Chapter Text
The kingdom of Galar was ruled by whoever was the champion of Pokémon battling. As a ruler, they would oversee the population and protect them from whatever danger may arise to harm them. The champion’s family shall also flourish along with him/her, and live in the Grand Castle in the grand city of Wyndon. Whenever the champion would fall in battle to another challenger, the throne would be handed down to the challenger and his/her family. However, if no one can best the king, the throne will be passed down to those in the champion’s family, whoever it may be.
From there, the population was split among two communities: commoners, and nobles. The nobles were generally families who lived and were blessed with wealth and generally were the ones responsible for ruling singular cities, while also usually being the ones who are in power throughout the kingdom of Galar. They were in charge of protecting their own people, while the king kept them all in line.
On the other hand, the commoners were less lucky. Although being a commoner does not necessarily mean living in poverty, they were often living in middle-class to low-class residential areas. Nobles often mock commoners for their living conditions, although commoners are not necessarily boxed out of holding a position in power, just like a noble.
What societal rank you belonged to is decided at birth, depending on the rank of your parents. A commoner can marry into a noble family, just like a noble can marry into a commoner family. The former is usually more frequent.
Enter King Leon Grant and his family of nobles. King Leon trained under the previous king, Mustard, after showing great promise as a Pokémon battler and shortly after, was handed the throne after he bested Mustard in a battle.
King Leon was a respected king; a friendly face who you could always count on to protect you in case of danger. He has always protected his people from grave danger, such as the Darkest Day in which the great Pokémon Eternatus almost plunged the world into eternal night. He did so with the help of his eight trusted knights, all of which have their own jobs as rulers of their cities.
Leon has a very small family. He only has his brother, Prince Hop, and his mother who serves as the queen mother of Galar, Lena. As a family of three, they have a very large amount of empty space in their castle. Queen Mother Lena has been pushing for both of her children to get married, so she can have a less lonely time in her castle with her boys. Although King Leon has someone in mind, Prince Hop is not so sure about who he could possibly spend his entire life with…
“Ma’, I’m telling you, I don’t know who I could marry!”
Prince Hop and his family are having dinner in their very large dining room, only taken by Queen Mother Lena sitting on one far end, with King Leon sitting at the other end. Prince Hop sits between them, exasperated at his mother’s insistence on him finding a woman to marry.
“What did I tell you about your dialect, Prince Hop?”
Queen Mother Lena always made sure to train Prince Hop and King Leon on how to properly act like royalty, although they both don’t really follow the rules she had in mind. Although she has problems with them acting and talking so casually, she cannot deny that this made both of them easy to approach, which contributed to their popularity throughout Galar.
Lena spoke up again about Hop’s marriage. “You’re very popular in all of Galar, I’m sure any girl out there would be ecstatic to have a chance to marry the young prince of Galar, brother of the king!”
Hop merely sighed. He is always compared to his brother, even though Hop will not have the heir to the throne. Whoever marries Leon, their child would be the next king of Galar should Leon perish. The cycle would continue until their kin is bested by a challenger.
The king noticed his brother’s discomfort and tried to break up the conversation. “Mother, that’s enough. I’m sure Hop will find someone he truly loves sooner or later.”
Lena scowled. “Leon, your brother is a prince. He must have someone to complete this royal family! There has never been a family as small as ours living in the castle! This is why we needed the eight knights to be formed so Galar remains protected!”
Although both the king and the prince were tired of their mother’s insistence on their marriage, this much was true. Before the current royal family moved into the castle, there were always enough members in the royal family to cover all the big cities in Galar. However, with Leon’s family being as small as it is, eight powerful Pokémon trainers were hired to form the Challenger Knights. These trainers helped with small disputes and problems in their own cities, acting as its own ruler. As soon as a problem escalates that it affects multiple cities, then the king would step in to solve the issue. These eight knights also served as gates, because before a challenger could face the king, they first would have to best the other eight rulers.
As it was, Queen Mother Lena was not a Pokémon trainer, and Prince Hop only has a young Wooloo in his possession.
Leon turned to face his brother. “Instead of marrying him off so quickly, wouldn’t it be best for him to learn how to battle instead?” Hop perked up in response, as he continued, “we have the Challenger Knights to protect our cities, so the size of our family isn’t a big concern. I’m more concerned with my brother being able to protect himself in a battle.”
Hop huffed in triumph. “See?! He’s bringing up a good point!”
Lena sighed. “Yes, I suppose you’re right… We did already make an appointment for Prince Hop to travel to Stow-on-Side for lessons on battling.”
Leon interjected. “And that’s tomorrow. With our private Corviknight taxi, he should get there in about an hour or two. And I trust you also found him a place to sleep?”
Lena scoffed. “Of course, how could I send our prince to fend for himself? He’ll be lodging in a small inn after his training. He’ll be there for only two nights, so I trust you won’t make a fuss, Hop.”
Hop raised an eyebrow. “Stow-On-Side, huh? Alright, I'll try it out, I guess.”
Lena nodded. “I’m glad. Anyhow, finish your dinner, we have to get your belongings packed for your trip to Stow-on-Side.”
“Yes, mother!” He replied happily and formally.