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The sun was shining, the sky was a cheerful blue, and the daycare grounds were empty except for an aging Ampharos checked in for physical therapy. Raihan threw himself into the second chair behind the reception desk, tossing a thick sheet of papers on top of the intake sheets.
“I don’t know, Marn. These numbers aren’t looking good.” He slumped, head thumping as he lolled it over the back of the chair. Marnie didn’t even look up from her furious typing. Clickety-clackety. She was too accustomed to his dramatics.
“You say that every month,” she responded, squinting at the screen. Click-click-clack.
“We took out the newspaper ad this month, which wasn’t cheap. We still haven’t seen an increase in customers, either.” Raihan groaned, yanking his headband over his eyes. Duraludon’s Daycare had been open for over a year now, but they’d had scattered success. Raihan had chosen the fringes of Hammerlocke for a reason; spacious fields and access to different terrains was a must to properly care for the full range of pokemon types. Unfortunately, it wasn’t an easy commute for most trainers, even by bicycle. They would get some local business, but much of their services had gone largely underutilized.
“I still think people just don’t realize what all you do. It’s more than just looking after the pokemon while they’re busy. Have you been keeping up with the daycare account properly?” Marnie finally looked up from her work, pinning Raihan with a critical gaze.
“Yes, of course, I-- well. I have, it’s just…” Marnie was already drawing up the account on her computer, her expression growing flatter which each scroll. “You’re trying not to laugh, aren’t you.”
“These are all selfies with the elderly cafe owners next door. Rai! At least take some charming photos with your pokemon!” Raihan flinched as her hand clapped down on his shoulder threateningly. “If only your daycare marketing skills were as good as your smile. Please make an effort to show off your caring skills,” she remarked drily.
“Look, Marn-!”
“Excuse me, I-” A cheerful voice floated over from the doorway. Both Raihan and Marnie’s heads snapped back to the front of the desk, customer faces on. Marnie’s customer face looked like her non-customer face. That is to say, impassive. The stranger continued speaking without preamble, “I saw the ad in the newspaper. The Pokecenter staff say my Charizard is fine, health-wise, but he’s been a little…”
Both of them froze. Purple hair, Check. Cape, check. Giant Charizard attempting to sneak a peek over his trainer’s shoulder. Check. Broad smile, yes. A dim corner of Raihan’s brain noted that Galar’s Champion’s smile looked a little different than it did on television. A touch bigger, a touch warmer. Better. Yes, very much better. He jerked upright as he felt Marnie pinch his side.
“Oh. Yes. Ah.” He leaped up from his chair, sweeping an inviting hand to the foyer. “We’re happy to help. What seems to be the issue?” Professionalism, Rai. He may be the Champion, but he’s here like any other worried trainer. In fact, he looked a little past that point. Raihan examined the Champion carefully. Now that he wasn’t distracted by the smile, he could see tightness in the way the trainer held himself, and the dark bags underneath the iconic golden eyes. This wasn’t the Leon he saw from the stands.
“He just seems...tired? His tail flame is a little low, his gigantamax form is a little smaller than usual. He sleeps a lot and,” Leon hesitated, “sighs a lot?” Charizard had finally squeezed past his trainer and shot Leon a narrow look from where he was inspecting the daycare’s foyer. The pokemon blew a small cloud of smoke at his owner, as if in rebuke.
Raihan slowly approached the Charizard, placing his feet deliberately and keeping his chin high. Charizard may not technically be a dragon type, but they shared behavioral similarities with Raihan’s own beloved pokemon. Charizard paused in his curious inspection of the magazine rack (Pokemon Diet Monthly! Karing for Kakuna!) and craned his neck down to take in this strange toothy human. Raihan prided himself as a tall man, but Leon’s Charizard was huge, easily towering over him and filling the foyer. He could feel the natural heat emanating from the Pokemon’s skin as it carefully sniffled his headband, shoulders, and eventually sat back on its haunches in satisfaction.
Raihan gingerly placed a hand on Charizard’s belly, feeling the heat there. The tail flame did look a little low. Charizard himself was drooping a bit, wings not quite dragging on the floor.
“Let’s see what’s going on here.” Raihan carefully inspected the Pokemon’s joints, gently twisting each arm and wing in their sockets. This was the easiest time to ignore the fact that Leon and Marnie were both watching him work. Pokemon were his thing. He loved them, he knew them, and Charizard was close enough to dragon-types that he felt fairly confident he knew what the issue was.
“Have you been training a lot? Daily training, battles?” Raihan finally turned back to face Leon, who looked mystified.
“We’re off season, so not especially. The usual. We’ll train in the gym in the mornings, and battle some visiting challengers as they come. Those usually average one or two times a week. Occasionally a televised performance battle. He’s been battling fine; no issues. It’s really just when we’re not that he looks like this.”
“You’ve been the Champion for almost ten years now, right? That’s a long period of sustained performance. Your Charizard is probably a little burnt out, and maybe needs a bit more varied stimulation. Using the same moves over and over can get repetitive, even for Pokemon. Especially for ambitious types. Have either of you ever gone on vacation?” Raihan ran a hand lightly down Charizard’s neck hide. “I can tell you wipe down his scales, too, but he’s still a bit dry. We can take care of that. If you’re willing to give him one day off a week, we can look after him here. I’ve got an obstacle course that Flygon runs that I think your Charizard would love.”
Leon’s face slowly twisted from confusion to guilt as he stared up at his pokemon companion, as if searching for the fatigue the daycare owner was describing. He pressed a hand to Charizard’s belly. “I’m sorry, bud. I didn’t know.” Charizard crooned sympathetically, slowly winding his neck down to burrow his face to Leon’s chest as if to comfort his human.
Raihan stepped back to allow them some privacy. They clearly had been together a long time; that habit looked like one from when Charizard had still been shorter than his trainer. Not all famous trainers were necessarily good ones, so he felt a knot slowly loosen in his chest. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if Galar’s beloved Champion had turned out to be an illusion. As it was, he could feel a strange pooling sensation in his chest as he took in the scene of the Charizard trying to climb into his tiny human’s arms. Must be the sound of his heart melting.
“So, fifteen sessions, then, Mr...Leon?” Ever-capable Marnie to the rescue. Not for the first time, Raihan thanked his lucky stars that she’d decided to grace his poor little daycare with her skills.
Once everyone had calmed down, and the Champion had vanished from the foyer with another bright smile and jaunty wave, Raihan found himself in the same position as earlier this morning. Legs wedged under the reception desk, head dangling over the back of his chair.
“Marnie. Tell me the truth. Did I keep it together? Watching his Charizard trying to cuddle with him was too much.”
Marnie took no prisoners. “Oh, no. You were ridiculous. Your mouth was open the whole time, and you absolutely looked like a fanboy instead of a grown man with his own business.”
“Oh, god.” Raihan slapped his hands to his face, mortified. “Fifteen weeks,” he hissed at her.
“If you’re lucky, he’ll just drop off his Charizard and pick him up at the end of the day, so you won’t have to deal with the human side of things at all.” Marnie went back to typing, as if the most famous man in Galar hadn’t just been beaming at them both. “But he doesn’t really seem the hands-off type, does he?” Raihan groaned again and sank lower in his chair. Which scenario was worse?
---
Leon definitely wasn’t a hands-off type trainer.
“You know, most trainers just drop off their Pokemon with us so they don’t have to spend all day rolling around outside,” Raihan casually remarked as he carefully sloughed off some dry skin on Charizard’s neck. The fire pokemon was lying flat on his stomach, half-buried in the dark, gleaming sand Raihan had installed in the sunniest part of the grounds. It absorbed the heat from the midday sun, making it a perfect basking spot for any heat-inclined pokemon.
“I figured.” Raihan tried not to crane his neck as he heard Leon’s warm laughter drift up from behind a folded wing. Professional daycare owners should spend more time thinking about scale care than charming clients. “I know Charizard doesn’t need me, but it feels wrong to just...step back? I’ve been involved in my pokemon’s lives since we first met. I don’t want to stop now. Though I do feel a little superfluous. Piers wasn’t wrong; you know what you’re doing”
Raihan bent more into his work, trying vainly to ignore the pleased curl of heat in his stomach at the knowledge that Leon trusted him. “I thought you found us in the newspaper?” There was a long silence as both men worked at buffing out the tougher bits of Charizard’s hide.
“Well. I did ask around a bit after I recognized Marnie. And I do work with Piers, after all.” There was a long pause. Raihan felt his shoulders start to tense. That can’t mean- “Piers said that you always bring his Obstagoon treats and let him slobber all over your hair. I figure you must do a decent job to win that grouch over.” Raihan groaned, burying his flaming face in Charizard’s neck. Piers didn’t believe in making other people sound cool. The fire pokemon snuffled, lazily flopping his neck to give Raihan one baleful eye. He seemed unsympathetic.
“He looks grouchy, but he’s a sweetheart…!” Raihan protested.
“Piers, or his Obstagoon,” the other trainer shot back.
Raihan sighed, trading his bristle brush for an oiled sponge. He really shouldn’t bother responding.
“Both, but they pale in comparison to Marnie. She’s the real power behind this place. Just showed up one day wanting to work in exchange for a wage, training space, and mentorship, and she’s been running everything ever since. I honestly am not the best at the business side of the business, so I lucked out.” The dragon trainer began to methodically work his way down Charizard’s side, oiling the pokemon’s hide until it gleamed.
“Mentorship? So you do battle.” Leon popped up above Charizard’s wings, brandishing his own sponge.
“Sometimes. I started out training around the same time as you and Piers, actually.”
Raihan looked up as Leon hummed thoughtfully. There was something strange about the expression on the Champion’s face. Oh, that must be mischief.
“You would say you’re...peers with Piers, then?” Raihan couldn’t help his pained laugh. This was also definitely not TV Leon. TV Leon was cheesy, but this Leon was a whole other level.
“He’s bad at keeping in touch, but he’ll show up if he’s not too busy with the gym and his band.” Or if he wants an excuse to visit his beloved younger sister without coming right out and saying so.
“What made you stop, then? You clearly know a lot about pokemon. You don’t learn that by being a careless trainer.” Leon had propped his chin up on his arms, clearly enjoying the heat radiating off his Pokemon’s back.
Raihan quietly completed the last bit of Charizard’s tail, getting the area closest to the flame with a few quick strokes. His hands didn’t have too much heat sensitivity left after all these years, but people tend to panic if you stick your hand in a flame. He was a little torn about how honest to be, but something about Leon made him want to be upfront.
“I have an intense personality. That’s probably why I gravitate to dragon-types. When it comes to battling, sometimes that can be too much. I burned out. Not only just me, but I drove my pokemon too hard. I defeated a lot of trainers along the way, and earned a lot of money, but I think one day I just woke up and realized that it was unsustainable,” he admitted carefully. “I ended up spending a few years just roaming the Wild Area, enjoying time with my own pokemon and any we met along the way. It helped me get my head on straight. At the end of that, I decided to take out a loan and set up shop.” Raihan gestured at the vast green area around the sands.
“Though I suppose there was a future out there where I finished the gym challenges and maybe ended up facing you,” he shrugged, gathering the courage to tilt a smile up at Leon. He winced as he realized Leon’s eyes were gleaming with unshed tears.
“I’m so moved! A trainer turned from his path by his own human weakness only to find a noble purpose!” Leon exclaimed, striking a dramatic pose against the sky. Raihan tried to look anywhere but at all the muscles now on display. He cleared his throat.
“It’s not like I’ve been that successful with it. We only really get a handful of pokemon since we’re out of the way. I do make my loan payments, but only just.” He sat back on his heels, gesturing at the empty grounds around them. “Hard to help pokemon when their trainers don’t know we exist. I think you’re the only person in all of Galar that saw our newspaper ad.”
Leon collapsed back onto his pokemon’s back, storing away the dramatics for the time being. Charizard flipped his tail in minor annoyance, but was clearly used to his trainer’s theatrics.
“Well. I’m grateful you exist,” Leon said brightly, as if he wasn’t making Raihan’s heart flip anxiously. Raihan cleared his throat and looked away, wiping the excess oil on his apron before beginning to clear up his supplies.
“Yeah, well. Flygon’s loved having Charizard around, too,” he finally responded awkwardly.
--
“Marnie, seriously, this is so--” Raihan cut himself off as Marnie started yanking his limbs this way and that.
“You’re the one that’s ridiculous, dragon boy. Your feed is full of glamor shots, and so many pictures of your pointy teeth. This is a daycare, not a thirst trap! Advertise your business properly!” Marnie brandished Raihan’s Rotom dangerously. “Now pose!”
Raihan sighed, carefully settling his Goomy on his shoulder before draping himself accordingly over the Daycare sign. Rotom chirped and flashed, trying to get multiple angles. Goomy wiggled happily, stretching to try and take up more of the frame.
“Besides, don’t even pretend that I haven’t noticed your photos becoming more lascivious as of late.”
Raihan bolted upright, affronted. “Lascivious! Marn, I’ll have you know I always look like that.” It was true that he cultivated a certain image, but that was the only bit of vanity he indulged in. One had to find some sort of outlet when you spent the day rolling around in pokemon slime.
“For a giant man, you are ridiculous. Every appointment, you get heart eyes.”
The dragon trainer sighed, flopping back over the sign. Rotom flashed away happily. It loved the dramatic shots. “It’s obvious, then.”
“Of course. You’re saved only by the fact that Leon himself is an utterly clueless muscle slab of a man,” Marnie responded smartly. Raihan continued trying to become one with the sign. The first few appointments had been easier, as the shock of the hero worship had faded. Unfortunately, actually getting to know the Champion had been far worse for his heart. It turned out that he quite liked Leon as a person. More than liked, really. The other man had taken to sending him charming photos of Charizard’s antics during the week as well. It really was more than any pokemon fanatic could be expected to handle. The younger trainer sighed and sat back on the low fence edging the front walkway.
“Rai, in all seriousness. You know the rumors, right? Even Piers thinks there’s some truth there.”
Raihan cracked open an eye, seeing the rare sympathy on the younger woman’s face. He sighed and straightened, pulling Goomy down to cradle the gooey pokemon in his arms.
“Yeah, I know, Marn. I’ve seen her in the tabloids. That childhood friend of his, right?” Goomy realized its trainer was starting to droop, and trilled quietly in concern. Raihan squeezed it tightly in reassurance. “She’s gorgeous. Smart, too. And I’m just-”
“You’re just a stupidly large man that has worked his fingers to the bone to create a paradise for tired and sick pokemon,” Marnie finished firmly. “You may not be what he wants, but you’ve got nothing to be ashamed of.” Ignoring Raihan’s blatant stare, she stood primly and stalked back inside the daycare. He stared after her, mouth slightly ajar.
“Has Marnie ever said anything nice to me…?” He glanced down at Goomy, who was lazily mushing its face into his chest. Naturally, he received no response.
--
The sessions had long since ended, but Sundays still brought Leon and Charizard. He’d also been letting the rest of his main team out on the grounds, after Raihan had pointed out he helped out more than enough to enjoy some employee perks. Raihan himself had enjoyed having another pokemon expert tromping the grounds with him, and both trainers had spent long days comparing their notes on the behavioral habits of their favorite Wild Area pokemon.
One Sunday in early Summer found the two men flopped back in the grass, staring up at Charizard and Flygon racing through the obstacle course overhead. The course had been one of Raihan’s first projects and took him almost one full month of material scavenging and labor to put up. Huge wicker rings topped sturdy poles, and netting hung suspended between the tall trees scattered throughout the course. Platforms, ropes, and extra wide slides sturdy enough to accommodate the full range of types completed the range of challenges.
The silence was comfortable, broken only by the occasional whistle and roar of the pokemon above. Raihan had had several months to nurse his crush into submission, and he was feeling fairly proud of his progress. Instead of pining, he was trying to take in the moment and enjoy a deepening friendship with someone who loved pokemon as much as he did.
“You know, I just wanted to thank you. Charizard is doing better than I’ve ever seen him. I’m actually ashamed to realize how unhappy he’d been before now,” Leon admitted. “We’ve been together for so long that it hurts that I missed it.”
Raihan hummed, eyes tracking Flygon as he showed off with loop-de-loops. “I think that’s precisely why you didn’t see it. Charizard loves you. Even being as exhausted as he was, he still was exhibiting all the signs of a happy, healthy pokemon, because he was always beside you. It’s because you take such good care of him that it took so long for it to be an issue.”
Leon didn’t respond for a long time after that. Raihan glanced at the other trainer out of the corner of his eye, expecting more wide-eyed theatrics. However, the other man simply looked thoughtful.
“You really know pokemon well,” he mused quietly, voice trailing off. “You must have been a pretty strong trainer.”
Something in Leon’s voice made Raihan look over fully. There was a strange expression on the other man’s face. Leon abruptly sat up, grabbing at Raihan’s shoulder to shake him. “Rai, let’s battle!”
Oh, that was the expression. Raihan hadn’t recognized it, for a moment. This was television Leon, gold eyes glinting and mouth pressed into a wide, determined smile. Raihan felt his own competitive streak flare to life in response. He hadn’t assumed he’d have the opportunity, since the other trainer seemed content to make his Sundays off a true vacation for his pokemon.
“...sure. Let’d do it.”
Leon whooped, leaping to his feet and wildly gesturing at Charizard to join them on the ground.
Battling Leon, Raihan quickly discovered, was an experience like no other. The heat of the sunlight and Charizard’s flames had him sweltering in his clothes. The Champion fought with no hesitation, no wasted time between counterattacks. Even being as studied in his pokemon and tactics and Raihan was, Leon was on another level. He was beautiful. Some corner of Raihan ached at the realization that this was something he could have had if he hadn’t spectacularly flared out. The two of them could have met on the challenge circuit, growing together as they pushed each other to new heights.
Losing, Raihan found, still stung. He’d always been competitive, and even the informal match re-awakened that rush of instincts that was what had drawn him in to battling in the first place. He could also tell that part of his absurd, foolish mind wanted to impress Leon.
“That was incredible!” Leon jogged over from his side of their makeshift battlefield, fanning himself with his trademark hat. His hair was also sticking to his face, but his eyes were glowing. “I can’t believe this is you off-circuit.”
Raihan took in the smile and excited flush in the other man’s cheeks, and felt his carefully banked interest flare to life. “If I were in top shape, I might give you a run for your money, Champion,” Raihan challenged, sticking a hand out for a handshake. The battle had made him bold, revealing some natural cockiness that he hadn’t seen in years. Leon grabbed the offered hand and shook it furiously.
“I’d love to see that.” Leon responded seriously, gentling his hold on Raihan’s hand. They stood like that for a long moment. Raihan could vaguely feel the warmth of the other man’s palm against his in the back of his mind, but he couldn’t look away from those golden eyes. He tightened his hand slightly, slowly reeling the other man closer. He himself wasn’t even sure what he was planning to do. Words dripped unbidden from his mouth.
“Lee, I really li-” he began, freezing in his tracks as he saw a wall drop down over the other man’s expression. The warm enthusiasm smoothed away into a polite smile, and Raihan was suddenly looking at a different, impersonal Leon. He instinctively released the other man’s hand and took a step back.
Leon laughed ruefully, taking a step back as well. “Sorry, I totally forgot. Rose threatened to book me for extra press sessions if I didn’t finish the paperwork prep for the season before tomorrow. I’ve got to run, but I’ll see you next week, yeah?” There was a flurry of pokemon recalling, and one last hasty, apologetic smile before Leon was gone. His long legs ate up ground at a rapid pace, and Raihan was left staring at his shrinking back, wondering where he’d gone wrong.
--
Raihan didn’t see him next week. After a week of sleepless nights and nervous fretting, Sunday brought no Leon. He lamented as much to Marnie during their training session.
“He did actually call to let me know. Said they had something come up, but Charizard was looking great and probably was good to go,” Marnie informed him, mouth set in a sympathetic line.
“Well, that’s not promising at all,” the dragon trainer sighed. His Rotom had stayed dark that week, no charming Charizard photos to be seen.
“What happened? He rushed through here like a zubat out of hell last time,” Marnie asked carefully, finally turning away from where she was monitoring Morpeko’s shift drills. Raihan was a little vain and a little dramatic, but it was rare for her to see him this flustered over someone.
“I just...I don’t know. I tried to tell him I was interested, but he just sort froze me out. I pushed a little too much, maybe. I’m not sure we’ll be seeing him again.” Raihan sighed. The worst part wasn’t losing the thrill of a potential love interest. Talking pokemon care with the other trainer had been the highlight of his week. Apart from visiting with the neighbors and training with Marnie, the daycare could be isolating. He loved spending time in Pokemon, but there was some part of him that didn’t truly mesh with the hermit life he’d carved out for himself. “I thought we were going to be real friends,” he murmured, closing his eyes and tipping his head back in regret. Marnie didn’t respond, instead patting his arm comfortingly before turning back to her training. Raihan needed to re-calibrate. This, at least, could be enough. The wide open grounds, a good friend, and his pokemon. The sooner he could stop dwelling on a broad smile and flashy goatee, the better.
That’s what he had thought, anyway. Summer began to wind down, the days growing longer, each as uneventful as the last. Rotom did bring a few isolated messages from Leon, just simple updates on Charizard. They sounded as impersonal as their last interaction, so Raihan responded as he ordinarily would have and tried to put it out of his mind. He threw himself into his work, finally completing some work on his own cottage he’d been putting off. The roof needed re-tiling, and he wanted to build a shady trellis to help Duraludon enjoy the outdoors without overheating in the hot sun.
He was almost feeling back to his pre-Champion self until one Thursday when the chaotic chatter of hushed conversation and pokemon sounds greeted him when he pushed through the back door into the Daycare’s intake area. Marnie was already there, frantically gesturing him over to the desk. The room was teeming with trainers of all ages and their pokemon partners, all now pretending they like they weren’t surreptitiously sizing up the new arrival. It was a frankly unbelievable sight.
“Marn, what in the blazes,” Raihan muttered out of the side of his mouth as he joined her at the desk. Marnie shoved a set of forms and a pen into his hand before wordlessly pointing at a familiar feed on her screen.
Raihan looked, and immediately wished he didn’t. It was a photo of him washing Duraludon at the beginning of the season, heads tipped toward each other as Raihan scrubbed at his partner’s shoulder. The dragon trainer was clearly laughing at something that had been said, mouth wide open and fangs on full display. Duraludon’s own eye was crinkled in clear contentment. It was the kind of photo Raihan had been reluctant to upload to his account. It was, in short, an intimate photo of his actual daily life.
Below the photo was a second photo of a smiling face mushed up against his Charizard’s. Raihan’s heart wrenched seeing the familiar grin. He’d been avoiding looking at Leon’s social media after whatever had gone wrong. The caption read, Duraludon’s Daycare helped Charizard kick off the season as happy and healthy as he can be! Owner Raihan is a sweetheart, and I think Charizard likes him more than me. Super jealous.
“Oh,” Raihan croaked, feeling the heat slowly creeping into his face.
“Rai. Focus. Overthink later, we’ve got customers,” Marnie muttered, turning away from him and toward the trainer anxiously clutching his pikachu. She was right. Raihan shook off his frantically churning thoughts and got to work.
The day flew by in a blur of interviewing trainers, assessing pokemon, and a metric ton of paperwork. Pokemon with immediate issues were booked in, and others scheduled for longer-term educational or therapy sessions. By the end of the day, Raihan’s face hurt from smiling, and his throat ached.
“Cheers, Marn. You are the light of my life, I would be lost without you,” he rasped after he returned from settling their last pokemon guest for the evening. She gave him a wry look, somehow looking utterly unruffled by the whirlwind day they’d both had.
“We’ll both be lost if we don’t get more help. Leon really has a game-changing level following,” she pointed out. “I’ll call some friends.”
Raihan nodded thankfully from where he was slumped on the desk. “I don’t understand, Marn. He was so spooked, but then he does this?” Marnie’s brow creased sympathetically.
“Maybe you got something wrong. Or he did,” she suggested as she began packing her things up to head back to her own little cottage. “We’ll be busy for the next few months, but maybe you can find a day to go see him for a change.” She gingerly patted his headband. When she got no response, she simply nodded and headed for the back door. “That photo was really what the rest of us see, Rai. I know you would rather people saw you as this cool and hip trainer, but that photo is really why people like you and support you. I think it’s a good sign that he could see that.” Without waiting for a response, she slipped out onto the grounds, pulling the door shut behind her.
--
It took Raihan two months to find a free day to travel to Wyndon. He couldn’t complain, though. He’d forgotten how much he enjoyed having full days working with pokemon. He was learning, too, spending long evenings at the local library. The librarians were eager to help him research any new questions he had about one of his charges. He’d learned how to treat scale loss in Magikarp, frozen shoulder on Sudowudo, and memorized the preferred temperature zone for more pokemon than he could count.
He’d checked in at the stadium on a whim, and had politely been told Leon was not training that day. Luckily, he had managed to pry Piers away from his beloved Spikemuth to join him for lunch plans. Though he was a born and bred city boy, it had been so long since he’d spent a long period of time in a city. It felt strange, like coming home to the bustle and rush of the streets. After long months spent out on the grounds, even the low street noise was deafening. Raihan exhaled, stretching his back as he dispelled his nerves of potentially seeing Leon. If it wasn’t in the cards, he may as well enjoy himself.
“Marn says you’ve been popular.” They’d set up on a bench near the train station, Piers inspecting a cup of leek soup with deep suspicion. It was a cheery green. Maybe it clashed with his monochromatic look.
“Yeah. It’s been incredible, actually. It’s really what I imagined when I first started the place,” Raihan admitted. He was partially muffled since Obstagoon was doing his level-best to fit the entirety of his bulk onto his lap, shoving its thick neck fur into Raihan’s face. “Marn and her friends have been great, too. Hop and Gloria are great with the pokemon, even though they’ve only been training a few years. Though it feels strange that my co-workers are a bunch of teenagers.”
“You’re basically a big teenager yourself,” Piers pointed out flatly, finally testing a spoonful of his soup. “Always lumbering about on your stupidly long legs causing mischief.”
“Don’t have much time for mischief, these days.”
“Hmmm. So I hear.”
Raihan jerked his head abruptly, peering suspiciously over Obstagoon’s fur. “Sibling gossip?”
The other trainer gave his friend a withering look. “It’s not gossip if it’s true. But in all seriousness, you always have been ambitious in all parts of your life. Did you two battle? It’s unreal, isn’t it.”
Raihan was leaning in to protest when he caught a flash of purple out of the corner of his eye. He would recognize that hair and hat anywhere, and the red-head at the Champion’s side looked familiar as well. They were laughing and walking along the market stalls not far from their sitting place. Leon’s face was open and relaxed, and one hand would frequently drift up to touch the women’s arm as they spoke. They looked stunning together. The vendors clearly knew Leon, and had seen them both before; they engaged with the pair with a warmth and familiarity Raihan found impressive in such a big city. Then again, Leon was popular wherever he went.
“No, this is what’s unreal,” Raihan muttered, immediately retreating back behind Obstagoon. The pokemon growled, unhappy with his squirmy chair. Piers didn’t respond, possibly checking out what Raihan was panicking about. Or maybe he was waving, the traitor.
“Piers!” The voice sounded delighted, and like it was getting closer. “What brings you to Wyndon?”
Piers looked on politely, but offered no response. Jerk. Raihan sighed, peering around Obstagoon to give a too-casual wave at the approaching couple. “He’s keeping me company for lunch.” He looked desperately at his companion, but Piers kept on looking impassively up at the Champion.
“Oh, Raihan!” Did that smile flicker for a moment? “It’s great to see you out and about! Or at least...great to see you being crushed by Obstagoon. Charizard is doing wonderful, I really can’t thank you enough. Sonia, this is the daycare owner I was telling you about.”
The redhead, presumably Sonia, laughed. “If he’s as good with other pokemon as he is with Obstagoon, he must be incredible. Nice to meet you.”
Raihan summoned a welcoming smile, nodding in agreement. He really wasn’t ready for this, all potential conversation topics slowly slipping out of his brain. In fact, Leon seemed to be staring him down for reasons absolutely unknown to him. At least that strange impersonal face was nowhere to be seen. His heart constricted, seeing them both close up like this. It had been a long time since he had that comfortable intimacy with someone. The silence stretched on, all four of them awkwardly regarding each other. Piers alone seemed unaffected by the scene, and had gone back to attempting to eat his soup.
“Well, I’d better let you get back to your lunch. I think Obstagoon wants all your attention, too.” Raihan’s heart sank at the strangled note in the Champion’s voice. This was the absolute worst.
“Ah, yeah. It was great seeing you. Stop by sometime, yeah? I think Flygon misses his obstacle course buddy.” He offered up a weak smile at both of them as they waved and continued on their way, holding himself up until they had vanished into the crowd.
For a moment, the pair sat in silence except for Obstagoon, who had decided it was time to try to eat Raihan’s headband now that the weird intrusive humans had gone.
“Marn didn’t mention he was being weird, too,” Piers commented casually, finally turning to address his friend. Raihan sunk deeper into neck fur.
“I may have held his hand a little too long. He shut me out, and made a run for it. Haven’t seen him since, even though he sent all those customers our way,” the dragon trainer admitted. For a moment, Piers’ impassive expression shifted to reveal faint surprise. He hummed thoughtfully.
“Well, that’s curious.” Piers said, making it sound like he didn’t find it curious at all. He stood, disposing of his soup in the nearby receptacle. “But now that we’ve done what we came here to do, can we go home now?”
“I didn’t come here to have awkward conversations with Leon!” Raihan gently started to extract himself from Obstagoon and the bench.
“Mate.” Piers leveled him with a dry look. “There is literally no reason for either of us to come to Wyndon. In all the time we’ve known each other, we have never met here.”
Always getting busted by these two siblings. Raihan huffed, finally standing as Obstagoon grumbled his way back to his trainer’s side.
“Fine. But you’re buying dessert on the way.”
--
Piers had to be wrong. Autumn was in full swing now, the trees throughout the grounds started to change colors and lose their leaves. Raihan had tested the waters with some casual Rotom messages, but they had only resulted in some short casual conversation. Admittedly, the season was in full swing, so Leon was probably swamped. Raihan had gotten himself under control enough to be able to look at the Champion’s feed again, though he acknowledged it wasn’t helping things in the heart department. Even the mild hope he felt whenever Leon posted an image from guest battles at the Hammerlocke gym was starting to wane.
He returned to his work. It was silly to be mooning over someone he’d spent so little time with. There were plenty of other nice men out there with nice muscles. Who enjoyed lying around in the grass talking about Applin eating habits. He was just getting maudlin because the end of the year was fast approaching. At least, that was what he was telling himself as he waded around the grounds pond fishing out the masses of fallen oak leaves. Some of the visiting water pokemon were sensitive to overly acidic water, so he couldn’t leave them like he had previous years. He was so focused trying to lever a bucket of wet leaves up onto the bank that he almost missed the familiar x-marked shoes lying in the grass. And an equally familiar cape draped haphazardly nearby.
Raihan’s head immediately whipped around as he heard a quiet squeak come from his left. It wasn’t his imagination. Galar’s champion was in his pond, grimacing as he eased further into the water.
“I feel like there’s ice forming on me, aren’t you freezing?” Leon demanded, as if it hadn’t been months since they’d had a proper conversation. He shivered, trading some small splashes with a particularly curious Barboach that had swum over to investigate their new visitor.
Raihan shut his open mouth with a snap. “Well, this is a Nessa-recommended wetsuit. Marnie got it off an infomercial. It’s working pretty well,” he answered dumbly. It also was fairly form-fitting. Not that Raihan was self-conscious about his looks, but he did feel off-balance without his trademark loose streetwear and headband. He could feel the heat of the other man’s gaze on him, and he was abruptly aware that he was covered in a fine layer of leaf mud and general pond slime.
“It looks like it’s working pretty well.” Raihan glanced over suspiciously, on alert that he was being mocked, but Leon’s expression didn’t give anything away.
“So...how have things been? Flygon’s been griping about missing his friend,” the dragon trainer gestured vaguely off to the open area. He wasn’t sure whether he should bring up the elephant in the room, or the fact that Leon had made himself scarce for months. Leon’s shirt was also sticking rather enticingly to his skin, and Raihan really wasn’t sure where to look.
“Charizard’s been a bear about it, too. I dropped him off before I came over, if you don’t mind. Marnie said I could find you here.” Leon slowly sloshed closer to the other man, carefully shooing away the other water pokemon now pulling at his clothes in interest. He came to a stop in front of the other trainer, shifting a little uncomfortably where he stood. He took a deep breath. “I wanted to apologize for...not being around. I’m used to people getting riled up after battling me, and I just didn’t think...I think I just misunderstood what you wanted. I needed some time to get my head on straight,” the purple-haired man admitted.
Raihan had died. He had clearly slipped on some wet leaves and was lying on the pond edge having some sort of delirious fever dream. Marnie would find him in a few hours and lecture him about proper footwear. There was simply no way Galar’s champion was standing in front of him licking his lips nervously. He paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts. What exactly had Leon thought he was going to do?
“I’m not sure you misunderstood. I really liked spending time with you, and I was just trying to tell you that.” Raihan mumbled, hands automatically nervously going for the non-existent pockets. Nessa! Why didn’t you design this to have pockets for awkward conversations! “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, or make you feel like it was just because of some sort of...battle high. I didn’t realize you had someone. Sonia seems great. I just hope we can still be friends. That part was really the best part.”
Leon’s face softened. He waded closer, slowly crowding the dragon trainer up against the pondbank. “I liked spending time with you too, Rai. I thought you were just a sort of too cool kind of guy, but then you’d put on your apron with all those Goomy pins on it and roll around in a mud pit with Duraludon. I’ve never met anyone as dedicated to the proper treatment and care of pokemon as you. And, I loved battling you. It was a challenge.” The champion wasn’t blinking, those gold eyes just burning into Raihan’s with a familiar energy. It felt very much like mid-battle Leon. In fact, they were abruptly very close, close enough that Raihan could feel the other man’s body heat through his wetsuit. His mouth worked, trying to summon some sort of coherent sentence.
“...you like my Goomy apron?”
Leon’s face was bright red. It was hard to tell who was more embarrassed by his words.
“I do. Also, Sonia has been seeing Nessa for the last two years. I’m reasonably sure she owns the same wetsuit for when they go on pool dates. And I would very much like for you to go on a date with me. Please.”
Raihan could feel his heart pounding wildly against his ribs. He assumed Leon could feel it too, close as he was. This was a surreal experience. “Yes. Absolutely. Anytime. Er. Anytime I’m not working.”
“Good,” the other trainer sounded satisfied, despite the fact that he still resembled a tomato. “Hop said you’re surprisingly slow with some things, so I wanted to be as clear as possible.”
“Hop…? How do you--” The mental cogs sputtered and they began to turn. “You’re the brother that can’t find his way out of a paper bag,” Raihan exclaimed incredulously, finally putting the pieces together. He was aghast that his teen workforce had managed to keep such a gargantuan secret from him. Leon threw back his head and laughed.
“Surprise! I actually got lost coming here almost every week, too. I left extra early to give myself some padding, so I wasn’t getting much sleep,” Leon whispered, giving the other trainer a coy smile.
Oh. Raihan looked down at him, wildly happy to discover that he wasn’t the only one looking forward to those Sundays.
“And then you made me run all over the grounds. I was more exhausted after those days than my heavy training days!”
Raihan couldn’t help but laugh at the other man’s expense. He was used to loping back and forth across the grounds; it didn’t occur to him that he was running the other man ragged.
“Got to keep the Champion in good shape,” he shot back, poking the other man in the side. The amount of solid muscle that met his hand took the wind out of his joke. He paused for a moment before pressing hand to the other man’s side, feeling the man’s heat through the wet shirt.
Leon shook his head, but didn’t respond. He also didn’t push away the hand. His expression didn’t change, but Raihan caught a warm glint in those gold eyes. Sensing a wordless invitation, he slid his other hand up to cup the back of the other man’s neck before leaning in for a kiss.
The dragon trainer could feel the other man’s heat burning against his hands, his awareness vanishing as he pressed closer. Despite the time spent talking himself out of his feelings, he could feel them sweeping over him in a flood. He wanted this. The late nights talking about inspiring pokemon from other regions, trying to get Charizard to eat his vitamins, Leon laughing with grass stuck in his hair, and kissing as forcefully as his battling style. All of it. He pulled away to take a breath and give words to the thoughts running through his head. Or at least, he was trying to when he felt a familiar scaled body jolt into the back of his knees, sending them both off balance.
He could hear Leon’s startled laugh as they both hit the water, and mentally made a reminder to add to his notes. Magikarp don’t like humans making out in their pond.
--
Later, when they were clean and air-drying in the warmth of Raihan’s kitchen, Raihan finally thought to ask.
“Wait, so was Hop your spy? There must be some reason no one mentioned you two being related,” he plunked two mugs of hot chocolate on the table before slinging himself into one of the chairs. Leon had the grace to look a little embarrassed as he toweled his hair dry, looking unusually soft in one Raihan’s oversized teeth hoodies.
“Spy is such a strong word. I may have asked him to keep tabs on you. I guess I’d jumped to some conclusions. I thought maybe you always flirted with clients, so I didn’t want to get in over my head. And then there’s all the cafe photos on your account…”
“You thought I wasn’t serious about you because I take selfies with my 85-year old neighbors…?” Raihan was horrified. “They’re like the sweet grandparents I never had!”
Leon was slowly turning red, suddenly very absorbed in his hot chocolate.
“I don’t know, I just thought you were like that with everyone. You know, warm, charming. Flirty.”
Raihan buried his face in his hands, suddenly cursing his inability to communicate clearly. “I guess I owe Hop.”
“Yes. His report was very clear. ‘He’s absolutely a genuine pokemon dork and sits around mooning over Charizard’s old care notes after hours when he thinks everyone has gone home.” This time, it was Raihan’s turn to flush scarlet.
“I did that one time!” Ugh, mortifying. He sighed, “I just really...looked forward to those Sundays.”
Leon reached over and gently wound his hand into the daycare owner’s. “Me too. Exhausting, but absolutely worth it.” He looked thoughtful for a moment, before tightening his hold and gently pulling Raihan across the table for a kiss. It was light, nothing more than a gentle peck, but Raihan could feel warmth blooming in his stomach. More effective than hot chocolate. He pressed their foreheads together and shut his eyes, trying to memorize this moment. This had never been part of his plan when he had first opened the daycare, but he hoped it was just the beginning of more unexpected adventures at this man’s side.