23. Winter Sunlight

[badass_tiger]

Prompt: Any Fandom | Any Characters/Pairings | “I’d really love it if you came”
Word Count: 17k
Author/Team: badass_tiger
Title: Winter Sunlight
Fandom/Original: Pokemon (Leon/Raihan)
Rating: Gen
Triggers: NA
Summary: Leon invites Raihan to Postwick for the holidays. Despite having a terrible feeling that everything will change between them if he goes, he says yes.
ConCrit: Y

Notes: idk anything about, like, the countryside, and I don't really care, so feel free to yell at me for any factual inaccuracies. Just keep in mind that I don't give a shit.

The thing about Leon was that he never did things by halves. He gave a hundred percent to absolutely everything. That was to say, from the first moment Raihan had kissed him, even though it had been in the locker room of Wyndon Stadium, a spur-of-the-moment release of his pent-up frustration at losing to Leon over and over again, Leon's returning kiss had been his declaration of giving his all to their relationship.

All it was, was that after a League meeting that consisted of the Gym Leaders of the major division and the new young champion, Milo had made an excited mention of spending his first end-of-year holidays with his new wife. Raihan had made the perfectly normal response of, 'That sounds nice'. Shortly afterwards, Leon pounced on him and said, 'Do you want to spend the holidays with me and my family in Postwick?'

It wasn't that Raihan was averse to the idea. He was just aware of the fact that, if there was someone in your life who you exclusively snogged and shagged, meeting their family usually meant something. And the thing about Leon was that, despite the grin that was almost always plastered over his big, stupid face, despite the fact that he never thought twice about any decision, despite the flippant way he always spoke, Leon was, in many ways, a serious person. He never said anything he didn't mean, and he never did anything if his heart wasn't in it. Going to Postwick with Leon wouldn't be just visiting Postwick.

Besides, Leon had a family. He had his brother Hop, of course, but he also had Gloria, he had Sonia, and he had his parents and his grandparents. That was a lot of people to meet and spend a few days with. Perhaps they would be as easy-going as Leon and neither care nor ask any questions about why he would choose to bring any particular friend home, but that knowledge wouldn't change Raihan's trepidation at meeting them. He would feel like he owed them something.

Or maybe he felt that he owed Leon something. For choosing him, or even just for inviting him.

Not that Raihan said, or even thought, any of these things precisely. He only had a vaguely uncomfortable feeling in his stomach even as he carelessly said, 'I'll think about it.'

Leon looked him directly in the eye, his smile sexily confident and strangely reassuring. 'I'd really love it if you came,' he said, and Raihan's stomach did several backflips.

'Why?'

If Leon said something like, 'Because you're my boyfriend' or 'I want you to meet my family', Raihan might have bolted for the hills and never looked back. But, characteristically, he only said, 'It'll be fun. If you don't have any plans ...'

'Yeah?' Raihan said. 'Alright then,' said his tongue. When his brain heard him, he hastily tacked on, 'I don't want to meet you there though. I've never been, so it'll be weird.'

'Awesome!' Leon beamed at him, as if there was no prospect more exciting than returning to Postwick with Raihan in tow. 'I'll meet you at Hammerlocke Station on my way down then.'

'Sounds good.'

It didn't sound good. As a matter of fact, the mere idea was terrifying. He had a terrible feeling that going to Postwick would change their relationship in some way or another, and it might turn out to be a change he wouldn't like.

He really liked Leon. He had been accused of being nothing more than an especially talented Leon fanboy on more than one occasion, and he had no objection to the charge. But he didn't know if he could give Leon what he wanted, or, even if he could, if he was the person who should be giving it to him.

On the day, Leon met him at the platform of Hammerlocke Station, waving at him to catch his attention as excitedly as if he hadn't seen him in months. They had, in fact, last seen one another last week.

'Thanks a lot for coming with me,' Leon said as they settled down in their seats. 'We're going to have the best time ever with you around. It's only us two families at Postwick and there's tons of space around, so we always battle when I come back. You should join us! I've even lost to Hop a couple of times now.'

'You getting rusty from not battling as much as you used to?' Raihan teased, ignoring the jealous twinge in his chest at the revelation that more than one person had now beaten Leon before he could.

'Maybe, but Hop and Gloria are just that strong. You should battle them too and see for yourself.'

'I'll do that.' Battling was easy (well, no, but at least he knew how to do it). It would be something familiar to hold onto in the alien world of the countryside. 'Will I get to battle you too?'

'Of course! It's been a while since we've battled, huh? But you never come to the Battle Tower.'

'It's just not my style. There's no crowd at the Battle Tower, and not letting people watch how good I look whenever I battle is a crime.'

Leon laughed. 'You could invite a crowd if you wanted. There's plenty of space on the top floor.'

'Not enough,' Raihan said, shaking his head sadly. 'Anyway, don't I have to fight other Trainers just to get a chance at battling you?'

'Yeah. Just like a Gym!'

'Oh yeah? I guess it is. But it'd be easier if we could just battle like old times.'

'Better take the chance to battle me as much as you can when we're in Postwick then.'

They hadn't made any arrangements for Raihan's stay in Postwick apart from Leon's initial invitation. Raihan tried not to think too hard about where he would be staying. If he thought about the fact that it would probably be at Leon's childhood home - well, it was a thought he couldn't think until he had no other choice. As the train brought them further into the countryside, they talked instead of the champion, the other Gym Leaders, and old League friends until it stopped at Wedgehurst.

It was a beautiful day, which you apparently got in the countryside. Even at his height, Raihan rarely saw the sun, and he squinted at the blue sky outside the window as if it was a suspicious stranger.

'I bet Hop and Gloria are coming to pick us up,' Leon said. 'I always get lost on the way to Postwick.'

(When Raihan discovered that the way to Postwick was a straight line, he wondered how Leon had ever made his way around Galar to complete his Gym Challenge.)

Of course, Raihan was aware of the fact that, even now when he was no longer champion, Leon was the shining star of Galar, and his hometown would naturally be proud of counting him as one of their number. But he had not realised that this, coupled with the rarity of Leon's visits home, meant that a crowd would have gathered at the station to welcome him home. As they stepped out of the station, they were greeted by cries along the lines of 'Welcome home, Chairman Leon!' and 'ohmygoshit'sLeon', with added 'Is that Gym Leader Raihan?!'s when they spotted him. Having just lamented the lack of a crowd elsewhere, this was the last place where Raihan had hoped for one to turn up.

He did his best to smile and wave, and when a couple of trembling girls asked for his autograph, he pulled himself together enough to take a selfie with them. Then he remembered that he probably didn't want to post this selfie - although perhaps it was too late to think about keeping his visit to Postwick a secret.

Hop and Gloria eventually managed to extract them from the crowd. They appeared completely unsurprised by Raihan's presence, although this was no indication of whether or not Leon had told them he would come.

'Mum's already in fits of joy that Gloria and her mum are gonna stay over a night,' Hop said. 'She'll lose her mind when she sees Raihan! In a good way,' he was tactful enough to add.

'These hols are gonna be twice as fun as usual!' Gloria said excitedly. 'Since Raihan is here too, we can have lots of multi battles. Let's pair up together for the first round and remind him and Leon what we did to them during the first Galarian Star Tournament, Hop!'

'Hey, do you think I've been sitting around on my butt this whole time?' Raihan said, the prospect of battling entirely recovering him. 'It's been a long time since I battled you two - you're going to see a whole new me when we battle!'

'Alright, I'm getting really pumped up!'

Clearly feeling much the same way, Leon threw an arm around his shoulders, positively hugging him. The children ran on ahead (making sure to keep themselves in Leon's sight) and Raihan took the chance to say, 'I thought you said it was just you two families in this village.'

'Yeah, in Postwick. That was Wedgehurst.'

Raihan resisted the urge to roll his eyes. It was worth the weekend away if he could have some really good battles against some of the strongest Trainers in Galar. Then they arrived at the house and Raihan stopped, some of the nagging discomfort in the back of his mind returning as he gazed up at the manor - and it was a country manor - that towered before them.

'Something wrong?' Leon asked.

'Uh, nothing.' Raihan shook his head. 'For some reason, I thought your family would be living in like a little cottage or something.'

'Like that one?' Leon pointed down the road to a house that much more closely resembled what Raihan had in mind, although it was still bigger than he had imagined.

'Something like that.'

'That's where Gloria lives. But when you said you'd come, I gave my parents some money to get work done on the house so that it could be big enough to fit you,' Leon said innocently. Raihan thumped him on the back.

'Shut up.'

Leon laughed, and dragged him inside. The sound of Hop and Gloria's chatter washed over them once more as he opened the door. He lead Raihan to the kitchen where they were talking nineteen to the dozen at a middle-aged woman who was filling up a kettle at the sink. Leon went to greet her with a kiss, saying, 'Hi Mum.'

'Hello, Leon.' She kissed him back. 'It's so good to see you. I was afraid you'd be too busy with your Battle Tower to come back this time.'

'Come on, I said I would, didn't I?'

'Yes, but you've said that before and didn't come.'

'Like once!'

'Or thrice,' Hop muttered under his breath. Gloria giggled.

'And it was ages ago!' Leon continued protesting. 'I can take my own holidays whenever I want now, so it won't happen again.'

'I'm only teasing, dear.' She patted his arm. 'I know you come home more often now than you used to, and I'm grateful for that.' She put the kettle on and turned to Raihan, who was frozen to the spot by her warm smile. 'Thanks for coming to our little village, Raihan. Leon's always telling us about you and I've always wanted to thank you for taking care of him.'

'Oh, uh - I don't think - I mean, I haven't really -' Raihan mumbled.

'Leon didn't tell me you were coming so I haven't prepared a room for you yet. We have the space though, so I'll just need a few minutes to run upstairs and get a bed ready.'

'Don't worry, Mum, he'll sleep with me,' Leon said. Raihan wished he was small enough to hide under the carpet, especially when he saw Hop's eyes widen with surprise. Of course Leon hadn't bothered telling his family that he would be bringing someone, or that he was dating someone - if they were, in fact, dating, but would Leon have said that if they weren't? Clearly they were dating whether Raihan wanted them to be or not.

At least Leon's mother was unfazed. She said, 'But your bed is so small - too small for even you now, really. We just never got around to replacing it since you're never around. You're not going to make him sleep on the floor, are you?'

'Of course not. Why don't I get one of the spare beds out and put it in my room? I just don't want to sleep without Raihan while he's here.'

It just got worse and worse. By now, Gloria was grinning hugely.

'Alright then, if you're sure. Hop, go help Leon to set it up. That means Gloria and her mum can take a room each on the top floor if they want.'

'Ooh, yes! I want the room I always get whenever Mum's not in town and I'm staying over,' Gloria said.

'I'll have tea ready for you all by the time you're done with that, Leon.'

Leon nodded enthusiastically. He beckoned Hop to follow him upstairs, but they all went with him. As soon as they were out of earshot of his mother, Hop burst into an angry tirade.

'I can't believe you didn't tell me that you're going out with someone, Lee! And with Raihan!' Raihan was properly mortified, and only the prospect of staying behind with Leon's mother urged his feet on up the stairs. 'Are you too busy now to tell us something so important?!'

'No, no,' Leon said hastily, while Gloria laughed and patted Hop soothingly on the shoulder. 'It just kind of happened and nothing really changed - er, I mean, everything felt kind of normal, so ...'

'I guess I should have expected it from you,' Hop scoffed. 'When you were on your Gym Challenge, you didn't even bother calling home to say that you'd be in the Championship Cup. We just knew from the telly and the papers. Mum had to call you so we could congratulate you!'

Leon suffered through Hop's complaints until they reached the first floor, where he finally relented in favour of opening a door that revealed a cupboard, stuffed with old trinkets and small pieces of furniture. Most of the space inside was taken by two folded beds.

'Go ahead and put your bag in my room, Raihan,' Leon said. 'Hop and I will have this over in a jiffy.'

'Seriously? I thought you were a gentleman, Leon.' Raihan dropped his bag in a corner and stepped forward. 'You're gonna make a kid help you with dragging this around?'

'You're a guest,' Hop pointed out, but Leon said, 'You look like you're made of five sticks glued together so I didn't want to snap your limbs by making you help.'

Raihan reached around the bed to punch his shoulder, and he laughed. 'If that's what you think, then why do you try so hard to break me every night?' Raihan said. Too late, he remembered where they were and who they were with and blushed; Leon, naturally, was unperturbed.

'I want to be the only one to break you, of course,' he said. Hop and Gloria exchanged looks that were older than they were.

'How long have you been going out?' Gloria asked.

The innocent question was directed at Raihan, but he couldn't answer. Leon didn't seem to have an answer either, and shrugged. Hop rolled his eyes.

'It's gonna be a bit before Mum's ready with tea, so you guys can relax for a bit before coming downstairs,' Hop said once the bed was moved in and set up. 'I'll close the door behind us, shall I?'

'Shut up, Hop,' Leon said with far too wide of a grin for his words to carry any weight.

For a while after the children had left, the atmosphere became even more awkward than when they had been around - or perhaps it was only Raihan who felt as such. Leon tossed his bag into a corner, his cap onto the chest of drawers, then stretched out on his bed to check his phone. The sheets were crisp and rustled with his movements, evidence of their rare usage. Raihan put his bag down and stood watching him for a moment.

It wasn't his imagination after all, because after a minute, Leon sat up, gave him a brief, uncomfortable look, then said, 'Sorry for putting you on the spot like that.'

Raihan shrugged then sat down on the edge of the newly laid out bed. 'It's fine,' would have been the easy answer, but it wasn't really fine. If Raihan was more of the thinking sort, he might have acknowledged that he only felt strange because of the uncertain nature of their relationship. If there was nothing between them, if he knew that Leon had invited him over for nothing more than a relaxing weekend in the country with some battles on the side, he would be enjoying himself thoroughly. But because of his acute awareness for the past few months of how seriously Leon regarded their relationship, his unease whenever Leon showed up to meet him in a beautiful jacket, or took his hand instead of putting an arm around his shoulders, he was afraid of being in Postwick to be introduced to Leon's family as his partner or something equally unthinkable.

'I just wanted you to come because it'll be fun to hang out with Hop and Gloria,' Leon went on. 'And it's near enough to hike to the southern Wild Area so we can even do some training. I've never trained in the Wild Area with you before. And -'

Mounting consciousness of the possibility that Leon understood his doubts about their relationship made Raihan feel uncomfortable enough to explode. He reached across the distance between them, grabbed Leon by the collar, and kissed him hard. Leon, as unhesitating as ever, took hold of a fistful of his shirt, and kissed him back.

'Let's push this bed next to yours,' Raihan said when they parted. 'You don't want to sleep without me, right?'

'Uh, right, but ... since we're at my parents' place, I don't know if it's a good idea to - I mean, maybe we should ... or shouldn't ...'

'Huh.' Raihan raised an eyebrow. 'After flirting with me in front of the kids, I didn't think you had any decency left.'

'I kind of forgot,' Leon admitted. 'To be honest, after watching him complete the Gym Challenge, I keep forgetting that Hop's still a kid. He's so much like a grown-up now. Gloria too.'

'They're way more mature about this than you are.'

'Yeah.' Leon grinned, proud of his brother and unashamed of himself. Then he looked apologetic and said, 'Sorry about that. Don't worry, the rest of my family won't ask any questions.'

It was on the tip of Raihan's tongue to ask, finally address, what their relationship was, but he couldn't force the words out of his mouth. Besides, it was only their first day there. If things became awkward between them, they would be forced to endure it for a few days at least. Leon having a loving, affectionate family was, in some ways, more difficult than otherwise. It would probably be upsetting to them, particularly the kids, if things appeared strained between them.

'Get up and let's shove this over then,' Raihan said instead. They closed the gap between the beds, then went downstairs for tea.

-

Hop had been given a few days' holiday from his duties as Sonia's assistant, but both he and Sonia enjoyed their work so much, it was as much of a holiday for them to get to work. The next morning, Hop said, 'You haven't been to the lab in a while, Gloria, so do you guys all want to come and say hi to Sonia? We just got some new Pokemon from the Hoenn region that I bet you guys would love to see.'

'Of course I'd love to!' Gloria said.

'Can Raihan and I come too?' Leon asked. Hop gave him a mock-stern expression.

'Only if you promise not to try to steal any of the new Pokemon we just got in.'

'I'll try. Since Raihan's here, he can keep an eye on me.' Leon glanced over at Raihan, who was entirely deaf to the conversation in favour of marvelling at the fact that coffee tasted so much better in the brisk country air than it did in the city. 'You'll come to keep an eye on me, won't you, Raihan?'

'Hm?' Brought to attention by the sound of his name, Raihan looked back inquisitively.

'Just remember that if you try anything funny, Sonia will have your head,' Hop said.

They headed outside after breakfast, and were instantly called back by Leon's mother, who chided them all for not wrapping up. Some coats later, they stepped out again. Raihan, despite never having been a big fan of the cold, found himself more invigorated than discouraged by the frostiness in the air.

'What's the temperature today?' he asked. Gloria's Rotom phone informed them that it was 4 degrees out, and he said, 'How come 4 degrees feels so nice out here? Usually Goodra would be complaining even from inside her Pokeball.'

'That's the fresh countryside air for you!' Gloria chirped as brightly as her Rotom Phone. 'You can't get anything like it in the city. Haven't you ever camped in the Wild Area in the winter?'

Raihan was appalled. 'I've been called mad before, but I'm not that mad.'

'How can you call yourself a master of weather if you can't put up with a bit of cold?'

'A bit of cold is different from a nip of frostbite!'

'I'm not saying you should visit the Crown Tundra in the winter. All I'm saying is, it can feel amazing to wake up in a tent surrounded by warm, fluffy Pokemon and icicles clinging to the roof!'

'Sorry, but I'm a Dragon-type user. I think my Pokemon would rather leave me to freeze to my death.'

'I bet that's not true!' Gloria looked indignant. 'I'm sure your bonds with your Pokemon are close enough that they'd die for you.'

'I'd rather not ask them to.'

'Here, look at this!' She brandished her Rotom Dex at him and he peered at the Pokemon on the screen.

'What is it?' It looked like a bird stuck halfway into a cloud.

'It's called Altaria, and it's a Dragon type. Its feathers are super soft!'

'Huh, really? I would've thought it was Fairy.'

'Don't you think it's perfect for your winter camping needs?'

'I'm still not sure about camping in the winter, but I definitely want one of those.'

'You'll have to if you want one, because I found them in the Crown Tundra! I found my Altaria during warmer weather, but we'd still have to trek through some of the colder parts to get there. I guarantee you'll love it there though. There's tons of Dragon types down there!'

She flicked through her Rotom Dex, showing him more Dragon-type Pokemon from the Crown Tundra as they walked to Wedgehurst.

'Hey, do you still have the Darkest Day Pokemon?' Raihan asked. 'Eternatus?'

Leon, walking in front of them with Hop, suddenly flinched. Raihan stared, and Hop glanced at him, but Leon laughed and pretended he had been surprised by an insect. Gloria didn't appear to have noticed.

'Of course!' she said. 'What do you think I'd do with him?'

Seeing Leon's reaction, Raihan wanted to stop talking about Eternatus, but he couldn't find a way to stop her without being obvious.

'I couldn't seal him back up like he was before Chairman Rose awakened him,' Gloria was saying. 'He doesn't want to hurt anyone. I don't really battle with him these days though. Eternatus seems unsatisfied with me.'

He really didn't want to stay on the subject, yet as Leon invited Hop to race to the laboratory and they sprinted ahead, he couldn't stop himself from asking, 'He's not happy with you for keeping him in a Pokeball?'

'I don't think that's it. It's more like my power isn't good enough for him.'

'Aren't you the champion? What more power could it want?'

'I guess it's something other than the power in a Trainer's achievements. I don't really know.'

'You're not worried about it hurting you, are you? Like it did when it exploded out of the Pokeball when Leon tried to catch it.'

Something in the words he himself spoke made something click in his mind, and he almost didn't hear Gloria saying, 'I don't think he can do that, or even wants to do that. I've got Zacian to take care of me anyway. I'm just hoping to find out what he really wants soon so I can give it to him.'

'You guys took your time!' Hop said as they approached, standing by the entrance of the Wedgehurst Pokemon Laboratory. Leon had already gone inside. 'Come on, I bet Lee's already ogling all the Pokemon we just got.'

As a matter of fact, Leon was sitting at the table in the mini kitchen, eating a biscuit. Raihan glanced over at him to - what? Look for a sign that he'd been upset? He thought he knew Leon pretty well, but Leon could be craftier about hiding how he felt than people expected him to be. In the face of that, Raihan didn't know how to read him. Leon looked perfectly normal, and offered a biscuit to Gloria as she gave him a curious look.

'Didn't you just have breakfast?' she said.

'Sonia let me have them,' he said as if this was an explanation.

Hop took Gloria by the shoulder and dragged her away to the observatory. Raihan paused to look at Leon, but couldn't think of anything to say, and couldn't have said it to Leon's innocent expression anyway. He settled for touching his shoulder as he passed.

'Hello, you lot!' Sonia said, coming around the counter. Despite the (self-proclaimed) holiday, she was wearing her white lab coat. 'Knew I'd be expecting a crowd when I heard Leon was coming home to Postwick for the holidays, but I didn't think he'd bring a stranger.'

'We're not strangers. We've met,' Raihan said.

'So we have. Hi, Raihan. What brings you all the way down to our little village?'

'I was told some of the best Trainers in Galar are hanging out here this weekend, so I came to battle them.'

'How typical!' she laughed. 'You Trainers are all the same. It's nice to see you though! How have you been holding up?'

Sonia was a very warm person. Raihan knew that Leon talked to her several times a week, often relying on her advice and support even though they saw each other increasingly rarely as they progressed through their respective careers. She asked about his stadium (although the Darkest Day had happened almost a year ago now, Hammerlocke Stadium continued to suffer for it in some places; it was fit to battle in, but repairs were still ongoing) and invited him into the observatory.

'Inside it?' he asked.

'Of course. It's kind of hard to study Pokemon from a distance. This is just a controlled environment so whatever Pokemon we're keeping at the moment is as comfortable as it can be.' She sighed. 'I just wish we had a Power Spot closer by! I'll never understand why Gran set up her lab so far from any controlled Power Spot. The southernmost part of the Wild Area isn't too far from here, but the Power Spots there are usually activated by passing wild Pokemon. Now that I've got an assistant with a Dynamax Band, it would be easier than ever if I could just stay somewhere with a controlled Power Spot!'

'You mean like a stadium, right?'

'Naturally.'

'But you'd only be able to use the Power Spot there whenever it's not being used for Pokemon battles. Most Gym stadiums are in use most of the day, seven days a week.'

'Oh, shut up with you and your Trainer logic!' Sonia put her hands on her hips and glared at him while Hop laughed.

'I told you, Sonia,' he said.

'Just get in there and look at my Pokemon if that's what you want!'

Raihan glanced behind him at Leon, who stood up from the table and stretched. Noticing Raihan's gaze on him, he walked up to him.

'Aren't you going?' he said.

'Just thought that you'd normally be jumping at the chance to look at a new Pokemon by now,' Raihan replied.

'Guess I'm getting old. I got more tired by running with Hop than I expected.' Leon grinned, but something made Raihan uneasy. He had the feeling that Leon had been affected by his and Gloria's discussion of Eternatus in a way he, Raihan, didn't understand. If he was recovering from the shock, however, then Raihan didn't want to bring his mind back to the matter.

'Alright, if you've fed your old bones, then let's go.'

Leon put an arm around his shoulders. In their current situation, Raihan might have usually protested, but thinking that Leon needed him made him relent this time. They met Sonia at the observatory entrance, the kids having already gone inside.

'So, Leon,' Sonia said, 'you've brought your boyfriend back to Postwick to meet the family, huh?'

'Please. I don't have any hidden motives,' Raihan said, trying to play it cool. If only Leon wasn't blushing, it might have worked. 'This is the hometown of Galar's best Trainers and I'm here to battle them, just like I said.'

'Right. I believe you,' she said, though her laugh belied the truth. 'Well, I flatter myself that I've got some Pokemon to satisfy the strongest Gym Leader in the region, so go ahead and take a good look!'

Apparently wanting to speak to Sonia, Leon's arm slid off his shoulders, and Raihan went ahead to find the children.

-

They had lunch at Wedgehurst with Sonia, and then they headed back to Postwick. The children were greatly enthused, and chatted excitedly about the Pokemon they had seen at the laboratory and Sonia's ongoing research into the legendary Pokemon of the Crown Tundra.

'There's something I've been thinking about,' Gloria declared.

This late into the year, the sun set early, and it was dark as they made their way back to Postwick. An old-fashioned lamp hung from one of the little horns of Hop's Dubwool and Charizard trotted next to them with its tail held up, lighting the way. They were clearly used to making the journey in the dark.

'What's that?' Hop asked.

'I think it's time that Charizard and Eternatus had a rematch! Eternatus was bloated with Dynamax energy when they last fought, and Charizard couldn't Dynamax either. Let's let them have a really fun match where they can go all out against each other!'

Never having mastered the art of subtlety, at the mention of Eternatus, Raihan's head whipped around to look at Leon. But the light was too dim to see anything anyway. Leon said, quite normally, 'Really?'

'Only if Charizard wants. It feels to me like that's what Eternatus wants though.'

'Sounds like fun!' Hop said, equally enthusiastic. 'We weren't able to watch their battle the last time they fought anyway. I bet Charizard made it an epic match, even though it wasn't even!'

'That's true. He did,' Leon said.

'Let's do it, Leon!' Gloria said. 'Let's light up the lamps at your place and fight there, like Hop and I did during our first match!'

'As I recall, your first match was during the day,' Leon said, causing Hop and Gloria to tut at him for fussing over the details. 'Anyway, Eternatus is huge. I don't think he'll fit in the garden.'

'Oh ... that's true.'

Perhaps it was Gloria's deeply disappointed tone, or perhaps he really didn't mind and his strange state of mind earlier in the day was entirely Raihan's imagination, but Leon said, 'Alright, let's find an empty field to do it. The Wooloo should have all been called in by now so we'll just need permission to use one for a battle.'

'It'll probably be clear enough in a field to get light from the moon and stars, so seeing won't be an issue,' Hop said.

'Not that Eternatus has any problem seeing in the dark,' Gloria said. 'He came to Galar in a meteor, after all!'

'Charizard won't have a problem either,' said Leon. 'Do you want to go and look for a field to use, Hop?'

'Leave it to me! I bet your mum will let us use one of hers, right, Gloria?'

He and Gloria raced off, and Raihan turned to Leon. In an awkward attempt to voice his concern, hesaid, 'Are you gonna be okay?'

Leon made no answer, not even turning to look at him. For a few moments, he was as still as a statue, then he scratched the back of his neck and said, 'Yeah.' He turned to Raihan, and although they couldn't see much of one another's expression in the darkness of the trees that overhung the path, Raihan fancied he saw a slight, clumsy smile. 'You know, huh?'

'No,' Raihan said. 'I don't, really.'

'That's alright then. I don't want you to think badly of me.'

'I'm not going to think badly of you for - what? Being jealous of Gloria for having Eternatus?'

Again, at the mention of Eternatus, Leon winced. Yet it was not quite the same. Raihan sensed that he hadn't exactly hit the mark.

'It's not that. But maybe it'd be better if it was.' Leon laughed, strange and hollow.

The flame on the end of Charizard's tail came closer, and Leon started forward as Charizard headbutted his back. Charizard put its head over his shoulder and rested it against Leon's cheek. Leon rubbed the top of its head affectionately.

'Thanks, buddy,' Leon said. 'You understand me better than anyone, don't you?'

Watching them made Raihan feel a little strange. He thought he had a pretty strong bond with his Pokemon, but there was no Trainer as close to his partner Pokemon as Leon with Charizard. He was sure that Leon thought of Charizard as more like a brother than a Pokemon. Pokemon seemed to have a magnetic attraction to Leon, perhaps because they could sense how much he treasured his own.

'I should be asking you if you want to do this,' he said to Charizard. 'I know you can hold your own against Eternatus and I think you've got a pretty good chance, but I'd get it if you don't want to.'

Charizard grunted and its breath blew Leon's hair across his face.

'Okay. I trust you.'

It struck Raihan that Leon perhaps didn't need him to understand. He seemed perfectly content to have his troubles understood by his Pokemon alone.

Hop and Gloria made their noisy return, and, each taking one of Leon's hands, tried to drag him away. Leon, cheered by having talked to Charizard, needed no encouragement and ran on with them. Charizard looked back at Raihan, who had the impression that he was being asked if he was coming.

'What are you waiting for me for?' he asked.

Charizard made no reply as far as he could tell, but it didn't move until Raihan started walking. Then it picked itself up on its wings and flew ahead.

'Alright, it's going to be a one-versus-one, Eternatus versus Charizard!' Gloria said. There was certainly more visibility out in the open, but the light cast from the moon and the stars gave them all an almost ethereal glow. It was as if the stage was perfectly set for the battle between the earthly Charizard and the supernatural Eternatus. 'It's not going to be a battle between you and me, Leon. I'm just going to let Eternatus do whatever he wants.'

'That's what I was planning to do with Charizard,' Leon nodded. Standing next to him, Charizard shook itself down, then let out a bellowing roar that swept hot breath across them all.

'Try to keep it in before the neighbours come after us for making a racket, Charizard,' Hop said cheerfully.

'Do people complain about noise even in the country?' Raihan asked.

'I bet people in the country complain about noise even more than city people do. What's the point of living in the country if you're not going to get any peace and quiet?'

Gloria reached into her bag for her Pokeball, but Eternatus burst out almost before she withdrew her hand. Raihan had never seen it up close in person before. Its size was awe-inspiring. Although they were all used to gigantic Dynamax Pokemon, there was something uniquely breath-taking about Eternatus' presence. It was larger than even some Dynamax Pokemon, and seemed to contain twice as much power. Raihan watched Leon's expression as he gazed at Eternatus. His eyes were full of respect for the massive, other-worldly Pokemon. It was certainly beautiful to behold, the moonlight softening the vivid reds and blues of its skeletal body, and it seemed to shimmer between pale purple and twilight blue. There was something in Leon's gaze, something that he saw in Eternatus which Raihan couldn't guess at. Perhaps in the same way that Pokemon were attracted to Leon, Leon saw things in Pokemon that other people couldn't.

Eternatus roared. Even its cry was supernatural, a roar that reverberated around the clearing. The slight bending of the trees was probably all in the imagination. Even though he was standing a good distance away and on the opposite side, Hop took a step back. Its tail and the tendrils trailing from Eternatus' shoulders waved inches away from Gloria's face, yet she stood unwavering. She was still a child in so many ways, but the champion in her was evident. Someone with more perspective than Raihan might have wondered if it was fearlessness or naïvety.

For a moment, Eternatus and Charizard merely watched one other. The only movement was the twitch of Charizard's wings, and the waving of Eternatus' tendrils. Then Charizard flapped its wings, and, as if provoked, Eternatus shot into the sky. Charizard raced after it. They circled one another once, then Charizard let out a blast of fire and Eternatus a beam of draconic energy which each of them dodged expertly. In the night, their silhouettes shot in and out of visibility, almost as if they were weaving through the stars themselves. Raihan marvelled at the night sky almost as much as he did at their battle.

'Eternatus is ten times bigger than Charizard, but Charizard is holding up against it so easily. Charizard is so strong!' Hop said excitedly.

'I don't have to tell you this, Hop,' Leon said, 'but Pokemon battles are more than raw strength. Even a Pokemon that looks weak can win against a Pokemon that much bigger and tougher if it has a strategy.'

'Of course I know. That's what Trainers are for!'

'Exactly.'

The brothers high-fived, twin grins plastered across each face.

'I'm not going to lose!' Gloria cried from the other side of the field. 'As the champion, I won't let Eternatus down!'

'Oh? I thought you said this was a battle between Charizard and Eternatus, not you and me?' Leon said.

She laughed sheepishly. 'Well, yeah ... But Eternatus and I have been training! He's not the same Eternatus you met at the top of Hammerlocke Stadium.'

'I know. That's why Charizard and I have been training too.'

All of a sudden, the intertwined silhouettes of Charizard and Eternatus became bigger and bigger as they plummeted straight down. They landed on the grass in an explosion that rippled through the ground and almost threw them off their feet, making a shallow crater in the field.

'Ugh ... my mum's gonna kill us,' they heard Gloria mutter.

Somehow, Charizard had Eternatus pinned to the ground. Charizard opened its mouth, gathering up heated breath to release out a stream of fire, and Eternatus seized the chance to throw it off. It was the only opportunity Charizard needed, however; it wasn't aiming for Eternatus, but for the ground beneath it. The soil glowed red with heat. Charizard flipped its body around to launch itself into the air, and in the same movement, heaved scorching hot dirt upwards at Eternatus. With a shriek of pain, Eternatus fell backwards onto the ground.

'It's the Special Ground-type move that Master Mustard developed on the Isle of Armour, Scorching Sands!' Hop exclaimed. 'Just what I'd expect from you, Lee!'

'When did you go the Isle of Armour to teach Charizard that?' Gloria said almost indignantly. 'Charizard didn't know that move the last time we battled!'

'I had it taught to him when I went to invite Master Mustard to the Galarian Star Tournament,' Leon answered simply.

Eternatus got up, but its movements were slower now. It coiled briefly, then summoned a Dynamax Cannon that Charizard couldn't completely dodge. As Charizard stopped several yards away and began beating its wings, however, it became clear that this was entirely to its advantage. It was close enough to launch a full-powered Hurricane that lifted Eternatus into the sky without its bidding, then threw it back down to the ground.

It was still. Charizard landed on the ground somewhat gracelessly, its wings drooping downwards. It turned around and looked at its Trainer. The battle was over.

Leon walked up to Charizard and stroked its neck. He must have spoken to it, but Raihan couldn't hear what he said. Gloria rushed up to her Pokemon too. Eternatus raised its head and seemed to look directly at Leon. Gloria looked over it to make sure it was only exhausted from its battle, then returned it to its Pokeball. She and Leon exchanged some words, and Hop ran up to them too. Feeling like an outsider, Raihan hung back.

'Anyone hungry for dinner?' Leon said as they came back. He clapped Raihan on the back. 'Let's go.'

Even though Charizard had won the rematch, Leon didn't look any more satisfied than he had before. As a matter of fact, even once they returned, he said little throughout dinner. He excused himself to bed early, joking that he was getting too old to keep up with the kids' boundless energy anymore. Raihan followed him.

'You should hang out with everyone a bit longer,' Leon told him as they went up the stairs.

'Without you? No thanks.'

Leon laughed, and Raihan was not too surprised when he reached out to take his hand and squeeze it. 'I know you mean you'd feel awkward, but thanks.'

'I'm worried about you too,' Raihan said honestly.

'Really?' Leon's face lit up.

'Not sure if I should be, though. You seem fine.'

'Yeah, you're right. I am fine.' But his expression was not quite right.

When they got to Leon's bedroom, Leon sat down on the edge of the joined beds. He took Charizard's Pokeball out of his pocket and placed it on the bedside table, where he only looked at it for a while.

Feeling that something was needed of him, Raihan said, 'Congrats on winning earlier.'

'That wasn't me. It was Charizard,' Leon said.

'Do you say that about normal battles? How is it any different?'

'I don't know.' The corner of Leon's mouth turned up in an involuntary smile. 'He did good, right? I'm really proud of him. Charizard trains me as much as I train him.'

'You don't look happy though.' Raihan sat down next to him.

They were silent for several long seconds. With every passing moment, Raihan became increasingly desperate to say something to diffuse the tension, but couldn't find anything to say.

'When Chairman Rose was awakening Eternatus,' Leon said at last, his words slow and deliberate; he didn't turn around to look at Raihan, 'and Pokemon around the region started randomly Dynamaxing, I thought it was my job as champion to fix things. And at first, everything was fine. I thought I had it under control. I felt like - like it was right. Like this was what I should actually be doing. Like being champion isn't just about winning every battle that comes my way, but about helping everyone.'

'You did a pretty good job with that.'

'It might have been better if I hadn't. I got a swollen head. Thought it was my destiny to be Galar's hero or something stupid like that,' Leon said, so acridly that Raihan was taken aback.

'Sounds like you,' Raihan said, then cursed his inability to sit in silence for longer than two-thirds of a second.

'Yeah.' Leon turned to him. There was that smile again, alien in its strangeness, cold in its bitterness. 'When Charizard and I went up against Eternatus and I couldn't catch it, or - or do anything about it - when someone else had to do it for me, I really - I really hated myself.'

'You're an idiot. It's not your fault.'

'I know. I'm fine, really. It's just that sometimes I think about the Darkest Day, and I feel like a failure.'

Raihan put an arm around Leon's shoulders, holding him. Leon leaned his head against his shoulder and shut his eyes. It was almost too intimate; Raihan felt acutely embarrassed. But he could feel, now, that Leon needed him, needed someone to tell him that it wasn't his duty to be a hero, and anyway -

'You didn't fail anything. You saved a lot of people when you battled those Pokemon randomly Dynamaxing around the region, and I heard how you saved the kids when you were facing down Eternatus. Not being able to do everything doesn't mean everything you did means nothing.'

He probably could have worded that less confusingly, but hopefully Leon understood what he meant. He had a habit of understanding him perfectly - of understanding everyone around him perfectly. Leon saw the good in everyone, encouraged everyone around him to unlock their potential and be unafraid of trying anything they set their mind to. He loved Galar more than anyone else Raihan knew.

'Don't take my word for it,' Raihan said. 'You're still Galar's superstar. All those people who came to meet you when you arrived here - everyone still thinks of you as the region's hero.' It might be better for Leon if they didn't, but Raihan didn't say that.

'I don't - I don't want to feel useless like that ever again,' Leon said softly.

'You can't do everything, so you're going to be useless sometimes. So what? Just ask for help like everyone else does.'

Leon didn't say anything for a while. To Raihan's relief, when he spoke again, he sounded much more like himself.

'You're so mean to me. Why can't you just kiss me and tell me everything's going to be okay?' Leon said.

'Dunno what good that would do. Better you face the truth.'

'Yeah.' Leon's arm curled around his waist and he turned his face against his neck with a sigh. 'Thanks, Raihan. I know you're right.'

'Of course I am. The great Raihan is always right.'

As embarrassed as he had been initially, Raihan found himself soothed by the sight of Leon's peaceful expression. He looked downwards at Leon's profile, at his brow, his long eyelashes, his nose, and the lips slightly parted, with an unfamiliarly tender emotion unfolding in his chest. Partly to escape it, he moved his hand to the back of Leon's neck and tilted his head up for a kiss. Leon's other hand wrapped around his shoulders as he kissed him back.

Rumour had it that Leon was looking for a new catchphrase now that he was no longer champion, but Raihan didn't think he needed to change it too much. Evidently, it was still very much Leon's philosophy to 'be around to make sure everyone has a champion time'.

-

Raihan awoke the next day to an aggressive shaking. Leon's voice in his ear said, 'Raihan, wake up. Let's go. Come on. Raihan!'

He lay still for a few moments, hoping that Leon would eventually leave him alone, but when he only started shaking him so violently that his whole body shook, Raihan propped himself up on his arms and said, 'Wha-? Where we going?'

'Out. Training. Let's go!'

'Wha' time izzit?'

'Like seven? High time we were out of bed.'

He flopped back down with a groan and pulled the sheets over his head.

'Everyone's already up,' Leon persisted. 'My grandparents and Gloria's mum have gone to Wedgehurst to visit another family, and Hop and Gloria have gone out too - for their own training or to see Sonia or whatever. If you don't get up and come with me, you'll be left alone with my mum.'

'You're the worst,' Raihan grumbled.

'I'm sure you'll feel way better once you get up,' Leon said brightly as Raihan pushed himself up again. 'I'll make you a cuppa before we go.'

'Why didn't you say that earlier? I'll have a coffee.'

'That's not very Galarian. You don't want to try some tea from my gran's Polteageist?'

'I'll have coffee,' Raihan said again. Leon laughed and went downstairs, but not before pressing a kiss behind Raihan's ear. Raihan rubbed the back of his head absently as he got up.

As he came down the stairs after changing and brushing his teeth, Raihan wondered if Leon had been teasing him by threatening to leave him behind in the house with his mother. The winter sky was still pitch-black out. Who in their right minds would go out at this time? Could you even call a taxi at this time of morning? But when he arrived downstairs, it was, indeed, devoid of people, save for Leon and his mother in the kitchen, the latter of whom was washing a pile of plates. Clearly, the rest of the family had had breakfast a while ago and consequently set off on their respective businesses of the day.

'I'm sure that you're not used to waking up so early, Raihan,' Leon's mother said. 'There's no need for you to go tearing anywhere just yet if you'd rather sleep in.'

'You can stay here if you like,' Leon said, placing a mug of coffee in front of Raihan as he sat down. 'If you're not up to battling me, that is.'

'Don't go letting your guard down,' Raihan growled. 'Once I finish this, me and Duraludon are going to send you and Charizard flying.'

'That's what I like to hear. Want some eggs?'

Raihan had never thought twice about the rare moments Leon cooked for him, but he felt a little peculiar, watching Leon busy himself on the stove today. Perhaps it was because he was here, in his family home, with his mother, that Raihan was seeing it in a new light.

'So did Gloria's mum go spare when you told her about the field?' he asked Leon's back.

'She looked pretty scary for a second,' Leon said with a laugh. 'We all promised to lend a Pokemon each to fix it.'

'Good idea. I'll lend my Goodra too.'

'Really?' Leon said eagerly. 'Awesome! We'll have it done in no time. Let's be back by noon so they can get started then.'

Raihan took his time over breakfast. The sky started to lighten, and Leon was impatiently hopped in and out of the back door. Raihan ignored him and calmly sipped his coffee, gazing at the photo of Leon hung by the sink. He was facing away from the camera and was in his champion's outfit; taken during one of his matches as champion, no doubt. There weren't too many photographs around the house of anyone other than Leon. A few were family photos, but the house was like a shrine to the former champion. How could Leon think that he had failed as Galar's hero? It was clear that the people around him would always think of him as a hero. But maybe that added to his conviction that he needed to be one.

When Leon next came back into the kitchen, he was accompanied by Charizard. Charizard stomped inside, leaned over to Raihan, and blew hot air across his face.

'Your breath stinks,' Raihan told it. It wasn't true because Leon took extremely good care of his Pokemon, but it seemed the thing to say. Unperturbed, Charizard remained close, breathing into his coffee.

'Are you trying to throw me off? You're going to have to try harder than that,' Raihan said. Seeing that he was being hurried, however, he finished off his coffee and stood up. 'Alright, where are we going?'

'Finally!' Leon paused to kiss his mother goodbye, then grabbed Raihan by the wrist. 'See you, Mum. Let's go!'

Leon was in a good mood, and Raihan had no intention of ruining it. He was curious if it had anything to do with their conversation from the night before, but the answer would probably embarrass him either way. Charizard floated in front of them as they walked, leading the way.

'Where are we going?'

'I was thinking we'd hike some of the way between here and the Wild Area,' Leon replied. 'There's not much of a path and it's more dangerous than the Wild Area, but I figured you might like that.'

'Sounds like fun.'

They walked over the bridge on Route 1 and into Wedgehurst, where they were stopped at least half a dozen times by villagers hoping to greet Leon, speak to Leon, and press gifts on Leon, the latter of which he mostly rejected politely. The gifts didn't seem to embarrass Leon so much as he seemed to feel that it was wrong to accept them. The only exception were letters from the children which he duly tucked into his jacket pocket. They were a good half hour in the little village before they were able to break free and emerge into Route 2.

'Is it bad for a guy to have everything like you do?' Raihan said teasingly.

'You know yourself,' Leon chuckled. 'I get big-headed and think too much of myself, right?'

'I don't think you do, really. I mean, I don't think you wanted to save everyone because you're an arrogant twit. It's weird that you've put that on yourself, maybe, but I think - well -' It seemed harder to speak sincerely in the daylight. Raihan swallowed around the stuttering flow of words and forced himself to say, 'that your heart's in the right place, I guess.'

An unbearable silence followed. Charizard veered off the route's trodden path and began flying up a small hill. It was unfortunately not steep enough to distract Raihan from the tension between them, but he concentrated on picking his feet amongst the stones and the bumpy tufts of grass. Several more hills followed, a wave of ups and downs several feet high and low each. Leon tripped several times, and after the second time that he got up and tried to go in the wrong direction, Raihan gave in to the uncomfortable atmosphere and said, 'Just take my hand before you walk into a ditch, idiot.'

'More like if I fall into a hole, I'm taking you with me,' Leon said. All the same, they linked hands. Leon did, indeed, almost drag Raihan down with him a couple of times, but at least he didn't try to walk in the opposite direction again.

When the earth smoothed out, they almost immediately came across a thickly wooded forest. Charizard alighted on the ground and glanced back at them, waiting for them to catch up.

'We going anywhere in particular, buddy?' Leon asked. Raihan was appalled by the discovery that Leon had invited him here without any real idea of where to go.

Luckily, Charizard snorted its affirmation and started walking through the forest. Although they were past the hills, the ground was still uneven, and Raihan was sure that he would never find Leon again if he wandered off, so he held firmly onto his hand as they followed his Pokemon.

'Are you getting tired?' Leon asked after a quarter of an hour.

'Tired of taking care of you,' Raihan said. Leon chuckled.

'I should've worn better shoes. My feet are sore.'

'Mine too.'

'I probably never noticed before, being a kid the last time I came here. Kids can do anything without a second thought to the things that hurt adults.'

'How long has it been since you were last here?'

'Dunno. Ten years?' In the gloom, Raihan could just about see Leon's sheepish smile, and he laughed. 'I haven't thought about coming here in a long time. I guess I didn't have anyone to come with.'

'You didn't come alone the last time you were here, did you? I don't think you'd have survived that.'

'Thanks for the vote of confidence.'

'Better you face the truth.'

'I used to come here with Sonia when we were kids. We'd come here and pretend we were camping in the Wild Area and fighting Dynamax Pokemon. We've both had our starter Pokemon since before we went on the Gym Challenge, so we were always safe, and Yamper has a better sense of direction than Charizard.'

'You're really close to Sonia,' Raihan said, meaning it as no more than a simple remark. In hindsight, he should have known better than to make those by now.

'Yeah. I thought we were. She's always been a really good friend to me. When I heard that she'd decided to become a Pokemon Professor because of me ... I didn't know what to think, to be honest.'

'What do you mean?'

Leon didn't say anything for a few seconds as he gathered his thoughts. 'Gloria told me. Sonia said to her that she'd been feeling "restless" because we used to be rivals, but then I became champion and she didn't finish her Gym Challenge and went back to Wedgehurst. To be honest -' Leon looked at him, and there was a shadow over his expression that had nothing to do with the shade of the trees above them, '- I'd forgotten about that. That Sonia and I called each other rivals when we were on the Gym Challenge together.'

Sonia had never been anything but upbeat whenever they had met. Raihan had never seen a hint of any resentment or unhappiness in her relationship with Leon - but then, he had only met her a handful of times, and more often in passing than not. How would he know? He thought of how he would feel if Leon ever forget their rivalry, and found it too painful to bear. Perhaps it was a thought he should consider more seriously now. After all, he wasn't really Leon's rival main rival now. He was aware that, now, Leon chiefly thought of his rivals as being his brother, and the new champion.

'Did you apologise to her?' Raihan heard himself ask quietly.

'I don't know how,' Leon admitted. 'I never realised how she felt before. Even when she went back to Wedgehurst and I stayed on in Wyndon, we called each other every day. I never thought anything was wrong. Maybe she didn't either. But she shouldn't have to think that she needs to do something with her life just because her childhood friend became the region's champion, don't you think?'

'I don't know. It sounded like you were an inspiration to her. What's wrong with that?'

'I - maybe. Maybe you're right. I just don't want to think that she ever felt ... inadequate because of me. Like she had to do more than she might have wanted to, because of me.'

It felt like everything Raihan had to say would be futile in comforting Leon, and Raihan was aware that he didn't understand the full situation besides. But for Leon to blame himself for that - in addition to everything else?

'I think you should find out how she feels before you go martyring yourself over it,' Raihan said at last.

Leon winced. 'You're probably right. At least I should apologise to her for forgetting that we were rivals.'

'Well, it's not like you ever forgot you were friends, or left her behind or anything like that. If she doesn't hate you, then you shouldn't hate yourself. You shouldn't hate yourself even if she did hate you,' he added as an afterthought.

'Yeah.' Leon glanced at him with a smile, and squeezed his hand. 'You're right.'

They didn't speak again until Charizard stopped. Raihan couldn't tell if there was anything special about this place compared to the rest of the forest. There was a slight clearing, perhaps just enough for two young children to have played at battling in, and in the background, the sound of a river hummed behind the chirps and occasional cries of wild Pokemon.

'We stopping here, Charizard?' Leon asked. In answer, Charizard stretched itself out on the ground and closed its eyes, clearly intending to sleep.

'What happened to training?' Raihan said with a raised eyebrow.

'Guess Charizard's getting on in years, same as I am,' Leon said. He sat down next to his Pokemon and patted it on the neck before turning around and leaning against its side with his legs stretched out. 'Let's take a break. Hiking here was pretty good training in itself, don't you think?'

'I thought you did this all the time as a kid. Can't be training if kids can do it easy.'

'Hey, that's not true. Kids like Gloria beat the Gym Challenge easy. Doesn't make it any less training for adults.'

Raihan rolled his eyes. But he was, in all honesty, tired too, so he sat down on the grass as well. The shade of the trees was pleasantly cool, and thinking that Duraludon would enjoy the atmosphere, he let it out of its Pokeball. It looked around inquisitively. Upon finding the area to its satisfaction, it settled back on its haunches with a contented growl and sat absolutely still, looking more like a skyscraper shrunk into miniature than ever.

'As far as I can tell, this place is perfect for relaxing and not that great for training,' Raihan said, leaning back against Charizard next to Leon. Charizard thumped its tail in assent, then went to sleep again.

'You might be right,' Leon grinned. 'I'm starting to see why Professor Magnolia felt safe letting us wander around here as kids.'

For a while, they sat in silence. The sounds of wildlife were incredibly soothing, Charizard a solid wall of warmth against their backs. And there was nothing quite as calming to look at as a relaxed, unmoving Duraludon. Raihan idly noted the spots on its frame that could do with a polishing, and looked over the warped and slightly deformed parts that served as battle scars on a Steel-type Pokemon's body.

'You know,' Leon said, startling Raihan out of a doze, 'I know you probably don't want to hear this, but I like you a lot.'

It was a somewhat rude awakening. Raihan wanted to tell him that it was fine, that he didn't need to say anything else, but perhaps after all the revelations of the past couple of days, Raihan felt he owed it to Leon to hear him out.

'It's not like - I don't have a problem with that,' Raihan said hesitatingly.

'Yeah. You just don't feel the same way.'

Leon's voice was light, and completely devoid of emotion. It might have been more bearable if he had spoken bitterly.

'It's not like that either.'

'Then,' Leon turned to look at him. His hands were folded over his chest, the perfect image of relaxed calm, and yet there was a bright light in his eyes and a muted fire in his voice, 'what is it?'

'I - I don't know. I guess I'm not a relationship guy. It's weird for me.'

'You just somehow ended up here with me, huh?'

'Kind of. Probably not an accident that it's with you. You're always changing people.'

Leon sat up and looked at him sharply. 'What do you mean?'

Raihan shrugged. 'You always see the good in people and that makes them want to be good for you. Something like that.' When Leon continued to look puzzled, he said, 'Like those kids in the village, giving you letters because they want to be like you someday. Your brother, who wanted to be champion because of you, and still thinks of you as a hero even though you're not champion anymore. Gloria - she never even asked for a Pokemon before you came along, did she? And look what she did.'

'But that's - that's just - I mean -' Leon faltered, struggling with the thoughts that overtook him. 'There's nothing special about that. When you're a Trainer, you've got to have a goal, and it's natural to aim for the championship title. It doesn't have anything to do with me.'

'You're really saying that?' Raihan snorted. But it was so absurd that Leon didn't realise that he laughed. 'Sure a ton of those people are aiming for Gloria now too. But the people who couldn't beat you before are still looking at you. Like Bea ... and me. And those kids gave those letters to you, not to Gloria.'

Leon stared at him as if he had never seen him before. It was entirely the wrong time, but Raihan very much felt like kissing him. Speaking his admiration of Leon aloud had made him feel exceptionally fond of him.

'So you're saying,' Leon lay down again, hovering over him, and placed a hand on Raihan's chest, 'that I've changed you into a relationship guy?'

'No,' Raihan said. But he made no move to get away. He looked into Leon's amber eyes, filled with an emotion he couldn't put a name to. It was something exploratory, as one entering new territory, looking for something wonderful behind every corner and under every leaf.

'Well then, what are you saying?'

'That if it was anyone else, I wouldn't have come here, I guess.'

They gazed at one another for several still moments. It was nothing like the uncomfortable silence that had stretched between them. Now it was more like they were the two Trainers on the pitch that they were so used to being, watching one another to see what move they would choose next.

'You've been really good to me, you know,' Leon said softly. 'That really gets to a guy. Makes him think he's got a chance.'

'I'm a guy too,' Raihan said pointedly. He could have also pointed out that he was already, basically, in bed with Leon, but this somehow felt like the less important point.

'I'm saying that you better be clear about what you want with me before I run away with the wrong idea. I won't let you turn back if you change your mind.'

'Why don't you,' Raihan said, sitting up and crowding into Leon's space, 'tell me what you want? I'll tell you if I can give that to you or not. And don't say something stupid, like you just want to be with me or something like that. Tell me what you want for real.'

For a moment, Leon looked lost and confused. As if he hadn't been the one to bring up the subject in the first place. If Leon wanted to mess around with him, Raihan thought, and then, when he was done, say goodbye so they could go their respective ways, it would make things all the easier. He would have no problem with that. But a twitch in his stomach told him that that wasn't the truth. Stupid Leon and his stupid, infectious emotions.

'I want you to love me like I love you,' Leon declared at last.

Raihan winced. Did he have to be so direct? Then again, he had told him not to be vague. This was about as un-vague as it got. As if it wasn't bad enough, there was Leon's hopeful face two inches away from his own. It was impossible to think clearly like this. Yet if he didn't, they would end up like this again, Leon dragging him along for a ride he wasn't prepared to take -

- but would that be so bad? He hadn't had a terrible time in Postwick and Wedgehurst. It had even, he had to admit, largely been enjoyable. Leon's family were more than warm and less than welcoming, and had yet to ask him a single question or otherwise say anything to put him on edge or even make him feel awkward. Hanging out with the kids and with Sonia had been a lot like hanging out with any other League Trainers - better, because they were so different, the children not yet caught up in the pain of losing and winning, focused only on the joy of battling.

He couldn't accept Leon's feelings just because he didn't mind what it entailed. Sooner or later, the consequences would catch up to him.

'How'd I get myself into this,' he mumbled to himself. Leon cracked a smile.

'Heard you say something earlier about me being in the habit of changing people.'

'Yeah. Guess I'm not totally under your spell yet though, since I'm not jumping at the chance to say yes.'

'Will you think about it?' Leon said. He tried to keep his voice even, but couldn't stop a note of pleading entering it.

'Do you think -' Raihan swallowed. It was almost impossible to say what he wanted to say next. 'Do you think that I'm - I'm the person you should be saying that to?'

'What do you mean?' Leon was taken aback.

'Well - I mean - wouldn't you rather have someone - I dunno - someone - someone who won't mess around with you like this? Someone who'll like you from the start - who'd be happy to be here with you and - you know ...' He trailed off, unable to say anything more. The incredulous look Leon gave him made him want to duck away, and he sat back, dropping his gaze.

'Not sure if you've noticed, but you did agree to coming here with me,' Leon said. 'I don't remember forcing you to.'

'You might as well have,' Raihan said exasperatedly. 'Looking at me with those puppy-dog eyes.'

'That's not a form of coercion. It would never stand up in court.'

'Bet it would if the judge knew you, which they probably would.'

'Anyway, have you not liked being here?'

'Well -'

'Did you kiss me that first time in the locker room because you hated me?'

'No - look -'

'I don't see how you're not qualified to be my choice. We've been friends - rivals - for ages, and you've always been there - I mean, you've always been around, and I owe you a lot just from you always challenging me so I can get better - and you're fun to be around, so why wouldn't I fall in love with you?'

'Okay, okay!' Raihan threw up his hands. 'Fine. I'll - think about it or whatever.'

'Great.'

They fell silent. Charizard got up and stretched. At the movement, Duraludon stirred and opened its eyes, fixing its gaze on Charizard. It was impossible to tell if it was evaluating Charizard as prey or predator. While Raihan was not always able to get close enough when battling Leon to make him pull out his ace, during the battles that he did, or when he sent out Charizard early, it and Duraludon always enjoyed exceptionally fierce battles. Refreshed from its nap and the crisp air, it looked ready for another one. Sensing this, Charizard stood up, shook itself down, then turned to face it.

'Looks like our Pokemon are ready to get some training done,' Leon said. 'What do you say, Raihan? If I win, you'll go on a date with me?'

'That's definitely coercion.' Raihan stood up and walked over to his Pokemon. 'But fine, I won't lose. Have you been listening, Duraludon? You've got to protect my honour.'

'What honour!' Leon laughed. He jumped to his feet. 'Come on, Charizard. Let's not let Raihan get away.'

The Pokemon let out twin bellows, and a flock of Corvisquire alighted from the trees and into the sky.

-

It was quite a bit past noon before Leon and Raihan returned to Postwick. They were both slightly damp from splashing about in the river. Charizard, worried about them, occasionally paused in its tracks while leading them home to breathe hotly against their face and shoulders. Raihan was sure that his hair almost caught on fire more than once.

Leon's mother told them, after exclaiming over the state of their clothes, that the children had gone off with their Pokemon to see to the distraught field. They changed and hurried out after them, but not before Leon's mother gave them flasks of hot chocolate to take with them and warm them up.

'I don't think I'm old enough to die from a bit of cold yet,' Raihan said to Leon once they were out of the house.

'It's weird, because it feels like just yesterday that you were complaining about being left to freeze in the Crown Tundra,' Leon replied.

'That is not what I said. Besides, it's not that cold here just yet.'

'There you guys are!' Gloria waved at them as they approached. 'Where have you been? You guys are so late!'

'We lost track of time,' Leon said apologetically.

Gloria had her Inteleon out, leaning against the fence with characteristic indifference, and Hop's Dubwool was harnessed to a plough. As Dubwool plodded through the soil, Inteleon periodically pointed at the ground behind it and released a stream of water.

'Good thing you had Raihan with you, or you would've lost track of the way,' Hop said.

'As if he knows the way! It was thanks to Charizard that we got around.'

'Even with Charizard showing you the way, you tried to go off in the wrong direction a few times,' Raihan pointed out.

'Shut up,' Leon said, as the kids laughed.

'Come on, let's get to work!' Gloria said. 'Rillaboom is going to help us, right?'

'That's right. I was going to get Charizard to help too, but I think he's tired from training. He fell asleep back at the house.'

'I'd be exhausted from a day of babysitting you too,' Hop said. Leon seized his brother in a hold and proceeded to destroy his carefully combed and gelled hair, to his shrieks of protest.

Raihan released Goodra from its Pokeball. It let out a cry as it came out, then finding itself in a rolling green field amidst a settling evening mist, went quite mad with joy and ran about hugging each Trainer, leaving them coated in slime. Gloria squealed and said, 'Ew, gross!' but she laughed and rubbed the slime on her hands into Hop's hair.

'Stop it! Why do you all have it out for my hair?' Hop shouted. His hair had not suffered its last, however. Goodra attacked him next, squeezing the air out of him and dripping goo all over his face and jacket.

'Isn't she adorable?' Raihan said fondly.

'I thought she was going to help,' Leon said. He had escaped Goodra's clutches by dint of hopping behind his Rillaboom.

'She likes plants so I thought she'd be helpful. She does tend to get confused by directions if they're nothing to do with battling, though.'

But Goodra was, as Raihan had said, adorable, and no one ended up minding it following them around, looking over their shoulders, and jostling them with its overlarge belly. When they had finished their work, it even helped out with cleaning somewhat. Loose blades of grass were simply absorbed into its body as it ambled about the clearing. Every strand of grass it picked up made it increasingly energetic, and it tore about with increasing speed, dropping ooze everywhere.

'That must be Goodra's Sap Sipper ability at work,' Hop said with the interest of the academic.

'Right. Grass-type moves boost her Attack,' Raihan said. 'Random plants don't energise her as much as something like an all-out Drum Beating, but ...' He gestured at the rampaging Goodra with his shoulder. Nothing else needed to be said. Hop laughed.

'The field looks great and all, but what about all this slime?' Gloria said.

'It'll wash off with the rain. It's not harmful to Pokemon if they eat it with the grass, anyway.'

'It won't be in use again until the next spring anyway, so that's fine. As long as it won't stick around.' She looked down at her body, covered in ooze, dirt, and grass. 'Now, I think, I'd like a bath.'

'We all would,' Leon said. 'Should we head back?'

'Just one more thing before we go!' They all stopped and looked at her. 'There's something I want to ask you, Leon. A favour.'

'What's that?'

Gloria took a Pokeball out of her bag and held it out to him. He gave it a puzzled look.

'It's Eternatus,' she said, and Leon looked up at her sharply. 'This is the reason I wanted to battle you yesterday. I told Raihan earlier that Eternatus - he's looking for something. Or someone. Someone powerful enough to show him the fun of battling alongside a Trainer. Yesterday, I felt it while he was battling Charizard. He wants to go with Charizard's Trainer - you, Leon.'

'But -' Leon eyed the Pokeball uncertainly, as if it would explode if he took it, '- you're the champion. You've got to be the strongest Trainer in the region, right?'

'Well, I don't know about that,' she said sheepishly. Her humility was a surprise, at least to Raihan. 'I don't know that beating you once means anything like that. I still have a long way to go!'

'Knowing that is a sign of a great Trainer,' Leon said with a smile.

'Thanks.' She giggled. 'You have a lot more experience as a Trainer than I do. Even if I was definitely stronger than you, it wouldn't be me who Eternatus wants to be with. You showed him something he wants to experience with you yesterday.'

Still looking doubtful, the gesture hesitant, Leon took the Pokeball. 'Are you sure ...?'

'Only one way to find out!'

Leon held out the Pokeball, and Eternatus emerged. Far from its overwhelming presence of the night before, the Eternatus that appeared before them was quiet and tame. It floated above the ground, directly in front of Leon, its serpentine body waving up and down as it stayed in place. Its colours seemed even more vivid in the pale winter sunlight, a stark contrast to the grey, misty sky. Leon raised his hand and tentatively placed it on its head. Eternatus made no motion to lean in or move away. It only stayed still under his hand, watching him.

In the daylight, standing amidst the trees, with the earthier-looking Pokemon like Rillaboom and Goodra wandering about the field behind it, Eternatus looked all the more alien. Raihan felt an involuntary shudder go through him. He certainly had an interest in Eternatus due to its Dragon typing, but he didn't think he would ever want to have a Pokemon with this much power under his charge. It struck him then, the kind of strength Gloria must possess to command the supernatural Gigantic Pokemon, and the type of power Leon must have to attract its interest.

'I don't battle as much as I used to these days,' Leon said in a low voice, 'but if you want to come with me, I'd be honoured. You'll definitely always have Charizard to spar with, and you know he's no pushover.'

Still, as far as Raihan could tell, Eternatus made no movement to indicate that it had either heard or comprehended Leon's words. But an understanding must have passed between them, because Leon smiled and patted one of the black horns on its face. He raised its Pokeball and returned it to its interior. Then he turned to Gloria.

'Thanks, Gloria. This means a lot to me.'

'It's the same for me!' She flashed him her trademark victory pose. 'I'm really happy that Eternatus has found the Trainer he's looking for. I know you won't let him down.'

'It's not an even exchange, but there's a Pokemon I've been meaning to give you too,' Leon said, to her surprise. 'Consider it as a trade for Eternatus.'

'Wow, you're giving me a Pokemon? Another one?'

'Another one?' Leon was taken aback.

'I can't believe you're acting like you've forgotten! You gave me Inteleon, didn't you? When he was still a Sobble!'

'Oh yeah.' He laughed. 'I guess I did give you your starter Pokemon. Back then I was just hoping you'd be Hop's rival and help him grow stronger.'

'Well, I haven't forgotten,' she said indignantly. 'Go on then, what's this other Pokemon you want to give me?'

He took a Pokeball out of his jacket pocket and handed it to her. She released the Pokemon at once, then let out a squeal of delight.

'Oh my gosh, it's a Charmander! An actual Charmander!' She bent down and gathered it into her arms, hugging it tightly. 'It's so cute!'

The Charmander, clearly happy with its new Trainer, let out a chirp and settled down in her arms.

'That Charmander has had a helping of Miss Honey's Max Soup, so when it evolves into Charizard, it'll be capable of Gigantamaxing,' Leon said.

'Wow!' Gloria's eyes widened and she squeezed the Charmander again. 'I'm going to have my very own Gigantamax Charizard. Thanks so much, Leon!'

'No problem.' He offered his hand and they shook over the trade.

'That's awesome, Gloria!' Hop said, coming up to look at the Charmander. 'He's kind of little for a Charmander, isn't he? It's pretty amazing to think he'll grow twenty metres tall and Gigantamax someday.' He rubbed the Charmander's head, then turned to his brother. 'How about me? I want another Pokemon from you, Lee!'

'Don't worry, I've got something special for you too,' Leon said, ruffling his hair. 'When the time is right.'

'Aw man. I won't let you forget!' He turned back to Gloria. 'Let's train a ton so we can get this little guy to evolve into a Charizard as soon as possible.'

'You bet!'

The children raced off in the direction of home, and Leon and Raihan followed them more slowly. Raihan glanced at him.

'Do I have something on my face?' Leon asked with a raised eyebrow.

'Yeah. Your face.'

Leon rolled his eyes.

'How're you feeling?'

'Kind of weird.' Leon looked down at Eternatus' Pokeball in his hand. 'Never thought that this would happen. I don't know if - I'm worthy, I guess.'

Raihan was taken aback to hear Leon question his own worth. Of course, Leon had said something along the same lines the previous night, but Raihan wouldn't have thought that it would have made him doubt his ability to raise a Pokemon, even one like Eternatus. Then again, maybe it was because it was Eternatus.

'Eternatus and Gloria seem to think you'll be fine, so you probably will be.'

'I hope so. I wish I knew what it is about me that makes Eternatus want to me to be its Trainer.'

'You don't know?'

Leon looked up at him. 'Do you?'

'I can imagine.'

When he said nothing more, Leon prompted him, 'What is it then?'

Raihan slipped his hands in his jacket pockets and shrugged. 'Probably the same reason all those kids and your brother look up to you. You're strong, you have fun when you battle, and you want everyone else to have as much fun as you do.'

'Come on, you could say that about anyone. You could say that about yourself.'

'I dunno about that. It's like - you're like those kids - Hop and Gloria. Even when you were the unbeatable Leon, you didn't really care about winning. You just wanted to have a good time. It makes your battles - pure, or something. I don't know the word for it. But people can tell. Me and the other Gym Leaders, sometimes we forget about having fun during battles. I felt it when Gloria came to my Gym and challenged me. Something I'd forgotten about.'

'Don't tell me you've never had fun battling me before!' Leon protested.

'Well, yeah. I always have. It's just that I was always focused on beating you, and started bragging about being your rival even though I never came close to defeating you. And -' Raihan glanced at his face, uncertain about his next words, but feeling they needed to be said, '- I thought you might have been starting to forget the fun of battling too.'

Leon was startled, and stared at him. Then he turned his gaze away. They arrived at the gate of the house before Leon spoke again.

'You realised it, huh?'

'Only after your championship match against Gloria, and I didn't realise right away,' Raihan admitted. 'At first, it was just like our championship matches, and then you realised how strong she really is, and that you might even lose. Then you got really excited.'

'I did, huh?' Leon laughed, rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, then looked at him again. The full force of his beaming smile returned. 'Yeah, you're right. It was the best feeling ever! I hadn't - it wasn't like battling had become empty or anything, but I felt like battling wasn't making me stronger anymore. I couldn't figure out what else I needed to do, and even if I knew, maybe I wouldn't have seen the point of doing it. I didn't want to be the champion anymore, to be honest. Not even now - even now, I think I -'

'- might be a better chairman than champion?' Raihan supplied.

'Yeah!' Leon laughed again, his expression more embarrassed than ever, yet somehow radiant. 'I'd dreamt about making the Trainers of Galar the strongest ever in the past, and now I really feel like I'm making that dream come true.'

Raihan smiled back. 'Good.'

'But,' Leon gave him a mock-stern look. 'Don't say that you were just bragging by calling yourself my rival. You really were the strongest Trainer I'd ever fought before Gloria came along. If it wasn't for you, I might have just got fed up with the League and come back home. I always looked forward to the Gym Challenge season knowing that I could always rely on you to give me your all when the championship cup came around. You were always so pumped to battle me that I'd get excited too.'

'Would you really?' Raihan said more than a little doubtfully. 'You'd have run back here if you got bored with the League?'

'Well, I don't know. I only realised a lot of this after the championship match against Gloria. But I think things have turned out for the best - even better than the best I could have imagined.' Raihan chuckled and opened his mouth to reply, but before he could speak, Leon added, 'That's why I'm in love with you, you know. You've always been there. You didn't know it, but I always relied on you.'

'I get that,' Raihan said quietly, suddenly feeling subdued. 'I - I'm glad that I could have done something for you.' Leon smiled at him, and it somehow compelled him to say, 'It was a good match, you against Gloria. The best one I'd ever seen. I loved it. But afterwards, I started to get a bit jealous of her. Not just for being the one to beat you, but for making you happy.'

To his surprise, Leon's expression lit up. He had thought it a serious confession.

'What?' he said.

'You want to make me happy?' Leon said.

Understanding his meaning, and perhaps hearing his own words for the first time, Raihan momentarily panicked. What should he say? But he already knew the truth.

'Well ... yeah.' He coughed awkwardly, and wished someone would come out of the house and call them inside.

'You don't have to worry.' There was an unbearable note of triumph in Leon's voice. 'I'm surrounded by people I love, but the person who makes me the happiest is always you.'

'Right,' Raihan said in a strangled voice. Leon laughed.

'Sorry. I didn't mean to put you on the spot. But - thanks.'

'No problem.'

'Should we go inside?'

'Let's.'

-

The family built a bonfire in their yard that night and loitered about it, chatting and drinking tea. The Fire-type Pokemon relished in the fire. Cinderace kicked embers about, much to Charmander's amusement. Raihan let his Turtonator out to munch on pieces of charcoal. Leon's Charizard, however, remained glued to his side. It had woken up shortly after their return, and helped to set up the fire. Afterwards, Leon had sat down on the grass and had a muted, serious conversation (some might have said a monologue) with it. Raihan could only guess that Leon was telling it about Eternatus. There was, Raihan thought, a motherly streak about that Charizard that other Charizard surely didn't have. It was probably a consequence of keeping an eye on Leon all its life.

Sometime after sunset, they were joined by Sonia and Professor Magnolia. They were welcomed into the fireside, and Professor Magnolia was given a comfortable chair to sit in despite her protests that she needed no such thing. Sonia greeted the kids, then sat down next to Leon. Seeing as Leon's moment with his Charizard was over, Raihan joined them. Leon gave him a soppy look.

'Hello, you guys,' Sonia said, as brightly as ever. 'I bet this fire is all thanks to you, Charizard.'

Charizard gave her a look that was positively benign.

'Gloria told me that she gave you Eternatus,' she said to Leon. 'Isn't it fitting? It's like she and Hop are the two heroes from the old legend, since they've got Zacian and Zamazenta.'

'I thought Zacian and Zamazenta teamed up to defeat Eternatus in the old legend too?' Leon asked.

'Yeah?'

'Then what does that make me and Eternatus?'

'Hm ... the bad guy?'

They both laughed.

'How do you like it out here in the country, Raihan?' she turned to him. 'Do you like the peace and quiet, or is it too boring after the city? I know which one Leon thinks.'

'I like it both here and in Wyndon!' Leon objected.

'It's not too bad,' Raihan said. 'I can see why people like it here. Staying here has just got me excited to go back to Hammerlocke and get back to battling at my Gym, though.'

'Sounds like it's doing you good,' she said with a smiling nod.

'Hey Sonia, can I talk to you?' Leon said.

'Huh? About what? Just so you know, I don't have any more secret legendary Pokemon hidden up my sleeves!'

Sensing that the conversation might be private, and an emotional one besides if Leon was to be counted on, Raihan got up and joined the kids instead. They were trying to toast marshmallows on the fire.

'This is impossible!' Gloria wailed, waving a stick that had caught fire on the end. Upon closer inspection, what had caught fire was a marshmallow.

'Just keep an eye on it and don't get impatient,' Hop advised her.

'I am not taking advice about staying patient from you,' she huffed.

'Hey, I just know when to wait and when to rush things.'

Gloria shook out her stick and tossed the scorched marshmallow aside. Seeing Raihan, Hop offered him a stick.

'It's been forever since I burnt marshmallows on a fire,' Raihan remarked.

'Are you any good at it?' Gloria demanded.

'No, I'm rubbish.'

She groaned.

'Here you go.' Hop handed her the marshmallow he had been cooking. She glared at him before taking it and popping it into her mouth.

'I hate you,' she said.

'That's how you make a perfect marshmallow,' he said cheerfully.

'I want another one.'

'Okay, okay.'

'You guys do this a lot?' Raihan asked as he held a marshmallow out to the fire.

'Nah. I don't think Mum would've set this up if it weren't for you and Sonia visiting,' Hop said. The answer made Raihan instantly regret asking. 'Remember the last time we did a barbecue, Gloria?'

'I remember. Feels like a hundred years ago now.'

'But it hasn't even been two years.'

'A lot has happened.'

'Yeah. I'm a totally different person now.'

He probably wasn't the most shining example of maturity himself, but Raihan laughed. They were so young to be saying something like that, regardless of how true it might be.

'Well, I am!' Hop said indignantly. 'Back then, I wanted to be the champion like Lee. I never thought someone would beat me to it.'

'And now?' Raihan asked.

'Now I'm a professor's assistant.'

'You don't feel like giving the championship another go?'

Hop looked pensive, although he didn't let his thoughts distract him from the marshmallow he was burning. He picked it up and gave it to Gloria as he said, 'Nah. I still like battling, and Gloria and I are still going to have tons of legendary battles against each other, but I think I'm a better professor's assistant than a League Trainer. What do you think?' he asked her.

'I think you're cut out for the job,' she said, nodding enthusiastically. 'You're still one of the best Trainers I know, though, Hop! You even beat Leon in a battle the last time you fought.'

'Heh.' Hop rubbed the back of his head without a trace of embarrassment. 'Well, you said it yourself: beating him once doesn't mean anything. I've got to beat him lots of times before I'll be happy that I'm on the same level as him.'

'Me too! Isn't that the great thing about having a rival who's so strong? You just want to keep getting stronger and stronger - together!'

'Yep! That's Lee for you. He's amazing even when he's no longer the champion.'

'You think so too, right, Raihan?' Gloria said. 'You're his boyfriend, after all.'

'Uh.' He could hardly say he wasn't, and besides, he wasn't even sure if he wasn't. What with everything going on, he hadn't even had time to think about his earlier conversation with Leon in the forest. 'I'm not here to k- to inflate his ego,' he said. It must have been adequate, because they laughed.

'Is your marshmallow properly burnt?' Gloria asked eagerly.

'Try it.' He handed it to her.

'I thought you said you were rubbish at this!' she said after she had eaten it. 'Why are all adults liars?'

'It's for your own good.'

'Are you still going to be aiming for the championship, Raihan?' Hop asked.

'Nothing's changed for me,' Raihan said, surprised by the question.

'Even though Gloria's the champion now?'

'My rival is anyone stronger than me, whether it's Gloria, Leon, or you.'

'Another lie!' Gloria giggled. 'Haven't you never beaten Melony before either? You don't think of her as your rival.'

'What!? How do you know that?'

'I met her on the Isle of Armour the other day, and she told me.'

He glared at her. 'I never said I don't think of Melony as my rival.'

'Just admit that you think of Leon as your rival because you like him!'

'Never!'

'Come on, after you've come all the way out here, who do you think you're fooling?' Hop said with a grin identical to Gloria's.

'Like I said, I'm not going to blow up his ego by admitting anything,' Raihan sniffed, to their very great amusement.

Anyway, it really wasn't true. As the champion, Leon had been a lofty goal, and a fun one at that. Raihan wasn't going to deny that standing opposite Leon, watching him battle firsthand, wasn't both thrilling and fascinating. Nothing could beat battling him, and their training session earlier confirmed in Raihan's mind that that was true even now that Leon was no longer champion. He was such a unique Trainer in his own right. Raihan was still looking forward to the next League season, to battling new Trainers and facing off against Gloria in the championship cup. But Leon would always be his greatest rival.

He thought of Leon saying 'You want to make me happy?' and didn't know what to think.

Leon's mother called out, asking for requests of hot chocolate, and the children ran after her to get theirs in. Leon came over and sat down next to Raihan.

'Marshmallow?' Raihan asked, offering his latest piece. Leon accepted it.

'You're almost as good as Hop,' he said.

'Thanks. Gloria was going crazy over his marshmallows, so I'll take that as a glowing review.'

Seeing as everyone else was crowded around the kitchen door, Leon placed a hand on Raihan's thigh. Raihan let him.

'I talked to Sonia,' Leon said, and Raihan realised what their conversation must have been about.

'Yeah?'

'I apologised for forgetting we'd been rivals and she nearly cried.'

'You're no gentleman.'

'You told me to apologise too!'

'Yeah, but making a girl cry?'

'Well, I was glad I said something afterwards. She said that even though she had started studying as a Pokemon Professor because of me, she wouldn't trade her professorship for a championship.'

'That's good.'

'Yeah. I'm happy that she's happy with the way things turned out.'

'Things always turn out for you,' Raihan remarked.

'I guess they do. Especially when I've got you with me.'

Raihan gave him a sideways inquisitive glance.

'It's true, isn't it?' Leon said. 'You didn't even want to come here -'

'It's not that I didn't want -'

'- and yet you charmed my whole family, then fixed all my problems for me. Feeling bad about the Darkest Day and my relationship with Sonia - thanks to you -'

'Hey, I didn't do anything about any of that! It just turned out well because of your infinite good luck.'

'I'm just saying.' Perhaps it was simply the flickering firelight that made Leon's face look so soft and gentle, or perhaps it was simply Leon's accursed sentimentality. 'I want to always have you with me.'

'God.' Unable to bear the look in Leon's eyes anymore, Raihan glanced away. 'I didn't do anything,' he said again. 'You've got a good family, and lots of good people around you. You're always looking out for everyone - for the whole region - so everyone wants to look out for you too. That's all.'

'I wish I could do something for you, for once.'

'Are you even listening?'

'Just because you don't think you did anything for me, doesn't mean you didn't.'

'I have no idea what you just said.'

The force of Leon's gaze on the side of his face burnt hotter than the fire. He was aware of Leon waiting for his answer, aware of the fact that pretty much everything he had feared before coming to Postwick had come true, and he was aware that, the truth was -

'I don't think,' Raihan mumbled, 'that what you said is true. I don't think I did anything so there's nothing for you to repay me for. Even if we stayed together, I don't know if I can do anything else for you.'

'That's fine. I'm not saying that I want to be with you so that you can solve all my problems,' Leon said hastily. 'I - I just wanted to thank you and - you know - tell you that I -'

'It's fine,' Raihan said abruptly. He turned to look at Leon, as unbearable as it was to see the trepidation in his eyes. 'I'm just telling you that I can't make any promises.'

'That's - that's fine with me.'

'Also, I'm not moving to Wyndon.'

'Oh. That's - huh?'

Raihan reached out and threaded a hand through Leon's hair. He had never before stopped to wonder at just how soft Leon's hair was. How often did he wash it? How did he have the time, on top of everything? Leon was truly a marvel, and to think that this marvel wanted to be with him, had chosen him, a bonehead who had never thought of anything other than Pokemon battling before the day he had kissed Leon on a whim - it was, well - He pulled Leon in for a kiss and Leon kissed him back, almost tentatively, as if he couldn't quite believe that Raihan was kissing him for the thousandth time. Then again, this time was different. This time, Raihan was trying to tell him something, and Leon, with his intuition for knowing just about everything, understood him.

'Oh, sorry,' said Sonia's voice most unapologetically. They broke apart and looked up at her. She was holding a tray with two mugs. 'Your hot chocolate's ready. I'll just put it here on the grass, shall I?'

'You could've just put it there without saying anything,' Raihan said pointedly.

'What if you don't see and knock it over?' She placed the tray down in front of them. 'I'll just leave you boys to it, then.'

She ran off giggling. Raihan was exasperated, and then he laughed.

'Man. Should've taken a leaf out of your book and saved it for the middle of a forest or something,' he said.

'I think this is perfect,' Leon said. 'Way better than my confession.'

'How come?'

'You kissed me.'

'Oh yeah. You're right, it's way better.'

Leon beamed at him, and then, most inexplicably, was shy.

'So this is - you're okay? With me?'

'Yeah.' Raihan disentangled his hand and picked up one of the mugs. The drink was sweet, and even before the fire, deliciously warm. 'Go ahead and tell the whole League I'm your boyfriend if you want. You seem like the kind of guy who'd want to do that.'

Leon laughed. 'Well, now that you mention it, I will!'

'Knock yourself out.'

Leon shifted closer to press their sides together, and Raihan didn't move away. Even when the kids came up to them, in Gloria's case to ask for more burnt marshmallows, Raihan stayed still as Leon wrapped an arm around his waist. Possibly he even leaned in to Leon's touch. Seeing how happy it made him, Raihan didn't mind. He might even admit that it made him happy too.