Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Victor laughed while watching his sister wrestle Hop on the living room floor. He had the next round with whoever the winner turned out to be, but he was content just watching Gloria pin their friend. Hop’s struggles weren’t futile though, the boy had to admit. About five minutes passed and Victor sighed, knowing it was his turn. Gloria smirked victoriously. Maybe he could win this time, he thought. The boy gave Hop a light pat on the back on his way to get tackled and pinned in a similar fashion.

“Ye ready to go down?” Gloria asked sweetly.

Victor only returned a smile of his own.

Hop sat up and scooted away until his back hit the couch. He started the countdown. “Ready? 3…” Victor went down on one knee to mirror Gloria’s position. “...2…” The brunette girl leaned forward slightly. “...1!” And Victor was tackled, just as he expected. But he was ready for it. Giving in with the momentum, he allowed himself to be pushed back, rolling when he hit the floor and effectively throwing the girl off - not that it helped much, for she was immediately back on him again. But at least he had a chance to fight back. The two tussled, rolling over each other with Hop’s encouragement in the background. In all honesty Victor was playing for time. Gloria would win eventually - she almost always did, but he’d be damned if he wasn’t the one to decide just how soon eventually would be. In all the fuss, neither noticed how close they had gotten to the tall shelf by the wall.

Hop, who was as focused on the fight as its participants, tried to warn them. His shout was interrupted by a low thump when Gloria managed to shove her way out of a headlock. Several items wobbled precariously, but only one fell from about halfway up the wall. Hop rushed over to the two, checked them over, and then took a look at what had fallen.

“Phew,” he sagged in relief. Thankfully the book that fell was not made of glass like any of the framed pictures or marbles or other trinkets still sitting in the bookcase.

“Draw?” Victor offered after glancing up to take a look at the disaster they could have caused.

“Draw.” Gloria agreed. She moved to pick up the book, but stopped when she saw what was on the page. She smiled. “Hey Vic, come look at this.” Her brother complied with the command, Hop leaning over his shoulder.

In her hands Gloria held a family photo album. This particular page had a little boy that bore a remarkable resemblance to one in the room. Holding him up was his brother, skinnier and sporting much shorter hair, wearing a weary smile on his face. A wooloo stood behind them, grazing in the grass.

“Oh, that!” Hop giggled. “You know I don’t really remember that day myself, but I can tell you what Lee and mum told me about it.”

The twins shared a look. Victor got up and threw the couch cushions on the ground while Gloria rearranged the blankets. Once all were situated the proclaimed “story time” began.

Chapter Text

Hop was one-year-old, a baby, barely able to walk. Since their mother was busy with chores inside, Leon took his brother outdoors to keep both of them out of her way. Resting the toddler in the crook of his arm, the seven-year-old boy opened the door of his house. Watching the wooloo from the back steps, Leon wondered what exactly they could do. After a moment’s consideration he decided to take a walk. On the way he pointed to the clouds for Hop to see, talking to his brother as if he could understand his words.

“Woo! Woo!” Hop exclaimed suddenly. Leon looked down to see that he was reaching for one of the sheep pokemon. Evidently one had approached them without the older boy noticing. It sniffed at his brother’s feet, and so excited was Hop to pet the pokemon that he dropped the toy he had gripped loosely in his hand.

“Oh, hang on buddy, I’ll get that for you.” Leon placed Hop down gently to pick up the stuffed charizard. When he straightened again he noticed a very distinct lack of Hop...and the wooloo was gone too.

Leon felt his stomach drop. Did he really put his baby brother on a wooloo? A wild wooloo? Looking up and out into the field he could see that yes, he did do exactly that. There was little Hop, barely a year old, bouncing happily atop the pokemon straight towards - holy Arceus they were going straight into a flock .

Leon had never in his life run faster than he did on that day. He only slowed when he reached an open field, wooloo grazing as far as the eye could see.

“Hop!” he cried. Looking over the endless sea of white, Leon strained to catch a glimpse of his brother. Wading through the pokemon, he could only hope that his brother hadn’t fallen off and gotten trampled or bitten or-

Leon stopped walking waist deep in wooloo. Had he heard something?

“Woo!”

It was Hop! Whipping his head around, Leon called out again. The response was distant and high pitched. Now with a general idea of where he should be going, Leon carefully stepped through the gaps between sheep. Every now and then he would call Hop’s name or simply follow the sound of excited giggles picked up by the wind.

Leon found Hop sitting on an empty patch of grass. Thankfully, he looked unharmed despite the dirt on his clothes. A wooloo - Leon guessed it was the same one from earlier - snuffed at his little brother’s soft purple locks. Hop, dear, sweet little child that he was, let out a laugh every time a puff of air blew past his face. Ok. Leon could deal with that. Quietly, he crept his way towards the two. His sneaking proved wholly unnecessary as the pokemon paid him no mind, not even when he was crouched down right in front of them.

“Hey there, Hop.” The child’s eyes, wide and golden, met his own. He didn’t stop grinning, despite a clear lack of the majority of his teeth. “Alright,” Leon huffed. “I think you’ve had enough fun outside for today.” He took the infant into his arms and ignored Hop’s squeal of protest. As it turned out he wouldn’t have to fight his brother all the way back home because the younger boy stilled before the fit even started. Leon looked down to see a cloud of white wool at his side. He took a step forward. The wooloo followed. Leon sighed.

Leon wished he had a pokeball with him. Not entirely ignoring the pokemon on his heels, he began the trek back home. As per usual, he wasn’t exactly sure he was going in the right direction, but kept walking anyway. At the very least he’d always end up somewhere, which was objectively better than staying lost. He was glad Hop’s new friend kept his brother from kicking up a fuss, too.

Eventually, they ended up on the road to their house. The direction Leon had picked at random left them a little ways away from where he intended to go, but he could see the house not too far ahead. When they finally made it home, their mother opened the door to greet them at the back. Without prompting Leon launched into a short tale about their day, explaining the presence of the wooloo and the state of their clothes with barely a breath between words. His mother smiled, took a good look at her son’s haggard yet relieved expression when he had finished his story, and kindly welcomed their new companion. She told them both to stay right where they were and disappeared beyond the screen door. Leon was sorely tempted to collapse onto the dirt and lay there forever. The sun hung low in the sky, getting ready to set in a few minutes. His mum returned, camera at the ready and told them to smile, her own amused and loving grin stretched across her face.

Without thinking, Leon did as he was told. Hop didn’t acknowledge the device at all. Instead, the toddler leaned to the right, twisting his body around to watch the wooloo graze behind them. Their mother snapped two pictures, one right after the other, and finally finally decided to relieve Leon of his Hop watching duties - which consisted of way too much Hop-holding and Hop-chasing for the day, in his opinion.

With a heavy sigh that carried the weight of a man who had just let go of all his woes and burdens, Leon plopped himself down on the steps leading into the house and watched his brother cry “Woo! Woo!” as their mother went to greet the pokemon whilst holding him in her arms.

Chapter Text

“So even as a baby you were always smiling,” Victor concluded. Gloria smirked.

“Of course ye get kidnapped by a wooloo and ye don’ even bat an eye.”

Hop laughed a little. “Yeah. Lee said he had a heart attack when he didn’t see me. Honestly, I’m surprised he found his way back before dark.” Hop took on a thoughtful expression. “Maybe his sense of direction just got worse over time?”

Victor shrugged. “Maybe? I don’t think it's unlikely.” Although Victor spoke with the same accent, his sister’s always seemed more prominent. Perhaps it was the...personality.

“What other stories have ye got?” Gloria flipped the page.

“Oh! I remember that one!” Hop tapped a picture in the book. “That was on Mother’s Day.”

In the kitchen stood the same two boys from the last photo, both taller and obviously older. Hop looked to be about six and had flour in his hair. Some type of batter stuck to his shirt and shorts. He was holding a whisk, staring heartbroken at the floor where a half empty bowl lay, its contents strewn about the room. The older boy was looking down as well, however his gaze was focused more off to the right where a circular cake pan that had clearly been prepared to hold the desert it was made to mold lay on its side. By the way the image looked one could assume the pan had been rolling towards the photographer.

“Let’s bake a cake for mum!” Hop exclaimed suddenly. He and Leon were sitting in the living room. With the tv on in the background, Hop lay on his stomach drawing a picture, crayons scattered about the wooden floor. On the couch Leon was lazily scrolling on his phone. The older boy hummed.

“That’s a great idea, Hip-Hop!” Leon grinned. Mother’s Day had been fast approaching and the two boys were at a loss as to what to give their own. Hop had drawn a picture, but swiftly deemed it ‘unworthy’ despite Leon’s claims that their mother would appreciate the thought regardless of how good it looked.

The very next day a wonderful opportunity presented itself. Although Leon and Hop had spent the night concocting a plan to get their mother out of the house for long enough to make her gift, it turned out they wouldn’t have to use the admittedly convoluted scheme. When breakfast was finished their mother announced that she was going to the store to buy more groceries. After declining the offer to go with her, the two boys got to work.

Leon checked the fridge first. “It looks like we have enough ingredients.” He took out a carton of eggs to check its contents. Leon glanced over the list on his phone and frowned. “Or not.” They only had one egg. The recipe called for four. Before Hop could panic - his brother didn’t need to see the look on his face to know - Leon came up with an idea. “Gimme a minute.”

Leon typed a few digits into his phone and chose the first name that came up from his list of contacts. “Hey Ray! Uh, I need a favor…” He would owe Raihan a battle later, but if everything turned out right it would be worth it. It’s not like he would lose anyway.

Within ten minutes their eggs were delivered. Leon had hastily explained their plan and Raihan agreed to help as he understood the urgency.

“My ma left too,” he said. “They might actually be at the same place right now.”

When the other boy turned to leave Leon shouted for him to wait, but didn’t get anything else out before he was cut off.

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye out for ‘em,” Raihan grinned.

With the egg supply replenished, Leon and Hop set to work. Leon measured the wet ingredients while Hop whisked together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Leon had just unplugged the electric mixer when he heard a ding . He’d gotten a message. 

Raihan 12:23pm: Ur ma’s on her way. Got dragged home, sry >.<

Attached was a picture of his friend, arms laden with plastic shopping bags. He could see his mum walking down the path in the background.

Leon swore. Hop gasped and nearly dropped the bowl he was holding.

“Mum’s on her way. We gotta hurry!”

Hop picked up speed with his whisking while doing his best not to spill anything. Some flour went flying, but he paid it no mind. Leon turned the oven on to preheat. “Do you think you can mix this, Hop?” Leon asked, presenting him with the bowl of the liquid mixture.

“Yeah, I got it!” Hop took the rubber spatula from his brother, but struggled to handle the heavier glass bowl. Leon suggested putting both bowls on the counter so he could more easily pour the liquid ingredients in, so Hop dragged a chair over from the dining table and knelt on it.

Leon, meanwhile, got the baking pan ready. The instructions for the vanilla cake he had found online said he was supposed to grease the pan with butter and flour. Leon assumed it was to prevent the cake from burning. He’d barely started sprinkling the white substance in when a loud BANG from behind made him jump.

“Hop?!”

Leon turned around to see that the chair his brother had been kneeling on had fallen over. Hop himself looked physically unharmed, but whined in distress looking down at the bowl at his feet. “Hey, it’s alright, we can-” Leon raised his arms in an attempt to placate the younger boy. Unfortunately his elbow managed to tip the already precariously balanced baking pan over the edge of the counter. Leon watched, sullen, as the pan slowly rolled away from him.

Snap!

Leon looked up in surprise at the sound. In the doorway to the kitchen stood their mother. She had a phone in one hand and a grocery bag hanging off her arm as she brought a hand up to cover her smile. It didn’t do anything to hide her giggles.

While Leon was glad she wasn’t immediately angry with them for the mess, he was also disappointed that their surprise had been ruined. Poor Hop looked about ready to cry.

“I ruined it,” the six-year-old said, clearly upset with himself.

“No you didn’t,” Leon was quick to rebut. “We wouldn’t have gotten it in the oven in time anyway. It’s not your fault Hop.” Even if he hadn’t dropped the bowl, the oven was still taking its sweet time heating up to the right temperature.

Their mother wasn’t upset. In fact, she very much appreciated what they tried to do, and told them as much.

With her help, the kitchen was cleaned and all three of them tried the process again. Things went much more smoothly with their mum in charge and they actually produced a more than decent treat.

When asked how they were able to make the original cake batter with only one egg, Hop happily explained Raihan’s part in assisting with their surprise gift. Their mum smiled fondly. It looked like she would have to pay a visit to Raihan’s own mother to replace some “borrowed” eggs later.

“So you know how to bake, Hop?”

“A little.” Hop answered Victor’s question with a shy grin. “I’m not great at it, but I help mum sometimes.”

Gloria stared intently at the image. “Cake sounds nice right about now.” She flipped past a few more pictures. While doing so she stifled a yawn, but Victor had no such luck. Hop checked the time on his phone.

“Oh geez, we should probably go to sleep soon. Marnie’s coming in the morning, remember?” Gloria looked ready to protest but seemed to decide against it when another yawn caught her off guard. She scowled and pulled a green blanket - the fluffiest there was - out of the tangled pile they’d created. Victor picked up a blue blanket and Hop seized the last one. 

Hop flipped the light switch and hurried back to his spot on the rug. The three arranged themselves on the floor of the living room and settled in to rest until morning.

Chapter Text

Hop awoke to the smell of bacon and the earth shaking. Opening his eyes slowly, sound began to filter in with the blurry shapes and colors of the waking world.

There was no earthquake, however the girl vigorously shaking him could be considered one in her own right.

“Wha?” Was his first word as he sat up rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

“Get yer arse up ye lazy cu-crocker! Yer ma said everyone’s gotta be at the table ‘fore we can eat and I want food, damn it!” Gloria, as she promised her brother before arriving at Hop’s house the day before, did her best to censor some of her swearing. A few slipped through in her eagerness to eat breakfast, but she caught one and that was honestly better than Victor had expected.

Hop rolled onto his side with a groan. “Alright, I’m up!” The boy abandoned the warmth of his blanket.

Satisfied with her work, Gloria quickly made herself comfortable at the dining table to wait patiently for the boys.

Hop’s mum served buttermilk pancakes with a side of bacon and scrambled eggs for the morning meal. Victor thanked her, prompting Gloria to swiftly follow suit. Unsurprisingly, she finished her plate first and asked for a second helping and Hop’s mum was more than happy to oblige.

After breakfast the three decided to have a few pokemon battles in the backyard. They chose to have friendly matches  - a light workout for the pokemon that would give them a chance to stretch their legs, or wings - or whatever limbs they possessed, if any.

Marnie adjusted the straps on her backpack. It was heavier than usual with the extra set of clothes and toiletries now stuffing it full. The young trainer knocked twice on the front door and was greeted by who she assumed to be Hop’s mother.

“Oh, you must be Marnie! Please, come in. You’re welcome to stay as well.” The last statement was directed towards her brother Piers, who had walked her all the way from their house to here. He’d made sure she had everything she needed before they left and Marnie was thankful for that, seeing as she almost forgot her pajamas - likely the first thing anyone should think to pack for a sleepover.

Piers politely declined the offer. He had other things to do that morning, but made sure he had time to bring Marnie over to her friend's house beforehand. With his departure, Marnie was ushered inside. 

“Would you like something to eat, dear?”

“No, but thank you.” The girl had already eaten breakfast before leaving her own home. Not even the lingering smell of bacon from the frying pan on the stove could tempt her full stomach.

Hop’s mum showed her the corner of the living room right next to the couch where the others had left their possessions and led her to the back door. Despite what looked like a designated area for pokemon battles out front, the backyard was more open with extra space to move around and try new menouvers.

Marnie stepped outside and smiled slightly. Gloria was yelling encouragement from the sidelines as Hop’s wooloo landed a finishing blow on Victor’s.

“YES! Take that ye scabby bampot!” Evidently, she was not over Victor’s previous win, despite her claim otherwise. Hop mirrored her enthusiasm and shared a high-five with the Scottish girl. Victor called his downed pokemon back to its ball to have a rest whilst muttering under his breath but Marnie didn’t hear any of what he said over Hop and Gloria’s cheering. Victor took notice of her still standing on the back steps as he pocketed the pokeball and waved her over with a growing grin.

The group spent most of their day battling. They switched partners around in a few double battles before heading inside to heal their pokemon.

BLT sandwiches were on the menu for lunch. When Hop’s mum set a plate down in front of her son she muttered something, looking lost in thought.

“What’d ya say, mum?” Hop asked after taking a bite out of his sandwich.

“Hm? Oh, nothing.” She smiled and took up the towel hanging off the oven door. “I just remembered when Leon had his own sleepover like this when he was younger. I’m sure I made the same thing for lunch back then as well.”

“Huh.” Hop swallowed. “That’s kinda cool.”

His mother hummed as she wiped down the counter and got the water going in the sink. Victor finished his share of food in record time, but hesitated when he didn’t know what to do with his empty plate. Thankfully Hop’s mum noticed his predicament and told them all to pile the plates up next to the faucet when they were done.

When Bede arrived no one questioned the obscene amount of pink on his person or the sour expression on his face. He shuffled through the small entryway muttering bitterly about being late and how he “didn’t need so many clothes, it was one night for the love of-”

“Oi! Quit yer whinin' and get over here!” Gloria called. The only adult in the house guided Bede to the living room where he dropped his bag among the others and joined his fellow gym challengers on the rug. They were playing card games at the low coffee table in the center of the room.

“Uno!” Hop declared, dropping a card onto the center pile.

“What? I thought we were playing Go Fish…” Marnie mumbled in confusion.

“Fokin’ ‘ell. Weren’t we playin’ War? Y’know, that makes much more sense.” Gloria frowned at her own cards.

Victor sighed and lowered his hand. “You can’t even play Uno with regular cards...can you?” He seemed to consider the possibility, looking down at the upturned cards on the table.

Bede almost choked on the sandwich he’d been given on his way into the room. Once he swallowed properly he found himself bent over in silent laughter. “You-you guys,” he gasped, “-oh my- pfft -you’re all idiots!” His snickering increased in volume and the others soon joined in.

When he could breathe again Hop stood suddenly and dashed upstairs. The boy returned carrying a stack of colorful boxes. “Maybe we should play something else,” he suggested. He set the pile down next to the coffee table. Victor glanced at the game at the very top of the small tower.

“Battleboat?” He’d never played the game himself, but he knew enough about it to get by.

The five friends ended up working their way down the stack. They played and switched games well into the night, only abandoning Sweets Kingdom to have dinner and then picking up Risky Rangers afterwards. At a quarter to eleven they started a round of Buy the Board.

“Fokin’ wanker,” Gloria grumbled as she handed over her last property. They were a little under an hour into the game and she was the second one out - right after Hop. She scooted away from the board to give the others a bit more space and joined Hop, who was now the banker, on the sidelines. Although her twin had the job at first, once Hop went bankrupt the other boy took over. It wasn’t long before Marnie was evicted from the game as well.

Victor was a ruthless moneyman - or so Gloria had warned them all when he had first picked up the game and asked if they wanted to play.

“He don’ give two shites ‘bout yer wife and kids,  he don’ care ‘bout the starvin’ family ye have to feed - if ye don’ pay him on the spot he won’ hesitate to take all yer assets.”

Of course, the others thought she was exaggerating - that it was just Gloria being Gloria; but the girl had played this game against her brother time and time again over the years. She had never once won Buy the Board - not when Victor was around to collect cash. Poor Hop didn’t see it coming until it was too late.

It ended up as a showdown between Bede and Victor, but the outcome wasn’t terribly unpredictable. Nevertheless, the white haired boy hung on to the handful of properties he owned for as long as he could. By some small miracle Bede was able to avoid the most expensive of Victor’s buildings for a grand total of four laps around the board before, as Gloria put it, he fell victim to the pit.

“The pit” was the most expensive place on the board. That wasn’t its real name, of course, but Gloria had snagged it as soon as she could. Unfortunately, she’d had to trade it away to her merciless tyrant of a twin in order to keep playing for a few more minutes.

With as many hotels as the game rules would allow, the rent was a number the faint of heart should never read. More than half the money Bede had was taken from landing on that square, and he gained nothing from crossing the “Start” area because his next roll took him straight to taxes. As if the game itself had a sense of humor, Victor rolled a six and landed on a treasure chest.

“It’s your birthday today! Every player must give you twenty-five dollars,” Marnie read aloud from the orange card.

Bede looked at the single piece of paper in his hand. It was only worth ten. “Tch.”

Victor smiled innocently. Having no other choice at this point, Bede sold one of his properties to the bank. Another roll of the dice gave him snake eyes. Bede didn’t even touch the shiny little top hat. “Fine,” he bit out, “This has gone on for way too long by now, anyway.”

The smile on Victor’s face didn’t change.

“I told ye,” Gloria sighed. It was times like this when no one questioned how the twins were related to one another.

Victor’s victory came at twelve o’ clock sharp. Since he had a large amount of the game’s cards, he helped pack everything away.

Victor sat back on his heels while Hop returned the game to the pile, now pushed up against the wall along with the coffee table. None of them were particularly tired yet.

“Um...hm,” Hop started, but his brain couldn’t seem to catch an idea.

“We could summon somethin’,” Gloria spoke up after a few moments. She scrolled down on her phone then turned the screen for everyone to see. Listed on it were step by step instructions on how to summon certain ghost type pokemon.

“Sounds cool,” Victor said, squinting at the device, “But it says we’d have to draw some symbols into the earth. Don’ think we can go outside.” Not only did he not want to go out because it was sure to be cold without at least a jacket to provide any warmth, he also thought it highly unlikely that Hop’s mother would: 1) Allow five kids under her supervision to venture outdoors into the night and 2) Be alright with said children starting a ritual summoning via drawing sketchy symbols in the dirt.

Hop seemed more concerned about them messing it up and summoning something they weren’t supposed to than the actual dangers of bringing forth a wild pokemon from the depths of who-knows-where.

Gloria’s suggestion went unheeded and they all sat in semi-awkward silence until the young trainer got another idea. She got up and picked a book off the bookshelf - the same one they’d accidentally knocked down the night before.

“More stories?” She asked as she sat down on the rug in the middle of the room.

Hop nodded. “I don’t mind.” He scooched over to sit next to Gloria as she held the book. “It’s a photo album,” Hop explained for the two who weren’t present the night before. Gloria flipped to a random page and showed the image to the boy beside her. He smiled a little and Gloria called for everyone to “gather ‘round, ‘cause it’s story time, kiddos!”

The scene she’d found by chance was once again set in the kitchen. At the dining table sat Hop, looking no older than seven years old. He wore a disgusted expression, tongue stuck out and nose scrunched up in distaste, likely due to the contents of the mug in his hands. He was the sole occupant of this particular picture.

The five of them formed a loose circle on the rug and the book was passed around for everyone to take a good look at the image. When it made its way back to Gloria, they all turned their attention to the teller of tales.

Chapter Text

“Can I have some?” It was this innocent question that made Leon turn around.

It was Sunday and their mother, strangely enough, hadn’t gotten up yet. Leon didn’t think much of it. Mothers were allowed to sleep in too, weren’t they? He could take care of Hop for a little while.

At the moment he was preparing a cup of coffee for whenever their mother did wake and join them in the kitchen. If she wasn’t up by the time the machine was finished, he would simply leave it on her bedside table. 

Leon pondered the request for a moment. Did he really want to give his seven-year-old brother caffeine? Hop was as energetic as any kid his age and Leon wasn’t sure if adding to that would be a good idea (nor did he think dealing with the consequences of such an action would be fun for either of them later).

“I don’t know...you might not like it.”

Hop stuck out his lower lip, eyes widening, to craft the most irresistible pleading expression.

Leon nearly rolled his eyes. “Fine.”

Hop perked up significantly.

“How would you like your coffee, Hop?” Leon asked, turning to check on the brewer.

The boy swung his legs back and forth underneath the table as he considered what he knew about coffee. He knew adults drank it a lot. Their mother would drink a cup in the morning sometimes if she didn’t feel like having tea.

Oh! He liked the smell of it too! Hop was also fairly certain that the darker the beverage was the more energy it would give you. This particular idea came from the fact that whenever they went out to one of the cafés in town, he’d noticed that the people ordering plain black coffee always looked the most tired.

He recalled last week’s trip to the café for lunch while they were out shopping. A rather peppy girl with a bit of a skip in her step had asked for so many additions to her drink Hop couldn’t even begin to recount them all. Surely she had no need for more energy when she had so much already. Although Hop wasn’t in need of an extra boost, he was curious about the effects of the drink.

Having made up his mind, he declared confidently, “Black. As dark as my soul!”

Leon gave him a blank look, then took a few steps to his right and opened the fridge door. “So, milk then,” he deadpanned.

Leon smirked at the indignant sputtering he could hear behind him. The stream of water the coffee machine had been producing finally tapered off and a soft beep beep announced the completion of its job. Leon took the full mug by the handle and carried it carefully to the dining table.

Hop let his eagerness get the best of him and he reached for the cup as soon as it touched the wood surface. Luckily for him, Leon slapped his hand away. Hop looked up, more surprised than hurt - Leon didn’t hit him that hard.

“It’s hot! Use the handle and blow on it first,” the teen warned. Hop nodded. 

Reaching for the handle instead of the whole mug this time, Hop gently pulled it toward himself. He spent a few minutes blowing at the steam and waiting for the drink to cool. When he finally took a sip, it wasn’t scalding but it was definitely still too hot, so he waited a minute or two longer.

When Hop took another, longer slurp from the mug, he recoiled so violently he almost spilled the drink. It was so bitter ! Why would anyone subject themselves to that? And some people drank an entire cup everyday?

Hop felt his face twist in disgust. The taste on his tongue lingered long after the initial swallow and he could hear Lee sniggering at his expense. He didn’t notice the phone in his hand.

“Sorry, sorry,” Leon laughed. “Don’t be mad Hip-Hop. You wanted to try it, didn’t you?” Hop huffed and crossed his arms, pouting petulantly; he knew he asked for it, but...but he wanted to know! And Leon did try to warn him…

Hop frowned with disdain. At least now he could say with absolute certainty that he much prefers the smell of coffee in the air to the actual flavor of the drink.

“Have you tried it again since then?” Victor asked, leaning back on his hands. Hop shook his head.

“The café you went to...was it Tikal’s?” Bede asked.

Hop paused to think for a second, then nodded. “Yeah, I think so! I haven’t gone there in a while, though. You’ve been there?”

Bede made a noise of affirmation as he snapped a loose string off his pink pajama sleeve. “Opal took me last week.” He glanced to his right. “I passed Marnie on the way out.”

Gloria joined in on the conversation. “Really?” She was interested now. “They got anythin’ good?”

“...There’s a new item on the drinks menu,” Marnie said after a moment of thought. “I don’t remember what it’s called.”

“Blitz Canon,” Bede supplied for her. “It tastes like sugar married itself and had twenty cavity-inducing kids.” He scowled at the memory of the awful taste on his tongue.

Victor chuckled. “I guess you didn’t like it, then.”

Bede shot him a look and rolled his eyes. “No, I loved it!” He scoffed. “Really, it’s not the best thing they could have come up with, but I’ve had a few other things and they’re pretty good.” Marnie looked like she agreed with him.

Gloria grinned. “Sounds like a place I gotta see!” Victor knew she wasn’t just excited to see the place - she was going to try everything on the menu, even if it took her an entire month. They’d probably end up sharing and swapping treats and beverages, but he wouldn’t mind. He was also curious about the place that earned such praise from their more standoffish friend.

“Hm,” Hop hummed, “Maybe we can go tomorrow?” He looked around hopefully, but remembering that two of them would be leaving quickly dashed the elation. “...Or not.”

Bede shrugged. “You guys can go. We’ve already been, after all.” He glanced at Marnie, who nodded back.

“We can go together another time. Maybe next weekend?” she offered.

Hop turned to the twins.

Victor smiled slightly. “Since we live right down the road, Ma said we can stay all day. Just gotta be back before night.”

Marnie and Bede would be leaving around twelve the next day, as was the agreed time. Gloria and Victor lived close enough to be considered neighbors, so they had negotiated to stay as long as they could.

Hop grinned and pumped a fist in the air. “Sweet!” He cheered.

The five talked for a while longer. The two most familiar with Tikal’s Café recommended a few treats - Bede apparently liked their strawberry parfait the best, but Marnie preferred the chocolate cake served with vanilla ice cream on the side.

Hop, amazing host that he was, fell asleep first. Victor was the next to succumb to the darkness while idling on his phone, and Bede curled up by the wall.

Whether the latter was actually asleep in the cocoon he’d swaddled himself in, Gloria couldn’t tell. She was too tired to care. Marnie was already conked out by the couch. Somewhat begrudgingly, Gloria dragged herself to her feet in order to turn off the standing lamp in the corner of the room. Once the lights were out, she found an empty spot on the rug to settle on and joined her friends.

Chapter Text

The last of their group to wake did so mere minutes to ten in the morning. Bede grumbled, resenting the noise around him.

“He’s awake!” That was Hop hovering inches above him. Bede swiped at Hop, who stopped poking his friend once he finally managed to get a response. “C’mon, we gotta eat and find something to do before you guys have to leave!”

With Bede awake and Gloria out of the bathroom, Victor seized the empty washroom to brush his teeth before Hop could even think to make a mad dash for it. By eleven everyone had eaten and Marnie and Bede were packed and ready to go. They spent the time until noon playing cards. After making sure that everyone was on the same page this time, they began a round of Snap. The hour passed in the blink of an eye with hails of victory and surprised yelps in the ruckus that followed.

Bede was the first to leave when Opal arrived at twelve on the dot. He swung his pack over one shoulder and waved goodbye on his way down the path. Instead of resuming the game with one less player, the remaining four waited at the kitchen table for Marnie’s departure. For about ten minutes they sat in relative silence.

It was almost twenty past when Victor spoke up. “Maybe Piers got the time wrong?”

Gloria glowered, but the gaze was aimed down at her phone screen. One of her arms was folded across her torso with the other resting on her lap where she held the device. She looked ready to say something, but was cut off by the distinctive sound of a rotom phone set on vibrate. Marnie slipped the small device out of her pocket. “Piers says he’s gonna be late,” she said.

Gloria put on a blithe smile. “Oh, is he? Never would ‘ave noticed.” Before they could divulge into another bout of silence, Marnie’s phone buzzed again. “He says he’s in the town center.”

Hop jumped at that, his chair rocking onto its back legs. It slammed back down heavily and he almost fell off. “We can go to the café then!” he exclaimed as if nothing happened.

Marnie smiled slightly at his enthusiasm. She typed out a short message and stood from her chair. Victor joined her on the floor with Gloria following after. Hop yelled up the stairs to ask for permission to go out.

“Hey mum! Can we go to town for lunch?!”

“Do you have enough money?” his mother called back.

“Um…” Hop checked his pockets. Victor followed his example. He’d completely forgotten about paying for expenses. Hop’s mother apparently took the lack of a response for what it was. She descended the steps and took in the scene before her. All except for one child, who she had seen off not too long ago, stood ready to leave the house at a moment's notice. “Of course you can go,” she smiled. Once she made sure Hop had more than enough money to pay for them all, she let them go without further question.

Hop bounced on the balls of his feet as they walked down the dirt road. Every now and then he would skip ahead, then turn to walk backwards in order to respond to something that was said or make his own contribution to the conversation. Marnie led the way to Tikal’s Café. They had just reached the bustling town center when they bumped into Piers. Well, to be more accurate, Hop ran into him mid-turn. Granted, he did know he had to be more careful with the influx of people during lunch hours, but that awareness failed to stop this particular collision.

Luckily for the smaller boy, the Spikemouth Gym Leader managed to catch hold of his shoulders and steady him before he could tumble face first into the unforgiving pavement.

Piers sighed. “You ok?” he asked. Tired eyes roamed to check invisible injuries. Besides the initial startle, Hop was perfectly fine and answered affirmatively with an embarrassed grin and an apology. Piers nodded, both in acknowledgement and in greeting to the rest of the group. 

“Ready?” He addressed Marnie, whose eyes widened marginally in surprise.

“Didn’t you see the message I sent?” she asked. Her tone wasn’t rude, but questioning, curious.

“Didn’t you see the message I sent?” Piers countered mildly. Marnie checked her phone which had been buried deep in her jacket pocket.

“Oh.” Turning back to her friends, Marnie bid them farewell. “I suppose we’ll have to go together another time, then.”

Marnie departed with her brother. The pair turned to go in the opposite direction - Piers had evidently been on his way to pick her up before heading back to the gym. With one less member, the party of three continued on for a good five minutes before giving pause by a flower shop sporting a variety of vibrantly colored daisies in the display window. They only stopped because Gloria had thrown out an admittedly good question.

“How long ‘til we get there?” she grumbled impatiently. She really wanted to try the sugary Blitz drink Bede had mentioned and she wasn’t sure how much of the store’s resources would be used up throughout the day.

“That-” Hop started, stopping in his tracks, “is a good question.” He took some time to look around at the unfamiliar street and stepped aside so he wasn’t blocking the door to the little shop. Victor moved to stand next to him as a gaggle of teenage girls rushed by them and up the road in a hurry. “Um, Marnie said to turn left - or was it right? Erm, I think -” Hop turned in both directions, but couldn’t identify their location. The boy visibly deflated. “I think we’re lost…” he muttered dejectedly, head hung low.

Victor nudged his friend’s shoulder. When Hop looked up he wasn’t expecting the small smirk on his face. “Maybe you’re pants with directions,” he said. Gloria snorted and Hop felt warmth in his cheeks as blood rushed to his own face.

“Maybe it runs in the family,” Gloria snickered. If anyone asked, Hop would firmly claim that he had been doing the exact opposite of pouting at that moment. He was disgruntled, a bit taken aback, but he most certainly did not pull a face.

The three ended up walking a bit farther and found a public bench to sit on. Hop and Victor set to mulling over the situation while Gloria sulked, lamenting the possible loss of her sugary treat. She had suggested with no small amount of fervor that they simply pick a random direction, but was quickly shot down by Victor, who commented that he’d rather not end up at the base of the mountains.

“That’s what Leon does,” Hop had mentioned. Victor frowned lightly.

“How often does that work out for him?”

“Er, like fifty percent of the time?” Hop seemed to think it over, then added, “Yeah, I think about half the time he’ll end up close to where he wanted, and the other half it’s the complete opposite.” Which brought them back to where they were currently.

“We could use the map!” Hop exclaimed suddenly. Why hadn’t that been the first thing they thought of? With new found energy, he reached for his phone...but only grabbed at loose string. He checked his other pocket. Nothing but lint. Growing frantic, the young trainer checked the front pocket of his bag, and soon he was ruffling through all of its contents. The charger was there, a half-full water bottle present as always, his team, some extra pokeballs. Everything except the one item he was looking for. “I must have left it on the table.” After rearranging his bag so that it could close again, Hop crossed his arms and huffed. “Damn.”

Gloria gasped dramatically, throwing an arm up to lay across her forehead as the other clutched at her chest. “He-he swore!” She cried out in dismay. Victor was forced to catch her as she collapsed onto him as if he were an old Victorian fainting couch. He stifled a laugh at the display, but couldn’t hold the next one in as Hop started to stutter.

“It’s not really - I - f-heck,” the other boy huffed again.

Victor jiggled his leg. “Oi, get up. I can’t reach my phone.” Gloria, being the older and more mature of the two, stuck her tongue out, but abandoned her previous position stretched over his lap. He pulled up the navigation tool and checked to make sure his location was on. “Alright, it looks like we’re-” The screen went black. He blinked. “What the hell?” On the dark screen a white outline made up the general shape of a battery. Above the symbol flashed the reason for shut down: o% .

Gloria glared at her own phone, which displayed the same icon.

“Fuck,” the twins said in unison. A woman threw them a dirty look as she ushered her wide-eyed daughter along the pathway. Two dead devices and another missing left the trio with less options. Gloria stood and pivoted, ready to start walking, when someone called out to them.

“Hey!” Just down the street, waving an arm over her head, was a young lady wearing a beige coat. She waited for a group of people to pass her, then started jogging in their direction.

“Sonia!” Hop hopped off the bench as she approached.

Sonia stopped in front of them. “Hiya! What are you guys doing all the way out here?” Yamper yipped at her heels.

Hop’s smile wavered ever so slightly. “We’re, um-”

“Actually,” Victor cut in, “we’re kinda lost. Do you know where Tikal’s Café is?” He spared Hop an apologetic glance while he waited for Sonia’s response. Vic could tell Gloria was getting antsy, but she wasn’t the only one. He was just about ready to take off in some random direction too, if only to do something interesting.

He didn’t have to wait long, for the older girl’s reply came as a quick, “Sure I do! I can take you there if you’d like.” She led the way past the line of shops. “Y’know, I was supposed to meet Leon a little while ago,” she mentioned conversationally.

Hop blinked in mild surprise, looking away from a rather energetic grookey attempting to snatch a lollipop from its owner. “Really?” He had no clue what his brother had been up to the past few days.

“Mhm,” she hummed. Sonia took a left, prompting the other three to quickly follow. The young professor went on to explain that she’d arrived at the meeting place early, so she had the extra time to escort them without worry. She seemed confident that Leon wouldn’t find the location any time soon and was planning to head to the dragon type gym later in the hopes of catching him somewhere in the area. According to a friend of hers he’d been spotted around there not long ago.

Every now and then she’d glance over her shoulder to make sure the small group hadn’t been swept away by the crowd. Hop jogged to match her pace when the sidewalk finally had enough room to allow more than single file travel. Victor and Gloria were having their own discussion a few steps behind them.

Hop took a mental note of their surroundings. A wider walkway on both sides of the road, buildings more spaced out than before, a few trees that occupied a street corner providing shade for passersby. Things were beginning to look much more familiar when he finally spotted the sign. 

“Oh!”

Victor pointed across the road. The shop wasn’t overcrowded, but it certainly wasn’t empty either.

Sonia smiled at them. “Well, there you go. I’d suggest the peppermint iced tea. It’s really good!” Her pokemon partner seemed to agree, if the wag of his tail was any indication. With her departure, the group of preteens got in line to order.

Gloria got her Blitz Cannon, half of which went down in one slurp. The resulting brain freeze earned her no sympathies from Victor, who hadn’t even bothered to warn her, or Hop, who was busy with his own headache. Vic bought the iced tea Sonia had suggested and was pleasantly surprised at the flavor. The mint was definitely present, but he tasted a hint of something sweet...maybe honeydew? He wasn’t sure, but there was more to it than the name suggested.

They’d gotten a large order of fries to share, now splayed on a napkin in the middle of the table they barely managed to snatch. To go with her frozen drink, Gloria got a slice of strawberry cheesecake - not what most would consider an ideal lunch, but it was her money to do with as she pleased. Victor bought a cheeseburger - coupled with the fries and drink, it counted as an actual meal. Hop had also gotten a slice of cake with the intention to take it home for later, along with a large milkshake.

The three friends talked most of the afternoon away, not sparing a single thought on how they would make it back home until they actually left the café. Thankfully, Hop remembered to look for landmarks while they trailed after Sonia.

Once the house came into view an impromptu race was headed by Victor, who Gloria swiftly accused of cheating despite the fact that she tied with him. Hop managed to convince his mother to let them stay until just before nightfall. The three rotated battle partners, and even attempted a three-way brawl late into the evening.

“Bye!”

“Thank you!”

The twin trainers called their regards down the road, bags packed and sporting identical grins. The sun had just thrown its last rays onto the horizon when their mother opened the door to two rapidly chattering league champions, still excited and sugar fueled from the day’s adventure.