A/N: Back when Sword & Shield chapter 11 dropped, I started writing two separate drabbles in response to the information we'd been given in the chapter: one Hop & Leon-centric, one Hop/Schilly-centric. But given that we still didn't know much about Spe!Leon or Spe!Hop, they both ended up kinda messy and not up to my usual standards of fic quality. After realizing that they complimented each other quite nicely, I decided to combine them both into one fic and spent the next few months cleaning up and expanding the initial messy drabbles. And now I'm ready to present them!
So, without further ado: please enjoy!
"Did you hear the news?"
"The Champion endorsed two Trainers for the Gym Challenge."
"Can you believe it? Two Trainers caught the Champion's eye, in the same year!"
"Have you seen them? The Champion-endorsed Trainers?"
"I wonder if the Trainers endorsed by the Champion have League Cards printed yet."
The whispers spread across Galar seemingly overnight. In all his years since earning the title, the unbeatable Champion had only endorsed a few Trainers – they could all be counted on a single hand. His endorsees were some of the most formidable challengers around; they always made it to the Champion Cup, and only one didn't get far enough to battle the Champion for his title. For him to endorse two Trainers in the same year – well, it was simply unheard of.
Hop is a little put out by the fact that he heard about their endorsement from local gossip instead of from his own brother.
The evening before the opening ceremony of the Gym Challenge finds Hop lounging on the bed in his room at the Budew Drop Inn, wondering what the Trainers his brother endorsed are like. He hopes they're nice. It would be nice to have a rival on the Gym Challenge who could be his friend, unlike the jerk in the magenta coat who'd given Hop a hard time when they were checking in for the opening ceremony earlier that day. He doesn't think his brother would ever endorse someone like that, though.
He's interrupted from his musing by the ringing of his Rotom phone. He plucks it out of the air above the bed's nightstand, answering it without even checking the caller ID. "Hello?"
"Hop!"
"Lee!" A big grin spreads across Hop's face. "I was just thinking about you!"
"Aw, how kind of you," Lee laughs. "Where are you now? Motostoke, right?"
"Yep! They give all the Gym Challengers free rooms at the Budew Drop Inn for the opening ceremony, so I'm just hanging out in my hotel room."
"That's what I thought," Lee says. "What room?"
"Uh, 404," Hop says. "Why d'you ask?"
"404? All the way on the fourth floor? That's gotta be a great view," Lee comments. "I have to go now. Bye!"
"Wait, I–"
Lee hangs up before Hop can finish his sentence. He lets go of the phone with an air of disappointment; Rotom hovers beside him for a moment before returning to its place on the nightstand. It was weird for Lee to hang up so quickly like that; Hop didn't even get the chance to ask him about the challengers he endorsed. But Lee's always busy with Champion stuff, so maybe he'd just been checking in with Hop between duties. Hop figures he can call him back after the opening ceremony tomorrow and ask him what that was about.
He can ask Lee about the challengers he endorsed then, too. He wonders what they had done to catch his brother's attention. Lee has a knack for spotting Trainers who have not just skill as Pokémon Trainers, but compassion for other people and Pokémon. "A real Champion heart", he calls it. There aren't many Trainers who have that heart, let alone get the chance to show it to Lee. How had they gotten the opportunity?
His thoughts are interrupted once again, this time by a knock on the door. Hop glances at the clock; who would be visiting his hotel room at this hour? He crosses the room and cracks the door open.
"Surprise!" Lee says with a cheeky grin.
"Lee!" Hop exclaims, swinging the door open and launching himself into his brother's arms. Lee doesn't even stagger upon receiving an armful of Hop; he holds Hop tightly, and Hop squeezes him back, resting his head just above Lee's heart.
"It's good to see you, Hop," Lee says warmly, planting a kiss on the crown of Hop's head.
They finally let go of each other, and Hop looks up at his brother. "What are you doing here?" he asks.
"I have to be in Motostoke for the opening ceremony," Lee explains. "And I knew you'd be here for the opening ceremony too. So I figured, why not pay my favorite little brother a surprise visit?"
"Surprise visit is right! I guess that's why the weird phone call, huh?" Hop says, shaking his head. "Though honestly, I think I'm more surprised that you managed to find the room without getting lost!"
"Hey, I'm not that hopeless with navigation," he protests. "The hotel's in a straight line, so I just picked a direction and hoped for the best."
Hop smirks. "Well, come on in before people notice you," he says, stepping aside to let Lee enter the room.
His brother is wearing his full Champion uniform, but he takes off his cape and drapes it over the back of the desk chair, on top of Hop's jacket. Hop makes a small noise of protest, even though he knows there's not any other furniture in the room suitable for hanging jackets and capes on. Lee ignores Hop and takes a seat on the long side of the bed, then pats the bed beside him. "Have a seat! Let's chat."
Hop settles cross-legged on the bed next to his brother. "How goes it so far? Anything exciting happen while you were crossing the Wild Area?" Lee asks.
"Yeah, actually!" Hop exclaims, sitting up straighter. "I caught my second team member – check it out!"
He pulls both Poké Balls off his belt and sends out his Pokémon. Wooloo lands on his lap, while the other flaps its wings and hovers in the air in front of them.
"A Rookidee!" Lee says. "That's awesome!" He holds his right hand out to Rookidee. The little bird Pokémon appraises it for a moment before deciding it will serve as an adequate perch and lands on it, digging its tiny talons into Lee's glove. Lee smiles and rubs its cheek with his free hand; Rookidee chirps happily.
"He likes you!" Hop beams. He strokes the top of Rookidee's head. "This little guy is gonna be my ace against Milo for sure."
"A solid choice. Though, you never know… Wooloo might come in handy against Milo, too," Lee comments, petting Wooloo's head and eliciting a contented bleat from it. "After all, you'll need a way to counter Milo's–"
"Ah, uh, uh," Hop says, putting a finger to Lee's lips to shut him up. "No spoilers, remember? I'm getting through the Gym Challenge all on my own, and that means you're not allowed to give me hints on how to beat any of the Gym Leaders!"
"You're right, my bad," Lee chuckles, holding his Rookidee-free hand up in surrender. "I'm just saying, keep your team well-rounded, don't put too much stock in any one Pokémon. As your big brother, that's my advice!"
Hop nods. "I'll remember it," he promises. "Speaking of the Gym Challenge, though… I hear you endorsed a couple of Trainers this year."
"Oh! Sou and Schilly, yeah," Lee says, scratching his cheek with a finger. "You know about them?"
Hop rolls his eyes. "Everyone in Galar knows about them," he says. "You never endorse Trainers. News travels fast." He leans back on his hands and looks away from Lee to hide the disappointment on his face. "Thought that was the kind of thing that I would hear from you first."
"I'm sorry, Hop. I don't pay attention to rumors and gossip, so I didn't know," Lee says earnestly. "I wanted to wait and tell you about them in person."
A tiny little smile sneaks its way onto Hop's face. "S'okay. I believe you," he says. "So now that you're here, you can tell me all about them, right?"
"Exactly!" Lee beams, sticking a hand into one of his pockets. "One of the perks of being Champion is that I get to see Trainers' League Cards before they're officially released to the public. So…" He pulls the hand out to reveal a few League Cards that he had tucked inside. "Ta-da!"
"You have their League Cards?" Hop exclaims, leaning forward eagerly. Wooloo protests at the sudden movement and jumps off Hop's lap, curling up on the floor instead. "Lemme see, lemme see!"
"Not just theirs," Lee says. He glances at his right hand, which Rookidee is still using as a perch. "Rookidee, can I…?" Rookidee doesn't move. "No? Alright," he sighs, moving his right hand carefully to grab some of the League Cards from his left hand without jostling the bird Pokémon too much. He hands one card to Hop. "There you go. That's my card for this year."
Hop examines the photo on the card with interest; Lee is sitting in shadow on a bench in one of the Wyndon Stadium locker rooms, leaning forward, staring contemplatively into the distance. "Very dramatic lighting," he comments. "But it's very…plain. Kinda boring. Doesn't scream 'Lee' to me."
"Yeah, Oleana vetoed my original idea," Lee says. "I wanted to do the Charizard pose on Charizard's back, but–"
"Doing the pose while riding Charizard? You'd fall off!"
Lee frowns. "First of all, he would've been on the ground for the shot, so it wouldn't be dangerous. Second of all, I wouldn't fall off if I did that."
"Yes, you would. Remember that time that you tried climbing onto the roof back at home and–"
"Oh my gosh." Lee rubs the bridge of his nose with his freer hand. Rookidee finally decides to let go of it, landing on the brim of Lee's cap instead. "You remember that? You were, like, three."
"Not really," Hop admits cheerfully. "But Mum's told me the story plenty of times! How she woke up in the middle of the night and–"
"Oh, would you look at that!" Lee interrupts loudly, holding up another card. "Isn't your League Card just adorable?"
Hop glances at the card's photo – he's wearing his Challenge uniform, folding his hands behind his head, and grinning widely at the camera. He had taken it as soon as the uniform was delivered and submitted it for his League Card, but he hasn't seen what the finished product looks like yet. He takes the card from Lee and flips it over to look at the Trainer profile on the back – he had submitted a ton of information for his profile, and he's curious to see how the League decided to summarize it.
"Hey, wait a sec – 'The Champion himself has said that his brother has potential, but his carefully hoarded knowledge can go to waste as he tends to get easily flustered'? What – when did you say that?" Hop splutters.
Lee smirks. "I get to see all the Gym Challengers' profiles before they're printed. So, I suggested a little addition for yours." He pokes Hop's cheek. "You're blushing. See what I mean? Easily flustered!"
Hop drops the two cards and buries his face in his hands. "I can't believe you would put that on my League Card. Everyone's going to see it. This is so embarrassing."
"Now you're just being dramatic. It's not that bad," Lee says, patting Hop on the head. "Here, will giving you Sou and Schilly's League Cards make up for it?"
Hop's head immediately shoots up, pushing Lee's hand out of the way. "Sou and Schilly? The challengers you endorsed?"
"You bet!" Lee hands the last two cards to Hop.
Hop's first thought when he sees the two challengers is that they look as different as night and day. The photo on the boy's League Card shows him quite relaxed, smiling at the camera with his eyes closed. His full name is Soudo. The photo on the girl's card, on the other hand, is far livelier – she's grinning widely, one hand holding the strap of her bag, the other making a peace sign in front of her face. Her full name, according to the card, is Schildemilia.
"She looks nice," Hop comments, holding up Schildemilia's card. "But you've met her in person, so I guess you know her better than me, eh?"
"I don't think she looks any different in person. But I can see why you'd think she's cute," Lee says with a wink.
Hop's cheeks flush pink. "That is not what I meant, and you know it!"
He flips the card over and is greeted by a blank, white surface. He stares at it, knitting his brow, and then flips over Soudo's card. It, too, is completely blank.
"What's wrong?" Lee asks.
"They're blank," Hop says, a note of disappointment creeping into his tone. "They don't have Trainer profiles on the back."
"What? Let me see," Lee says, snatching Schildemilia's card from Hop. He turns it over a few times, as if the profile will magically appear on the other side if he flips it enough. "You've got to be kidding me! Of all the cards I could've grabbed, I had to pick the misprints…"
"Did you pick them up out of the recycling bin?"
"No, they were just stacked on Oleana's desk." Lee sighs. "I'm sorry, Hop. Here, let me take that off your hands."
"No way! I'm keeping these," Hop says, grabbing Schildemilia's card back from his brother. "Misprinted League Cards are a super valuable collector's item!"
Lee gasps, holding a hand to his chest. "I thought you didn't collect anyone's League Cards but mine!"
"No time like the present to start!" Hop replies with a cheeky grin.
"Traitor," Lee says, sticking out his tongue.
Hop rests his head on Lee's shoulder and looks up at him. "But you'll still get me the proper cards, won't you?"
"I was going to see if I could arrange to get them for you by tomorrow," Lee says, nudging Hop off his shoulder. "But if my number-one fan is going to betray me like this, I don't know that he deserves it."
"Not even for your favorite little brother?" Hop asks, shooting Lee the most pleading stare he can muster.
Lee stares back at Hop stoically for about five seconds before he cracks. "Okay, okay, I'll see what I can do," he says, a fond smile spreading across his face.
"Thanks, Lee! You're the best," Hop beams.
"In the meantime… I had to get their profile information for the chairman, so let's see how much I can remember about them off the top of my head," Lee says, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Their full names are Soudo Tsurugi and Schildemilia Tate, and they're currently working as assistants to Professor Magnolia. Schilly's known the professor since she was young."
"Really? And you've never met her before?"
Lee shakes his head. "She must've only come around when I wasn't. I wonder why the professor never mentioned her."
"I dunno," Hop says, looking at Schildemilia's card again. Why didn't the professor ever mention that she knew a girl Hop's age? They could've played together as kids. They could've been best friends and rivals just like Lee and Sonia. Hop's stomach gets fluttery at the thought.
"Oh, there's one more thing," Lee adds. "Schilly is an engineer, and Sou is a gear meister."
"What's a gear meister?"
"I have no idea. But that's what it said in his profile," he says, shrugging helplessly.
"Okay, okay, that's interesting and all, but I wanna know the good stuff," Hop says, bouncing a little on the bed. "How'd you meet them? Why'd you decide to endorse them?"
"Well, I met them a couple of weeks ago… It was the night that I had that guest appearance on The Galar Gymquirer."
"The one that you missed because your train was delayed by a flock of Wooloo?" Hop says, raising an eyebrow.
"That's the one!" Lee says with a grin. "I got off the train to herd the Wooloo off the tracks. It's been a while since I last went Wooloo herding, but I've still got it in me! Charizard and I were able to get them back in their pen, no problem. But every time we did, more Wooloo just raced out of the pen and huddled on the tracks. I realized there had to be something scaring them inside the pen – and that's when Sou and Schilly showed up! They teamed up and figured out that there was an Obstagoon scaring the Wooloo, and they chased it away so I could get the Wooloo back in."
"Wait, so you cleared the Wooloo off the tracks and you still missed the interview? Don't tell me you got lost on your way to the studio?"
Lee grins sheepishly. "It's my fatal flaw."
Hop rolls his eyes.
"So, you endorsed them for chasing away the Obstagoon?" he asks. "That's nothing special. I could've done that easily."
Lee ruffles Hop's hair. "You only say that because you've gotten my natural talent for battling. But not everyone can be as good at battling as us."
Hop blinks, a blush spreading across his cheeks. Easily flustered, Lee's voice teases. "You think – I have?"
"Definitely!" Lee smiles. "But it wasn't chasing off Obstagoon that impressed me so much about them. It was their willingness to help! Most Trainers would just sit back and let the unbeatable Champion handle the problem, but Sou and Schilly volunteered to give me a hand – that shows a lot of courage and compassion on their part."
"I would've volunteered to help if I had been there," Hop says petulantly.
Lee laughs. "I'm sure you would have."
They fall silent for a few moments, Lee wriggling out of his high-tops while Hop watches him wordlessly. He understands why Soudo and Schildemilia caught Lee's eye, but is that really good enough of a reason to endorse them? Lee has way higher standards for endorsement than anyone else. Hop would know. There must be something else they did that Lee hasn't mentioned, something that made him decide to give them his endorsement.
Lee tosses his shoes across the room; they land on the floor next to Hop's. Then he looks back at Hop, and his smile fades. "Hop…are you still upset that I wouldn't endorse you for the Gym Challenge?"
Hop blinks. Were his thoughts really written that clearly in his expression? He plasters a big grin on his face. "Of course not! I went and got my own endorsement, anyways, so it's not a big deal." He shrugs. "I just want to know what they've got that I don't."
Lee is silent for a minute, staring at Hop with an inscrutable expression on his face. "A Vikavolt video drone," he finally says.
"A what?"
Lee grins. "A little drone with a video camera in it, shaped like a Vikavolt. Schilly used it to get an aerial view of the flock and guide Sou to the Obstagoon!"
"Whoa, no kidding?" Hop says, eyes widening. "That's so cool! I wonder how she got it…"
He looks down at the League Card in his hand, and Schilly grins back at him. Lee had said she was an engineer, right? Maybe she built the Vikavolt video drone herself. That would be even cooler! A giddy smile crosses his face. He'll ask her about it when he meets her in person.
…is that really what it takes to merit an endorsement from Lee, though?
Hop opens his mouth to ask when Lee suddenly blurts out, "You know, Hop, I was talking about you with the person who endorsed you the other day."
He frowns. "No, you weren't."
"How can you be so sure?" Lee asks, raising an eyebrow.
"Because–" Hop freezes just before a second word comes out of his mouth, and his jaw snaps shut. He turns to Lee and smacks him on the shoulder. "Nice try, Lee."
"Dang it!" Lee says, snapping his fingers. "I thought for sure I had you this time."
"You're not getting it out of me that easily!" Hop exclaims, grinning wickedly.
Lee sighs, folding his hands behind his head and flopping back on the bed. Rookidee startles and finally lets go of Lee's cap, landing on the bedspread beside him. "I could easily find out myself, you know. I'm the Champion. I have access to the whole Gym Challenger database."
Hop jerks his head to stare at Lee. "Wait – you do?"
He cracks one eye open. "Yeah. You didn't know?"
"No, I didn't know! That's…" He pauses. "You have access to the whole Gym Challenger database, and you haven't looked up who endorsed me?"
"Well, no," Lee says, opening both eyes and propping himself up on his elbows. "You said you wanted to keep it secret, so…it wouldn't be right for me to find out from anyone other than you."
"Oh," Hop says. "Well, I guess I could tell you…if you tell me why you wouldn't endorse me."
Lee's brow furrows, and he purses his lips. After a few moments of thoughtful silence, he finally says, "Then I suppose we've reached a stalemate."
"I guess we have," Hop says, folding his arms. "Now, scooch over and let's see if there's anything good on the telly."
Hop hops off the bed and grabs the remote control from the desk. Meanwhile, Lee shifts his position on the bed, leaning back against the pillows and scooping Rookidee onto his lap. He leaves enough room for Hop to sit beside him, which Hop does after moving Wooloo from the floor back to the bed. He rests his head on Lee's arm and turns on the telly, only for Lee to reach for the remote with the arm that Hop isn't leaning against. "Nuh-uh. It's my room, so I get to pick the channel," Hop says, holding the remote further away from Lee.
But after flipping through several channels, Hop comes to the conclusion that there's nothing good on right now: it's all just news and late-night talk shows. He eventually stops on a channel that's airing a rerun of one of Lee's championship matches – he's seen the battle before, of course, but he feels good watching Lee sweep through a Gym Challenger without having a single Pokémon faint. He drops the remote in Lee's lap, so Lee can look for something else if he wants.
Exhaustion is starting to creep up on Hop, and he finds it harder and harder to focus on the battle. The commentator's voice fades into steady white noise; his mind wanders back to Soudo and Schildemilia. He hopes he'll see them at the opening ceremony tomorrow. He'd like to meet them in person. Especially Schildemilia. She looks really nice.
Hop's eyes flutter closed, his Pokémon snuggle up closer to him, and he falls asleep to the steady rise and fall of Lee's chest.
A/N: For the record, the main reason why Hop is so secretive about who endorsed him / Leon is so secretive about why he didn't endorse Hop is because we don't know the answer to either of those questions, and when I started this fic we had next to no evidence to even hint at possible answers. But from a character perspective, I feel like Hop would enjoy having a harmless little secret to tease Leon with, and in Leon's case, since it's highly likely that the reason he didn't endorse Hop is an image/publicity thing, I can see him not wanting to admit to Hop that that's the reason because he doesn't want Hop worrying about their public images.