"Ah, tea. My solace. My fuel."

Hop lent against the kitchen counter and took a deep breath in, taking the aroma of his beverage in before actually drinking it. A very small part of him wanted to reach into the top cupboard and pilfer some of the lab's whiskey, but was stopped at the last minute by a rather cheery voice.

"Long night, Hop?"

"You could say that." He gave a half hearted smile at his boss. Sonia - despite working as much and as hard as Hop did - always seemed to keep up the pep and step she was known for. It was a little annoying sometimes. Only a little though.

"I heard Gloria was visiting. Haven't seen her in awhile." Sonia grinned, giving Hop a moment of pause.

Gloria had only been part of the reason for his long night. Their reunion battles were almost just a formality at this point. Although it was always a blast seeing his old friend and rival, yesterday was a particularly stressful day. The champion sure could have timed her visit a little better.

"Yeah. That Mallamar of hers is as strong as ever. Cut right through Zasha. Again." He grimaced. "But nah, I heard back from the Ethics Committee yesterday. They rejected my proposal."

Sonia gasped, quickly shuffling forward towards him. Her face was a picture of supporting sadness. "What? No! But it's such a promising thesis!"

"Even so, the big wigs say no. I spent almost six hours on the phone trying to get an appeal."

"Did they agree?"

Hop could only muster a stare. The bags under his eyes hopefully gave the answer he really couldn't be bothered to voice.

Sonia let out a huff and patted her colleague's shoulder.

"Psychology is always a prickly subject," Hop tried his best to justify. "Pokemon and humans alike." That aside, he allowed himself at least a little bit of irritation. It was always gutting when you get something rejected after spending days, weeks and months on all the preliminary research and proposals.

It happened to even the most renowned of researchers.

Sonia definitely had a fair few rejections under her belt, and her field of study was pretty safe as far as subjects go. Even with Eternatus all but under beck and call, researching the Dynamax process was still uncharted territory. No one knew just how the creature was able to cause Pokemon to grow so excessively. The fact it was temporary and could even change certain Pokemon's appearances only added to the mystery.

Not to mention the Championship Incident six years ago.

"That's not an excuse! I think your theories are really interesting!" Sonia's supportive tone cut through Hop's derailed train of thought, giving him a bit of a start. "The difference between a Pokemon's Nature and its actual personality is totally worth looking into!"

Hop shrugged. There was really nothing he could do about it now. He was a newcomer to the Poke-Science scene. Fresh blood. The Committee likely only rejected him because they wanted someone more experienced to tackle the theory.

It sucked, but that was academia. Just as cut-throat as the battling circuit.

"I could ask Gran if she could talk to some of her connections."

"Nah, I'll just try again in six weeks." He gave a weak chuckle. Sometimes persistence and brute force was the key to success. "Anyway, it just gives me more time to refine my proposal. Gather some more data, expand my sources. Gloria and Lee are great and all, but only having battle focused Pokemon as a source can be extremely limiting. Not to mention misleading."

"Good point." Sonia conceded. "Well, if you're sure, I'll support you all the way." Her expression then turned to a sinister grin. "In the meantime, I've got some numbers to crunch."

Oh no. Here came the headache.

"Seeing as you're here already, want to help me?"

Hop groaned. His shoulders slumped in a mixture of defeat and irritation. After all, Sonia was the one responsible for his paycheque.

Personal wellbeing be damned.

"Ah pure dinnae git 'th kinch. It's just lookin' at how a Pokemon acts, right?" Gloria's accent was as thick as ever. Though Hop had known the Champion since they were kids. Translating it was almost second nature to him, now.

"There's a bit more to it than that."

Gloria looked like a lost Yamper. Academia wasn't her strong suit, but she understood Pokemon. A natural trainer.

The two had decided to have lunch at a small Wedgehurst cafe. Hop was a little frazzled with the morning's work still muddling his mind. Energy readings, footage reviews, trainer accounts. He didn't envy Sonia who had to deal with that sort of thing every day. Granted, so did Hop, though it was usually via proxy of being in the same room as her.

Putting his thoughts back to the present, he gave Gloria a look. "I can try to explain it if you want?"

She shrugged. "If it helps ye develop th' idea, gaun yersel. Aye happy tae learn freish hings, even if thay dae end up gaun in yin lug 'n' oot th' ither."

He laughed.

As bull-headed as Gloria could be, she genuinely was a supportive friend who genuinely wanted to help.

"Well, you know how every Pokemon can be assigned a specific 'nature', right?" She nodded. "Well, I want to look into how a Pokemon's 'nature' doesn't necessarily have to correspond to its actual personality. I also want to look into what makes 'natures' cause Pokemon to excel in some areas, but lag behind in others. Is it purely psychological? Is there a biological element? Does it boil down to the individual? Questions I want to find answers to, but the Committee won't let me."

Gloria frowned. "Cannae say ah ken everything, bit it soonds lik' thae committee idiots juist wantae keep everything a mystery sae na yin kens anythin'." She took a large bite of her sandwich, chewing with an air of irritation. As if she was trying to crunch down on the committee itself. "If ye ask me, ye shuid juist dae it. Sod thaim! Likelie a bunch o' pencil pushing dumbos, anyway."

"That's a one way trip to getting fired, Gloria. Or worse." He dreaded to think of all the fines, potential jail time and hassle that came with serious ethical infringements. His friend could only sigh and shrug.

It was just then that two young boys approached their table. One shyly hiding behind the other. Almost as if a switch had been flipped. Hop saw Gloria go from her normal self to her professional persona. She smiled at the two of them. "Hello there!" She beamed, her accent disappearing in a flash.

Seeing it always gave Hop a chuckle.

The boy in front gave a smile of his own. Clearly, he was the older and braver of the two. "Hey! My little brother and I are big fans of yours! Could we maybe get your autograph?"

Gloria stood up, dusted off any residual crumbs that had accumulated on her clothing and gave the heartiest of laughs. "Of course you can, sweeties! How about a picture, too? Mally is always up for it!" The two boys stared wide-eyed. They quickly, eagerly and a little pushy-ly nodded their heads.

Hop smiled as he sipped his tea. Watching his friend like this always lightened his mood. Noting just how happy the girl was making others happy. It reminded him of Lee back when he was still Champion.

A brilliant flash of light burst from the signature Luxury Ball and the figure of Gloria's Malamar appeared, looming over them all. For a moment, the squid Pokemon held the expression of sheer contempt most other Malamar held. Though a second later, its expression faltered and began to laugh.

Mally was a lot of things. Malicious was not one of them. It was like a big sister most of the time. Or a mother.

The kids cheered in glee as the squid Pokemon lifted them up, perching them on its shoulders. "Say cheese!" Gloria called, giving a pose of her own. Without prompting, the older boy's Rotomphone flew up and snapped a shot of the scene.

Once all was said and done, the two boys got their autograph, a photo and some encouragement on their plans for the future. The two brothers left with big smiles on their faces and Hop couldn't help but snicker. Once the two boys had left eyesight, she kicked him under the table, shooting a glare.

"Whit's wi' that keek? Waant a batter?" The accent was back in full force.

Hop waved a hand in mock apology. "I'd rather not. Just nice seeing you in your element." They shared a quick laugh before Hop habitually checked his watch. "Shit. Better get back to the lab. Sonia wants to try some more tests with Zasha and its sword."

"Giss a wullnae keep ye, then. Say guid day tae Sonia fur me. A'm waantin' tae catch up wi` fur drinks at some point."

"Will do!"

And with that, Hop gathered his things, placed his share of the bill - plus tip - on the table and bolted for the lab. Zacian was going to have a sour mood tonight, it seemed.

As expected, Zacian was - indeed - being particularly sulky after all was said and done. It wasn't as if Sonia was doing anything invasive with the Legendary Pokemon. Though it wasn't a fan of being wired to a machine and told to stay still for prolonged amounts of time.

Zacian was a curious creature. Although Hop was technically its trainer, it usually did its own thing. Along with its brother - Zamazenta - (who in turn was technically trained by Gloria) the two had taken it upon themselves to act as Potswick and Wedgehurst's resident guardians. A fact that brought tourists to the two towns in droves.

Ever since the Championship Incident 6 years ago, the Wedgehurst area had boomed in a weird economic golden age.

The town had slowly grown into a full fledged city, almost consuming what was once Potswick. Though thankfully - due to cultural heritage laws - the Slumbering Weald had been completely untouched.

"Don't give me that look, Zacian." Hop folded his arms and smirked at the blue wolf. It had taken to laying down in the corner of Hop's flat, resting its head on a cushion and staring up at its trainer.

It may have been a creature of legend, but even legends could sulk.

"You know how important Sonia's research is. You agreed to help!"

"Grrr…"

"Oh 'grrr…' to you too."

Hop let out a sigh and turned for the kitchenette. At least Zacian wasn't legitimately angry. Oh boy, Hop would know if that was the case. His gaze briefly shifted to the sheathed sword leant against the far wall. Then shifted to the large gash in the opposite wall. A shudder soon ran down his spine.

Still, that was - thankfully - an extremely rare occurrence.

Hop began to prepare Zacian's dinner, pouring out a bowl of its favourite brand. The smell instantly perked the wolf up, its ears pointing upwards and its nose twitching. Hop snickered. "You certainly don't act like the legends!"

"Rrrrr…" Zacian growled low but then huffed. Its attention had latched onto its food.

As it went about eating, Hop did the same with two more bowls. "Dubwool, Rillaboom, dinner's ready."

Eventually all three of his Pokemon were chowing down. Or at least, the three Pokemon he lived with. The rest of his old team made their home in Sonia's new preservation reserve. Unfortunately for Hop - however - his current flat was pretty cramped even without Dubwool and Rillaboom.

The woes of the Research Assistant paycheque. Decent, but not enough to buy a house.

Hop let out an exasperated sigh as he slumped into his usual seat on the sofa. Flicking on the TV, he watched as a news report began droning on about this and that. He was only half listening. What managed to focus his attention was a segment on his brother, Leon.

"The former Champion, Leon has been busy these past six years. Since the Championship Incident, he has taken it upon himself to lead the Galaran League as its acting Chairman. Providing the industry a fresh breath of life, he has worked closely with each gym leader and the current Champion to completely revamp the Gym Challenge. However, it was only until yesterday morning that he was officially given the position on a permanent basis, removing the 'acting' part of his title all together."

"Huh. I never heard anything about that." Hop raised a brow as he sipped at his tea. "Guess he is pretty busy. I should give him a ring at some point."

Almost as if he had unwittingly spoken the devil's name, his phone buzzed with a message. A message from none other than Leon.

"It's freezing out here! You gonna let your bro in, or what? My nipples can cut diamonds!"

Lovely. That was an image Hop didn't need rampaging through his head.

Wait, Leon was here?

'Bzzzzt'

His doorbell rang only moments later.

Sure enough, Leon had dropped by for a visit. Along with Raihan. Moments later, the three of them were all standing around the kitchenette island with beers in their hands.

Leon was wearing a full business suit. A stark contrast to the ringmaster outfit he sometimes wore during official ceremonies and battles. Granted, he had loosened the tie and unbuttoned the top two of his shirt.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Hop raised an eyebrow at his brother's shifting and fidgeting.

He wasn't going to lie. The lack of contact between the two of them in recent months had begun to create a little bit of resentment towards Leon. Only a little though.

Regardless, Leon chuckled and swigged his beer. "Can't a big bro swing by to see his little bro on a whim?" If only that were the actual case. For one Raihan wouldn't be here if this was purely a social visit. As far as Hop knew, Raihan was still working with Leon on the new League changes.

Was this about that?

Hop could only continue staring, waiting for the actual answer.

Though he inwardly kicked himself for being so cynical. The day was getting to him more than he first thought.

"Well, I was actually wanting to ask you something. A favour, if you will." Leon finally mustered. Hop noted that his brother's gaze had suddenly shifted downwards. The bottle in his hands was all of a sudden very interesting to look at, it seemed.

Hop couldn't help but notice a bad feeling develop in the pit of his stomach.

He didn't want to be suspicious of his brother, but for some strange reason, he couldn't help it. It was as if someone was slowly pushing a pole into his gut.

"If it's money you need, I'm a little skint right now."

"Of course not! Wait… you're having trouble?" Leon began to sidetrack himself. Though a moment later, he shook his head, a face of determination returning to his face. An expression Hop hadn't seen for quite some time. It helped with the growing feeling at least. "Sorry, back on track. I wanted to ask if you'd be my Best Man?"

Time felt as though it stopped.

Out of all the possibilities Hop had come up with, this was definitely towards the bottom of the list.

"You're getting married!?"

"Well… yeah."

"Why ask me? Shouldn't Raihan be your first choice?"

Hop spared a glance towards the gym leader. He was wearing a similar get up, sans the tie all together. He simply smirked in response.

"Well it'd be a little weird asking my fiance to be my Best Man."

Leon's tone was so matter of fact, Hop barely registered what he actually said. Though he had to admit, he was hardly surprised. The two had always had a weird relationship. It was certainly a rivalry, though it was born from mutual respect.

That respect must have eventually developed into feelings.

What was shocking was Hop had no idea the two were even dating right up until this moment.

"Oh…" Hop mustered, stunned into near silence.

His tone must have been somewhat flatter than he expected as Leon's expression faltered a little.

Now Hop just felt like a terrible brother. He was expecting something horrible, but got something amazing instead. He should have been jumping for joy, congratulating his beloved brother. Sadly, the sudden news - coupled with all the stresses of the day - had all but jammed his brain.

For a few moments, Hop simply stared in silence.

Eventually - as his brain started churning once more - a huge smile grew over his mouth. A genuine, heartfelt smile. A rush of emotion came to a head, balling in the back of his throat. "Of course I will, you dumbass! Holy shit, you guys! When did this happen?"

The tension immediately blasted out of the window. Leon's shoulders relaxed and he gave a long sigh of relief. If Hop was to hazard a guess, Leon's heart was likely making an attempt at breaking through his ribcage right now.

Raihan, meanwhile, was playing it cool as he usually did. Though Hop could absolutely see the slight rose of an embarrassed blush dusting his cheeks.

"Last night. It kinda just slipped out when we were having a celebratory dinner. Sorry for not telling you about my official promotion. Yesterday was… hectic."

"Hectic is an understatement. Absolutely fuckin' chaos more like." Raihan interjected, a smirk tugging at his lips. Leon could only agree.

Truth be told, Leon was looking a little haggard. Hop could see bags beginning to form under the man's eyes. He shared a moment of inward solidarity. The two may have led different lives, but they were suffering from the same menace that was stress. Which brother had the most was likely a matter of debate, but right now, Hop could only think on how crappy he felt about suspecting Leon of something off-putting.

Hop placed his finished bottle down on the counter and lightly tapped the marble surface with a fist. "You look like you need to unwind a little. Both of you." He started. "I know a little bar just down the road. I think it's time we got everyone together for a good old chinwag over some drinks."

"I was thinking the same thing," Raihan gave a toothy smile, downing the last of his own beer.

"Coincidentally, Gloria's in town too."

"Oh? The King Killer is gracing the common folk?" Raihan couldn't help but poke a little fun. Ever since Gloria dethroned Leon, most of the Gym leader's competitive focus had shifted onto her. Though the two had a different sort of rivalry than he and Leon had. This one had a bit more animosity behind it.

Though that somehow didn't stop the two from being friends.

Hop grimaced at the nickname. Gloria was all for it, but it didn't sit right with him. 'King Killer' made it sound like Gloria was a villain. He didn't want people seeing her as a villain, and he certainly didn't want people to see Leon as defeated once and for all. His brother was still in the battle circuit even if he was no longer the champion.

Though from the sounds of things, Leon had less time for the actual battling aspect of the industry these days. His Charizard was probably going stir-crazy with all the pent up energy.

"Be nice, Rai! She beats you down every time you challenge her!" Leon jested.

"Only because I let her."

"Of course, honey."

Hop smiled at that. He then went about calling everyone up. It seemed the stars aligned.