Ookanehira had known, the moment he let Uguisumaru dragged him onto a journey to the next town– a self-discovering journey, Uguisumaru had said, beaming calmly – that nothing pleasant would happen.
He was right when they came across one of his rivals. He and the said rival – Mikazuki Munechika – had engaged in a fight, which came into a draw but it left his Pokemon fatigued and needed a much-deserved rest.
"I believe there is a Pokemon center near here." Uguisumaru had pointed out rather calmly as he fretted over the state of his Pokemon. "Hirano told me that the place is really nice and homey."
Ookanehira grumbled as he scooped his fatigued Vileplume up and jogged after his brother. "I bet Hirano also told you that this small town is an excellent destination for discovering oneself." He accused as the Pokemon Center came into view.
Uguisumaru replied with a light-hearted laugh as he held the door open. "Well, guilty as charged." He shrugged as Ookanehira passed him with a glare. "Come on, you have to admit that this place is nice."
The place had a calm and relaxed atmosphere despite its small size. The front desk was empty though there was someone lingering at the staff's doorway as he argued with his colleagues – maybe – and when he heard the door opened, he turned and blinked at the guests.
The place was nice but the guy at the front desk was possibly the nicest thing in this Pokemon center.
Dressed in a hoodie with covered most of his blond locks with eyes as sharp as blades, he greeted them. "Welcome…" He said before his eyes stopped at the Vileplume in Ookanehira's arms. Immediately, he turned toward the staff-only door. "Brother, there's an emergency!"
Not two seconds later, Ookanehira found himself standing face-to-face with a young black-haired man whose eyes were scanning the Pokemon in his arms for injuries.
"She's not hurt! Just tired!" He protested before the young man at the front desk gave him a nasty glare, which he gladly returned. "You are overreacting!"
Behind him, he heard Uguisumaru snickered softly. "Weren't you fretting just moments ago?"
The black-haired man didn't seem pleased at his words but he gently cradled the Pokemon into his arms. "I understand, sir." He nodded calmly. "I reckon you should go around town and come back in an hour or two while we take care of this little one." He then cooed softly at the tired Vileplume.
"Thanks for the offer but I'd rather stay here." He replied gruffly. "There is nothing fun to do around here." And I'd rather not run into that Mikazuki again. He added mentally.
The black-haired man shrugged as he walked away with the fatigued Pokemon in his arms. "Brother, please keep them company." He said to the guy at the front before disappearing through the staff-only door.
"I don't need anyone to keep me company." He protested and was rewarded with a small chuckle from Uguisumaru. Stomping toward the nearest bench, he shot Uguisumaru a glare before flopping down with his arms crossed.
His brother just snickered as he asked the cute guy at the front desk if there was any tea.
That day, Ookanehira found out that the cute blond – whose name he had forgotten to get – made very good tea.
The second time Uguisumaru dragged him to the next town; they stopped before the Pokemon Center where the cute blond worked at.
"What the hell?" He hissed as Uguisumaru walked calmly through the doors. "You didn't say we were going to a Pokemon Center!"
His sort-of-brother grinned as a brown blur shot at him, completely disregarded his protests. "Why, hello, Hirano."
The brown blur that was Hirano Toushirou laughed as his Plusle sat comfortably on Ugusumaru's shoulder. "Hello, Uguisumaru-san, Ookanehira-san." He chirped at the same time Ookanehira noticed the approaching blond.
"Hirano, here's your Eevee." The blond said, giving the young boy a Pokeball. His eyes then fell to Uguisumaru before they landed on Ookanehira. "I see you've come back. Is that Vileplume of yours ok?"
"Of course she is fine." He replied curtly. "It is Uguisumaru's fault for bringing me here."
The blond rolled his eyes as he stalked away, muttering that he would have tea ready in a few minutes.
"Yamanbagiri-san is really kind!" Hirano chirped happily with a wink. "You will like him, Ookanehira-san."
Giving the kid a dead-panned look, he turned to his brother. "So, why am I here?"
His brother laughed as he patted Hirano on the head. "Hirano called me and told me he caught an Eevee. Isn't it great?" He smiled and boasted as if Hirano was his brother. "How about a friendly match against my brother, Hirano?"
Shrugging, Ookanehira resigned to his fate and accepted the tea offered to him with a sigh.
"I don't think your brother likes that." Yamanbagiri – the cute blond at the front desk – said as he passed a cup of tea to Hirano. "How about I go up against you, Hirano?"
That day, Ookanehira found out that the blond at the front desk – whose name he had just discovered to be Yamanbagiri – was really good at battles as his Mimikyu – a rather exotic Pokemon to be found in Kanto – took down Hirano's newly-captured Eevee without breaking a sweat.
The third time he stopped by the Pokemon Center Yamanbagiri worked at, Uguisumaru was not with him.
He had been accompanying Hirano's brother – Mouri Toushirou – to the neighbor town to catch an Eevee. Really, why did the Toushirou like Eevee too much?
Hirano had one. His twin – Maeda Toushirou – had one. Midare Toushirou – one of Hirano's brother – had a Sylveon that evolved from an Eevee that had been by his side since he was a child. Yagen Toushirou – Hirano's other brother – had an Espeon, which also evolved from an Eevee that had been his long-time companion. And that was just some of Hirano's many brothers.
It was raining cats and dogs as they stepped into the Pokemon Center.
"Looking for Eevee again?" Yamanbagiri had quipped as he offered towels and some spare clothes that had been his brother's – the one that was traveling, he said.
Ookanehira grunted as he toweled his soaked hair. "Toushirou and their love for Eevee."
Yamanbagiri chuckled, a soft and pretty sound as he toweled Mouri's soft green hair. The way his eyes softened as Mouri's Shroomish chattered in the boy's arm was the most beautiful, heart-warming thing Ookanehira had ever seen.
"Stay for dinner." The blond offered as soon as Mouri's hair was dry again. "Horikawa makes the best meals."
The little boy agreed to eagerly and Ookanehira heaved a sigh as he accepted the generous offer.
No one should have such a beautiful face and so generously offer dinner to the guy they just had met three times.
The third time he met Yamanbagiri, he knew the cute blond had stolen his heart the first time they met.
The cafeteria of the Pokemon Center wasn't as big as the others he had been to but it was the warmest and homiest place he had ever been to.
"That's it!" He blushed and slammed his head on the table as Yamanbagiri smiled and petted Hirano's Plusle. "I'm killing him."
Uguisumaru sitting next to him snickered behind his cup of tea. "Or you can – oh, I don't know – ask him out or something." There was definitely mockery in his brother's tone.
"Killing is much, much easier." He groaned, voice muffled by the table. And he definitely could hear Hirano's muffled giggle and Mouri's teasing laugh.
The green-haired boy mischievously grinned as he lifted his head. "Ookanehira-san, what are you even afraid of?" The little boy blinked his purple eyes. "He's not going to bite."
He could hear Uguisumaru's 'Eh, are you sure he's not into that?' and a fit of laughter once again struck Hirano.
Ignoring his brother and the brown-haired boy, he stared at Mouri. "He could hear it." He answered with a straight face, which was an incredible feat considering the topic they were discussing.
"I thought… that was… the idea?" Hirano gasped between giggles and he was seriously weighing the option of strangling his brother, these two troublesome boys and the current object of his affection who was making his way toward them.
Wait, what?
"Why are you laughing so much?" Yamanbagiri asked with narrowed eyes. "I hope it's not me you're laughing about."
Uguisumaru was the first to calm down and smirked cheekily at the blond. "No, no. We are discussing my brother's love life, or rather, the lack of it." The smirk on his face was infuriating and if Uguisumaru was not his brother but some random guy on the street, he would have decked him.
Raising an eyebrow, Yamanbagiri gently returned the Plusle in his arms to his trainer. "Ok... Take your time. I'll be at the front desk if you need me."
With that, he left and Ookanehira slammed his head onto the table again.
"I hate you all." He murmured and the words held no malice as his brother patted him on the back and the two boys chuckled to themselves.