on the concrete with only the one pokéball in his arms. Aftershocks ripped through the city as snow began to fall: softly at first, and then into a blizzard. Takumi cuddled up beside him as both were only in their short-sleeved practice clothes. Sitting in his lap was the single pokéball, and he pressed a kiss to it. He wanted nothing more than to let her out and comfort her, but she'd freeze like this and ice was already one of her weaknesses. The coaches and other members of the club huddled around them to try and help them stay warmer.

"The water pipes above the ceiling broke. The whole place is flooded. The pipes around the training club have broken too."

Nanami patted Yuzuru's shoulder as she and the other coaches went in to collect their things. Still sitting on the ground, Yuzuru pulled on his Team Japan jacket and shivered as he hugged his bag and his pooh bear pokéball container close to his chest.

His mind drifted to his family and his heart caught in his throat. His sister... Saya had been on her way home from her job at the club. His mother... She was at home. His father at the school he worked at... He didn't have a phone on him or anything, and he doubted he'd be able to contact them as telephone poles lay fallen around them and manhole lids had popped off. Water was leaking everywhere and Yuzuru burst into tears when his sister returned for him and pulled him into her arms. In that moment, they had no clue whether they were orphans or not.

"We'll go home and look," she told him, keeping an arm around his waist to help him stand and walk on his shaking legs.

With her support, he managed to keep putting one foot in front of another as they followed the broken road back towards their home. With no electricity to the area, and it being early March, it got darker and darker. Their house, to Yuzuru's relief, was not too badly damaged. The bathroom walls had crumbled and there were cracks in the other walls. When they stepped inside, everything on their shelves had fallen out and their piano had tumbled over. Yuzuru's mother just hugged the pair of children tightly, and her delibird hugged their legs, before they headed towards an evacuation centre.

The Sendai City Gymnasium became their evacuation centre. Yuzuru's father couldn't come home from work, but word was that he was alive, so the three of them huddled in a small compartment that was about the size of two tatamis. With one blanket to share, they huddled up together and Yuzuru then decided to check his pokémon. His dragonair nuzzled up to him, crying for comfort in his arms as he hugged her and whispered the most soothing words he could to her. When she was calmer, he reached into his bag and took out his pooh bear pokéball holder.

There was only one ball in it.

He froze, unsure whether he was paralysed by fear or something else at that point. He checked the inside of his bag, under their blanket, anywhere he could around their area. There was only one pokéball. Trembling, he pressed the button on the front and his flaaffy bounced out, rubbing up against him. Trembling, he pulled her into a hug and bit on his lip so hard it was bleeding. Both the pokémon he had with him were shaking so hard and it pained him that he couldn't give them the comfort they needed.

"Hanyu family?" the three of them looked up as one of the relief staff stepped into the doorway. They offered them an onigiri and gave a pained smile. "I'm so sorry it's not more. If there's anything we can do to help you, please ask. I'm sorry we don't know more about your husband."

"Excuse me." Everyone turned when they heard Yuzuru's exhausted and tiny voice. "I... If anyone... The training club... I've lost a lapras..." He bowed his head to hide his tears and his mother cradled him close. "Please..."

"We'll have a look, but there's no guarantee we can find them."

The night was full of fleeting sleep and fitful dreams dragging them back only a few hours to when the world crumbled around them and their lives changed forever. With the morning light came the dark circles under everyone's eyes and the morning newspaper delivered to the centre. Everyone had thought that it had only hit the inland. The newspaper told a different story, detailing the offshore quake that triggered the devastating tsunami and the aftershocks. His father joined them and they cried with relief when he did. With nothing to do, Yuzuru stared at the ceiling and held onto the two pokéballs he had.

"It's selfish," he whispered to himself. "I can't battle at a time like this. I shouldn't be allowed in this situation. Do I even need to battle from now on?"

He ate his half an onigiri only because his parents forced him to. He didn't even register the hunger that gnawed at his stomach anymore. On day four, when his pokéball still hadn't been returned to him, he'd all but decided to give up battling. He ran his fingers through his flaaffy's fur as she napped beside him, tired from using her electric type moves to assist with providing power to those who desperately needed it in the shelter, when a shadow fell over him. He looked up and wiped tears from his eyes when he saw Nanami.

"Coach, I—"

She said nothing and only held out a battered pokéball to him. With trembling fingers, he reached out and took it as a lump formed in his throat when he saw the pooh bear sticker he'd put on the top.

"We found her." Nanami gave him a smile and patted his head. "Don't rush to make a decision, Yuzuru. This is big, and needs time to understand. Make sure you are happy with what you choose."

When she left, Yuzuru turned his lapras' pokéball in his hands over and over again. He pressed a kiss to her pokéball before he stood, stretching his legs.

"Where are you going?" Saya asked him as they crossed paths and she returned to their area of the shelter. "It's dark out there, you know?"

"I know," Yuzuru said gently as he held up the three pokéballs to her. "I'd just like some more space to talk to them."

She nodded, giving him a small smile. "I'll tell them where you've gone. Don't be too long, okay?"

He nodded and stepped out into the darkness. With only his Team Japan jacket on, he shivered and hugged himself to stay warmer. He released his pokémon from the balls and they all looked at him for guidance.

"I don't know what's going on," Yuzuru whispered as he slid down the wall and sat on the ground, hugging his knees to his chest, "but I do know that it's up to you. Lapalace-chan," her eyes met his and he wiped away the tears, "so many like you have died in the tsunami. If you choose, I will set you free. If you want to go," he dropped her ball on the ground beside him to let her choose to go free if she wanted to, "you can. It's your choice. All three of you, but especially Lapalace-chan."

His lapras shuffled up to his side and nosed at his neck. His dragonair wrapped around his shoulders and his flaaffy nuzzled his lap. Tears clouded his eyes as he looked up at the light of the stars.

"We're not quitting?" he asked them and the trio of pokémon nodded. "When we can, we'll train harder and bring hope to Sendai."

Across the sky came a streak of silver light that lit up the darkness. Yuzuru followed it with his onyx eyes and, despite freezing in the middle of an earthquake-destroyed town, hope warmed his heart.

End of Part 1

Chapter Text

When the city picked itself back up and the family returned home, Yuzuru's mother sat Yuzuru down when they were alone at home. She made them both some tea and offered him a piece of strawberry shortcake to eat while they spoke.

"I'm so sorry to ask you this so soon after... Everything," she stroked his hand and kept her eyes as gentle as possible, "but have you made a decision about what you want to do?"

"I'd like to keep going," Yuzuru barely dared to speak it above a whisper, but his mother heard. "Please. I know it's selfish. I know it's wrong. I know it's awful to want something so stupid when some people have lost their homes... Their lives... Their loved ones..." He wiped at his eyes and took a steadying breath before he could meet hers. She squeezed his hand, giving him courage and reassurance that she would always be with him. "Is it wrong to think I want to keep going?"

"Survivor's Guilt," she said, not answering his question but more thinking aloud. "When we feel we've done something wrong by living and others didn't. For someone with a heart as sensitive and kind as yours, I sadly think you'll experience this worse than most. Yuzuru, you might be feeling guilty just for living right now. If this makes you happy, if battling is what makes you feel like living, then I say you should go fully for it without thinking. Is that what you and your pokémon want?"

Yuzuru nodded but he couldn't stop crying. His mother stood and pulled him into a hug, stroking his hair like she used to when he was little and had a nightmare. Then, his nightmares had been full of monsters and werewolves. Now, his nightmares were full of shaking floors and collapsing walls. He woke up sobbing and with screams dying in his throat more nights than he cared to admit. Fushi had been extra affectionate towards Saya, more so than normal, and he'd barely left her side. Yuzuru's mother's delibird curled up to the family's two children more than ever before and the family had spent days just being in each other's presence, cherishing it like never before. His mother pressed a kiss to the crown of his head and he cuddled up against her.

"If it's what all four of you want, then I think you should. I will find you somewhere to train for now. I will help you, I promise. I will get you to where you need to be. I will help you however I can to achieve your goals."

"I want to bring hope to my home," Yuzuru told her. "I want to bring hope to the world. If I can do what Arakawa-san did, I can maybe repay the people who died?"

"Repay them?"

"Not repay them exactly," Yuzuru traced his fingers across the grains in the wood on the tabletop, "but to live for them. To make them happier. To help them rest in peace."

"He has nowhere else to train," she explained on the phone when the connections to the rest of Japan and the world were restored, "so do you think that you could find some space for him to train again?"

"Hanyu-san," Tsuzuki Shoichiro promised her with the kindness and wisdom of his years in his voice, "there will always be space for your son in our training club. I promise, whatever he needs, he can train here. I'm also interested to see how much he has grown since he moved on to train elsewhere."

With his blessing, Yumi Hanyu, Shoichiro Tsuzuki, and Nanami Abe arranged for him to train in Kanegawa. Yuzuru made the journeys as often as he could and often took naps on the train rides. He and his dragonair selected his short battle music together; they chose to embody the rises and falls of the emotions of the tsunami and devastation in the dramatic music of Alexander Scriabin's Etude in D-sharp minor. Having a flair for the dramatics, the sixteen-year-old and his coach chose to become young Romeo for their free battle, working with their pokémon to fight for their beloved Juliet, only to tragically die for the sake of love. With the training club partially restored to its former glory, Yuzuru didn't have to suffer long train journeys and could instead train at home in between going to high school and sleeping.

He showcased his battle layouts for the first time at the Nebelhorn trophy, and heads turned at the sight of his short battle costume. It was made of dark blue and white chiffon interweaved to look like the foam of ocean waves. Normally such a costume would have been tranquil. To him, they were as destructive as hellfire; they were just prettier. The music was huge for someone so young but he and his dragonair managed to carry it. They used dramatic moves and battled to match the changes in the music. His free was powerful too but, like the season before, he suffered stamina issues, and his pokémon were really struggling to get through to the end. His costume again turned heads and was made up of several layers of cream and light brown fabric with crosses of silver. They made one big error when his flaaffy's thundershock didn't hit properly but they made up for it, trying to reclaim the points. At the end, Yuzuru won his first senior international gold medal and was brimming with joy as he stood atop a podium once more with his best friend beside him. He even had a chance to broadcast his exhibition to Somebody to Love, and he and his dragonair adored showing off to the upbeat and fun music.

"Well done," Nanami patted him on the back "very very well done. That was a great competition and you're looking good heading into the grand prix series. Are we aiming to get to the final this season?"

"We're always aiming for the final," Yuzuru said with a firm nod. "Conquer China first, and then Russia."

Yuzuru's plan to "conquer China" didn't quite work, and he ended up slipping off the podium after a messy free battle with both his flaaffy and lapras fainting. Just like last season, he'd kicked off his grand prix series with a fourth position finish and was denied a medal by his own hand. Worse still, he'd been beaten by Nan Song who Yuzuru had beaten in Juniors. Was he regressing? Or was Nan progressing too fast for him to keep up?

"You can still qualify to the final with a fourth-place finish," Nanami reassured him. "You've got 9 points. Finishing in first at your next event would give you 24 points and give you a shot. Even finishing in second would give you a chance."

"Second isn't an option. First and first only."

Jeremy Abbott had plagued Yuzuru at the Cup of China and he was once again plaguing him at the Rostelecom Cup. Even with his best ever short battle score, Yuzuru still sat just behind him in second place, with Michal Brezina in third. Heading into the free battle, Yuzuru had his earphones in and his battle face on during the warm up when he stopped dead in his tracks.

Doe-like brown eyes had locked onto his own as an orange lizard barrelled its way down the corridor into his arms, latching onto him for a cuddle. Javier Fernandez ran over and detached the creature from him, speaking rapid English that Yuzuru couldn't have tried to keep up with even if he'd wanted to. He understood "sorry" but that was it until the other was called away by the legend himself: Brian Orser. Yuzuru's jaw dropped when he saw him; he was the one who had coached Kim Yuna to the Olympic Gold. Javier had left Nikolai Morozov for him? Yuzuru had to admit that Mr Fernandez had good taste.

Yuzuru had a mess in his free again with his dragonair and lapras falling unconscious twice. He sat in the Kiss and Cry with his head in his hands and grimaced. Javier Fernandez had been so good; he was like a totally reformed battler compared to the man last season.

He somehow managed to scrape into first place overall, only 0.03 points above Javier Fernandez, and Jeremy Abbott had a mess of a free battle that was even worse than Yuzuru's. He couldn't believe it, and he was giddy with joy when he realised that he'd won the competition.

Exhaustion properly hit him when he ended up sitting down in the middle seat for the press conference with a translator on one side and Jeremy Abbott on the other side. He glanced around in confusion when a sheepish looking Javier rushed over, a little late, and took his seat. He offered Yuzuru a hand and his palm felt warm as they exchanged a handshake at the table. Russian and English words flew over his head, and he couldn't stop smiling. He had no idea how to answer the first question and he spoke in slightly nervous Japanese before he relaxed into the press conference more.

"Today I'm very happy to bring good results to Japan," the translator relayed for him and he tried to listen to the English words and absorb them. His brain clearly wasn't a very good English sponge.

When Javier responded to the same question, his accent made his voice sound like music to Yuzuru. His eyes were fixed on him as he listened, enjoying the lilting tones.

"Um, this is my second medal at the grand prix this year and my whole life! And I'm really really happy that I did good in my programmes. Um, I think I had mistakes so I can fix them in the future, and today everyone did a really good job today." And he then fixed his eyes directly on Yuzuru's and his stomach flipped in a weird way. "Like Yuzuru. He's so young but he did so well, so uh, congratulations."

Yuzuru threw him a smile that he hoped was comforting and it was only when Jeremy mentioned going through to the final that he realised he too was through. By the skin of his teeth, he'd outclassed Song Nan and Takahiko Kozuka, and he was on his way to his very first senior grand prix final. The bubble of light and hope that it provided carried him through the press conference. After getting through the conference, he trudged up towards the hotel and he let Haku-chan sit on his shoulders. The cool Moscow air ran through his hair and he enjoyed the peace and silence when something slammed against his leg.

"Woah woah, I'm so sorry," Javier ran up and scooped the orange pokémon up into his arms. "He, uh, gets a little excited sometimes. Don't you, cutie?"

It let out little pops and a cute growl as its little arms reached to hug him. Its arms didn't reach all the way around Javier's neck and Yuzuru gave him a fond smile. "Nice to meet you Yuzuru. I'm Javier."

Yuzuru's mind could barely keep up and it took him forever to translate what was going on into his poor English.

"Nice to meet you too Javier," his words were slow and not at all precise, and he stroked his dragonair's nose.

"Who's this?" Javier gestured to the dragonair as he fell into step beside him. "Beautiful."

Yuzuru smiled and pressed a kiss to her nose. "Haku-chan. My Haku-chan. Dragonair in English. She's... Friend."

Javier's smile lit up the night sky and he held out a hand to her. "May I?"

"Haku-chan," he whispered to her so that only she could hear him, "if you don't want him to cuddle you, you don't have to let him. If you do, move to show him you want to."

She nodded and sniffed at Javier's outstretched hand before she nuzzled it. Javier chuckled and they reached the hotel far too soon.

"Bye Yuzuru. And very well done," Javier told him just before they parted ways in the hotel lobby. His charmeleon waved at him from where he was sitting in Javier's arms, and Yuzuru raised a hand to wave goodbye to the orange pokémon.

He saw them again at the final, and even the fourth-place finish didn't dampen down his smiles at seeing the creature again. It ran into his arms and Yuzuru was prepared this time. He knelt down beside him, scooping the little orange creature up into his arms and spun him around.

"Well done on your medal, little one," he whispered in Japanese to it even though he wasn't sure that he'd understand. "Well done. Make sure you tell Javi well done too, even if I don't see him. Please? I need to speak with Daisuke."

The creature gave him a smile and squeezed Yuzuru's arm in an attempt at a hug. Yuzuru set the pokémon down and watched, with a weird feeling in his stomach, as he saw Javier scoop him up into his arms. He and his dragonair were close, but there was something so different about their relationship.

And that difference might have been the factor between silver and gold.

Chapter Text

He felt like he was part of a super hero group, maybe The Avengers or The Justice League, as he and the rest of Team Japan walked into the arena in Nice. The youngest there, he gave off a much more mature aura than most other seventeen-year olds. Between Takahiko and Daisuke, he felt powerful and strong. With Mao, Kanako, and Akiko cheering them on and competing for the ladies, he felt powerful. When he was training with Haku-chan, he felt incredibly powerful. He felt like he was absorbing some of Patrick's battling abilities just by watching him. He was one of the last to go: the third last and just ahead of Takahiko and then Javier Fernandez. He felt confident the entire way up until it was his turn to go.

"Kuso," he muttered as he hugged Nanami after the battle, "that's going to cost us a lot."

"Hey, it's your first world championships! And you can fight back in the free battle. Plus," she glanced down at his knee, "you're not in the best condition."

"Could have done so much better," he grumbled, watching from the side-lines as Javier and his charmeleon soared into fifth place, a few points above his seventh.

"Tomorrow you can fight harder. I know you can do this Yuzuru. I know you, and I know your team. You can do it."

Yuzuru reached a certain point in his head and with his pokémon. They stepped up together and they had their game faces on. With only a momentary lapse of concentration, leading to his flaaffy fainting, they had one of the best free battles of the season. He was gasping at the end of it, but he couldn't help but smile as he fought and the crowd cheered. He caught sight of Nanami wiping away her tears and he fell into her arms while he still fought for breath.

"That was incredible," she told him as she guided him and his dragonair to the Kiss and Cry. "Just incredible. I'm so proud of you, Yuzuru. And I'm so proud of you too Hakuryu. Did you know that you screamed just before your last move back there?"

Yuzuru blinked at her as he struggled to comprehend what she said, and both coach and battler started chuckling.

"It was amazing to watch," she said and placed a hand on his shoulder, "and you have an outside shot now at a medal."

"The scores please. Yuzuru Hanyu has earned in the free battle 173.99 points." Yuzuru's mouth fell open and he looked at his scores. They were enormous, and much larger than anything he'd ever gotten before. "His total competition score is 251.06 points and he is currently in first place."

"You've given yourself an amazing chance," she told him as they left the Kiss and Cry and Yuzuru was guided to the green room. "I'm so very proud of you."

Yuzuru watched, sitting on the edge of his seat and chewing on his thumbnail, as he and his dragonair studied the numbers. Florent Amodio went into second behind Yuzuru. Brian Joubert went into second behind Yuzuru, just above his teammate. Javier Fernandez, despite his amazing connection with his charmeleon that Yuzuru could clearly see, didn't have a good time and fell to sixth. Yuzuru sat upright when Daisuke stepped out, and he watched his older teammate battle well with his pokémon. He couldn't help but laugh, perhaps it was because he was still a little delirious from the lack of oxygen earlier, when he saw that his free battle score was above Daisuke's. If he could get his consistency better, he could be a champion. Not this year. Daisuke had beaten him and he was sure someone else would too. But another time, he could be the World Champion. He had the ability to. He knew it and, judging by her expression, Hakuryu knew it too.

Michal fell down into fifth place, securing Yuzuru a medal, and he flopped back in his seat. Daisuke chuckled beside him, and the pair of them watched as Patrick had a messy battle.

"He's still going to win." Daisuke told him and Yuzuru looked at him with curiosity.

"He is? But you did better than him—"

"Not according to them, I didn't." Daisuke huffed and rolled his eyes. "I'm used to it. Patrick's scores, well, sometimes when they translate the damage to scores, they're a little more generous than they always ought to be."

Yuzuru nodded, not really understanding until he saw Patrick beat him in the free and win overall. Still, nothing could crush the bubble of excitement and happiness that came up in his chest when he saw the 3 beside his name.

"Well done kiddo," Daisuke told him as he ruffled his hair. "A medal at your first World Championships. That's pretty damn impressive, and at seventeen years old too. You'll go far."

Patrick gave Yuzuru a very concerned look when the youngster bounced out to the podium with his dragonair on his shoulders. They bowed dramatically together before he bounced up onto the podium, full of elation. He caught Patrick looking at him and gave him a wide smile, summoning up almost all the English words he knew.

"I'm going to beat you," he said with the confidence of a teenager riding the high of his first major win. He didn't see Patrick's shocked expression or Daisuke struggling to hold in his laughter as he was too focused on soaking up every experience like an ambient sponge.

"Yuzuru," Nanami spoke up as he finished his last piece of strawberry shortcake at the meal with his family in Nice, "I think you know what I'm going to say. I have never been prouder of you, and you're improving so much every day."

"Abe-sensei?"

"Yuzuru, you have dreams of reaching great heights, and you have the talent to get there. But I cannot be the one to guide you."

"But—"

She held up a hand and he fell silent again, listening to her as she continued. "I think the best thing for you is to find another coach. You have plenty of time to look for one and to adjust before next season and, more importantly, the Olympics. I can talk to the JPF later and start helping you look for a new coach. Unless you've got any ideas already?"

Yuzuru hummed, tapping his fork on the edge of the plate as he wracked his brains for ideas. Mishin was the first to come to mind. He'd coached Evgeni Plushenko to become the Olympic Champion, silver medallist, and a three-time World Champion. He'd achieved a lot, but Yuzuru chewed on his lip. His English was almost non-existent, and his Russian certainly was, so he doubted that Alexei Mishin would coach him. His mind raced as he started thinking of other potential coaches he could have when he remembered the smiling face of a Spaniard and his over-excited but lovable charmeleon. Their relationship bubbled up in his mind and Yuzuru nodded.

"I've decided."

Yuzuru's mother laughed lightly and Nanami chuckled too.

"I'm not surprised," his coach said as she sat back in her seat. "Who?"

"Brian Orser."

"Brian Orser, Brian Orser, oh!" Her eyes lit up and she nodded. "The coach who took Yuna Kim to the Olympic gold?"

Yuzuru nodded and smiled. "I want to achieve the Olympic gold too. I want to do that. I want Brian Orser as my coach."

Nanami glanced over at his mother and she nodded, smiling at the coach. "If it's what he wants. I'll talk to the federation and start the process of getting in contact with him."

"Not a chance."

"Why not?" Yuzuru asked indignantly as he sat on the opposite side of the desk to the officials from the federation. "It would be an incredible opportunity."

"There are incredible Japanese coaches that you could move to," one of the officials stood and paced around the room. "Kobayashi-san. Hamada-san. Sano-san. Mura-san—"

"I'm not sharing a coach with Mura Takahito," Yuzuru folded his arms firmly.

"But you'd be perfectly happy to share a coach with someone like Fernandez-senshu?"

"There are things I'd like to learn from him—"

"And you cannot learn them from Mura-san?"

"No. I want to be coached by Orser-san."

"Nagakubo-san," another piped up and looked Yuzuru dead on. "He's coached Arakawa-san."

"And Hino-kun," Yuzuru pointed out.

"You're very difficult to please, Hanyu-senshu." Another looked over the top of her glasses at him. "Oda-san."

"No."

"Sato. Sato Yuka."

"I want Orser-san."

"We will give you no additional help to get to him. Yamada."

"I said no! I want Orser-san!" Yuzuru glared at all of them. "Please. Just organise a meeting between us."

"One more suggestion for you, Hanyu-senshu," another glanced down at his list and smiled, "and he requested you, to train you personally. Morozov-san—"

"No." Yuzuru's tone was firm and final. "Not a chance."

"He requested you personally. You and your hakuryu."

"I would not be comfortable with him training me."

"He coached Arakawa-san to Olympic gold. Surely he can do it to you again?"

Yuzuru sighed and shook his head. "Please. All I'd like is for someone to arrange for me to meet with Orser-san and a translator. Please."

The federation officials exchanged a look before they nodded to each other.

"We will organise it, but, if you so desperately want him as your coach, you should ask the International Olympic Committee. They will do more for you."

In Tokyo, rather than Sendai, Yuzuru followed the officials to a conference room booked in the hotel. They waited by the door, giving him the same look a parent would give a fanatical child that they were indulging, just to get them to shut up. He sat, waiting with his dragonair cuddling up to his side, when the translator stepped in with the man himself.

"Orser-san," the translator said as he gestured to where Yuzuru sat with his dragonair, "this is Hanyu-senshu. Hanyu-senshu, Orser-san."

Yuzuru stood and bowed to the older as the translator sat down. His dragonair took off across the room before he could stop her, and she nosed at Brian's pockets whilst looking for treats.

"Haku-chan!" Yuzuru chided her as he pulled her away from Brian and bowed multiple times to the other. "Haku-chan, we do not just run up to random people and try to get treats from them." He swapped to English after making eye contact with the translator. "I'm sorry Orser-san." His dragonair gave him a sheepish smile and Yuzuru rolled his eyes. "One more stunt like that and I'm putting you back in your pokéball."

"It's alright," Brian laughed as he gestured for Yuzuru to take a seat, "I'm used to pokémon who like treats."

"Oh?" Yuzuru tilted his head curiously at the coach. "Who?"

"A certain charmeleon," Brian chuckled, and Yuzuru glanced at the translator.

"Charmeleon?"

"Lizardo," the translator explained for him and Yuzuru nodded.

"Of course! Fernandez-san's?"

"Ah, yes, Javier's charmeleon. He's very friendly. But we're not here to talk about Javi, are we? We're here to talk about you. Why do you want to train with me?"

Yuzuru smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. "It is about Fernandez-san, actually. I see how Fernandez-san and his charmeleon are. I see their friendship and kindness and relationship. I want to learn this too. Learn something similar to him. I want to train with him."

Brian raised an eyebrow at him as the translator relayed Yuzuru's words. He thought for a moment, resting his head in his hands, and he smiled at Yuzuru.

"Do you like battling?"

"I love it." Yuzuru said as soon as the translator told him Brian's words. "It's my reason. I... It's how I will repay them."

"Repay them?"

"The people of Sendai," the translator told him gently without asking Yuzuru. "After the tsunami and earthquake, Hanyu-senshu—"

"I understand," Brian cut in. "Yuzuru, I hope you understand that the decision isn't mine alone to make. As much as I would love to accept you immediately and send you the contract, I can't. It's not fair on Javier. I need some time to tell him and ask him if he's alright with that."

Yuzuru nodded in understanding as the translator relayed the message to him. "Of course. I understand. Please ask him, and I hope he will say yes."

"I do too." Brian stood up and burst out laughing when he caught sight of a dragonair with her head in one of the pockets of his bag as she ate his snacks. "You have one intelligent dragonair here."

"Haku-chan!" Yuzuru shook his head at her and, although she squirmed around, he scooped her up into his arms. "I'm sorry, Orser-san."

"I told you, it's fine," Brian patted her on her head. "Thank you for meeting with me, Yuzuru. It's been a pleasure."

Brian felt almost like he was in a daze when he got back to Canada and went back to the club. Tracy shot him a weird look before she nodded to her office, holding the door open for him.

"So, how did it go? Who was it?"

Brian sat down in the chair and rubbed at his forehead.

"Yuzuru Hanyu."

Tracy blinked at him in confusion. "Yuzuru Hanyu? The seventeen-year-old who just won the bronze medal at the World Championships? That Yuzuru Hanyu?"

"Yes. He wants me to be his coach."

"Okay," Tracy sat down on the other side to him and raised an eyebrow, "so, what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to talk to Javi first. He deserves to have a say in this, since they'll be competing against each other and it's important. Javier needs to be considered."

Tracy nodded and unspoken words were exchanged between them. "And, if he says yes?"

"Then we'll be training Yuzuru Hanyu," Brian said with a light laugh. "Send him the standard coaching contract, have him and his family sign it, and he'll start training. But that's only if Javier agrees. One step at a time."

"Of course." Tracy patted his arm and smiled. "Go and ask him. Go on."

Brian stepped out of her office and took a deep breath. Making a decision, he headed into the cafeteria and made himself a coffee before he headed out towards the training rooms.

"Javi? Two seconds please."

Javier looked up from where he'd been running through some moves with his charmeleon. He caught Brian's eyes and nodded before he patted his pokémon on the head and stepped out of the room, into the hallway.

"What's up Brian?"

"So, you know that I've been away for a few days in Japan, right?" Javier nodded and Brian continued speaking. "I, uh, someone there asked me to be their coach. A battler in the men's discipline. I, uh, I just wanted to make sure you're okay before I agree to be his coach too."

"Who is it?" Javier asked, tilting his head to one side. "Thank you. For asking me."

"Of course I'd ask you," Brian smiled at him and Javier gave him a faint one in return. "It's... uh... Yuzuru Hanyu."

Javier blinked at him, trying to process the request for a couple of seconds. Brian patted his shoulder and smiled.

"Don't worry. You don't have to decide now—"

"Yes."

Brian looked at him in shock. "Yes?"

"I think it would be good. For both of us. He has a reason to come here. He must want to learn something. I'm sure that I could learn something from him too."

Brian nodded and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Sounds good. I'll let him know so he can come over in June. Thanks, Javi."

"No. Thank you for asking me."

"Wouldn't dream of making a decision like this without asking you."

Chapter Text

Guilt gnawed at Yuzuru's stomach as he packed his bags, ready to go to Canada. His pokémon watched as he packed them treats and other things, and Fushi wandered into his room to watch them too. Most of his and his mother's things had been posted out already to their new home in Canada. Canada. Half the world away.

"Are you sure you're alright going?" Yuzuru looked at his pokémon and they all nodded. "No coming home for a while? New people, new language, new experiences, everything. Are you sure? If you say no, we can stay here and we'll find a coach in Japan."

His pokémon all exchanged a look and nuzzled up beside him. His dragonair nosed at his cheek as she slithered up onto his shoulder and curled up like she had done when they were both younger. Sitting on the floor of his room with his suitcase and backpack packed up, and his room much emptier than it normally was, he stroked their noses and sighed.

"Is it wrong of us to go? When so many can't? Maybe the JPF was right and we should stay here and—"

Fushi, sitting on his lap, bounced lightly and nosed at his abdomen. Moko-chan bounced around with the grass type pokémon and Yuzuru cracked a smile. His lapras leaned over his shoulder and pressed a kiss to his cheek while his dragonair provided warm and gentle comfort just by sitting on his shoulders. He turned his head and pressed a kiss to her nose. For the time being, they sat there together on the floor and took in the comforting familiarity of his family's home.

"We'll miss you, Yuzu," his sister said as they sat down together to eat homemade gyoza, his favourite, for dinner. "Make sure to call us often, yeah?"

"Are you sure that you'll both be alright?" Yuzuru's mother asked. Guilt continued to eat away at Yuzuru's stomach with her question, and even his sister and father's responses couldn't settle his heart or conscience.

Early the next morning, he tucked his pokéballs into his pooh bear case and set it in the top of his backpack. With his suitcase in hand, he and his mother left their family home and, as they left to walk to the train station, Yuzuru glanced back up and swallowed down his tears. With his mother's hand in his free one, they headed off to the train station in the dark of the early morning and went south towards Tokyo.

"What are you thinking?" Yuzuru's mother asked as her delibird slept on her lap on the train journey.

"It feels weird," Yuzuru mumbled. "Am I making the right choice? Am I allowed to leave the city when other people can't? When so many people died?"

"I don't know if you're making the right choice, but I trust Abe-sensei and I trust that you know in your heart what is the best thing to do for you. I will help you through this no matter what; you know I will. If this doesn't work out, we can come home, but we should at least give it a proper chance."

Yuzuru nodded, looking out of the window of the train as they sped through the country to Tokyo airport. He kept staring out of the window, too full of swirling emotions as they flew across the world to Toronto. It was late in the evening when they arrived, and Yuzuru felt both dead on his feet from the exhaustion of the travelling and half-awake as his body clock was still stuck on Sendai time. The new bed felt weird and uncomfortable. The ceiling of his room in Canada didn't have the same spidery cracks and water stains that his room in Sendai did. The walls were bare as he hadn't had time to decorate after they'd arrived. Both he and his mother had only unpacked enough to sleep in before they tried to get as much sleep as possible.

Sitting up in the middle of the night in Canada, awake with the uncertainty of being in a new place and everything going on inside his head, Yuzuru reached into his bag and pulled out his pokéballs. With everything going on around them, he hadn't had time to let them out into the new environment. His dragonair slithered around, raising her head and taking in everything, before she curled up beside him and nuzzled at his cheek. Next out was his lapras. She pressed her nose to his forehead as his flaaffy emerged last and climbed up onto his lap. He cuddled the three of them as he looked out of the curtains at the night sky of Canada. The stars were the same stars that he'd seen in Sendai a year before. His eyes sparkled with the light of them and the hope he'd felt during the darkest moment of his life swelled up inside of him again. Filled with determination and steeling himself, he patted his pokémon each on the head before they shuffled around to go to sleep.

After spending a few days scouting out the local area and going shopping with his mother, the place started to feel a little more like home. They both ate the Japanese food his mother had made after Yuzuru had spent the time decorating his room with posters and his medals. It finally started to look a little more like home, even if it didn't exactly feel like it to him. The silver Four Continents medal and bronze World Championships medal sat there on the board opposite to his bed and he smiled, getting an inner spark of determination whenever he saw them.

The spark was quelled by the fear of the unknown when he stepped into the club for the first time. It was huge, much grander than the small Pokémon Club Sendai he was used to, and he shuffled closer to his mother for comfort. His dragonair mirrored the movement and shuffled closer to him too, when the legendary coach himself stepped into the foyer to meet them.

"Yuzuru Hanyu! Nice to see you again. Welcome to the club." The English words spun around, making Yuzuru feel a little dizzy with confusion as he tried to comprehend them. Brian understood and repeated it much slower to give both of them some time to understand. "And Mrs Hanyu? It's lovely to meet you. There's a lounge for you to sit in while your son trains in the future. Let me show you around."

They went mostly in silence so that Yuzuru could take in every experience. The locker rooms, the lounge, the cafe, the pool, the cricket pitch, the curling area, the terrace garden, and then finally, the battling platforms. Yuzuru's eyes widened and he soaked it in. The differences between the Cricket Club and the Pokémon Club in Sendai were only amplified by what he saw. There were no boards here; it was pretty much wall to wall battling spaces. The rafters up to the roof were so high, and there were no cracks anywhere. It was flawless, untouched, and perfect. Yuzuru's dragonair looked around, soaking in everything, and Yuzuru gaped when he saw someone training with a very familiar charmeleon.

"And that pretty much concludes the tour," Brian said with a smile, speaking mostly to Yuzuru's mother as Yuzuru was distracted by watching the others train. He stayed staring and caught the attention of the charmeleon who barrelled away from his owner to wrap his tiny orange arms around Yuzuru's waist.

"Oh, God, I'm so sorry," Brian started to apologise when he saw Yuzuru's dragonair flinch back, ready to strike. "Javi! Javi, come and get your pokémon from over here!"

"It's okay," Yuzuru stroked the charmeleon's head gently and smiled down at it. "Hi Lizardo. Remember me? I'm Yuzu. Nice to see you again. And this, this is my pokémon Hakuryu." His dragonair sniffed around the charmeleon but shifted away from him cautiously. "Don't worry. She just wants a little time to get used to you. She'll be really friendly later on, I promise."

"Hey," Javier stepped up to Yuzuru and gave him a smile as he tried and failed to pry his charmeleon's arms off away from Yuzuru's waist, "I'm so sorry! He really likes giving out hugs and is super friendly. He won't bite or hurt you, I promise."

"Kawaii," Yuzuru mumbled as he patted the charmeleon's head one more time and gently pushed him. He got the message and let go before his attention turned to Yuzuru's dragonair. "Hey, hey, no. She's very shy. Don't scare her or it'll be bad, okay? She needs time to get used to people."

The charmeleon seemed to understand what Yuzuru was saying, and he backed off, bouncing back over to Javi's bag that was dumped on the side. Yuzuru half smiled as he watched it withdraw and then devour a treat as it sat on the ground.

"How was your flight?"

Yuzu blinked at him. "Good."

"Settling in well?"

"Bit odd," Yuzuru stroked his dragonair's head before he gestured to her. "Fernandez-san, this is Hakuryu. Haku-chan, Fernandez-san."

"Oh, just Javi is fine. Nice to meet you, Hakuryu. Is that the Japanese name for dragonair?"

"Dragonair?" Yuzuru patted her on the head and chuckled. "I like that."

"Hey, so you can tell me the Japanese names of all the different kinds of pokémon, right? What's my charmeleon's name?"

"Lizardo," Yuzuru chuckled.

"Lizardo. I like that." Javier grinned and Yuzuru couldn't help but smile back. "See you around Yuzuru."

Yuzuru smiled at him and turned around to meet a smiling Brian and his mother.

"Seems like you and Javi are getting on very well. You'll be training with him tomorrow, as long as that's alright?"

"Sounds good," his mother spoke as Yuzuru nodded. "What time should Yuzuru be here?"

The next morning, Yuzuru and his pokémon arrived five minutes early; he hated to be late anywhere. Unsure of what to do, he headed into the locker room and neatly folded his coat and jumper. Armed with his water bottle, his inhaler, and his pooh bear pokéball holder, he stepped into the room with the battling platforms. No one else was around, so Yuzuru curiously headed over to the marking on the floor that Brian had laid out.

"Oh, morning Yuzuru," he turned and met his new coach with a smile. "That's a trail for you to teach your pokémon a little independence. You ask them to follow it around and come back to you at this end. It may take you a little while to get them used to it, but it's a good help for teaching your pokémon some independence and control. Why don't they try it?"

Yuzuru blinked at him before he nodded, reaching for his dragonair's pokéball. Brian held out a hand when he reached for his lapras' too, shaking his head.

"Just one at a time. It works better that way."

Yuzuru nodded and let his dragonair approach it. With gentle words of English, Brian tried to help Yuzuru through the process which Yuzuru then relayed to his dragonair. She slowly went around it, but she disliked being too far away from Yuzuru. Even by the time that Javier had arrived, Yuzuru was still struggling with coaxing his pokémon around it.

"You did pretty well," Brian told him, and Yuzuru's wrinkled nose made him burst out laughing. "I mean it. It's a slow process, but your determination is worth it. Why don't we do some battling now?"

Yuzuru nodded, following Brian over to the platforms with just his dragonair out. She seemed a little wary of the coach, but trusted Yuzuru enough to follow him. He looked at his coach for direction, and Brian gestured to the pad.

"There are several different types of pokémon you can practice against. I would suggest, for now, you start practicing against something simple for you and drill some battles just so we can get used to working with each other and we know what you need to work on, okay? How does that sound?"

Yuzuru's brow furrowed in confusion, and he struggled to comprehend what the older was saying. Someone lightly tapped him on the shoulder and he smiled when he saw Javier standing there with his charmeleon clinging to his leg.

"Sorry if I'm overstepping, but you look like you could use some help. Brian said that he wants you to practice easier moves and easier battles so that you can get used to his coaching style. Do you... Do you understand?"

Yuzuru nodded and Javier's eyes lit up with happiness. Very emotional and responsive, he portrayed his emotions through his bright dark eyes that reminded Yuzuru of a beautiful deer.

Through the struggles of training, Javier was by his side and Yuzuru managed to get his point across with the other's help. Brian understood what he wanted. He managed to tell David and Jeffrey what he wanted with his programs. He managed to train and, with Javier's help, he won his very first competition under his new coaches. Javier gave him a congratulatory hug and they both laughed together on the podium, giggling as Javier teased him, and poor Jeremy Abbott looked confused. Yuzuru's dragonair even let Javier's charmeleon boop her on the nose, and they both burst out laughing as their pokémon looked so cute.

"Here's to many more shared podiums, yeah?" Javier told him as they stepped down from the podium to collect their national flags.

"To many more," Yuzuru smiled at him. "Thank you for helping me train Javi."

"You don't need to thank me. I'm happy to help you. We make each other better!"

Looking at his bright eyes, Yuzuru felt the hope inside of him rise up.

"We do."

Chapter Text

One of Yuzuru's many battling dreams since he was a small boy was to break a world record. While he expected to improve under his new coaching team, he never expected to break the world record for the short battle at seventeen years old and his first grand prix assignment. His eyes lit up with happiness and Brian patted his shoulder. Despite his impressive 10-point lead over Takahiko in the short, Yuzuru made three mistakes in the free and scored below Tatsuki and Takahiko in the free, delivering him the silver medal and delivering an all Japan podium to the American fans. They laughed along with the competitors when Yuzuru's dragonair and Tatsuki's altaria nosed at each other, making both their trainers and Takahiko smile. In the gala, he had a lot of fun performing to Hello, I Love You. He enjoyed the high of the medal through the gala but, the moment they landed back in Canada, the frustration at the silver medal set into his stomach, and his determination returned. He and Javier were both competing at the NHK trophy, and, despite the elation that bubbled up inside of him when he broke his own short battle record, he couldn't help but glance over at Javier to see his reaction. To his surprise, the Spaniard enveloped him in a congratulatory hug.

"Yuzu! You've done so well! That was incredible! I'm so proud of you!"

This is nothing like Alexei Yagudin and Evgeni Plushenko

Yuzuru was bouncing around with elation when he realised that he, he! had managed to beat Daisuke Takahashi and had won the NHK trophy. As his senpai ruffled his hair, shaking his head as Yuzuru's dragonair played with his blastoise, Yuzuru caught sight of Javier and stopped in his tracks. His bubble was burst a little when he realised that his training mate wouldn't share the podium with him. When Javier came over and gave him a hug, he smiled and opened his arms to accept the other. Javier patted him on the shoulder and, despite missing out on a medal, his smile lit the entire room up.

"We're both through to the final Yuzuru!" Javier shook his shoulders gently. "Again! And it's an Olympic test event! This day is getting better and better!"

"It is!" Yuzuru giggled and bounced around Javier as the other's charmeleon followed him. "We're going final!"

"But first, you need to go and get your medal. Daisuke is looking at you weirdly. And this is your hometown. Everyone wants to see you collect the gold."

At Javier's innocent comment, Yuzuru's heart sank. Although a year had passed, the tendrils of the earthquake and tsunami had left deep scars in the city that were nowhere near healed. The damage of the quake reached far and deep, and what good really did him winning the gold do for them? His gold medal didn't rebuild homes, or undo the damage, or save the people who had died and suffered, so what good really was it? Still, he and his dragonair smiled and took lots of photos with Daisuke and his blastoise for the Japanese media, and decided to work and look ahead to the final.

The Iceberg Battling Palace in Russia felt like a palace, and Yuzuru was but a lowly peasant amongst nobles. Javier laughed at his look of bewilderment and elbowed him lightly in the side.

"You're the reigning World Bronze medallist, remember? And you qualified in second instead of just scraping it into the final like I did. You qualified above the World Silver medallist, so you really do belong here."

"You too," Yuzuru said firmly as they waited to start their warm up back stage. Six minutes was what they got, and then Javier would be the first to battle because he was the last to qualify for the final; Yuzuru was the penultimate battler just before Patrick Chan.

Yuzuru couldn't help but sneak glances at the monitor as he and his dragonair continued warming up backstage. He winced when Javier's charmeleon fainted near the start, but the end was strong. He just about broke the 80-point barrier, but Yuzuru wrinkled his nose. Javier could do much better.

Brian came backstage in time to stop Yuzuru watching Daisuke or listening to his scores, so he focused instead on his dragonair while the first of his three compatriots competed. He didn't see Daisuke sit in the Kiss and Cry with his blastoise, waving and patting the creature's head as he whispered praise to Kusu.

("I nicknamed my Kamekusu "Kusu" when he evolved," Daisuke explained to the press with a cheeky smirk, "because it sounds very similar to one of my favourite words. I won't say it on television though.")

Yuzuru also didn't witness the numbers Daisuke got. Although they didn't quite touch his record, they were not far away and he was nipping at the record's heels. Tatsuki went next and he bowed his head in the Kiss and Cry in frustration. His coach tried to comfort both him and his altaria, but the frustration at 70.58 was overwhelming. As Takahiko stepped up, Yuzuru took off his earphones and slipped them, along with his iPod touch that Nanami had given to him, into the pocket of his Team Japan jacket. He tried his best not to focus on the battle before him, and he did his best to ignore the numbers when they were announced. It didn't help, and the 86.39 still rang through the arena too loud for him to ignore.

I can beat that

Maybe it was youthful ignorance or useless pride that clouded his judgement, but Yuzuru went into the battle all guns blazing. He was so into it that even his dragonair was hesitant, and the opponent took advantage of her hesitation. Right at the end, in the opponent's very last move, Yuzuru's dragonair fainted.

"Kuso," he mumbled quietly as the official revived her so that she could receive the scores with him. The sparkle of his black and white costume felt dulled, and his smile was laced with frustration as he and Haku-chan took their bows together. Brian was understanding and gave him a hug as he giggled and stepped down from the platform. They took their places in the Kiss and Cry as the replay of some of his elements were shown on the screen. Yuzuru giggled when he saw Brian jumping up and down by the boards during his first attack.

"I get excited," Brian said with a shrug to defend himself, "and I'm proud of you two when you do well."

Yuzuru nodded absently as his mind whirred with calculations. A world record would have been the best birthday present but, with the faint, that wasn't going to happen. When the camera turned to him, he made his pooh bear pokéball holder wave a paw from where it sat between him and Brian, before he and Haku-Chan bowed to the adoring Japanese fans who had come to see him and the other three men from their country.

"Yuzuru Hanyu has earned in the short battle 87.17 points," Yuzuru turned to Brian and couldn't help but laugh. Even with a fall, he wasn't a million miles away from his record, so he was improving! Brian nodded, eyebrows raised, as he said something that Yuzuru understood was meant to make him laugh but he couldn't translate it, "and he is currently in second place."

"Second," Brian smiled at him in satisfaction as he patted him on the back, "good job."

He found Daisuke backstage watching one of the monitors with Takahiko and Tatsuki. Even though he was frustrated, Tatsuki swept him up into a hug and Daisuke ruffled his hair.

"Happy birthday Little Mouse!"

Yuzuru grinned, a little embarrassed by the teasing of his senpais, but he couldn't help but giggle. He looked up and caught sight of Javier on his own across the room, and, with Tatsuki still hugging him, he bounced over to drag his training mate across to join his Team Japan friends.

"Tatsuki, Daisuke, Takahiko, this is Javier!" Javier noted the mispronunciation of his name and couldn't help but smile at Yuzuru's excitability. He swapped to English for Javier's sake and Javier struggled not to reach out and pinch his cheeks. "Javier, this Tatsuki, Daisuke, and Takahiko. Japan friends!"

"Nice to meet you," Javier bowed his head to the trio of Japanese men and nodded to the monitor displaying Patrick in the Kiss and Cry with his rapidash and coach. "No one tell him we ignored him, right?"

"Right," Daisuke, having the best English, responded with a light laugh. His eyebrows raised as Patrick didn't break the 90-point barrier and slotted neatly between Yuzuru and himself. "The free will be interesting."

The Japanese translator settled himself between Daisuke and Yuzuru in the press conference, and, for the most part, the words washed over the youngster.

"Obviously there was more that Ponya and I could have done," Patrick explained to the press with a smile that felt a little strained, "but we'll just work hard in the free and do what we can. Daisuke performed very well today along with his blastoise, and I think we were all impressed by him."

For the most part, Yuzuru spent the time admiring the drips that ran down the inside of his water bottle, but his ears perked up when he heard his name in conversation.

"I'm not surprised that this is the result after the short program," Patrick leaned back in his seat and laughed. "I mean, we are the top three men in the world. Me, Daisuke, and Yuzuru, I think we all have different strengths that make us stand out. Yuzuru is the most different to us in his battling strategy."

Yuzuru brushed off Patrick's comments, and he and Daisuke were led out of the press conference by the JPF officials. He burst out laughing when they presented him with a birthday cake. Brian was there too, along with his older teammates, and they embarrassed him by singing. He took several photos with the press before he cut a piece and ate it, giggling all the while. For a few moments, he celebrated his birthday but, the moment he got back to his hotel room, he set his pokémon to bed and started to study the protocols.

Even though he'd promised himself he wouldn't befriend his training mate, Yuzuru couldn't help but celebrate when Javier won the free battle and moved himself up to fourth place overall, only 0.04 points away from Patrick's score and a medal. He only just beat Daisuke in the free, but he scored enough above Patrick to move up into second place and snatch the silver. While he knew he should be proud, as it was a significant improvement over his fourth place finish the year before, he couldn't help but sigh with irritation. It was an Olympic test event!

"You did great!" Javier told him as he admired his silver medal and reached down to pet his charmeleon on the head. "I guess you'll be going for a little while, huh? For Nationals and everything?"

"Yeah," Yuzuru gave him a light smile and patted his arm. "Good luck. See soon?"

"Yeah. And hey," he elbowed him lightly, "you win Four Continents and I'll win Europeans. Show each other our golds."

Yuzuru's face lit up, mirroring Javier's smile, and he nodded. "Promise?"

"Promise."

When they went their separate ways in the airport, Yuzuru couldn't help but glance back over his shoulder and watch with something swirling in his mind and chest that he didn't understand.

Nationals was a whirlwind. Of course, because it was Nationals, his short program score didn't count as a new world record. His eyes still lit up and his dragonair nuzzled up beside him in excitement. 97.68 was a huge score, and the hope that he could ever reach those heights internationally made his heart soar. He was almost ten full points above Daisuke and second place, and he was thirteen points above Takahiko in third. Down in fifth was Nobu, eighth was Tatsuki, ninth Ryuju, tenth Shoma, and eleventh Keiji; the three were in the order that they had finished at the Japan juniors. After the short, Yuzuru ran up to his two friends in juniors and gave them a hug.

"I barely had time to talk to you at the final!" He hugged Keiji and then Ryuju as the latter's eevee bounced around with his dragonair and Keiji's ekans. "Well done on your medal, Ryuju, and well done Keiji! You guys are so talented!"

"You're more talented," Keiji ruffled his hair with a light laugh. "Two world records already and a silver medal at the final. And hopefully you'll win your first National title too."

"Don't jinx it!" Yuzuru whined before the trio headed off giggling.

Yuzuru stared at the scores in relief as he panted and gasped for breath. He and the audience had all been stunned into silence when he saw the 187.55 points give way to his total of 285.23, almost five full points above Daisuke. He couldn't really register the announcer declaring the end of the event. The audience was still held in the stunned silence with him, and only Brian seemed able to do anything; he seemed the only one who could move or speak.

Then came the boos.

Yuzuru's head snapped up in confusion and any joy that he might have felt was crushed. Large chunks of the audience, dissatisfied that Daisuke had fallen to second, decided to take their displeasure out on Yuzuru. Neither he nor his dragonair smiled when they got their medal and the cup, and they had to force their smiles for the media. Daisuke's silence hurt as much as the crowd's booing, and, the moment he was hidden in his hotel room, his trio of pokémon cuddled him as he burst into tears.

Chapter Text

If he'd been able to, Yuzuru would have skipped the gala. As the winner, he needed to be there and the JPF wouldn't hear otherwise since he wasn’t injured. As soon as he stepped up to the platform, joining the other battlers already there, a hush fell over them. Eyes turned to him and he felt the light of a thousand spotlights on him. Whispers then started and Yuzuru ushered his dragonair away to a corner of the platform where he saw Daisuke, Takahito, and Takahiko. As he approached them, Takahiko turned and the look in his eyes stopped Yuzuru right in his tracks. Daisuke's face was unreadable, which stung, and Takahito looked at him like he was trying to see him for the first time. Yuzuru tripped over himself as he stumbled backwards, and both he and his dragonair hid themselves away from the trio. Their stares still burnt into the back of his head, and he heard the words "Radiation kid" float after him across the platform. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes and he bit down hard on his lip to keep it in. His dragonair stuck close to his side, hiding herself out of the eyes of the others behind his legs, and Yuzuru wished he could do the same. He grimaced when he felt a tap on the shoulder but relaxed into a bright smile when he saw Nobu grinning at him. His togekiss fluttered about behind his shoulders and Yuzuru fell into the hug Nobu offered him.

"Well done," Nobu told him gently as he ruffled Yuzuru's hair to make him smile. "Which exhibition performance are you and Haku-chan going to perform? Hana ni Nare or Hello I Love You?"

"Hana ni Nare." With Nobu around, Yuzuru felt so much more relaxed and happier. The older had finished barely 2 points out of the medals and still he was brimming with happiness for the younger. "I'm doing it in Japan at the moment, but I'm doing Hello, I Love You out of Japan. More meaning." Yuzuru burst out laughing as Nobu completely ignored him in favour of kneeling down beside Haku-chan to squeeze her cheeks. "Are you even listening to me, Nobu-san?"

"Haku-chan, Haku-chan, aren't you the cutest? Such a sweetie, Haku-chan! You're adorable!"

"Just like her trainer!"

Yuzuru let out a yelp of surprise when Mao draped herself on his shoulders and pinched his cheek like how Nobu was pinching Haku-chan's. The three of them burst out laughing and Yuzuru felt so much calmer, enveloped by their bright personalities. Around their legs, Yuzuru's dragonair played with Mao's ampharaos and Nobu's togekiss, and Yuzuru then caught sight of Kanako whispering to another young Japanese girl. Mao followed his eyes and couldn't help but laugh.

"Satoko Miyahara. The junior champion."

"Ryuju told me about her," Yuzuru nodded, watching as Kanako looped her arm through Satoko's and pulled her towards Yuzuru. "Said she's got a dratini like I did."

"She does, and she's brimming with talent. I've got to watch myself," Mao said with a light laugh.

"Hi Yuzu!" Kanako draped herself over his shoulders and laughed. "Well done on your win! And well done Haku-chan!"

Yuzuru's dragonair tilted her head at Satoko and the young lady half hid behind the silver medallist. Behind her, a dratini coloured pale pink instead of purple poked its head out, and Yuzuru's eyes widened.

"She's beautiful," Yuzuru complimented. "May I?"

Satoko nodded, blushing and tongue tied, and Yuzuru knelt down beside her to offer his hand for her dratini to sniff. It slithered over, nosing at his hand, before it made sweet happy noises. Haku-chan came over and nuzzled her too, and the trainers laughed as their pokémon played. With the others around him, Yuzuru could almost forget.

He and Haku-chan performed together in the exhibition and, for the encore, they did a bit of Parisienne Walkways that much of the crowd soaked up and enjoyed. A significant proportion of the crowd, the side that had cheered the loudest for Daisuke, tried to drown out the cheers with boos. Yuzuru was the last before the finale and Nobu made sure to sweep him up for the finale, messing around with him in front of the cameras. With Nobu and Mao's help, Yuzuru could forget.

The media snagged Yuzuru for a couple more interviews after the gala and, by the time he was done, the arena was mostly empty. He changed in a lonely changing room, tucking his pokéballs into his pooh bear case, before he slung his bag over his shoulder and headed towards the door. The automatic lights turned on as he walked through the hallway, and he absently scrolled through his iPod.

"Hanyu Yuzuru!"

Yuzuru's head snapped up and he turned to look behind him. A small crowd of fans holding half-folded banners were glaring bloody murder at him; he could make out that the missing letters on the banner filled with praise for Daisuke. Something in the way they advanced on him triggered him to bolt. They matched his speed, gaining on him as he raced for the exit. With adrenaline coursing through him, he didn't see it. He only felt it. He smacked straight into a half-open glass door and it sent him reeling back. The people who had spent the competition hating him were satisfied to see his bleeding nose and they barged past him on the way out, shoving him when they were close enough.

Yuzuru stood there gasping for breath until they disappeared. Pulling a crumpled pack of tissues out of his pocket, he pinched his nose to stop him getting blood on everything and headed out into the coolness of the December night air of Sapporo with tears running down his cheeks.

フェルナンデス ハビエル: Merry Christmas Yuzuru!

フェルナンデス ハビエル: Do you do Christmas like we do in Spain?

フェルナンデス ハビエル: I guess it's the evening for you, isn't it?

フェルナンデス ハビエル: Even if you don't celebrate Christmas, I hope you have a good day!

フェルナンデス ハビエル: And well done at Nationals!

フェルナンデス ハビエル: I was cheering for you!

フェルナンデス ハビエル: Can't wait to see you at the club again!

フェルナンデス ハビエル: Good luck at Four Continents if I don't see you!

羽生 結弦: Thank you Javier

羽生 結弦: Well done you too. National champion again.

フェルナンデス ハビエル: I'm going to do my best at Europeans! You promise to do your best at Four Continents, yeah?

羽生 結弦: Yeah.

羽生 結弦: Merry Christmas Javier

Yuzuru couldn't help but cheer for Javier when he stayed up to watch the European Championships. Javier hadn't told him much about his training under Nikolai Morozov, but he did know that the other had been treated much less favourably than Florent Amodio. When he saw him rise up, winning over his old coach by twenty-four points, Yuzuru quietly cheered for him in his room in Sendai.

"I want to see you with the same, Yuzuru," Javier told the camera as he held up his gold medal with his charmeleon sitting on his shoulder. "Not a different one. The same one, okay?"

After the short at Four Continents, Yuzuru was feeling confident in himself. He sat two clear points above Han Yan, four above Richard Dornbush, and five above Daisuke. The gold was almost in his hands. All they had to do was make it through the free.

As had happened for the entire season, stamina issues hurt Yuzuru, and his pokémon were running out of energy near the end. The first in the final group, he gasped for breath as he watched Han Yan take to the platform before his scores were announced.

"Good fight," Brian told him, but he didn't really register it. He was focused instead on the screen that showed his elements and grimaced at every mistake. Brian patted him on the back when his free score of 158.73 combined with his short to give 246.38 overall. "It is probably enough to medal."

To medal.

"Not enough to win," Yuzuru mumbled to himself miserably as he trudged to the green room and flopped down between Max and Richard. They tried to engage him in polite conversation but the English was too much for him. Richard was displaced by Han Yan, and Yuzuru offered him a polite but exhausted smile. He sipped at his flavoured water when Kevin Reynolds started.

Through the battle, Yuzuru's eyes grew wider and wider. It was a beautiful performance, and his stomach was doing flips of terror in the moments between the end of the battle and the scores being announced.

"Kevin Reynolds has earned in the free battle 172.21 points. His total competition score is 250.55 points, and he is currently in first place."

Max and Han both chuckled as Yuzuru leaned forwards and groaned before he applauded the Canadian.

Next year, he promised himself as he collected another Four Continents silver medal and smiled alongside Kevin and Han. Next year.

Yuzuru stuffed the silver in the pocket of his mind and turned his attention to the World Championships. He caught the flu and had to take a week of training off to recover. Just when he was allowed back, he injured his knee midway through training and had to take two more weeks off to recover. Before he knew it, he and Javier were in London in Canada, and they were practicing for the short battle. Yuzuru was silently grateful that the practice was on the 12th of March.

The day after, the 13th, brought the short battle. For both Yuzuru and Javier, it didn't nearly go as planned. Javier's charmeleon's attacks weren't as intense as he'd hoped and he ended up with 80.76. Yuzuru's dragonair fainted partway through it and he was left with a 75.94 that stung almost as hard as the ninth he was sitting in. To his horror, he calculated in his mind that, with one mistake from either him or Daisuke, Japan would lose three spots for the men to compete at the Olympics. To add insult to injury, Patrick shattered his world record with 98.37 points. He sat with dragonair on his lap that evening in the hotel room, with his lapras leaning over the side of his bed and his flaaffy cuddling up to his side. The group watched through his short battle and Yuzuru grimaced at the mistakes, taking notes on what he did wrong and how to improve on it. Parisienne Walkways felt like it still had so much potential to it, and he tapped his pen against the side of his notebook and scribbled himself a little note underneath his notes for the short.

Ask Jeff about using next season as short battle music.

"What are we going to do?" Yuzuru mumbled as he stroked the top of his dragonair's head.

His lapras nosed at the side of his cheek and he met her eyes. Deep and brown, they held the same kind of wisdom that Shizuka's eyes had held when he'd had the pleasure of meeting her back in Sendai after she won her Olympic gold medal. When he looked at her and held her gaze, his lapras had a way of imparting wisdom onto him and calming him down in a way that few others could.

"We fight with all we have," Yuzuru nodded as he stroked her cheek and gave a small smile, "and we make ourselves proud."

When Yuzuru's mother came into his room with food and her delibird bouncing behind her, she saw the determination burning in Yuzuru's eyes and recognised that yes, he would be fine.

On the fifteenth was the day of the free, and both Yuzuru and Javier ended up in the third group out of the four. Yuzuru, Florent, Javier, Nan, Max, and Takahito. After their time to warm up, Brian patted Yuzuru on the shoulder and he stepped out with his three pokémon behind him. They walked to the centre like they were a superhero team to be feared.

Nothing came easy, especially as the team Yuzuru had drawn to battle against consisted of two ice types and a dragon type, but none of his pokémon fainted. By the end, they were all on their last legs with exhaustion, and Yuzuru even ended up kneeling with his head against the floor of the platform while he gasped for breath. The Canadian audience roared for him and he eventually bowed with his pokémon and made his way to the side, falling into Brian's arms.

"Well done," his coach said gently, "well done Yuzuru. That was amazing. Great fight."

David took care of Yuzuru and helped him put his pokéballs away in his pooh bear case as they sat in the Kiss and Cry together with his dragonair on his shoulders.

"Yuzuru Hanyu has earned in the free battle 169.05 points. His total competition score is 244.99 points, and he is currently in first place."

Yuzuru gave a weak smile and settled down in the seat in the green room backstage with Haku-chan. He watched as Florent scored well below him, scoring 216.84 overall, before he sat up straighter to watch Javier. His friend and training mate also oozed confidence as he stepped up with his charmeleon, pupitar, and seadra beside him. They battled with the strength that Yuzuru had seen in training and was always inspired by. He cheered for Javier backstage and applauded him from the green room when the cameras showed Javier and Brian.

"The scores please. Javier Fernandez has scored in the free battle 168.30 points," Yuzuru's mouth fell open. "His total competition score is 249.06 points and he is currently in first place."

Even as the disappointment of being knocked out of first sunk into his stomach, Yuzuru opened up his arms for Javier and his charmeleon to run into backstage. They fell onto the seats together and hugged for what felt like an eternity.

"I'm so proud of you," Javier told him so quietly that the cameras couldn't pick up on it. "So proud."

"You too," Yuzuru told him as they pulled back. "Now we wait?"

"And now we wait."

Nan scored 207.68, Max 238.36, and Takahito rounded out the group with 234.18. Javier was still sitting in first, and Yuzuru snuck his hand between their bodies so it was hidden by the camera and he could still hold onto him as they watched the last group.

Daisuke fell with 239.03. Michal fell further with 229.00. Both Yuzuru and Javier sat up straighter as they watched Patrick, grimacing with him as his magneton and electabuzz were both knocked out during the battle, but he smiled as he settled into the Kiss and Cry and waved to the audience.

"The scores please. Patrick Chan has earned in the free battle 169.41 points," Yuzuru's head snapped up at just how close he was again to the other's free score. "His total competition score is 267.78 points and he is currently in first place."

Yuzuru sat in a very precarious position in third, and his chances for a medal were slim. Brian messed up and slipped below Yuzuru. Just as he began to have a sliver of hope, Denis stepped up and delivered a stunning free battle. He sat in the Kiss and Cry with his bayleaf, and Yuzuru squeezed Javier's hand tightly.

"The scores please. Denis Ten has earned in the free battle 174.92 points. His total score is 266.48 points, and he is currently in second place."

Yuzuru felt like a bucket of icy water had been thrown over him. Fourth place meant no medal, except the small bronze for his free battle score. He could hardly register as Kevin had a mess of a free battle because he was escorted out of the green room and lingered with David. He didn't register the tears until he felt the choreographer wiping them away from his cheeks.

"Hey. Next year," David promised him. "And look, Japan has three spots for the Olympics and Worlds because of you. And you won a small bronze medal for the free. This is just the start, Yuzuru, so don't feel down."

"Not down," Yuzuru held his head up high and smiled, "proud. Javi. And kuyashii. Train more."

"Give it some time," David said with a light laugh but he patted him on the shoulder. "Next season will be when you bloom. I know it."

Chapter Text

When Yuzuru returned to the club in late June after spending time catching up on his school life and starting online at Waseda University, Brian gestured for him to come into his office. In the club, Yuzuru was much more comfortable wandering around with his trio of pokémon out of their balls than he had been last year, so he squished on the sofa in Brian's office between his dragonair and flaaffy. His lapras sat beside them, and Brian looked at his battler directly. Over the season, they'd grown to understand each other better but weren't perfect at it.

"What are your goals for this season? What do you want to achieve?"

"Olympic gold." Yuzuru's answer was firm and unwavering. "Well, everything gold. But mostly Olympic gold."

"We can work for that," Brian nodded and smiled at Yuzuru's enthusiasm and steadfast dedication. "Do you know what battle programs you'd like for this season?"

Yuzuru chewed on his lip and nodded. He'd spent much too long deliberating over this during the summer and decided to go with his notes.

"Parisienne Walkways again for the short one. And," his mind went back to his hard-fought World championships medal the year before, "Romeo and Juliet for the free. But with a different bit of music. And a different costume."

Brian looked at him with a highly doubtful look and Yuzuru gave him the softest, most reassuring smile he could that did nothing to calm Brian's insides.

"I'm going to ask Johnny Weir to make my costume for me."

Brian felt like he'd had a bucket of icy cold water poured over him and groaned. As much as he detested the idea of yet another shitty Johnny Weir inspired get up, Brian couldn't really stop him. He sighed, rolling his eyes, and nodded.

"Anything else I can help you with? Anything else you want to tell me about or should I just get you in contact with Jeffrey and David again?"

"Jeffrey and David," Yuzuru pushed himself to his feet and grinned. "We done?"

"We're done," Brian nodded and gave him a smile. "Light training today, okay? Don't dive back in too fast."

Yuzuru ignored him as he and his pokémon headed into the battling room together. For a week, they had the space at the club all to themselves for training, and Yuzuru revelled in it. It didn't quite feel right, though, and his heart fluttered in a way he didn't understand when he saw Javier walk back into the club with his skin more sun kissed and he looked like he was glowing. Yuzuru bounced over to him and was met with an armful of charmeleon. The creature nuzzled at his stomach and Yuzuru rubbed its head before he looked over at Javier.

"Hi," Yuzuru said a little shyly and Javier's smile lit up his entire face. "How Spain?"

"Good," Javier's accent was thicker than before and he held the radiant energy of Spain and Madrid in his every fibre of his being. "How was Japan?"

"Good," Yuzuru dug around in his pocket for his iPod and showed Javier the silly pictures Saya had taken of him around the house. Javier cooed when he got to a photo of Yuzuru asleep on the sofa with Haku-chan curled up on his lap and Fushi nuzzled up next to him. Yuzuru's hair was matted, sticking up in all directions, his left eye wasn't completely shut, and he was drooling on the pillow beside him. When he saw Javier looking at the picture, he screeched and snatched his iPod back, blushing furiously.

"I didn't know you had a bulbasaur," Javier laughed and ruffled his hair to tease him. "It's cute. Native to Japan?"

Yuzuru nodded and swiped across to a sweet picture of Saya cuddling Fushi tightly to her chest in front of the sunrise over the shoreline of Sendai. He looked at it for a short while and didn't even notice as Javier looked over his shoulder to admire it.

"Your sister?" His voice was so warm and gentle that it made Yuzuru feel like he was wrapped up in a fluffy blanket. "You miss her?"

"Every day." He mumbled as the dam inside of him that held back his emotions had a tiny little crack in it. "E-every day, I—"

"I miss my sister too." Javier guided him over to the bench and, as the pair sat down together, his charmeleon and Yuzuru's dragonair curled up beside them. Javier smiled as Yuzuru's flaaffy claimed his lap, and he watched as the younger stroked her soft wool. "My big sister. Her name is Laura. I started to battle because she did. She battled in singles battles and in double battles when she was younger. Competed and everything, and she was really good at it. But she stopped so I could keep going." He stroked his charmeleon's head and gave it a smile that was tinged with sadness. "According to my dad, we were spending €450 a month on battling when he earned less than €1500."

Yuzuru's eyes stung and he lowered them to hide the steadily gathering tears. He thought back to how Saya had done the same when she selflessly sacrificed her own potential battling career to give him a chance.

"And then my biggest break came when we got enough money together to attend a summer camp in Andorra. Little country in between France and Spain. It's nice. You should visit sometime. Doubt anyone would recognise you." He elbowed Yuzuru lightly in the side and the other gave him a small giggle. "Anyway. One of the instructors there was Nikolai Morozov." Javier's eyes darkened and Yuzuru couldn't understand why; they were usually so bright, sparkly, and full of life. "He apparently saw something in me and offered to train me for free in the United States. That was back in 2008, and I was 17. I shared an apartment and did everything I could to try and cut the costs, but it was still somewhere between €2000 and €3000 a month. And, well, the Spanish federation is improving but we're not a big battling country. They couldn't afford to help me out so my dad took on a second job to help pay for it."

"And then?" Yuzuru questioned as curiosity begged him to find out more about the other's time under Morozov. He was normally so tight-lipped about it that this was a rare chance for Yuzuru. "What happened?"

"And then I had a breakthrough," Javier said with a tiny smile. "11th at Euros, and 19th at Worlds. I became the first Spanish men's battler to qualify for the Olympics in half a century."

"I watched Vancouver Olympics," Yuzuru tilted his head at him as he thought back to when he was huddled on his sofa next to Saya, both wrapped up in blankets with their pokémon. "Pirate Javi with the charmander."

"Pirate Javi with the charmander," Javier nodded and patted his charmeleon on the head. "It was good. 14th place at the Olympics. I hope I can do better this time."

"We both will," Yuzuru promised him. "Then what?"

"Why do you want to know my story?" Javier asked him with a shrug. "You're the wonder child from Japan. I'm just a nobody from Spain."

"Not nobody. First Spanish battler to win medal at Worlds. And you more interesting than me."

Javier raised an eyebrow at him but shrugged. "12th at Worlds, then Morozov was called back to Russia for some reason so we all went with him. Living in Russia was terrible. No one spoke English which I barely spoke myself then, and my Russian is piss poor." He covered his mouth and looked at Yuzuru, mortified. "I'm so sorry I didn't mean—"

"Javi can swear at me," Yuzuru laughed. "Saya curse lots. And Tousan when he doesn't think I hear."

"I'm sorry," Javier sighed before he went back to his tale. "Anyway. I met you at the Cup of Russia that year, but I'm not sure you really remember me?" He didn't stop long enough for Yuzuru to answer and kept talking. "Second at Nationals, ninth at Euros, and then tenth at Worlds so Spain got two spots for the year after." He ran a hand through his curls and grimaced. "I had a nightmare that season. We were moving so much that there was too much instability, especially when I really wasn't that motivated to begin with some days, and Morozov... Well. He didn't choose me. He chose someone else to focus on, so I found Brian. It was only meant to be temporary, here, until I found a coach but," he gestured around them and laughed, "here I am still. And the rest I think you know."

"Still want to hear. Javi is good at telling stories."

"Well... After a silver medal at Battle Canada and the Cup of Russia, I became the first Spanish battler to qualify for the Grand Prix Final and then the first to in a medal there. After that... Well. When Brian said eighteen months for improvements, he meant it. Sixth at Euros and," he pulled a face, "dreaded ninth at Worlds. I promised Brian then that I would do full run-throughs of my battles more frequently in practice after that."

"And then," Yuzuru prompted him to continue.

"You already know all of this!" Javier protested as he dug around in his bag for a pouch full of treats to feed his charmeleon and Yuzuru's trio of pokémon.

"I want to hear again," Yuzuru gave him those large, innocent eyes he always tried on Brian before he did stupid and risky moves their coach would hate. "Please Javi?" He held up his sleepy flaaffy so that she could look at him with her sweet eyes.

"Fine," Javier rolled his eyes and burst out laughing when Yuzuru high-fived his flaaffy's paw.

"Yes Moko-chan!"

"Yuzu! What did you just call her?" Javier gasped and stared in shock at the youngster.

Yuzuru frowned at Javier and exchanged a look with his flaaffy. "I called her Moko-chan. Why? What's wrong?"

"Moko! Moco! It means bugger in Spanish. Don't call your poor pokémon that Yuzuru!"

He and his flaaffy exchanged a look before they both burst into a fit of giggles.

"Javi!" Yuzuru explained. "Moko-chan's full Japanese name is Mokoko. Shortened to Moko-chan! Not rude word!"

"It's a rude word in Spanish." Javier huffed and Yuzuru giggled.

"Says one who said piss earlier."

Javier covered his mouth with his hand, glancing around the room. "Don’t say that! Brian will kill me for teaching you to swear! And I won't finish the story."

"Don't want the story to end," Yuzuru said to him, "well, not yet. Still lots to learn from Javi. And he's only 22."

"Only," Javier rolled his eyes but carried on with the story just for Yuzuru. "I qualified for the final, even though I finished in fourth behind my brand-new training mate at the NHK trophy, and finished fourth there—"

"And won the free battle!"

"And won the free battle. I won my third national title. At Europeans, my pokéballs were lost at the airport," his eyes darkened and he grimaced. "They were found the day before the start of the competition, luckily. Still, I won! With a new personal best! And then somehow I won the bronze at Worlds."

"You're talented," Yuzuru said as he unconsciously patted his lapras' pokéball that was sitting in his pooh bear case. "But don't lose pokéballs again. Brian can't take it!"

"I'll try," Javier leaned back against the wall and sighed. "Don't want to train. Want to go back to Spain and nap in the summer sun. Soak up all that vitamin D and relax."

Yuzuru's pokémon jumped off his lap so that he could stand up and take hold of Javier's hands. Planting his feet, he tugged on the other and tried to pull him upright.

"Come on Javi! Got to train! You're going to Japan Open and need to be in good shape!"

"Hold on a second!" Javier's eyes snapped open before they narrowed on Yuzuru in a playful way. "You're not competing against me at the Japan Open, are you?"

"Me? Oh no," Yuzuru shook his head. "Not going there. Don't want to compete there. Doing Finlandia instead."

"Then it doesn't matter," Javier closed his eyes and leaned back as if to go to sleep. Yuzuru tugged on his hands and pulled Javier so he was sitting upright.

"Javi!"

"Alright alright!"

"Can't let your team down!" Yuzuru pulled him to his feet and tried to drag him over to the battling platforms to practice. "Can't let down Brezina-san and Sotnikova-chan and Slutskaya-san!" He paused, pouting, before he carried on dragging Javier and muttered to himself. "That one hard to say."

"How do you even know who is competing?" Javier asked him with narrowed eyes. "Do you just know everything going on in Japan?"

"No, silly! Was asked to compete but no. Kanako is! And Mao-san! And— ... Takahashi-san and Kozuka-san." He collected himself and shot Javier a cheeky grin. "They're going to kick your butt!"

"Why you—" Javier started chasing him around the platforms, earning squeals of laughter from the younger.

As Yuzuru finished his short battle in first, he couldn't help but wonder how Javier had done at the Japan Open half the world away. He only checked his phone after he'd won the trophy the next day, and chuckled to himself.

フェルナンデス ハビエル: Kick Finlandia's butt like Team Japan kicked our butt

Chapter Text

Yuzuru knew that playing with a new move would be dangerous, but he wasn't cowardly enough to back down from the challenge. He sighed but held his silver medal with pride as he stood beside Patrick and Nobu on the podium. His dragonair sat up with pride even though they hadn't won. Next to Nobu's togekiss and Patrick's rapidash, she held herself with the elegance of a regal queen. Yuzuru smiled for the camera and vowed to do better at his next assignment.

At the Trophee Eric Bompard, Yuzuru was smiling much less as he stood, once again, on the second step to Patrick. He and his dragonair exchanged a look and both of them glared at the medal that Patrick was holding. On the other side of the smug Canadian and his rapidash, Jason Brown was smiling with enough sunshine to let the bulb on the back of his ivysaur blossom. Jason's smile was bright enough for Yuzuru as well, and he was a little envious that he could be so very happy with a not-win. And Jason was a fabulous battler who had an amazing relationship with his pokémon that Yuzuru himself wanted so much.

With the two silver medals in his pocket, he was secured a ticket to the final. Patrick was secured to go with his two golds in Canada and France and, having won in the USA and Russia, Tatsuki was too. Yuzuru qualified in third, just above Maxim with the tie breaker that separated them, then Daisuke, and finally Yan Han. Daisuke withdrew and Yuzuru did a little wiggle of happiness when he realised that they would be joined by Nobu in the final.

"Good luck," Javier told him at the club without a hint of anger or jealousy. "Smash it, yeah? Show me the gold when you get back! Make up for not bringing me the Four Continents gold."

Yuzuru kept Javier's words and request close to his heart and stepped out for the short battle brimming with confidence. He caught Tatsuki's eye from where the older was waiting to go on after him, and he nodded.

Yuzuru and his dragonair had hit higher and higher scores the season before with the short, and he just knew this was the best he'd ever done it. Brian patted him on the shoulder as they sat in the Kiss and Cry.

"The scores please. Hanyu Yuzuru has earned in the short battle 99.84 points." Yuzuru and Brian both burst out laughing.

"So close!" His coach pulled him into a hug and they didn't even listen as his placement was announced. In his heart, Yuzuru knew that no one would come close to his score.

He led Patrick by twelve points and Nobu by nearly twenty after the short. He'd caught sight of a pair of men competing in the junior competition and, before the media had a chance to snatch him up, he swept them up into a hug.

"Our Yuzu broke a world record!" Ryuju danced around him along with his eevee. "Again!"

"Well done Yuzu!" Keiji lightly shook him by the shoulders. "You're so close to a victory!"

So close to a victory over Patrick, Yuzuru thought, and the very idea made him smile.

On his last day of being eighteen, in his home country, Yuzuru warmed up backstage with his trio of pokémon. Tatsuki was the first to perform, and he didn't dare listen to the scores. He knew how much Tatsuki had put into his free and silently prayed for him to soar. Maxim disappeared from backstage, then Yan, then Nobu, and finally Patrick. Yuzuru was left on his own with his coach and pokémon, and Brian tapped him gently on the shoulder.

"It's time."

Yuzuru tucked his earphones and iPod in his Team Japan jacket pocket before he stepped out. He caught the tail end of Patrick's battle and grimaced; it looked good. He covered his ears so that he didn't hear the score and shook Brian's hand before they stepped out.

He and his dragonair knew that it was a risk to go for fire blast at the start; it was a move he'd taught her with a technical machine when they'd first moved to Brian and she was still trying to get used to it. They still went for it, and, even though it knocked her out with the force of it, she still managed significant damage. The rest of the performance was beautiful and Yuzuru felt a bubble of confidence in himself.

We can do it! We can! We can we can we can!

He and his pokémon gave their all in the battle and were gasping by the end of it. The Japanese crowd roared for their young Romeo of 2012's presentation of Juliet, and for his pokémon that fought at his side as his equals. He all but fell into Brian's arms and they settled in the Kiss and Cry.

"What score?" Yuzuru asked him. "Patrick. What score?"

"192.61 for the free." Brian told him. "280.08 overall."

"So I need... one hundred... 180?"

"180.24." Brian told him and patted his back. "I think you've done better than that."

Yuzuru nodded, panting for breath as they watched back his attacks. He grimaced at the fire blast but Brian gave him a smile.

"It's definitely improving. You're getting there."

The other elements needed little review and Yuzuru waved and bowed to the crowd, thanking them in his native language. Brian clasped his hands together, and Pooh and his dragonair sat happily between them as they leaned forward to receive the scores.

"Hanyu Yuzuru has earned in the free battle 193.41 points." Yuzuru just shook his head and Brian elbowed him in the side to shake him out of his daze. "His total competition score is 293.25 points and he is currently in first place." He shook Brian's hand and bowed to the crowd in the Kiss and Cry alongside his dragonair.

When Yuzuru climbed up on the top step, he couldn't stop the smile from creeping up on his lips. This was his first big international title and the feeling of winning it was the best thing. Patrick gave him a very tight smile and forced congratulations, and then Nobu enveloped Yuzuru in a bear hug and wouldn't stop whispering congratulations to him. The gold medal felt good. It felt right. It felt like it belonged there, and both Yuzuru and Nobu sang along to their anthem.

"I'll get him at the Olympics," Yuzuru heard Patrick tell the Canadian commentators in an interview backstage. "I let him win here as a birthday present."

The Olympics. Yuzuru's focus sharpened once more on the ultimate goal, the ultimate prize, and he nodded resolutely to himself. At the Olympics, he would bet his life in the two battles. He would stand on the top step or he'd die.

Keiji, Ryuju, Tatsuki, and Nobu all shared the cake with him that the JPU had provided for his birthday after they'd snuck it into the back of the stadium so that they could watch the pairs, double battles, and ladies. Mao glared at the group of five and shook her head at them in utter disbelief.

"I can't believe you didn't save me any cake!" She flopped down in the seat next to Nobu and glared at him and Tatsuki. "I forgive Keiji and Ryuju because they're still baby juniors, and of course I forgive Yuzuru because it's his birthday. But you two? Oh, you owe me cake now."

"It was really good cake," Nobu said, earning Mao's sharp elbow in his side. "Ouch! It was! Strawberry shortcake with a sweet buttercream frosting and—"

"Stop talking or she'll have her ampharos zap you," Tatsuki said simply.

"At Nationals, you two are buying me cake. And don't you dare try to sneak out of it."

Nationals came sooner than Yuzuru expected, and the short battle was upon them. He couldn't help but feel a little smug at his 103.10, even though he knew that the scores didn't really count since they were Nationals scores and not international ones. Tatsuki sat in second, Takahiko in third, Daisuke in fourth, and Nobu in fifth. ANA, who had started sponsoring Yuzuru and become his club, were well represented, and the youngster and his dragonair were both hungry for the gold. Even his lapras, who was normally calm, collected, and silently wise, was hyper focused on the medal.

"Hanyu Yuzuru has earned in the free battle 194.70 points. His total competition is 297.80 points and he is currently in first place."

Yuzuru won with a twenty-point lead over Tatsuki. Although the crowd was frosty to him, they weren't as cold as they had been the year before as he climbed up onto the top step between Tatsuki and Takahiko.

Winning Nationals and his international results combined brought a warm fuzzy feeling to Yuzuru's stomach. When the official announcement for the Winter Olympic Team occurred and they all got their jackets, Yuzuru stood beside Tatsuki and Daisuke, waving and smiling. Akiko, Mao, and Kananko smiled too, and excitement bubbled in Yuzuru's stomach. He didn't care about not being named to the Four Continents Championships team; the Olympics was what mattered and was where he was going.

Despite weeks, months, and years of training, Yuzuru felt like he was nine years old again and facing his first ever novice national competition when he stepped into the Olympic arena for the battle. Classed as a Winter Olympic Sport because of the schedule the seasons took, Pokémon Battling was a highly popular one in Russia. Yuzuru's insides did flip after flip when he was practicing for the Team Event and saw that he would be competing against Evgeni Plushenko: one of his idols. With Brian busy trying to sort out Javier's slip of the tongue and mistake, Yuzuru kept his pokémon close and withdrew into himself before the men's short battle for the team event. After his consistency with it, Yuzuru was selected to battle for the short and Tatsuki would battle for the free.

Going in the second group meant that Yuzuru wasn't in the same one as Plushenko, and, despite Brian chiding him, he snuck glances at the screen so that he could watch his idol.

91.39. Yuzuru smiled to himself and nodded to his dragonair. They could beat that.

And they did. With Team Japan around them, Yuzuru grinned with delight at his 97.98 points. It wasn't perfect, of course, but he had to save his best for the individual event, and he'd done what he could for the team.

"I'm sorry," Tatsuki mumbled to the team. "It's my fault. I should have—"

"We all could have done more," Mao told him gently. "Don't blame yourself. It was a team event. Blame rests on no one's shoulders alone."

The fifth-place sting pushed Yuzuru to work harder in the official practices and the short came rattling around the corner faster than he realised. First in the penultimate group, Yuzuru liked his starting position and was ready. As he and his dragonair took their starting position, he heard a shout of "Russia!" echo throughout the place, and he just smirked in their direction.

In Russia, I will claim my crown.

The short battle was pure perfection, and Yuzuru had enough energy to do it again from the adrenaline alone. He sat in the Kiss and Cry next to Mrs Kobayashi while Brian spoke to and assured Javier. Anticipation grew and he fiddled with the pooh bear he had been gifted by a kind member of the audience.

"The scores please. Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan has earned in the free battle 101.45 points." Yuzuru gave the most un-Japanese reaction of his life at the excitement of having destroyed the 100-point barrier. "He is currently in first place."

Javier scored 86.98 with his charmeleon, and Patrick then 97.52. Yuzuru felt almost certain no one would touch or even come close to his score, and he found himself muttering a silent prayer to the Kami, at the end of the short battle, asking for them to keep the top three the same after the free battle.

In his room that evening, his dragonair, lapras, and flaaffy cuddled up together on his bed and they watched back the short. Everything went perfectly, as perfectly as could be, and he nodded. Closing his eyes, he and his pokémon all started to image train until someone banged on the wall next to him.

"Shut up Yuzuru!" Daisuke shouted. "Some of us are trying to sleep in here! We've got the free battle tomorrow!"

"Sorry!" Yuzuru responded but smiled a little. He fell onto his bed and smiled up at the ceiling, closing his eyes and imaging the gold being placed around his neck.

Chapter Text

On Valentine's Day, Yuzuru's legs felt like they were made of jelly as he stepped into the arena to warm up. Javi was first in the group, then Daisuke, then him, then Patrick, Peter, and finally Jason. The third group were finishing warming up and performing their battles, and Yuzuru shuffled closer to Brian. Backstage was a mess of pokémon and their trainers, and Yuzuru was both itching to perform and ready to bolt from the building. Terror didn't cover it.

Officially, they weren't meant to warm up until their allotted time, so Yuzuru stuck to doing shuttle runs and stretches to warm himself up. His trainer and friend, Kikuchi, helped him with stretches and tossed a ball to him to help keep him focused. Even with his expensive earphones in, Yuzuru couldn't help but hear the score of Denis Ten.

171.04. 255.10 overall

Next, Brian Joubert got 145.93 in the free battle and 231.77 overall. Alexander Majorov got 141.05 and 224.86 overall. Michal Brezina got 151.67 and 233.62 overall. Yan Han: 160.54 and 246.20. And, as Yuzuru prepared for his warm up, he caught the tail end of Tatsuki's free battle.

"The scores please. Tatsuki Machida has earned in the free battle 169.94 points. His total competition score is 253.42 points, and he is currently in second place."

And Yuzuru's nerves returned ten-fold as their official warm up backstage was broadcast to the arena on the screens. He could feel the cameras zooming in on him, on Haku-chan, on Lapalace-chan, and on Moko-chan. He snuck a glance at Javier and they locked eyes for the briefest of moments before each went to their own warm up. Every time Yuzuru tried to practice something, someone from the crowd shouted loudly enough that it carried backstage and threw him off. They cheered extra loudly each time Daisuke did something, and Yuzuru's lip was nearly chewed bloody by the end of the official warm up.

Yuzuru grimaced when he caught sight of Javier sitting in the Kiss and Cry with his charmeleon and the representative from the Spanish Pokémon Sports Federation. Neither battler nor pokémon looked particularly happy, and, as much as he wanted to, Yuzuru couldn't tear his eyes away.

"The scores please. Javier Fernandez has earned in the free battle 166.94 points." Yuzuru gaped, even as Kikuchi and Brian tried to encourage him to focus on himself. "His overall score is 253.92 points, and he is currently in second place."

Second place.

"Oh no," Yuzuru didn't realise he spoke aloud until he met Kikuchi's concerned eyes. Javier was sitting in second when both he and Patrick were left to battle and had a large margin above him? He clasped his hands together and whispered a silent prayer, begging for his training mate to end up on the podium somehow.

He didn't watch or listen to Daisuke's scores. When he stepped out into the arena, everything felt wrong. His costume felt tight and itchy in a way it never had before. He felt overwhelmingly warm but had goose bumps. His pokémon picked up on his mood and shuffled closer to him, out of Daisuke's way.

"You can do this," Brian assured him. "You can. Trust your training."

Yuzuru nodded, deaf to Daisuke's scores due to the buzzing in his ears. He barely even heard his own name announced and went through his rituals before they stepped up and met the pokémon assigned to battler 21 for the free.

A quagsire, a dragonite, and a primeape. A water and ground type that would be strong against his electric type's attacks, a dragon type that would be strong against all but his dragon type moves, and a fighting type that would be strong against his ice type pokémon. This was not what he wanted.

Yuzuru stuck with their strategy and grimaced when his dragonair ended up knocked out by the force of her fire blast; the move didn't do nearly as much damage to any of the pokémon as he'd intended. They gathered themselves for the second move but Yuzuru's focus went again for the third. The primeape struck his lapras and sent her unconscious too. Two of the four points from his lead were already gone, and Yuzuru could feel the gold slipping out of his grasp.

By the end they were gasping. By the end, he was brought to his knees and his pokémon were on the brink of exhaustion after giving everything they had. Nothing had come how they'd wanted it to, and Yuzuru could see the gold vanish before his eyes. He slowly picked himself up, feeling more and more like the desperate Juliet seeing the light slip from Romeo's eyes with every second that passed. Brian gave him a hug and read the tension and disappointment Yuzuru held inside of him. His prayer bubbled back up in his mind and Yuzuru grimaced, tugging off his gloves in the Kiss and Cry.

I didn't mean get Javier on the podium by kicking me off!

"The scores please," Yuzuru clasped his hands in front of him before he stroked his dragonair's head and looked up to the screen. Patrick had already stepped up to the platform and was exchanging a few final words with his coach, and Yuzuru could already tell what they were saying. "Yuzuru Hanyu has earned in the free battle 178.64 points." Yuzuru's heart sunk. "His total competition score is 280.09 points, and he is currently in first place."

First place, for how long? He'd given Patrick a huge opportunity and he knew the other knew it as well.

"Okay," Brian told him, somehow keeping his voice light and supportive for Yuzuru, "and now we wait."

Yuzuru nodded, moving to the corridor where the screens were set up and ready for him to watch. To both his horror and his relief, Patrick was as messy as he was. His rapidash missed some of her biggest hitters, his magneton barely struck anything, and his electabuzz struggled too. Yuzuru stood watching, transfixed by the sight displayed on the screen, and he saw Patrick patting his rapidash on the top of her head. He too held that same desperation that Yuzuru had, and the other bit his lip so hard it started to bleed.

"The scores please. Patrick Chan has earned in the free battle 178.10 points."

"Shit," Patrick's cursing didn't get lost by the cameras and the disappointment and realisation came over him. Second in the free. Second in the short. Second overall.

"His total competition score is 275.62 points. He is currently in second place."

"I love you guys," Patrick told the crowd as Yuzuru still stared at the scores in utter disbelief. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise," his coach told him as Yuzuru finally regained himself.

"I'm in first?" He whispered and the people around him gave him fond but confused smiles. "I'm first?"

"Yes! You're in first."

"Oh my God," Yuzuru felt like he might collapse. Peter and Jason were still to go, but they weren't close enough to him after the short to touch his crown without a miracle. "Oh my God!"

Swept up immediately by the media for interviews, Yuzuru missed Peter finishing in 8th and Jason in 9th.

"A win's a win's a win." Yuzuru told the media in the press conference, sitting between Patrick and Denis. "It's going to sink in. This is history. It's a gift for my country. I'm so surprised. I can't find the words. It was such a difficult battle for me and I felt rough, physically. I'm just shocked. I was trying not to think about winning a gold medal, but I couldn't deflect the pressure, which was massive. I'm so proud of this feat as a Japanese. The Olympics is so wild and unpredictable. I've never been this nervous for a competition in my entire life."

"I thought the gold medal was not in my hands. I was so nervous and I was so tired. I didn't think I would win and I was so sad. I'm not very happy with my battle. I was nervous, but I got the gold medal. I got the Japanese flag to be put on the flagpole. That's something I can be proud of." He looked down at his lap and twisted his fingers. "But I feel helpless. I'm not making any contributions. Perhaps there is something I can do going forward."

"My plan was to take the elements one thing at a time. I wanted to focus on myself, but I made several little mistakes. Battling is hard. I had that chance," Patrick responded to a question with so much regret hanging in his words, "and it slipped out of my hands. There was a lot of pressure to win the gold for Canada but I really wanted to do it for myself. Feeling the medal slip away was definitely a lingering thought. I'm disappointed, but life goes on."

"This was definitely my season's best." Denis said with a smile, and Yuzuru watched him with curiosity. The World gold and silver medallists sat either side of him and yet it was him who had stolen the ultimate crown. "I'm glad about all the moves and I tried my best in the battle. I hope people enjoyed it."

Yuzuru's gold was the first for Japan in Sochi, and he bounced out of the press conference full of elation. It hadn't been how he wanted to win, but he'd won. A win is a win, as Brian always said.

His fragile bubble of happiness burst as the cruel pin of fate pricked it. He saw Javier sitting between Brian and Tracy, head bowed and wiping his eyes. A mere 1.18 points kept Javier off the podium, and Yuzuru felt even more helpless as he watched the other do an interview for NBC.

"It's sad I couldn't bring a medal from this competition to my country. Still fourth, it's a good position. Nobody has done it from my country in battling. This is a good thing. I would love to have a medal, but not every time you can get on the podium. I did good things in my battle. I had a lot of mistakes too. I'm sad that I couldn't have done it better. In the Winter Olympics, I think we've only got two medals for Spain, right?" Javier guessed and laughed even through his bitter regret. "That's why I said it was going to be great if I could bring another medal for Spain in pokémon battling, to make more history."

"And have you heard from the Palace?"

"Not yet. It's hard, right? They have a busy life. Pokémon battling is still not a huge sport in Spain. I guess I have to keep going and try to get more medals, get on the podium more times to bring the sport to my country and to make everybody follow it and like it. I plan to keep going to the 2018 Olympics. I know that Patrick and Yuzuru, they're great athletes, great battlers, and it's going to be hard to beat them. I have to keep improving to get those little points that I need to reach them."

Yuzuru, unsure of how to approach Javier, waited until the gala practices. The world was still reeling from the shock of Yuna Kim's silver medal, and Yuzuru felt more comfortable messing about with his training mate when all eyes were no longer on him. Javier warmly accepted him, unlike Daisuke who made a point to take several photos with other Japanese athletes except Yuzuru.

"What are you going to perform?" Javier asked Yuzuru as he chased the other around to tickle him.

"White Legend. What are you going to perform?"

"Aerobics Class." Yuzuru nodded, giggling when he thought back to the other practicing it. "What's so funny, huh? Mr Olympic Champion thinks I'm a joke?"

"I think Javi will make the world smile with it," Yuzuru responded before he squealed in panic and hid behind Javier.

"What?"

"Kim Yuna!" he whispered. "She's right there!"

"Yuna? Oh yeah, she's great. Go talk to her!"

"What?!" Yuzuru's little shriek of shock earned them several weird looks from those around them before he lowered his voice and hissed. "No way!"

"Why not?!"

"Because she's the Queen!"

"Oh my God, you little fanboy. She won't bite."

"But—" Yuzuru got cut off when a ninetails started nosing around the pair of them and pressed her head against his hand. "O-oh, hello. Who are you?"

"Sorry!" Yuzuru's brain short circuited as Yuna came over and stroked the ninetail's head. "Sorry. She's very friendly and wouldn't hurt a fly, but I've told her not to run off to random people."

"It's alright," Javier said, elbowing Yuzuru lightly in the side.

"It's fine," the younger squeaked out, and Yuna gave him a soft smile.

"Congratulations." She bowed her head to him and, before Yuzuru had a chance to react, she vanished to go and chat to Mao and others who offered her congratulations on her silver.

At the gala, Yuzuru performed the swan struggling to take flight, and he felt like he was struggling. How much did one gold really mean? It didn't rebuild homes or bring people back, so what good was it?

At the World Championships, where he gave his everything in the free battle and claimed his third gold and grand slam title for the season between Tatsuki and Javier, Yuzuru realised the worth of a gold medal beyond being the best, the worth of the gold medal to his hometown that was struggling to get back on its feet still. First since Alexei Yagudin to win the Olympics, Worlds, and Grand Prix Final in the same season, Yuzuru fiddled with his Worlds gold and held it tightly as he thought on what it brought.

It brought hope.

Chapter Text

Yuzuru's next season started as badly as he could have expected after winning the three major titles the season before. During training, he slipped and injured his back. Kikuchi gave him a sports massage that hurt much more than it was worth, and Yuzuru, his mother, his dragonair, and Brian all looked to the oldest for guidance.

"It is not worth it for Finlandia. Rest and show your best on the Grand Prix series."

Yuzuru nodded and, after resting to let it recover, he and his pokémon were back to training. Across the room from them, Javier was working with David and his pokémon as they went through the new music and battle strategy; the other had planned to sit out the Grand Prix series until he discovered that the Final was going to be held in Barcelona. Yuzuru giggled when he thought about the string of Spanish curses that had come from Javier, and then Brian's angry rant about not using curse words that contained many curse words of his own.

Javier returned from Kelowna with a silver medal, and Yuzuru vowed to do better than him in Shanghai at the Cup of China. After the season before, Yuzuru had decided he'd done all he could with Parisienne Walkways, and had decided to replace it with Chopin Ballade Number 1. Not used to the performance and without the Finlandia trophy to be his first pancake, Yuzuru was displeased but not surprised with his marks. Maxim had done more damage than him and deserved to be in first after the short. He'd planned a harder battle strategy for himself for the free, and was ready for it. Before he left the arena, he made sure to take one more good look at it after his short; it was the arena for the World Championships and he wanted to get a good look at it so he knew what to expect in March.

Keiji gave him a little wave when Yuzuru stepped into the area to warm up, and he and Haku-chan both returned it. Keiji was the first of the first group, followed by Yi Wang, Jin Seo Kim, Yunhang Guan, and Misha. Yuzuru silently cheered for Misha when he saw his score, and he resolved himself to do well and get the gold.

They warmed up in their own spaces in the order they were to battle, which meant Yuzuru was between Yan Han and Maxim Kovtun. In the briefest of moments, when an official took the coaches aside to talk to them, it happened. Another official brought out a charizard and it went crazy. Maxim flinched and fell out of the way, as did Richard, but Yuzuru and Yan had nowhere to go. The rules of battling competitions stated that a move should never be used on a person, only on a pokémon, as their biology was different and they could withstand the force of it.

Yuzuru, Yan, Yuzuru's dragonair and Yan's glaceon all couldn't move. Under the near-silent instruction of the official, the charizard launched a series of three vicious fire blasts at the four of them.

The searing white-hot pain all over his body made Yuzuru white out, and, when he came to again, Brian's face slowly came into focus above him. He blinked, confused, and tried to turn his head when the tiny movement sent shots of pain through him. Chinese medics ran around him, saying things he couldn't understand.

"Haku-chan," Yuzuru whispered with a dry throat through the pain. "Where is she?"

"It's not good," Brian told him quietly. "Don't be a hero, Yuzuru. You don't need to. You should withdraw, and—"

"Where is Haku-chan?"

Brian sighed and nodded to one of the medics behind Yuzuru. He turned, grimacing at the full body pain that enveloped him, and gasped. There, lying on a stretcher next to him, was his beloved friend and pokémon. Her pale purple and white slender form was covered in blisters from the searing burns; no pokémon could withstand consecutive aggressive blasts like that. Yuzuru lifted a hand and stroked her cheek as tears gathered in his eyes from the physical pain and from seeing her like that.

"You and Yan are both lucky. You could easily have died then, and—"

"Got to compete," he whispered, and Brian stared at Yuzuru like he'd grown a second head.

"Yuzuru, no, you shouldn’t—"

"I need to." He sat up despite the protests both from his body and the medics. His black, white, and red costume had scorch marks, and his face, and hands, the only exposed parts of him, were covered in painful blisters. "I have to. I need to get to the final."

"It's not the most important—"

"I'm competing," Yuzuru told him firmly, "and it's my decision. I'm a legal adult in Canada."

Brian bit back his remark and nodded. The medics wrapped Yuzuru and Haku-chan's blisters, and it was only when he stood up that he got a look at Yan.

The Chinese man had suffered a similar fate, but his blistering wasn't as severe. Instead, he was sitting beside his glaceon and stroked her head, exchanging rapid fire Chinese with the medics as he asked if she was alright and in a stable enough condition to battle.

"Haku-chan," Yuzuru whispered to her. "Do you want to compete?"

She nodded and Yuzuru stroked her head gently. They did some lighter training during the second warm up, and, before they knew it, Alexei, Richard, and Yan had all finished, and it was their turn.

Yuzuru didn't remember battling. He was vaguely aware it had happened, but his head was spinning when he sat in the Kiss and Cry, and he couldn't mentally block out the pain anymore.

"You'll feel it tomorrow," Brian told him, trying to keep the situation light.

Yuzuru could already feel it now, but didn't have the energy to comment. He fiddled with the bandages and took a sip of water when the music went quiet.

"The scores please. Yuzuru Hanyu has earned in the free battle 154.60 points. His total competition score is 237.55 points, and he is currently in first place."

Yuzuru burst into tears from the pain, the emotion, and from the uncomfortable feeling that they didn't deserve their scores. Exhausted and in dire need of medical attention, Brian and Kikuchi had to help him up and out of sight. Kikuchi took him most of the way and led him to the doctors while Brian argued with the officials about dropping the fine for him missing the medal ceremony since he was so injured. Yuzuru, as he was loaded into the back of an ambulance with his mother and Kikuchi, made a mental note to apologise to Nam at the club and Keiji when he next saw him before he passed out.

Yuzuru decided to return to Japan for treatment, and he was ready to cry when the long list of ailments was read out to him.

Bruised chin from falling. Bruised head from falling. Severe burns to his hands and face. A hurt midriff. A hurt left thigh. A sprained right ankle. He didn't dare ask what was wrong with Haku-chan, and the doctors at the hospital in Sendai didn't say anything comforting. With the NHK trophy fast approaching, and the unanswered calls and texts piling up, Yuzuru turned to the one person he knew would understand.

"Please. I promise it'll be alright. I know he isn't used to battling with the team but please."

"If he gets hurt or you get hurt again, someone will end up dead."

Whispers flew around Yuzuru when he stepped into the arena, ready to battle. His lapras was replacing his dragonair for the short, and no one could stop talking about it. Javier had won the Rostelecom cup, and still Yuzuru was all they could talk about. Maxim won the Trophee Bompard too, and still Yuzuru was the name uttered more than any other. Now that he was finally in the spotlight again, he felt the pressure of the intense scrutiny.

His lapras, unused to doing the short battle, faltered, and Yuzuru couldn't blame her. They'd had no time to adjust to each other, and so he stroked her head gently to reassure her that it was fine as they sat in the Kiss and Cry.

"The scores please. Hanyu Yuzuru has earned in the short battle 78.01 points." Yuzuru groaned and leaned back, head resting against the back of the Kiss and Cry. "He is currently in fifth place."

Fifth. To get to the final he needed fourth at the very least. Brian patted him on the knee and gave him a gentle smile.

"It's alright. You can do it tomorrow."

Tomorrow brought even more whispers when Yuzuru pulled off his Team Japan jacket to reveal a new costume. Made up of blue, black, and white fabric as well as hundreds of rhinestones, he shone like no other and still held the look he wanted to match his Phantom of the Opera battle. With Fushi on his team instead of Haku-chan, all eyes were on him.

Fushi was beloved by his family, and had of course done battling in the past with Saya. He hadn't battled for almost a decade, and was unused to Yuzuru's style. He couldn't help but feel bad when his sister's beloved pokémon fainted during the battle, and he made sure to stroke Fushi's head in the Kiss and Cry.

"The scores please. Hanyu Yuzuru has earned in the free battle 151.79 points." He wrinkled his nose. "His total competition score is 229.80 points, and he is currently in first place."

"Now we wait." Yuzuru wasn't sure whether he wanted to laugh or cry when Brian said those words to him again. It was like the Olympics, but he didn't have a world record to fall back on.

By some miracle, Yuzuru wasn't sure if a deity was looking down on him or not, 0.15 points saved him. 0.15 points kept him in fourth. 0.15 points got him into the Grand Prix Final.

"Thank you Saya," Yuzuru whispered as he passed her back Fushi. "Thank you. He was perfect."

"You need to take better care of yourself," Saya told him but gave him a hug. "Good luck at the final."

Yuzuru had never been to Spain before, but he'd heard Javier tell him all about Madrid. Barcelona didn't feel like the place he'd heard about in the stories, but he could feel Javier in the country. They'd arrived on the 9th, so he'd had a chance to celebrate his birthday with his mother in Canada before they headed to the event. After a shaky season so far, Yuzuru sat down with his dragonair and cupped her cheeks.

"Are you ready?"

She nodded and Yuzuru gave her a fond smile. The first to go, and still not at their best, she fainted on the last move. Yuzuru sat in the Kiss and Cry beside her and stroked her head gently as they waited impatiently.

"The scores please. Yuzuru Hanyu has earned in the short battle 94.08 points." He breathed a sigh of relief as Haku-chan wiggled up into his arms for a cuddle.

With a seven-point lead over Tatsuki and Maxim, Yuzuru felt like things were finally going his way again. His smile dipped a little when he saw Javier sitting down in fifth, and he patted his training mate's shoulder.

"The pressure of home is different," he told him, "but you're strong, and fun, and these are some of your best programs ever. You can do it. If anyone can medal tomorrow after this, it's you. You came here, you did the grand prix series all for these people. You know in your heart you can medal."

"I owe you a fruit basket," Javier told Yuzuru as he looped an arm over the other's shoulders and pulled him into a hug after the medal ceremony. "How did you do it, huh? Magic words? How did you know?"

"You're talented and I see you work hard every day." Yuzuru told him honestly. "And you love Spain. If there was anywhere in the world you couldn't leave without a medal, it would be Spain. You've raised the profile of your sport in your home country by getting a medal."

Javier gave Yuzuru a proper hug and patted him carefully on the shoulder. "See you after Nationals? Are you sure you don’t want me to show you around."

"See you after Nationals. And maybe another time."

Javier's charmeleon ran for Yuzuru to give him a hug. Images of a charizard flashed in his mind, and he stumbled backwards, tripping over his own feet when he ended up on the floor. Javier stopped his charmeleon and helped Yuzuru up with a guilty look of concern.

"I'm so sorry, I—"

"Don't. It's not your fault. I'm fine." Yuzuru gave him a forced smile. "See you at the club in the new year Javi."

Yuzuru won Nationals for the third year running, and shared the podium with Shoma Uno, a junior who had gone on to claim a medal amongst the seniors, and Takahiko Kozuka. Tatsuki sat not far behind him, and he gave Yuzuru polite congratulations.

"Well done, Little Mouse. I feel you should know this first, but I'm retiring from competition."

Yuzuru felt a sharp pain in his abdomen and his heart, and he clung onto Tatsuki's wrist.

"You can't. I need you. You can't retire. Not you too!"

"It's time," Tatsuki told him gently. "You can do this. You're strong enough."

Yuzuru watched, with tears in his eyes, as Tatsuki left him alone in the hallway. His stomach cramped again and he nearly doubled over with the pain. Kikuchi found him and helped him find Mrs Kobayashi so that he could withdraw from the gala. She assured him he would be given a spot for Worlds, and he just nodded in response; he was in too much pain to care about Four Continents. Kikuchi helped him to the car waiting for him, and his mother took care of him from there.

In the Sendai family home, Yuzuru ran himself a bath to calm down. His pokémon were all sleeping in his room, and he untied his bathrobe before he stepped in. Lying back in the soothing water, he sighed before he did a double take.

Something in his abdomen was the size of a golf ball. He stared at it in utter horror and gingerly pressed a hand to it. Waves of agony ran through him and, when he released his hand, it burst.

"Okasan!" He screamed.

Chapter Text

Waking up disorientated was never fun, and, as Yuzuru's senses came back to him, he took in the soft and constant beeping. He blinked awake, vision fuzzy, and saw as a sterile room came into focus. His mother was sitting beside his bedside, holding onto his hand tightly, and guilt rose up in his throat. She looked exhausted, but she still gave him that warm and comforting smile when she saw he was awake.

"Okasan," he whispered and tightened his grip on her hand with his that didn't have an IV going into it. She understood without him needing to say another word and he was eternally grateful for it.

"You've got a bladder problem. Or, you did. It was related to your urachus and—" she caught his expression and sighed. "Something left over from when you were born. They think when you fell after the... Event at the Cup of China, that dislodged it and gave you the abdominal pain."

"Oh." Yuzuru fell back against the hospital bed and closed his eyes, suddenly overcome with more exhaustion even though he'd just awoken from general anaesthetic.

"Don't worry," his mother told him, "Mrs Kobayashi is sorting everything with the JPF. You'll have your spot at the World Championships, should you want to go, but they're not sending you to Four Continents. The most important thing is that you get better."

"How long?" Yuzuru whispered and she grimaced. "Okasan—"

"Two weeks in hospital, and an extra two weeks of rest. That's what the doctors have ordered. You can train in Canada when you're better, or stay here and train in Japan. Whichever is easier."

Yuzuru rubbed his forehead and closed his eyes, overwhelmed with exhaustion.

"You don't have to decide now—"

"Japan. Please. Okasan, may I?" He gestured to her bag, where he knew she'd put it.

"Yuzuru, I really don't think you should. I don't want to stress you out."

"Please?"

Always weak to her youngest child's soft, pleading eyes, she sighed and dug into her bag. She passed him his phone and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

"I will be back soon. If there's anything you want me to say to Mrs Kobayashi, to Brian, to anyone, let me know. I'll be back tomorrow to see you when I'm allowed to."

Yuzuru nodded and was left alone in the hospital room. He unlocked his phone and was met with a barrage of messages.

織田 信成: Yuzuuuuuuuuu well done at Nationals!

織田 信成: Hope you're recovering well!

織田 信成: I'll send you cute pictures to help speed up your recovery!

Yuzuru smiled, closing Nobu's messages to go to the next. Keiji, Ryuju, Mao, Tatsuki, they'd all wished him a speedy recovery and told him to tell them if he needed anything. He'd only got one message from Brian, but it was the only thing he needed to hear.

"Focus on recovering and I'll handle the rest."

Tracy had sent him pictures of flowers to brighten his day and make him feel better. Ghislain had messaged him a picture of his pooh bear mug Yuzuru had given him, and added "thinking of you!" as the caption. He smiled and his heart flipped when he saw the notifications for the last person who had texted him.

フェルナンデス ハビエル: Brian won't tell me what's going on, but I hope you feel better soon!

フェルナンデス ハビエル: My sister's a nurse and offered to come help you

フェルナンデス ハビエル: I wouldn't trust her though

フェルナンデス ハビエル: I miss you at the club. Hope you can come back soon!

Yuzuru smiled and read through Javier's messages several times. After sleeping on and off for a while, he could sleep no more and decided to answer him.

羽生 結弦: I miss you too

フェルナンデス ハビエル: Yuzu :D

フェルナンデス ハビエル: You're alive!

羽生 結弦: Just about

フェルナンデス ハビエル: Awwwww

フェルナンデス ハビエル: Message me if you need anything, okay?

フェルナンデス ハビエル: You coming back to the club soon?

フェルナンデス ハビエル: I really want to see you before Euros!

羽生 結弦: I don't think I'll be back for a while

羽生 結弦: Sorry Javi

フェルナンデス ハビエル: Awww, it's okay!

フェルナンデス ハビエル: Just do your best to recover and I'll have a shiny gold to show you when you get back

羽生 結弦: You'd better!

羽生 結弦: Good luck at Europeans

フェルナンデス ハビエル: See you at Worlds! And I'm only a text or a call away

Although he was meant to start training, in his very first session, Yuzuru slipped and sprained his right ankle again. The doctors made noises that made Yuzuru internally panic, and he was forced to take two more weeks off training. In March, he finally got to train again at his home training centre. Without Brian, without Tracy, and without Javier, he felt so wrong. He didn't feel like he was in the right place physically or mentally.

Yuzuru felt weird going back to that same arena in Shanghai. Haku-chan curled up to his side, and Yuzuru screamed when someone tapped him on the shoulder. He whipped around and held a hand to his chest when he saw it was Javier, holding his hands up in a silent apology.

"Sorry, sorry, no surprises like that," Javier said to him before he gave him a hug. "It's good to see you again."

"Good to see you too," Yuzuru held him tightly and enjoyed the scent of cinnamon and nutmeg that was very Javier. It embraced him in its warmth just like the Spaniard embraced him fully in his own warmth. "Well done on winning Europeans."

Javier's smile lit the place up and he dug around in his Team Espana jacket pocket. Out of sight of the media, he handed Yuzuru the little box. The other opened it and touched the intricate details the gold was formed around.

"It's beautiful. You deserve it."

"I think, after all you've been through, you deserve gold medals." Javier told him and patted his shoulder. "Come on. We've got to train and we've also got to get Nam involved in making Brian lose his hair."

Yuzuru finally had a better short battle, and it felt like he was on track with Chopin Ballade. It wasn't perfect, especially because Chopin was a notorious perfectionist like himself, and he could already feel he had more to give with the performance. The 95.20 gave him a little lead over Javier's 92.74, and he sat between Javier and Denis in the press conference feeling happy and calm. If he were an anime protagonist, there would be one more episode to go where he claimed the gold and ended his injury-filled and emotionally draining season on a high note.

For the free, Yuzuru drew 21st and Javier 22nd. He watched absently as Nam had the battle of his life and played with his pikachu in the Kiss and Cry before he went back to his own warming up backstage. No matter how Kikuchi tried to calm him, Yuzuru couldn't help but check over his shoulder again and again. His dragonair did the same, and they both read the tension and fear from the other. It grew, getting stronger and stronger, until he'd worked himself up so much that their official warm-up was a mess. He didn't realise he was physically shaking until Brian took hold of his hands and looked him in the eyes.

"Yuzuru?"

"I'm fine," he whispered and turned away to go back to training. He ignored Sergei's performance and only took out his earphones when Denis started to battle.

He felt sick as he watched it. Normally another battler doing well would light a spark inside of him to do his best, but instead it made his insides twist painfully where his new scars were. His legs were trembling as he stepped onto the platform, the same platform where he'd had the most difficult battle of his life not that long ago. Brian tried to hold his eyes but Yuzuru couldn't meet them for fear he would be sick.

The battle was far from perfect, and disappointment sat heavy in the pit of his stomach like the abdominal pain had. He gave a weak smile as he sat coachless in the Kiss and Cry, just like he had the season before. To make the crowd smile, he made his pooh bear pokéball case blow a kiss to them, and his dragonair shuffled up next to him. He stroked the top of her head and waved to Denis and Nam when the footage of the green room was shown.

"The scores please. Yuzuru Hanyu has earned in the free battle 175.88 points." He grimaced, shoulders falling in disappointment. "His total competition score is 271.08 points, and he is currently in first place."

He nodded, accepting it was what it was, and cheered along with the crowd as Javier stepped up to battle. Cupping his mouth, he shouted some of the only Spanish he knew.

"Vamos Javi!"

He rushed to the green room, not wanting to miss a moment of it, and he settled between Denis and his bayleaf, and Nam and his pikachu. He and the Kazakh battler exchanged polite smiles, and Nam grinned at him.

"It's so exciting! Being at Worlds! It's so cool!"

Yuzuru ruffled his hair and couldn't help but laugh. Like Javier, Nam had a way of making you laugh even when you were in the worst mood you could imagine. Yuzuru watched his training mate and friend as he battled. He smiled when he did well, and he grimaced when his charmeleon got knocked out. At the end, Javier grinned and bowed to the crowds, waving to them to thank them for their support.

"You guys are so strange," Nam said as he gave Yuzuru a look that the older didn't understand.

"We are?"

"You always cheer for each other so much. But you're competitors."

"You know Javi. He's too nice to not cheer for. And it means less if you win just because you made fewer mistakes than everyone else."

"Javi says something similar." Nam teased as the camera turned onto them in the green room too. Yuzuru waved, and both Javier and Brian returned it.

"The scores please. Javier Fernandez has earned in the free battle 181.16 points." Yuzuru cheered for him, giggling as Javier's jaw dropped and he made a noise that resembled a dying goat. "His total competition score is 273.90 points, and he is currently in first place."

Even as the pain of not being in first place hurt Yuzuru's heart, he only applauded more for Javier as the realisation sunk in. He seemed lost for words, lost for anything, and Yuzuru tried to ignore the tears that ran down his cheeks.

"You're crying?" Javier asked him softly, pulling him into a hug as Jason's fourth place finish and the overall scores were announced. He hugged Yuzuru so that he could hide his face in Javier's shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I'm happy for Javi. I am. I promise. I just can't stop crying!"

Javier smoothed the hair behind his ears and cupped Yuzuru's head in a way that made his breath hitch. They stood so close that they were almost forehead to forehead, and Javier whispered something so quietly that only he could hear it.

"Even if you didn't win, you are the champion of my heart."

His breath ghosted over Yuzuru's lips and, for the first time, he truly noticed Javier. Noticed the kindness and depth of emotion that he held in his eyes. Noticed his sharp jawline and rugged handsome looks. Noticed how warm and safe his hands felt. A strange, weird part of Yuzuru wanted to slide his hands up into Javier's curls and kiss him.

But he wouldn't, of course. Cameras were all over them, and Javier had stepped back. He chided himself for even thinking such a stupid thing about his training mate and, as he stepped up onto the second step, he reminded himself that there could only ever be one champion.

Even if he is the only one you are okay losing to, a loss is still a loss. Work hard and win next year.

For the first time, Yuzuru went to the World Team Trophy as part of Team Japan alongside Takahito, Satoko, Kanako, Ami, Francis, Cathy, and Chris. Never a very serious competition, Yuzuru still wanted to do his absolute best for Team Japan to help them beat Team USA, Russia, Canada, China, and France. He and the others enjoyed dressing up and cheering for Cathy and Chris as they fought hard, and for Kanako and Satoko as they brought 8 and 7 points to the team. Backstage, he and Takahito stood as they waited for their turns.

"You know why people don't like you, right?"

Yuzuru looked at him in confusion and took out an earphone. The two Japanese men were alone backstage and there were no others around that would understand.

"I don't. Why don't they like me?"

"Because you win when you aren't meant to." Takahito told him, stepping around him. "That’s why the Daisuke fans hate you, and that’s why the JPF hate you too. And, sadly Yuzuru, it’s also why the IPU dislikes you. You win when you’re not meant to, and I’m just sorry you’re treated so badly. I’m sorry you didn’t know as well.”

Even with Takahito’s words heavy on his mind, Yuzuru came out of the event as the only person to win both of their sections, and Team Japan came third overall behind Team USA and Team Russia. Only seven points separated them from the gold, and he made a mental note to help push the team to higher places next time, if he was there. The end of the event meant the end of the season for him, and he all but fell into his parents' arms by the car before they headed to the station to return to Sendai. A sports massage from Kikuchi followed by a good long soak in an onsen was waiting for him, and he couldn't get back soon enough.

Chapter Text

During Yuzuru's time back at home in Japan, due to his mother's insistence, he took more time to rest after the difficult season he'd had. He completed some assignments for Waseda, spent days gaming, and ordered himself new earphones anonymously. In Sendai, people were respectful and understanding to him, so he could go for walks when the humidity and heat of the Japanese summer weren't so severe. His dragonair adored going to the park, and, on a rainy day when few others were out, he went down to the coast. He watched as the waves lapped at the shoreline, and his lapras splashed about in the shallows as he watched on, sitting under an umbrella. He hadn't been by the sea for a while, and he didn't ever want to. He felt bad not letting his lapras near the water, and so he sat there alone in the rain for her. Haku-chan and Moko-chan cuddled up to his sides, hiding under the umbrella.

"What do we do?" Yuzuru mumbled as he ran his fingers idly through Moko-chan's wool. "Where do we go from here?"

His dragonair let out light pops and whistles, and Yuzuru nodded in understanding. Since he'd moved to Brian and learnt more, he and his pokémon had all grown closer, especially Haku-chan. Without speaking her language, they now understood each other much better. He could read tension in her, and also joy. He could see and feel her disgust and also her happiness. They felt similar things and often, at times, shared their emotions.

A gentle but distressed cry shook Yuzuru out of his thoughts and his head snapped up. Standing in the shallows of the ocean, next to his beloved lapras, was someone he didn’t recognise. They threw pokéball after pokéball at the creature before they resorted to grabbing her and trying to pull her with them. Yuzuru dropped his umbrella in his haste and ran over, tripping over himself as he slipped and stumbled into the water.

"What are you doing?! Get away from her! She's my lapras!"

"She's highly valued," the other kept trying to tug her away from Yuzuru.

Yuzuru firmly gripped onto his lapras's shell and she nosed at his neck for comfort.

"Get away from her!"

"Planning on selling her yourself? I'd recommend Russia. There are people there who will pay thousands for her."

Yuzuru watched the other go in disbelief before the reality of the situation hit him. He had floated out with his lapras further into the sea and he couldn't swim. With a shriek, he clung onto her shell for dear life as panic started to envelop him. She swam them both to shore and safety, and he didn't realise how much he was shivering until his three pokémon wrapped him up in their warmth. Moko-chan nosed at him and passed him back his umbrella but, already sopping wet, Yuzuru put it away. He withdrew all three of his pokémon to their pokéballs for safety as he walked home in the rain, shivering feverishly.

Javier had always said that the ocean was nice. He'd always said it was comforting, cool, and refreshing. Yuzuru had only ever seen its destructive powers, both in 2011 and then.

When he got back, he met his father's eyes first. Neither said anything as Yuzuru handed him his pokéballs and stumbled to the shower to warm up. When he emerged, dressed in fluffy pyjamas, his mother wrapped him up in a blanket and his father passed him a steaming mug of hot chocolate to help warm him up and soothe him. They didn't ask, and Yuzuru didn't tell.

Being at home reminded Yuzuru of all he missed when he was in Canada beyond his family. Returning to Canada made him remember all the perks that came from being there, too. His face wasn't plastered on billboards. People didn't whisper about him. He didn't need as much security. In Canada, he was just that one Asian man who took the bus for half a year and vanished for a bit. Upon his return to the club, he wished good morning to the staff as he always did. Brian waved him into his office, and Yuzuru raised an eyebrow at him as Brian's pokémon walked around freely.

"They've been getting restless recently. If it would make you more comfortable, I can put them away."

"They're cute." Yuzuru offered a hand to Brian's pidgeot, "Didn't know you had a lapras too."

"Oh, yeah," Brian watched with a fond smile as Yuzuru stroked his lapras' nose. He tried to ignore how Yuzuru shied away from his charizard that was napping in the corner, and he gestured for the other to take a seat. "So. How was the summer? What are your goals for the season?"

"Summer fine," Yuzuru shrugged, electing not to tell Brian about what had happened. "I thought about music. I'm keeping Chopin."

Brian nodded in understanding. "And the free battle?"

Yuzuru steeled himself, ready to hear a resounding "no" when he asked, but he had to try anyway. "Onmyoji."

"Onmy... Pardon?"

"Onmyoji. Japanese film. Main character Abe no Seimei."

"That sounds like a fantastic idea, Yuzuru." Brian gave him a smile and leaned back in his seat. "Bring something Japanese to the stage that is filled with the ideas of the Western world. Reminds me of—... Never mind. Who would you like me to get you in contact with to choreograph it?"

"Shae Lynn please," Yuzuru tapped his chin, "and I've asked the JPF to help me get in contact with Nisei Nomura Mansai-san. He played Abe no Seimei in the film."

"I think you could be onto something revolutionary, Yuzuru." Brian told him genuinely. "What are your goals for the season?"

"Win," Yuzuru shrugged and laughed. "Win third final in a row, win fourth nationals in a row. Hopefully," he glanced at the door and lowered his voice, "win World title back."

"Well, we'll help you train and do the best that you can. Oh, there's a new junior training and he might be in some of your sessions, so be nice to him."

"Yes Brian!"

Yuzuru led his pokémon into the training rooms and breathed. It was the club. It was his second home. It was everything right and peaceful. He smiled and started doing some warm up exercises with his pokémon. Partway through, he heard the door behind him open and glanced back over his shoulder, expecting to see Brian or Ghislain. Instead, he was met by the sight of a small teenager with fluffy black hair, large dark eyes, and accompanied by a floating pale pink creature with a similar expression. On his other side was a cubone and horsea, and Yuzuru guessed it was the new kid.

"Hi! I'm Yuzuru. Come in if you want and sit down. There's just me in here."

They slipped in and settled on one of the benches with his pokémon sitting next to him. Yuzuru watched, slightly amused, as the cubone snuggled up to his side while the horsea and mew danced around each other.

"You're Yuzuru?"

"I am," he nodded and turned back to train with his dragonair. "What's your name?"

"Junhwan."

"This is Haku-chan, Lapalace-chan, and Moko-chan," he gestured to his pokémon and then gestured to Jun's. "Are they yours?"

He nodded, stroking the cubone's head. "Tang. And horsea there. And then Kim Yuna gave me Myu."

Yuzuru raised an eyebrow but it melted into a smile when Ghislain stepped in, accompanied by his furret, ursaring, and delibird. The trio made a break for Yuzuru and he giggled, patting the furret's head.

"Fluffles! Stop!" Ghislain rolled his eyes as the creature completely ignored him and carried on bouncing around Yuzuru. "Feathers, don't you start!" He held back the delibird and stepped up beside Yuzuru. "Let's practice your elements together, yeah?"

By the time Javier returned to the club, Yuzuru had got Jeffrey to touch up his short battle and Shae Lynn had helped him with his free. Satomi Ito had designed his costumes and, when the dreaded media day rolled around, Yuzuru was ready. He answered their questions with a smile, trained like he normally would, played about with Javier when the other was having a rough session, and the media personnel all gaped when they heard his music. No one had ever done something like this before in battling. Would the judges like it?

Yuzuru found those same doubts in his mind when he headed to the Autumn Classic International alongside Elizabet, Nam, and the new junior, Jun. He didn't expect much from himself; it was the first pancake competition. The crowd were in awe of his new costume for Chopin, and he did a good job to get 93.14 points with it. Ever hungry for better results, he thought back to the Olympics and couldn't help but want to break that barrier again. Nam and his pikachu came into second after the short, and the younger couldn't stop grinning.

"Doing well at home makes me want to do well even more!" Nam told him before he bounced off to chat to Brian.

Yuzuru kept Nam's words with him as he prepared for the free battle. The crowd gasped at his costume reveal when he took off his jacket backstage, and he couldn't help but smirk. He was ready to show Seimei to the world, even if it wasn't quite perfect yet.

Far from a perfect battle, Yuzuru sat in the Kiss and Cry impatiently as he awaited his scores. With a seven-point lead over Nam after the short and a higher base value, he wasn't as concerned about losing the gold as he was angry with himself that he hadn't been perfect.

"First pancake." Brian told him again and again, but Yuzuru was sick of pancakes. His mother wouldn't let him make them anyway after one got stuck to the ceiling and he was banned from the kitchen.

He walked away with the gold, and had fun teasing Nam beside him on the podium. With Elizabet walking away with the gold too and Jun having won the junior event with a 30-point margin, similar to Yuzuru's, Team Cricket, as Nam called them, had a successful time.

"Look at you, winning medals without me!" Javier pouted but hugged Yuzuru and Nam. "He's all grown up, isn't he? Our battling baby, my battling wife."

"Not your battling wife until you shave that hideous thing off," Yuzuru told him and shoved his shoulder lightly.

"And here I thought you loved my beard," Javier whined. "Betrayed! Why is my entire battling family betraying me?"

"It's okay battling daddy Javi!" Nam told him and gave him a hug. "Your battling babies, me and Jun, we love you! Don't we Jun?"

The Korean child blinked at Nam in confusion and headed off after Tracy to practice Danse Macabre. Nam rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Does he even understand what I just said?"

"Probably not. He's trying his best," Javier laughed and elbowed Nam, "and you have no idea what it's like to come here and not really know the language. Right Yuzu?"

"Hm? What was that? Wasn't listening. Was image training receiving a Battle Canada gold."

"You'll have to fight me for it!" Nam teased. "I won't let it go easily!"

Yuzuru, apparently, would. He balled up his gloves and shoved them in his Team Japan jacket pocket so that he didn't throw them at someone after he ended up sixth after the short battle, nearly seven full points away from Daisuke Murakami in first. Seeing Patrick back on the battling scene and above him lit old fires Yuzuru had thought couldn't be rekindled. The desire that seventeen-year-old him had to beat Patrick was back, and he vowed to do better in the free battle.

The free battle brought him the silver once again to Patrick, and he could barely force a smile onto his face.

"Just like old times, me beating you," Patrick told him so quietly that the media couldn't hear it. "I did miss this in my season out. Bet you missed me too, although you seem to be pretty good at not winning even without me."

Yuzuru's blood boiled and, had they not been in public, Patrick might have ended up strangled to death. As it was, he gave the other a very tight smile and left the arena full of kuyashii.

"You want to what?" Brian asked him at the club with his eyebrows raised.

"I'm raising the difficulty and damage of my short." Yuzuru told him. "It's a risk but I think I can do it. I have time before NHK to get this right, and I want it to be right for Nagano."

Brian nodded. "Then Ghislain will help you get it right."

Chapter Text

With a few weeks to sort himself out between Battle Canada and the NHK Trophy, Yuzuru and his pokémon completely changed their pace. Under the guidance of Brian, Tracy, and Ghislain, they'd upped the difficulty of their battles and focused on better accuracy and endurance. By the time they got to Nagano in late November, he was brimming with excitement. Javier had won two golds, and he hated to be beaten like that. If he won the gold at home, he could challenge him again to a rematch in Barcelona and make up for the World Championships. For Keiji, he agreed to watch a little of the first group. He grimaced at Brendan's little mistakes, missed Grant and Elladj for training, and glanced back for Keiji. He wanted nothing more than to pull his friend into a hug when it didn't go at all well for him. His arbok lowered his head, looking crestfallen at the 73.74, and Yuzuru wanted desperately to tell him it was going to be alright. He missed Chafik but, when he heard them announce the start of Boyang Jin, his curiosity got the better of him. The Cup of China silver medallist sparked his interest when he'd thrown down high difficulty battles, and Yuzuru wanted to see them for himself.

He'd heard the legends about mysterious Ho-Oh; the rainbow bird from China that could resurrect the dead and bring light to the world, but he never thought it was real. But there, hovering in front of the eighteen-year-old Chinese man, was the legendary creature itself. He watched, transfixed by the majestic creature and its beautiful moves. The potential damage was huge, and the excitement of seeing them made Yuzuru and his dragonair exchange a look about doing their own difficult moves in the future.

"Soon," he whispered to her. "Soon. Next season we'll work on something big."

"Jin Boyang has earned in the short battle 95.64 points. He is currently in first place."

Keiji came backstage and gave Yuzuru a hug, both for comfort and luck for the other. Yuzuru giggled as Keiji's arbok curled up beside him, and they only separated when Brian gave Yuzuru a sharp look. After Keiji disappeared, Yuzuru's focus sharpened and he watched as the other competitors around him left. When Michal finished and Maxim stepped up to start his battle, Yuzuru entered the arena. He kept his earphones in and ignored Maxim as his focus tightened. He ignored the other's score and stepped up, pulling off his jacket to reveal his white, pale blue, and gold costume. As his name was announced to his home crowd, for a moment, he could see exactly what he needed to do.

With Chopin as their soundtrack, Yuzuru and Haku-chan acted as the notes on the page, leaping from each fall up to the rise and dancing across the piano. All too soon it was over for the pair of them, and they stood at the centre of the platform calmly. Yuzuru only then finally paid attention to the other pokémon they had been battling. Its health was well into the red, and he panted for air when the realisation hit him. The last time he'd done something even close to this had been when he'd broken the 100-point barrier at the Olympics. He couldn't stop his smile as he and Haku-chan took their bows before he hugged Brian.

"Amazing. Absolutely amazing."

They settled in the Kiss and Cry, and he made his Pooh bear pokéball holder wave to the crowd. The judges didn't take long at all to review his scores, so he and Brian didn't have to stew in anticipation long.

"The scores please. Hanyu Yuzuru has earned in the short battle 106.33 points." Brian turned and looked at him with disbelief and pride all over his expression, and Yuzuru found himself laughing. He couldn't contain it. Winning the short made him happy, but there was something so sweet about how a world record tasted that he couldn't stop thinking about. It was a drug and he was addicted.

Both nervous and excited, Yuzuru tried to stop himself running ahead mentally as he warmed up backstage for the free. He had to keep himself composed and not do what had happened at the Olympics. He again was drawn to watch Boyang's battle, not for its elegance or finesse as those were things the younger still had room to grow on, but for the sheer difficulty in his moves. Seeing the scores for the younger, he smiled when he saw he'd done enough to get a medal and go to the final.

"A rematch," Yuzuru mumbled to himself before he shook hands with Brian and tossed down his pokéballs, walking to the centre of the platform with his trio beside him. The three official pokémon sent out were an ice type, a ground type, and an electric type; the types had been chosen by the officials to make it more difficult to win, but Yuzuru was prepared.

For the first time ever in a battle, the Japanese crowd got to bear witness to one of the official pokémon getting knocked out. Midway through, Yuzuru's dragonair unleashed her second fire blast and the ice type fell. The rest of the battle was a dream, and Yuzuru found himself smiling at the end with the realisation that he'd just done something amazing once more. The crowd were on their feet and several had fallen to their knees, thanking God for allowing them to bear witness to the remaking of history by a Japanese battler to Japanese music in Japan. He bowed to them, thanking them for coming to see him, before he pointed to the Olympic rings displayed.

You see them? Yuzuru silently ask the cameras as he pointed to them and then himself. He raised one finger to the camera and laughed. Me. I will be number one again in two seasons' time. Just you wait and see.

"Amazing," Brian told him and patted him on the back. "Just amazing Yuzuru. I don't know what else to say. I have no words. Amazing."

"I did it," Yuzuru told him with a little laugh as he withdrew his lapras and flaaffy into their pokéballs. "I did it."

"You certainly did." Brian told him as they sat in the Kiss and Cry together.

"His goal is not just to win one Olympics," Yuzuru heard the words drifting over from one of the media groups, "but, if he keeps battling like that, there will be no one that can touch him."

"One hundred?" Yuzuru teased as he spoke to Brian, and the coach burst out laughing.

"You've definitely got one hundred. You knocked one of them out! Do you know how big that is?"

He nodded, unsure of just what he would see when the marks happened. The camera cut to him in the Kiss and Cry, and he made a point of bowing to the audience, to Brian, and to Haku-chan. She bowed her head back and he made his Pooh bear wave to them too.

"You know," Brian teased him right back, "Patrick Chan holds the free battle record of 196.75. Get ready."

"I'm ready." Yuzuru responded before he and his coach both laughed.

"I'm not!"

"The scores please. Hanyu Yuzuru has earned in the free battle 216.07 points." Yuzuru's mouth fell open. Whatever he'd been expecting, it wasn't that. He'd hoped, he'd prayed he'd tipped over the two-hundred-point mark, but he never expected that it would be with a score that big. "His total competition score is 322.40 points, and it's his season's best score. He is currently in first place."

Brian patted him on the shoulder and the pair of them couldn't believe it. Two-hundred points, smashed. Three-hundred points, smashed. Yuzuru grabbed his coach's hand and raised his arm to thank him for all his hard work that led to it too.

"I don't know what to say," Yuzuru told him, and he couldn't stop laughing. "I feel like... You know when Javi won?"

Brian nodded and burst out laughing as he and Yuzuru replicated the dying goat noises Javier had made at Worlds the season before.

"That's just incredible," Brian told him and patted his shoulder. "Amazing work. And you're going to the Final!"

Yuzuru nodded, grinning and feeling lighter than air. He had two weeks now to improve, somehow on that. But he knew that yes, it was possible. He could do it. He had more to give and he would give it.

At the medal ceremony, he had a chance to compliment Boyang on his moves before they received their medals. After the press conference, he ended up talking for way too long and apologised to the poor media personnel. Afterwards, when the adrenaline and excitement had worn off, he was left alone and waiting for the car the JPF was sending for him to go back to the hotel in. His left foot ached, much worse than it had done in Canada, and he made a mental note to ask Kikuchi to check it over sometime.

ジャビ : WOAHHHHHHH

ジャビ : CONGRATS YUZU

ジャビ : THAT'S SO COOL!

ジャビ : CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU DO SOMETHING AS COOL IN BARCELONA

羽生 結弦: Can't wait to see you too Javi!

ジャビ : See you back at the club Mr History Maker!

羽生 結弦: Thanks Javi! Got to beat you for qualifying in first.

ジャビ : Of course you do. See you soon Yuzu :D

羽生 結弦: See you soon Javi! :D

And then came the final. Yuzuru walked in and all eyes fixed on him. He couldn't help but smirk as Patrick narrowed his eyes at Yuzuru's confidence as the younger and his dragonair walked past him.

"Repetitive battle programs, huh?" Yuzuru whispered to him. "Wasn't that what you said about me and Javi? I'd love to see you do his flamenco and my Seimei."

Fifth to go, between Shoma and Javier, Yuzuru bounced up and down with restless energy while he was also somehow calm. Kikuchi tossed a ball to him to help him stay focused as Daisuke went first. Patrick was second, and Yuzuru couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him when he saw the 70.61 points he got. Boyang was explosive but not perfect, and got 86.95, barely three points above Daisuke. Yuzuru stepped out and watched, with his earphones in, as Shoma and his snorlax battled. The younger's pokémon did faint, but he had a cheeky smile at that point and bounced back with his final move. Yuzuru stepped up as Shoma stepped down, and he gave the younger a smile that held a silent challenge for the free battle.

Catch me on the podium. I dare you.

And then it was his turn. He waited beside Brian and gave his coach a smile as his compatriot slipped into second place with 86.47 points. He shook his coach's hand and patted the boards before he and his dragonair walked to the centre, commanding everyone's attention. He silently taunted them, daring them to look away for even a second of it. The screams didn't touch either of them and he and his dragonair exchanged a glance.

They were ready.

Having recently turned twenty-one, Yuzuru felt he could bring more to Chopin. A pin drop could have been heard at the back of the arena, and Yuzuru no longer even needed to say what move his dragonair was to perform; she just knew it. The crowd screamed in delight at the damage done, and it was like they were Chopin, writing his music with their every little move and nuance as they battled and danced across the stage. Too soon it was over for Yuzuru, for his dragonair, and for the crowd. They thought he had nowhere else to grow to and yet, and yet, in his heart, he felt he did. Pride and confidence overwhelmed him, and he bowed as hordes of pooh bears fell around him. He was a water bender standing in the midst of his own rain storm, and he loved every moment of it. He and his dragonair bowed to their coach and he caught Brian muttering "wow" as he stepped into the hug. He just shook his head and held Yuzuru before he passed him his team jacket.

"I have no words," Brian told him with a light laugh as he helped him put it on. "I'm going to go to Javi. You get your scores."

Yuzuru sat with just his dragonair and pooh bear in the Kiss and Cry, waving to the crowd on the camera. He smiled and gestured to out of the Kiss and Cry, over to Brian, and directed the applause to him.

"Vamos Javi! Vamos!" He called before he turned back to the camera and smiled. He made his pooh bear wave to them, and his dragonair bowed her head too.

"The scores please. Yuzuru Hanyu has earned in the short battle 110.95 points." Yuzuru's fist pump matched the rising scream of the crowd before he remembered that Javi was about to go. It wasn't any competitor. It was Javi. He bowed his head and clapped before he asked the crowd politely to quieten down so that Javier could focus.

"Vamos Javi!" He shouted again as the other set off to battle. "You can do it!"

Yuzuru could pretty much feel Javier's nerves and his short wasn't what the other had wanted. Perfect, it was not, but enough to put him into second place it was. Yuzuru smirked at the end and pulled Javier into a hug. The twenty-point gap between them was bridged in that hug, and they went back to being friends rather than competitors. Yuzuru even didn't mind as Javier's charmeleon wrapped its little orange arms around his waist, even if he did flinch a little.

After the other results had all been decided, came the free. Nathan Chen had won the junior men's, and he and his growlithe had looked adorable when they got the medal together. Marin had snatched the junior ladies’ bronze. Madison and Evan had won the silver in the double battle. Satoko and her dragonair had won silver behind Evgenia Medvedeva and her nidoqueen. Closing out the event were the men.

Yuzuru, the last to compete, felt like he had transcended the pressure. The pressure wasn't on him, but on a different Yuzuru Hanyu. He and his three pokémon knew that they were going to produce something beautiful.

At the end, Yuzuru very nearly let out a scream. When he was done, just before his pokémon started to take their bows, his flaaffy glowed a bright yellow. In front of the Spanish crowd, she evolved into a sleek yellow ampharos, and he caught Mao in the crowd smiling at him, applauding with delight.

When the tears flowed and he broke more world records with 219.48 points for the free battle and 330.43 overall, Yuzuru caught Mao's eyes again. She smiled, eyes shining with pride.

"You've come a long way from the young man I gave an egg to," her eyes seemed to say, and Yuzuru wiped his eyes with pride, ignoring the dull ache in his left foot.

Chapter Text

Yuzuru honestly did intend to talk to Kikuchi before Nationals about his foot pain, but they arrived so fast that he just didn't have time to think about it. Coming off the back of the best scores in history twice, whispers flew around him as he walked through the arena for the short.

"I bet it was a fluke."

"He can't do that again."

"He's peaked now. The only way he can go from here is down."

"Shoma will win at Worlds, not him."

Catching Brian's eyes, Yuzuru didn't translate any of it for him but the coach could understand his student well enough to know. He patted his shoulder and gave him a smile as Yuzuru stepped up to complete his short battle with his dragonair beside him.

It was almost like she had something wrong with her too, as they didn't nearly hit everything as they had done in Nagano or Barcelona. Yuzuru grimaced but took his bows alongside her for the crowd. He barely listened as Brian told him it was a great effort, especially when he'd been competing so much recently that he needed rest. He'd done two competitions almost back to back and broke the world record at both. Nationals should have been a piece of cake for him.

"The scores please. Hanyu Yuzuru has earned in the short battle 102.63 points, and he is currently in first place."

Barely higher than his Sochi short world record that he'd now surpassed twice, frustration couldn't help but build in Yuzuru's stomach. The metaphorical thing became so strong it physically hurt him when it pushed up against the scar from his surgery the year earlier, and he tried to move slowly so that he wouldn't make himself vomit. He had to stay focused for the free to earn his tickets to the Four Continents and the World Championships, and he wanted to win Nationals for the fourth time in a row to prove that he was good enough to those who still cheered for the retired Daisuke or for Takahito and Takahiko to spite Yuzuru.

The free battle was a mess. Not a disastrous mess, as Yuzuru still won the free and won overall, but it was still a mess. Compared to how he'd been in Barcelona, it was a disaster. 183.73 was a long way from 219.48, and 286.36 was a long way from 330.43. When someone threw a towel on his head, a sign of death, he laughed it off with Brian even as his heart hurt. He climbed up on the top step with his dragonair and teased Shoma when he stepped up with his snorlax, offering the younger his arm to loop through again for their "wedding" pose. Shoma rolled his eyes but laughed at his senpai's dorky antics that made Takahito feel awkward beside them. During their victory lap, Yuzuru tried his best not to visibly wince until he was out of sight of the media, of the world, and alone in his hotel room while his mother got take out. Checking the hotel hallway left and right, he limped out of his room to the ice machine at the end. Filling a bag, he made his way back and pressed it to his left foot. Haku-chan curled up beside him, looking up at him with her big dark eyes.

"I'm okay," he said, unsure if he was reassuring her or himself. "It's nothing serious."

Sitting in Kikuchi's clinic, by the way the older man's eyebrows furrowed in concern as he looked over Yuzuru's x-rays and poked at his foot, it seemed like it was something serious. With each passing moment, the anxious churning in Yuzuru's stomach only got worse to the point where Kikuchi raised an eyebrow at him and passed him a bowl to hold in case he was sick.

"Is it bad?"

"How long has it been like this, Yuzuru?" he asked, eyes narrowing at him. The battler swallowed and looked down at his lap. "Hanyu Yuzuru. How long has it been like this?"

"Since the beginning of the season," he mumbled, grimacing at Kikuchi's horrified gasp.

"The beginning of the season and you didn't tell me sooner?"

"I meant to!" Yuzuru defended. "I just... forgot."

"Right," Kikuchi nodded to where his dragonair had curled up patiently on the seat next to Yuzuru. "Should I check her over too?"

"Please. What do you think I should do for the best, Kikuchi-san?"

He hummed, examining Yuzuru's dragonair for a moment before he sat back and fixed the battler with a firm stare.

"I think you should withdraw from everything to recover from this, but you're not going to do that, so instead I'll suggest that you withdraw from one of them and try not to push yourself too far. You could end up never battling again if you do."

A bucket of ice-cold water fell over Yuzuru and he couldn't breathe for a moment.

"N-never battle again?"

"If it's as bad as I think it is and you push it, yes."

Yuzuru nodded, completely numb, and he nodded to Haku-chan. "And... Is she...?"

"I think she might have some fractures in her vertebrae, but yes she can compete on them. I wouldn't recommend it though, but you frequently go against my recommendations."

Although his tone was light, Yuzuru couldn't stop the guilt rising inside of him at the other's words. He nodded and stood up, grimacing as the pain came back in full force.

"I won't go to Four Continents," he decided. "I'll focus on the World Championships instead. If I can never battle again, I want to go out as a World Champion."

Brian noticed that something was off with Yuzuru in training. He'd changed around his battle strategy so that his new ampharos took more off dragonair to relieve her of some of the stress. His coach tried to approach the subject of why Yuzuru was putting more of his weight on his right foot, but the battler brushed it off as "just how I stand Brian!" and carried on as he could. He swallowed down the painkillers and mixed them in with Haku-chan's treats so that they could get through each day of training from January to March.

The flight from Toronto to Boston was not too exhausting, and Yuzuru was just grateful that they weren't competing in somewhere like Hungary, like the juniors had. Javier nudged him on the plane to the point where Yuzuru could no longer ignore him with his earphones in.

"What?"

His cold tone made Javier sit back a bit, and he couldn't help but feel a little bad. He was on edge because of his damn injury, but it wasn't Javier's fault. The other just held out his phone to Yuzuru as a form of a peace offering.

"You've just been so... Withdrawn recently. I thought you'd like to know some of Jun's junior results? He came fifth in the Youth Olympics and seventh at Junior Worlds, and is apparently getting Junior Grand Prix spots next season."

"Good." Yuzuru wished he could be happier, but the ever-present ache in his foot killed any happy thought that came up. He couldn't help but be on edge. Javier was the reigning World Champion and, as Yuzuru's scores had dipped after Barcelona, Javier's had only grown. The other had become the second battler in history to cross the 100-point, 200-point, and 300-point marks at the European Championships, and he won with a margin of over 60 points.

But Javier had problems too. He couldn't wear his battling boots, made of a protective material to help battlers when pokémon used moves like toxic spikes or acid, due to an issue with his right foot. It cut into his training time and, as Yuzuru swallowed down his strong painkillers on the morning of the short, he finally saw that Javier was able to practice again.

The last group was his, and he was the penultimate battler. Shoma was first with his snorlax, then Javier and his charmeleon, Denis and his bayleaf, Patrick and his rapidash, Yuzuru and his dragonair, and finally Maxim. He stood backstage, earphones firmly in and his dragonair clinging to his side like glue. Mentally, together, they were blocking out all that they could. If he pretended hard enough, there was nothing wrong with him.

That pretence meant he could step up after Patrick with confidence oozing from every pore. The other’s pokémon had fainted, earning a deduction, and Yuzuru glanced down at Haku-chan. She nodded. They weren't going to faint.

"The scores please. Yuzuru Hanyu has earned in the free battle 110.56 points." He rolled his eyes but laughed. To be a battler where 110 points was okay now was a fantastic feeling, and it almost made the pain of his foot disappear. "He is currently in first place."

And there he would stay. Just like at the Olympics, as he sat between Javier and Patrick in the press conference, he found himself glancing up at the heavens and silently praying that they would sit like this after the free too.

Stepping into the battle arena with the biggest margin over second place in a World Championships or Olympic Games, Yuzuru should have been feeling elated and confident. But he wasn't. He'd felt the throbbing pain since he awoke, and Haku-chan writhed around in agony as he tried to feed her the painkillers. He stroked the top of her head, trying to help soothe her, but his own tablets felt heavy and acidic where they sat in his stomach. The second in the final flight, Yuzuru wouldn’t know if he'd won a medal and might know if he'd done enough to secure his win. Mikhail and his dragonite, typhlosion, and umbreon were first, followed by Yuzuru and his dragonair, lapras, and ampharos; his dragonair was a higher level than Mikhail's and had decided not to evolve. Yuzuru was not so hungry that he would force her to. After him was Boyang and his Ho-oh, gyarados, and rhydon. For someone fresh out of juniors, he had strong pokémon beside him and needed to learn to reign in his abilities for the competition. He had a tendency to be a little wild. After Boyang was Javier and the trio Yuzuru had come to almost love as his own: the charmeleon, his tyranitar Bangiras, and his seadra. After Javier was Shoma with his snorlax, haunter, and houndoor, and then Patrick was the final competitor with the same team that had brought him his world titles and Olympic silver: rapidash, magneton, and electabuzz.

Yuzuru knew from the start how bad it was going to be. They messed up their first move and his dragonair fainted halfway through. Nothing hit how it should have done. It was like he was a novice again trying to copy the moves of another when he had no hope of getting them right. His left foot ached and he didn't bother trying to hide his limp anymore.

"His scores please. Yuzuru Hanyu has earned in the free battle 184.61 points." Yuzuru was ready to cry, but he couldn't in front of everyone. "His total competition score is 295.17 points, and he is currently in first place."

Not even over three hundred. He gathered up his pooh bear and let his dragonair sit on his shoulders to help her feel more comfortable as he moved to the green room to flop between Mikhail and Adam. He watched as Boyang battled with his explosive energy and couldn't even find it in his heart to smile. Boyang would be an amazing battler in the future to compete against, provided he could actually battle again. The thought that his mess would be the last trace of him battling like that was disgraceful and he wanted to scream.

Boyang sat next to him in second, and he sat up to watch Javier. It was like his training mate had seen what he'd done in Nagano and Barcelona and decided to do it himself. The Guys and Dolls music really suited Javier's fun style, and his battle was sheer perfection. Yuzuru so desperately wanted to cry but still he applauded his training mate when he saw him sitting in the Kiss and Cry. He had a large lead. Maybe it would be enough?

"The scores please. Javier Fernandez has earned in the free battle 216.41 points. His total competition score is 314.93 points, and he is currently in first place."

Yuzuru couldn't breathe for a moment, and somehow, when the cameras turned to him, he managed to smile and pretend to bow to his training mate. The size of the scores made him shiver and how easily Javier had overcome his lead in the short just made him want to scream with frustration. When Javier sat next to him in the green room, he gave him a small smile and a little "well done" before he went back to watching Shoma and then Patrick fall apart.

Yes, he should have been proud of the silver medal but, with an aching foot and his dragonair beside him trying to pretend she wasn't in pain, Yuzuru felt nothing but disappointment with himself. Patrick had just come back from a year off. Would this be what Yuzuru was like if he had to take the time to recover? After the press conference, he stomped to collect his battling boots and case of costumes when he found Javier alone in the storage room.

"Hey," Javier smiled at him, and it only made Yuzuru feel nauseous, "would you like to come out to dinner with us? I'm going with my family and some others. You're welcome to join if you want."

"No. I've got plans." Yuzuru's tone was harsher than it needed to be, and he saw a spark of hurt in Javier's eyes.

"Watch back your free battle and make notes? Come on Yuzu. You can do that any day. Please?"

"No. You have fun World Champion." The final words were said with such a cruel venom in them that Yuzuru was shocked with himself.

"Are you angry I won?" Javier asked him and Yuzuru whipped around, eyes narrowing on him. "I didn't ask for you to fall apart. I just tried my best and this happened."

"Oh, stop being so innocent and friendly with everyone!" Yuzuru's temper flared and the leash holding it back snapped. "You're always like this. You always pretend to be happy when someone wins over you."

"I'm genuinely happy for you!" Javier snapped back. "Unlike you! You aren't even happy when you win unless it's by some ridiculous margin!"

Yuzuru tugged off his trainers and pulled on his battling boots. Javier stared at him in a mix of confusion and apprehension when Yuzuru cleared a space between them in the storage room.

"Battle. Right here, right now. Old school. Just you and me."

Javier pulled on his own battling boots and, with a resigned sigh to the other, tossed down one of his pokéballs. Blinded by a mix of terror and rage when he saw his newly evolved Charizard, Yuzuru didn't think about sending out his lapras. He instead pushed his poor ampharos to struggle through and cursed when she fainted. His lapras looked at him with confusion and hurt in her wise eyes, but Yuzuru still insisted that they push on with the battle. Haku-chan followed what he said but she ended up fainting too. Yuzuru crumpled to his knees, gasping for breath as he knelt between his three fainted pokémon with Javier standing over him. He sighed and waited until his seadra evolved into a kingdra before he withdrew her.

"Call me when you figure this all out. I hope you have a good summer Yuzuru."

Javier left, leaving Yuzuru to curl up on the floor of the storage room and sob until Kikuchi found him.

Chapter Text

Lisfranc ligament damage was what the doctors had called it. They'd prescribed him with two months of rest, which meant two months of not battling at all. His dragonair had three fractured vertebrae, his lapras a dislocated fin, and his ampharos a sprained tail. As they drove to his family's home, Yuzuru leaned his head against the cool window of the car and watched as the scenery of Sendai sped past him. Two full months without battling sounded like absolute torture to him, especially when he couldn't participate in the battling shows that went around his home country. For two full months, he was stuck at home.

His Lisfranc ligament damage was the least of his worries. At home, the moment he let his pokémon out of their balls, they scarpered. The three vanished to the corners of the family's home and Yuzuru, exhausted and in pain, was ready to burst into tears. No matter how much he coaxed the three of them with treats, they would not come out of their hiding places. For the first time since he was four, excluding the time he was in hospital, Yuzuru slept in an empty bed without his dragonair curled up beside him.

The Japan spring and cherry blossoms began to bloom around them. Normally Haku-chan would be pulling on Yuzuru's sleeve, demanding that he take them for walks through the parks so that she could play in the fallen petals. Yuzuru stood by the door holding an open bag of pokémon treats that he shook to try and catch their attention.

"Haku-chan! Lapalace-chan! Den-Den! Come on, let's go and see the cherry blossoms together! You love going for walks in the park."

Only his ampharos emerged from where she'd been hiding in the airing cupboard. She ran over, snatched the bag of treats out of Yuzuru's hand, and retreated back to the comfort of her hiding place. The battler, dejected and defeated, locked the door to his room and fell face first onto his bed. Whoever had said it was right. He had peaked and the only way for him now was down. He was hurt. He'd lost the gold. He was falling now, and no one was going to catch him before he hit the bottom of the chasm in a pathetic mess.

But, worst of all, he'd lost the trust of his three dearest friends. When his rage and regret had blinded him, he'd pushed them all to the point of injury and had ruined the trust they had in him. He clung to his pillow and sobbed. He was too good to be true. He'd shone too bright and now he was burning out.

"Yuzuru?"

He lifted his head up from where it was buried in his pillow and shuffled across the room to unlock his door. He flopped back down on his bed and hid his face as his mother walked in and sat down next to him.

"Does it hurt?"

"I deserve to hurt," Yuzuru mumbled and his mother stroked her gentle fingers through his hair. "I'm the worst."

"You're not the worst. Stubborn? Yes. Good at listening to the advice of your doctors? Definitely not. Head strong? Extremely. Caring? Yes. Kind-hearted? I know no one with a more sensitive and gentle heart, Yuzuru. What makes you think you are the worst?"

"No one can stand to be around me." Yuzuru's voice was muffled by the pillow, but she still managed to understand. "I betrayed the trust of those who followed me without question. I broke what we had and it'll never be the same. I'm finished."

"I don't quite think that's true," his mother's fingers felt soothing and gentle in his hair. "I heard you, back then. I don't think you knew, but I heard. I heard you as you offered to selflessly let them go, even though battling brought you happiness. As a team, you made a decision. There never was Yuzuru and pokémon. There was only Team Yuzuru. In your darkest moments, you all turned to each other. They might not forgive you for this, and that's something you have to be aware of. You hurt them, and you hurt them quite badly, but give them the chance to forgive you. Shared experiences like that build trust in a way that little else can."

Yuzuru clung to her and hid his face in her shoulder, enjoying the scent of jasmine that clung to her clothes.

"I don't know what to do. I want to battle more than anything but I can't without their support and in this situation."

"Yuzuru," she cupped his cheeks and wiped his tears away, "your pokémon learnt things from you, as you have learnt from them. You have to face your fear and talk to them to begin to rebuild the bridge. If they don't want to talk to you, you cannot force it. You have to listen to them. Trust works both ways."

Ampharos was Yuzuru's first attempt. He sat down beside the airing cupboard and placed a bowl of food for her in front of him, and waited. She emerged, nose wiggling, and sat down in front of him to eat. She looked at him with wary eyes, and Yuzuru offered her his hand.

"I'm sorry," he told her quietly. "I'm sorry I pushed you. I'm sorry I hurt you. I'm sorry for everything that happened at Worlds, and at Nationals, and for making you battle when you weren't feeling your best. You don't have to respond or forgive me. Just know, Den-Den, that I am truly sorry that you got hurt."

She looked at him with questioning eyes and kept on eating. Yuzuru kept his hand held out to her as a peace offering and, just when he was starting to believe that she would reject him, she pushed aside the bowl of food and nuzzled his hand.

"A-am I forgiven?" Yuzuru asked her and she nodded, climbing up onto his lap to cuddle him properly.

His lapras was the next pokémon he went after. She'd taken over the bathtub, and Yuzuru sat down beside her with her loofah puff. She backed away from him, scrutinising him with a wisdom in her eyes that asked why he'd acted how he had.

"Because I'm an idiot, Lapalace-chan," he whispered, head bowed. "Because I was blinded by a selfish need to win a battle and didn't consider you. I was selfish, arrogant, and acted like a fool. But, worse than all that, I hurt you. I'm sorry, Lapalace-chan. You do not have to forgive me."

You're not completely forgiven, Yuzuru Hanyu. It's going to take some fried fish for me to be happier with you. Her eyes said, but she lowered her head and allowed him to clean her with the puff.

With two of his pokémon beside him, Yuzuru felt more confident as he sought out Haku-chan. The confidence died in him when she saw him and shied away, curling up beside his mother's delibird on the sofa instead of him. He held out a hand to her and she looked down her snout in disgust before she looked away. His heart ached and he offered her his hand. She batted it away with the end of her tail and, when he tried again, she slithered away from him. His mother's delibird snuggled up to his side but it wasn't the same. He needed his beloved Haku-chan back.

On his bedside table, he’d left his iPod with the engraving on the back showing. Haku-chan retreated into his room when Yuzuru was out for a walk, as demanded by his mother. She climbed up onto his bed and curled up on his pillow. With the gentle swishing of her tail, she caught his iPod and knocked it off the table onto the floor. She poked her head over and caught sight of the engraving that Nanami had gifted them. She saw her and Yuzuru. Not just her, not just Yuzuru. They were a team, and she curled up tighter on his pillow.

When Yuzuru returned from his walk, he sat down beside his bed so he didn't disturb her. His foot didn't hurt nearly as much as it had before and he picked up his iPod.

"How are you feeling, Hakuryu?" he asked her, soft voice breaking the silence. "Still in pain? We've got an appointment with the doctors in a few days to check up on us, and then we might go back to Canada. If you want to go back to Canada. Brian said he'd like us back but we don't have to do anything you don't want to do."

Haku-chan raised her head and fixed her eyes on him. He averted his eyes but she poked at him with the end of her tail to get his attention.

"I'm sorry, Haku-chan," he whispered with regret and tears heavy in his voice. "You're my best friend and I treated you so badly. You didn't deserve that. You deserve to be treated much better than that. I was horrible to you. I promise it'll never happen again, but you can go if you want." She watched as he took out her pokéball from where it sat in his pooh bear case alongside the others'. "It's your choice."

She curled up beside his shoulders and nosed at his cheek. Yuzuru wiped his eyes and stroked her back, happy that he had his best friend almost back to where they were. They still had a way to go when it came to repairing all that was broken, but this was the start that he needed and wanted.

And he had one more friend to apologise to. He'd watched his free battle from Worlds over and over, and knew that it wasn't Javier's fault he'd done badly. Days before he was due to return to Canada, Yuzuru sat on his bedroom floor and called the number he'd considered blocking in his rage.

"Hola?" Javier answered, voice thick with his accent.

"Hi Javi," Yuzuru whispered, so unsure of himself. He could almost feel the other's raised eyebrow in his tone.

"Yuzuru?"

"Javi, I need to apologise to you. I was so horrible, so cruel to you after Worlds. You were incredible and I'm so sorry. I treated you so badly because I was frustrated with myself, but that's no reason to take it out on you. You are the worthy World Champion, and I'm just sorry I couldn't be happy for you then."

There was a long moment of silence where panic seized Yuzuru's chest. It was broken by the softest laugh from Javier's end of the phone.

"Oh Yuzu. You're forgiven. I shouldn't have asked you to celebrate, but I won't lie. I was hurt by your actions. I'm just wondering if we can go back to how we were?"

"I'd like that," Yuzuru whispered, "but I understand if you think things have changed too much between us?"

"We'll see how it goes Yuzu," Javier told him, "when we get back to Canada. We'll both try out best to go back to how we were, and see what happens."

"Thank you," was all Yuzuru could choke out as emotion took hold of him. "Thank you Javi for giving me a chance."

"Are you feeling better? I heard you got injured, you and your pokémon."

"We've got another doctor's appointment soon, and then we're going to Canada, so I hope it's good news."

"I do too. I'll be back in Canada with you a little later. I'm spending some time with Miki and her daughter in Japan."

"Send her my best," Yuzuru kept his tone light and cheery. Miki had suffered a lot from the media, like Yuzuru had, and he always hated seeing others being torn down. "See you soon Javi."

"See you soon Yuzu."

After being given the all clear by the doctors to train battling again, Yuzuru and his team along with his mother headed back to Canada. He felt guilty when he hugged his father goodbye once more as he was dragging his parents apart, but he had to focus on training.

It wasn't easy. Brian, and especially Tracy, almost held his hand through his training as he and his pokémon found their stride again. Tatiana Tarasova had sent him music for his exhibition battle, and he asked David to choreograph the new, gentle version of The Swan for him. His three programs were all new and all brought out a different side of him. Let's Go Crazy was to celebrate the fun in battling, and the love he had for Haku-chan specifically. Hope and Legacy was gentle and stripped battling back to its purest form. Unlike with Seimei, there was no persona he could hide behind in it, and it made it more emotional and him. Notte Stellata was to be the beautiful exhibition of a swan spreading its wings once more and rising. With new moves in his arsenal, Yuzuru felt his confidence rising like that swan too.

Chapter Text

After getting their competitive programs down, Yuzuru's team spent most of August fighting to make them perfect. In early September, for his younger training mate, he watched the Japanese Junior Grand Prix event. Despite being so young, Jun and his trio of pokémon already had a strong relationship that knocked Vincent Zhou out of the gold medal position and earned the young Korean a place in his history books. The week before the junior's second event, and the same weekend as Roman's first event, was the Autumn Classic International and the start of Yuzuru's redemption season.

Yuzuru and his team made history at the Autumn Classic by becoming the first competitors to successfully use thunder in battle; they'd showcased it at exhibitions but no one had ever done it in competition until then. One mishit and the game was over for the competitors, but Yuzuru and his dragonair decided to challenge the move. With Boyang, and now Shoma and the newly turned senior Nathan Chen challenging the hardest moves, Yuzuru had to retaliate. He couldn't rest on his laurels. The rest of the competition was nothing to write home about, but they still won overall. He stood beside Misha and burst out laughing that the other had somehow snuck pokémon treats onto the podium with him. He kept slipping them to Haku-chan and Copy, his ditto. Yuzuru relaxed between Misha and Max, and didn't mind making a fool of himself when he tripped over during the victory lap.

Back at the club, his mind hyper focused on his training. He'd lost Battle Canada twice in his life, both times to Patrick Chan, and he couldn't let it happen again. Inspired by Jun Hwan's second gold in Germany, but concerned about his chattering about one of the other Canadian competitors, Yuzuru pushed himself harder in training whilst he was also mindful about not injuring himself.

Battle Canada arrived and Yuzuru's fears about the use of thunder came to pass. Its failure in the short battle landed him in fourth behind Patrick, Takahito and Kevin. With a grimace, he stomped up ready to battle for the free, determined to prove to himself that he could beat Patrick on home turf.

He didn't.

3 points separated him from the gold, and Yuzuru didn't even bother fake smiling when he got the silver. In the past, he'd at least tried to look happy for Patrick, but now he only felt frustrated. Silver used to be acceptable. Now it was more like a stab in the gut. The NHK Trophy was to be his saving grace if he was to get to the Final and challenge the history books once again by becoming the only man to ever hold the title for four years in a row.

The week after, Javier beat Shoma to the gold at the Rostelecom cup, and scored the first free battle worth over 200 points in the season. The week after that, the same man went onto win over Denis Ten, Adam Rippon, and Nathan Chen at the Tropheé de France, securing his ticket to the final. In his attempt to be a better friend and kinder rival, Yuzuru gave him a hug when he got back to the club.

"You were great," he told him. "Congratulations! Through to the Final."

"You'd better be there too," Javier told him, and Yuzuru nodded before they both went back to their training.

Yuzuru watched as Patrick won the Cup of China and secured his ticket to the Final too. With Javier's two golds, he was through. Shoma was through with a gold and a silver. Patrick was through with his two golds. Adam Rippon and Nathan Chen could both through depending on how he and Nathan did at the NHK Trophy.

Once again, Yuzuru's difficult moves in the second half of both of his battles meant he was playing catch-up with himself, especially in the free. Next to Nathan's messy but intense difficulty program, Yuzuru felt that spark of excitement that he'd felt when he got to see Boyang's battles in person. But the 2016 NHK Trophy was the best event because, not only did he win with a score of over 300 points, but he shared the podium with Keiji and he got to see Ryuju in battle again.

"You beat me by nearly 100 full points," Ryuju leaned his head on Yuzuru's shoulder as the three childhood friends sat on Yuzuru's bed, gaming together. "And you're through to the Final! Four years in a row would be so cool."

"Don't add to his pressure Ryu," Keiji elbowed him around Yuzuru and cursed as his car veered off the side of Rainbow Road. "Dammit Yuzu! Only you are enough of a masochist to pick Rainbow Road!"

"Or he's a sadist who likes to watch us suffer." Ryuju suggested, making Yuzuru blush bright red as he crossed the finish line, well in first place.

"I do not!"

"I bet if we asked Haku-chan, she'd tell us. Or Lapalace-chan, or Den-Den."

"They would tell you that I'm wonderful," Yuzuru stuck his tongue out at Keiji. Behind his back, from where she'd been playing with Abo and Bui, Haku-chan shook her head at Keiji. The two others burst out laughing and Yuzuru pouted.

"Meanie Haku-chan!"

"Oh, she's just teasing," Ryuju offered Yuzuru's trio of pokémon snacks. Behind them, the nine pokémon played about on the bed. Yuzuru's dragonair, lapras, and ampharos wiggled around beside Keiji's arbok, Abo, ninetails, Kon, and his kingdra as well as Ryuju's lanturn, Chi, his quilava, Arashi, and his umbreon, Bui. "She loves you a lot really."

Yuzuru offered her his hand and she nuzzled at him while Ryuju chose their next course: Bowser's Castle. Yuzuru, as Princess Peach, beat Keiji as Toad and Ryuju as Yoshi easily to the point where, on the next round, Keiji tied Yuzuru's right hand behind his back.

"Yuzu! How are you so good?" Ryuju asked as Yuzuru beat them with only one hand. "You're the best in the world at battling, and you're the best in the world at Mario Kart... Is there anything you can't do?"

"Ride a bike? Swim?" Keiji suggested.

"Tidy his room?"

"Oh my God, shush both of you!" Yuzuru whined and covered his face with his free hand. "And untie me!"

"Yeah yeah sure," Keiji untied it for him as Ryuju ordered them room service. "So. The Grand Prix Final, huh?"

"Yeah," Yuzuru nodded and pulled his knees up to his chest. "It's weird. I don't feel confident anymore."

"What do you mean, Pon?" Ryuju looped his arm over Yuzuru's shoulders and hugged him. "You're the best in the world. You're incredible. What has you insecure?"

"Oh nothing," Yuzuru brushed it off with a light laugh. Keiji and Ryuju didn't push, but he felt them exchanging looks over his head throughout the rest of the evening.

Two more weeks of training passed and they landed in Marseille a few days before Yuzuru's twenty-second birthday. He turned during a day of the official practices and his fans sang Happy Birthday for him at the end. He celebrated with shared slices of strawberry shortcake amongst the competitors of the Men's event and the rest of Team Japan. Jun snuck in and took a slice, much to the protests of the other junior men when they saw him and his mew sharing it.

The day after came the short battles of all but the senior double battlers. Yuzuru caught a little of the junior men's event, and grimaced when Jun's mew made a little error at the start that sat him in fourth at the end. His eyes darkened with sadness when he saw Marin had withdrawn from the event, but he cheered for Kaori and Rika, even as the latter made mistakes with her growlithe. He didn't watch the senior pairs battle, so that he could focus on his warm up. Javier was the first and Yuzuru winced when he caught sight of the other's charizard fainting. Then it was Patrick, slotting in above Javier but neither broke 100 points. Shoma's snorlax fainted, giving him 86.82. Then Nathan's newly evolved arcanine fainted too. Adam's moves weren't as difficult and didn't do as much damage, so he still ended up at the bottom of the pile before Yuzuru stepped up to battle.

Let's Go Crazy was fun, and Yuzuru did it the best he'd ever done with this program. Overall, he could have done better, but it was more than enough to put him in first with 106.53 to Patrick's 99.76 in second.

They had a day off between the short and free battle, so Yuzuru snuck glances at the broadcast. He couldn't always go and see them live, especially when he was such a big name, so he watched as Kaori took the bronze medal for the junior ladies and Rika rose to fourth overall. He saw the start of the double battle and grimaced when Madison and Evan settled in sixth. He cheered for the Shibutani siblings who battled with Maia's eevee and Alex's vaporeon; they were famous for being a sibling team who battled with only the eevee-loutions. He then watched the short battle for the ladies and cheered for Satoko's third place with her shiny dragonair, and he cheered too for Evgenia's impressive score with her nidoqueen.

Yuzuru awoke with an anxious churning in his stomach. The junior men were the first to go, and Javier sat with Yuzuru as they watched Jun make yet more history for Korea by winning the bronze medal. They missed the junior pairs battle when they headed from the hotel to the arena, but caught enough of the senior double battle to watch Maia and Alex take the bronze medal behind Tessa and Scott, and Gabriella and Guillaume. He missed watching the ladies but heard as Evgenia got the gold and Satoko took the silver. Backstage, Yuzuru saw Evgenia and Alina chattering when he made his pooh bear pokéball holder kiss Evgenia's nose. As he walked off, mind focusing back on the battle to come, he heard the two Russian ladies squeal with delight.

Starting fourth, Yuzuru was before Javier and Patrick, and he would immediately know if he'd won a medal. He tried not to watch the others, but he caught the end of Nathan's score.

"The scores please. Nathan Chen has earned in the free battle 197.55 points. His total competition score is 282.85 points, and he is currently in first place."

The first half of Yuzuru's battle was beautiful but, when the second half hit, his dragonair fainted. From then on, their confidence was knocked and he couldn't even effectively play catch up. He sat with only his pooh bear and dragonair by his side and bowed to the French crowd politely. He asked them to quieten down so that Javier could focus, and then his smile went.

"The scores please. Yuzuru Hanyu has earned in the free battle 187.37 points. His total competition score is 293.90 points, and he is currently in first place."

First place only because the others had made mistakes in the short. He stomped out of the Kiss and Cry, standing beside the platform so he could watch Javier. His friend suffered much worse than he had and fell into fourth place, void of a medal. Patrick's free battle was the worst, and Yuzuru felt bad for him. He'd returned to battling because it was what he loved, and yet he couldn't get back to where he'd been. Yuzuru's win didn't feel like a win and, as he stepped onto that wobbly podium beside Nathan and Shoma, he just felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. He offered Shoma his arm, teasing him still about the wedding pose, but looked around the arena in confusion.

"Where are the national flags? Where are they?"

"They've got digital ones," Nathan explained and gestured to across the battling arena. Yuzuru wrinkled his nose at them in disgust.

Wobbly podium, cheap medals, digital flags, and a win tainted with his own misfortune. This was one of the worst competitions ever and, instead of feeling more confident after the win, Yuzuru just felt worse. At the banquet, he sat with Javier and Patrick, listening as the other two lamented their sorrows to him over glasses of wine.

"It'll be alright," Yuzuru mumbled into his orange juice. "At Worlds, we'll show them."

But he didn't believe his own words.

Chapter Text

With Yuzuru's luck, just before the Japanese National Championships started, he caught a nasty strike of flu, even after he'd got the booster jab. He curled up under his blankets in his bed in Sendai and Haku-chan slipped in beside him to cuddle him.

"I don't want you to get sick too," he told her, but she ignored him. Yuzuru grinned at her and pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head. "And I'm the stubborn one, huh?"

"You are the stubborn one," his mother told him as she stepped into his room and sat down on the bed beside him. "I've brought you some tea, Yuzuru. Tea to boost your metabolism and help you fight this off, and honey to soothe your throat."

"Thank you," Yuzuru mumbled as he sat up and accepted the drink. She adjusted the blankets around his shoulders, despite him protesting that he was warm.

"You have a fever, Yuzuru. The best thing to do is to keep you nice and warm so that you don't catch a chill and make it even worse. And you're not going to watch Nationals."

"Yeah right," Yuzuru pulled his laptop onto his lap when she was gone and brought up a live stream. Despite what she told him, he insisted on watching as Takahito won the short, leaving Shoma in second and Keiji in third. Ryuju sat in fourth, and Yuzuru wanted to message his friends to tell them good luck. But Ryuju was much too rule-abiding and would have spilt to his mother that he'd been watching the event.

He watched the ladies too, cheering for Satoko, Rika, and Wakaba as they took the top three spots after the short battle. At least Japan would get to see one dragonair at the National Championships, even if it wasn't his. Shoma won overall with a strong free battle, and Keiji took the silver. Yuzuru felt a pang in his heart and would have given almost anything to be able to stand with them on the podium instead of Takahito. He never wished ill of his competitors, but he was upset that he couldn't be there to enjoy the championships. Satoko, Wakaba, and Mai took the medals for the ladies, and Sumire and Francis, Miu and Ryuichi, and Marin and Wesley took them for the pairs battle. Yuzuru silently cheered for Kana and Chris as they won the doubles battle at the National Championships again. His mother raised an eyebrow at him and confiscated his laptop as she passed him the phone to answer.

"Hello?" he answer, sounding highly congested and full of flu. "Can I help?"

"Hanyu-senshu?" Mrs Kobayashi's voice was almost a comfort on the end of the line, if she hadn't been so terrifying to him. "The Japanese Federation want to know which competitions you'd like to go to. There is a spot for you at the Four Continents and at the World Championships if you'd like them?"

In a normal season, Yuzuru would have skipped the Four Continents Championships in favour of focusing on the World Championships. But, in a normal season, he didn't have the flu but had an injury instead that he wouldn't recover from in a few weeks' time. The Four Continents Championships was also a test event for the Olympics, and he couldn't miss out on an opportunity like that.

"Both please," he asked her before he started to cough and splutter again. "Both the spots please."

"I will talk to the Japanese Federation for you," her voice was, instead of scary, almost as soothing as the honey his mother had given him to help him recover. "Rest up, Hanyu-senshu, and we will see you in PyeongChang alongside Uno-senshu and Tanaka-senshu."

Yuzuru nodded and set the phone down before he curled up in a ball under the covers. His dragonair curled up beside him and he stroked her head with a soft smile.

"I love you very much," he mumbled to her and pressed a kiss to her snout. "Thank you for being by my side Haku-chan."

After he'd recovered, in the new year, Yuzuru went back to the club to train. Normally he wouldn't train as hard at this point, as he wouldn't have a competition to go to, but he wanted to do his absolute best at the Olympic test event. It was, after all, a test event for the Olympic games which were the most important event for any battler in the world. The Olympics held a special kind of pressure and a special kind of atmosphere.

The Four Continents arena was beautiful. Yuzuru adored the purple of the walls and arena, and he hoped that they would keep it for the next year. PyeongChang was beautiful, and he felt the beginning of the Olympic excitement start to bubble in his veins again.

And it died once again when he made more mistakes in the short battle that dropped him below both Nathan and Shoma. He didn't even break 100 points, and he was six points out of first place; it wasn't the most devastating situation to be in, but it wasn't ideal when he knew how much Nathan and Shoma had planned on the technical side of things with their difficult moves. He seethed with frustration as he sat in third place in the press conference, and tried his best to smile a little for the other two. He had to get over two-hundred points in the free. He had to, if he were to have a chance at taking the overall title; it was the one he didn’t have yet.

Boyang went first in the group and Yuzuru almost wanted to give him a hug. He hadn't made the final, and now he hadn't got close to two-hundred points in the free. Then it was Patrick, who still struggled as he had done since the Olympics. If Yuzuru had been a bigger man, he might have patted him on the shoulder and reassured him that, no matter what happened, he would be remembered by history as a three-time World Champion and Olympic silver medallist. After Patrick was Han Yan who struggled once again. And then it was Shoma. Shoma who had two faints but still managed a smile and finished in first place at that point. Yuzuru stepped up and smiled at Brian before he and his team stepped out for their battle.

At least she didn't faint this time, was all Yuzuru could bring himself to think when they once again messed up their big move at the start of the second half. With Nathan and Shoma competing against him, the pressure got to Yuzuru and he switched it up so that they did several more difficult moves at the end. Brian shook his head and laughed as Yuzuru stepped down from the platform and sat in the Kiss and Cry.

"So that at the end—"

Yuzuru burst out laughing at Brian's question and his coach couldn't help but laugh too. Yuzuru felt lighter, better, and he looked up at the scoreboard.

"The scores please. Yuzuru Hanyu has earned in the free battle 206.67 points." Finally! He'd finally broken the two-hundred-point barrier in the free again. "His total competition score is 303.71 points overall."

"That might be enough!" Yuzuru raised an eyebrow at Brian's comment. "It might. You could have won it."

He could have, but when Nathan battled as well as he did, Yuzuru sat in the green room, stewing in frustration. Even though Yuzuru won the free, it wasn't enough and four points separated him from the gold medal.

"Don't be so grumpy," Shoma told him and lightly kicked him where the cameras couldn't see. "You've got the silver medal. I'll have it if you don't want it."

"Never! I will defend my silver medal until my death!" Yuzuru told him dramatically when Nathan stepped into the green room with them. "Congratulations."

"Thanks," Nathan grinned and patted the top of his arcanine's head. Yuzuru shuffled back from it and Nathan raised an eyebrow at him. "You okay?"

"I'm good," Yuzuru gave him a tight smile that morphed more into a grimace when Nathan's arcanine coughed out little sparks of fire.

He climbed on the second step of the podium and his smile was laced with frustration. It was painful to listen to the anthem of another and watch their flag rise to the top, but Yuzuru forced himself to think beyond the competition.

It doesn't matter. It's only Four Continents. Worlds is your goal.

But Worlds brought its own set of doubts in Yuzuru's mind. The first to go in the final group, Yuzuru tugged on the sleeves of his purple Prince inspired outfit and nodded to Brian before he stepped out. He hadn't done Let's Go Crazy properly once, and he wanted to do it now, at the World Championships, the best he ever had. He and Haku-chan were not afraid, and they were ready for this. Kikuchi moved his pooh bear pokéball case away from him before he had a chance to pat his friend's nose, and he tapped the boards to get him back.

The ice type they were up against didn't get nearly as damaged by thunder as he'd hoped. For their second move, his dragonair bobbled and the damage done wasn't nearly enough. He planned to make up for it with the last move but, to both of their horror, the ice type's blizzard encased Haku-chan in crystals of ice. There was nothing Yuzuru could do, since items were banned, but watch and pray that she thawed out before the music ended. As it came to a close, the crystals finally broke off her and she did her last move, but it was too late. Her getting frozen, he knew, would cost him a point, and the bobbled move would cost him too. He would be lucky to go into first at this point.

They stepped down to make space for Shoma, and Yuzuru wanted to throw something at the officials. Being the nerd he was, and since battling was his life, he knew all the stats for all different pokémon off by heart. With that ice type's given speed stats, it shouldn't have been able to move faster than his dragonair. Not without the use of one of the medicines that were banned in competition or an x-speed that was also banned.

"The scores please. Yuzuru Hanyu has earned in the short battle 98.39 points. He is currently in second place."

The -1.00 mocked him and the number 2 beside his name was salt in the wound. He was behind Boyang too, and he would have liked nothing more than to run from the arena. Instead, since he was trying to be a better friend, he stayed to watch. Shoma rose and scored 104.86. Then it was Maxim who scored 89.38 and dropped out of the last group. And then it was Javier.

Javier had the short battle of his life and practically glowed with happiness at the end of it. He gave his charizard a hug, much to the delight of the crowd, and settled in the Kiss and Cry with a smile more radiant than the sun. Yuzuru's gut twisted painfully, and he bit his lip so hard it drew blood.

"The scores please. Javier Fernandez has earned in the short battle 109.05 points."

No. It was so close to his records and so far from Yuzuru that he just wanted to scream. His ears were ringing and he could barely hear the rest of what was said. His heart clenched painfully as he wanted to be happy for Javier when the tears came. He escaped the press and hid in one of the cubicles in the bathroom as Patrick finished above him with 102.13, and Jason below with 93.10. Fifth. He was sitting in fifth at the World Championships during what was meant to be his season of redemption and the one just before the Olympics.

The good thing about being fifth was that he didn't have to deal with nearly as much media. He drew his spot for the free, nineteenth, and scarpered before the media could descend on him like a pack of hungry hyenas. In his hotel room, he and Haku-chan watched the short over and over again, but he couldn't focus on it. It just hurt. He'd done all the training, and still he'd made these terrible mistakes. And his fourth move in the free had a zero percent success rate that season. He had nothing to fall back on, and no chance at the gold.

"Yuzuru?" He heard the Spanish accented voice outside his door. "You want to talk?"

Yuzuru opened his door and gestured for Javier to come in before he closed it miserably. The other opened his arms and Yuzuru fell into them with a sigh.

"You can do it on the first," Javier told him, and Yuzuru raised his eyebrows at him. "You can. If anyone can win from here, it's you."

"I'm so far behind—"

"And I was too last year and I won." Javier reminded him. "You're better than me. If I can do it, you can do it."

With Javier's words of comfort, Yuzuru carried them with him to the free battle. He felt like he was going to collapse, but he also felt ready. His legs were shaking, but he was also calm. In the warm up of the final group, he couldn't care less that he had mistake after mistake after mistake. What mattered was what he did during the time that Hope and Legacy was playing.

I love battling, Yuzuru thought as he and his pokémon hit every beat of the music and every move they had to. It was perfect. There was no struggling, no fainting, and no playing catch up. There was just him, and his pokémon. At the end, the crowd were on their feet, and he let them back into his mind. I love battling with my three best friends.

"Wow," Brian told him as he helped Yuzuru sit in the Kiss and Cry between him and Tracy. "That was fun to watch. It was just beautiful."

"Finally I worked hard each day," Yuzuru got out as he tried to catch his breath.

"Today you were calmer. Not so intense."

"I was feeling like I didn't have the energy," Yuzuru tried to explain, and Brian nodded in understanding.

"Guess what, you did." The coach and student laughed as Yuzuru pulled off his gloves. "Trust your training, and you trained hard."

"The scores please. Yuzuru Hanyu has earned in the free battle 223.20 points." Yuzuru's mouth fell open and both his coaches looked at him with pride written across their faces. "His total competition score is 321.59 points, and he is currently in first place."

"I'm not crying!" he told Brian. "I'm not!"

"I am. Well, almost."

By the time Yuzuru got to the green room, Nathan had fallen apart. He was trying too much at once and his pokémon were overwhelmed. Yuzuru then watched as Boyang flourished and earned 204.94 to settle beside him. Then was Patrick, and Yuzuru felt much more respect for him. He saw Patrick now as an equal, as someone battling for the same reasons as him, rather than as someone to be surpassed. He complimented him quietly when the other sat in the bronze medallist's seat, before he turned to watch Shoma.

Shoma was exciting. His free battle held brilliance in it, even as moments were messy, and Yuzuru grinned at the scores. 319 to his 321 gave him a little thrill, and made him eager to push Japanese battling forwards along with his kouhai.

And then it was Javier. Javier had struggled with his free battle all season like Yuzuru had but, instead of soaring, he crumbled. Yuzuru's heart ached for him as he watched the other slip off the podium and into fourth place by a crushing margin, just like in Sochi. After he got his medal, he knew what he had to do. He ran over to Javier and put the gold on him before he pulled him into a hug, ignoring all the media around them.

"Without Javi, I wouldn't have this, so it's yours too," he told him so softly that no one else could hear.

"Thank you Yuzu," Javier whispered and patted his waist. "Thank you."

In the gala, Yuzuru and his dragonair performed Notte Stellata, privately dedicating it to Brian's father, and Yuzuru finally felt his heart soar. Reigning World and Olympic Champion heading into PyeongChang had a nice ring to it.

Chapter Text

After the summer battling shows, where Yuzuru had had fun messing around with Nobu and Javi, and showing off for his idols, he returned to Canada with his game face on. This was the Olympic season, and he couldn't afford any mistakes or mishaps. He was on the brink of creating history, but it was more fragile than the glass pooh bear Saya had bought him after he'd won his first Olympic title. One push and he'd tumble off his shelf, smashing into the floor along with his chances for making history. He decided to return to Chopin and Seimei, to their comfort and safety blanket, while he also decided to challenge harder moves from his ampharos. Firepunch was bold but risky, and Yuzuru wanted to chase it along with thunder for the Olympics. Nathan had it, and Boyang had it, and now he wanted it too. And it would be good to counter any ice type pokémon that they came up against who were going to try and take down his dragonair.

For the first time, Javier came with them to the Autumn Classic International. Yuzuru and his dragonair exchanged a nod and smiled to each other as they stepped up, ready to battle. The opening notes of Chopin made him smile and they moved in synch in a way that meant the opposing pokémon had little hope. At the end, they both smirked when they saw how close to fainting it was; a fainted opposing pokémon in the short battle was worth 120 points, and no one had ever got close to there. Yuzuru had been the closest and, as he sat between Brian and Tracy, he wondered if he was closer still.

"The scores please. Yuzuru Hanyu has earned in the short battle 112.72 points."

Yuzuru laughed along with his coaches. He'd made history the season before at the Autumn Classic, so why not do it again? Javier was in second, being the only other battler to break the 100-point barrier, and Nam was in third, reuniting the old Cricket Club trio, even if they didn’t all train there anymore.

As good as the short had been was how bad the free was. Yuzuru woke up not feeling well and took out firepunch immediately. He had to be smart. There was no point using it if they were only going to get injured because of it. Everything else didn't go to plan either, and he wrinkled his nose at the "5" that then gave way to the 2 overall. Javier had beaten him by 11 points, overcoming the lead of that Yuzuru had held after the short.

Doesn't matter. It's not the Olympics. First pancake.

He climbed up beside Javier and gave him a smile. When Keegan stepped up beside them, they made a point of forcing Keegan into the third wheel position even though they weren't dating. Yuzuru pointed to the Spanish flag so that Javier could watch it during his anthem, and he snuck little glances at the other out of the corner of his eye. While he didn't want Javier to beat him at the Olympics, remembering how disappointed the other had been after Sochi still made his heart hurt and he didn't know how he'd react if the other didn't manage to get his medal. Javier's hand looped around Yuzuru's waist and, like it had back on their first Finlandia podium, he tickled his side to bring a smile to light his face. Javier made sure that Yuzuru always had a reason to smile when he wore the silver. That, and seeing how awkward poor Keegan was as their third wheel made the teasing extra worth it.

Instead of being given Battle Canada and the NHK Trophy as his assignments, Yuzuru had been given the Rostelecom Cup to replace the other as his first assignment. He smiled, giving a little wiggle of happiness when he thought he might get to show Tatiana his exhibition to the music she'd chosen for him; he'd decided to keep Notte Stellata. With the Grand Prix Final in Japan, he had three chances to battle at home and thank the people who supported him from there with good performances. The problem, or challenge rather, that came with the Rostelecom Cup was that Nathan was also competing there and, although he wasn't winning any fashion competitions with his Sia inspired thing, his technical abilities meant he was sitting in first above Yuzuru after the short battle. Yuzuru didn't even break 100-points.

"It's like I was cursed," Yuzuru mumbled to Brian before he laughed dramatically. "Daisuke cursed me to never win gold at my first grand prix event!"

"You've still got a chance," Brian reassured him. "Are you going to do it for the first time here?"

"I feel good," Yuzuru nodded, "so yes, I'm going to try it. If it goes wrong, it goes wrong. But, if it doesn't, it could mean good things!"

Firepunch was a success and the crowd went wild for him, but the rest of the battle wasn't anything to write home about. He sighed dramatically and gave Nathan a hug as the younger went to collect his gold and he was left with the silver. He stared at the gold, unable to hide his envious eyes, and Mikhail laughed along with Nathan.

"Nathan's in a dragon-type sandwich," Mikhail teased, and Yuzuru couldn't help but laugh along with that. His dragonair and Mikhail's dragonite shuffled closer to Nathan, and the American played along with them, laughing. "It's been a pleasure to share the podium with you guys, and thank you for inspiring me to work hard so I could medal in my home country. I'll be watching you two at the Final and your National Championships. See you at the Olympics!"

In the gala, Yuzuru could have sworn he caught Tatiana's eye as he performed with his dragonair, and the both of them smiled. It wasn't perfect but it would be enough to get him to the Final, and it didn't matter. The main goal this season was the Olympics. He felt lighter than he normally would after a loss and even let Evgenia and Misha cover him with gold streamers. He played around in them, watching the gold run around him like extensions of the feathery wings Satomi had designed for him, and he smiled to himself.

I will get the Olympic Gold. I will. And nothing can stop me

Yuzuru was mildly horrified when he caught the Cup of China results and saw that Javier wasn't on the podium. He was a full six points away from the podium and had finished in sixth, barely above Keiji. It felt like a punch to the gut that Javier wouldn't be at the Final with him, and he immediately opened his arms to hug the other when he got back to the club. Javier embraced him fully and, although no words were exchanged between them, there didn't need to be.

"Good luck next week," Javier told him softly. "Do what you did back in 2013, yeah? Go to the Final, set a new world record, and win it at home for the people who love you the most."

Yuzuru gave him a light smile that turned into a full one when he saw the kindness in his eyes. They'd agreed that training a little more separately that season would be better since they'd been butting heads, but it only made the soft moments between them all the more special.

Yuzuru flew out with Ghislain to the NHK Trophy in Osaka a little earlier than Brian to give him time to sort out the other battlers before he joined them. Ghislain and Kikuchi kept their watchful eyes over him as he and his trio of pokémon warmed up and started running through their battling elements. He'd been feeling warm all day and tugged at the neckline of his Under-Armour shirt as he lingered by the boards with Ghislain.

"How are you feeling?"

Yuzuru shrugged and sipped at his water as his trio of pokémon all looked up at him expectantly. He passed Den-Den her bottle of water and bottle fed Haku-chan and Lapalace-chan. His ampharos was the first to finish and he patted her on the head.

"Shall we try it?"

She nodded and he passed the water bottles all back to Ghislain to put in his bag. Kikuchi narrowed his eyes at him and shook his head, but Yuzuru stepped back up to the side of the platform with his pokémon. It wasn't his turn for the music, so he didn't want to get in the way of Jason and his venusaur, Venti, as they practiced to Hamilton. His ampharos was a little over excited at getting to practice it and, as Yuzuru turned to talk to Haku-chan, she slipped and let out the firepunch.

Yuzuru felt his ankle go as he ran to protect his dragonair from the blast. She'd suffered once from a fire type move, and he wasn't going to have it happen again. A sharp pain shot up from his right ankle and he heard the audible crack as he fell on it. His dragonair caught some of the move, and his ampharos and lapras were on in him an instant, checking to see if he was alright. His dragonair let out a soft whimper of pain, and Yuzuru could barely breathe as he looked at her.

Something was jutting out of her so, instead of looking sleek and smooth, her tail had a sharp point that stuck out of the side of it. Yuzuru's eyes widened in horror when he felt his ankle throb painfully. He scooped up his dragonair and nodded to his other two pokémon who ran up to beside him. His lapras nosed at him to help him to the side and his ampharos offered to let him rest his weight on her. Kikuchi took his dragonair off him and Ghislain offered Yuzuru his arm to support his weight. The pair of them politely kept the Japanese media away from Yuzuru as Kikuchi led him to a chair backstage.

"Look over Haku-chan first," Yuzuru insisted as he unlaced his battling boot. "Please."

Kikuchi nodded and lay her on a medical stretcher as Mrs Kobayashi kept the press away from Yuzuru for them. His ampharos nuzzled his leg, looking up at him with wide dark eyes full of apologies.

"It's not your fault," Yuzuru told her. "I promise it's not your fault. I told you to do it when we're not feeling our best and I have a fever. It's my fault."

"I'm sorry," Ghislain told Yuzuru and the younger looked at him in confusion. "I should have paid more attention and—"

"No. It's my fault," Yuzuru told him firmly as he stroked the top of his ampharos' head. "Do you think it's bad?"

Kikuchi lowered his voice and his eyes immediately told Yuzuru everything. "It's bad. I don't think it's broken, but I think there's some serious damage to her back. Let me check over your ankle, but I don't think you should compete, and I don't think she can compete."

Yuzuru nodded and let Ghislain help him to his feet. He leaned on the other much more than he would have liked to, and they headed out of sight so that Kikuchi could properly check him over. Every little movement to Yuzuru's ankle hurt, and his hopes of competing sunk further and further. He'd had three chances to compete at home, and two of them had gone with one false move.

"I'll withdraw," Yuzuru told him before he asked. "I need... The Olympics..."

Kikuchi nodded and understood how he always had. Ghislain rubbed Yuzuru's shoulders and Mrs Kobayashi poked her head in.

"Hanyu-senshu?"

"Why don't we see what has changed by tomorrow?" Kikuchi said gently. "If the swelling has gone down for both you and Hakuryu, you can do the practice session in the afternoon. We'll make the final decision then."

Morning came and it hurt more. The swelling had not gone down at all. Yuzuru hugged his dragonair and sobbed as he stroked her aching back. His mother pressed a kiss to the top of his head and ran a gentle hand through his hair.

"I need to tell Mrs Kobayashi," he mumbled as she helped him sit upright so he could get to the crutches. "Explain what's going on."

"Olympic Champion Yuzuru Hanyu pulls out NHK Trophy with injury." The headline read. "OSAKA, Japan – Yuzuru Hanyu has pulled out of the NHK Trophy after injuring his ankle in practice, a setback that could have a serious impact on his preparations for an Olympic title defence. He didn’t attend a scheduled news conference after practice on Thursday, when the Japan Pokémon Federation said Hanyu was getting treatment. Hanyu joined other notable absentees from the NHK. Patrick Chan withdrew to focus on the Canadian national championships and the Olympics, and Daisuke Murakami pulled out because of pneumonia."

"I am sorry I have made you all worry on my behalf," Yuzuru told the press, in tears, to tell the world. "The doctors did everything they could since last night so that I could compete at NHK Trophy, but they had decided that I cannot compete. I am going to concentrate on healing now and do my best to prepare for Japanese Nationals. Thank you for your support."

Yuzuru saw Jason's hand written sign that he held up in the Kiss and Cry, and he couldn't help but smile through his tears.

"Get well soon Yuzuru!" he saw, and he wished he could give Jason a hug to thank him for his kind words.

Chapter Text

Back in Canada, Yuzuru lay on his bedroom floor and stared up at the ceiling with his dragonair beside him. His ankle was strapped up, as was her back, and he idly stroked his fingers down the smooth skin. She shuffled closer to him and he pressed a kiss to her head before he went back to staring up at the ceiling. His mother had taken his phone and his laptop; the National Championships had occurred across the world and she couldn't trust him not to watch the battles of his competitors back over and over like he had done the season before. Withdrawing from the NHK Trophy and sacrificing his chance to get a fifth consecutive Final title and to perform at home was difficult. Learning that their injuries weren't healing fast enough was more painful and withdrawing from Nationals had been an agonising choice softened only by Mrs Kobayashi's reassurance that he would still be given a spot at the World Championships and Olympic Games, since he was the reigning champion in both and was first place in the IPU World standings. It didn't help much, though, and he could almost hear the spiteful words from the fans of Daisuke who had swapped to supporting anyone but him. Takahito had never been to the Olympics after all, so how selfish was it of Yuzuru to take the spot from him when he didn't even attend the National Championships?

"What are you doing?" Yuzuru shifted so he could see his mother from where she was standing in the doorway, and he shrugged. "Is something bothering you, Yuzuru? Something else?"

He shrugged again and went back to staring at the ceiling. The white expanse of their Canadian apartment was pristine and looked very much like the untouched ice of a lake, or a sterile battling platform. If he tried hard enough, he could hear the crowd in Korea cheering for him and he could picture everything going right. The gold from Sochi, displayed in his cabinet, would have a sister.

And then his eyes shifted a millimetre to the left and caught the dull silver of his Battle Canada and Four Continents medals. The shine of the gold was enough to blind his insecurities, but silver medals never shone as bright. His mother extended a hand to him and pulled him to his feet.

"Come on. Your coaches would like to speak to you at the club later today. Bring some work to do as well in case I'm late collecting you."

Yuzuru stepped into the club with his dragonair around his neck and his other two pokémon cuddling up to his side. The receptionist greeted him with a smile, and he knocked on the door to Brian's office.

"Yuzuru, hi," Brian gestured to the seat across from his desk. Tracy leaned against the wall and sipped at her own warm mug of tea that fought the winter chill and the chill of Yuzuru's internal pessimism. "How are you feeling? You and Haku-chan?"

"Slow recovery as always," Yuzuru mumbled and stroked her nose. "The Japanese Pokémon Federation has given me a spot for the Olympics but what if we are not ready in time? This is more serious than anything before."

"It doesn't matter if you're fully ready," at Brian's response, Yuzuru's head snapped up and Brian held up his hands to explain. "You've done a lot of training already. By August, you were ready for the games and I was worried you might peak early. But your training doesn't go away, Yuzuru. You've got all this in the bank and your body is ready for the games."

"But my mind?"

"We'll get it there," Tracy told him gently.

"You don't have to be back to your best." Brian told him. "If you want to go and break records, I don't think we have the time to make it happen. But, if you want to go and win the Olympics, that can happen. It's doable."

"I don't know if it can," Yuzuru glanced at his dragonair. "How are we meant to counter the technical strength when we have barely gone back to training properly?"

"The way you have done for a while." Tracy smiled at him. "Remember that it's not only the physical damage that matters but it's also the changes in stats. Everyone forgets that because of the hard-hitting moves, but you've got an innate in-born ability to know how to do this. And you've done it before. You've come back from a bad place to win."

Yuzuru nodded, still unsure of her words, and Brian patted him on the shoulder.

"You're not on your own. You've got us. You've got everyone at the club beside you to support you. We'll help you get the second gold and defend your title."

"And you're not going to the games alone either," Tracy told him. "Not just us, Ghislain, and Kikuchi, but you've also got Gabrielle, Elizabet, JunHwan and Javier going with you from the club too. And Toronto Cricket Club means family, and family means no one gets left behind."

Brian gave her a weird look and Yuzuru, despite himself, burst out laughing.

"Tracy watches Disney?"

"Tracy has three children. Of course Tracy watched Disney," she mumbled into her tea with a mock pout before she grinned at Yuzuru. "I've got a class to teach now, but you'll be alright with Brian?"

"Of course. Thank you, Tracy."

"Anytime Yuzuru," she promised him. "Anytime."

Once she had left the office, Brian took a piece of paper and drew a line down the middle of it.

"So, we're here," he marked one end of it, "and here are the Olympics. Why don't we sit down now and work out the plan so you know exactly what is going to happen each and every training session between now and then? And what you'll do at each official practice session, and what you'll say to the media, and how you'll face each challenge. The event starts the moment that plane lands, and we'll make sure that you're ready for it."

It was frustrating, to say the least, whenever Yuzuru trained. He and his pokémon were being careful and could only watch as Javier practiced his more difficult moves. Even JunHwan, the teen who had managed to claim his country's one spot by fighting tooth and nail through his injuries at the last qualifying event, was practicing things with more technical difficulty than Yuzuru. But he forced his eyes back to his own training, as limited as it was, and felt slightly more confident each time they did something more and more difficult.

When Javier was gone for the European Championships, Yuzuru felt the empty space left by him. He felt so old compared to the others at the club, particularly when his training sessions were still so short and technically void. He caught the Korean teen watching his sessions more than once with wide, curious eyes that mirrored those of his mew, and Yuzuru offered him faint smiles before he hyper focused once more. Kindness wasn't written in their plan, but he understood almost how much was resting on the other's shoulders. It wasn't easy getting your spot when you felt you didn't deserve it and another could easily have replaced you, and, although Yuzuru had competed at home for Worlds, it wasn't the same as the Olympics. He couldn't imagine the pressure pressing on him from all sides. Even at the club, the teen couldn't escape the pressure as Yuna Kim's name was displayed on the boards. Yuzuru sat beside him as he exchanged his battling boots for the tight ankle boot he wore to keep it as still as possible, and he offered Jun a bag of pokémon treats.

"How are you feeling?" He asked the younger, extending the hand of friendship like Javier had always done. Without Javier there, since he was in Moscow, he felt almost an obligation to step up and be the friendly one, even if it wasn't really his role.

Jun shrugged and wrapped up his own ankle in bandages. His winces didn't escape Yuzuru and the older wanted to hug him and tell him it would be okay. He took some of the treats and fed them to his mew before the pink pokémon floated over and gave Yuzuru a kiss on the cheek.

"I think they like you," Jun laughed and Yuzuru found himself laughing too. "Thank you for the treats."

"Hey," Yuzuru caught his wrist and smiled at him just before Jun left the room, "the only person you have to be is yourself. You don't have to live up to anyone's expectations. You are your own person and your own battler. You're not the next anyone. You are yourself, and that's the most important thing. So, uh, go out there and battle as JunHwan Cha."

Jun blinked at him and gave a very weak smile in returned. "Thanks, Yuzuru. I appreciate that. And you do your best too?"

Yuzuru nodded and smiled back. He couldn't really hide his laughter as the other ran off, face blushing from having just given Yuzuru Hanyu a pep-talk, but the older found it endearing. It almost made him forget that his best at the moment wouldn't qualify him for the free battle.

January plodded on and Yuzuru made more improvements under the watchful eyes of his coaches. With Javier back, he felt better and it was like he was home once again. His training sessions always ended first and, on one day, his mother got caught in traffic due to the heavy snow around the city. Yuzuru set up camp, with his pokémon beside him, and started working through some things for Waseda that he'd neglected. After that was done, he dug around in his bag and pulled out his notebook dedicated to battling. On his iPod, he pulled up some of his best battles and started to note down what he'd done. He watched back the short from the Autumn Classic, his free from Worlds, his short and free from the Grand Prix Final back in 2015, and he had a small realisation. He'd done them without the high technical moves that people used now. He did them with quality and his trust for his pokémon. He still had his trust and friendship back with them, even though it had been rattled after Boston, and all he needed back were some elements that would bring points and big scores.

"Hey," Yuzuru was brought out of his thoughts by that comforting voice with a Spanish accent. He took out his earphones and smiled up at Javier as the other settled on one of the seats opposite to him, "do you have a minute?"

"Of course," Yuzuru locked his iPod and pushed his notebooks out of the way so that the only thing between them was the table. "Is something bothering you?"

"I need to know how you do it," Javier leaned back in his seat and sighed. "How do you do your big comebacks and pull out a win when no one expects it? Because Worlds felt an awful lot like Sochi did, and I can't do that again. I can't have another Sochi at PyeongChang."

Yuzuru nodded and tapped his chin with his fingertip.

"What I do is not good for you. But you can trick your brain."

Javier blinked at him in confusion. "Come again?"

"So, you say Worlds was like Sochi, right? Our bodies, they do cycles. So, if Worlds was Sochi then you've tricked your brain into that cycle. Worlds was Sochi so then the Grand Prix series was Grand Prix series, Nationals was Nationals, Europeans was Europeans, and then the Olympics would be Olympics, but there was no Olympics in the season after the Olympics—"

"Stop saying Olympics."

Yuzuru rolled his eyes, frustrated with his inability to explain it. "What I mean is your body is ready for Worlds. Worlds in 2015. Because it's on a cycle and you tricked it into thinking Worlds was Sochi so it's gone back to that."

"I see," Javier mumbled but then he shook his head. "No, I don't see. What?"

Exasperated, Yuzuru groaned. "So... Basically, you will do good at the Olympics like you did at 2015 Worlds because of your body. And you got a medal there, so you will get a medal at PyeongChang."

"Well, what's your body on then?" Javier asked with a light frown.

"I don't actually know," Yuzuru confessed softly, showing more vulnerability than he would have liked. "Hopefully something good."

"Hopefully," Javier nodded and patted Yuzuru's hand. He opened and closed his mouth like he really wanted to say something, but he stopped himself.

Just before they left the club for the Olympics, Brian stopped them all. He gestured to the familiar place with no boards, the high ceiling, and the comfort that it had always brought.

"Just take a good look around," Brian told them gently. "This has been your home for six or seven years, and it's always your home if you want it to be. Just take a good look around and don't forget about the Cricket Club."

Yuzuru pressed a hand to one of the walls of the club, and felt like he was seventeen again and had just walked in for the first time. Despite coming almost every day for years, he still thought back to his humble beginnings in Sendai. With his ankle wrapped up in tape and bandages, he pressed his forehead to the wall and smiled.

He was going to win and bring a second gold to Sendai.

Chapter Text

Javier got to arrive with the rest of the world for the opening ceremony, but Yuzuru stayed back just a few days to let his ankle and his dragonair's back recover a little further. The flight from Toronto to Incheon was long and difficult, and he focused his mind the moment they stepped onto it.

This is it. From this moment on, it's time to play the game.

A team of bodyguards met his delayed flight at Incheon airport and someone took his mother and his bags out of the media's eyes so the only thing people would see would be him. Like a prince, dressed in the sharp suit that he'd struggled into on the plane so he wouldn't show up in sweatpants, he stepped out to a sea of camera flashes and supporting fans. The press were there, eager to catch a glimpse of him after his months of hiding away from the light and their questions. He headed to the section they'd separated for him so that he could shed light on just some of the questions people were burning to know the answers to, and he kept his smile up. He was the one calm island amongst the sea of raging waves and chaos.

This is your puppet show Yuzuru. You pull the strings. Tell them only what you want them to know.

"The condition of your ankle now?" One of the reporters asked him, "And the condition of your dragonair? What feelings were you practicing with during these three months?"

"There were many competitions I could not participate in, and I felt really impatient. I did what I could with rehabilitation and treatment. I'm happy I've actually arrived here now. From now, I want to adjust myself accordingly while heading towards the competition."

"What about the repeat Olympic gold? Do you think you can do it?"

"If I'm being honest, I want to defend my title. But that isn't my only goal here, so I want to experience the games here too. The Olympics."

"What moves are you thinking of doing in the short and free battles?"

"I will adjust to the actual battle stadium and decide. I want to properly come up with a plan. There are many options."

"What is your current condition like?"

Yuzuru paused for that one and then smiled sweetly. "I haven't battled yet, so I don't know. But I watched the team event and I wanted to win. I want to win now."

Yuzuru ended the press conference after the four questions in the way that only he could, and they headed towards the Olympic village. When he caught sight of Shoma in the Team Japan part and gave him a wave, the excitement in his stomach turned.

The games had officially begun.

"You only have to show them what you want to," Brian told Yuzuru as they stepped in, and that he did.

He almost felt bad for Tatsuki, as he was the one providing commentary for the people of Japan on his practices, but it was too much fun to mess with everyone like that. He felt every single eye on him when he and his dragonair messed around, doing moves to only a tiny fraction of their true power, and other coaches became too distracted by him to watch their own students. He smirked before he nodded to his dragonair and they threw out a high difficulty move. Yuzuru laughed internally as he smiled sweetly to the cameras and took a bow. He stepped off the battling platform and a pin drop could be heard. That was how he would do it; he would give the others the tiniest tastes of what he could do without letting them know anything about his condition. While Brian finished off with Javier at the official practice, Ghislain and Kikuchi stuck to Yuzuru's side like the bodyguards he'd had at the airport. After changing out of his boots into his more comfortable trainers, he knew where to head next.

In the Olympic village, at the Gangneung location, there was a McDonald's on site. If there was anywhere to find the teenager he was looking for, the fast-food place would be his first stop. The nice thing about stepping into it then was that other athletes from other sports only vaguely recognised him, and he wasn't descended on by other figure skaters. The two American snowboarding teens who had won their events were both there, chattering over takeout cups of hot chocolate. In the corner, holding a cup of tea and wearing the Team Korea beanie hat, was Jun. He, Hanul, and Dabin were talking, and it died down when Yuzuru came over.

"Hi Yuzuru," Jun smiled at him and shuffled up along the bench to make space for the other. "How was the flight? Aren't you meant to be in practice now?"

Yuzuru shrugged and smiled at the ladies sitting opposite to him. "Sorry to disturb you. I just wanted to congratulate you," he nodded to Dabin, "and Jun on your Team Event performances."

"You watched the Team Event?" Jun drummed his fingers against the side of the cup. "We came ninth with the same points as Israel above us, which isn't too bad, I guess. We beat France though, which is pretty cool given that they do World Team Trophy and we don't."

"You did well," Yuzuru nodded to away from the table, and Jun followed him out. "Listen. I just wanted to say well done for starting the battling, and for starting it with a clean performance. It was great. You should be so proud of yourself."

Jun gave him a smile that died not long after. "Well, no, I didn't start the battling. Not really. Yuna—"

"She and her ninetails did their performance before the Olympic flame was lit," Yuzuru argued. "And, before it's lit, the games haven't officially started. No, you started off the battling at the games and I'm proud of you."

"Thanks Yuzuru," Jun rubbed the back of his neck and Yuzuru adjusted his beanie hat for him. "How's it going? I mean... Yeah, how is it?"

"It's all in my calculations." Yuzuru told him before they parted with a smile and he headed to his hotel room. He had other things to calculate.

Brian and Jun were the first to go to the arena from Team Cricket. Tracy kept with Javier to keep him calm and focused, and Ghislain and Kikuchi dedicated their time to Yuzuru until they were reunited with Brian. On the bus to the arena, Yuzuru ended up sitting beside Boyang. The Chinese man didn't say anything to him. He just tilted his phone towards Yuzuru and offered him one of his airpods to listen to the commentary. He was watching the event live, and smiled as Michal Brezina received 85.15 for his battle. Boyang didn't question as Yuzuru's breath hitched when he saw his training mate step out.

The youngest battler in the event and in his home country, Jun was feeling the pressure. It was clear on his face, and the entire audience cooed when he pressed a kiss to his mew's nose before they stepped up. The audience didn't care if they messed up every move or were flawless. He was their boy, and they were going to cheer for him.

And it was good. Yuzuru couldn't stop the smile and excitement that came from seeing him do so well. He heard the pride in the crowd, and he saw the pride in Brian's expression. Boyang grinned with him and Jun smiled too when he saw his score of 83.43. He was through to the free battle.

"Good soon," Boyang tried to explain. "Him. Grow and good."

Yuzuru nodded. "He will."

"And pokémon cute."

"And his pokémon is cute," Yuzuru agreed with a smile.

By the time they got to the arena, Misha had just scored 83.90 with his ditto. Boyang bounced off, leaving wishes of good luck with Yuzuru, and he paced around backstage. Kikuchi offered him his water bottle and Yuzuru took a few sips before he locked eye contact with his dragonair. Both of them nodded and he smiled.

Yuzuru was the first in group six and, by the time it was their turn, he was itching to go. Him, Nathan, Mikhail, Shoma, Javier, Boyang. That was their final order. First in the group, just where he liked to be. He felt the cameras on him and his dragonair, but he paid it no mind. He knew what he could do and knew what he would do. With his dragonair as his partner and Chopin as their weapon, they would strike and win.

The warm up finished and Yuzuru stepped out and onto the platform. He could feel Nathan's eyes on him from where the eighteen-year-old waited to go on next, and he could feel the piercing gaze of Nathan's coach. He smiled to Brian and shook his hand before he stepped out to the crowd.

Look away. I dare you

Every note was perfect. He and his dragonair held their smiles at the end as the powerful piano chord gave way to rapturous applause and a waterfall of Winnie the Pooh bears. He wasn't allowed Pooh-san at the Olympics, so he'd had to swap to a cake shaped pokéball holder. Pooh-san was sitting on his bed in his hotel room watching his battle live so he could support him silently.

Yuzuru hugged Brian as he stepped off the stage and he sighed. This, this was what he had missed the most during his time off the battling stage. The adrenaline, the excitement, everything. It felt like home.

"I'm back," he told Brian and his coach just smiled and patted his cheek. He hugged Ghislain too before he bowed to the crowd and smiled to Kikuchi. The older passed him his Team Jacket and water bottle, and he sat down in the Kiss and Cry with his dragonair. "Good?" he teased.

"So good," Brian told him. "We're so proud of you."

Yuzuru's smile was impossible to quell and the excitement that this could be another record made his stomach flutter with excitement. His laughter infected Ghislain and Brian, and seeing them both in the Team Japan suits made his heart swell with pride.

I'm still the Olympic Champion.

"Yuzuru Hanyu has earned in the short battle 111.68 points."

"So close," Ghislain said to him and Yuzuru shook his head.

"One one one," Yuzuru moved his fingers in front of them across the screen, and his smile only grew. To come off injuries like that and score the second-best score in the world, second only to himself, was just what he wanted. He stroked his dragonair's head and she nuzzled up to his side as Nathan stepped up to battle.

They were ushered out of the Kiss and Cry to backstage, but Yuzuru saw enough of Nathan's battle to feel his heart break for the other. He and his arcanine chased too many difficult things and, as a teenager with all that pressure from the US media, sooner or later he was going to crumble. It was just the biggest and worst stage to crumble at. He qualified for the free battle in thirteenth place and well below what he'd wanted to score. He'd had his eyes on Yuzuru's 111 and had fallen to 82.27 instead.

Then it was Shoma, and Yuzuru felt the thrill of a good battle. His teammate also broke the 100-point barrier with 104.17, but Yuzuru didn't give himself time to dwell on it. After Shoma was Javier, and sat up straighter to watch him.

And Javier was delightful. There were few battlers as fun and as giving with their performances as Javier, and he and his charizard played the Charlie Chaplin role perfectly. Yuzuru soaked up watching him like a sponge and smiled when he sat in second, just four points behind Yuzuru with one of his own best ever short battle scores. Boyang sat in fourth after the short battle and Yuzuru gave Javier a hug. One hurdle jumped. One more to go. One more day until the proof of their four years of hard work would be revealed.

In the press conference, Yuzuru studied Javier's side profile as the other talked. His eyes sparkled with delight, but they weren't as bright as he'd seen them before. He chewed on his lip as the thought of Javier's fourth place from four years prior came up in his mind.

Please, he silently begged whoever would listen to him, please let Javier medal tomorrow. Please, when I sit down for the press conference, let it be with these two people beside me again.

Chapter Text

The day of the free, he woke up with a ball of calm in his stomach. His trio of pokémon seemed to have it too, and they ate a light breakfast in silence. It was early, all so that the Americans could watch it live, but Yuzuru didn't care. Sitting for the entire day with this feeling would have been torture as he was itching to compete. He felt ready; calm and ready. He was twenty-second to battle in the free which meant he would secure his medal and then get to see Javier battle straight after him. Brian had again gone earlier to coach Jun through the free battle, and Yuzuru sat with Javier this time on the bus in.

"Do you want to watch it?" Javier tilted his phone towards Yuzuru. "The second group has just finished their warm up."

"Who is it?"

"Alexei, Daniel, Nathan, Misha, Jun, and then Brendan."

"Well, we have to support our Cricket Club baby," Yuzuru teased. Javier gave him a soft smile and, hidden at the back of the bus, Yuzuru felt he could safely lean his head on Javier's shoulder as they watched. Javier's earphones looked like they'd come out of the dark ages, but Yuzuru could cope with them if it meant sharing with Javier.

He saw Alexei and Daniel fight, and, as the bus got caught in traffic, Nathan stepped up. His battling style still needed refining, but Nathan had power behind his every move. Yuzuru's heart leapt as he watched it, and he couldn't help but think about how Mao had delivered a beautiful free battle at Sochi to pull herself up from sixteenth after the short battle. As Nathan finished, he bit his lip hard and felt Javier's warm hand rub his shoulder.

"Tell me what you're thinking?" Javier whispered to him, quietly enough that none of the others around them could hear. "You look like you're about to cry. He won't beat you Yuzu. You've got nearly thirty points over him going into the short."

"It's not that," Yuzuru smiled up at Javier and wiped his eyes. "I was thinking of Mao-chan."

He unconsciously held his cake pokéball holder tighter to him, and Javier nodded with a smile. He thought back to the egg he has been given by the Queen of Japanese battling when he was younger. He remembered when she'd hatched. He remembered when she'd evolved both times, and he remembered when she forgave him for his terrible mistake. Javier stroked his hair, both of them ignoring the huge score of 215.08 Nathan got in the free battle as they silently thought back to every time they'd battled with their pokémon. Misha, on the screen, was as beautiful as ever in his battle, and Yuzuru wished he'd be rewarded more for it. They both watched with a smile as Jun fought with everything he had. Even with a deduction, he smiled and waved to the crowd, his crowd, and relished in his scores.

"He's growing up so fast," Javier pretended to wipe his eyes and Yuzuru giggled. "Soon he'll be a champion. He's too good not to get more medals."

"He is," Yuzuru agreed, collecting his things as the bus arrived at the venue. "Javi." He caught the other's wrist before he could move too far away. "You're going to get a medal today."

Javier smiled at him, and it made Yuzuru's heart flutter.

"And you're going to get the gold."

Kikuchi and Ghislain kept Yuzuru focused before their warm up, and he and his pokémon felt like a knife that was freshly sharpened and itching to show that beauty and power are one in the same. They stayed warming up through group three, and Yuzuru smirked when the camera turned to them for the warm up. He heard the screams echo throughout the stadium and arena when he took off his Team Japan jacket and revealed his revamped Seimei costume. Abe no Seimei hadn't had pokémon, but, if he had, Yuzuru hoped he would have battled them the same way he was going to.

Dmitri went first out of their six, and the pressure and injuries got to the youngster. He crumbled painfully, and Nathan still sat in first place. Then it was Boyang, who took over the lead after a beautiful battle with one error. Yuzuru stepped out, waiting with his three best friends beside him as Patrick finished his battle. Patrick wasn't someone to beat, or his mortal enemy. In different circumstances, perhaps they might have been able to be friends instead. Patrick, in these games, had finally got the Olympic gold he so desperately craved, even if it was a Team gold instead of the individual one. Yuzuru stepped up after him and smiled to Brian before he and his pokémon headed towards the centre of the platform. He was ready to face God and walk backwards into hell on severe injuries for this gold.

The start of Seimei was his own breathing. He'd recorded it and put it in to ground him for the battle he was about to face. In every incarnation of Seimei, that was one of the constants.

At Boston, he had crashed and burnt. In Barcelona, he had soared like the legendary Japanese flying type Lugia. At PyeongChang, he flew with minor mistakes. His ankle reminded him he was human, and he switched a few things up midway through when he saw how the painkillers weren't helping his dragonair get rid of it all. The end of the music came and all the emotion he'd bottled up overwhelmed him. In a flash, every single battle he'd ever had with his pokémon came back to him. His first novice title. Second and third to Ryuju and Keiji. Moving into the junior ranks. The anger at the losses. The pride at sweeping every junior title. His rise through seniors like a rocket. His best moments in Nagoya and Barcelona. His worst moments at Boston. His rise in Helsinki. All of it crossed his mind in an instant and he reached down to pat his ankle.

Thank you for getting me through this. Thank you.

He pressed his forehead to his lapras' and kissed her nose.

"Thank you for reminding me why," he whispered to her before he withdrew her back into her pokéball. He picked up his ampharos and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "And thank you for showing me how far I've come."

He withdrew her too and stroked his dragonair on the head before he headed to Brian at the side. He fell into his coach's arms as pooh bears continued to rain down around them all. Flowers, plushies, and Japanese flags filled the arena as far as the eye could see, and Yuzuru knew, deep down in his heart, he had won his second Olympic gold.

"That was so hard." he whispered to Brian as his coach patted him on the back.

"I'm so proud," Brian told him. "I'm going to—"

"Go to Javi," Yuzuru smiled. "Vamos Javi."

Brian gave him a smile that held an emotion Yuzuru didn't understand, but he scooped up his dragonair and followed Ghislain and Kikuchi to the Kiss and Cry. She cuddled up to his side and he leaned down to press a kiss to the top of her head.

"And thank you for never ever giving up on me." Yuzuru whispered to her. "You're my best friend."

When the camera turned on them, Yuzuru thanked the crowd before he bowed to Ghislain and sent a gesture of thanks to Brian across the arena. Ghislain looked up with nerves, but Yuzuru just felt excitement. It wasn't a world record for sure, but it was going to be amazing.

"The scores please. Yuzuru Hanyu has earned in the free battle 206.17 points." He shook his fists in pride as his ankle throbbed and his dragonair cuddled up beside him. Ghislain patted him on the shoulder and neither of them could stop smiling. "His total competition score is 317.85 points, and he is currently in first place."

Ghislain pulled Yuzuru into a hug and patted him on the back before the other all but ran for the green room. He flashed Vincent a small smile as the young American stepped out, and he settled between Boyang and Nathan to watch Javier.

"Don't fall apart," he whispered quietly to himself as Javier's charizard missed one of the biggest moves midway through the program and it only did half the damage it was meant to. But Javier kept going to Man of La Mancha; it was a perfectly Spanish program for a perfectly Spanish man, and it brought a lump to Yuzuru's throat. He cheered as the other sat in the Kiss and Cry beside his coaches and charizard, and he clasped his hands together where the cameras couldn't see.

Please have the 2 beside his name. Please have the 2 beside his name. Please.

"The scores please. Javier Fernandez has earned in the free battle 197.66 points." Javier smiled and shrugged his shoulders as if to ask the crowd 'What can you do?' Yuzuru's breath hitched when he spotted it, and he burst into tears there and then in the green room. None of the three in the Kiss and Cry had seen it. "His total competition score is 305.24 points, and he is currently in second place."

"Second," Brian thought. "So it's Yuzu, you, and then—"

"Second!" Tracy cut Brian off with a hug to Javier and she shook his shoulders. "Javi! You've got a medal!"

Yuzuru couldn't help but sob with happiness when his battling family all hugged in the Kiss and Cry. He managed to give Nathan a hug, congratulating him on pulling himself up so much after an abysmal short, and, when Javier stepped into the green room as Shoma's free battle started, Yuzuru launched himself into the other's arms.

"Yuzu?" Javier mumbled and Yuzuru just sobbed into his shoulder. Javier held him, chuckling a little at how awkward poor Boyang looked behind Yuzuru, and he stroked his hair. "Is everything alright?"

"You're getting a medal," Yuzuru choked out as more sobs overwhelmed him. "Javi." He shook his shoulders. "You're getting a medal. Spain is getting a medal. You did it!"

"So did you," Javier caught sight of the monitors and saw Shoma's snorlax faint. He guided Yuzuru to sit down and the other wiped at his face aggressively with a tissue. "You said it earlier today, didn't you?"

Yuzuru gave him a weak and watery smile, and he cheered as Shoma sat in the Kiss and Cry with his coach. Mihoko always seemed to be smiling, and Yuzuru watched with his hands clasped together tightly in his lap.

"The scores please. Shoma Uno has earned in the free battle 202.73 points. His total competition score is 306.90 points, and he is currently in second place."

The cameras turned to Yuzuru and caught him crying again. The youngest Olympic gold medallist for men's singles pokémon battling since Dick Button had now become the first man to win back to back Olympic golds in men's singles pokémon battling since Dick Button, and the first in sixty-six years. He smiled through his tears to the camera and hugged his dragonair before his coaches embraced both him and Javier tightly.

"We're so proud of you," Yuzuru could hear the tears in Brian's voice. "So proud of both of you. You've worked so hard and you deserve this."

Kikuchi held onto Yuzuru's jacket as he and his dragonair lingered by the side of the platform for the venue ceremony. Shoma tilted his head in confusion at it, and Yuzuru patted him like an adorable puppy.

"They give us flowers here. And I think soft animals. And then we get our medals later so more people can see it."

Javier came over and embraced both of them tightly. Yuzuru hid his head in the crook of Javier's shoulder and enjoyed the relaxing scent of sandalwood and cinnamon that was just so Javier.

"Well done both of you," he told them gently, and Yuzuru relaxed into his arms. Shoma just looked rather confused and Yuzuru hung onto every word of Javier's. The Spaniard turned more to Yuzuru and lowered his voice as he spoke. "It is my honour to compete with you. Actually, this is my last competition competing alongside you. I will retire. After Europeans, I will retire."

No.

Yuzuru froze for what felt like an eternity. Every memory, no matter how small he'd considered it at the time, hit him like a ton of bricks. Having lunch together at the club. Messing about when Brian yelled at them. Every shared podium, training session, and smile. All of it. His heart broke and he shook with tears and sobs. He clung to Javier's shoulder as the other, his friend, his training mate, his other half in his life, supported him as he always had.

"I can't," he choked out finally, "I can't do it without you."

Javier stroked his hair and let him hide his face in his shoulder once again. The other was on the verge of tears too and Yuzuru couldn't put it off any longer. He'd locked the feelings away in his heart for much too long, and it was now or never.

"I love you."

Javier's head snapped up and Yuzuru couldn't bear to meet his eyes. The Spaniard gently cupped his cheek and forced him to look up; chocolate brown met near black.

"I love you too."

The Olympics was the best competition of his life, Yuzuru decided, as he climbed up between his compatriot and his new boyfriend. His smile shone brighter than a thousand stars, and he knew that, no matter what came next, this moment of his life was sheer perfection.

Yuzuru got to enjoy being with Javier in the safety and privacy of their hotel rooms but, in the eyes of the public, he had multiple press conferences to attend. The Japanese media wanted him to answer question after question, and it was there he decided to make his biggest announcement.

"I'm not going to go to the World Championships. Instead, I'm taking the time to recover and to let my dragonair recover. We're also going to try and meet Lugia."

Brian rolled his eyes and downed his drink in the bar when he saw that interview.

"Of course he's chasing a bloody legendary now. He just loves being crazy, doesn't he?"

End of part 2

Chapter Text

Yuzuru returned home after his second Olympic gold and enjoyed Sendai in the spring. His first stop was to go and see his old coaches, and he was hit with a huge wave of nostalgia when he walked back into the club that had housed him for so long. He saw other battlers training and his heart warmed when he caught the eyes of some of the staff. Acting as a choreographer rather than a coach now, Nanami stepped out and met him in the entrance. She opened her arms up to him and he fell into them, giving her a tight hug.

"I always knew you could," she told him. "I always knew you would as well."

He took the precious medal out of his coat pocket and placed it around her neck with a smile. She ran her fingers over the delicate engravings on the gold before she took it off and put it around his neck.

"Thank you for giving me such a good foundation," Yuzuru bowed to her and she patted his shoulder, laughing.

"Your hard work has paid off. You deserve the world, Yuzuru."

He spent a few days travelling around Japan, thanking his old coaches for all they'd ever done for him. Afterwards, he started making some calls and putting together some battlers.

"Plushenko-san," he bowed his head to the other as he spoke to him via the video, "as a hero of mine, would you consider battling in my show? In Japan?"

"Yuzuru," Evgeni gave the younger a smile, "when a two-time Olympic Champion and the best battler ever to grace the world asks you something like that, you cannot turn it down. I would be honoured."

Yuzuru asked Jeffrey, Shae-Lynn, and Johnny to join the show too, as well as Yuko and Alexander, Takahito Mura, and Minoru Sano. He asked Stephane to join him, but the other smiled sadly on the other end of the video call.

"I'm sorry Yuzuru. I'm so honoured you've asked me to come, but I cannot. I'm afraid I've got other commitments, but I will absolutely record something for you that can be played during the show."

Yuzuru picked up his phone and dialled that familiar number.

"Hola Yuzu, mi vida. How are you, my darling? Is Japan treating you well my dearest?"

"It's good," Yuzuru sighed and lay back on his bed. "Javi? I know it's a big ask, and you're in Spain at the moment, but I was wondering if you would like to participate in my battling show? From the 13th to the 15th of April? I've invited everyone who inspired me and you've inspired me the most."

"Oh Yuzuru," Javier's voice wasn't nearly as sunny as it usually was and Yuzuru's heart fell. "I wish I could. I would give anything to be able to come, but I've—"

"I understand. You're looking for Moltres and you've got other commitments and I understand."

"I'll find a way to make it work Yuzu," Javier promised him. "Don't you worry."

As Yuzuru and his dragonair were both still recovering, they didn't do as much as he would have wanted in the show. It was amazing. The crowd adored seeing Yuzuru perform Chopin, Zigeunerweisen, and From Russia with Love on the first day; Etude, Mission Impossible, and Parisienne Walkways on the second day; and Sing Sing Sing, Romeo and Juliet, and Seimei on the final day. Javier woke up early on his own birthday to live stream his performance to Japan, and Yuzuru directed the nine-thousand fans to sing Happy Birthday to his secret boyfriend. He watched Stephane's message and bit his lip shyly as he listened to his friend. Javier's message very nearly made him cry in front of everyone and he wasn't sure if it was because of the memories or because of how in love with Javier he was.

"I will always be supporting you," Javier had told him, and Yuzuru smiled down at his hands. He was. Javier was always by his side and always held him in his heart, even as he scoured the world to catch his own legendary before Yuzuru set off on the journey towards Lugia.

Before the last show, Yuzuru hugged his idols together and spoke to them backstage. Everything felt so different. There was a Yuzuru before the two Olympic golds, and now he was a freer Yuzuru.

"I'm so appreciative to you because you're my heroes and you're my idols. And thank you for coming here, and I'm really happy to battle. I could have stopped battling, and I came here and you came here. Thank you very much."

At the end, he was passed a microphone and took a long steadying breath before he started.

"Thank you so much everyone!" He looked directly into the camera for the live stream and waved. "Thank you for watching even if you couldn't come, and thank you TV Asahi for helping with this show, Continues. I'm so glad I got to do my own commentary and do different things than normal. Nobu-kun? You are commentating now! Thank you for everything! I love to be able to watch battlers and becoming someone who is able to hold a battling show like this really makes me happy. The people who helped me to become this person are the people here. There is no doubt. And also those who couldn't be here, but they will be here next time if I do this again. I'm going to keep competing so, when I finally stop, I'll do an even better show than this one.

"There's so much I want to say. I asked Plushenko-san and Johnny about this earlier. Johnny has had disagreements with fans so he's now attacked no matter what he says, and I understand this. No matter what I say, people will say things. Even if I'm just battling, things will be said. I have attention around me so it seems like a lot but I think it happens to normal people as well. In the midst of all of it, at one period, I thought 'Why am I living' and 'I'll just die' so many times. But, well, in the end, people supported me and here we are! What made me the happiest was when the people I admire sent me messages. And after the disaster too. Everyone gave me comments like 'Yuzu, you'll be okay'. I'm so grateful. I'm so thankful. I thought 'I'm happy I'm battling.' Right now, I truly think 'I'm happy to be alive' so thank you very much.

"I'm going to say 'thank you very much' and please say it with me!" He moved the microphone and shouted his Japanese thanks across the arena his show was in. "Truly, truly thank you all so much. Someday, someday, please come and watch me again!"

After the success of the show, Yuzuru paraded around Sendai to celebrate his second Olympic gold. He waved to the crowds of hundreds of thousands of people who had decided to come and see him and his gold and, after the cost of the parade was deducted, the 22 million yen of profits were donated to the local battling federation. When April turned to May, Yuzuru relaxed in his room in Sendai and looked up at the ceiling.

"And now what?" he whispered to himself. His ankle was recovering well so he would be able to join the normal battling shows with the others later in the summer. "Now what Yuzuru? We battle next season, and do as many competitions as possible. But for now? What about before then?"

"Hey Yuzu-pon," Saya opened his door and sat on the floor beside his bed. Fushi waddled into his room and sat down on her lap. She stroked his head and Yuzuru shuffled so that he was lying on his bed with his head near her end. "You recovering?"

"Slowly, but yes. I'll be good for next season."

"Good." Saya poked his cheek. "So. Lugia, huh?"

Yuzuru smiled. "Lugia. But I have no idea where to start. All I know is that apparently he's in Japan."

"I can help you there. Hold Fushi for a second?"

She dumped the pokémon on his lap and Yuzuru cuddled him closer.

"Thank you," Yuzuru whispered to his sister's pokémon, "for supporting me and bringing light to Saya's life."

"Here it is!" Saya sat down beside his bed and held out a thick leather-bound book to him.

"Didn't Sobo give us this years ago?" Yuzuru sat up and started paging through it as Saya took Fushi back. "Fairy tales?"

"Yes yes, but go to the end," Saya flicked through several pages. "Go to the East, hidden in the bay. The movement of the water will show you the way. Battle the elements to get through the strait. Take the Tidal Bell to summon your fate. It's got to be about Lugia, right?"

Yuzuru nodded as he read through it again and again. "But what's this Tidal Bell? I haven't ever heard of it."

"That's because you're boring. Your entire life is battling," Saya teased. "Only one was ever made. Legend has it that it was last seen in Spain. In Madrid."

"How convenient," Yuzuru half smiled. "Saya?"

"Yes Pest?"

"Thank you. For letting me be the battler I've become today."

Saya smiled and hugged him tightly. "I'm so proud of you, Yuzu."

Yuzuru stepped off the plane in Madrid airport and smiled when he saw Javier and his charizard waiting there for him. He ran over and the other pulled him into a tight hug, pressing a kiss to Yuzuru's cheek.

"I missed you," Javier whispered. "So much Yuzu. So much."

"I missed you too," Yuzuru kept his fingers laced with Javier's as they took the subway to Javier's apartment. They spent the afternoon lounging around Javier's apartment and Yuzuru spent it sleeping and cuddling his cats.

"Come on. I want to show you something."

Javier took Yuzuru to the beach and they stood on the sand, watching. The sun dipped below the horizon, casting rays of pink, orange, and gold across the sky. Yuzuru leaned his head on Javier's shoulder and the other pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"I love you," he whispered. "Te amo, Yuzuru."

"Te amo Javi." Yuzuru smiled up at him and cupped his cheek to pull him into a kiss.

They sat on the beach together and Yuzuru let his lapras splash around in the water. His dragonair nuzzled at his side before she went off exploring, and Yuzuru only looked up when he heard a faint tinkling sound.

"Haku-chan?" Yuzuru's eyes widened when he saw that she'd got a bell on a ribbon around her neck. "Haku-chan?"

She sat beside him and, while Javier was occupied with playing with Yuzuru's lapras and his own kingdra in the water, Yuzuru untied the ribbon. He took the bell and Haku-chan nuzzled up beside him as he turned it over in his delicate fingertips.

To find me, you must only ring me at the right place.

Yuzuru traced his thumb across the kanji, hardly daring to believe that he'd found it on his first night in Madrid. Underneath the writing, several rolling waves had been engraved into it and Yuzuru knew it was the right thing.

"What would I do without you, Haku-chan?" Yuzuru asked him. "What would I do?"

"Where are we going again?" Yuzuru asked as he walked along behind Javier, sipping from his water bottle. "I thought you said we were going to meet Moltres?"

"We are. Just a little further and then we'll get the ferry," Javier told him, bouncing from foot to foot with excitement as he stood further along the trail from Yuzuru. "Come on! It'll be fun, I promise."

"Everything is fun with you," Yuzuru huffed as he followed the other along the path towards the ferry. "Even hiking. Which is evil. Except with you."

Javier looped an arm around his shoulders and they joined the ferry together. Pheasant Island, that's what Javier had called it, and sat between France and Spain. They stepped off the ferry and Yuzuru gave Javier a little space as the other walked before him.

"You sure you'll be alright?"

"Of course." Javier kissed his cheek. "Wish me luck?"

"Good luck. Not that you need it. Any legendary bird would be stupid not to fall in love with you."

Yuzuru and his dragonair played about together and waited until Javier re-joined them. Yuzuru's heart flipped with excitement and he was about to run over and hug Javier when the great fire bird Moltres flew straight into him and knocked him over.

"I guess I've acquired another fire type that is overly affectionate to you Yuzu," Javier teased. "Yuzuru, Moltres. Moltres, this is my darling boyfriend Yuzuru."

"He's pretty!" The legendary bird got off Yuzuru's chest and started flapping around him in excitement. "Pretty pretty pretty!"

Yuzuru raised an eyebrow at Javier and laughed as the other helped him up. "You do have a way with the chaotic fire types, don't you?"

Javier looped an arm around his shoulders. "True. Are you alright? You look lighter somehow."

"I am. I'm ready for when we go back to Japan to find Lugia."

Chapter Text

Javier accompanied Yuzuru to the Bishamondo Temple in Miyagi, just north of Sendai. After a silent moment of reflection, Javier stood with Yuzuru on the shoreline and gave him a hug.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"I should be asking you that. Are you ready to come? I promise she's super gentle and won't throw you off her back."

Javier eyed Yuzuru's lapras and she nodded at him. The Spaniard gulped and watched as Yuzuru climbed onto her back before he offered Javier his hand. He gingerly took it and let Yuzuru help him climb onto her back beside him. The Spaniard watched in awe as she swam across the waves like a serene swan. Yuzuru smiled, unable to stop giggling at Javier's varying expressions of awe. To the east was a huge expanse of water; it was endless. To the west, he saw the Miyagi prefecture and the buildings that made it up. He leaned over, trailing his fingers through the cool water that flowed around them as they came to a stop on one of the small islands. It held only a lighthouse on it, and Javier nodded up at it.

"Is that where Lugia is?"

"No." Yuzuru nodded to the island further to the east off the island they were on. "Lugia is found there according to the legends. Do you want to stay here? We'll come back and get you if you'd like?"

"Thank you," Javier pressed a kiss to his forehead. "You sure you'll be okay?"

"I've got my friends," Yuzuru gestured to his pokéballs. "We'll be fine I promise Javi."

"Then good luck. May Lugia see that your heart is as gentle as I know it is."

Javier pressed a kiss to Yuzuru's cheek before the other climbed onto his lapras' back once more. He crossed the straight between Yogasakihama, and landed safely on the other small island that was south of Mahanashi Island. He stepped off his lapras' back and pressed a kiss to her head.

"Will you be okay waiting here? Just for a moment?"

She nodded and Yuzuru followed the small rocky slope up to the top of the island. Standing there, standing in the midst of the bay, he felt more like Yuzuru Hanyu than he ever had. With his eyes closed, he felt the warmth of the sun on his skin and the ocean breeze ruffle his hair. After enjoying the undisturbed peace for a moment, he reached into his bag and took out the bell.

To find me, you must only ring me at the right place.

Yuzuru rang the bell and watched as it sparkled in his fingertips. The light sound seemed to amplify as it rang out across the bay. He watched, eyes widening as he saw the ripples in the waves not far from him. Off the island to the east, he watched as more and more ripples gathered. He saw as the water went still for a moment as the calm before the storm.

Out of the water, a huge white pokémon flew up into the sky. Yuzuru could only stare at it, entranced by the pale blue marks on its stomach and the darker blue accents on its white wings. The awe overcame him when it landed in front of him on the island, and Yuzuru knelt before the pokémon.

"You are the human who called for me?"

Yuzuru nodded, placing his forehead against the ground as a sign of respect to the pokémon. Lugia tilted his head at him and Yuzuru dared to meet his eyes.

"Why did you call me human? Are you here to throw a pokéball at me?"

"I... no. I'm not here to catch you. I'm here... I need to thank you, Lugia-sama," Yuzuru whispered barely loud enough for the pokémon to hear it.

"Thank me, human?"

Yuzuru nodded, swallowing down the lump in his throat. "I need to thank you for all you did that day."

"That day?"

"The reports said it was a disaster, but should have been much more devastating than it was. They said it was like some of the waves, some of the shakes, they were quelled before they could do more damage. You are the one who resides in this bay. It was you, wasn't it? You saved some of the people. You saved me."

Lugia tilted his head at Yuzuru, contemplating.

"Stand, human. You were one of those there, weren't you?"

Yuzuru nodded, keeping his head down even as he stood up. The pokémon kept silent, asking Yuzuru to talk without saying a word.

"You also inspired me. You inspired us," he gestured to his pokéball and to where his lapras was playing about in the water. "We saw you fly across the night sky through the stars. I didn't know it at the time, but that had to be you."

"It was me. I was looking down, seeing the damage that occurred. Seeing the damage I couldn't stop. I'm not all powerful." Lugia paused and studied Yuzuru for a moment. "I believe you've brought more hope to your people than I have."

"I have? No, I believe you are mistaken Lugia-sama." Yuzuru's voice was soft and light. "I'm just a battler. I'm just a battler trying to pay back everyone who died when I should have instead."

"You think you should have died? I know you, Hanyu Yuzuru. I know your story. I know that you have given everything to try and bring hope and happiness to everyone in your hometown. I think, if you had died, it would have been one of the most tragic losses."

"Anyway Lugia-sama," Yuzuru desperately tried to change the topic from the one so close and painful to his heart, "thank you. For all you've ever done for Sendai, and for Japan, and for hope in general. I... I came here to tell you I'm grateful to all you have done for us. I spent my whole life thinking I wanted to catch you when really, I just want to say this to you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I cannot say it enough."

Lugia blinked at him and watched as Yuzuru bowed and turned to go. The pokémon let out a soft growl that had Yuzuru stopping in his tracks.

"Why change your mind?"

Yuzuru didn't turn back and face him when he spoke. "Because you can do so much more here. So much good. I don't want to take that away from you."

Lugia tossed something forwards and it bounced through the undergrowth by Yuzuru's feet and rolled to a stop by the side of his boot. He frowned and leaned down to pick up the shiny pokéball. He rubbed his thumb over the front of it and turned to Lugia for answers. The pokémon lowered his nose to Yuzuru so it was within his reach.

"Hanyu Yuzuru. All you need to do is tap my nose with the pokéball."

"P-pardon?" Yuzuru could barely speak and he looked between the ball and pokémon.

"As much as trainers choose pokémon, we choose you too."

"But your freedom—"

"Hanyu Yuzuru." Lugia cut him off gently. "I choose you. Do you choose me?"

Yuzuru nodded and tapped the pokéball gently to Lugia's nose. He watched as the creature vanished into it and dropped onto the ground of the island. It moved once, twice, three times, before it clicked. Yuzuru's hand trembled as he reached to pick up the pokéball. He ran his thumb over the button on the front before he pressed it and let Lugia out. The pokémon spread his wings and soared above Yuzuru's head before he landed beside the battler.

"Where are we going, Hanyu Yuzuru?"

"Just Yuzuru is fine. Or Yuzu. Yuzu is good, Lugia-sama."

"Yuzu. I like that. Then call me Lugia. Don't worry about this Sama thing."

"Lugia-san," Yuzuru said it softly and smiled as he stroked his lapras' nose before he climbed onto her back. "We're going to my home. My home in Sendai."

"I hope there's snacks," Lugia said idly as he flew along beside Yuzuru across the water.

"There are," Yuzuru smiled lightly. "You like snacks?"

"I love snacks!"

At Lugia's words, Yuzuru felt himself relax. The pokémon God of his youth suddenly didn't seem so intimidating and was much more approachable. They spent the rest of the journey back to Yogasakihama island in a comfortable silence, and Yuzuru climbed off his lapras' back to meet Javier. He fell into the other's arms and hid his face in the other's shoulder.

"How was it?" he whispered, trying not to stare at the huge white pokémon that had landed beside Yuzuru.

"It was everything I could imagine," Yuzuru mumbled before he pulled back and gestured between the two, human and pokémon. "Introductions time. Javier, this is Lugia. Lugia-san, this is Javier. Javi is my boyfriend and is staying with my family in Sendai for some time so we can enjoy being together before the battling season starts again."

Lugia sniffed at Javier's cheek for a moment before he licked the Spaniard's face. Both Yuzuru and Javier stared at each other in confusion before they burst out laughing and Javier wiped his cheek.

"Nice to meet you too, Lugia." Javier said, voice lighting up with the music of his laughter.

"Yuzuru's boyfriend seems like a nice human." Lugia flew around over their heads with excitement and pent up energy. "Come on! I want to see the Hanyu Sendai family."

"Nice to know that most of the legendary birds are just dorks at heart," Javier joked as Yuzuru helped him onto the back of his lapras so that they could set off back towards the main islands.

They journeyed back to Yuzuru's family home together, and the people of Miyagi were polite enough to not stare at the famous battlers. They looked like they were only friends, and Lugia wanted to stay out and see more of Japan. Children's mouths fell open when they saw that the famous legendary was flying along behind Yuzuru all the way home, and Yuzuru paused as he unlocked the door to his family's house.

"I'm home!" He called out to them and grinned when his mother's delibird ran up and hugged his leg. He reached down to ruffle the soft feathers on its head before he toed off his shoes and swapped them for his house slippers. "Okasan! Otousan! There's someone I'd like you to meet."

He gestured for Lugia to follow him through the house and Javier brought up the rear of their trio. Yuzuru led them into their dining room where his parents were sitting together having tea.

"Okasan, Otousan, this is Lugia. Lugia, these are my parents and this is our home."

Before Yuzuru's parents could move, Lugia lowered his head and bowed to them. They stared at the pokémon in shock and were frozen as they saw the legendary pokémon showing them such great respect.

"You are the parents of Hanyu Yuzuru? You brought him up and helped to shape him into the person he is. You are amazing parents and have a fabulous son. His heart is gentle and he is an inspiration to the rest of the world."

"It is an honour to hear that from you," Yuzuru's father bowed his head back to the pokémon. "You are a shining light to all of the people in Sendai, and you chose my son?"

"Your son is more of a shining light than I am," Lugia's words brought tears to Yuzuru's eyes and he wiped them subtly so no one would see. "I am honoured to have met him."

News that Yuzuru had caught Lugia spread through the world and, by June, everyone was discussing it. Yuna Kim recorded a video message with her signature ninetails and her own legendary, articuno, congratulating him on his second Olympic gold and legendary. On the same day, it was announced that Yuzuru was going to receive the People's Honour Award in appreciation of his historic achievement at the Olympics and because he gave dreams and thrills to the people, and hope and courage to society.

Yuzuru, dressed in his black yakama decorated with the Hanyu family crest, had the honour of meeting the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe with his dragonair by his side. He'd only been allowed to bring one pokémon with him and, even though everyone thought he would take Lugia, the other pokémon hadn't wanted to wake up early. And it was his dragonair, the pokémon that had accompanied him through everything, that he wanted to receive the award with. The media took several photos before Yuzuru stood to answer some questions.

"What were your thoughts when you received the honour?"

"I could not have done it on my own," Yuzuru stroked his dragonair's nose and smiled. "There were many supporters and I was lucky to be in such an environment to receive the prize as the representative. The award and everyone's hope gives me the courage to try harder."

"How did you feel when you found out that you were going to be a recipient?"

"I am sincerely honoured to receive this award. I need to have the drive, skills, and battling quality to meet the expectations of the audience. I will keep trying to do my best."

"Do you have a message for people affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake?"

Yuzuru lowered his eyes and his dragonair curled up around his shoulders to silently comfort him.

"Being in a position to be supported by people, I hope to help them. I pray that people can come together through my battling performances."

"What are your thoughts on the next Olympic Games?"

"Currently, I do not have any plans. I wish to improve my battling skills and to make progress so that I can achieve satisfactory battles."

"What do you ultimately want to accomplish in the world of sports?"

"I hope to be in a position to support athletes that want to reach the highest level. There must be something that I can pass on from my experience of winning two gold medals at consecutive Olympic Games. I want to teach things that only I can do and only I have felt."

"Is it true that you have caught the legendary pokémon Lugia?"

"It is true," Yuzuru smiled. "I spoke to Lugia-san and, after thanking him for protecting as much of Miyagi and Sendai as he could, he offered me a pokéball to catch him with."

"And finally, what are your future plans?"

"I will put the utmost effort into getting ready for the next competition. Our moves and skills are improving due to recovering from the injury. I wish to prepare for the competitions while taking my condition into consideration."

Chapter Text

Back in Canada after the battling shows, Yuzuru and Javier fell into an easy routine. They lived together in their apartment along with Effie and their pokémon, and it felt easy. Yuzuru woke up first and would spend a couple of moments pressing soft kisses to Javier's cheeks and chest to coax him awake gently. He would then wriggle out of Javier's arms and put on their kettle to make a cup of tea and coffee for them. He'd feed their pokémon as Javier came in and pressed kisses to the top of his head before he made them both breakfast. It was like the honeymoon phase of their relationship and no end was in sight. After their shared breakfast, they'd put their pokémon away and take the bus together to the club.

"Battle well," Javier told him and pressed a kiss to his forehead. "See you at lunch?"

"See you Javi," Yuzuru smiled and gave him a little wave before they parted ways. He headed into the locker room and changed his sneakers for his battling boots.

"Morning Brian!" Yuzuru waved to them. "Morning Tracy!"

"Good morning Yuzuru," Tracy gave him a shining smile. "Ready to start your practice?"

Yuzuru's training after his injury and the end of the season before was going much better. He kept his trio of pokémon that he'd always had; they were a team and they belonged together. He brought Lugia with him to the club when the other had settled more into Canada.

"Brian?" Yuzuru poked his head into the office. "Tracy? Ghislain, Jeffrey, Shae-Lynn, there's someone I'd like you to meet."

The coaches exchanged raised eyebrows but stepped out into the battling room. Jaws dropped when they saw Yuzuru standing in front of Lugia, the legendary Lugia.

"Who are these humans?" Lugia asked with a less than subtle whisper.

"Be nice," Yuzuru chided the pokémon. "Lugia, this is my coach Brian, my coach Tracy, my move coach Ghislain, my choreographer Jeffrey, and my choreographer Shae-Lynn. Everyone, this is Lugia."

"Woah," Tracy breathed out in awe. "Nice to meet you Lugia."

Lugia lowered his head to her and she gently stroked his nose. When the others saw that it was alright, they too started talking to Lugia and cooed over him. Yuzuru rolled his eyes when he saw how much Lugia soaked up the attention until the legendary got bored.

"Human I want snacks."

Yuzuru frowned at him and let the rest of his normal team out of their pokéballs. "You can't have any snacks. Not until our water and snack break halfway through this session."

"Human, I want snacks now."

"You can't have snacks now Lugia," Yuzuru told him firmly. "You've got to wait until our break."

"Human. I want snacks right now."

Yuzuru took a long steady breath. "You can't have snacks right now Lugia. You will have to wait."

And that was how Brian ended up with a pouting and sulky legendary pokémon sitting on the bench since he refused to go back into his pokéball. And it just so happened to be the first day that the new battlers were joining the club. Perfect first impression for them.

Brian led Jason, Evgenia, and Conrad as well as the other new battlers into the club. Jun stopped and sat down on the bench next to Yuzuru so he could join him as they not-so-subtly stared.

"Who is that?" Jun whispered, eyes fixed on the tall blond young man with the killer jawline and model-like features. On his shoulder sat a raichu, and Jun's mew tilted its head at the same time that Jun did. "He's gorgeous."

"Oh hell no." Yuzuru bopped him on the head with his pooh-bear case. "You're too young for this. And anyway, there's someone who wants to meet you."

Jun's eyebrows raised and Yuzuru nodded over to where Lugia was fighting with a bag of snacks, trying to get them open. Yuzuru snatched them off the creature and rolled his eyes with a light laugh.

"There's no point stealing snacks out of my bag if you can't open them. Anyway. Jun, this is Lugia. Lugia, this is Jun."

Jun bowed his head and Lugia returned the gesture. The younger offered a hand to the legendary and Lugia nuzzled against it. When Jun offered him a handful of pokémon treats, Lugia perked up immensely and lightened.

"I like this human! This human is pretty and cute and feeds me nice treats." Jun giggled as Lugia nuzzled his cheek. "Wasn't this human at the Olympics? And— hello Lord Mew."

"Myuuuu!" Jun opened his arms for the pink pokémon to cuddle up to him. "Weren't you playing with Tang and seadra? Where are they?"

"Mew!" the pink pokémon nodded to across the battling space they all shared and trained in. A cubone and seadra were chasing each other around and Jun's eyes softened. Yuzuru smiled past him too and he watched the youngster's pokémon play about when the doors were opened up.

"And here is the main battling training room," Brian said as he gestured to the space. Behind him, Jason, Evgenia, Conrad, and the other new battlers all took in every sight with similar curiosity to Yuzuru when he'd first arrived. "That's the end of our tour so do you guys have any questions?"

They shook their heads and Brian glanced down at his watch. "Yuzuru! Jun! Gabrielle! Break time. Go have lunch and we'll see you later. And be nice."

"We're always nice," Gabrielle teased their coaches as she withdrew her donphan, exeggator, and croconaw. "See you guys after lunch!"

Jun scooped up his cubone and cuddled the sad pokémon in his arms as he scooped up his bag. A raichu ducked through the legs of some of the people and clung to his legs like glue. Jun burst out laughing and bent down to pet the raichu on the head.

"Hi little one," he said with a gentle smile. "You remember me from Dresden and Junior Worlds even though it was so long ago? It's nice to see you again."

Yuzuru's eyes narrowed from across the room as he watched Conrad rush over, apologising profusely for his pokémon's random affection. The scene was so familiar and, even when Javier wrapped his arms around his middle, it didn't quell his irritation.

"What's wrong Yuzu?"

"This is wrong," Yuzuru pointed with his pooh bear case at Jun and Conrad. "I know how this plays out. Very affectionate pokémon comes and cuddles the trainer and then they end up falling in love."

"If this is about Lizardon again—"

Yuzuru kissed his cheek and smiled. "I'm not mad at you. I could never be mad at you. But Jun is a baby! Too young for dating and stuff like that. This one," he pointed at Conrad with his pooh bear, "is flirting with someone who is much too young."

Javier just laughed and ruffled Yuzuru's hair. "Come on. Let's get you some food before your next training session."

Being Yuzuru Hanyu meant the media were out for blood. The only way he could placate them was with the media day, and he was silently grateful that Brian had forewarned Jason and Evgenia about it, since they would be sharing his training sessions. Brian had shifted a lot of his attention over to Evgenia so that she and her trio of pokémon, her nidoqueen, dewgong, and quilava, were healthy. Tracy was helping Jason adjust and she marvelled at his already amazing connection with his venusaur, ninetails, and dewgong. Yuzuru steeled himself before he stepped off the bus and into the face of the media with a fake smile.

They reported everything. Which locker he put his things in. How he polished his pokéballs. How he arranged them in his pooh bear case. What was in his Winnie the pooh lunchbox. When he sneezed. When his pokémon fainted. If he did something, they reported on it. They were also keen to get photographs of Lugia, the legendary Lugia, even though Yuzuru told them that he wasn't training Lugia for competitions.

"Yuzuru! Are you bringing back the move that nearly cost you the Olympic gold?" One of the reporters asked him, and a dark shadow crossed his face.

"At the moment, we are avoiding it to avoid injury again. And, after that, we will decide. I have other things I am also doing alongside my battling, like research into my thesis."

"What battle music are you using this season?"

Yuzuru smiled and stroked his dragonair's nose from where she sat on his shoulders. "For my battles, I wanted to think back to why I began battling and draw on my inspiration from there. My battles will be tributes to famous ones from my idols. My short battle is to Otonal, inspired by Johnny Weir's Otonal battle. And my free battle will be rearranged Nijinski, inspired by Evgeni Plushenko, and I will call it Origin. It is my origin. The short I will work on with Jeffrey. The free, with Shae-Lynn."

After a long and difficult few days of dealing with the media, Yuzuru enjoyed the peace and quiet that was in the club after they'd left. He flopped down in the café and started to dig into his rice when Jason, Evgenia, Jun, and Conrad all joined his table."

"We're okay to sit here, right?" Jason asked gently and Yuzuru nodded, trying to swallow his rice so he didn't spray it everywhere in an undignified manner. "It's so great to be training here. You guys are amazing, and I love it so much."

"I'm glad you like our club," Jun gave him a sunshine smile and looked between the three newest members. "So, I've got to ask. Have you guys nicknamed your pokémon?"

"Of course I have." Jason's smile was infectious and Yuzuru caught it. "My venusaur is called Venti. She used to be called Tall when she was a bulbasaur and then Grande when she was an Ivysaur." Evgenia snorted at that, and Jason elbowed her lightly in the side. "My ninetails is called Vulpy, and my dewgong is called Splash. And, if you think that Venti is a bad name, you should hear what Nathan Chen has nicknamed his pokémon."

"Yes, he told me," Evgenia rolled her eyes. "Who on earth let him nickname his pokémon Growl, Oink, and Gary?"

"Rumour has it that he couldn't say Onix properly, so it became Oink." Conrad joined the discussion. "Anyway, my raichu doesn't have a nickname so I just call him Raichu. My sandshrew is called Sandy and my marill is called Mari."

"They're cute names," Jun complimented. "My Mew is called Myu, which is like the Korean way of pronouncing it, my cubone is called Tang. It's a Korean thing. And my seadra doesn't have a nickname."

"Eteri was never really a fan of us giving our pokémon nicknames," Evgenia wrinkled her nose. "Since I left, though, I've called my nidoqueen Nida, my dewgong Diyu, and my quilava Kvil. They're from the Russian names for the pokémon."

"Yuzu's pokémon have the coolest nicknames," Jun elbowed the older lightly in the side. "He won't submit the nicknames for the commentators to read out, but they're so cute."

"Haku-chan is my dragonair. Cause hakuryu is the Japanese name. Lapalace-chan for my lapras. Den-den for my ampharos because it is denryu in Japan."

"Has Lugia got a nickname yet?" Jason asked. "Or, is it kind of rude to nickname someone like him?"

"He hasn't got a nickname yet, but I'm looking for ideas. Javier suggested Lulu-chan and then Lugia ripped up one of our couch cushions and—" He covered his mouth with his hand.

"It won't leave this room," Jason promised him. "Besides, I too prefer male company."

"I'm a lesbian," Evgenia said bluntly. "If we're being honest."

Yuzuru pointed at her and gasped. "I knew you and Wakaba were not just having platonic friendly cuddles when I caught you at Worlds in Helsinki! And you were both babies then!"

"We were only kissing," Evgenia rolled her eyes but laughed. "Wakaba is... Incredible."

"And Jun is still figuring things out and going through puberty." Conrad teased and the youngster whined, hiding his face in his hands. "It's alright. No rush to decide anything. Take as long as you need. I should go before Tracy tells us off for being late. See you guys around."

"See you," Jun's cheeks flushed pink when Conrad gave him a special wave. "And good luck in training! Do your best!"

As it turned out, Lee and Brian both also saw what Yuzuru saw. Despite the two teens both picking Romeo and Juliet for their battle music, the two coaches were hesitant to let their battlers get distracted, especially for Jun's first full senior season. Yuzuru wanted to fireblast everything when the training room turned into a period drama of sighs and longing looks.

"Were we that dramatic?" Yuzuru asked as he lay on the couch in Javier's arms. The other pressed kisses to his cheeks and forehead while they lay there together, enjoying the gentle comfort from the physical touch.

"We were," Javier sighed and shook his head with laughter. "We were so dramatic. Have you seen how much we made Brian's hairline recede?"

Chapter Text

The Autumn Classic International was the first test for Yuzuru's new battles and for the newest members of the club. It was also the start of Jun's first season as a senior, and the entire scoring system had been altered. Instead of eight moves, the senior men only got seven and their music was cut by 30 seconds. There were also some changes to how moves and damage were translated into points. He couldn't help but smirk as he took off his Team Japan jacket and heard the ripple of screams that came when the crowd saw the jewel Satomi had created for him. The pale blue v-neck with gemstones lining the edge as well as his spine made him look like a prince.

Jason was the first to go out of the Cricket Club Trio, and he battled beautifully with Venti. 88.90 was a good score; Shoma held the world record of 104.15 that he'd got at Lombardia, but Yuzuru wasn't overly concerned. It was a new thing, so everyone was going to be getting records left, right, and centre. When the Grand Prix Series started, that was when things would get more serious.

After Jason was Roman who slipped into second, 10 points behind the American. Then Bennet, Diego, and Yamato rounded out the group. The second group’s warmup started and Yuzuru felt the rush of adrenaline he had sorely missed during his time off.

Jun started the group off, and Yuzuru couldn't help but be impressed. In his second senior season, and his first full one, Jun was still the youngest senior man competing in the world, but he didn't look like it. He and his Mew were adorable, and the Cinderella music was fabulous for him. He and David had done a good job with it, and Jun waved to the audience with his gentle and shy smile as they sat in the Kiss and Cry.

"The scores please. Jun Hwan Cha of the Republic of Korea has earned in the short battle 90.56 points." The youngster did a happy wiggle dance in his seat as Mew did it beside him. "He is currently in first place."

Harry Mattick went before Yuzuru and then he stepped up, eyes darkening with the excitement of a new battle with his dragonair. This was different to how it had been before the Olympics. These battles were for the love of battling as he had nothing to prove to anyone anymore. He raised his arms to everyone and smiled, a little addicted to the power that he had over the audience.

It wasn't perfect and he almost wanted to go again with his dragonair. They sat in the Kiss and Cry and he stroked his dragonair's nose as they waited for their scores.

"The scores please. Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan has earned in the short battle 97.74 points," he threw his head back dramatically and laughed with Brian. "He is currently in first place."

At the end of the short, the trio of Cricket Club men were in the top three positions. Brian patted them on the shoulders with a smile before he briefed them for the next day and next battle.

"You've done so well guys. Keep your focus, but don't peak here. This is just a competition to find your footing for the season."

Yuzuru had drawn the sixteenth slot for the free, Jun the seventeenth, and Jason the eighteenth. He loved the black and gold costume Satomi had designed for Origin, and he looked like a villain from a superhero film. With his three pokémon beside him, he felt powerful.

Which was probably what caused his downfall. It was a mess, and, for the first competition, he unintentionally ended up turning the difficulty down. It was messy, and he sipped at his water in the Kiss and Cry with the familiar feeling of irritation in his tummy. He wanted to do better. He craved it and knew, for his first grand Prix assignment, he would make sure he did better.

"The scores please. Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan has earned in the free battle 165.91 points. His total competition score is 263.65 points, and he is currently in first place."

"Bleurgh," Yuzuru stuck his tongue out but smiled and bowed his head to the crowd. "So low."

"You're in first Yuzuru," Ghislain told him. It was only him sitting beside him in the Kiss and Cry because Brian was with Jun and Tracy with Jason. When they announced Jun's name, he asked the crowd to quieten down so that the younger could focus. The Japanese media stole him for an interview, so he didn't get the chance to watch Jun.

Jun had a great battle. It wasn't perfect, but he had fun, and everyone adored his take on Romeo and Juliet. Although Brian had certainly lost hair from hearing the version Jun had edited together, taking Romeo and Juliet to the club where they had too many shots and then died, Jun somehow made it work with his trio of pokémon and his classy costume made of purple and delicate lace. Some of the purists seemed taken aback by Young Hearts Roam Free and the Juliet scream he'd edited in, but Jun had fun with it and his smile was infectious as he sat beside Ghislain in the Kiss and Cry. Brian gave him a quick debrief before he went over to talk to Jason, and Ghislain patted Jun on the shoulder. Going after Yuzuru, he'd mentally told himself that he wasn't going to measure up to the other and that was okay. He was his own battler. He wasn't a second anyone, and he just had to focus on doing his own thing.

"You were great," Ghislain told him. "I know we had a couple of little things, but you really kept your head and kept yourself calm."

"The scores please. Jun Hwan Cha of the Republic of Korea has earned in the free battle 169.22 points. His total competition score is 259.78 points, and he is currently in second place."

"You know, you beat Yuzuru in the free battle," Ghislain pointed out to him as Jun did a little wiggle of delight, having confirmed he was getting a medal.

"I'm in second though! Second and there's Jason to go! Ghislain, I'm getting a medal!"

Denied a Cricket Club podium by 0.63 points, Yuzuru congratulated both Jun and Roman by the edge of the platform as they waited for the ceremony to start. Yuzuru's dragonair settled on his shoulders, as she always did, and Jun's Mew played about with Roman's sandshrew on the floor. The two younger battlers had to physically separate them, ending playtime, and delaying the ceremony. Roman stepped up to the podium first as the bronze medallist; the Bells of Moscow and Schindler's List was the soundtrack as he did. Jun was the next out, and Yuzuru laughed when he heard the coos of the aunties at Jun and his Mew being adorable. The younger went straight towards his part of the podium before he changed his mind and ran over to Roman like an awkward penguin to give him a hug. The entire arena laughed, and Jun flushed as pink as his Mew as they stepped up onto the podium. Yuzuru commanded everyone's attention when he did something as simple as walking out with his dragonair on his shoulders. They bowed to the audience, soaking up the applause and admiration, before he gave Roman a hug and then Jun one too. They jumped up onto the top step, feeling it was where they liked to be.

Between Jun who looked utterly oblivious the entire time and Roman who had no idea what was going on, Yuzuru didn't know whether it was appropriate to burst out laughing or not. The reporters told them to hold up their medals. Jun, having not put his arm around Yuzuru for the pose, held his flowers and medal up in front of him. Yuzuru took his arm from around Jun's waist and held up his medal with that hand while he lowered his arm from where it hovered behind Roman's back. Roman didn't quite get the memo that he was meant to stop holding onto Yuzuru and instead used his other hand, the one holding the bouquet, to also hold up his medal so that he could keep holding onto Yuzuru's waist. Yuzuru squirmed out of Roman's grip to try and subtly drop hints that maybe he was using the wrong hand, but all he ended up doing was hip-bumping Jun who gave him a look of utter confusion. When he finally thought Roman had got the message, he stood upright normally only to feel Roman's hand squirm its way back around his waist.

Why are men so dense and oblivious? Yuzuru thought to himself before he tapped Roman on the arm.

"Let go," he got out through giggles. "I'm not going to disappear if you're not holding me. And it's easier for you to hold your medal."

Roman kind of looked confused for a moment before he paid attention to what the other two were doing and he switched which hand held the medal and flowers so it was easier for the photographers. Yuzuru couldn't stop laughing the entire time and Roman felt his ears tinge pink. Jun looked at the pair of them in confusion before he leaned down to pet Roman's sandshrew on the head.

"Does he have a nickname?" Jun asked kindly. "You probably told me when we trained together but I forgot, I'm sorry."

"He doesn't but maybe you guys should give him one," Roman teased. "Go on."

"Squirmy." Yuzuru gave him a light poke to the stomach and he let Roman step down first. "After you."

Roman burst out laughing and gave Jun and Yuzuru a smile. "Thanks for sharing the podium with me for my first senior international medal."

"Mine too," Jun lit up with a smile. "Thanks Roman!" He raised an eyebrow at Yuzuru. "What was your first senior international medal?"

Yuzuru tapped his chin as he put on his Team Japan jacket. "I think Four Continents."

Jun nodded and looped his arm through Yuzuru's as they disappeared backstage. "No hard feelings about the free battle?"

"No hard feelings about the free battle." Yuzuru promised him. "I'll beat you next time though."

What Yuzuru did not really expect was to come back to the club after the Autumn Classic to find that Jun's mother had organised a party for her son to celebrate his silver medal. Yuzuru looked between the festivities in confusion and Jun took hold of his hand, pulling him into the middle and leaving him there so he was beside Javier and the other coaches.

"I don't get it," Yuzuru mumbled to Javier. "Why are we celebrating a silver medal? Silvers are not good. They mean you failed to get the gold."

"Be nice, Yuzu," Javier told him quietly. "For Jun, a silver is great. Especially a silver to you. He's got very serious after the Olympics and we should be proud."

"I am proud of him."

"You're more disappointed with yourself though. And that's okay, you know? But let him be happy."

"I love that he's happy," Yuzuru sighed and rolled his shoulders. "Work hard for Helsinki?"

"Work hard for Helsinki."

Yuzuru half kept an eye on how the Grand Prix Series was progressing, and he wasn't surprised when he saw that Nathan broke the standing world records set by Shoma at Lombardia and Mikhail at the Ondrej Nepela Trophy; Jun had won another silver behind him at Finlandia, going two for two with his competitions. If Yuzuru had been a gambler, he would have put money on Nathan and Shoma both winning their two assignments.

Brian flew out with Jason, Evgenia, and Jun to Quebec for Skate Canada. Yuzuru caught some of the men's event when he went to talk to Tracy; she claimed she was watching it so she knew what to say to the others when they got back. His eyebrows shot up to his hairline when Jun scored 88.86 for his short. Daniel, 84.90. Alexander, 84.64. Kazuki, 81.63. Nam, his old Cricket Club baby, 82.22. Then came Keegan and his pidgeot, and they laid down a stunning battle. Yuzuru felt the excitement that was sparked by the talent of another and was itching to battle in competition again.

"The scores please. Keegan Messing of Canada has earned in the short battle 95.05 points. He is currently in first place."

After Keegan, Yuzuru's heart broke for Jason. He'd changed coaches and was hit with another poor performance that came from everything being so new. It didn't hurt any less to have a reason for it. Yuzuru nearly choked on his water when he saw the non-existent gap between Shoma's 88.87 and Jun's short battle score. Alexander Samarin scored 88.06, leaving Jun in third behind Shoma and Keegan. Yuzuru was too invested to miss watching the free.

Jason redeemed himself, and Yuzuru sat more upright on his seat when the final trio of battlers took their places. Jun was the first and Yuzuru winced when he saw his cubone faint. But they picked themselves back up and fought hard to come back with 165.91 in the free battle and 254.77 overall. Then it was Shoma and he scored just points away from Nathan's new record: 188.38 in the free and 277.25 overall. It was only midway through Keegan's battle that Yuzuru realised it; Jun had got a medal! The teen had gone three for three and, even though he stood on the bottom step and Shoma stood on the top one, he was the same height as the Japanese man. Yuzuru laughed when he saw it and promised himself that he wouldn't lose to Shoma or Nathan or anyone in Helsinki the next weekend.

Chapter Text

Finland truly was a lucky place for Yuzuru. He set a new record, under the altered scoring system, for the short battle, free battle, and overall, and he finally won his first grand prix event in a season. He and his dragonair bounced over to the podium, hugged Jun, hugged Michal, and then jumped up onto the top step. Right where they belonged. The gala battles were fun and the world fell in love with Haru yo Koi all over again. After the event, Yuzuru returned to the club to train, but he set some time aside each day to work on his research. His research thesis was based on human and pokémon relationships and the impact that these had on battling success. Balancing his research, using his and Javier's pokémon as the main examples, with his training was a difficult task. Coming home to Javier, Effie, and the love and warmth he got was worth working through though, and his mother still made an effort to come to his competitions just like she always had. After a rough day of training, he liked to come home and curl up on the sofa with Javier beside him and Effie on his lap. Lugia, despite being a hulking mass, would curl up beside their sofa and by their feet. Yuzuru and Javier's pokémon would play together and Javier would press soft kisses to the other's cheeks and forehead until the other was too tired and they eventually made it to their bedroom together. Side by side, they would sleepily get into their pyjamas, clean their teeth, wash their faces, and then they would crawl into bed together. Yuzuru would fall asleep in Javier's arms and, in the morning, he would wake up to the sight of the other sleeping beside him.

Where Yuzuru looked like he was dead when he was asleep, with his matted hair and his drool and his half open left eye, Javier was the opposite. His jawline was strong and Yuzuru wanted to kiss his way along it. Javier liked to sleep shirtless, not that Yuzuru was complaining, and the start of his retirement had done nothing bad to his abs. His six pack was well defined and he had a sharp V that disappeared beneath the shorts he slept in. His curly hair was messy but adorable, and Yuzuru gently ran his fingers through it to coax the other softly from the world of sleep into the morning of reality.

"Morning," Javier whispered, stroking Yuzuru's waist as the other leaned over and pressed soft kisses to his neck. "Are we late?"

"Mm, not yet," Yuzuru glanced over at the clock on their beside table. "I'd say five minutes before we need to go. Five minutes more of cuddles."

Javier just opened his arms and let Yuzuru crawl back in as they both slowly roused from their sleepy states and became more awake. After cuddling for as long as they dared, Javier had the first shower while Yuzuru made coffee and tea for them as well as fed their pokémon and cat to keep them happy. Then Javier made breakfast while Yuzuru had a quick shower, singing One OK Rock loudly to himself when he once again forgot that the walls of their apartment were not soundproof. After breakfast, they both bundled up for the Toronto autumn weather and headed to the club, sneaking their hands together when they were protected from view by their large winter coats. Yuzuru always loved linking his delicate fingers with Javier's; they felt safe, and it was like he could feel all the love and support that the other gave him just through that simple gesture.

Yuzuru trained hard, ready for his grand prix event in Russia. After his success at Helsinki, he and his pokémon were feeling confident that they could get through to the final and do their best. When they won their first assignment, he couldn't help but feel proud of himself, even if it was with an imperfect performance. In the short battle to otonal, they once again beat themselves and shattered the record that he'd set in Helsinki with 110.53 points that brought him well above the others and into first place before the free battle. There were 20.59 points between him and Morisi going into the free.

Perhaps it was, with his confidence, came the mistake.

Once again, he found himself lying on a stretcher with his dragonair beside him getting checked over too. Kikuchi had retired after the Olympics; the older man deserved a break from the stress of competitions that came with Yuzuru, but it meant that Yuzuru was left to deal with other medics that he didn't really know and who were provided by the JPF. They flitted around, pushing his ankle this way and that, and they frowned at his small hisses of pain. He reached for his dragonair, trying to cuddle or comfort her, but they wouldn't let him.

"It's not as bad as last season, but you've once again damaged the ligaments in your ankle."

"And my dragonair?" He pushed, eyes flicking to her. She tried to nuzzle his hand for comfort but the medics didn't let her go too far away from them. "Is she alright?"

"She's injured some of her vertebrae again," Yuzuru's heart sunk and his delicate fingertips lightly traced over the back of her head, "and will need time to recover. If you'd like, we can find some painkillers and get you through the rest of the competition?"

"Haku-chan," he whispered to her, pushing himself off the stretcher so that he could kneel in front of her own, much to the dismay of the medics and his ankle, "I need to ask you. It's not as bad as last time, but I can't stand it if you're in pain. Just tell me and we will withdraw, no questions asked. Or we can compete, but I don't want to compete if you're going to be in terrible pain the whole time."

She nosed at his cheek and Yuzuru almost felt like crying. He felt like he was four again and had just met his life-long friend and partner in the park. He knew what she wanted to say without her having to make a noise, and he glanced past her to the medics.

"Painkillers please. We'll downgrade our battle content and get through this together."

Perfection, it was not, and Yuzuru felt terrible when his dragonair fainted. In the Kiss and Cry, he kept her close and kept an eye on her to make sure that she wasn't trying to put on a brave face and mask her pain like he was. They won the free battle with 167.89 points; it was a far cry from his world record score and he didn't break three-hundred overall. But it was enough. He'd won his second grand prix event, and accepted the crutches handed to him. His dragonair sat on his shoulders as they watched Kazuki step up for the bronze, Morisi step up for the silver, and then the audience watched as Yuzuru and his dragonair made their way along the red carpet on crutches. Her sleek, pale coloured body stood out from the backdrop of his black and gold costume, and the other two competitors helped Yuzuru up onto the top step of the podium. Seeing Kazuki do so well brought him hope in the same way that Shoma's success brought him hope. If he were to retire and move onto other things in his life, like his thesis and research, Japan had other amazing battlers that could succeed in his place. The crowd still cheered for him, dedicated in their utter support, and Yuzuru even smiled at how star-struck Kazuki seemed to be. After collecting his medal and shouting his thanks to the fans, he forwent the victory lap that the other two were doing in favour of returning along the red carpet to go back to his hotel room. The pain of another injury hurt his heart, and he grimaced once he was out of sight of the media personnel, hidden in the safety of his room. His mother was the first one up to him and she enveloped him in the warmth and safety of her hug; it was as if she could protect him from all the dangers of the world with her arms. She pressed a kiss to the crown of his head and didn't need to say a word; she only held him in her arms to give him silent support.

Nathan won the Internationaux de France the week after, and Jason won an almost unexpected silver medal there too which dropped Alexander Samarin down into third place and secured Jun a ticket to the Final of the event. Withdrawing from the final in first place didn't hurt him any less than withdrawing from the NHK trophy the year before; Yuzuru's only consolation was that at least there were no Olympic Games this season to worry about. Four Continents was not his biggest worry, and he would hopefully be in better condition for the World Championships than he had been for the Olympic Games.

Back at the club, Yuzuru and Jason both congratulated a very bubbly and enthusiastic Jun on his qualification to the final, and Brian invited Yuzuru to his office. The Japanese sat down and, before his coach uttered a word, he spoke up.

"I want to recover. I want to try and go for the World Championships but I want her to recover more too. Not like before."

"Don't worry Yuzuru. We'll work out a plan like we did back then and be in contact with someone from your federation."

Yuzuru let himself watch the final, and he found himself cheering for the best battlers. Keegan had been called up to replace him, as he was the first alternate followed by Alexander and Matteo. Jun wasn't quite skating at home, since the event was in Canada and not Korea, but it was like his second home. The Canadians had basically adopted him and his Junliet free battle was a beloved meme to the battling fans. Yuzuru even caught himself giggling when he saw the Nathan, Shoma, Jun podium and saw the beautiful linear graph that could be drawn with their heights. Jun was a child, but he was a very tall and slim one who had lovely lines and a wonderful connection with his friends. Rika won the ladies event and Yuzuru sighed as he lay back on his bed, closing the live stream he'd been using and he grudgingly opened up his thesis. Glancing over at where his dragonair lay on the bed beside him, he smiled and stroked the top of her head before he started typing.

Conrad had managed to watch the Grand Prix Final live after he'd begged his parents to let him take a few days off to go to Vancouver. He'd cheered and celebrated as his friend had claimed the bronze and, once again, made history for his country with a Grand Prix Final bronze medal; this time it was the one for the senior event. After the Junliet free battle, he'd even thrown down a raccoon plushie and a mew plushie for his friend, and his mother had cooed over how cute Jun and his mew both looked in the Kiss and Cry together. He didn't get a chance to see the other before he was off to Korea for the ranking competitions and then his national championships. While Yuzuru was still granted a World Championships spot due to his international record and immense talent, despite his injury and missing his own nationals, Jun wasn't allowed a similar courtesy. Despite having done so well at the Olympics and being five-for-five in his current season of medals, Jun still had to attend the ranking competitions. Finding a live stream for them was difficult but, after battling through Korean website after Korean website with the help of Google Translate, Conrad found a little stream. He grimaced when he saw Jun had taken off one of his battling boots in the Kiss and Cry, and he watched as the other limped out after he'd received his scores. He'd won but, given that his mew also looked to be suffering and his cubone was waddling behind him rather than running up to him; there was clearly something wrong with almost all of the team. Conrad reached for his phone and chewed his lip as he stared at the contact on the screen before him.

Conrad: Well done on winning!

Jun: Thank you! I didn't know you were going to watch

Conrad: Always! I can't miss one of the competitions of my favourite actor

He regretted that message immediately and groaned, rubbing his forehead.

Conrad: Joking! I watched because I always want to support my friends and you're my best friend

Jun: You're my best (non-pokémon) friend too!

Jun: You'll do your best and I'll see you at the club soon?

Conrad: I will. You'll be back?

Jun: Soon.

Jun: Got to train for 4CC and Worlds

Conrad: You'll do great! You've done so well this season

Jun: With you behind me and believing in me, I've done better this season

Jun: Thanks Conrad! See you soon!

Conrad: Bye!

Conrad: Kocham Cię

After sending the message Conrad gasped in horror. It had gone and there was nothing he could do. He closed their messages and tossed his phone to the other corner of the room so that he didn't have to look at it or deal with the fallout of his momentary lapse of concentration.

"I'm crazy," Conrad mumbled. "So crazy."

His raichu crawled up onto his bed beside him and he grinned at the sight of his hat sitting on its head, slightly lopsided. He straightened it for the pokémon and then sighed.

"Please don't hate me Jun," he mumbled. "Please."

Chapter Text

Yuzuru missed Nationals again and was given a spot for the World Championships. Glad he wasn't heading to Four Continents, he focused his attention both on recovery and his thesis. From the club, Jason and Jun were heading to Four Continents in California along with Brian and Tracy. For the short battle, Jason was battling with his beloved Venti and Jun was battling with Myu. Jun was in the third group and Jason in the fourth which meant that Brian and Tracy could give each of them more attention. Jun bounced around at the edge of the platform as Nam finished up his short battle. He stepped up and cuddled his mew lightly as Nam got his score. He was in first with 79.55, and Jun smiled a little before he shook hands with his coaches. They clapped him on the back and he stepped up, performing better than he had throughout all of the season, and it felt like a beautiful dream. He ended up cuddling a giant fluffy purple bear as he sat between his coaches in the Kiss and Cry, and Tracy patted Myu on the head.

“You guys were so good. That’s probably the best short battle I’ve seen from you in a while, Jun.”

“There are a few little things to improve, but there has been a lot of improvement since your Nationals until now, so I’m proud,” Brian told him with a smile that made Jun’s heart flutter. “Really well done.”

“The scores please,” they all looked up as the announcer paused.

“One hundred!” Someone in the crowd shouted, and Jun and Tracy exchanged a glance before they giggled, spirits buoyant with joy from the success. One hundred seemed like such an astronomical score to Jun and he’d never reached those heights before. He didn’t dare let himself believe that he could finally have done it. No. Surely not.

“Jun Hwan Cha has earned in the short battle 97.33 points.” Jun squealed with delight and Tracy patted him on the back, pride shining on her face like the summer sun. “It’s his season’s best score and he is currently in first place.”

“Amazing battle!” Brian told him as they left the Kiss and Cry, and let Kazuki step up to battle. “Tracy and I have to go now. Jason needs us by his side too. You’ll be alright dealing with the media, right?”

“I’ll be alright,” Jun all but pushed them towards the warm up area where Jason and his venusaur were accompanied by a United States Pokémon Association member. “Good luck Jason!”

The last group did not nearly perform as expected. Keiji and his arbok scored 83.93, slotting them into second place with fourteen points separating him and Jun. The next up was Jason. He and his Venusaur slipped, scoring only 86.57 and putting them a whisker above the Japanese man. Jason was followed by Shoma and his snorlax, and everyone winced at Shoma’s mistake. 91.76 points. Jun, watching on the monitors backstage, could hardly believe what he’d just seen. He was in front of Shoma Uno?

After Shoma came Vincent and his raticate Tatty. Jun watched him with the same awe that fourteen-year-old Jun had watched Vincent at the 2016 Junior Grand Prix Yokohama event. If anyone asked him, he’d call Vincent a friend. Or, an acquaintance at the very least.

“The scores please. Vincent Zhou has earned in the short battle 100.18 points. He is currently in first place.”

Jun’s jaw dropped and he stared at the screen, numbers swirling in his mind even as Keegan and his pidgeot stepped up to take to the platform.

“It’s home cooking you know.”

Jun tore his eyes away from the screen and titled his head at June Hyoung, silently asking him the questions he wasn’t brave enough to voice to his compatriot.

“Doesn’t it surprise you that it’s an American in first place?” He nodded to where Boyang was getting his scores on the screen. The Chinese man and his Ho-Oh exchanged a look at the 92.17 points they’d scored that concluded the short battle and put them in third place. June Hyoung glanced around, checking for any of the Korean media, before he kept speaking low in a language only a few of the people there understood. “What a shock. It’s an American in first place in America.”

“I don’t understand,” Jun frowned. “What are you trying to say?”

“I’m saying that it’s like what happened to Yuna Kim at Sochi.”

Jun frowned a little. “But this isn’t an Olympic Games, or even the World Championships. Why would they bother fixing the scores just for this? And Vincent did battle well, and—”

“I don’t think you quite get it,” June Hyoung said softly to the other. “They’re doing it to normalise it before the next Olympics so that there isn’t as much of an uproar as there was at Sochi. They’re going to fix the Beijing Olympic Champions. No, they already have.”

“I still don’t understand,” Jun said gently and June Hyoung just patted his shoulder.

“Never mind. You focus on the free battle. Well done for the small medal you got in the short!”

It was only after the free battle that Jun understood more of what the other was saying. The eight that flashed next to his free battle score was a far cry from the two he’d had the day before, and the five next to his name overall took his chances of a medal like a sharp breath of wind killed the flame of a candle. His heart ached as he left the Kiss and Cry, and his head was so all over the place that he didn’t register his surroundings until he walked straight into someone.

“I—” he opened and closed his mouth a couple of times as he met Vincent’s eyes. “Congratulations on the bronze.”

He ducked to leave but Vincent caught his wrist. “Wait. We never talk anymore. Maybe another day before you go back to Canada or in Japan, we could go and get coffee together? Or tea? Maybe some boba? You like boba, right?”

Jun gave him a weak smile that didn’t nearly meet his watery eyes. He firmly but politely pulled his arm back and, despite being taller, he lowered his eyes.

“Maybe another day Vincent. Not right now. Sorry. But congratulations on your medal.”

Vincent watched as Jun turned and walked down the hallway with his mew floating behind him, and he could have sworn that he caught sight of a slight limp from the young Korean.

The battlers at the Cricket Club poured everything that they had into working for the World Championships. Gabrielle and Evgenia worked to represent the Team Cricket ladies, and Yuzuru, Jason, and Jun honed their focus. Yuzuru’s was as sharp as a knife and, when they arrived in Saitama, even as his ankle throbbed, he smiled for the media. It was a game. It was a game that they had to play again, just like they had done at the Olympics, and Yuzuru kept his dragonair close to his side through it all. He felt every eye on him at the official practice sessions. Other coaches. Other battlers. The media. The cameras. The fans. The world. All eyes were on him and their pressure built and built on his shoulders.

In the short battle, the pressure all finally got to him. All it took was one moment of miscalculation and he and his dragonair realised the damage, or lack thereof, that they’d done. At the end of otonal, even though Yuzuru had done two beautiful moves, his one bad move was enough to make his heart break and for the thoughts of his third World Championship gold to be almost all but a beautiful dream. He and his dragonair locked eyes and took their bows as the silver sparkles of the back of his costume caught the light of the arena. He stepped down and didn’t need to say anything to Brian as they sat in the Kiss and Cry with silent understanding between them. He was in first, but he knew he wasn’t going to stay there without Olympic level mistakes from Nathan and Shoma.

Shoma and his snorlax made them, and Yuzuru watched with horror as his kouhai battled. Shoma landed below him in the placements and, despite how terrible Yuzuru was feeling, he sat up so that he could watch Jason. Something that Javier had helped him learn was that there did not have to be a thick line between competitor and friend. Javier could be both and had helped Yuzuru become more open to others around him.

The disappointment of Four Continents brought out the best in Jason and, with Love is a Bitch accompanying them, he and his venusaur delivered a beautiful short battle. Jason scored two points above Yuzuru and, as the final competitor in the men’s event, Nathan delivered a beautiful battle with Growl by his side. Yuzuru caught himself applauding him, even as he scored thirteen points above his own score.

Third. Yuzuru hadn’t been third in a long time and the thought made him feel nauseous. He and his trio kept their earphones firmly in as they warmed up backstage between Matteo and Nathan. Dread hurt in his stomach as he caught sight of Jun’s dreadful battle on the monitors. Junliet at the Grand Prix Final had somehow managed to save Romeo before they both died. Junliet here died gracelessly without their Romeo beside them. Brian tried his best to comfort Jun, but the best comfort came from his pokémon when they hugged him backstage.

Mikhail went next, scoring 262.44 overall, followed by Morisi who scored 240.74, Andrei, and Kevin. Next came Boyang who redeemed himself from the short and scored 262.71. Michal was next, followed by Vincent. The young adult from the United States scored 186.99 in the free battle and smiled from where he sat between his raticate, noctowl, and psyduck. His 281.16 overall set him easily in first place and Shoma couldn’t measure up. Matteo battled after him and then the mood of the audience shifted entirely. Yuzuru stepped in with his head held high and his three pokémon by his side. When the lights of the stadium caught his costume, he glittered like a phoenix about to rise from the bronze ashes.

He was the first to break the two-hundred and three-hundred-point barriers before the scoring system changed, and Yuzuru smiled when he did it again. In his heart, he knew it wouldn’t be enough to win, but it was enough to redeem himself a little. He watched as Nathan beat the free and overall records like they were nothing at all, beating his free score by sixteen points and his overall by nearly twenty-three. With a heavy heart, he and his dragonair collected the silver medal in the same part of his home country that he had won his first world title in. The lone Japanese flag hung beside the two American flags, and the loneliness crept in that he hadn’t really felt before. He’d always shared a podium with Javier at Worlds and, when he didn’t, he still had one of his countrymen beside him. As Nathan and Vincent took photographs together, he scoured the crowd.

“Shoma!” He called to his crestfallen friend who had, like Javier in 2017, slipped off the podium into fourth place. “Shoma? Pose with me?”

In the gala, Yuzuru and his dragonair poured all their irritation and frustration as well as their lingering pain from their injuries into their performance of Haru yo Koi. After the gala event, Yuzuru slipped into Javier’s hotel room and fell into the other’s arms. Javier pressed kisses to his forehead and held him close as they lay together comfortably.

“I’ll do better,” Yuzuru promised him. “Next season. I’ll do better. I swear it. I swear it. I swear.”

“You don’t need to promise me, Yuzuru. I told you, didn’t I? You’re the champion of my heart. You always were then, and you are now. Champion of my heart, my soul, and my entire being. I love you and always will. And hey,” Javier lightly elbowed him in the side before he went back to caressing his shoulders and stroking his hair, “it takes more than one loss to make you not the greatest of all time anymore. You will always be remembered, Yuzuru, as the first back to back Olympic Champion for Japan, and the first in sixty-six years. You are one of the greatest pokémon battlers ever and the fact you’re balancing your research with your battling is even more impressive. I’m so proud of you and I love you more than I know how to say.”

Yuzuru smiled up at him and kissed Javier’s jawline. “How do you always know what to say Javi?”

As Javier opened his mouth to respond, the blanket was tugged off the pair of them by a pouty legendary pokémon. Yuzuru groaned and rolled his eyes as Lugia poked his head above the side of the bed.

“Humans. I’m hungry.”

“You’re always hungry,” Yuzuru complained as he rolled out of Javier’s arms and dug around in one of his bags for the suitcase full of pokémon food and treats he brought to competitions. “Here.” He poured him a bowl of the dried food and passed it to the legendary.

“Don’t want that. Want real food.”

“That is real food.” Yuzuru responded with a pout as he adjusted the ice pack on his ankle. “Eat it. You said you’re hungry.”

“I know you have treats. I saw you give one to Den-Den earlier.”

“That’s because Den-Den battled and worked hard today. Eat up.”

“Not eating this, human.”

“You’re not getting anything else Lugia.” Yuzuru stayed firm, staring down the legendary with firm eyes. “Eat it, or don’t eat it. But don’t complain you’re hungry if you don’t eat it.”

Lugia gave the pair of them the stink eye as he ate the food, and neither Yuzuru nor Javier thought anything of it until they had the cold water of a water move thrown on their bed in the middle of the night, shocking them awake and making Yuzuru let out a shriek of surprise.

“LUGIA!”

Chapter Text

Over the summer, Javier came back to Sendai with Yuzuru and his family, and spent a few months with them before the Japanese battling shows started. He watched, eyes lighting up with amusement, as Yuzuru chased Lugia around his house to get his battling boot back from where the legendary had it in his mouth. His mother sat down beside Javier and passed him a cup of coffee, sipping from her own mug of tea.

“I hope he doesn’t get an injury like that again.” she told him. “I think he’d spiral, and spiral worse than he ever has before. I’m just glad that he has you by his side now to help with his research and to keep him grounded.”

“Of course,” Javier promised her as he idly reached out and scratched his charizard’s head. “I want to help him with his battling and his research. He’s working on pokémon and trainer relationships, and the impact on battling, isn’t he?”

“Of course, he is.” Yumi Hanyu rolled her eyes and laughed. “Everything he does is to do with battling. It’s like he was born to battle. Javier, can I be honest with you?”

“Of course. Is something wrong?”

“Not exactly. I’m just worried about Yuzuru.” She nodded to where he was now curled up on the floor with his four pokémon. “He’s dedicated his life to it, to bringing hope to others.”

“The light of Sendai,” Javier nodded in solemn understanding. “I don’t like March the eleventh either.”

She raised an eyebrow at him, inviting him to talk if he would like to but not pushing him. Javier glanced down at where her delibird was cuddling against his leg and smiled, stroking the soft red and white feathers before he cleared his throat.

“It was before your March eleventh. In 2004, on the trains in Madrid… They manipulated fire type pokémon and…”

“Javier,” her voice held the gentle, soothing tones that came with maternal love and broke him out of his thoughts, “I understand. You were so young then. I know no words can help you, but all of our family views you as our own. You’re always welcome to talk to us or come to us for anything.”

“And the same to you. My family would love to come and meet you guys sometime. Maybe next summer you should stay in Spain with me?”

“Sounds lovely. I’ve never been to Spain before,” Yumi told him before she pulled Yuzuru’s notebook out of the mess of pokémon squirming around on the floor. She set it on the side and helped him up too. “What have I said about not ruining your research notes or you’ll have to do everything again?”

“I know, I know,” Yuzuru sighed and pushed his hair out of his eyes. “I’m so close to a breakthrough though! I’m so close to getting real solid evidence for a hypothesis about how physical contact with pokémon alters battling results, and—”

Yumi and Javier exchanged a smile as Yuzuru babbled on and on about different niche aspects of battling and battling theory. Whenever he started talking about something he was very passionate about, he could talk for Japan and win more Olympic gold medals. At dinner, his immediate and extended family joined them and Javier could barely tear his eyes away as Yuzuru told anyone who would listen about his thesis.

(And when his family stopped listening, Yuzuru told the pictures on the walls and the pokémon that ran around their house by feet, even if they didn’t really listen either)

After the injury that had thrown a wrench into their season, and cut it down to only four competitions instead of the seven that Yuzuru had hoped for, he and his pokémon decided to keep their tributes to his childhood battling heroes. Evgeni had seen the mess of his free battle that Yuzuru had presented at the Rostelecom Cup, and he was determined to make it even better than even the height it reached at the World Championships. He and his pokémon brought back the content that would give more damage, but also provided more of a risk to him. Satomi created the most beautiful battle armour for him in the form of a blue and white costume made up of waves of the colours. He smirked as he took off his ANA jacket, revealing it to the screaming and adoring fans at the Autumn Classic International.

The short was a minor disaster, but he didn’t expect much more from the first pancake of the season. He paused as he watched Jun battle; the youngster was messy with his higher technical difficulty moves but still had a fluidity to his battling that made things look elegant.

For the free, Yuzuru shrugged off his jacket and passed it to Brian as screams echoed around the arena. Satomi really had outdone herself. Hundreds of thousands of rhinestones and sequins covered the deep purple of his new origin outfit. Red butterflies lined his spine. His hair was pushed out of his eyes and he smiled as he climbed up with his dragonair onto the top step of the podium, between Kevin and Keegan. He received the gold and his flowers before Keegan held the Japanese flag up for him so that Yuzuru could look up to it and pay his respects. For the victory lap, the three off them took the flags from behind the podium and carried them around. A win was a win, whether it was for the smallest competition or the Olympic Games, and Yuzuru felt the bubble of pride and delight of the win inside.

The bubble was popped when he saw how it was at the club. The new rules that the IPU had put in for the season meant Jun couldn’t battle with his beloved mew by his side, and he was forced to spend time training a brand new pokémon. Boyang was in the same position as his Ho-Oh was barred from competitions too. Lugia was also banned, but Yuzuru didn’t include him in his team anyway. Furthermore, article after article about how Nathan was going to catch Zapdos were being published even though the American battler himself had said that he had no intention of going after the legendary believed to be on an island off the coast of South Korea. A disgruntled and irritated Pokémon Professor Yuna Kim was asked by the International Pokémon Union to give an interview on the legendary.

“Kim Yuna—”

“Please, Yuna Kim,” she interrupted the interviewer and frowned at her watch. “Is this really important? I have things I need to do. Research that’s actually time sensitive and I need to finish it.”

“This won’t take long. You know where he is located, don’t you?”

“Zapdos?” She nodded. “Yes. In Korea, we do not go near the island of Zapdos unless it is for a very good reason. We do not bother legendary pokémon.”

“But you yourself have and have battled with an aritcuno for years. How did you catch it?”

“He came to me,” she said firmly. “Peuri came and approached me and my ninetails when we were younger, and then he joined my team. I’ve caught many pokémon, but the strongest relationships I’ve had are with the pokémon that chose me rather than were caught by me. You do not need a legendary to win, but it is wrong to completely rule them out of competition.”

The interviewer glared at her and ignored her last comment. They shuffled their papers and cleared their throat.

“Have you ever seen Zapdos yourself?”

“Yes. On the set of Kim Yuna’s Kiss and Cry, my battling show, we went to the island with the competitors. We saw Zapdos there, but I would strongly advise against going. Even if you are an experienced battler, you should not go to see him or you will get zapped.”

“What do you think about someone like Nathan Chen going to see or catch Zapdos? Do you believe that he could capture Zapdos?”

“No.” Yuna’s response was firm and resolute. “Not a chance. I think not even Yuzuru Hanyu, or Evgeni Plushenko could catch Zapdos.” The interviewer hissed at the very mention of Yuzuru’s name. “He is a powerful, powerful pokémon, and he hates to be disturbed. You have to get on his good side to even get close to him, and he seems perfectly happy on the island. Don’t bother him. If you listen to any advice whatsoever, make it this. Do. Not. Bother. Zapdos.”

“But it’s absolutely possible to catch him, right?” The interviewer pushed, and Yuna stroked the head of her ninetails.

“In theory, it’s possible. In practice, it’s quite possibly the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever suggested and—”

“You heard it here folks. Yuna Kim—”

“Pokémon Professor Yuna Kim.”

“—said that it would absolutely be possible to catch Zapdos, and so Nathan Chen will be attempting it very soon.”

At Battle America, Nathan adjusted the microphone in front of him and looked the journalist who had asked the question dead in the eyes.

“I am not looking to catch Zapdos. I am not chasing any legendary pokémon. I’m honoured to be able to compete alongside those like Boyang who have a legendary beside them, and I think it’s a little strange that they’re not allowed to compete with their best friends. When battling, there are no moves that a legendary pokémon can do that a non-legendary cannot do, and so having a legendary pokémon on your team does not give you any advantage. I’ve been battling with Growl, Oink, and Gary for as long as I can remember and I wouldn’t want to replace them with anyone.”

Nathan couldn’t decide if he wanted to laugh or cry when he saw the articles about his desire to catch Zapdos all over Twitter. He lay back on his dorm room bed and stroked Growl’s head where the arcanine had it resting on his stomach. He smiled as he watched Battle Canada live, and he witnessed Yuzuru’s glorious battles that were only shy of the records because of the IPU and how they converted the damage into scores. In the stumbling mess of the Grand Prix series, where neither the reigning silver or bronze medallist made it to the final, Yuzuru and Nathan were the two stable rocks that won both of their events as expected.

Back at the Final, for the first time again in years, Yuzuru felt awe when he stepped into the arena. This was The Arena. This was where Shizuka Arakawa had made history for Sendai, history for Japan, and history by battling with her lapras. This was where Plushenko had won his Olympic gold with his dragonite. This. This was the place he had often dreamed about when he was younger and was barely a competent battler, and now he was finally there. His heart fluttered and Haku-chan nuzzled against his leg. When they locked eyes, they didn’t need to say anything.

A gold here. Think of if we could win a gold here.

The universe and the IPU didn’t nearly intend to let Yuzuru have his wish. For his short battle, he came up against an ice type that moved faster than any he’d seen before. His dragonair didn’t faint, but she ended up frozen for a bit that incapacitated them and stopped them doing nearly as much damage. With Ghislain delayed by his passport issues, Yuzuru sat only with his dragonair in the Kiss and Cry, and he stroked the nose of his pooh bear pokéball holder for comfort. Nathan came within a hair’s breadth of his record for the short, and he was well below it in second place after his mistake. The chance for the gold was gone, no matter what he did in the free.

Fuck them, Yuzuru thought to himself as he stepped up for the free and handed Ghislain his jacket. They want to give the opponents x-speeds and medicines to crank up their stats? Then so be it. We can still battle the proper way and show that we’re better than the cheaters of the IPU.

There was something quite beautiful about the way that Yuzuru and his trio of pokémon wrung themselves dry of energy to deliver a powerful battle, but none of the judges cared for it. On the day he turned 25, he delivered one of the most technically difficult battles ever done, and they refused to let him break two-hundred points in the free battle. To add insult to injury, they even tried to give him in a cake in the Kiss and Cry. The poor flower girl shook as she approached him and Yuzuru refused her as kindly as he could. He tried to remember her face, and he made a mental note to let her pick out a pooh bear plushie to apologise for putting her on the spot so badly.

The press conference was a flurry of compliments between him and Nathan, and Yuzuru smiled despite his silver medal.

“I’d love to see Lugia, if Yuzuru lets me of course,” Nathan said with a light laugh that Yuzuru joined in with, “but I have no intention of catching my own legendary pokémon. There’s only Zapdos out there, and Yuna Kim said not to bother him. I trust Yuna, and I definitely don’t intend to bother him.”

After the press conference, Nathan caught Yuzuru’s sleeve when they were out of the eyes of the media. The Japanese man turned and smiled at him, but Nathan held no joy in his eyes.

“The gold belongs to you,” he said with remorse and sadness in his eyes. “They cheated you. I’m sorry. Those pokémon had obviously been given items and medicines and—”

“Nathan, I appreciate it,” he said softly, “but you don’t need to do this.”

“Yes, I do.” Nathan told him, and Yuzuru’s heart softened when he saw the mental anguish of the other. “It’s not fair!”

Yuzuru pulled him into a hug and felt Nathan rub his back through his ANA jacket.

“It’s okay,” he whispered. “It’s just one competition. And you did so well. Don’t put yourself down. You’re an amazing battler and you deserve amazing things, Nathan.”

“I just wish that the IPU were fair to the both of us.”

“It’s the way it is,” Yuzuru told him with a wisdom far beyond his years. “And hey, you said you wanted to meet Lugia, right? I’ll introduce you to him later.”

Chapter Text

In the gala practice, Yuzuru's dragonair played about with Rika's arcanine as the Japanese man lingered by the side, waiting for his turn. Nathan finished up his rehearsal with his own arcanine before he headed over to join Yuzuru, making space for Alina and her houndoor to practice. It had been a fall from grace for her, tumbling from the World and Olympic Champion down to sixth and last place at the Grand Prix Final, and both Yuzuru and Nathan felt her pain. They exchanged a look, making comments without saying a word, and Yuzuru reached into his pooh bear case and withdrew his most special pokéball. From the outside, it looked perfectly normal, but, when he opened it up, Lugia came bounding out. Nathan's jaw dropped and, had he been a snake, it would have hit the floor. He stared at the legendary as it came over and nuzzled against Yuzuru's cheek.

"Nathan, this is Lugia," Yuzuru gestured to the legendary pokémon before he fed him a little snack. "Lugia, this is my friend Nathan. He's a battler from the United States and he's amazing. One of the best in the world at the moment."

Lugia looked him up and down before he wrinkled his snout. Nathan gulped.

"You are this Nathan Chen? I watched you on the television of Yuzuru's hotel room. Your battling is good, and you use difficult moves that do lots of damage. That is good." Nathan nearly let himself relax when the legendary narrowed its eyes at him. "However. Your outfits were a disgrace. Your one for the free battle looked like a cat had vomited on you."

Yuzuru hid his snort of laughter and instead bopped the legendary on the nose. "Don't be so rude! It's not polite to say that someone looks like a cat vomited on their shirt!"

"Maybe I have been spoilt," Lugia stuck his nose up in the air out of indignation, "because you have pretty costumes, and your child—"

"He's not my child." Yuzuru huffed and Lugia ploughed on as if he'd said nothing at all.

"—has pretty costumes as well. And Jason's are... They're okay I suppose. And Evgenia has pretty costumes and little baby Katya has the best costumes! She looks like a fairy princess and—"

"Lugia." Yuzuru effectively cut him off with a sharp glare. "You're rambling, and don't be rude. I'm sorry he's so irritating sometimes Nathan, but you should be glad that he's not bothering you and constantly demanding s-n-a-c-k-s."

Nathan raised an eyebrow and patted Growl on the head. "Is that just a thing all pokémon do? Because this one is always nagging me for them, and I've absolutely caught them going through my bag to get them before. And Oink destroyed one of our rooms when I said no, so now I normally just say yes to get them to shut up and stop them breaking anything."

"Don't we all?" Yuzuru chuckled. "Anyway, you said you wanted to meet him, so," he gestured between the two of them, "you can chat."

During the gala, Yuzuru and his dragonair performed Notte Stellata again, drawing on their shared experiences to give a beautiful and emotional performance that made the audience feel everything. After that he went straight to Japan to start preparing for the Japanese National Championships. For the first time in four years, he was back. No injuries. No flu. Just the pure exhaustion that came from two competitions in four weeks, soon to be three competitions in six weeks. Yuzuru made a mental note to ask Jun how he'd managed to do Battle Canada and the Grand Prix of Helsinki on consecutive weeks, and how he survived doing multiple ranking competitions before Nationals every year.

The short battle was great. He had a healthy lead over Shoma and Shun. The youngster seemed star struck by the pair of them, and Yuzuru patted Shun on the shoulder lightly.

"You did so well at the Final, and you're doing so well here," Yuzuru told him with a bright smile. "You and your squirtle. You're a good partnership, and the sky is the limit if you work hard."

"T-thank you," Shun blushed bright red and ducked his head. His squirtle did the same, much to the amusement of both Yuzuru and Haku-chan. "Z-Zeni also says thank you."

"Well done Zeni," Yuzuru gave the squirtle a pat on the head before he left.

His and his pokémon's exhaustion hit them fully in the free battle. They'd bled themselves dry of any energy the competition and day before, and now they were running on less than empty. It was a miracle that they didn't break down further, and he swallowed down his tears when the scores came up. He knew he shouldn't underestimate the others, but it was hard not to feel intense shame when he scored below a junior, Yuma, in the free battle. Third in the free battle, and second overall. Shoma was as shocked as he was and, once he had caught his breath, Yuzuru pushed himself to his feet. He ran over and pulled Shoma into a congratulatory hug. He then gave Yuma a hug, much to the shock of the junior, and steeled himself for the medal ceremony.

He felt a little awkward climbing onto the podium in the silver medal position for the second time in a row, and he tried to keep smiling for Shoma. After the event, he made it back to his hotel room and flopped face first on his bed. He barely had the energy to let his pokémon out of their balls before he fell asleep.

A few hours later, he woke up and saw the lights of the city outside the window. Still in his Team Japan and ANA sweatpants and jacket, he sat up and pushed his hair out of his eyes. It was still sticky with hair gel and he grimaced. His pokémon had all curled up; they were as exhausted as he was. On the desk in his hotel room, he smiled a little when he saw a bento box.

You were asleep when I came to ask what you wanted, so I didn't want to give you something hot to eat in case it went cold by the time you woke up. Enjoy Yuzuru

"Thank you for the food," he mumbled, hoping that his sleeping mother in the room beside him would understand how much he appreciated it.

He quietly ate the box and sat by the window, looking out. His window was on the east side of the hotel so he could look out towards where Lugia was from. The hulking pokémon itself was lying on the floor, snoring loudly, and Yuzuru reached out to stroke the back of its head. His confidence was in tatters and he found himself looking to the stars for guidance again.

Who am I as a battler? Yuzuru silently asked them. Who am I?

Javier staged an intervention and, as one of the coaches up the club where Yuzuru trained, he forced him to take a short break. He took a long rest at an onsen just outside of Sendai, and, for new year, the Hanyu family went to Madrid. The two families, with the house full of pokémon too, were organised chaos. Yuzuru and Javier ended up cuddled up together on the Fernandez family's couch, and the Spaniard pressed kisses to his forehead.

"You having fun?" he said gently.

"I am. Thank you for inviting us over. I think everyone loves being here. Your family is so welcoming and kind and lovely." Yuzuru kissed along his jawline before Javier tugged him to his feet. "What?"

"Come on. I want to show you something."

Javier pulled him along the streets of Madrid, winding through the crowds of people out celebrating the new year, and he took him to the tram station. They rode it to the outskirts and Javier smiled as he unlocked a building.

"This is where you started?" Yuzuru asked as he looked around the run-down battling arena. "Wow."

"It's not much. Especially compared to the club and stuff like that. It's really nothing but—"

"It's humble, Javi," Yuzuru said to him with a gentle kindness in his voice. "You're really amazing, you know?"

"Well, I do like to come here," he said as he scuffed his shoe against the floor and leaned on the boards. "I like to remember where I started, and remember what started my career. I wouldn't be who I am without this place." He glanced over at Yuzuru and gave him a sheepish smile. "Maybe I had other motives for bringing you here, Yuzuru, than just showing you where I started. I think you've kind of lost your way with battling, haven't you?"

"I have," Yuzuru mumbled. "I don't know what to do anymore, Javi."

"I think I know what the problem is. What are your short and free to you?"

Yuzuru frowned at him, eyebrows creasing and nose scrunching up. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, what do they mean to you?"

"They're tributes to Johnny and—"

"Exactly," Javier cut him off with a gentle tone but a firm voice. "Exactly. They're tributes. They're not you. That's why you can only go so far with them. I think you need to look inside yourself, look inside your heart, and decide what battling programs are more you. Then you will improve and you will fly again." Javier took his hands and squeezed them gently. "Your wings have been burned before Yuzuru. The IPU has burned you time and time again. Are you going to spread your wings and soar once again, like I know you can?"

Taking Javier's words to heart, Yuzuru stepped into the club with a renewed sense of purpose. Brian didn't question him when he told his coach that he was changing his programs back to Chopin and Seimei; the coach just smiled and patted his shoulder.

"I think that is for the best, actually Yuzuru. Good decision. You're more comfortable with them. Let's go for Four Continents, yeah? Get in some practice before Worlds."

Yuzuru, Jason, and Jun kept working hard at the club. After the pressure from the fans and the outrage at the rule, the IPU reluctantly dropped the rule about no battling with legendary pokémon which meant that Jun could once again use Myu as his partner for the short battle. Yuzuru watched him as he trained and, after practice, he sat down beside Jun as the younger took off his battling boots.

"You should talk to someone," Yuzuru told him quietly as they watched Joseph and Katya take to the platform, preparing for the Junior competitions to come and other local competitions that they were working on. "Tell them what kind of pressure you're feeling. They'll understand, and they'll help you, you know."

"I'm fine," Jun mumbled, mostly to himself. "It's not that bad. I don't expect anything of myself. Especially not after this abysmal season, and—"

"That's not exactly what I mean," Yuzuru interrupted, catching Javier's eye from across the club and channelling his boyfriend's kindness. "I mean that it's your home. Even if no one has any expectations, there is still a pressure there. It might be unconscious, but it's there, and you should talk to someone about it. Make it David if you don't think that you can say it to Brian or Tracy."

Jun tilted his head at him and, in that moment, he looked so much like his mew that Yuzuru almost wanted to laugh. He patted Yuzuru on the shoulder and smiled as he stood up.

"Thank you. I hope you win this competition and complete your set of medals."

In Seoul, the media swarmed around Yuzuru and Jun. The fans of the Cricket Club boys squealed with delight when they saw Yuzuru, Jun, and Jason all warming up together at one of the practice sessions, and the video of their cool down went viral. The IPU had updated his bio, taking away the surprise that Yuzuru had been hoping for with his battle program changes, but he didn't care much. He still had the upper hand and shocked everyone when he took off his ANA jacket to reveal his updated Chopin costume. Instead of blue, it was sea-foam green that was the bold part of the gradient up to white. With Chopin and his dragonair, the world was reset once again with a new short battle world record.

His free battle was a far cry from perfection, and Yuzuru heard whispers of "highlighter" when people saw his updated Seimei costume, but it was enough. He was ahead of Yuma, Boyang had dropped down in the standings to fourth, and Jason was in second. He had won his first Four Continents title, and he had the last gold that he needed to complete the Battling Super Slam. Yuna Kim and Alina Zagitova had both done it for singles ladies battling and now, for the first time, he had achieved it for men's singles battling. He stood atop the podium, singing his anthem, and his heart soared. His dragonair nuzzled up against his cheek and, midway through the song, he realised it.

He'd had the breakthrough in the hypothesis he was looking for.

Chapter Text

Backstage, Yuzuru scribbled notes down in his notebook before he forgot his thesis breakthrough. Haku-chan nuzzled his side as she looked at his messy handwriting when she perked up and looked back to where the soft footsteps were coming from. Yuzuru turned and instantly ducked his head as Yuna Kim stopped beside him with her elegant ninetails by her side.

"I saw your performance here and at the Olympics. It was beautiful. They were both beautiful, and you're truly an inspiring battler."

"Thank you," Yuzuru hid his blushing face from her and she gave him the gentlest smile to reassure him. Her ninetails nuzzled his cheek and Haku-chan cuddled up beside Yuna's leg. "I know Jun was excited to see you here again."

"I do love seeing him. It's nice to know just how far he's come from that sweet little battler on my show. I'm proud of him, and I'm very glad that he's become so friendly with Myu."

Yuzuru nodded, mostly starstruck by her. Last time he'd been in this close proximity to her, Javier had been with him to give him more confidence. He busied himself with stroking her ninetails' fluffy head, and the creature happily licked his cheek.

"Is there something I can help you with, Professor?" Yuzuru asked with an attempt to break the slightly awkward silence between them. Yuna nodded and offered a pokéball out to him.

"I would like you to have her." Yuzuru took the pokéball and pressed the button on the front of it. A snow white vulpix with soft curls and six tails was curled up and sleeping when she emerged, and the trainer gently carded his fingers through her fur. He looked up at Yuna for answers and the other smiled, continuing. "We found her not that long ago. She was abandoned behind my old battling place and was in such a bad way." Her face fell and she stroked the creature's head. "Poor thing. I took her to a doctor and I was honestly afraid that she wasn't going to make it. But you'll treat her well. I'm sure of it, and I trust you. You're an amazing and talented battler, and you’re obviously very kind to your pokémon."

Yuzuru traced the edges of her ears and his heart hurt when he saw the jagged scars across part of one of them. She yawned, blinking open her sapphire blue eyes before she looked at him. For a moment, they just locked eyes and she stood up, shaking out her coat before she then started sniffing at his clothes. He stayed as still and calm as he could, and both he and Yuna grinned when the little vulpix headbutted his hand, asking for him to give her pets. Her little pops and squeaks of happiness made his heart flutter, and she accepted him into her life so easily. Yuzuru carried her like a newborn baby towards the bus to the hotel when Yuna cleared her throat.

"Well done. On catching Lugia, I mean. I spoke to Javier and congratulated him on Moltres, but I never congratulated you in person. And to be accepted by Lugia rather than just catch him in the standard way makes it even more incredible."

"Would you like to meet him?"

Yuna nodded and Yuzuru balanced the baby vulpix on his shoulders. Taking out the pokéball from Pooh-san, he pressed the button on the front and out came the huge white flying pokémon. Yuna stared up at him in awe when Lugia looked to Yuzuru for introductions.

"Lugia, this is Yuna Kim. Yuna, this is Lugia. She's a Pokémon Professor." Yuzuru explained.

Yuna bowed her head to the pokémon out of both respect and sheer admiration. "It is an honour to meet you."

Lugia bowed back with almost the same depth as he had when Yuzuru had first visited him.

"It is an honour to meet you too. I have heard much about you, Yuna Kim, both about your talents as a battler and abilities as a pokémon professor. And I believe that you work with Articuno?"

"I do," Yuna nodded with a smile. "I do. They've been by my side for years and I love them. They're one of my beloved team and I wouldn't know what to do without them."

"You are a good person, Yuna Kim," Lugia's words held the wisdom of the thousand years the pokémon had seen. "You are wise beyond your years and hold much gold in your heart. I cannot overstate how much of an honour it is to meet you."

"Really, the honour is mine." Yuna offered a hand to Lugia and the creature instantly started nuzzling against it. "How are you feeling for Worlds, Yuzuru?"

"I want to reclaim the title," Yuzuru half laughed and she did too, understanding the pressure of a media forced rivalry. "I want to show good battles for everyone who came to see me."

"I wish you the best in your battles," Yuna told him and passed him a piece of paper. "If you need me for academic purposes, or battle purposes, or just want to chat, then let me know. Message me. See you around, and congratulations on the gold again."

Yuzuru felt lighter than air as he walked through the hallways of the Seoul arena, but his spirit came crumbling down when he headed into the bathroom. His vulpix had been safely tucked back away in the pokéball and he was heading in to look in the mirror and wipe some of the sweat off his forehead before the media caught him. He heard the unmistakable sniffles of tears and knocked lightly on the locked cubicle door.

"You okay?" He asked gently, trying to channel his inner Javier. With every competition there were winners and there were those who had fallen from grace, and he knew just how difficult it was to be one who had fallen. Like his boyfriend had always done, he extended the hand of friendship. "Do you need me to get you something? Some water? Maybe your coach?"

"No!" Yuzuru froze, hand resting on the plastic of the door. He knew that voice. He knew that voice very well. He'd trained with that voice for years. "No no, I'm okay."

"Jun?" He lowered his voice and stepped back, listening as the door was unlocked and Jun stepped out. The younger ducked his head to try and hide his red rimmed eyes and stained cheeks but it didn't help. "Hey, Jun, talk to me. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Jun gave him a weak and strained smile as more tears slipped down his cheeks. "Congratulations. I know you've been working so hard for this win."

"Jun, please," Yuzuru held his shoulders and looked at him with a paternal care. "It's not good to bottle everything up. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Jun shook his head and brushed Yuzuru off. "Seriously, well done. See you back at the club."

Yuzuru reached to hold the younger's wrist but Jun slipped out of his grasp. The older watched as Jun disappeared down the corridor, almost making it out of sight before he burst into tears again.

Yuzuru was determined, however, and he wasn't going to stop. Armed with taro boba in one hand and strawberry boba in the other hand, he knocked on the door and waited. Jun inched the door open and gave him a soft but very strained smile.

"Not now Yuzuru."

"I got you boba."

"Yuzuru, please, not now," Jun tried to shut the door but Yuzuru firmly put his foot in the way to stop it closing. He wasn't going to just let him go that easily. Javier had never given up on him and he was eternally grateful to him.

"Come on Jun! I got you a taro boba drink that you like! The taro one with the tapioca at the bottom and—"

"Yuzuru," Jun's eyes were brimming with tears and his voice held so much exhaustion, "please. Stop. I just want to be alone for a bit."

"You shouldn't be alone! You're sad! Being sad and alone isn't good."

"Just leave me alone," Jun tried to shut the door on him but Yuzuru stepped in anyway. "Yuzuru, please!"

"Let me help you!" Yuzuru set the two drinks down on the desk in Jun's room when, to his horror, Jun burst into tears. He ducked the Soohorang plushie thrown at him by Jun. The teenager wiped at his tears, reaching his breaking point. "Jun! Just tell me what's wrong!"

"I can't!" Jun threw himself down on the bed and hid his face in one of the pillows as he choked on his sobs. "Yuzuru, you should just leave! I don't want to tell you what's wrong because it's meant to be one of the happiest days of your life, and that doesn't involve my problems and my tears!"

Yuzuru's eyes softened and he understood. He sat down beside the other and stroked his hair lightly. Jun's sobs died down to light coughs and gentle sobs, and Yuzuru stayed by his side the entire time.

"You don't have to worry about bringing down my good days because you need to be comforted. I just want to help you because I know how bad it feels to let people down."

Jun wiggled so that he was in the other's arms and Yuzuru stroked his hair.

"I'm sorry," Jun whispered so softly that Yuzuru barely heard it. "I'm sorry for—"

"You have no need to apologise for being upset, you know. Why don't we both agree now that we'll work hard for Worlds and do our absolute best there? You can try and earn two spots for the Korean men?"

"Okay!" Jun wiped his eyes but his smile was genuine. "And you try and get the gold?"

"Always."

With Chopin as his new weapon, Yuzuru smirked as he sat in the Kiss and Cry with his dragonair. It had been beyond perfect, more perfect than anything before, and he felt the elation he had felt before world records before. Brian patted his shoulder and he grinned as he sat between him and Ghislain.

"Better than Four Continents?" he said, glancing up as he waited to see what the judges would do to their last competitor of the day. Nathan and his arcanine had scored 104.37, and Shoma and his snorlax 95.10. It wasn't inconceivable that Yuzuru could sit in first after the short battle.

"Better than Four Continents," Brian said with a grin. "I think so, anyway."

"The scores please. Yuzuru Hanyu has earned in the short battle 114.40 points. It's his season's best score, and he is currently in first place."

He grinned and stroked his dragonair's nose with delight. This was his revenge, and it felt good.

He felt an internal swell of pride as they finished their new free battle with a beautiful finesse and skill that they'd not shown before. He'd closed out the short battle with a world record, and he couldn't help but feel like he might do the same thing in the free battle. Brian patted him on the back and the satisfying exhaustion overtook him, flooding through him like it had after his first ever world championships at seventeen. He only then let his mind move to the numbers when he settled in the Kiss and Cry. Jun was sitting in fifth at that point, Jason in fourth, Boyang in third, Shoma in second with 266.28, and Nathan in first by a long way with 312.89. The 208.52 that Nathan had scored in the free didn't feel untouchable. It felt like he could do it.

"That was just incredible," Tracy told him. "Absolutely incredible. I don't remember being so excited for a battle in a long time. It feels like 2017 Worlds again."

Yuzuru smiled a little and squeezed the nose of his pooh bear. It felt like the world was in balance once again. He was back to battling with his programs, and he was almost certain now that he was going to get the title back. He just needed the judges to confirm it.

"The scores please. Yuzuru Hanyu has earned in the free battle 226.97 points." His eyes widened at the score and he could hardly dare to believe that they were real. "His total competition score is 341.37 points which is a new season's best, and he is currently in first place."

Jun had finished in the top six and earned a second spot for the Korean men in the free for the season after. Jason had finished in the top five which was one of his best results ever. Boyang had finished just points shy of a medal and had his sunshine smile that held the silent promise to work for the year after. Shoma had come back from a dreadful season to turn it around and shine as bright as his medal. Nathan had finished strong as always and gave Shoma a hug before he and his arcanine climbed up onto the podium. And finally, after battling all his demons that season, Yuzuru and his dragonair took to the top step. The World Championship gold felt right and his smile shone bright with the light of a thousand stars. The crowd sang the anthem with him, and he and Shoma made Nathan feel as awkward as he had felt the year before when they took photos together. In the gala, he had pulled a much happier Jun and Jason in for endless photos. Nothing could stop his smiles, especially when he returned to his hotel room and instantly fell into Javier's arms. The Spaniard peppered his face with kisses as they lay on the hotel bed together.

"I told you. Champion of my heart always. Always. And you are the champion here."

Yuzuru took the medal out of the case and put it around the other's neck. He pressed a kiss to his cheek before he leaned forward to rest his forehead on the other's collarbone.

"Thank you for coming with me, Javi."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world. And I was acting as Katya's coach. Don't tell her, but I was mostly here for you."

Yuzuru smiled up at him and giggled. "Thanks, Javi."

"Anytime Yuzu. Anytime."

Chapter Text

Brian marvelled at his student as Yuzuru worked with his pokémon, practicing their new battle programs. There was no one who focused like he did, and there was no one in the world who battled like him. Not content to just do what they had done before, they were chasing new elements, difficult elements, and beautiful elements. Elements that others would sacrifice the rest of their performances for but Yuzuru didn't. He and his pokémon had picked themselves up from the disappointment of the Grand Prix Final and the high of the Worlds win only made them want to work harder. Brian couldn't help but smile as he watched them before he turned and watched some of the others. Jun was struggling to get some of his elements down with his Mew and, even after his redemption at the end of the season before, there was something melancholy about him. The coach nodded the newest addition to the Cricket Club coaching team, Javier, and the Spaniard understood. Wordlessly he slipped into place and sipped at his coffee while watching Yuzuru. His Charizard stood beside him and, in his arms, he held the vulpix that Yuna had gifted Yuzuru. Brian left Yuzuru under Javier's watchful gaze before he caught Jun's attention and nodded to away from the main area. The Korean sipped at his water bottle as his Dark Pastoral music echoed around, and he raised an eyebrow at his coach.

"Tell me what's bothering you," Brian asked him, keeping his tone gentle and kind. When he looked at the young man before him, it felt almost strange to think how far he'd come from that sweet thirteen year old he'd met back in early 2015. Now Jun was more than the cute kid who'd made a big splash on the battling scene when he'd featured on Kim Yuna's Kiss and Cry. Now he was establishing himself as a real battler by being the first man from South Korea to do a lot. The Olympics had made opened his eyes and driven him to work harder, but Brian knew just how cruel and unforgiving the additional pressure could be. An entire nation's hopes rested on his shoulders as most of the ladies were younger than him. Jun's dark eyes met Brian's and, for a fleeting moment, he thought he saw something.

"Nothing's bothering me," Jun told him with a strained smile that barely reached his dimples, let alone his eyes. "Did someone say anything?"

"Jun," Brian nodded towards his office and the younger followed him in. He shut the door and sighed. Jun couldn't resist reaching out to stroke Brian's lapras' nose before he sat down on the sofa in his office, "you don't need to pretend. I know that something is up. I've been a coach for a long time and know what to look for in students. And I'm a little worried about what I might be seeing. There's a lot going on in your life, isn't there? And you don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to, but I just want you to know that Tracy, Ghislain, Shae-Lynn, David, and I are all here for you. Javier is here for you. Yuzuru is here for you. Jason, Evgenia, Conrad, Joseph, even your favourite Zamboni driver is here to support you."

The silence came first. Then there were quiet sniffles that led to muffled sobs that lead to Jun full on crying. Brian passed him a box of tissues and rubbed his shoulder gently in support. He let his student cry it out into his shoulder and, when Jun had calmed down a little, he passed him his water bottle.

"Feel a little better?"

Jun nodded and wiped at his eyes before he gave a watery giggle. "I got tears all over your jacket."

"My jacket will survive," Brian reassured him. "I just hope you know that we're all always here for you if you need."

"There's just so much pressure," Jun's voice was soft but unmissable. "They want me to do all these reality shows, and then they want me and Mew to do all these photoshoots, and then they want me to keep being a battler and get more spots ready for the Olympics for the Korean men, and they reminded me that if I don't medal at either Beijing or Milan then I need to do military service which will kill any chances of a competitive career after that, and--"

"Okay," Brian cut him off with a gentle but firm voice, "I think we're getting a little ahead of ourselves. We can and should take things one battle at a time. One competition at a time. One training session at a time. I understand what it's like to have the pressure of an entire nation on your shoulders, believe me, and Tracy and I will help you through this. Does that sound alright?"

Jun nodded and dabbed at his eyes with a tissue before he giggled. "I think Myu likes you."

Brian rolled his eyes but stroked the creature's soft pink head where it had made its bed on his lap. It was good to see and hear Jun smile again after he'd been so subdued during training. With the Autumn Classic not far away, he wanted Jun to go back to the young man who had said "I can work hard every day with a smile."

After he won the Autumn Classic and claimed his medal between Jun and Roman again, Yuzuru relished in being able to just focus on his battling instead of having to try and balance it alongside his studying. He'd completed and submitted his thesis over the summer, successfully graduating from Waseda University even though he didn't attend the ceremony in person. He spent most of his time training and he made sure to put money away towards a project for him and Javier. Yuzuru had used to love returning home to his mother, especially her cooking, but returning home to Javier and Effie was the best thing in the world, even if it meant that he had to take medicine every day to keep his asthma under control. After a long and difficult day, when everything had gone wrong and he'd just felt exhausted, there was nothing better to him than falling into Javier's arms and accepting the cuddles. His boyfriend just peppered his forehead with kisses and helped to take care of his pokémon while Yuzuru took way too long in the shower. After feeding their pokémon together and tucking them into their respective beds, Javier then enveloped Yuzuru in a soft bear hug and peppered kisses across the top of his clean hair. They stayed cuddling on their sofa with Effie and Yuzuru's little vulpix that was a gift from Yuna. When exhaustion finally tugged at them so strongly they couldn't ignore it anymore, they curled up under the duvet together and Yuzuru fell asleep with his head on Javier's chest.

When Yuzuru woke up first, he glanced over at Javier and smiled. The sunlight pressed golden kisses down his exposed torso and strong chest. His long eyelashes fell onto his cheeks and Yuzuru couldn't help himself. He leaned over and pressed gentle kisses to Javier's cheeks, following the line of the sunlight across his face and down to his lips. When he felt Javier smile against him, he carried his kisses on down to Javier's neck, then his chest, and carried on down with a line of gentle kisses. When Javier threaded his fingers through his hair, encouraging Yuzuru to finish what he'd started, the Japanese man smirked up at him. As Yuzuru's fingers played with the hem of Javier's shorts, the duvet was yanked off them and they clung to each other, screeching.

"Humans. I'm hungry."

Yuzuru and Javier exchanged a withering look before they glared at the white legendary pokémon that was sitting on the floor of their bedroom. Their duvet was pooled beside it on the floor and the chilling air of Toronto in October bit at their exposed skin. Lugia looked at them with large expecting eyes.

"You're hungry." Yuzuru sighed and, after pressing a gentle kiss to Javier's cheek. "I guess that means we should take care of the others and feed them all too. And you. I suppose you need some coffee to make you feel normal?"

"Please," Javier leaned over and captured Yuzuru in a kiss. The Japanese man relaxed into it and the joy of a Sunday, a day off with Javier, made his heart flutter.

Is this what retirement will be like? he thought to himself. Getting to spend the day with Javier? Getting to sleep in and relax with Javier? Working together a little in battling and a lot in pokémon care and research?

When the duvet was thrown over his head, he as torn out of his dream. In h is oversized Winnie the Pooh pyjamas, he trudged to the kitchen with Lugia behind him. Just the shaking of the box of pokémon food when he took it out of the cupboard, he heard the thunderous noises of pokémon running across the apartment. Those pokémon who weren't as small as they used to be and didn't sound nearly as delicate as they used to be when they ran across the wooden floors. Yuzuru almost burst out laughing when he was met with a line of pokémon who all blinked at him expectantly. He chuckled and put the kettle on before he poured their pokémon bowls of food. While they all tucked in happily, he poured himself a cup of green tea and Javier a cup of coffee. By the time that Javier had finally emerged from their bedroom, he had already pulled his laptop over to him. Two slices of toast sat on the plate beside him and his vulpix sat on his lap. Javier watched him from the doorway and sighed with happiness. Yuzuru looked so at peace and so calm within himself that he never wanted anyone to disturb him ever again. If he could have frozen time or lived the same day over and over again, this would have been his pick just because of how at peace he felt. Retrieving his coffee, he scooped it up off the side and gave Yuzuru a one armed hug from behind.

"What are you doing?" he peppered the side of Yuzuru's face with kisses.

"Research," he directed the screen towards him and gestured to it. "Which one do you think would be best? Canada? Spain? Or Japan?"

"Canada. It's like our second home. I don't think either of us would be able to force the other to pick another country over their home country. I know how we both feel about it. Canada is both of our homes and I think it's the perfect place for us to build our lives together."

Yuzuru nodded, turning his head to capture Javier in a kiss.

Nathan won Battle America by the huge margin that was expected of him. Yuzuru won Battle Canada, having finally thrown off his silver curse, and did it with an even bigger margin than Nathan had the week before. Boyang won the Cup of China and his Ho-Oh's feathers shone like all the colours of the rainbow alongside Boyang's beautiful gold medal and smile. Shoma and Nathan battled it out to the absolute death at the Internationaux de France and it was Nathan's victory by a hair. The week after, at the Rostelecom Cup, Shoma and his snorlax took the competition by storm and won it with a landslide. In Japan, Yuzuru took the gold with a score that shattered his own record. At the Grand Prix Final, the battles were incredibly close between Yuzuru, Nathan, and Shoma, and it was their tiny mistakes that defined first, second, and third. Yuzuru took the gold over Nathan. Shoma took the bronze and few points separated the three of them. Yuzuru joked about their wedding pose and Nathan joked about feeling like a third wheel to the pair of them again, something he'd really missed out on since 2017. At the gala, he and his dragonair had so much fun until the media got to him.

"Hanyu-senshu! Hanyu-senshu! Why haven't you evolved your dragonair yet?"

Yuzuru glanced at Haku-chan and stroked her nose lightly. "Because she doesn't want to evolve?"

"But you're her trainer. Don't you think that it would look better for the reigning World and Olympic Champion to have a dragonite instead of a dragonair?"

"I do have a dragonair. And she's been my best friend for years. We've been working together and I love her. I would never want to force a change on her that she doesn't like."

With that, Yuzuru firmly but politely ended the interview and went to sleep in a bad mood on his own.

Chapter Text

The season passed with golds and silvers alike for Yuzuru, and they were thrown into the off season before Yuzuru knew it. Another four years had passed and his stomach churned with anticipation. The Olympics were back, and he and his pokémon felt the tension rising. Brian pulled Javier aside at the club just before the Spaniard went to lead one of the novice training sessions.

"I'm sure I don't need to tell you how Yuzuru is going to be feeling," Brian's voice was soft and gentle, holding the paternal familiarity that Javier was used to from him, "and I know you've been through three games yourself. Don't feel bad if you don't know what to say to him, okay? I think your presence and knowing you'll support him to what is, I'm guessing, going to be his last games, will really help. He's always had you before."

Javier nodded, turning to face Yuzuru with a smile. The other stepped down off the platform after his cooldown with his pokémon and wiped the sweat off his forehead onto his pooh bear towel. Javier opened his arms to him and let Yuzuru step into the space, fitting perfectly like they'd been made just for him. Javier pressed a kiss to his forehead; in the safety of the club they could show their affection and not have to worry about the media catching them or anything. Soon, Yuzuru had promised them, they could tell the world. But not yet. Not just yet.

"How was training today?" Javier asked as he sat down beside Yuzuru and gave the younger's lapras a drink of water. Haku-chan looped herself around Yuzuru's shoulders as he polished up Den-den's tail. "You look like you've found your stride, the three of you."

"I think we have," Yuzuru said with a nod, holding out the pokéballs for his pokémon to tap their heads against and curl up in. Lugia came bouncing over to them and lowered his nose to let Yuzuru tap his ball against it before the battler stood up and stretched. His shirt rode up a little, exposing a strip of skin that Javier traced his fingertips over as he gave him a cuddle from behind. "Javi, no, I'm ticklish!"

Javier hummed, leaning his head on Yuzuru's shoulder and pressing a kiss to his neck. "Don't care. I want to give you cuddles, all the cuddles. You'll be alright at home, won't you?"

"Yep. Going to go and bottle feed Yuki and make sure she feels all comfortable, and then I'm going to finally reply to the emails that Citizen and Lotte have been sending me, and then I'm going to finalise the designs for the costumes that Ito-san sent to me, and then I will do some image training with these three."

"Sounds like a plan to me. I'll be home in time for dinner. Don't let Effie bother you too much, okay?"

"Effie-chan never bothers me," Yuzuru said with a grin before he waved past Javier to his other coaches. "See you all tomorrow!"

Due to his asthma, Yuzuru's hours were often limited compared to the others so he hated to waste any second of his time at the club. On a normal day, when he left, Jun and Jason would be heading towards the gym for an extra workout when the junior battlers took over the main stadium. Jun fiddled with the expensive headphones his brother had bought him for his placement at Four Continents and Worlds the season before as he started the treadmill on a light jog, enjoying the burn that soon set in as he pushed himself harder. His three pokémon were all resting in their pokéballs so he had time to lose himself in Chungha's music. Distracted and entirely enveloped in his own head, he didn't notice Conrad and his pokémon standing by the doorway. The Canadian watched him with more than friendly adoration in his eyes that was also mixed with intense longing. His raichu nosed at his leg to shake Conrad out of his daze and the Canadian hid his blushing face as he busied himself with his music and earphones. He couldn't help but sneak glances over at Jun all through his training session and he nearly slipped off the treadmill due to his distraction.

"You okay?" Jason asked him from across the room, earning both Jun and Conrad's attention. "Conrad. You nearly fell?"

"Are you alright?" Jun's soft eyes filled with concern for him made Conrad's heart ache. "Don't get hurt! You've got the grand prix assignments coming up and Nationals and maybe the Olympics and Four Continents and Worlds too! You need to make sure you'll be alright to battle there because we'll miss you if you can't, and I think you could make the top ten battlers at the Olympics!"

The way Jun's eyes sparkled with almost childish delight when he spoke of the Olympics made Jason's light up and Conrad's heart sunk. He nodded, stepping off the treadmill before he silently gathered up his things and darted for the door, ignoring Jun calling after him as he and his raichu made a run for it.

"Oblivious. So oblivious."

Every day of training was a push for Yuzuru, but his dreams of a life with Javier kept him going through the hardest sessions. Looking back, he'd really grown up compared to the teenager who would throw himself into everything headfirst without a thought spared for the consequences. Now that he had other things, he felt like he gave more care to his every motion and every movement. When he fought through his Grand Prix assignments and won two gold medals at them with Jun and Jason both winning silver along side him at one each, he felt his heart swell with pride and delight. These were his friends. He did have time for friends. He could allow himself to have friends. He didn't have to shut himself away from the world to be the best.

While training between NHK and the final, Javier watched from the sidelines with pride in his heart. Yuzuru was always hyper focused on his training but, when approached by any of the others, he was soft and gentle. Javier watched as Yuzuru helped Jun up after a particularly difficult training session, stroking his hair and cuddling him in a hug that the young adult would have complained about if Yuzuru's arms hadn't provided a sweet comfort to him that he craved. The Spaniard smiled at the way that Yuzuru and Mew teased Lugia together, despite not speaking the same language. Teasing Lugia crossed the barriers, it seemed. The white legendary sulked in the corner, pouting at the small pink one as it danced around in the air in front of him, when he perked up and bounced across the training ring to Conrad.

"Why are you sad human?" Lugia asked, tilting his head like an overgrown puppy. "What has got you so down?"

"Nothing Lugia," Conrad sat down on the bench and offered his raichu his water bottle. "Everything is fine. Why?"

"I saw your battle at the NHK trophy. It was very good. You were all whoosh! And your raichu went kapow! It was great! You just have to keep working hard and doing your best, and then it'll all work out for you."

Conrad gave the pokémon a weak smile and busied himself with looking through his bag to hide his face. Lugia nosed at his shoulder, trying to get a better look.

"Human. Lugia knows that people cry when they're sad. You look like you're about to cry. Tell me what is wrong."

Conrad sighed and, after glancing around to make sure that no one was listening into their conversation, he lowered his voice.

"There's someone I really like," he confessed quietly, "but I don't think he likes me in the same way. In fact, I don't even think he's attracted to guys. And it breaks my heart to see him struggle, and I wish I could go over and comfort him, but I'm terrified that I'll ruin everything between us if I do by making it awkward."

Lugia blinked at him before the pokémon smiled and nodded. Lugia sometimes acted like a dork, but he was also a deity who had protected Japan and Sendai for millennia. He had also been there when Yuzuru and Javier's relationship was still fairly new and witnessed it blossoming into the beautiful deep love that it was.

"Human," Lugia kept his tone light and gentle, emulating the supporting tone that Tracy would always use when the battlers were having a bad day, "there is nothing wrong with falling in love with someone. It is always right. Even if it is not forever, being in love with a person teaches you something important. Usually about yourself. If he does not love you back, but you are still kind to him, always there for him, and are the best friend that you can be, then that is a testament to your character. He does not have to love you back, and it's always the nice ending we hope for, but I'm sure he will appreciate you as a friend. First loves are always important to us, and will always hold a special place in your heart. Make it beautiful, even if it is bittersweet."

Conrad couldn't help but smile, and he caught himself laughing through his tears.

"Where did you learn that speech?"

"I came up with it myself!" Lugia practically glowed silver and blue with pride. "I have been around for a while you know! I'm very good at this sort of thing. And I have to hear my human and his boyfriend having sex every night under the duvet together and it's GROSS so at least talking to you stops me having to think about that."

Conrad burst out laughing and Lugia's dorky grin only grew wider. He nosed at Conrad's shoulder as the battler scooped up his raichu, settling him on his shoulder.

"Come on buddy. Let's go get a snack from the cafeteria, yeah? You want anything Lugia?"

"Do they have snacks?" the white legendary bounced along beside him as they headed out of the battling arena to the cafeteria. "Yuzu doesn't like to give me too many snacks because it isn't fair on the other pokémon but I'm a bigger pokémon! I should get more snacks!"

Conrad shook his head, unable to conceal his laughter. When he headed into the cafeteria, Yuzuru and Jun exchanged a look before they shrugged and giggled together.

"When are you going to ask him out?" Yuzuru asked, nudging Jun with his shoulder.

"Are you crazy?" Jun whispered, half hiding his face in his cubone's fur. "I can't do that! I'm sure he's got a hundred girls all waiting for him to ask them on a date and whisk them off their feet into the distance. I can't ask him out. I don't even know if he likes guys!"

"I'm sure he does," Yuzuru scooped up some of his rice and chewed as he thought. "I thought Javi didn't like guys but," he blushed a light pink, "he does. Or, he doesn't like guys, but he likes me and that's what's important, you know?"

"Aww, you guys are so sweet," Jun said with a grin as he looked through his lunchbox. "Is he coming with us to the Final?"

"Of course he is. There are three Team Cricket battlers. We need three coaches to go with us!"

"So, Brian, Tracy, and Ghislain?" Jun raised an eyebrow at Yuzuru as he sipped from his juice box. "No Javi space there."

"Yes, Brian, Tracy, and Ghislain will come to the actual event and arena with us, but there is no rule that says the coaches can't come with us to stay in our hotel room."

"Too much information!" Jun waved his arms around as he turned bright red and groaned, hiding his face in his arms. "I really didn't need to know that Yuzu!"

"Know what?" Yuzuru put on his faux innocent face. "We're going to cuddle in my bed together. Don't know what you were thinking of."

"Yeah, cuddle. Cuddle naked!"

"Jun!" Yuzuru gasped at him. "Please! How dare you? We're innocent!"

Even Yuzuru couldn't keep his act up for that long and, when he caught Jun's eye, they both burst out laughing again. It felt like being with their siblings who were across the world, and, for a moment, the pressure on the both of them was lifted just for a moment.

The three battlers and three coaches arrived at the Final like a superhero team. Yuzuru had his sharp death glare on and he was out for blood and revenge. It was the Olympic season, and he intended to take it by storm before he ended his competitive career. His first Olympic season had brought him nothing but gold. His second had given him silvers with a glint of gold breaking through the grey of the clouds of his injury. Now, at the start of his third Olympic season, he was ready.

Standing between Nathan and Mikhail felt refreshing and right again. He grinned for the cameras and Haku-chan curled up around his neck, delighted to be able to show off for the cameras again. Shoma had been a whisker out of the medals, with Jun in fifth and Jason in sixth. Their battles had all been incredible, and very few mistakes had been made at all. After the medal ceremony, Brian gestured for the club skaters to all come over to him to debrief.

"I'm all so proud of you three. You should be proud of yourselves too. You set personal bests here and did really well. Carry the momentum forwards and you'll hopefully have great seasons going on. Don't think "Oh I didn't do well at the Grand Prix Final" because you did. To even get here is a great achievement of itself, so don't talk yourselves down. Yuzuru, congratulations on your win. It was truly fabulous."

"Well done Yuzu," Jason clapped him on the back and Jun bounced around them with a bright grin. "You were fantastic."

"So were you both. I was cheering you on!"

"We're always cheering each other on." Jun joined their hug and sighed. "I'm hungry. Brian! Are you taking us all out for dinner?"

Their coach rolled his eyes and swatted fondly at the Korean. "I suppose. Go to the hotel and get changed, and we'll all go out for some food together."

Back at the hotel, the three battlers separated on their floor to take showers and get changed into more acceptable things for dinner. In his hotel room, Jun unlocked his phone and smiled as a pale pink blush painted his cheeks and dimples.

콘래드 : Well done!

콘래드 : You were so good!

콘래드 : Can't wait to see you back at Cricket!

차준환 : Can't wait to see you too!

Conrad sent him a picture of him and his raichu curled up on the sofa of his home in Canada and Jun giggled, saving it to his phone before he sighed and jumped into the shower to wash away all his not-platonic feelings for his best friend.

Yuzuru adored Brian and Tracy and Ghislain. He really did. They'd had his back for so long and he was grateful to them for everything they'd done for him. But, when he opened his hotel room and fell into Javier's arms, he knew he'd found home there.

Chapter Text

It was like Yuzuru was suddenly nineteen years old again. He'd won the Grand Prix Final and he stood atop the podium at the National Championships with a smile as bright as any of his gold medals. Shoma stood with his snorlax next to him, and Yuma and his pikachu were as awkward as they ever were around his two senpais. Yuzuru felt like he was floating as they confirmed the Japanese team for the Olympics and Haku-chan soaked up the atmosphere. Rika, Wakaba, and Kaori smiled as they posed for the ladies team, and Yuzuru posed with Shoma and Yuma with their pokémon beside them. Rika's arcanine curled up by their feet, much to everyone's amusement, as Wakaba's dewgong bounced around their feet and enjoyed playing about in little waves of water. Team Japan was ready. They were smiling and laughing together, and they were ready to take Beijing by storm.

Yuzuru decided not to push his luck and sat out Four Continents like he had decided all the way back in 2014, and like he'd been forced to in 2018. Jun went to it and, to the rest of the club's delight, he returned with a bronze medal that sat around Mew's neck. Lugia jabbered away with the legendary, speaking in their own pokémon language even though legendries had the power to speak any human language. The week before the Olympics, Conrad sat down beside Jun on the bench at the club and nudged him with his shoulder.

"You okay?"

"Hmm?" He looked up and gave a small, shaky smile. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Just... Nervous, you know?"

"You'll do great," Conrad promised him and gave him a gentle hug with one arm. "Who was it who became the first Korean man--"

"Stop!"

"And who started off all the battling at the Olympics with the Team--"

"Stop it!" Jun shoved him lightly but giggled, shoulders relaxing as his face brightened. "Thanks Conrad. I needed this."

"I know you did. But seriously, you'll do great. Don't think too much and try not to worry too much. Just relax and enjoy it."

Jun nodded, feeling the heat rising in his cheeks as his eyes flicked to Conrad's lips. They lingered there for a little too long, tracing the tip of his tongue as it wet them, before he forced his eyes away and cleared his throat.

"Um, see you tomorrow! Good luck with your training for the rest of the day!"

Conrad watched him go and chuckled before he hugged his raichu tightly.

"My God, I'm so whipped buddy. So. Whipped."

"How can you be whipped when you haven't even asked him out yet?" Javier asked as he sat down on the bench in the spot that Jun vacated. "I've seen you pining since you arrived, Conrad. It's been years, and yet you haven't asked him out yet. What's the hold up?"

"I'm scared," Conrad idly scuffed his boots against the floor under the bench. "What if he says no? What if it ruins our friendship? What if he hates me? What if he tells Brian to change our schedules so that we're never training together anymore?"

Javier sighed and tapped his chin. "All I can say is, it's better to know for sure than have the 'what if' in your head forever. Because I left it late, really late, to tell him how I felt and it was very nearly too late. We missed years together because neither of us wanted to break the friendship we had. So don't be afraid. You might be scared and I don't blame you, but you need to remember that he's still Jun. You might think he is a different person to the kid you befriended back in Dresden, but he's still the same person. Yeah, okay, he's a bit taller and a bit more mature, but his heart is the same, you know?"

Conrad nodded, chewing his lip as he thought back to their slightly awkward first meeting. Jun, still lacking in English skills and international competition experience, had very awkwardly climbed up onto the podium and he had no idea what to do when Conrad arrived at the step beside him. Conrad also lacked experience, so he offered Jun a handshake. Poor Mitsuki had been very awkward beside them, especially when they and their pokémon had all tried to cram onto the top podium step together. Conrad's heart fluttered when he remembered how he'd managed to make Jun laugh back them, lighting up the arena with his cute smile.

Yup. I'm whipped.

In the last training session before Beijing, Brian held Yuzuru, Jason, and Jun back before they left. He cleared his throat, eyes shining a little with tears that he refused to let them see fall. He'd refused to let them see them fall when he'd given a similar speech before PyeongChang, even as he spoke to Javier who was basically his surrogate son.

"I'd just like you three to take another good look around here," Brian said as he gestured around the training centre. "This has been your home for four years, seven years, and ten years. No matter what you choose to do after this, if you choose to retire or keep going, you will always have a place here to call home. If you choose to keep going, we're here for you. Even if you move to other coaches and other training locations, you can still call the Cricket Club your home. If you retire, please come back and visit us sometime again. You might even end up stuck here like Javi." The corners of his mouth tugged up even as his eyes shone. "So just take a good look around and remember the best times. Remember all you've worked for and trust it."

Yuzuru spent an hour wandering around the club in silence with his pokémon. They went to the entrance, remembering when he'd stepped in for the first time all the way back in 2012 as a fierce seventeen-year-old ready to take on the world. He followed the route of the tour that Brian had given him and his mother all those years back, going to the cafeteria where he and Javier had lunch together. He headed to the green space under the umbrellas where they'd watched the Infamous Ramen Incident. He steeled himself before he finally went into the battling rooms. He exchanged a look with his pokémon who all gave him a solemn nod in understanding. He stood in the doorway and just looked. He looked at the platforms where he'd poured his blood, sweat, and tears into getting better and fighting. He'd laid himself bare there more times than he could count to be the best that he could be and bring light to Sendai. He then looked over at the benches and swallowed the lump in his throat as he thought about all the times that he and Javier had joked together there, or all the times that Nam had thrown his stuff down in a rush just to get to battling practice with his pikachu on time, or when he'd stepped up and gave Jun brotherly advice there. His eyes then caught the plaques on the wall and his eyes welled up with tears.

Yuzuru Hanyu Olympic Gold 2014

Yuzuru Hanyu Olympic Gold 2018

But he ignored those. His eyes flicked to the one that stood on a plaque alone and shone down on him like the stars in Sendai.

Javier Fernandez Olympic Bronze 2018

"Third Olympics," he whispered to Haku-chan. "Are you ready?"

She nodded to him, eyes full of wisdom and kindness. He pressed a kiss to her nose before he wiped at his eyes and they turned away from the room. Standing behind him with a box of tissues and arms open, ready for a hug, was Tracy. Yuzuru dived into them, tucking his head beside her neck as she stroked his hair, chuckling at their height difference and Yuzuru's ability to make himself fit in anyone's arms.

"It's still home for you," she whispered as she stroked his hair, "isn't it?"

"It always will be. I'm just going to miss it when I'm not coming here every day anymore."

"Of course you will. And we will miss you too. Ten years is a long time to do anything, and changing that will of course be big. But you're very strong Yuzuru, and you will thrive. You've graduated, you know what you're doing, and, even if you don't come here every day anymore, you can still talk to us whenever you need. We'll always be here for you. Always. I promise."

Yuzuru nodded, too choked up to say anything as Tracy just held him tenderly, as if he were her own son. They stayed like that, in the quiet of the battling arena, for a short while before Yuzuru finally pulled back and wiped his eyes.

"Before you go home with your mother, I'd like you to promise me something," Tracy asked him, dabbing at his red and blotchy face with a tissue.

"Anything."

She gave him a smile that made him feel warm and safe inside; it was the kind of smile that only a parent could really give. "I'd like you to battle in a way that makes you feel proud. Set yourself free. You don't need to win. You don't need to medal. You don't need to measure up to anyone's expectations except your own, okay? And I adore seeing you and your pokémon work together with that kind of freedom about you. So please, let yourself feel it and experience it one more time."

Yuzuru nodded, wiping his eyes on the back of his hand, before he tugged his suitcase behind him towards the doors.

"Bright and early at the airport tomorrow?"

"Bright and early at the airport tomorrow. And you should probably be prepared for the press conference that will occur when we land in Beijing."

The next morning, wearing his comfiest Team Japan sweatpants and hoodie, Yuzuru tapped his toes anxiously. Jun was the next to arrive, yawning into the back of his hand as he tugged the Team Korea beanie hat further down his head. Even though he was taller than him, Yuzuru swatted at the pompom on the top, making Jun fondly push him away.

"Yuzu," Jun whined as he adjusted the hat, "I'm too tired for this. It's too early."

"Tell me about it," Brian said as he approached his students with Jason and Tracy in tow. "Let me guess: Javi isn't here yet, is he?"

"Of course not," Yuzuru chuckled, "but he'll be here. Don't worry."

In true Javier fashion, he arrived only about ten minutes late. They checked in their bags before the group took over a couple of tables in the lounge. Jun went back to sleep, Beats headphones on, as Brian and Tracy went to find some breakfast for them. Javier leaned his head on Yuzuru's shoulder, watching him as he played a game on his phone, and tried to ignore Jason sweet talking someone down the phone in Japanese.

"What's he saying?" Javier asked as he took his beloved coffee from Brian and sipped at the nourishing caffeine fuel.

"Uh... I love you very much. I miss you. I cannot wait to see you again, my dear. I want to kiss you and-- yeah not translating that bit."

"Mean," Javier kissed Yuzuru's cheek as the other sipped at his tea and kept playing. "I bet Lugia would tell me."

"Lugia is staying firmly in his pokéball so that he doesn't cause any problems," Yuzuru said with a light huff as he paused the game and gratefully accepted the sweet pancakes Brian had got them all. Jason ended the call with yet more sweet nothings that made Yuzuru want to gag. Tracy tried to poke Jun awake but the young adult was having none of it, curling up tighter on his uncomfortable metal chair. After finally poking him long enough that he tugged his headphones off, the group ate a breakfast together at four in the morning before they boarded the flight and proceeded to all go back to sleep. Yuzuru's head ended up resting on Javier's shoulder and the Spaniard stroked his hair, pressing a kiss to his forehead before he too closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep too.

As Tracy predicted, the moment they landed was like they'd walked into a press conference. Jun and Jason snuck away from the press so that they didn't have to get changed into something more appropriate for them to wear than their sweatpants. Yuzuru had thought ahead and changed into his Team Japan suit on the plane so that he could face the media looking more presentable, even if it had meant negotiating changing in a tiny airplane bathroom. The media showered him with questions that he couldn't even attempt to answer all of, and his mother and bags were rushed away from the chaos to the hotel. He paused in a roped off area and smiled at the translator who was waiting for him.

"Hanyu-senshu! You're the reigning World Champion and Grand Prix Final Champion! How are you feeling? Are you hoping to get your third straight Olympic Gold Medal?"

Yuzuru took a deep, steading breath before he answered the question.

"I want to battle in a way that I enjoy. I want to battle in a much freer way and enjoy it. Of course, I would love to win, but it matters much more to me that I battle in a way that I am proud of and enjoy. I want to make it worth the trip for all those that have come to watch me. I'm not going to say I will definitely win, but I can say that I will definitely do my best."

The journalists exchanged a look and, after a few more questions, they let Yuzuru go to the hotel. He finally got to his room, which was between Tim's and Shoma's, where he flopped down face first onto his bed to sleep off the jetlag.

Chapter Text

Yuzuru and Shoma were both part of the Team Event, along with Rika and Kaori as well as their pairs battlers and double battlers. Yuzuru did the short, taking command as he did back in 2014 with the old Team Japan. He'd come an awful long way since then; at nineteen, he'd been the baby of their group and had received lots of praise from Mao, Tatsuki, and the rest of the team. Now, eight years later and at twenty-seven years old, he was the senpai playing around and supporting his kouhai. For the first time since its introduction in 2014, Team Japan finally won a medal in the Team Event at the Olympics. Not just a medal, but--

"Gold!" Rika jumped up and down, pulling Kaori into a hug as the entire team rejoiced in Kaori's free battle score. "We've won! No one else can beat us!"

Yuzuru and Shoma exchanged a look before they both laughed and pulled the rest of their team into a hug. Team Russia won the silver and Team USA won the bronze. It felt a little strange to Yuzuru when they gave him the gold medal; it didn't feel the same as his other golds, but a gold was a gold. He held it in his hand and, with his glove on, he traced his thumb over the engravings. He familiarised himself with the weight and feel of it, image training the individual gold.

"Your face looks weird," Shoma whispered to him. "Are you having a brain fart or something?"

Yuzuru shoved him lightly as they stepped out of sight of the audience and rest of the world. "Shut up. Enjoy that gold medal, because you won't be winning the individual one."

"Oh yeah? You think you can stop me?"

"I know I can," Yuzuru teased. "Do your best, right?"

"Of course. I won't make anything easy for you. That gold doesn't belong to anyone yet, despite what the USA media says."

Yuzuru nodded. Up in his hotel room, he hung the gold medal around his pooh bear's neck before he pressed a kiss to the top of the tissue box and carefully put it away in his bag. Denryu and Lapalace-chan were both already asleep, but Haku-chan nosed at his shoulder when he sat on the bed, thinking. The individual men's competition short was in two days' time.

"You okay?" Yuzuru asked her softly. "I mean, are you ready? Because you know what is going to happen after this competition, don't you?"

She nodded and Yuzuru smiled. She truly was one of his best friends in the entire world. He let her climb up on his shoulders before he started playing some Animal Crossing to relax, letting all the thoughts about the Team Event dissolve like sugar. He didn't need to worry about them. It was over and they won. Now? Now he had to prove that he was still the best in the world and reach the heights only touched once before by a Swedish man back when one of the founders of pokémon battling was still around.

Even the way he walked into the practice arena was commanding. Everyone felt the shift in the air. Everyone felt how the atmosphere changed. Yuzuru took his earphones out and handed them to Brian before he and his pokémon started their warm up.

"It's a practice session," Brian reminded him softly when they got their water and stopped to watch Boyang's run through, "so don't feel that you have to show them anything that you don't want to. You hold all the cards."

Yuzuru nodded and passed him back his bottle. Boyang finished up and Jason did his run through next. After him was Shoma, who Stephane was very vocal about complimenting, and then Mikhail. The last group of men who would go made up their practice group, and Yuzuru was scheduled to practice, and compete, just before Nathan once again. His practice was almost perfection with Haku-chan and they just grinned at each other.

"If you can keep a cool head and perform like that tomorrow," Brian told him with a smile after Nathan had finished and the whole group was getting out of the arena, "then I don't see why you can't win the gold."

Javier was one of the coaches who had come with them, so Yuzuru got to walk into the arena for the short battle alongside him again. Tracy had decided to take care of Jason and focus on him more, Brian was focusing on Yuzuru after he had coached Jun through to being second behind Vincent just before the final group were to battle, and Javier was floating between the two of them. Yuzuru sparkled like a disco ball or a star in the six minute warm up and, almost before they all knew it, Yuzuru was taking his earbuds out.

"We've got this," Yuzuru whispered to Haku-chan. "Let's enjoy ourselves, okay?"

She nodded and nosed at his cheek before they stepped up, passing Mikhail who stepped down. Boyang had started the group off, then Mikhail, and now it was Yuzuru's turn. After him was Nathan, then it would be Shoma, and Jason would close the battling short. Yuzuru locked eyes with Brian and, as he sipped from his water bottle, he grinned.

"Keep calm," Brian told him with a kind, almost sad smile, "and just enjoy it. You have nothing to prove to anyone else anymore."

Yuzuru nodded and stepped out to rapturous applause. The arena was all behind him and, when they faced the glaceon before they, they just smirked. Yuzuru knew it was going to be either an ice type or a dragon type and had prepared for it. He was unafraid anymore, and he knew what to do. He'd taught Haku-chan fire blast, moving on finally from the 2014 Cup of China incident. Being around Javier's charizard so much helped him accept fire types again. The decision to include fire blast hadn't been the easiest one for him, but, when Haku-chan hit the glaceon with it, and a critical hit as well, it was perfect. The rest of the battle was just as glorious and, for the very first time ever in a competition, the official pokémon fainted.

The crowd exploded with applause. Yuzuru and Haku-chan exchanged a smile and bowed to the audience before they stepped down and gave Brian a hug.

"I'm so proud of you," Brian told him as he rubbed his back. "So proud. You're amazing. Every time I think you can't amaze me more, you do something incredible like this."

Yuzuru grinned and settled in the Kiss and Cry beside Brian and Ghislain. Haku-chan sat on his shoulders, and the both of them already knew what was going to happen. He stroked her nose and they watched as all their moves were review on the big screen. Nathan had stepped up with his arcanine to get a small warm up in but they had to work around the goat plushie rain; since Pooh bears weren't allowed in China, Yuzuru's fans had thought creatively. Pooh-san had only been allowed in with special permission. It wasn't long before the music quietened down and the cameras focused on Yuzuru.

"The scores please. Yuzuru Hanyu from Japan has scored in the short battle 120.00 points." He grinned and the entire audience roared for him. "It's his season's best score and he is currently in first place."

"How do you do stuff like this?" Brian said with a sigh and a pat on Yuzuru's back. "Perfection. Sheer perfection."

Yuzuru stood up and waved before he stepped out of the arena and was descended on by the media. From every country and every federation, media personnel wanted to know how he'd managed to do a perfect short battle. By the time he was done, Nathan was getting his score of 103.35 and was settled into third, less than a full point behind Shoma. When the dust settled, Yuzuru was at the top with a perfect score, Shoma was in second with 104.23, and Nathan was in third with 103.35. Boyang had fourth and Mikhail had fifth, all breaking 100 points, with Jason in sixth, Vincent in seventh, and Jun in eighth. In the press conference, most of the questions were focused around Yuzuru destroying history one more time. The press conference was almost as exhausting as battling had been, and, when they finally go to leave, Yuzuru wanted to just fall onto his bed and sleep. He took the bus back to the hotel, fiddling with his pooh bear case on his lap as he leaned his head against the cool window and watched the snowflakes fall in Beijing. With his earphones in, he zoned out for the ride back and just lost himself in his thoughts.

After a good night's sleep, Yuzuru woke up on the day of the free with a kind of determination in him. He felt ready for the free battle and like his legs were made of jelly at the same time. Javier was the one to collect him from his hotel room to take him to the bus, and the Spaniard held his shoulders gently before they left.

"Are you ready?" He asked with level eyes.

Yuzuru nodded.

When he walked into the battle arena, he felt the rush of adrenaline and smiled. As he warmed up with his pokémon backstage, they all were ready to go. Brian nodded to him and gave him a soft smile.

"You can do this. Enjoy it."

Yuzuru had the same spot that he'd had at PyeongChang. He was 22nd to go out of the 24 free battlers for the men, with Nathan and Shoma both after him. He stepped up as Mikhail stepped down and paced around with his pokémon.

They didn't put a foot wrong, but they wouldn't have cared if they did. Their battle was fun, exciting, and a delight to watch.

I love battling Yuzuru thought the whole way through. I love battling with my friends

When Haku-chan finished her last move and the music came to an end, the audience erupted into applause. He bowed at the centre of the plushie rain and soaked everything up as he stepped down and hugged Brian tightly.

"I'm so proud of you," his coach told him, rubbing Yuzuru's back. "That was amazing. Absolutely amazing. I don't think there is a dry eye in this arena."

Yuzuru nodded and wiped his own eyes. The realisation that it was the last competitive battle that he'd ever done was finally starting to sink in and he couldn't help it. The emotions welled up inside of him and, as he sat in the Kiss and Cry, he wiped at his eyes and tried to keep it all in.

"We're so proud of you," Tracy told him as she rubbed his back. "The entire world is so proud of you. You're amazing, Yuzuru, and you should be so proud of yourself too."

He nodded, too choked up to speak, and his heart finally let go of the need to be perfect and win. Winning was nice, but these battles were about enjoying himself and leaving the competitive world happy.

"The scores please. Yuzuru Hanyu has earned in the free battle 215.83 points. His total competition score is 335.83 points and he is currently in first place."

Yuzuru laughed through his tears and waved to the crowd. Only he would bow out of the world with yet more world records. He sat in the green room and watched as Nathan had a great free battle. The American sat behind him in second place and grinned, waving at the crowd and blowing his fans back home kisses. They hugged in the green room before they both sat down to watch Shoma rise to snatch the bronze medal.

"You were amazing," Nathan told Yuzuru as they lingered by the side of the arena for the flower ceremony to start. "Just amazing. There's a reason everyone looks up to you, me and Shoma included."

Yuzuru smiled and nodded before his traitorous mind took him to four years before. Thinking back to how Javier had hugged them all and told them his plans, Yuzuru gestured for Nathan and Shoma to step away from the media with him for a moment.

"You two are amazing battlers," he said softly, "and you've got so much to give. I don't care what the media says to you. You have talent and you're not too old. You're not replaceable. This was my last ever competitive competition and I'm so glad that I get to share the podium with inspirational battlers like you. So keep doing what you love, and battle out of love. Battle in a way that makes you proud and makes you happy. And trust your pokémon. They're your friends and teammates and they love you. And I'll be cheering you on too."

Shoma smiled up at him and wiped his eyes. "You and Javier really know how to pick your moments, huh?"

"We do," Yuzuru chuckled and ruffled Shoma's hair to hide his own tears. "You've learnt more English since moving to Stephane, haven't you?"

"It's going to be weird without you," Nathan confessed to Yuzuru, "but if you're happy, that's the most important thing. We'll keep the sport alive."

Yuzuru collected his flowers between them and felt a swell of pride in his heart as he carried the Japanese flag around the arena with Haku-chan on his shoulders. In the medal ceremony, the gold around his neck felt perfect and he held onto it tightly with his hand.

Thank you, he thought to himself when he finally got to return to his hotel room. He shot a text message and soon his coaching team were all at the door, offering him yet more congratulations.

"This," Yuzuru tried to keep himself together, "was my last competition. I will be moving just to shows for now on. I will never forget everything you have taught me and everything you have given me. Thank you so much. I owe you everything."

Tracy was the first one to react. She pulled him into a hug and stroked his hair as tears ran down her cheeks.

"It's been a pleasure to coach you."

"It has," Brian joined the hug. "It's been an absolute honour."

"You'll always have a home at the Cricket Club," Ghislain added as he hugged him too. "Always."

When his team finally departed, Yuzuru was left with just one person. He fell into Javier's arms and let the other stroke his hair and kiss his forehead.

"I'm so proud of you, Olympic Champion," he whispered. "So proud."

"I love you Javi," Yuzuru kissed his neck and hid his face in his shoulder. "So much."

"I love you too."

Chapter Text

Yuzuru's official announcement of retirement didn't come as a shock to the world, and the flood of respect that he received in person and online was overwhelming. His novice and junior fans posted things about how much he inspired them to work hard and be the best that they could be. His old friends, those who had retired years before him, congratulated him on his amazing career and wished him the best in his retirement. Yuzuru had squealed with delight when Javier passed him his phone to let him watch the video Plushenko had posted on Instagram.

"Yuzuru!" His Russian accent seemed stronger and thicker through the screen, but the way his eyes lit up made Yuzuru's fanboy heart soar. "You are absolutely amazing and I'm in awe every time I see you battle. You have surpassed everyone in the world, and you truly are the best pokémon battler we've had the pleasure of seeing. I hope that retirement treats you well, and I will always be your fan. I'm proud of you Yuzuru, and if you ever want to come and give a masterclass with the Angels of Plushenko, you're more than welcome. And that black swan position and offer is still open to you."

Hanging up his battling boots after the Olympics had definitely been the right choice to make, but the transition certainly wasn't easy. He went from focusing his entire life around something to suddenly having a void. He and Hakuryu were sitting out in the garden of his and Javier's apartment one day, soaking in the sun, when they exchanged a look.

"What now?" he whispered to her, pressing a soft kiss to the side of her nose. "What now Haku-chan?"

She gave him a look that seemed to say "you'll know what to do" and Yuzuru felt her putting all her trust in him again. He watched as his ampharos chewed some of the flowers and his lapras splashed around in the kiddie pool they'd filled with water just for her.

"I love battling," Yuzuru thought aloud. "I just don't think I will show the best of me anymore, and I don't want to be beaten down in competitions. But I still love battling, especially showing off tricks alongside you."

"Pardon the interruption," Yuzuru looked up and his eyes softened as he saw Javier, "but may I remind you, Professor Hanyu, that you have studied, in depth, pokémon and trainer relationships. What about something to do with that?"

"You mean my thesis?" Yuzuru tapped his chin and leaned his head on the other's shoulder as Javier sat beside him. "That's true. Pokémon growing up in healthier environments with loving partners grow much better than those growing up neglected or hurt. There's a clear established link between stronger relationships between the partners and the longevity of a battling career. And there's some evidence, although it is lacking a bit and more studies need to be done, between the strength of the relationship and the success rates. Jason is a really clear example of longevity, and Patrick too. And you, of course."

"Says someone who has been winning World and Olympic medals for ten years now," Javier pressed a kiss to the side of his cheek. "You have so much to give the world, Yuzu. And I think you know deep down how to do it. So don't worry, but follow your heart instead. And I'll be right there beside you, holding your hand every step of the way and supporting you."

Yuzuru slipped his hand into Javier's and pulled him into a kiss. "Thanks Coach Javi. You know, Coach sounds a lot better than Professor."

Javier rolled his eyes. "Only to you. I'm going to the club later today if you want to come along too? Just because you've retired, doesn't mean everyone else has too. I need to prep Jun for Worlds."

Stepping back into the club as a retired man felt strange to Yuzuru, but more in a bittersweet way than a regretful way. All the beautiful memories that he had associated with the place made his heart ache in the best way possible, and he gave Jun a little wave through the windows overlooking the battling training rooms before he settled down at one of the tables to watch Javier coaching from the side. Where his mother had sat, watching him train and waiting for him, he now sat to support Javier. Tracy waved to him through the window and gestured for him to come into the battling room to chat.

"I would have thought that you'd go to Sendai straight away," she said, skipping a meeting as their familiarity eased them into it. "Not that it's not good to see you, because we love seeing you. It does feel a little strange without you here."

"It feels a bit strange to not come here every day," Yuzuru said with a soft sigh. "I'm going to Sendai in May for the parade, so I have a little longer here. I'm still deciding some of what I want to do now that I have more time."

"Well, I know that the club would accept you as a coach if you ever wanted to. And you always have that thesis to put to good use, Professor Hanyu." She teased, smiling as he flushed pink and covered his face with a whine. "Why not go into research?"

"More pokémon research?" Yuzuru tapped his chin. "I could. I don't have any of the facilities here, unless I got approval to work with York University or something."

"Yuzuru," Tracy's voice was gentle and she was trying to hold her laughter back, "you do know that you have a multimillion dollar net worth and huge sponsors, right? Bigger sponsors than the IPU itself. I'm sure they would help you if you wanted to set up your own research facilities or something here or in Sendai."

Yuzuru's mind was whirring with possibilities and he nodded, smile blossoming across his face as he watched Javier coach Jun and his Mew. The young adult and his pokémon both teased their new coach and it made Yuzuru's heart soar to see his boyfriend and pseudo baby brother being so sweet.

"I'll let you get back to coaching," Yuzuru said to Tracy softly, reaching out to pet her Kangaskan's nose.

"And if you need anything, don't hesitate to call me or get in touch. We're always here for you at the club Yuzuru. Always."

"Thank you," Yuzuru was about to head out, back to his table in the waiting room, when he caught sight of someone sitting in the prep room that was just offset from the arena. He poked his head in and sat down beside them.

"Oh, hi Yuzuru," Conrad lifted his head to greet him before he went back to untying his battling boots. He wasn't focused; his eyes kept drifting to the windows overlooking the arena and they focused on the slim figure playing with the pink pokémon.

"You like him," Yuzuru's words weren't a question. "Jun. You like him."

"Yes," Conrad's voice was quiet and vulnerable. "I do. But I doubt he feels the same way. And, if he does, will he really want me? Am I even good enough for someone like him?"

"I used to hide my feelings," Yuzuru leaned back against the wall and thought back to every time he and Javier had tied or taken off their boots together in that room. Six years. That's how long they'd been brothers in arms, fighting together. "I wasted so much time pretending that I wasn't in love with Javi when really, I doubt I could live without him, I wouldn't be anywhere near where I am today without him. I owe so much to him. I wouldn't want you to waste any time with Jun just because you are scared. If you tell him how you feel, you must know that there is a chance that he will say that he does not feel the same way. And you cannot force him to feel the same way because it doesn't work like that. That's always a possibility when telling someone that you love them. But at least then you won't have the regret of "what if" hanging over you forever. And who knows? Maybe he does feel the same way and doesn't know how to show it or is too shy to show it. You know how shy he can get."

"Yeah," Conrad chuckled before it dissolved into nerves again. "I'm scared. Is that normal?"

"Well, do you get scared when your raichu throws thousands and thousands of volts through the air when it uses thunderbolt or thunder?" Yuzuru quirked an eyebrow at him. "Because that's a decisive moment that could potentially really hurt someone."

"A little, but it's normally in a controlled environment, and I'm usually the only one close enough to him to risk getting hurt. Why do you ask?"

"Telling someone you love them is also a decisive moment that could potentially really hurt someone too. You're not scared of your raichu, but you are scared of that. Why?"

"I... I don't know," Conrad packed his boots in his bag and fiddled with his pokéballs, thumbing over the button on the front of his raichu's.

"Because you trust your raichu. You've developed that trust with each other for years, and this is so different. You cannot work on it and you cannot do anything to improve the outcome. That's why you're scared of it, and rightly so. I was terrified when I finally accepted in my heart that I loved Javi. But the things that scare us, we need to turn that fear into motivation and power."

Conrad pressed the button so that his raichu could come bounding out of the ball and hug him. He took off his cap and put it on the pokémon with a little laugh. "You should give motivational speeches, Yuzuru. Thank you."

"Not at all," Yuzuru patted him on the shoulder. "I don't want to see anyone else sit there pining for six years, and you've been doing it for four now so you're getting close."

"Oh God, don't say that! I'm getting old! Do I have wrinkles?" Conrad joked. "My modelling career! It's over."

"And they say I'm dramatic," Yuzuru rolled his eyes and stood up, patting Conrad on the head fondly. "Follow your heart. You know what to do."

Jun expected to be the last student at the club that night, so he took his time untying his boots and giving them a quick wipe down. The needed to properly be polished up, but he would do that when he got back from Worlds. After that he headed to the locker room and, after returning his pokémon back to their balls and tucking them in the case, he headed into the shower for a long one, letting the water rain down against his back as steam filled the locker room. The warmth unwound the knots of his back and he felt some of the tension leave him. As much as he wanted to stay there forever, hidden away from pressure and the expectations of the world, he forced himself out and, after getting dressed, fluffed up his slightly damp hair. Adjusting all his bags on his back and in his hands, he tucked his coat further around himself and settled his headphones on over his beanie hat. Humming along to some Chunga to himself, he waved to Brian and Tracy as he stepped out into the wintery air of Toronto to wait for his mother to come and pick him up. At twenty years old, he could've stayed by himself but she wanted to be with him, and he certainly enjoyed having such a comforting presence by his side. He checked his phone, pouting to himself.

Eomma: I'm going to be a little late today! Traffic is not good

He tapped his phone against his hand, humming a little more to himself as he leaned against the entrance. It wasn't that cold, and he did have his hat, scarf, and thick winter coat to help fight against it. Lost in the music and in his thoughts, he jolted out of it when he felt someone nudge his shoulder lightly.

"Conrad?" He lowered his headphones to around his neck and glanced down at the two steaming takeout cups in the Canadian's hands. "You alright? I thought you went home ages ago."

"I was meant to," in the low light from the club, Jun could have sworn that he saw a faint pink blush painting the other's cheeks, "but then I wanted to ask you something. And you were busy so I decided to wait and get a later bus back."

"Okay," Jun said slowly, still a little confused, "so ask. What's up?"

"First, you look cold, so here," Conrad handed him one of the mugs of hot chocolate. The warmth on Jun's fingertips spread to his whole body and he smiled with delight, sipping the tasty sweetness and letting the warmth spread from the inside. "Second, uh, there's something serious I want to tell you."

"Serious?" Jun's eyes softened and he studied the other's face for something, anything, wrong. "You're not hurt, are you? What's going on?"

"I'm not hurt," Conrad reassured him and rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand before he sipped from his own mug. "I just..." He cleared his throat, unsure really of where to begin. "Jun. You're my best friend at the club, and I really like being around you."

"You're my best friend at the club too," Jun's nose crinkled and Conrad's heart skipped a beat as he saw him smile. "I really appreciate having you train with me. It's nice to have my best friend always cheering me on and making me feel better, even when I'm having a terrible day."

"Yeah," Conrad smiled too but it looked like it was missing something. "Anyway, um, I've been feeling something else for you. I... I feel more than just friendly towards you Jun. I-I..." He paused, choking on his words before he tried again. "I love you Jun."

The silence stretched between them for what felt like an eternity as Jun sipped at the hot chocolate, soaking up the words that the other had said to him. When it became almost unbearable for Conrad, and he opened his mouth to start apologising, the Korean's very quiet voice broke the silence.

"I love you too."

Conrad's world stopped. "You mean, love like a friend? Or...?"

"Love love. Unless... You don't mean..."

Conrad took Jun's free hand in his and soft smiles blossomed across both of their cheeks. He cupped his cheek instead and caressed the soft skin with his thumb as he pulled him into a long, sweet kiss.

Chapter Text

Several months later

"Professor Hanyu! Visitors for you!"

Yuzuru poked his head out from his office and mountains of paperwork. He pushed his chair back and Haku-chan was immediately by his side as he headed to the entrance. He grinned, bowing to greet both Yuna and Mao as he invited the two ladies in.

"Professor Kim, Doctor Asada, it's an honour to see the both of you. What brings you here?"

"Well, we heard of the legendary Fernandez-Hanyu Home for Pokémon, and we knew we just had to visit. What you've managed to put together here is absolutely incredible."

"So far, we're managing everything, but if we want to expand as I know Javi does, we'll need to hire more people. I think Javi wants to make it global."

They settled down at one of the tables in the main room of the pokémon care centre where the windows on most sides allowed for views of the rolling space. It had taken a lot of investments from Yuzuru and Javier's sponsors, but the pair had managed to put in microclimates for each type of pokémon to make them comfortable. In the grass, bulbasaurs roamed around and rolled about, chattering to each other in a language that they couldn't understand. In the water, magikarp and goldeen danced around each other. Yuzuru poured the two guests tea, and Mao sat back to admire the photos of Yuzuru, Javier, and their pokémon through the years that adorned the walls.

"How's your research going?" Yuna asked, tilting her head at Yuzuru as the snow white vulpix that she'd given to him at Four Continents climbed up into his lap, demanding cuddles. "Or have you put it on hold for now to support this place?"

"I'm currently working with some foreign universities on a breeding program to increase populations of certain pokémon types. Tatsuki, he and I have been specifically working on bulbasaur and lapras conservation. It's difficult, but apparently their numbers are flourishing in Japan, and Sendai especially."

"Well done," Mao smiled as her ampharos sat on the floor, stealing some of the pokémon safe cookies from the plate. "This is all absolutely incredible. We do miss you a little in Japan, but we're so proud of everything you've accomplished."

"And I believe congratulations for the both of you are in order?" Yuzuru smiled as he sipped at his tea, looking between the two blushing ladies. "I'm sorry I couldn't attend your wedding, but I heard that it was beautiful."

"It was," Mao leaned over and pressed a kiss to Yuna's cheek. "It was the most beautiful. Everything was so good. Perfect even. But it was the most perfect because I got to become one with the true love of my life."

"Here," Yuna showed Yuzuru some of the photos on her phone. The two ladies looked absolutely beautiful in a white and gold kimono and hanbok. The sun smiled down at the pair of them, bathing all their wedding in the beautiful golden light. Yuna's elegant ninetails and Mao's ampharos stood beside the two ladies for some of their final photographs before their reception. Surrounded by nature and glowing with happiness, they looked like princesses or queens from fairy stories.

"Since you're here," Yuzuru stood up, shrugging off his crisp white lab coat and folding it up to lie it on the back of one of the chairs, "why don't I give you both a tour of the place?"

"Thank you Yuzu!" Yuna and Mao both stood up and followed him from the main hall down some of the hallways.

"This here is the place for egg incubation," Yuzuru showed the the light and airy room with rows and rows of egg incubators. Some had the multicoloured eggs sitting in them, organised by pokémon type, and, occasionally, there sat a pokémon in front of them. "We don't like to separate them from their babies, so we allow them to come in and sit by the eggs if they want to. Newer pokémon here, especially, like to sit with their babies until they know that they can trust us more. We always do our best to give them a chance but, you know, not every pokémon is going to trust us. We have to accept that and then just try and nurse them back to health, or help them as much as we can."

"It's incredible," Yuna complimented, trailing off as they saw a yellow and black egg vibrating in one of the incubators. "Is that...?"

"A pikachu egg is about to hatch."

Yuzuru bounced down the stairs into the main room. The raichu standing beside it let Yuzuru go to the egg and he adjusted the temperature. The egg shook and the cracks ran down it before a little head poked out of the top. The little pichu bounced around, kicking away the broken pieces of shell before its parent raichu hugged it. The professor cleared away the pieces of egg, separating them into containers for storage so that he could analyse them later, before he checked over the pichu.

"If you would like to follow me? We're heading to the nursery to get this little one settled in, and I think that Javi is in there too."

"Hi Yuzu!" Javi looked up from where he was bottle feeding a newborn baby charmander on the floor. "Yuna, Mao, hi! Good to see you both. I would get up but I don't want to disturb this little one. Is that okay?"

"That's fine," Mao sat down beside him and a curious togepi waddled over, climbing up into her lap. Yuzuru passed her a bottle of milk and she adjusted the sweet creature on her lap. "Hello little one! I'm Mao. Hungry?"

As the little togepi accepted, happily drinking the milk, Yuna gestured for Yuzuru to step outside with her. Standing in one of the fields, overlooking the grass type pokémon that were roaming around, particularly the bulbasaur herd that was part of the breeding group, Yuna gave him a smile. They walked in comfortable silence together, enjoying the warm sun and light breeze that ruffled their hair.

"I've missed Canada." Yuna finally broke the silence, stroking her ninetail's head. "As much as things went wrong, so much went right and we should remember that. Still, part of me wishes that things could have been different."

"A part of me wishes that we could have trained together too. I feel like I could have picked up a lot from you."

"On the contrary. I think that I could have picked up a lot from you. But I admire you and your competitive battling career. You've put your friendship with your pokémon first and that's admirable. You're an inspiration to everyone. I actually wanted to talk to you about a couple of things."

"Oh? Of course. How can I help?"

"First of all, you said that you and Javier were looking to expand pokémon care centres worldwide, right? Well, given how quickly and easily Mao has taken to looking after pokémon like this, I'd say that we would be happy to start one for you. The Asada-Kim Home for Pokémon, perhaps?"

Yuzuru's face lit up and he nodded, unable to contain all his excitement. "You would? Really? Thank you so much! Having more homes for pokémon around the world where they can be taken care of will help people learn that pokémon are not just tools to use in battle but are our friends too and should be treated with kindness."

"Sadly too many people think that they're tools," a hint of sadness came across her face as she brushed some of her hair out of her face, "but, with people like you advocating for better treatment, I'm sure the movement will gain traction. Anyway. The second thing that I wanted to talk to you about was Javier."

"Javi?" Yuzuru raised an eyebrow, already suspecting where the conversation was going. "What about Javi?"

"When are you going to tell him how you feel? You're living in Canada together. You've opened a pokémon sanctuary together. Are you planning on getting married, or are you happy to stay cohabiting for now?"

"Well," Yuzuru felt his face flush bright pink, "eventually we will I'm sure. But, for now, we want to get Javi settled into coaching securely and we want the sanctuary to run smoothly. There are a lot of things going on right now, so as soon as we have them all done, we will get married. Maybe. If he says yes."

"Invite us to the wedding, yes? Or I'm going to have Mao complaining at me for ages after about how her Team Japan baby brother didn't invite her to his wedding and how devastated she is, and how much she loves him and yet he didn't even consider that she wanted to come."

"Oh, we'll invite the both of you. You're both our friends and we love the both of you. Lugia likes you both a lot too, so you've passed the hard test and will be on the guest list."

"Oh, well if Lugia-nim likes us then I feel most grateful. It's an honour to be liked and appreciated by him. How is he doing anyway? I can imagine that Canada is very different to Japan that he's used to."

"Oh, he's a menace," Yuzuru rolled his eyes and ran a hand over the legendary's pokéball that he'd clipped to his belt. "Would you like to talk to him? I'm sure he'd love to see you again."

"As long as he doesn't mind, of course," Yuna tilted her head at Yuzuru's belt. "Did you invent that yourself?"

"I did," Yuzuru's face lit up. "I basically attached little magnets onto each of my pokéballs and then, on the belt, there are places for up to six pokéballs. To attach them, I used electromagnets that you can turn on and off so that you can release the balls individually. What do you think of it?"

"Innovative," Yuna gave him a nod of approval. "Are you also working on a line of merchandise for pokémon trainers and battlers then?"

"Not exactly. It's more that I'm creating things that make my life easier and inventing them." He pressed the button on the front of Lugia's ball and the hulking legendary emerged. "Lugia, you remember Kim Yuna, right?"

Lugia stared at her for a moment before he bowed his head, lowering his nose to her. She stroked his nose, returning the bow, and the legendary then bounced around with delight.

"Kim Yuna! The nice one! Very talented and beautiful and kind! We like her, don't we Yuzuru?"

"We do," Yuzuru rolled his eyes at his crazy legendary's actions, "but please stop jumping around. If you squash Javier's flower garden once again, he's going to get frustrated with you and you certainly won't be getting any snacks anytime soon."

"But I love snacks!" Lugia pouted, huffing with all the sass of a legendary flying type. "You never give them to me anymore!"

"I wonder why," Yuzuru rolled his eyes. "I'm so sorry he's being like this, Yuna. I wish I could say he wasn't normally like this but he is. Like a badly behaved child."

"Hey!" Lugia protested with a huff. "He's so mean to me, Kim Yuna. So mean! The meanest."

"Oh please, I tell you that you can go back to Japan any time you want, and that I'll take you there. But you like to stay."

"Well of course. You're incredible. But that doesn't mean that you should skimp on the snacks."

Yuna just shook her head, laughing a little. "Is Javier's Moltres like this too?"

"Oh, when the two of them get together, they're the worst. Absolute chaos. But we love them. What about Zapdos? Isn't he somewhere in South Korea?"

"Yeah," Yuna rolled her eyes, "and if I get asked by one more American journalist if I think that their next star could catch him, I'm going to get him to zap them. We visited him at part of one of the Kiss and Cry episodes and he really didn't want to be disturbed."

"I remember that. I think Conrad showed us it to tease Jun about. Didn't Jun get to pet Zapdos?"

"Yes, because I wasn't going to let him electrocute the cute little nine-year-old child on my show. Jun Hwan is probably the only person that Zapdos let get that close to him. He like solitude."

"I guess the journalists will never give up, will they? They always need to push their star."

"Perhaps," Yuna tapped her chin and sighed, "but to me, that doesn't matter anymore. What matters is that I am happy with Mao and my career, and my life is going to be perfect with her by my side."

Yuzuru turned to look back into the nursery. Javier and Mao were feeding more pokémon out of bottles, laughing together as the sweet creatures waddled around them. Seeing his boyfriend and one of his friends so relaxed together, he couldn't stop his smile.

"I think it's going to be perfect too."