Before I start, I have to say sorry to anyone who might have been waiting for me to update this series! I didn't mean to take so long!
Now, it's the day before their little trip to Hoenn, and Raihan is excited, to put it mildly. First, however, comes packing, and a nice evening with his good friends, Leon and Piers, as well as the kids.
Enjoy, and do let me know what you think!
The day before travelling
"I can't believe we're actually going to Hoenn!" Raihan gushes as he's going through his clothes to figure out what to bring along. They won't be leaving until tomorrow, but he's been giddy with excitement for the past week. He's probably been really annoying, it's a wonder Kabu has been putting up with him at all the past few days. "I'm so excited!"
They're currently in Raihan's bedroom, with Raihan packing for their trip to Hoenn. Kabu is giving him some advice on what to bring, since he knows better than Raihan what one might need when going to visit his home-region. Minccino is sleeping on his pillow, having tired out after trying to crawl into his suitcase for the fifteenth time, while Flygon and Arcanine are both laying on the floor on each side of the bed, keeping an eye on things, occasionally giving their opinion with a bark or a chirp.
"I noticed," Kabu says from where he's sitting on Raihan's bed, watching him pack. He probably already has his things packed and waiting, knowing exactly what to bring. Probably has clothes that are specifically meant to be worn in Hoenn's warm, tropical weather.
"I've never been outside Galar before," Raihan says, picking out a few shirts from his closet. "I'm just looking forward to seeing other regions, too." Just travelling there is going to be a new experience, as he's never been on a plane before either. He wonders if it's much different from flying on a Pokémon or with the Corviknight-cab. "Should I bring this shirt of this shirt?" he asks Kabu, holding up the two shirts.
"Neither. They're too thick, you'll overheat," is Kabu's reply. "Try finding something with shorter sleeves, or thinner material." Arcanine lets out a bark in agreement.
"Should I bring sunglasses, or is that too touristy?" Raihan asks, holding up his best pair for Kabu to see. "I haven't gotten to use them much here."
"You should," Kabu tells him. "And you'll get plenty of chances to use them, it's much sunnier in Hoenn than it is here." He gets up from the bed and comes over to peer into Raihan's closet. "Now, let's see what you have here," he says and starts riffling through his shirts and shorts. Occasionally he picks out a piece of clothing, to see if it's something suitable, but puts most of them back.
After some time he has picked out some different articles of clothing, which he places on the bed. "There," he says as he steps away to let Raihan see what he picked out. "You should manage with those."
"I thought Hoenn was supposed to be warm," he says after a few moments, holding up a warm sweater. "What am I gonna need this for?"
"While Hoenn is generally a very warm region, at least compared to Galar," Kabu explains patiently, "it does get a bit chilly occasionally, like at night, or out on the ocean." He looks at Raihan. "You remember we're taking the ferry from Lilycove to Slateport, right?"
"I remember," Raihan assures him, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "I guess I just didn't really think about it. I've never been on a ferry either."
After all, Galar doesn't really have opportunities for that the same way Hoenn does. The ferry ride is one of the things he's probably looking the most forward to. He only hopes he doesn't get seasick or something.
"Hmmm, true," Kabu agrees with a nod, leaving Raihan to pack his now picked-out clothes as he settles back down on the bed. Arcanine immediately puts his massive head in his lap, demanding to be pet. "Speaking of remembering things, you do remember you have that barbecue with your friends tonight, right?" Kabu adds after a few minutes.
"Yeah, of course!" Raihan says as he closes the suitcase, packing finally done. He'll just have to remember some little things in the morning before they leave. "Been looking forward to that too!"
The barbecue was originally supposed to be for the kids to meet up again, since they've been all doing their own thing for a while now, with Hop being Sonia's assistant, Bede and Marnie taking over Gym Leader duties, and Gloria off doing who-knows-what. But since they're just kids, they needed at least one adult at the barbecue, so Leon and Sonia volunteered. And then Marnie invited Piers, and at that point Leon had decided to invite Raihan and Gordie as well, while they were at it. It would also be a bit of a send-off for Raihan, even if he would only be in Hoenn for two weeks or so. Everyone had agreed to come, except Gordie, who had apparently already promised to watch his younger siblings because Melony has something planned for the day. Something about baking classes with Opal? He never really did get if they're attending the class, or holding one.
He's actually kind of looking forward to hearing what everyone's been up to. Especially the kids, who seem to be having the most active lives out of everyone who're going to be there.
"Good." Kabu gets up from the bed, nudging Arcanine on the way. "I still have a few things left to pack, and arrangements to make, so I'll see you tomorrow at the airport. Don't be late."
"C'mon, at least give me a kiss before you leave!" Raihan interrupts him as he's at the bedroom door. When Kabu turns to him he puts on his best puppy-eyes, which usually has at least an 80% chance of working. This time, they do the trick.
"All right," Kabu agrees, holding his arms to Raihan. "One kiss, then." He lets Raihan wrap his arms around his waist and pull them close together, tilting his head up to better accommodate Raihan's height, while his fingers gently trace Raihan's jawline and caress the back of his neck.
One kiss turns to several, and Raihan's hands on Kabu's waist slowly move to his ass with each one, but Kabu pulls away and breaks them apart before anything else has a chance to happen. After one last quick kiss, he's gone, along with Arcanine, leaving Raihan alone with his Pokémon and his thoughts.
"This is going to be so great!" he grins, fully aware this is the most childish he's been since he was an actual child, as he tosses himself on the bed, being mindful not to crush Minccino, hugging Flygon as she settles down next to him. "I'm so excited!"
*****Several hours later*****
Later that evening, Raihan hops down from Flygon, having just landed at a large field near Postwick, where the barbecue is being held. The reason it's held here, and not at someone's house like normally, is due to the larger number of people attending, as well as their Pokémon. Raihan has only just arrived, but he already easily spotted Zacian and Zamazenta, the great Legendary Pokémon running around in the field and playing like a couple of oversized puppies.
Then again, they had been sealed away for quite some time, and saved the entire region, so they probably deserve to have some fun.
He takes a few pictures, just because he can, and asks Rotom to keep taking pictures now and then throughout the evening. Not anything he'll post online, but mainly for himself. Though he'll probably show Kabu, and Gordie, if he ever wonders what he missed.
"Hey, there!" he shouts and lifts a hand in greeting as he notices the people already gathered and starts approaching them. Almost everyone is already there, he notices. Hop and Gloria, of course, since it's their two Pokémon roaming the field. They're sitting next to a rock, along with Bede, seemingly absorbed in something on Gloria's Rotom phone. Hop is leaning against his ever-present Dubwool, while the others are leaning against the rock. And they're all also leaning against each other. Raihan is pretty sure they're even holding hands somewhere.
Sonia and Leon are also there, working on the food. He's guessing they have Sonia to thank for Leon being there on time. Leon's Charizard is napping in the sun, spread out on top of the rock the children are sitting next to, and Sonia's Yamper is running around them, probably looking to get some bites from the food. Raihan gives Flygon a small pat on the head, and she flies over to join Charizard. He then releases Minccino from her new Luxury Ball, and she runs over to join Yamper.
The only people missing right now seem to be Piers and Marnie.
"Hey, Raihan!" Leon greets him, waving back excitedly as Yamper barks at the sudden shouting. "You're just in time! We're almost ready to start eating!" He pokes at something on the barbecue, as if that would make it cook faster. Sonia just gives him a wave, busy trying to quiet down Yamper. The kids give him a small wave, not even looking up. Must be something really interesting there.
"Aren't we still missing a few people?" Raihan asks as he comes up next to Leon to take a look at the food. It looks like it's coming along great, and the smell is mouth-watering. "Two of them, to be more precise?"
"They'll be here soon," Sonia informs him as she straightens up, now holding Yamper in her arms. Minccino, previously on Yamper's back, has now climbed up on her shoulder. "Piers said something about Marnie taking her time to get ready, and that we don't have to wait for them."
"Huh," is all Raihan has to say. He doesn't remember picturing Marnie as someone who takes ages to fix her appearance, but maybe she's making an exception when she hasn't seen her three friends (partners? Raihan still doesn't really know what to call them) for a while. "All right, then."
They all take a seat at the table someone apparently brought out here. After a few minutes and a few more reminders, the kids join as well. The food is delicious, with the meats being perfectly done, the vegetables well-seasoned, and the salad fresh. Of course, there's also several different types of curry, that are shared with the Pokémon.
It doesn't take long for Piers and Marnie to arrive. They arrive from the same direction Raihan did, dropped off by a Corviknight Cab. Piers waves in greeting as he notices Raihan looking in their direction, walking calmly without a hurry, while Marnie is a bit more enthusiastic, jogging over to the other kids. Gloria and Hop have both jumped from their seats, excitedly waving their hands, while Bede is staying calmer, but with a small smile, either happy to see Marnie or amused by the antics of the other two.
Despite Piers saying Marnie took her time getting ready, to Raihan she looks just the same as the last time she saw her. Same type of clothes, same hairstyle, even the same bag. The only difference is that Morpeko is wearing a cute little bow on its head.
It's rather adorable, as the little creature jumps down from her arms, going to join Minccino and Yamper where they're eating their curry. Piers' Obstagoon makes its way over to where Charizard and Flygon are eating, as do two young-looking Zigzagoon that Piers apparently picked up somewhere along the way. Stray Pokémon seem to gather around the man more often than not, so it's not even surprising Raihan anymore at this point.
Piers makes his way to join them at the table, while the kids decide to relocate to the ground, sitting in a small circle on a blanket they apparently brought with them for exactly such a purpose. Well, they all definitely seem happy to see each other, probably since Gloria and Hop have both been wandering all kinds of places, while Bede and Marnie have been busy preparing to become official Gym Leaders. There's hugs and laughs and happy faces all around. Raihan notices Bede and Marnie seem closer than they were last he saw them, apparently having gotten closer as they've been training together after they both became Gym Leaders.
After the kids have finished greeting each other settled down with their food, Leon asks Hop if he's been enjoying himself as Sonia's new assistant, and how things are going. Hop is more than eager to tell all about it, so much so, that he almost chokes trying to inhale all his food so he can talk.
"It's been great!" he enthusiastically tells through a mouthful of food. "I've learned so much stuff about all kinds of Pokémon, and the Isle of Armor is such a cool place to do research!" At this point, he's the centre of attention, with everyone listening to him. "The Pokémon there are so cool and different from the ones here, and I got to do some training at the Dojo, and I even helped Gloria so her Urshifu can now Gigantamax!"
Then he launches into telling a story about the whole thing, involving a lost Petilil, an Applin, and a large tree with an angry Vespiquen at the top, that ends with them obtaining some Max Honey that let them make a special curry that allows Urshifu to Gigantamax. It's an entertaining enough story, Raihan thinks.
Leon seems to be enjoying it as well, probably happy to hear his brother's been doing so well. Marnie and Bede are also listening attentively, Marnie with obvious interest as she's leaning forward, Bede trying to pretend he doesn't really care even if the way he scoots closer to Hop shows otherwise. Gloria occasionally interrupts when Hop remembers something wrong or leaves out some bit. Even the Pokémon seem to all be listening in.
"And then I got to battle Mustard," Gloria adds after Hop has finished his story. "It was great. He also has an Urshifu. And he's really strong!" She sounds like she had a good time. Raihan feels almost jealous, wishing he could have had a chance to battle with Mustard. The man used to be the Champion once, after all.
"And then you got the new pass, left for the Crown Tundra, and never came back," Hop finishes the story, giving Gloria a look. Raihan is no expert in reading looks, but this one he recognizes.
"Sorry," Gloria apologises sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. "But the Crown Tundra was just so cool! I met this girl called Nia, and we did some Dynamax Adventures together, and then she asked me to keep her dad some company so he wouldn't be so lonely, and then I helped this Pokémon called Calyrex that had some troubles. And Sonia was there too, I helped her study some legendary Pokémon," she adds after her long ramble, looking at Sonia for what Raihan assumes is support of some kind.
"She was quite helpful," Sonia confirms. "She helped my study of the Legendary Pokémon Cobalion, Terrakion and Virizion, which originate from the Unova-region. It was all quite interesting," she adds, but thankfully doesn't give them a lecture of some kind, as she is known to occasionally do.
"What's a Calyrex?" Raihan has to ask, never having heard of such a Pokémon before. "And what did you do to help it?" Just what kinds of problems could this unknown Pokémon have that it needed a human child to help solve, anyway?
"Well, it's right over there," Gloria says, pointing to where her starter Pokémon is sitting with the two others, picked by Hop and Leon.
The three are accompanied by a strange looking Pokémon Raihan has never seen before. It resembles a mix between a rabbit and a deer, with a large bulb of some kind on top of its head. It's eating curry, carefully picking it up with its paws and studying it for a bit before putting it into its mouth. Cinderace and Rillaboom are handing it several different types of curry to try out, cheering as it tries all of them.
"It's some kind of Legendary Pokémon of the Crown Tundra," Gloria explains, also looking over at the Pokémon, smiling a bit. "It can make things grow there, even with all the snow and cold. There was even a legend about it in the town, and a statue." She thinks for a bit, shoving some food in her mouth while thinking.
"It was losing its powers, though, and needed help to restore them. And to do so, we needed to find its steed, Spectrier," she explains, pointing to a ghostly-looking horse-Pokémon that's eating carrots of some kind a bit further away from the others. "But first we needed to make the Reins of Unity, so Calyrex would be able to control it. Luckily, Nia's dad was able to help us with that. Then we went to the Crown Shrine, where Calyrex tamed Spectrier, and then it wanted to battle with me, and after that it decided to join my team," she finishes with a small smile and continues eating, as if helping Legendary Pokémon, battling them, and having them join her team is a common everyday thing that just happens.
Then again, to her it seems to be just that, considering everything she's been through in less than a year. And she's only thirteen.
Things move on to slightly more normal topics, as Gloria asks the other three if they want to join her at the Crown Tundra for some Dynamax Adventures, and Leon starts talking about the Battle Tower, as well as some plans for something called the Galarian Star Tournament, where the plan is to gather the most powerful trainers in all of Galar. It all sound very interesting, and everyone is listening attentively.
After a while, the bigger topics have been all gone through, and things kind of just simmer down to a steady lull. The kids sit in a circle by themselves, all holding hands, chatting about whatever comes to their minds, occasionally sharing some snacks with each other. Raihan is pretty sure he hears them talking about going to the Crown Tundra together some day, go on some Dynamax Adventures, and maybe explore the tundra a bit. There are many interesting Pokémon there, after all. Marnie and Bede tell about their Gym Leader training, and Piers tells them a bit about his musical career, and how he's had more time to focus on it, now that he doesn't have the responsibilities that come with being a Gym Leader.
Raihan leans back in his chair, relaxes, takes some deep breaths, mainly listening to the others talking, and takes his time to look around. Observing and seeing how everything is going. Sonia and Leon are alternating between chatting with the kids and feeding bits of food to each other like the cute little couple they are. Piers has managed to find several more wild Pokémon that he's now feeding curry to. Their Pokémon are all playing together, occasionally stopping to eat a bit or get some pettings from the humans. Rotom is busy zooming around, taking pictures of everything it finds interesting.
Eventually, the evening is coming to an end. The kids are almost asleep where they're sitting, looking quite adorable the way they're huddled together. Zacian and Zamazenta have apparently had enough of playing around, and have settled down around the kids, heads on their laps, managing to look like both sharp guard dogs and soft lapdogs at the same time. The wild Pokémon have gone to wherever they sleep at night, and the food and snacks are gone. Minccino has climbed into Raihan's hood and fallen asleep, while Flygon and Charizard are asleep on a rock, curled around each other in a way that almost makes Raihan feel kind of bad when they have to separate them.
Eventually, though, they have to start saying their goodnights, and going their separate ways. They all wish Raihan a nice trip to Hoenn, and demand he takes lots of pictures, which he of course promises he will definitely do. In fact, he'll send them so many pictures, they won't know what to do with them all!
*****Later, at Raihan's apartment*****
Before going to bed that night, he scrolls through the pictures Rotom took earlier that day, and uploads one of just him, with Minccino sitting on his shoulder with some fruit, along with some comment about how he had a nice day, and how about everyone else?
One thing he's learned since acquiring the small Pokémon is that, while people love pictures of him, with or without his dragons, they absolutely adore pictures of him with Minccino. He'll still have to get used to being considered sweet and adorable, but doesn't really mind it.
He smiles as the likes and comments start rolling in, but puts the Rotom phone down, deciding he'll look through them tomorrow, maybe during the plane ride. He should have plenty of time then.
The last thing he reads is a message from Kabu, saying
I hope you had fun with your friends tonight.
I look forward to tomorrow.
❤️- Kabu