Pokemon Sword

by Evil Irish Pixie

Disclaimer - None of this belongs to me, I do this just for fun. The songs used are as follows: Electric - Katy Perry I2I - DCappella Polaris - NateWantsToBattle Reality - Divide Music ft AmaLee Legend - The Score Hurts 2B Human - P!nk ft Khalid Legends Never Die - Against the Current

2. Pokemon Sword

Pokémon Sword

Harriet Dorea Potter wasn't supposed to die in the Chamber of Secrets, that much Fawkes knew his human had planned for the girl. But Harriet was near death and Fawkes knew he needed to fix it and send her somewhere none of the humans of this world could get a hold of the girl. His human having done enough damage to the girl's magic and soul to warrant something drastic.

So with that in mind, with Ginny Weasley as the only witness, Fawkes would pull on his magic and send Harriet away. Burning away the horcrux and basilisk venom in the girl's veins as he did so, knowing Harriet would be happy and safer away from all the magic. Knew the girl's magic would convert to the closest thing to magic the next world had in the form of empathy and the power to hear the voices of the beings in the next world.

Harriet would come to with the sun in her eyes and her injuries healed. Wet and cold with only the clothes on her back and not alone as her new powers would let her know as she got to her feet to take in her surroundings. Not registering that she had shrunk a little, going from 12 to 10 as a means to help her fit in better, the legal age for a trainer's license being 10 years old, courtesy of Arceus.

Taking in the cave she'd come to in when she knew she'd been deep underneath Hogwarts dying via basilisk venom. Ginny saved from becoming the new body for Voldemort.

Shrugging off her over robe she would dig out a hair elastic to tie her raven black hair back from her face and begin the task of exploring. Kicking her socks and Mary-janes off when they began to pinch her heels, leaving her in just her school uniform shirt and skirt as she makes her way out of the cave and into the open of Ballimere Lake with Dyna Tree Hill in clear view.

Her walk unchallenged by the wild Pokémon that called the area home though she could sense she is being watched and feel the apprehension they were feeling at her presence.

"I know Fawkes has something to do with this since he was the only one still awake in the Chamber" Harriet sighs as she takes in the giant tree with even larger berries on it. Slowly approaching the tree she would realize the larger than life presence she could sense is the three weird looking birds fighting over the tree.

The fighting coming to a stop when the phoenix like bird spots her and goes to attack her, the large orange bird coming to her rescue when it sees her fear as Harriet makes herself as small as possible to reduce the amount of pain she's likely going to be in on the receiving end of the large phoenix's claws.

'Leave the girl alone can't you feel her power!' the orange bird hisses as he put himself over the girl, able to sense what she is, having been the closest to the girl as he fought with the others over who got to eat from the tree first.

'Zapdos is right Moltres' the purple bird points out as it floats over to take in the dimension traveller. Harriet uncurling to reveal jewel green eyes as she took in all three birds with awe.

'Are you alright?' the now identified Zapdos chirps as Harriet nods as the large bird steps back and checks her over for himself. Able to see the blood stains and the damp clothes she's wearing and the blisters on her feet.

"Physically yes, emotionally and mentally I'm confused and very much lost" Harriet whispers as Moltres lands to get a better look at the girl and realizes one of her kin from the other dimension had sent the girl. Though Arceus had likely meddled a little as well if the deities fading power is anything to go by.

'One of my kin sent you it seems though for what purpose remains to be seen' Moltres muses as Harriet nods tiredly. Letting the Zapdos fuss over and get her settled under the cover of the tree as it starts to rain.

"Fawkes healed me after I killed the king of snakes…he sent me away I guess whether that's a good or bad thing I've yet to figure out. Though I can tell I've shrunk a little too" Harriet whispers as Zapdos settles around the girl, beginning to preen her hair much like Hedwig did.

This action being what breaks the dam inside as the former witch begins to quietly cry as she realizes what Fawkes had done for her.

'Your Fawkes saved and changed your fate' Articuno sighs as she lets herself land on her feet to settle with Zapdos while Moltres would settle in the higher branches to keep guard.

"I guess he did…I didn't really have any friends or family that would truly miss me though I will miss Hedwig" Harriet sniffs as she rubs the tears off her face with her shirt sleeve.

'If Fawkes sent you its likely he will bring what can be brought to this dimension from yours that won't cause any trouble like clothes, pictures and books' Articuno points out as Harriet cheers up a little at that knowing Fawkes would bring her picture album at least since it was one of the few things she would miss besides Hedwig.

"Where did Fawkes send me anyways?" Harriet asks quietly as all three birds chuckle at her curious tone and would begin the tale of the Pokémon world and the region Fawkes had sent her too. Told her about their home here in the Crown Tundra and that she had been lucky to wake up in the warmer side of the area since it would have been unlucky to wake up in the bitter cold of Freezington in only her school uniform.

Harriet falling asleep cuddled into Zapdos' feathers to the amusement of Articuno and Moltres who would tease their male friend.

'You're going to go with her aren't you' Moltres sighs once she and Articuno got their giggling under control at Zapdos' embarrassment.

'She needs someone on her side, and it means my sister can come stay in my place since we all know she's a better fit with you both than myself in protecting the tree' Zapdos sighs as Articuno nods sagely.

'We'll go retrieve her then and move on for the time being…you might want to go find a smaller companion and a couple of those balls if you're going to stay with the girl' Moltres chirps as Zapdos stands and gets on with the idea while his friends would fly away to retrieve his replacement and nest down for the night.

Returning to Harriet a little while later to find that the first part of Moltres' suggestion had resolved itself when a shiny Scorbunny had come out of her family's burrow to see what had quelled his fight with his friends.

'You've found our new dimension traveler I see' Zapdos chuckles as the Scorbunny squeaks and tumbles backwards and away from the young girl to see Zapdos had returned with a small bag of items. The Pokémon of Ballimere lake more than eager to help the legendary bird prepare for his journey out of the Tundra with his new human.

'She smells sad and lonely…and too skinny for my liking' Scorbunny admits as Zapdos nods.

'One of Moltres' kin sent her from the mythical dimension…they likely knew she'd find help and care on this side when the other one was denying it' Zapdos chirps as he settles again around his human. Glad that she hadn't woken and for once grateful of the wastefulness of the humans that came and went from the area. The Pokémon having been able to find a change of clothes, some poke balls, and medical items she likely would need to get by.

Luckily Zapdos knew how to fly otherwise his new human would have been in big trouble since she had no money to get a ticket to get out of the Tundra and back to civilization.

Harriet would wake up to the rain finally coming to a stop to find a weird looking rabbit sleeping in her lap and Zapdos still curled around her. Her moving to stretch waking up the large bird and the rabbit cuddling further into her stomach.

"Where did you come from huh?" Harriet muses as she gently begins to pet the weird rabbit, smiling when it began to purr in her stomach.

'She was here when I came back with a few things I was able to find. Scorbunny are one of the elementals humans in this region usually can choose when they start out on their journeys' Zapdos chirps as Harriet nods and asks if he wanted a name since she didn't want to keep referring to him by his species name.

'I don't mind, and I know the Scorbunny wouldn't mind either since I'm too big and noticeable to be a starter though I am your first Pokémon' Zapdos points out as Harriet nods and knows she think on it not just for them but for herself as well since it sounded like English wasn't the main language in this dimension. Articuno having left a gift of her own in leaving the knowledge to speak, read and write in Japanese or Kantonian as this world called the language. English being the key language of Galar thankfully.

"Okay you will be Ichigo, Scorbunny here will be Hinata and I'll be Tana Wisteria Evans from this day forward" Tana formerly Harriet announces as Hinata purrs her approval before letting herself be caught. Staying in her ball unlike Ichigo who would be let back out once the ball had registered him as caught.

'We'll need to fly to the nearest registration point to get you a license which is the equivalent of your world's birth certificate, driver's license and passport rolled into one' Ichigo says as he lowers himself down for Tana to climb on. Radiating smug amusement as Tana whoops with joy as he sped off.

Giving himself a running start and into the air as he flew away from the only home he'd known since hatching and into the bigger region of Galar.

Landing to rest on the Isle of Armor when he realizes he had overestimated himself and its on the Isle that Tana would meet her first human friend and life long partner in Leon Yates. His mom having gotten him a Crown pass so he could train with Dojo Master Mustard who had glimpsed the pre-teen's potential and knew it needed a little polishing before he would be ready to face this year's Gym Challenge season in which Chairman Rose had sponsored the boy for.

"You okay Ichi?" Tana asks quietly as she takes in ocean around them, Ichigo having landed them on a small sand bar after three days of straight flying.

'I'm alright give me a little time in the ball to rest and I'll be good to go again' Ichigo wheezes as Tana frowns knowing Ichigo would need more than a little time in the ball. She would return him anyways and let out Hinata while she looked for a lift to the shore. A Wailord drifting by to see what had happened gives her a lift to the shallows.

"Thanks for the lift!" Tana calls out as she waves the Wailord off, grinning at the Wailord's groan of appreciation at her manners.

'Well there are at least more humans here than in the Tundra' Hinata chirps appreciatively as Tana nods and would make her way up the beach from the train station once the concession stands manager points her in the direction of Mustard and his wife for her to register as a trainer.

Mustard the only one on the isle legally able to give out the license necessary to travel.

"Wanna catch some more friends while we're here? Ichigo obviously needs a long rest" Tana asks Hinata who nods with an eager look on her face.

'Do you wanna specialize or are we just seeing who fits?' Hinata asks as Tana shrugs.

"Just who fits for now since I need to a little more research before I decide" Tana says quietly as Hinata bounces and nods with an eager noise as the Dojo comes into sight. An old man who must be Mustard standing outside with a few others.

Ten year old Leon Yates would catch sight of a tired Tana Evans coming up the road in a wet long sleeve t-shirt, shorts, and boots with a shiny Scorbunny at her side. Smiling and talking with the eager fire type. Admitting to anyone who would ask him later that when that smile is turned on him is the moment Leon had known Tana was the one for him. Even if he didn't fully understand it at ten years old.

"Ah the train master mentioned you would be coming along young lady. Said you were looking to register yourself and your Pokémon?" Mustard asks as Tana nods with a tired grin.

"Yes please though I wouldn't mind if you could look over Ichigo since he flew us all the way here from the Crown Tundra" Tana admits sheepishly as Mustard whistles appreciatively while Klara would ask why that is so impressive. Avery inside helping Honey with a couple things.

"The Crown Tundra is a week's trip flying from here which means Tana's Ichigo has a strong set of wings to get here in three days" Mustard says as he takes the ball and asks if they had stopped to rest.

"Ichigo wouldn't hear of it…Felt Hinata wasn't strong enough to face any of the wild Pokémon should he stop so kept going till we reached one of the sand bars" Tana admits with a small frown as Mustard chuckles.

"Stubborn is as stubborn does, but my wife should have your friend healed and ready for battle in a day or two. In the mean time you may join my pupils here with your Hinata if you wish to train" Mustard offers as Tana nods thoughtfully. Grinning as Hinata makes eager noises at the idea.

"We'll train in the mean time since Hinata and Ichigo are all I have right now" Tana agrees as Mustard grins at the eager glint in the girl's green eyes.

"Hi, I'm Leon Yates" Leon introduces himself once Mustard leaves his three of four students to their own devices while he heads inside with Ichigo's ball. His cackling startling all but Tana as the man got a good look at what Pokémon Ichigo is.

Honey giggling at her husband's antics as she gets Tana's license printed, the girl having written down all her information though she was a little worried since the young girl hadn't put anyone down as her emergency contact though if the deceased beside her parents names was any indication she and her husband were likely taking in another stray. Klara and Avery their most recent strays to date.

"Why is Master Mustard laughing like that?!" Klara asks as Tana shrugs and tugs Leon from wandering the wrong way as the ravenette decides on their course of action.

"He likely got a good look at Ichigo. I'm Tana Evans by the way and this is Hinata" Tana says as Leon lets out his Charmander while Klara demands to know what Tana was doing.

"I want to find another team member since Hinata is a fire type and Ichigo is a flying type leaving both open to electric, rock and ground attacks" Tana says as Leon perks up and admits he'd seen some Rockruff earlier if she was interested.

"Before or after you got lost Yates?" Klara points out as Leon chuckles nervously.

"It's fine, if we get lost I can ask for directions or for someone to carry us back" Tana waves off, oblivious to the strange look from Klara and surprised look from Leon for her words.

"You can understand what Hinata's saying?" Leon asks as Tana encourages her Scorbunny to go find a friend that wanted to come with them. Klara having abandoned them to train on her own when Tana wouldn't answer anymore of the girl's questions.

"Mhm, I know your Charmander is really happy with you and he's eager to evolve and get stronger with you" Tana agrees as they made their way up the stairs to Challenge Road where the eager fire rabbit had gone after being pointed that way by a Herdier.

"That's so cool" Leon says as Tana flushes and grabs his hand when he starts going the wrong way.

"Most people find it off putting, but I'm glad since it means I'm not catching or taking on anything that doesn't want to be caught" Tana says quietly as Leon nods knowing uncooperative team members was always a potential issue.

"True…are you going to take part in the Gym Challenge this year?" Leon asks curiously as Tana nods, having talked it over with Ichigo while they were flying. Having heard the term from of a flock of Rookidee and had it explained since Tana had been curious.

"Mhm it's just a matter of finding someone to sponsor me" Tana admits with a grin as Hinata came back with a shiny Rockruff puppy in tow.

"You must have some luck" Leon chuckles as Tana crouches down to pet the Rockruff, the little female eager for the attention.

"Yeah in instances like this it's really good but it can get really bad in life or death situations" Tana admits as the Rockruff grumbles and tucks her head under the girl's chin, sensing Tana's shift in mood before Leon.

"Well you got a new team mate" Leon points out as Tana nods as she taps her last spar ball to the puppy's head and would let her back out once the ball registered the Rockruff as caught.

"Now time for a name" Tana grins as she returns Hinata and carries the Rockruff back down the stairs once she realizes the time. Not even registering she's grabbed Leon's hand once more as she leads the way back to the dojo.

"Welcome back you two!" Honey says happily as Leon leads the way to the kitchen, Tana taking in the small dojo and how warm it is in comparison to Hogwarts when she had left.

"How is Ichigo?" Tana asks as she sat at the table, Leon having pulled her chair out for her.

"Other than tired he's really healthy so should be up and moving tomorrow though I do not recommend you go flying for another three days and even then only short distances. He pushed past his healthy limits flying here from the Crown Tundra" Honey explains as she tested the curry she had spent most of the afternoon working on. Giving Tana a reassuring smile at the worried frown on the girl's face.

"Your Ichigo is one tough bird, and I can't wait to see him battle" Mustard praises as he hands Tana her new Trainer's license, her dojo uniform, and her other paperwork. Tana tucking it away in her trainer bag.

Missing the frowns the ratty bag is given as Leon asks if Tana would be up for a battle tomorrow.

"Sure though you'll need to give me a little time in the morning to figure out what moves Hinata, and Belle know otherwise it'll be really one sided" Tana agrees as Leon nods eagerly.

"That's no problem, you can borrow my Rotom Phone if you want to scan and find out" Leon reassures as Tana smiles, accepting her serving of dinner. Humming happily at the spice level and the fact she was getting try something new without worrying about Ron eating it all before she could have seconds.

Her good mood obvious and bringing smiles to the adults as the ravenette and Leon chatter for the rest of the meal. Tana sharing a little bit of each portion with her Pokémon. Hinata sitting in her lap while Belle sat at her feet, both happy that their human is sharing what is making her happy with them.

The battle next day would be the first of many, Leon's Charmander losing to Tana's Scorbunny due to Hinata's slightly higher level. Tana cuddling the tired bunny close in joy and grinning happily with a pleased Leon who had seen how hesitant the girl had been about battling at first.

Mustard handing Ichigo's ball over after Leon hands over Tana's winnings.

"Honey has a couple potions and a revive ready for when you come back inside" Mustard says as Tana nods and would let Ichigo out to hug her first friend. Ignoring Leon's squawk of surprise with a devious giggle that Belle and Hinata share.

'So I overestimated myself' Ichigo sighs tiredly as Tana hugs his head gently. Gently preening and straightening out some of his feathers as she nods.

"Mhm that's what Master Mustard and Miss Honey said so we'll be training with Lee, Avery, and Klara for a little while…Miss Honey gave me a recommendation letter signed by her and Master Mustard, so we have a month before registration begins in Motostoke" Tana points out as Ichigo trills in excitement, his bouncing taking Tana off the ground to her giggling delight.

"Miss Honey gave you a letter?" Leon asks excitedly as Tana nods once Ichigo had put her back down. Nudging her to introduce the new human to him.

"Yes she did, now Lee this is Ichigo. Ichi this is Leon Yates my new friend be nice" Tana says as Ichigo shifts on his feet and titters in amusement as he nudges Leon for a pet. Able to see the potential in this human and the complete adoration he had for Tana even though they were both a little young for such things.

"Thanks for taking care of Tana, Ichigo. I hope we can have some good battles once you're better" Leon says as Ichigo bows and would nudge the humans to get back to what they were doing which was heading out into the Wild Areas of the Isle to train as Mustard had instructed for the day.

"They're good for each other" Honey notes that evening as she and Mustard peek into the Dojo's entertainment space to see Leon and Tana sleeping on the floor in front of the TV. Leon's Charmander sleeping on Tana's stomach while Belle slept curled up on Leon's chest. Hinata, Ichigo and the pair's newest team mates in a female Milotic for Tana and a female Axew for Leon still in their balls sitting on the coffee table.

"The little lady's paperwork is all sorted. One 10 year old Tana Evans is now in the system as our foster daughter so if anyone comes sniffing around as to why she just appeared they can come here and face our combined might" Mustard says as Honey chuckles in amusement at the idea.

"They've both got a head for strategy that much is obvious, and she keeps Leon on track. She'll keep Rose from sinking his greedy fingers too deeply into Leon" Honey chuckles as she lays out the large blanket she kept folded up on the couch out over the pair.

"We'll have to wait and see who comes out on top in the Challenge, but from what I've seen of the pair Tana will likely give the title to him. She's not meant for the spotlight or pressure of the title, though she will put up a good fight so he knows she isn't just throwing in the towel" Mustard sighs before the pair went to bed knowing the pair in the living room were going to pave out their stories and become legends in their own rights.

A month of training and traveling across the Wild Area to Motostoke later found Leon and Tana standing in line to register for the Gym Challenge. Sonia right behind them, Leon having introduced Tana to his childhood friend in the few days it had taken them to get across to the Motostoke entrance from the Wild Area train station.

Sonia taking one look at Tana's overall appearance and itching to drag Tana to the salon and clothes shops to get her kitted out in clothes that actually fit instead of the slightly oversized boy's clothes the other girl seemed to be wearing.

Tana having taken to wearing one of Leon's looser fitting shirts as a t-shirt dress with black leggings and brown hiking boots. Her hair pulled back into a messy bun and black glasses to complete the look.

"Uh don't let yourself be caught with Sonia alone" Leon whispers as Tana gives him a confused look and looks down at his shirt she's wearing to get the message across.

"Over my dead body…I'll get myself sorted out once I have the funds and not before. I'm just glad Miss Honey got me two sets of glasses and contacts in my prescription since my relatives had me wearing the wrong set all these years" Tana sighs as Leon nods and then Tana is pushing her ID and letter forward.

Smiling with all teeth visible when the League official recognizes Mustard and Honey's signatures and opens his mouth to comment on it. Green eyes promising death should the man say what he wants to say.

"I'm just another challenger so keep all of your comments to yourself please" Tana says, Sonia and Leon watching in awe as the man quickly passes Tana her new uniform, her ID and letter back.

"You're all in order, make sure to be back by 9 tomorrow morning for the Opening Ceremony" the man squeaks out as Tana nods and would move to the side to wait for her friends.

"Okay you have to teach me how to do that" Sonia gushes once she and Leon catch up with the ravenette. Belle out of her ball and sitting in Tana's lap as they all meet up outside. The official having kept quiet about the fact Rose had sponsored Leon and Sonia's grandmother had sponsored her.

"I didn't do anything though?" Tana pouts as Leon snorts and would wrap an arm around her shoulders as Sonia just gapes in surprise at the easy affection between the two.

"You were channeling Miss Honey at the League official" Leon says as Tana wraps her arm around his waist and leads the way to the Budew Drop Inn where they were staying for the night.

"Well I didn't want him commenting on Master Mustard being the one to give me my letter. We're all challengers so we're all equal right now and it's wrong to be singled out right out of the gate by whoever gave us our letter" Tana explains as Leon and Sonia nod in understanding.

The trio would manage to get a room together for the night, Tana and Leon staying up a little later than Sonia. Heads pressed together as they went over Tana's Pokedex app and discussing the potential of specializing since Hinata had prodded on the issue once more after watching her human spend some time with the different types and note that she got along best with the fire and dragon types on the Isle of Armor.

"Go to sleep you two" Sonia complains as Tana and Leon look up sheepishly. Leon climbing onto the sofa bed they'd pulled out while Tana would climb into her bed with Hinata and Belle. Ichigo and Ayame sleeping in their balls.

The next day was a flurry of activity as all three got themselves ready for the Opening Ceremony that morning.

When it did finally start Tana would be bouncing on the soles of her feet as Chairman Rose and his assistant Oleana stood in the center of the field opening the Gym Challenge season.

Rose really knew how to work the crowd in Tana's quiet opinion. "Ladies and gentlemen! I am Rose, chairman of the Pokémon League! I know that everyone gathered here and everyone watching from home have all been waiting for this big moment! It is my pleasure to announce that finally— the Galar region Gym Challenge will now begin!" The audience erupts with cheers. "Yes, the Gym Challenge! Participants must defeat the eight Gym Leaders and gather the eight Gym Badges to prove their skills as a Trainer! Only the most worthy will have the honor of challenging our region's strongest trainer! The Champion of the Galar Region! Now, I would like to invite the Gym Leaders to show themselves!"

As he says this, eight powerful looking trainers enter the stadium, all wearing uniforms for their own respective gyms.

Finally it's time for the challengers to join them. Feeling anxious, Tana steps out onto the field wearing the uniform number 317. She looks around at each of the other challengers. She spots Sonia and Leon among many others she had yet to meet. Their numbers ranging from 049, 061, and 241 along with many others she couldn't read from afar.

She could tell she is going to have to train hard with how strong some of her competition looks if she really wants to make it far in this league. Smiling a little wider when she feels her Pokémon's feelings on the subject from their balls. Just as eager and blood thirsty as herself to make a strong impression.

They would regroup outside once the ceremony was over, Tana letting her Scorbunny out to cuddle with and anchor herself in the sea of emotions that were the other trainers and their Pokémon.

"You okay?" Leon asks as Tana nods and admits there was just a lot of excited Pokémon and that Hinata was keeping her anchored. She'd need to work past this now instead of in the stadium facing off against a Gym Leader.

With a nod Leon would take Tana's hand and they would walk ahead, voicing their thoughts about the opening ceremony. Sonia walking behind them with an amused smile, glad her childhood friend had found a similar minded soul like Tana seemed to be though Tana seemed to prefer following Leon's lead and letting someone else take charge.

The trio would enter the hotel lobby and notice quite a few other challengers waiting in there as well. They wait in line to check in, with Leon the first of the three to get himself checked in. When he gets his key, he tells the girls he would meet up with them when they were finished.

Moments later, however, there is a small commotion near the lobby entrance. Tana and Sonia look over their shoulders from the front desk to see a small crowd forming where all the noise is coming from.

"Leon is over there isn't he?" Tana asks, taking her key from the receptionist.

Sonia steps forward to check herself in next and sighs. She is pretty sure she knew exactly what is going on. "Yep…I think he's challenged someone else to a battle" she sighs as Tana frowns tiredly.

"We just got here!" Tana sighs and looks down to Hinata who giggles and points out Tana was just as eager when she wasn't tired or overwhelmed like she is now.

"He's determined to take that Champion title" Sonia takes her key and the two walk over toward the little crowd. "He won't turn down a single battle, no matter what. He wants to learn from every trainer he meets, figure out the best strategies and stuff, you know?" she explains as Tana nods.

"That makes sense…" Tana muses as she stood on her tiptoes to try to get a better view of the battle. It looks like Leon's Charmander is up against a Trapinch, which had the Type advantage over him. "This one looks pretty tough, though. Do you think he'll win?" she asks Sonia without looking away.

"He'll surprise you! I've seen him fight his way out of some of the most difficult type match ups!" Sonia says. And almost as if on cue, there is an angry groan from the opposing trainer as he recalls his Pokémon. "See what I mean?" she points out as Tana nods.

Leon recalls his Charmander and goes over to shake the other trainer's hand. Tana and Sonia walk over to meet back up with him.

"Sheesh, we leave you alone for a few moments and you're already battling someone!" Sonia comments.

Tana pats the other trainer on the arm, noticing he seems a little grumpy over the loss. "It's okay, he's beaten me too and vice versa. We'll just have to train hard so we can beat him next time" she encourages brightly.

The boy smirks at her comment. "Oh, I won't lose next time! Anyway, my name's Raihan" he introduces himself as Tana steps back to pick Hinata up. The Scorbunny a little nervous with all the humans about and not wanting to get separated.

"Nice to meet you! I'm Sonia, and she's Tana! And clearly you've already met Leon" Sonia says with a chuckle. "We're all Gym Challengers!" she points out.

"Yeah, I remember seeing all of you at the Opening Ceremonies!" Raihan responds.

Just then Leon's stomach growls and he rubs the back of his head with a laugh.

"Oops…I forgot to have lunch before the ceremony. I was too excited!" Leon admits as Tana frowns and opens her mouth to scold him only for Sonia to cut her off.

"Why don't we all go have dinner somewhere? We can get to know each other better since we will probably be seeing a lot of each other over the next few months" Sonia sighs as Tana nods eagerly.

Everyone agrees and Tana couldn't help but feel slightly overjoyed to be making more friends. Grabbing Leon's hand and letting Sonia lead the way with a small smile on her face.

Leon more than happy to see Tana smile and open up to Sonia and now Raihan as the smaller girl relaxed around people other than him and their Pokémon. More than able to piece together some of what had happened to his best friend from the few scars he'd seen on her person, her overall behavior at meal times and how she flinched if approached from behind.

Over the months that followed, Tana and her friends all went their separate ways to challenge the gyms. There were quite a few occasions, however, where they would all meet up in the Wild Area after earning a Gym Badge to camp out together and talk about how their battles went while Sonia and Tana made curry. Tana, Leon and Raihan all wining their badges on the first attempt, Sonia having a slightly harder time with the more challenging gyms.

By the current time, Leon had 5 badges, Raihan and Tana had 4 while Sonia is the furthest behind with 3.

All of their teams growing and expanding as the case came after the third gym when Tana had walked out with a female Cubone that was taking a little more time to adjust to her place as the smallest and newest member in the flock.

Hinata had evolved into a Raboot after the minor struggle they'd had with Hulbury and Belle had evolved after facing Kabu and his Gigantamax Centiskorch. Ayame having needed to rest after she'd taken on most of the Motostoke gym as the strongest type advantage member of her team.

Stow-On-Side having nearly kicked her ass if Ichigo hadn't pulled through for her when Viola had gotten stubborn and didn't want to get off the field even though she had been on the verge of passing out. Most of her team having been knocked out with the sole exceptions being Belle and Ichigo; Tana had known Belle would only get slaughtered by the Gigantamax Machamp so had been forced to use a still healing Ichigo when Viola had been beaten unconscious.

"You okay Tana? You've been kinda quiet" Raihan asks as Tana watches her Pokémon play around nearby. Sonia already working on dinner and had forced the other girl to sit down when she noticed how distracted Tana is.

"I'm okay…the last gym was a bit tougher than I had planned for" Tana sighs as she accepts Ichigo's head into her lap, glad the log she's sitting on is so sturdy. Ichigo sensing her quiet distress over what had happened at the last gym.

"Oh what happened?" Sonia asks as Leon and Raihan both wince, having watched the battle in the change rooms since they'd all managed to get booked in on the same day.

"Viola decided to be stubborn and battled until she was beaten unconscious…Ichigo had to take to the field and take out the Machamp even though Nurse Joy had warned me against battling with him after some of the burns he took in our fight with Kabu's Centiskorch" Tana explains as Sonia winces and asks if they were both okay.

"They're fine now, but Nurse Joy was really unhappy with me" Tana sighs as Ichigo makes a comforting noise to ease her distress. No one liked being scolded by Nurse Joy since it meant you had really screwed up.

"We're in the Wild Area so maybe spend some one on one time with Viola? She might just be eager to evolve after seeing the rest of your team and realized she's the baby and doesn't like it" Raihan points out as Tana nods knowing he's likely right.

"I might and I probably should think about expanding on my team too" Tana muses as Ichigo chirps and shakes his head in the negative. "Not now, later I mean" she explains to her flock leader.

'Work with the earth lizard first before we add anyone else. She feels bad for what happened and learned from what happened but wants the chance to prove it' Ichigo explains quietly as he leans in Tana's steady hands as she preens and pulls a couple of his dead feathers.

"We can help you too!" Sonia adds on.

"Really?" Tana's eyes light up.

"Of course" Leon responds. "All you had to do is say something! We may be rivals, but we're all friends, too!" he reminds the other girl as Ichigo stood up to round up the Pokémon. Able to smell that the curry is ready.

"Thanks, guys! You're the best!" Tana gives each of them hugs before going to help Sonia serve up their dinner. "How about we start tomorrow? I still want to hear how Sonia did in her last Gym battle" she says as the others nod.

Later that night would find only Tana awake with some of her Pokémon. Viola amongst them sitting in the girl's lap as Tana played around with some of the music apps another challenger she had gotten close with had installed for her.

Piers the shyest of her friends, but just as competitive and strong as Leon and Raihan, had taken the time to work with Tana once he realized her talent for singing. Collaborating when they were in the same city for a few hours since Piers' dream outside the Challenge was to be a musician. The pair having formed a band and were working to add more members in the mean time.

'What are you doing?' Viola asks curiously as Tana smiles slightly.

"Want to listen?" Tana asks quietly as Viola nods and would sit up as the music began to play out of the speakers of her Rotom phone.

"Electric

In the dark when you feel lost

Wanna be the best, but at what cost?

If you're gonna stay here

Nothing's ever changin', no

Big world, gotta see it all

Gotta get up even when you fall

There's no point in waitin', no

(Oh) They'll try to bring you down

(Oh) But you've got the power now

I know you feel it (Feel it)

If you believe it, then you can

There's no reason that this life can't be

Electric

Oh, I can see it, see it

If you believe it, then you can

There's no reason that this life can't be

Electric (Yeah)

Long road, got a ways to go

Took a big step, but you're not alone

'Cause we got each other

There's so much you'll discover

Headstrong, but your heart is stronger

Stay calm walkin' through the fire

I know you're gonna make it out

(Oh) They'll try to bring you down

(Oh) But you've got the power now

I know you feel it, feel it

If you believe it, then you can

There's no reason that this life can't be

Electric

Oh, I can see it, see it

If you believe it, then you can

There's no reason that this life can't be

Electric

(Oh) They'll try to bring you down

(Oh) You're electric right now

Electric

(Oh) But you've got the power now

(Oh) You've got the power now

Electric

You've got the power now

Woah-oh, yeah, yeah

I know you feel it, feel it

If you believe it, then you can

There's no reason that this life can't be

Electric

Oh, I can see it, see it (Oh, I can see it)

If you believe it, then you can

There's no reason that this life can't be

Electric

(Oh) They'll try to bring you down

(Oh) You're electric right now

Electric

(Oh) But you've got the power now

(Oh) You've got the power now

You've got the power now"

The song finishes, Rotom cutting the audio off as Viola dances around to the beat. Giggling loudly when she came to a stop in Tana's lap to Tana's delight.

'That's what you do with the pale one?' Viola asks in awe as Tana nods reaching up to catch her Rotom phone.

Shrieking in surprise when Leon steals her phone. The sound of the music and lack of warmth against his back in their shared tent having woken him up. The pair not quite having kicked the habit of sharing sleeping space since leaving the Isle of Armor. Tana sleeping a little better with her back pressed against Leon's while she cuddled with Belle or Hinata.

"Yes that's what I work on with Piers" Tana whispers quietly as she watches Leon flip through some of the pieces she'd done with Piers. Most of them following the theme of being electric guitar and drum heavy which were the pieces Piers had written and created but needed a female vocalist for.

The softer and pop oriented pieces though were of Tana's design and were what Leon had gotten to as he plugged in his ear buds to listen.

'I like the pale one better than the dragon fangs' Viola admits bluntly as Tana snorts and looks down to her Cubone.

"Raihan can be a bit much sometimes huh" Tana whispers as she watches Leon's eyes soften at whichever piece he's listening to.

"You sound really good…when do you find the time to do this?" Leon asks as he hands Tana her phone back as she tucks it away into her hoodie pocket.

"Generally when you and Rai go to train on your own when we're supposed to be taking a break" Tana teases as Leon flushes and pouts a little and asks when she trained then.

"During the time we all agreed to after the first time you and Rai trained until you dropped in that push up competition" Tana deadpans as Leon sits down on the log and asks what was up.

"Couldn't sleep" Tana shrugs as she cuddles into his side once he offers.

"You're nightmares?" Leon prods as Tana nods with little argument.

"Yeah the stress and what happened in Stow-On-Side brought them back with a vengeance" Tana says quietly as Viola whines apologetically. "Not your fault Vi" she reassures quietly.

"What are they about?" Leon asks before wincing as Tana smiles sadly. Eyes focused on something he can't see.

"A couple of things. My relatives less than positive treatment of me after I was forced on them. Some of the life and death situations I got into at school…the last one had my headmaster's partner teleporting me away completely since he'd had enough of everyone doing nothing to help me" Tana admits quietly as she rolls her hoodie sleeve up to reveal the puncture wound that they'd all seen whenever they went swimming on the warmer days in the Wild Area.

"Fawkes right?" Leon asks having been present when the strange fire bird had brought Tana the photo album and her inheritance. All the money converted into Poke dollars, most of it having been deposited into a savings account while the rest had been deposited into the chequing account she'd received with her trainer's license. All of her family's physical belongings (the furniture, family portraits and family jewelry) kept in a bottomless trunk only she could access but hadn't looked through yet.

"Yeah Fawkes sent me away after I'd been forced to face a huge snake that had been petrifying some of the students through a possessed dorm mate. He knew I wasn't safe and would never be safe at Hogwarts or with my relatives so he sent me somewhere I could be safe and happy" Tana admits as she rubs her eyes tiredly. Letting herself be bundled up in her sleeping bag and falling asleep without any dreams for the first time since the Motostoke gym two months ago.

Viola would settle down and find her place in the flock that was Tana's team when she took Ballonlea's Gym by storm and evolved during the battle against Opal. The dual type lizard ecstatic and using the excess energy to beat Opal's Gigantamax Alcremie to the delight of Raihan who had managed to get a seat in the crowd to watch the match before his own match.

Opal praising her for her tactics but admitting Tana wasn't what she was looking for in a replacement for Ballonlea's Gym Leader.

"Ah being Gym Leader isn't what I want to do, not now anyways but I hope you find who you're looking for Miss Opal" Tana says quietly as she shakes hands with the old woman.

As she was walking out of the match Mustard and Honey would call her, the ravenette having thought about calling her foster parents if this battle hadn't gone well and seeing if she could spend a couple days on the Isle training before catching the Corviknight Taxi back to Ballonlea for a rematch.

"Hi Miss Honey, Master Mustard" Tana greets breathlessly, smiling wide as Hinata waved, having evolved into a Cinderace as they trained for Opal's gym in the Glimwood Tangle.

"We saw the match dear and we're really happy you're doing so well" Honey praises as Tana smiles a little wider as she sits on her hotel room bed, shimmying back until her back met the headboard.

"Thanks, I'm really proud of my team and how well we're doing" Tana says as Honey smiles as Mustard chuckles and admits seeing an evolution mid-match was a rare occurrence.

"Yeah Viola was eager and raring to go so she took charge in that match, but how did you know to watch?" Tana asks as Honey giggles in delight.

"Young Leon told us, he does nothing but talk about you in his calls with us and both of your progress in the challenge" Mustard chuckles as Tana flushes and looks away at the teasing glint in her foster dad's eyes.

"I'm sure he talks more than just about me" Tana pouts as Honey giggles and shakes her head no.

"Nope he only ever talks about you when he does call us. Usually to let us know how training is going and when all of your matches are when he knows more than just his times" Honey says as Tana covers her face as the woman and Tana's team members giggle at her embarrassment.

"You may want to put Leon out of his misery my dear or someone is liable to take him from you before you get a chance to voice your feelings" Mustard says as Tana splutters and goes as red as Hinata's fur and promises to call again when she can, hanging up to Mustard and Honey's laughing good byes.

Mentally making plans to head for the Wild Area in the morning, Tana cuddling Belle close as she fell asleep. Mulling over Mustard's words of wisdom.

When Tana did arrive to the Wild Area at the Hammerlocke gate early the next morning, her phone rings. She pulls it out to see Leon's face on her screen. He has a bandage on his face, which told her he must have been training hard.

"Hey, Lee! How's your team coming along?" Tana asks cheerfully.

"Great! You've gotta see how strong they are now!" Leon says before he notices the scenery around her. "You're in the Wild Area, too? You should come to the Lake of Outrage! There's lots of powerful Pokémon here! Raihan was here earlier, but he went back to town for more medicine and items" he explains excitedly as Tana hums looking down at Belle.

"Lake of Outrage?" Tana muses hesitantly as Belle chuffs and bounces forward eagerly at the idea. When Leon said powerful Pokémon, she knew he wasn't kidding. She'd heard plenty of stories about how dangerous that particular area can be.

"Aww, come on, Tana! We can camp out! If any wild Pokémon try to bother us, Charizard can handle them!" Leon responds with a pout at her hesitance.

Tana sighs and gives him a smirk. She could see right through him. "You don't know how to get out of there, do you?" she asks bluntly.

"That's not it at all! I just wanted to hear about your Gym battle with Opal!" Leon scoffs.

"Oh, is that all?" she teases. She pulls out her badge ring to show him her newly earned Fairy Badge. "Viola and Belle did a great job! Anyway, have fun! Train hard!" she laughs.

"Tanaaa!" Leon whines on the other end of the call.

"Oh, alright. I'll be there in a bit!" Tana laughs before hanging up.

Tana rode atop her Milotic across the Lake to reach the island on the other side. When she reaches land, she hugs Ayame and thanks her before returning Ayame to her Pokéball. All she has to do now is find out where Leon has wandered off to.

"Leon? Are you around here?" Tana shouts.

Her calls are returned by the sound of Leon's Charizard letting out a cry to signal her where their location is. She smiles and runs in their direction, but…slows her run when she spots something out of the corner of her eye. It looks like a Pokémon nest. There were a few Pokémon messing with it, but it clearly didn't belong to any of them.

"Ichigo scare them off!" Tana barks as she lets Ichigo out of his ball and with a screeching cry Ichigo charges the nest thieves. Leon coming into eyesight fairly quickly at all the noise Tana and Ichigo are making. Charizard scaring off the rest as Tana approaches the nest with a frown. A few of the eggs were taken or destroyed, but there are two that had been saved.

"What should we do?" Tana asks moving closer to the nest to check on the eggs. She picks one of them up, gently and cuddles it close. "It feels cold…I bet the mother isn't around anymore" she sighs knowing it didn't necessarily mean anything dark had happened. It was common for Pokémon to be caught by unknowing trainers before they were able to hatch their eggs. Miss Honey had told her it was a risk all trainers and Pokémon alike took when they battled in the wild.

Leon picks up the other egg and holds it to his ear. It sounds like there was still life inside! "I have an idea! What if we take care of the eggs ourselves?" he suggests. It might be fun to hatch the eggs. They may not know what kind of Pokémon were inside, but they could still end up being important members of their teams.

"Lee neither of us have ever hatched a Pokémon egg before" Tana points out warily as she put her bag down and made a small nest inside once she had reorganized some things to make room while whispering to it that everything would be okay soon.

"It can't be that hard! And look at you! You're already acting all motherly with it!" Leon laughs as he says this, and she feels her face heat up. It was a good thing Miss Honey and Mustard were all the way on the Isle. They had already teased her enough insinuating that Leon was her boyfriend…if they found out she and Leon were really considering hatching Pokémon eggs together, she may never hear the end of it. He nudges her gently, snapping her out of that thought. "Come on! I know we can do it!" he encourages as Ichigo nods.

"I guess you're right" Tana relents with a small laugh and looks over to him as he takes his jacket off to wrap his own egg in it.

A voice calls out from afar, one that is familiar to them both. "Leon? Where did you go? I told you not to go anywhere until I got back! Did you get lost again?" Raihan shouts as Tana snorts and tries not to laugh.

"We're over here, Rai! Come look what we found!" Tana calls as she moves out into the open so he could spot her.

"Tana, you're here too?" Raihan asks as he runs over.

"Yeah…Lee called me earlier and I'm pretty sure it was because he didn't know how to find his way out of here" Tana laughs.

Raihan rolls his eyes. "Sometimes I wonder if he would actually survive out here without us" he mutters as his gaze then goes to the egg sticking out of her ratty trainer bag. "That a Pokémon egg?" he asks in awe.

"Yeah! We rescued them from some hungry Pokémon! Leon has one too" Tana tells him, while bringing him over to where Leon is. "We're going to take care of them and hatch them since their mother isn't around" she explains.

"That's…kinda cool you guys! Any clue on what they might be?" Raihan asks.

"Not a clue! But I want to raise it to be really strong no matter what! It's going to have a place on my Champion team when I take that title!" Leon explains excitedly as Tana smiles slightly at his enthusiasm.

"Hey, you might be the strongest out of the three of us right now, but the Pokémon League is still a couple of months away! We still have plenty of time to train" Raihan has a confident smile on his face. "I could very well be the one taking that title, you know!" he points out as Tana snorts in amusement.

Neither of the other two trainers respond, too busy focusing on their eggs. It is kind of interesting to see how they both seem so attached to them already, without even knowing what kind of Pokémon might be inside. Rather than trying to bicker with Leon over the Champion title like they usually did, Raihan decides to drop it, just this once. Without telling them, he took out his Rotom phone and snaps a quick picture of the two of them. It might be funny to show them later.

The three set up camp together that night and Tana makes curry for all of them. It's their first night camping together without Sonia joining them, which really makes them miss her, but they were happy she was honest with what she wanted to do, and they supported her decision to go back home. After dinner, the boys took turns helping Tana train. One would keep an eye on the eggs, while the other would battle with her. Tana proving even with the minor hiccup she'd had at the Stow-On-Side she is still just as strong as both boys and just as willy as Mustard when it came to battle strategy and covering her weaknesses.

The next morning, they all pack their bags. Tana places her egg gently back in her bag, making sure her blankets are wrapped snugly around it. Circhester is usually pretty cold no matter what time of year it is, so she doesn't want to risk the egg getting too cold.

She stands and puts her bag on her back and turns to the two boys who were busy packing their own bags. This is probably going to be the last time they would see each other in person until the Pokémon League competition. Without warning, she walks over to them and squeezes between them to hug them at the same time.

"I still have 3 badges to get, but I will be ready to battle you guys at the Pokémon League!" Tana says cheerfully.

"Well I'd sure hope so! We'd be pretty disappointed if you weren't, Tana!" Raihan responds. "We'll be rooting for you until you complete your Gym Challenge!" he adds on as Tana grins in delight.

"Thank you" Tana hugs them one more time before stepping away. "And Lee, make sure you call me as soon as that egg hatches!" she warns as she lets her Milotic out for the journey back across the water.

"You'd better do the same!" Leon points out.

"Don't worry, I will!" Tana laughs as she adjusts the strap of her backpack. "I'll see you boys soon! Train hard!" She waves goodbye as she walks back toward the Lake to surf off with Ayame.

Later that same afternoon, Tana arrives in Circhester. She is ready to take on the gym and earn her 6th badge. The gym mission itself is hardly a problem for her, able to navigate the pitfalls without falling once.

She marches out onto the battlefield and faces Melony without any fear knowing if she didn't win this badge, she would never get to make it to the Pokémon League with Leon and Raihan. And that wasn't an option with how far she'd come and how supportive her friends, human and Pokémon alike had been.

"You finally made it, Tana!" Melony says to her when they finally meet face to face. "But don't think that I am going to go easy on you! I'm going to freeze your team solid!" she says cheerfully.

"I wouldn't have it any other way!" They both walk to their own sides of the field before calling out their first Pokémon.

She had researched most of Melony's tricks, but the Ice Leader still managed to keep Tana on her toes.

The battle concludes with both trainers Gigantamaxing their Pokémon, Hinata versus the woman's Lapras. They were almost evenly matched, but Hinata is just a little bit faster and gets the last hit in, winning her the battle. Tana stands, grinning as Melony walks up to her to shake her hand as she did after every Gym battle.

"Thank you, Melony. That was a really fun battle!" Tana tells her. "Probably the most fun I've ever- Huh?" Suddenly she feels something moving in her bag. Was the egg okay?

Melony put a hand to her face and looks at the young girl with confusion. "Is everything alright, Tana?"

"I hope so" Tana whispers as she gently pulls the egg out of her bag and notices a little crack in the top. At first she panics, worried that she had damaged it somehow, but then it starts shaking in her hands.

"Oh my, you have a Pokémon egg with you? It looks like it's hatching! Come on, let's head back to the locker room" Melony says as she put her hand on Tana's back and leads her off the battlefield.

When they get back to Melony's private locker room, she pulls a few towels off a shelf to have something soft to rest the egg on. Tana pulls out her phone after setting the egg down gently. Ready to call Leon once the egg has hatched.

"Where did you find this?" Melony asks as the cracks in the egg started getting bigger.

"In the Wild Area when I was with my friends" Tana explains as the baby Pokémon inside the egg breaks the top open and pops its little head out. She recognizes the Pokémon immediately, a trainer she'd battled at one point had used one. "Wow it's a Dreepy" she breathes in awe.

Tana's phone began to ring while she was distracted with her new Pokémon and Melony lifts the device off the bench, seeing a certain trainer's picture on the caller ID. "I see…and would one of those friends happen to have been Leeeonn~?" she asks in a teasing voice.

"H-huh?" Tana turns around with the Pokémon in her arms to see Melony holding up her phone, a call from Leon coming through.

Melony hits the accept call button and is the first to greet the boy on the other end of the call. "Why hello there, Leon! I hope you've been well!" she greets.

"Oh… Hi Melony! Yeah, I have! Thanks!" He tilts his head in confusion. "Uhh…why do you have Tana's phone? I have something important to talk to her about!" he asks as Tana swipes her phone back with a pout.

"Sorry about that Lee…But guess what! My egg hatched! Check it out!" Tana holds up her baby Dreepy to the camera.

"Oh! Mine hatched too! And it was a Dreepy just like yours! I guess that means we have twins now!" Leon chuckles and so does Melony, though she was laughing for a different reason. What he said made it sound like they had children.

Tana feels herself growing red again and she buries her face into her baby Dreepy. "Yeah I guess that's true! Oh man, wait until Raihan hears what they were! He's going to be so jealous!" she giggles nervously.

"You're probably right! Guess we will have to break it to him at the Pokémon League!" Leon says with a laugh. "I should go, though! I need to introduce Dreepy to the rest of my team! I'll see you later, Tana!" he says.

Tana hangs up the call and thanks Melony for letting her in the private locker room before heading out to the lobby. TM and Gym uniform in hand so she can head to the Pokémon Center to introduce her team to the newest member. Letting them all out around the Pokémon Center's pool so Ayame could meet the baby too.

"There's someone I'd like all of you to meet!" Tana says, holding the baby Dreepy in her arms. Each of her Pokémon greet the small dragon in their own way, happy to meet the newest member of their team.

"This is Sakura the newest member of our family" Tana says quietly as all of her Pokémon approach gently to greet the baby. Sakura happy to bask in the attention, though she seemed to get along best with Viola who was more than pleased to no longer be the newbie of their little family.

'She'll fit in just fine' Ichigo chirps as he lets Tana onto his back as they make their way out of Circhester and onto the next gym. Sakura wrapped up and cuddled against Tana's chest inside her jacket.

The next two months were split between beating the last two gyms then training for the tournament where the few that managed to collect all eight badges competed against each other. The last trainer standing would then move on to the Champion Cup where they would be placed in another tournament with the Galar Gym Leaders, and whoever won this tournament, whether it be the challenger or a Gym Leader, would get to challenge the Champion for their title.

The first month Tana spent breezing through the last two gyms before catching up with Piers in the Wild Area, training with the Dark type specialist instead of catching up with Leon and Raihan as a means to prepare her own strategies and make sure they didn't see her or her team coming.

Adding to her team in the form of a scarred shiny Charmeleon that she would name Hanabi, taking Ayame off the team roster at her encouragement. Mustard having set up the system so Tana could still carry all her catches but could only ever use six at any time in battle.

Working with Hanabi till she evolved into a Charizard and proved that Tana's luck still held true in a gamble of luck in that besides being shiny, Hanabi also had the Gigantamax gene as well though she only had the one eye. Losing her right one being the reason her trainer had abandoned her in the Wild Area.

With the addition of Hanabi, Tana is also able to train Sakura up to her full evolution though both of her newest team mates had been assisted in the endeavor with EXP candies Tana had earned in the Dynamax dens she had been training in with a reluctant Piers.

"You're luck is really weird, but it suits you" Piers sighs tiredly as they fly to Wyndon on Hanabi's back.

"Yeah I know it's weird and I'm just glad things didn't go FUBAR while we were training in the dens otherwise this conversation would be going a lot differently" Tana laughs as Piers clung tight to her waist.

"Good luck and see you on the pitch" Tana says cheerfully once Piers had his footing and waved her off as both went their separate ways to check in at the front desk. Running into a couple of other challengers she knew vaguely.

Ignoring some of the looks she was getting from a couple of the female challengers for her messy hair and slightly singed clothes. Focused on changing and keeping calm and not letting the emotions of all the Pokémon in the room get to her.

Pulling her hair up into a high ponytail and slipping on her sports glasses instead of her contacts knowing today would be a hot and dry day and not good for her to be wearing contacts.

All of the challengers would the stadium together as Chairman Rose announced the start of the tournament. Tana spotting Leon and Raihan on the field not too far away from her and waves to them both. Flashing them both a challenging smile with all teeth, eyes promising death if they didn't go all out against her.

Noting that all three of them had been split up and that Raihan had his match first. Her cackling setting some of the others in the waiting room on edge as they all watched Raihan sweep his opponents team away with just his Flygon.

Raihan and Leon both watching in awe as Tana did the same in her next three matches with Hanabi to the shock of those in the waiting room since her battle records didn't have the fire drake on roster. Tana like her friends having been one of the challengers to watch and beat this year, a complete unknown that had set everyone on edge when she'd beaten Stow-On-Side with a legendary bird.

Her cackling on the pitch intimidating some of those still in the locker room when it was obvious her battle strategies were going the way she had wanted and planned for.

Quietly giggling by the time she bounced back into the waiting room during a reprieve that she and Raihan would share while Leon had to go up once more on the fourth and second last day of the tournament.

"You did great!" Raihan cheers as he sweeps her up into a hug while demanding to know where she'd managed to find a Charizard. Tana quickly waving to Leon who would grin and get onto the pitch.

"My weird luck kicked in during the month I had left before the tournament. She was a Charmeleon left out in the Wild Area after losing her right eye" Tana explains as Raihan put her down as she digs out a few potions from her locker to heal Hanabi up before her next match.

"Well she looks great after a month of training" Raihan praises as Tana grins but the grin would turn into a frown as she looks at the tournament match ups. She and Raihan were due to face off and the winner of that match would have to face whoever won in Leon's match the next day.

"Well we'll get to see who faces off with Lee" Tana points out as Raihan looks in surprise and nods with a wide grin, his Rotom phone taking a picture of them giving the camera a peace sign.

"Be honest you aren't looking to take the title are you?" Raihan asks as they make their way down the hallway and onto the pitch.

"Not really, this was to see how far I could go, and I think I did pretty good all things considered…Doesn't mean I'll go easy on you. I want to give the audience one last big bang from us before they get to see the main event" Tana grins as Raihan nods knowing without words what she hadn't been saying.

The journey for her had been about making friends and getting to experience everything they did together. About coming out of her shell and growing into herself from the tiny girl he'd met at the Budew Inn nearly a year ago now.

So without another word both would face off in a vicious clash of the titans, cementing them as major players of their generation. Tana as an up and coming fire/dragon specialist and Raihan as the dragon tamer and weather specialist.

Both down to just one Pokémon each by the time Tana gave in and revealed her trump card. Cackling at Raihan's surprise at Hanabi's Gigantamax form. Having saved Hanabi's Dynamax for this very reason since everyone knew Hinata had a Gigantamax form.

"That's what you've been hiding from everyone you crazy bint?!" Raihan shouts as Tana only laughs evilly as Raihan is forced to Dynamax his Flygon.

"Who said I was hiding anything, you just had to ask" Tana points out as Raihan curses and shakes his fist at her as he uses his type advantage to the fullest and knocks Hanabi out a few turns later though not before Hanabi had gotten a good couple swipes and burns in.

"You did good Hanabi we'll treat ourselves later" Tana whispers as she returns her Charizard to her ball and walks across the pitch to shake hands.

"That was bloody great Tana, why didn't you dish out strategies like that before?!" Raihan laughs as they walk off the pitch together, their match the final match of the night with finals and the Champion cup beginning the next day.

"I was missing a couple members for those strategies to work and I usually don't like burning my friend's Pokémon like Hanabi did your Flygon Rai" Tana sighs as Raihan shrugs. Tana hurrying off in the other direction to get changed into her regular clothes. Cleaning out her locker since she wouldn't be needing it anymore.

Sonia giving her a tight hug once they're in the stadium lobby. Leon right behind her asking Tana if she was alright and enthusing about her fight with Raihan. How intense it had been. No one commenting on how truly vicious she and her team could be when pushed like Raihan had pushed them.

"I'm good, my team gave their all and that's all I've ever asked of them Lee" Tana says as she accepts his hug as well. "It might have gone differently if I had used Ayame but she doesn't like battling as much as everyone else in my roster does so I took her off the battle roster for Hanabi who does" she admits as Raihan nods knowing Tana's Milotic likely could and would have taken Flygon out since much like Leon, Tana taught her team mates moves to cover their type disadvantages and take advantage of any of her opponents weaknesses like Flygon's to ice and fairy moves.

The next day Tana and Sonia spent almost the entire match sitting on the edge of their seats. Watching the previous matches had been a lot easier. They knew exactly who to root for, but in this battle it's their two closest friends up against each other. Only one could win which Tana knew from watching Leon walk onto the pitch what the outcome would be from the eager determined look in his eyes.

The battle is extremely close, with Leon ultimately coming out on top. Tana felt a little bad for Raihan, since even after all this time, he still couldn't beat Leon. The three of them were each other's biggest rivals right from the start.

However, Tana couldn't help but feel completely overjoyed for Leon. He was one step closer to getting that Champion crown.

Clearly, Raihan himself is disappointed in his loss, but in the end, he is glad to have lost to someone like Leon. Sure they were rivals, but they were really good friends! And he wants to be supportive of him! After taking a deep breath, he smiles and walks over to him to congratulate him.

"That was a great battle, Leon!" Raihan tells him as they shook hands.

"It sure was! The best battle I've had this whole tournament!" Leon smiles brightly.

"Yeah well, you'd better go out there tomorrow and win that Champion Cup! We're all cheering you on!" Raihan pulls his hand away and turns to walk away, but he stops to add one last comment. "Just don't get too comfy up there as Champ. I'll be back next year to take that title for myself!" he jeers to the amusement of Tana in the stands.

Leon couldn't help but laugh. He is looking forward to it!

"And there you have it! Challenger Leon is our Pokémon League Tournament winner this season! Challenger Leon will have the opportunity tomorrow to battle his way through the Champion Cup Tournament and take on our very own Champion! Join us back here tomorrow for another day of exciting battles!" the announcer calls out to the cheering crowd.

The next day, Tana attends the tournament with Sonia, and this time they are joined by Raihan. Everything went exactly as they expected, with Leon succeeding in each of his battles against the Gym Leaders, quickly rising to the final battle against the Champion.

When the battle they had all been waiting for finally arrived, Tana feels her own nerves skyrocket. She's likely more nervous than Leon from the looks of it. She cheers loudly for her friend, feeling excited each time he took down one of the Champion's Pokémon.

However, anytime one of his Pokémon would faint, Tana would grab Raihan's arm and shake it in frustration, never taking her eyes off the battlefield.

"Come on, Lee! You can do it!" Tana yells, green eyes bright as she bounces in her seat.

At first, Raihan is a little annoyed that he had become the target for her to release her frustrations, but eventually he finds it amusing that she is getting so into Leon's battle. The two having a large appreciation for each other that everyone who knew them could very obviously see, even if they couldn't see it themselves.

Though Raihan knew that Tana would catch on eventually, long before Leon did anyways. The dual fire/dragon specialist way more in tune with her feelings than Leon.

The battle is finally starting to come to a close and Tana could hardly sit still! Both Leon and the Champion were down to their last Pokémon. Charizard the final member on Leon's team, and she had complete faith in him. He is the strongest Pokémon on Leon's entire team! And the Champion's final Pokémon had already taken some damage from his previous Pokémon, which was Dragapult.

And just as she believed they could…they won. Tana finally released her death grip on Raihan's arm, quickly apologizing as she jumps up and down from her spot in the audience giggling in delight. She is so happy for him! Proud even! He had always been the strongest trainer she knew, but over the course of the months they spent taking part in the Gym Challenge, he had grown at an incredible rate.

After the awards ceremony, which included probably over a thousand pictures and interviews, Tana, Raihan, and Sonia all wait back in the locker room, being given special permission to be back there as friends of the new Galar Champion and waited for him to come back there so they could all congratulate him in person.

Leon is so happy to see them when he gets there, excited to show off his new trophy and even flaunt the fancy cape they put around his shoulders! It's a solid red with a diamond pattern on the inside, with fluffy cream colored faux fur around the edges.

"You almost look like royalty" Raihan jokes.

"Yeah? You think so?" Leon asks, picking up the sides of the cape and turning from side to side. Since he is still a kid, the cape is quite oversized on him.

"I like it!" Tana chimes in while holding his trophy, carefully. "And your trophy too! But it's kinda heavy" she laughs.

Leon chuckles and takes the trophy back, holding it pridefully.

"So…what happens now?" Sonia asks Leon curiously.

"Well I think I have to stay up here in Wyndon for a while. They have a special suite for me at the hotel and everything!" he tells them.

"Huh, but what about your family? Aren't they going to miss you?" Raihan asks.

"Yeah. But we already knew that I'd be away for a while if I became Champion! And besides, my mum can visit anytime she wants! For the next couple months at least" Leon explains as Tana frowns thoughtfully.

"Only the next couple months? She can't visit after that?" Tana asks curiously, head tilted lightly as she pet her Lycanroc.

Leon takes a seat on the bench, placing the trophy next to him as he thought carefully about what he is going to say next. He was too excited to keep this a secret from them! Even if he promised not to tell too many people about it just yet. "Okay" he whispers. "I gotta tell you guys something important, but you can't tell anyone yet! Promise?" he asks seriously.

The other three sit on the floor in front of him and nod, eyes wide. Sonia and Raihan on the edge of their seats thinking it's league info while Tana would look down to Belle, the Lycanroc grumbling and putting it together for Tana.

"I'm going to be a big brother!" Leon tells them, excitedly. "But my parents aren't telling anyone outside of family just yet! They just want to make sure everything goes well for the next few weeks!" he explains.

Sonia gasps and jumps up to give him a hug. She had known his family for most of her life, so hearing this news made her especially happy. "Lee, that's great! How long have you known?" she asks.

"About a week now! I can't wait to teach my little brother or sister everything I know!" he responds.

"That little baby is the luckiest baby in the world with such a strong protector and teacher like you Lee" Tana giggles happily.

Raihan smiles. "The baby can learn from all of us! Like how to kick this Champion's butt!" he says, implying that he will have done so by the time the baby is born.

"You wish!" Leon responds.

The group of trainers spend the next hour or so talking about Leon's future baby brother, Hop, until the stadium's staff had to come in and remind them of the celebration party the League is holding in Leon's honor. A party sounds like a lot of fun! And it was...until they could hardly spend five minutes with Leon before someone is pulling him away for pictures or to congratulate him on his win. It's to be expected, however. He had just won a major tournament! Sonia and Raihan figured it was only going to be that way for the next few days, and after that they could go back to hanging out any time they wanted.

Tana knew better though that it was going to be much harder than they all thought.

Keeping her thoughts to herself as she made her excuses and promises to talk later before letting Hanabi out and flying to what had become home on the Isle of Armor.

Greeted excitedly by the dojo students and hugged tightly by her foster parents who were happy to have her home and proud she'd gotten so far with only two months of training and knowledge before going out on her challenge.

Settling in to catch up on her education electronically then physically once she was caught up to her age group while training up herself and her team to travel to the other regions.

Three nearly four years would go by since Leon had been crowned the Champion of the Galar Region, achieving his dream at such a young age. In this time, Sonia began helping her grandmother in the lab, researching Dynamax Pokémon. And Raihan trained his Pokémon to be even stronger than they already were, planning to challenge Leon for his title. Occasionally, Tana would train with Raihan while the other two were busy, but her heart wasn't always in it and she was getting restless. It wasn't like she wanted to take Leon's title from him anyway. That rivalry being better left to Raihan in her opinion.

So after she turned 14, Leon, Sonia and Raihan not too far behind her with their birthdays coming after hers while Piers had turned 16 the month before and Hop being 3 going on 4, Tana would sit her friends down at their old camp out spot in the Wild Area and tell them of her plans to travel. Hoping they would be supportive of her choice considering of the four of them Tana is the only at a loose end for her career as a trainer.

"Alright, we're all here. What did you need to tell us, Tana?" Raihan asks. "Hope it's important! I was in the middle of training Flygon for my next match with this guy!" He lightly punches Leon's arm as he says this.

Tana bites her lip and looks up as if considering her words, something she did often when she felt nervous. "Well…I'd say this is pretty important" she sighs knowing she needed to get this out like ripping off a band-aid.

"Then you have our full attention!" Leon responds with a bright smile.

"Okay…all of you have been working so hard lately chasing after your dreams, and I know Rai's noticed how restless I've been with no actual goal to drive me" Tana starts off as Raihan nods his head. Tana had indeed been restless and her heart not always in the moment like it used to be when they battled.

"That's okay, Tana! You don't have to know right away! We're still young, so you have plenty of time!" Sonia points out reasonably.

"Yeah, but the thing is, I don't if that goal is here in Galar. Not right now anyways" Tana says quietly, biting her lip and looks down to Belle who would lean into her legs. "Well I've been training up for a ticket to go to Kanto since we're done school for the year. My flight is next week" she explains as all of her friends stare in surprise.

Leon feels his heart drop to his stomach. "Wait…you're leaving? You won't be here to see my Champion Cup battle this year?" he demands. She's his best friend! She had been there for every battle since he had become champion!

"You know I'd never miss it for anything! I know how importa-" Tana opens her mouth to reassure, her overall demeanor closing off in reaction to his emotions which never boded well in the eyes of her friends and Leon knew it too if he had noticed.

"It's not the same. You promised you'd always be there to cheer me on" Leon shakes his head, the disappointment very clear in his voice.

"Lee…" Sonia starts and places a hand on his shoulder but he just shrugs it off and storms away. She then turns to Tana, with a worried expression on her face. "Tana, I'm so sorry…I don't know what's gotten into him" she sighs as Tana smiles sadly.

Raihan chases after Leon; Tana and Sonia able to hear him shouting at Leon in the distance.

"No, it's okay. I knew that was a potential reaction and I would stay for the match, but my flight is the only one I could get without putting this off another six months and that means we're back in classes" Tana points out quietly.

"Don't worry about it, okay? He'll be fine. Just give him some time and he'll realize what a big step this will be for you and I just know he'll support you! He's probably just sad that we won't be able to see you for a while, which is something we are all feeling" Sonia hugs her friend, tightly. "We are going to miss you, but you've gotta do what's best for you!" she points out firmly as Tana returns the hug with a small smile.

"Thank you, Sonia" Tana says quietly, both girls hugging each other tightly.

In the coming days before she is due to leave, Tana wouldn't hear a single word from Leon as she packed and got herself organized for the trip. Saying her good byes to Mustard and Honey who were proud of her for making a decision for herself for a change before catching the Corviknight Taxi to stay the night with Raihan for one last game night before Tana left.

Leon opting out to the quiet dismay of Tana who knew game night was one of the few things he made time for in the week regardless of his schedule.

It's almost time for her to board the train that would take her to the airport in Wyndon the next morning and only Sonia and Raihan had shown up to see her off.

"You have everything you need, right?" Sonia asks.

"Yes and what I didn't Rai had in his apartment" Tana reassures, a little distracted as she searches through the crowd, hoping Leon is only running late because he got lost again. "Do you think he's coming?" she asks quietly, giving up as she rests flat on her feet.

Raihan sighs and rubs the back of his head. "Sorry, Tana. I tried. He didn't answer his phone" he apologizes as Tana nods.

"This is the final boarding call for the 2:00pm train to Wyndon. Final boarding call" the train master calls out.

Tana grumbles a couple choice words before hugging the two of her friends. "I guess we're out of time. Just…tell him I said goodbye, okay? I'm really going to miss all of you" she says before grabbing her bag and hurries to the gate, quickly turning her back to her friends so they wouldn't see the tears in her eyes. So they wouldn't see the hurt at the fact Leon hadn't shown up like she'd hoped, not wanting to leave things as they were before she left for Kanto.

Tana wipes her eyes once she's in her seat. She knew Leon was upset, but would it really have killed him to at least say goodbye?

Not long after the train began moving, Tana notices the whispers throughout the train car. "Is that who I think it is?" "Was he supposed to board the train or something?" "I heard a rumor that he gets lost all the time, so maybe he missed the train!"

"Hm?" Tana peers out the window to see an unexpected scene; a Charizard flying alongside the train! But not just any Charizard.

"You're right! It's Champion Leon!" "Someone get the conductor's attention! I think he's trying to get on!"

"You have to be kidding me Lee!" Tana hisses to herself as she stares out the window in disbelief. What did he think he was doing?

Before long, the train comes to a halt and many passengers on the train pull out their Rotom phones and snap pictures, cheering as their new passenger recalls his Charizard and boards the train.

"Sorry, excuse me. Uh, thank you! That's very kind of you but there's someone I need to see" Tana hears him say as he pushes through the crowd. He stops in front of her with an apologetic look on his face.

"You're late Lee" Tana sighs tiredly once the car quiets down, unable to hide the disappointment she had been feeling. "I thought you were still upset with me for leaving" she says as Leon flinches lightly at her tone.

"You're my best friend, I could never hate you or be upset with you for long!" Leon reassures as he sits down next to her, fiddling with something in his hand. "Honestly, I had every intention of coming to see you off with Sonia and Raihan, but I…might have forgotten where the station was" he admits sheepishly at Tana's knowing look.

"I should've known better…I'm just glad you made it. I would have been so mad at you if you didn't say goodbye!" Tana smacks his arm playfully, before crossing her arms and sticking her bottom lip out in a pout.

"I know, I know…" Leon says quietly knowing he wouldn't mention that Sonia and Raihan had noticed her crying as she boarded the train. Not with how happy she is now. "But hey! I brought you a going away present! Just don't open it until you get to Kanto, okay? It hatched last night!" he explains, handing her a Pokéball with a ribbon tied around it.

"A Pokémon? Really?" Tana asks in awe as she stares down at the ball in her hands. "Thank you, Leon! I promise I'll take really good care of it!" she sniffs happily as she clips the ball onto her belt with the rest of her team.

"I trust that you will!" he responds with a wide grin. A moment later, however, the grin fades and he sighs. "Listen…I'm really sorry for the way I reacted the other day in the Wild Area. I guess I just never expected you to want to go so far away, but it wouldn't be fair to ask you to stay if you weren't happy here" he admits as Tana shakes her head in amusement.

"I won't be gone forever Lee, Galar is my home. I just want to get out and see the world…discover the type of trainer I can be! I'm just not cut out to be a champion like you or a researcher like Sonia, and as much as Rose has been bugging me too I can't see myself as a gym leader like Raihan is training to be right now. I want to do my own thing, you know?" Tana explains gently, ignoring Leon's frown about Rose like a champ. She'd made small complaints here and there about the man over the years, the main complaint being how controlling the man seemed and how he wouldn't leave her alone to figure out what SHE wanted for her future. Rose having been persistent in seeing Tana take up a place in the Motostoke gym under Kabu or work with Raihan at the Hammerlocke gym.

"Yeah, I understand! And no matter what that ends up being, I'll be rooting for you the whole way!" Leon tells her, while pumping a fist in the air. "But there's just one favor I want to ask of you" he says as Tana nods her head.

"What is it?" Tana asks curiously.

"Don't forget to call! All the time! Even if I'm busy, I want to hear what you're up to! I just know you'll have lots of exciting adventures out there!" Leon exclaims.

"Of course I will! And you try your best not to lose your title to Raihan" Tana agrees with a wet laugh. "He would be unbearable as champion!" she jokes.

"Please, there's no way I'm going to lose my title to anyone! I bet I'll still be undefeated by the time you get back!" Leon says with his hands on his hips. He sounds so confident, but then again this is how he's always been.

When the train arrives at the station, the two young trainers step outside and turn to face each other. Tana almost has second thoughts about leaving. She really didn't know if she would make any new friends when she gets to Kanto. It could be lonely.

Leon wraps his arms tightly around his friend and sweeps her off her feet with a tight hug. "You're going to be great out there! I believe in you!" he encourages.

Tears fill her eyes again for what felt like the hundredth time that day upon hearing him say those words. They mean so much more to her than even she can understand. He is such a good friend.

"Thank you, Lee. I won't let you down!" Tana reassures once Leon puts her down.

She grabs her things and walks toward the airport entrance, but before going inside she turns and waves to him one last time.

Once she's checked into her hotel room in Kanto, hours having gone by since she'd left Galar Tana would let out the Pokémon Leon had given her.

Breaking down into happy tears once she takes in the sleepy Houndour that comes out of the ball, the little one calling her mama to her quiet delight.

"Welcome to the family Cor" Tana whispers as she cuddles her new Houndour, the little one cooing and making happy noises cuddled into her chest.

Tana would spend the next several years travelling the regions, her first two spent competing in the Gym challenge of Kanto and Johto with her team. Getting to know her seniors in Blue Oak and Satoshi Red.

Blue having taken the chance to travel again with her after his grandfather mentioned Tana didn't know the region being from Galar and would likely need help.

It's being on the road with Blue that Tana learns to be more comfortable in her own skin and would learn more about the new world she's in. In return though she would help Blue find the courage to track his rival down and admit his feelings to the other teen.

Both of them making the journey up Mt Silver once Tana had beaten the Kanto League with her team of mostly fire and dragon types to the delight of Blue.

"Belle says we're almost there" Tana says to Blue as they finally track down the boy Tana only knew as Red to the summit of the mountain.

"Thanks for coming with me Evans" Blue says quietly as Tana smiles in amusement.

"Don't thank me until after we drag him down and you give him a good snog" Tana giggles as Blue flushes and cusses her out. Tana waiting at the bottom of the stairs that Red had obviously dug into place while Blue marched up to the top and wouldn't come back down till a little while later with Red in tow. Both older boys red in the face as Tana giggles in delight. Her phone zooming out of her pocket to snap a picture of the pair and then all three of them as they walk back down the mountain.

Red faced and smiling widely at the camera.

"Thank you" Red would say quietly once they were bundled up into the Mt Silver Pokémon Center. Blue having taken all of their Pokémon up to the counter downstairs for healing. Having run into a little trouble half way down from a clowder of Sneasel and Weaville.

"He missed you and I wanted to meet the boy he and his Pokémon were always talking about" Tana admits fondly as Red's cheeks flush a little and nods slowly. Not saying another word though Tana is okay with that as she pushes a notepad and pen towards him.

The pair talking through the pad when Blue comes back, so engrossed in their conversation they miss the fond look on Blue's face at the picture they paint. Heads pressed together as they silently argue over whatever it is they're arguing over. Their eyes bright in excitement only they could understand.

The Johto half of the journey was spent exploring with both boys, slowly earning the Johto badges instead of the outright conquest march Tana had gone on in Kanto. Letting her new friends settle into the new aspect of their relationship in peace instead of being dogged by the press in Kanto since someone had spotted Red entering the Viridian Gym with Blue and Tana to rest after the long trek back from Mt Silver.

Watching their relationship grow had Tana considering her own relationships and the potential of wanting more someday. Raihan teasing her mercilessly once she voiced these thoughts to him with Piers encouraging her to go at her own pace when she mentioned it to them both in her phone calls home.

Once those two years were up though Tana would move on, Blue and Red seeing her off and sad to see her go.

"You better stay in touch and let us know how things go alright Evans?" Blue sniffs as he lifts Tana off her feet in a hug, Tana giving Red a long suffering look over the fact all her friends were able to lift her off her feet like this.

"I promise and I'll send you both a copy of that album I was working on with my friend. Signed by both of us" Tana promises as she pats Blue's back in quiet comfort before being passed over to Red who would hug her as well though not as tightly.

"Take care of each other okay? I won't always be here to bail Blue out of trouble" Tana asks as Red snorts and nods, ruffling her short hair. Both having convinced her to crop it short to avoid the issue she'd been having with it getting singed during training sessions with her team.

Like promised though Tana would send that album a month after she would arrive in Hoenn, the album signed by herself and her friend Piers. The opening and master piece of the album dedicated to Blue and Red. The picture she'd taken of them on Mt Silver used as the inner cover where the lyrics had been inserted along the side of the picture.

"She is such a brat" Blue hiccups a watery laugh as Red takes the CD and puts it in the computer to play it. Unaware on the other side of the world Tana's friends were doing the same after Piers had sent Sonia a copy of the CD per Tana's wishes.

"Ba da da ba da

Ooh

Ba da da ba da

Ba da da ba da

Yeah yeah

Ooh

Ba da da ba da

Ba da da ba da

Hey yeah

Ba da da ba da

Ba da da ba da

I got myself a notion

And one I know that you'll understand

To set the world in motion

By reaching out for each other's hand

Maybe we'll discover what we shoulda known all along

Yeah

One way or another togethers where we both belong

If we listen to each other's heart

We'll find we're never too far apart

And maybe love is a reason why

For the first time ever we're seeing it eye to eye

We're seein'

Eye to eye

We're seein' it eye to eye

If a wall should come between us

Too high to climb, too hard to break through

I know that love will lead us

And find a way to bring me to you

So don't be in a hurry, think before you count us out

You don't have to worry,

I won't ever let you drown

Nothing's gonna stop us now

If we listen to each other's heart

We'll find we're never too far apart

And maybe love is a reason why

For the first time ever we're seeing it eye to eye

We're seein' it eye to eye

Oh, we're seein' it eye to eye

We're seein' it eye to eye

Love is why we're seein' it

If you're ever lonely then stop.

You don't have to be

After all, it's only a beat away from you to me

TAKE A LOOK INSIDE AND SEE (YEAH)

If we listen to each other's heart

We'll find we're never too far apart

And maybe love is a reason why

For the first time ever we're seein' it eye to eye

We're seein' it

Eye to eye

We're seein' it eye to eye

We're seein' it

Eye to eye

We're seein' it eye to eye"

Tana's and Piers' voices would blare out in Leon's apartment where they had gathered on his one free day that week to listen to what Tana had been up to. A picture of her with Blue and Red at a festival in Ecruteak City tucked into Leon's copy with a little note written on the back explaining what they'd been up to in that picture and that yes Blue and Red were a couple. Her hair still long in the picture to the amusement of Sonia who had been the only one to see the new hair cut (Think Gray Fullbuster from Fairy Tail S5).

The next 7 years after Kanto and Johto were spent bouncing from Hoenn to Sinnoh to Kalos then Unova for Tana as she and her team grew even stronger with their experiences in everything the regions had to offer. Tana graduating from her online classes with the highest grades all the while keeping up with her friends through video calls and helping those she got close with on the road.

Sometimes she would call just one of them and sometimes on very rare occasions they would all be together when she would call. It reminded her of the times they would hang out together during their gym challenge. If their paths crossed in the Wild Area on their way to each of their next respective gyms, they would set up camp. They would challenge each other to battles and show off their newly caught Pokémon while Sonia made curry for everyone.

However, while she loved talking to everyone as a group, Tana often found herself enjoying calling and talking to Leon the most. Out of everyone, he was the one she considered her closest and best friend. She couldn't explain the comfort she felt after seeing his smiling face answer her call after a long day, even if it didn't happen every time she called. He was busy, after all. But even still, if he didn't answer, she always either received an apologetic text, or a call back later that evening.

It's on her journey that she finds someone just like herself in Unova in Natural Harmonia Gropius, her new friend Touya Black introducing her to the greenette after the pair had returned to Unova to save the region. The pair having run into each other in Kalos while Tana was exploring Mega Evolution with Hanabi. Touya having been following a tip that had suggested Natural had been in the region, the brunette still searching for his boyfriend two years after he'd gone on his journey to find himself.

Tana having heard bits and pieces about the incident with Team Plasma the first time and the whispers of them rising again the months following her meeting Touya.

"I didn't know there was someone like me out there" Natural says quietly as he cuddles with Touya, the trio having left clean up to Touya's friends and the newest Pokedex holder Rosa White. Tana having been the one to soundly beat Ghetsis into the ground with Ichigo, Hinata, Sakura, and Hades the Hydreigon she'd caught as a Zweilious at her side.

"I've been traveling much like you and Touya though I think it was for different reasons" Tana says lightly as Natural flushes and shyly looks down to Touya who only has a smile to give his boyfriend.

Said boyfriend having run away from the region to find himself after what had happened the first time with Team Plasma. The International Pokémon League upping the legal age for someone to register for the Gym Challenges to 18, much to the dismay of a 10 nearly 11 year old Hop who had been eager to start at 13 as it had been legally after the Hoenn incident. The incidents in Sinnoh and now Unova forcing the League to change it to 18 after a 13 year old Platinum Berlitz had to step in and stop Team Galactic and now Touya and Rosa, both age sixteen when they'd stepped up to stop Team Plasma.

"Yes and I'm glad Touya had you" Natural says quietly as Tana smiles a little sad that the pair had missed so much time together, squeezing both boy's hands between her own.

"I take it you're staying then" Tana giggles as Touya nods but would offer to show her around the region since this had been where she'd been planning to go next after Kalos. Having been stalling leaving Kalos in favor of training with Cor, Hanabi and Naru after beating the Kalos Gym Challenge. Naru having been a late catch in Sinnoh when she hadn't planned on it, but the Glameow had won her over.

Touya and N's reunion and their journey across the region once Rosa White had taken up position as Unova Champion would inspire Tana to finish up her latest album with Piers, the pair having released two more since the first one in Kanto.

Once more having Piers give a copy of the album to her friends to listen to while she did a live performance of it for her Unova friends, having been asked to perform at the celebrations for Rosa's ascension to Champion. Like the Kanto album all of them gathered at Leon's to actually watch Tana perform some pieces from the album. A picture with her newest friends and yes again they were a couple, Tana's habit of playing matchmaker and making friends with a lot of LGBTQ couples garnering a lot of amusement from Sonia and Raihan. Piers found it amusing and would use her habit to help promote the LGBTQ+ community at home and abroad. Piers having started seeing Gordie from Circhester three years after Tana had started traveling.

Tana on her part having gotten close with Steven Stone and Wallace Belnades and Brendan Birch and Wally Green in Hoenn and Ethan Gold and Silver Rocket and Morty Nanase and Eusine Shiba in Johto. Platinum Berlitz and Jun Tachibana were her only straight friend couple from Sinnoh. Though Cynthia had started seeing Lance from Kanto the last Sonia had heard from Tana.

"I've decided I will follow my heart

Promise yours will always be right near me

What if you could take the chance to save a life

But you, you could only save them by losing everything

If I could go back and give up everything I had

I would never hide my scars for anything

No, not for no one

It's so hard to walk on water everyday

If I fall you know I would swim

Through oceans of my tears to be with you

Say goodbye

I don't have the strength to let it all end

I would give all and everything if we could mend

All I wanted was you to stay and not disappear

I've decided I will follow my heart

Promise yours will always be right near me

It feels like every day I'm fighting for my life

But I, I'm never backing down I'm gonna prove I'm strong for you

I don't think I'm afraid at all to lose and fail a fight

I was always so afraid I might be losing you

I won't say die

You won't ever see me running away

'Cause this life, it meant more to me than everything

All I ask, stay right next to me and don't disappear

I've decided that I won't give up on my heart

I'm not strong for the power or the fame or the glory

Those don't mean a thing

I just wanted to be stronger so I could hold you closer

Next to me

Even if I end up losing everything

I won't ever forget I had you

Say goodbye

I don't have the strength to let it all end

I would give all and everything if we could mend

All I wanted was you to stay and not disappear

I've decided I will follow my heart

Promise yours will always be right near me

Even in the darkest night

I feel your heart

It lights my way

Light my way"

Tana sang her heart out for her newest friends, smiling widely at the happy tears and smiles on Touya's and N's faces at her words that best reflected their relationship. Not noticing her own happy tears trailing down her cheeks as she bows to the audience.

Looking happy even though she is a little beaten up still from her last battle with Rosa. Having beaten the girl but had admitted she wasn't looking to take the title from the younger girl. Like she had in every other region challenge she'd done, she'd done it to see how far she could go and how far she'd come since she was 10 going on 11 in Galar. Sending her badges, trophies and ribbons home for Mustard and Honey to display. 22 going on 23 for the performance.

It was after this little concert and she was travelling Alola with one of Leon's baby cousins Hau, that Raihan would call, actually call her phone instead of video call. Her 23rd birthday having come and gone as she finished travelling Unova and started cruising the islands of Alola with Hau and Elios.

"Is something wrong?" Tana asks worriedly as she waves Hau, Lillie and Elios off, heading outside the Pokémon center to talk.

"No everything is fine just checking in. Saw the video you posted of you on the Mantine with Elios this afternoon and got curious. He was clinging to you pretty tight" Raihan chatters as Tana sighs tiredly knowing where this was going.

"Please for the love of Arceus tell me you didn't tease Lee with that video…Elios is very much my junior and interested in Lillie's brother if the looks he was giving Gladion on Akala were anything to go by" Tana sighs as Raihan chuckles in amusement.

"Nah I had a good laugh at the just done look on your face as Elios tried to suffocate you" Raihan cackles as Tana grumbles some choice words. "Seriously though I am just checking in and curious when you're coming home? It's been 9 years and you've maybe been back once and that was for your baby brother being born" he admits as Tana hums and looks out over the ocean. Having landed on Ula'ula Island that evening. She'd been helping Lillie with her research on Nebby and knew she wouldn't leave until she'd helped the younger girl solve the mystery of Nebby and the wormholes.

Having taken a break from Gym challenges or the Island Challenge as the case would be for Alola. Just taking the time to explore and be with her Pokémon after years of training and battling in the other regions. Sending back the notes she'd been taking on the region variants to Sonia and Magnolia as she'd done in Kanto and Hoenn for Magnolia's notes.

"I'm caught up in a little research project that may take some time, but the plan was after Alola to come home since I know Hop is turning 14 this year and still bummed out the National League upped the legal age to 18" Tana hums out as she thought back on Raihan's point.

She had only gone home the once and that was to spend time with Mustard and Honey before her little brother, Hyde, had been born and he was about to turn 6 now. Having been happy and ecstatic when Tana had sent him gifts she knew he'd like, following his interest to invent and create new things.

Always willing to sit on the phone with him so he could bounce ideas off her as his sounding board, but sometimes it wasn't always enough. A budding prodigy much like Mustard though Mustard's talents lay in Pokémon battle to Hyde's tinkering and inventing.

She knew she'd been gone too long no matter how understanding her family had been.

"What brought this on by the way?" Tana asks curiously as Raihan thinks back on the conversation he'd been having with Leon before making this call.

~Flashback~

That day one of his rare days off Leon decided to meet up with Raihan for lunch in a cafe in Hammerlocke. Raihan had been distracted by his phone, as he is most days anymore, scrolling through Obstagram, posting selfies of them hanging out together that he took when they first got there. Occasionally he would respond to text messages that were coming through. One message happened to make him laugh, which made Leon curious.

"Who're you talking to?" Leon asks.

"It's Tana! She decided to try surfing on the Mantine with your baby cousins to Ula'ula Island!" Raihan cackles.

"I know, I saw the video earlier" Leon admits, taking a deep breath and clears his throat. He felt that pang of jealousy resurfacing once again when he thought about how close his best friends were and decided to just come out and ask what has been on his mind but tried to sound casual about it. "So, uh…you like her or anything?" he asks casually.

Raihan looks up at him, an eyebrow raising. That is a question he certainly wasn't expecting. "Of course I do! We've been friends for how long now?" Obviously he knew what Leon actually meant by his question, but he couldn't help but try to mess with him just a bit. Especially since Tana had been emoting her feelings for the idiot across from him in her music in every album regardless of the notes she'd left about the couples some of her pieces had been about.

"No, no. What I mean is…do you like her?" Leon prods.

"Oh, you mean like would I date her?" Raihan asks, continuing to play along.

"Yeah! Just, you know, wondering…since you're always talking to her" Leon responds obviously trying not to let his own feelings get in the way of the discussion.

"Well…she is pretty cute" Raihan looks up from his phone again to watch his reaction. "Think I should ask her out?" he prods.

"No! -er, I mean, I don't…know" Leon frantically starts rubbing the back of his head. With Raihan's charm Leon knew if Raihan asked Tana out it could be all over for him. It was obvious to Raihan Leon is searching for the words to say, but nothing else was coming out.

But then Raihan just starts laughing.

"Lee, I'm kidding! I know about your crush on her, have for years" Raihan reassures.

Leon breathes a sigh of relief. "Oh thank Arceus- Wait, you do? How?" he asks his best friend, the second part of Raihan's statement having just hit him.

"Everyone in Galar knows how you feel about Tana. You make it so obvious" Raihan snickers.

"I-I do not!" Leon protests.

"Have you forgotten that you practically stopped the train that was taking her to her flight just so you could see her before she left?" Raihan took a sip of his drink. "It was all over the news. People start talking about things like that" he points out.

"Oh, right…I never really thought about that" Leon sighs, though in his defense he didn't know he felt that way about her back then. He just knew how much he hated to see her leave and wanted to make sure she knew he would miss her. "But if you knew, why didn't you say anything?" he asks.

Raihan simply shrugs. "Ehh, I didn't want to embarrass you. I figured you'd bring it up yourself eventually. I just can't believe it's taken you this long though!" he admits with a long look at the Galarian Champion.

"Yeah, well…I've been busy and so has she. I didn't want to complicate things, especially not while she's so far away" Leon admits quietly.

"She's gotta come back eventually, though! She told us she would" Raihan points out.

"But who knows when that will ever be…" Leon says with a sigh, but then looks up to see Raihan making a phone call. "Wait, what are you doing?" he demands of his friend.

"I'm getting answers!" Raihan responds.

~Flashback end~

"No reason but for sure in the next six months since baby Hop is 14 by then" Raihan asks as Tana smiles a little knowing that is more than enough time. Unaware of the eager look on Raihan and Leon's faces.

"Yeah in six months if not earlier I'll be back. Keep an eye on the mail though since Piers and I are putting out an album before we're all too busy with this year's Gym Challenge" Tana agrees as Raihan whoops and asks what the picture theme would be this time and if she was going to do another live stream.

"Do you think I should?" Tana muses as Raihan makes a positive noise.

"Yeah your fans went nuts with the Unova performance and you've been posting videos of this album's songs, with the exception of that one piece you've been hoarding" Raihan says as Tana flushes at the mention of the last piece. He'd been prodding and asking about it since she'd let slip it was a piece for her own feelings instead of for her friends like she'd done since the first album. There'd always been one piece done by her personally that had been inspired by her experiences in the region she was in at the time.

"I'm still not going to tell you about it no matter how much you bug me about it Rai. I have to go before the Duckletts come looking" Tana hisses and hangs up to Raihan's cackling. Ignoring the knowing looks she gets from Hau, Lillie, and Elios as she enters the Pokémon Center.

After receiving that call from Raihan, Tana finally realizes how much she missed Galar…How much she missed her friends, especially Leon.

She knew he was much busier now than he was when he first became Champion. He had more than tripled the record of the previous Champion with how long he had remained undefeated. His popularity was very high and just about every company in Galar wanted to sponsor him…He had multiple meetings a day, not to mention photo-shoots and filming commercials. And from what he told her on some of their calls, Chairman Rose could be pretty strict with how much free time he had.

With that thought in mind Tana would buckle down and finish her crown achievement, spending a lot of video calls with Piers and emailing back and forth with Sonia picking out the right clothes for the video she was going to do just before she leaves Alola. Digging through all the pictures she'd taken over the years till she found the right one to send with the copy of her latest co-authored album, Memories.

The picture itself being the one Honey had taken of a 11 year old Tana and Leon sleeping on the floor in the Dojo after a long day of training, Leon cuddled around her protectively with her face burrowed into his chest. Hair pulled back into a messy bun. The pair having used one of Leon's free days to just be together and train on the Isle of Armor away from prying eyes.

Leon getting the CD before the video would go live and smile fondly at the picture Tana had chosen this time with the note on the back being only two dates to his confusion. One of them being the day he received the album in the mail and the live stream.

Raihan texting him to turn his Poketube app on or he was going to miss the live stream.

"Ready?" Gladion asks, letting Tana set up her video camera, her Rotom Phone with Piers on the screen in Spikemuth and a microphone and her electric guitar in the open garden where all the Pokémon being rehabilitated lived. Having sat back behind the camera with Elios and Hau to watch the show. Lillie watching the stream from Kanto, having found the courage to start her own journey and started in Kanto with encouragement from Tana. Blue and Red letting the young blonde stay with them after Tana had explained the latest adventure she'd had. Lillie having trained a little and built up a small team with Nebby on it under Tana's gentle guidance.

"Yes, please start recording Rotom in three, two, one" Tana says quietly as she and Piers begin to play. Her own love song after creating and performing love songs for all the friends she'd made in her years away from Leon and Galar.

"In a world where I find comfort

Am I lost or am I right where

I, I, I need to be?

It's a place where I found purpose

No one knows what's at the surface

I will carry myself 'till I see

In every moment, I'm tested, I'm showing

That I could make it on my own just fine

But be rest assured that if your world is falling

That I would be the first to step in line

I will never turn my back on you

Even if this world consumes what is left of me

(You're my reality)

I will conquer the threats that face you

Even if this world consumes what is left of me

(You're my reality)

Take away this world around us

Every scar that fades with your touch

I'm where I'm meant to be

Finally, I see it so clear

And I'd like to live my life here

At your side, no matter what comes next

If you go, I'll follow, fighting for tomorrow

But promise me you won't go on your own

'Cause now and forever, we'll chase it together

No, I don't want to face this world alone

In every moment, I'm tested, I'm showing

That I could make it on my own just fine

But be rest assured that if your world is falling

That I would be the first to step in line

I will never turn my back on you

Even if this world consumes what is left of me

(You're my reality)

I will conquer the threats that face you

Even if this world consumes what is left of me

(You're my reality)

I will protect you

There's nothing I, nothing I

Wouldn't do for you

I will protect you

There's nothing I, nothing I

Wouldn't do for you

I will never turn my back on you

Even if this world consumes what is left of me

(You're my reality)

I will conquer the threats that face you

Even if this world consumes what is left of me

(You're my reality)

I will never turn my back on you

Even if this world consumes what is left of me

(You're my reality)

I will conquer the threats that face you

Even if this world consumes what is left of me

(You're my reality)"

Tana performed into the microphone in a knee length strapless white dress with a dark red shawl, black tassel earrings and black pumps. Wearing the statement necklace Leon had sent for her 20th birthday that he'd told no one but his little brother about.

Hop absolutely losing his shit and spamming Leon once he recognizes the necklace, a gold piece with various orange and black colored glass jewels set into the shape of a Galarian Zapdos (Think Team Instinct Logo). His brother having commissioned that piece for Tana to go with the black steel bones shaped bracelet Leon had helped Hop give her for her 19th, the year she'd been traveling Kalos learning how to Mega Evolve Hanabi. Tana never taking the bracelet off after getting it.

"Well she beat you to it" Sonia giggles uncontrollably once the video closes as Tana and Piers wave to the screen promising she'd be returning to Galar in the coming months for the album's full release.

"What?!" Leon chokes in surprise as Raihan nods and points to the picture Tana had sent. Leon having left it out on the counter next to the CD case.

"She's always sent a picture to us of the couple the romantic pieces were centered around dude. Reality is about you and her and that was her confession to you" Raihan grins as Leon stares at the video in surprise. What Raihan hadn't mentioned was that he was letting Tana move in with him so she could be closer to Wyndon to avoid the long train and taxi rides from the Isle where her family was.

Master Mustard having already boxed up all of her things and mailed them to Raihan's address. The old man not mentioning when Tana would truly be back as part of the surprise. Sonia having come by and helped him set it all up with Nessa in tow.

Tana would land on the Isle of Armor first to spend the day with her family, the day before the Gym Challenge was due to start since Honey had managed to get her a good seat for the opening ceremony.

"It's good to see you home sweetheart" Mustard chuckles as he hugs his 24 year old daughter. Hyde quick to join the hug once he realizes his older sister is home. Having turned six the week before while Hop and his neighbour had turned 14 the month before.

"I'm glad to be back. I missed everyone even though I was never lonely on the road" Tana sniffs as she leans back to look Mustard in the eye.

"Let's see how your team is doing while Honey gets dinner ready" Mustard offers as Tana perks up and bounces after the old man. Their cackling unnerving the latest Dojo recruits and how explosive the fighting is. All of her team battle ready and strong though Naru and Ayame preferred not to battle.

Ayame having loved the contests they'd done while in Hoenn and Sinnoh. All her ribbons on display in cases at Rai's place right next to her Galar Badge ring as a place of pride. Her badge cases on display at the Dojo since the contest ribbons and her Badge ring were what Tana liked to show off and talk about.

"Well done, that Mega Evolution sure packs a punch" Mustard laughs as Hanabi preens a little in her Mega form. Letting Tana kiss her snout before the transformation fades.

"I'm really proud of her and everyone" Tana agrees fondly as she picks Naru up and cuddles her Glameow to her chest. The sole cat of her flock/pack, Naru had proven to be a godsend on the bad days where her nightmares from her past had tried to keep her up at night.

Dinner that night a happy occasion as the Dojo inhabitants get to know her new team mates and gets reacquainted with the older ones.

Tana would enter the crowded stadium discreetly with Naru's head peeking out of her sweater dress as they made their way to Tana's seat the next day. Having left the Isle early to make it on time for the ceremony.

Just as they had every year, many fans were gathered for that year's Gym Challenge Opening Ceremonies. Tana having dug out her nicest set of clean clothes for the occasion in a dark gray cable knit sweater dress that went to her knees, blue stockings and her black pumps and black tassel earrings. Her Keystone bracelet hidden by her dress sleeves.

'It's very loud Tana' Naru meows as his ears pull back at the cheers filling the stadium as Chairman Rose enters the field to welcome everyone to the ceremony and introduces the gym leaders. Among those gym leaders is Raihan. He still hadn't defeated Leon for the champion title even after all of these years, had earned himself his own gym and was the strongest of them all.

"I know Naru, just bear with it then we can go have food somewhere quiet" Tana giggles quietly as Raihan waves to the crowd and took photos of himself on his Rotom phone. Things just never change with some people, but she's glad to see that he seems happy.

Tana is almost certain Sonia is somewhere in the audience like Tana is and as the gym challengers gather on the field she glances around, wondering if she could spot her friend, but has no luck. It wasn't surprising with all the people around, though. As she looks around, the crowd's cheers grow much louder, deafening even, as Rose then introduces Galar's undefeated Champion. Tana quickly turns her attention back to the field, covering Naru's ear as she does so. Seeing fireworks explode on the ground. Once the smoke clears, there he was with his Charizard…her best friend, Leon. She feels her smile widen the moment she sees him standing there, doing his same silly signature pose he always did when they were kids. The crowd really loving it to Naru's confusion and Tana's amusement.

The ceremony didn't last long as Tana quickly exits the stadium. She didn't tell anyone that she was back, wanting to surprise them. Only texting them with a picture where she had decided to meet up with them after the ceremony.

The first to notice her is Sonia. "Guys look it's Tana!" she shouts before running to hug her friend. Before Tana knew it, both Raihan and Leon were in on the hug as well. Tears fill her eyes as she's filled with so many different emotions. Calming slightly at Naru's hiss of pain from being caught up in the group hug.

"Oh sorry Naru" Tana laughs through her tears as she pulls away from them, checking over her Glameow. "Long time no see, you guys! Sorry for the wai-" she's interrupted by a sudden flash. Raihan already taking pictures…She can't help but laugh even more. "Hey! Is that necessary right this moment?" she demands with a small laugh as she lets Naru climb up onto her shoulders.

"What? Don't you think such an important reunion deserves to be documented?" Raihan responds.

Tana sighs, rolling her eyes playfully. "I guess that's true. I hope I didn't pick a bad time to come back. I would really love to catch up with all of you" she admits as she reaches up to steady Naru as he nearly falls off her shoulders from Sonia scratching under his chin.

"The gym challenge doesn't officially begin until tomorrow, so the boys should both have some free time tonight! And I know if I explain to my Gran that you came home to see us, she wouldn't mind me skipping out on my studies for the evening" Sonia says, cheerfully. "We should celebrate and grab dinner together!" she adds excitedly.

Just as she says this, Raihan pushes her from behind. "What a great idea! You should call and make us reservations somewhere! Hell, I'll go with you!" He flashes Leon a wink. "I'm sure you two have a lot to talk about, right? We'll be back!" he continues as he rushes Sonia away.

Tana and Leon could hear her protests. "What are you doing? I don't have to leave to call the restaurant!"

"Cell reception is better over there. Just trust me on this!" Raihan argues.

Tana laughs and shakes her head before turning to Leon. "What did he mean by that? We literally just talked to each other last night" she sighs tiredly.

Leon rubs the back of his head with an embarrassed laugh. "You know how Raihan is. Always being so…" He clears his throat, changing the subject. Curse Raihan for putting him on the spot like this. Especially since he hadn't figured out how he wanted to reciprocate Tana's confession. "Anyway, it's really great to see you again! When did you get in?" he asks excitedly.

"I flew in early yesterday and caught up with my family. I was actually a little worried you might be too busy to see me, with the start of the gym challenge season and all. But when I thought about how much I missed you-" She pauses, her cheeks turning pink, and decides to change her wording. "Y-You guys, I couldn't wait to come back! I got to see so much of the world like I wanted to, but it felt like it was time to come home" she finishes.

"We missed you, too" Leon responds with a soft smile. He looks up to see Tana petting Charizard's head, the big lizard making happy grunts as she did. "Heh, Charizard too, it seems!" he laughs as Tana listens to Charizard's words.

"Yes I can see how big you are now and I bet you're a lot stronger too, huh?" Tana says fondly and turns back around to face Leon. "Do you remember the night we ended up stuck in that snow storm after you challenged me to another battle? Charizard was still a Charmeleon back then! His tail kept us so warm!" she laughs.

"I also remember someone thinking it was safe to try braving the storm and going on" Leon crosses his arms and grins down at her.

Tana stuck out her bottom lip in a pout as she gazes up at him. Charizard isn't the only one who had grown a lot. Leon has grown quite a bit too. "I could've handled it! I even had Hinata out too! You just wouldn't let me go!" she pouts.

"Hey! I didn't want to go out the next morning and find a Tana-sicle in the middle of the Wild Area!" Leon points out.

"Are you sure it just wasn't that you weren't sure where to go the next morning and wanted to follow me out?" Tana teases, bumping his hip with her own. "You used to get lost an awful lot" she points out slyly.

Leon scoffs, but before he can respond, Raihan and Sonia return, and Raihan spoke up before him. "What do you mean used to? He's been late to his own matches because he couldn't remember how to get to the stadium!" Raihan laughs.

"Anyway, reservations have been made! Let's all meet at the restaurant by 6:30. I'm sure Tana wants some time to rest after her long flight" Sonia interrupts as Tana shook her head in amusement.

"I've been back more than a day so I'm still getting used to the time difference between here and Alola" Tana sighs as Naru meows and rubs his cheek against hers in quiet affection. "I've been corrected WE are still getting used to the time difference" she chuckles as she lifts Naru down and cuddles the cat into her chest. Glad she'd worn her pumps since they leave her at eye level with Sonia and her eyes level with Leon and Raihan's chests. Following her friends to the restaurant, nodding and making the necessary noises to indicate she was listening as she basked in the happy feelings around her.

"Alright Leon, all you have to do is give her this Pokéball and she will be all yours!" the ever confident Raihan says. He's giving the champion a pep talk to help encourage him to tell Tana how he feels. It's been a full week since Tana had come home, so the two boys and Sonia decided to throw a 'Welcome Back' party for her in the Wild Area with all of their friends though Tana's friend and band partner Piers had bowed out. Gordie showing up for the both of them to Tana's vocal delight (Piers and Gordie having hooked up a few years ago as Piers' best friend she had gotten close with Gordie over the video chats and band sessions during the off seasons).

Dinner out the night of the Opening ceremony having been a nice and quiet affair as Tana caught them up on what had happened in Alola. The latest in a string of misadventures she'd got caught up in that reminded Leon and Tana both of the few stories the dual fire/dragon specialist had told the former about Hogwarts. About life before Galar.

"But I've given her a Pokémon before! Don't you remember the Houndour I gave her before she left for Kanto?" Leon scratches the back of his head. "What if she thinks it's weird that I'm giving her another Pokémon?" he frets.

"That girl loves Pokémon! She'd never think you giving her one as a gift is 'weird'" Raihan responds, air quotes and all. "Besides, everyone in Galar knows what it means when you receive an Applin from someone!" he points out, knowing without a doubt that Tana knew this as well before even suggesting this. Her foster parents having sat her down that first year after their Gym Challenge to educate her on the region's customs and history that school didn't cover.

"You're right. Okay…I'm going to do this!" the champion says as he smacks the sides of his face. It was the perfect time to approach her, as she is finally alone. He takes a deep breath and walks over to her.

When she spots him walking her way, Tana smiles at him so brightly he thought his heart was going to melt. "Hey, Lee! Thank you for throwing such a great party! It's been a lot of fun catching up with everyone!" she thanks happily.

"We're all really happy to have you back! I've really missed you- Uh we've really missed you!" Smooth. He clears his throat. "Anyway, I have something for you! You can think of it as a Welcome Back gift!" He hands the Pokéball to her, his face just as red as the ball itself.

"A Pokémon? Leon, you didn't have to do this" Tana puts down Naru and takes the ball and held it close to her chest, practically dancing with excitement. He actually got this just for her? "Can I let it out right now?" she asks cheerfully.

"Yeah, of course!" he tells her. It's important for her to see what Pokémon it was!

"Come on out, then" Tana releases the small Pokémon from its ball and her whole face flushes in surprise as she gathers the Applin into her hands.

"You got me an Applin?" Tana asks in awe as Leon nods his head quickly, smiling widely as she hugs him tightly. "I wasn't sure if you would get the message in my album" she mumbles into his shirt as Leon chuckles sheepishly remembering Sonia and Raihan had to point it out to him.

"I'm glad you like her" Leon says as Tana nods, pulling back with happy tears in her eyes.

"I love her, and I love that you've given her to me Lee" Tana sniffs as she reaches up to wipe under her eyes. Smiling when Leon hands her a tissue and frets over making her cry.

"These are happy tears Lee; I've been writing and performing love songs for my friends for so long I wasn't sure doing it for you and me would work like Blue said it would if I couldn't find the confidence to tell you normally" Tana giggles wetly as Leon nods and asks why she didn't consider an Applin.

"I knew if you caught on you'd want to do it yourself and where I came from giving someone a new animal companion happens after you're in a relationship unless it's family giving you the companion" Tana admits as Leon chuckles and nods, letting her cuddle into his side as they make their way back to the campfire at Sonia's call for food.

"Is that an Applin Tana?!" Sonia squeals at the sight of the little grass-dragon sitting on Tana's free shoulder.

"Mhm Lee gave her to me" Tana agrees smugly as she accepts her serving of pasta curry. Her favorite of Sonia's curry recipes.

"Told you so" Raihan chuckles as Tana gives their mutual best friend a look that promised pain.

"I'm in a good mood and I'm not going to ruin it getting back at you Rai so watch it" Tana hisses, her cheeks still red and ruining the intimidating image Tana generally had on the battlefield to make up for her short stature.

Ignoring the fact Leon is shaking with laughter next to her Tana would dig into her food and once she and Leon are done would take a small walk to hash out a few of their mutual concerns.

Tana smiling slightly as Leon gently takes her hand in his. She could tell that he is nervous, and his hand feels a little sweaty as she laces her fingers through his with a gentle squeeze.

One of the concerns Leon brings up while they are talking, is how the chairman might react when he finds out he has a girlfriend. The man is always warning Leon about things that would hurt his image, one of those things being a bad breakup, were he ever to get into a relationship.

Because of this, it felt like Rose had tried to persuade him not to get involved with anyone. Both were pretty confident that this relationship is going to be long term, but that didn't mean the chairman would necessarily just take Leon's word for it.

The two decide it might be for the best to keep their relationship a secret from the public, with only their friends and relatives knowing anything about it.

"Where are you staying anyways?" Leon asks curiously knowing Tana hadn't gone back to the Isle of Armor after they'd all met up after the Opening Ceremony.

"I've moved in with Rai till I can find a place either in Hammerlocke or Wyndon" Tana admits as Leon grins in excitement at the idea of shorter commutes.

"I still can't believe you got to meet Red" Leon chuckles as Tana smiles fondly at the mention of her Kanto friends.

"Yeah well Blue and Toshi were my first attempt at match-making, and they kept me out of trouble as I traveled through Johto…Remind me to share the video I have of Raihan passing out when I introduced him via video chat to Lance Blackthorn" Tana giggles evilly as Leon snorts and asks how much black mail material she'd been saving up.

Honey being the one who had gotten her into the habit, so the smaller girl didn't always resort to getting physical in dealing out retribution for pranks and teasing.

"Quite a bit" Tana admits without shame.

After that the conversation moved to lighter things and the agreement to meet up for a small picnic in Wyndon before Leon's photo-shoot the next day.

Raihan would get to watch Tana move around the next morning, very much not a morning person as she fed most of her Pokémon in the kitchen and outside to the small patio he had to feed her bigger team mates. Having helped her set up the inflatable pool in the corner for Ayame the day after the opening ceremony. A little more alert after a cup of coffee, having brought with her several packets of the Kalos bean she'd fallen in love with.

"So date today?" Raihan chuckles as he notes the clothes Tana was laying out on her bed. Having stolen one of his rattier shirts from the laundry to wear with an older pair of leggings to sleep the night before.

"Yes date today, though I probably should pack a rain jacket with what the weather report said last night" Tana muses quietly as she took in her outfit. A simple dark blue long sleeve sun dress that fell to her knees and a pair of brown ankle boots with black ankle socks. A simple pair of bike shorts to go underneath the dress laid out on top of it all. Turning to her small closet to dig around for her rain jacket. Sticking to the jewelry she usually wore in her black tassel earrings and Keystone bracelet.

"You know nothing has really changed now that I'm thinking about it, you two always seemed to be dating" Raihan muses as Tana pulls back from her search to give him a deadpan look.

"Yeah well when I let someone into my circle of friends I let them in on the good and bad. Lee just happened to be my first real friend, so I gave a lot of myself to our relationship" Tana shrugs as she flashes two different jackets at him. A black coat just as long as her dress with little stars all over it and a plain brown leather jacket that went to her waist.

"Black one if you're going where I think you're going" Raihan says as Tana nods and lays the black one out before wandering to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth.

Tana would leave the condo a little while later, dressed and Belle out of her ball as they made their way to the Pokémon center in Wyndon via Corviknight Taxi where Leon had asked to meet, quickly getting under the entrance cover due to the down pour. Sitting down on the bench next to the door.

"Do you want to go back in your ball, or should we wait till it clears up a little?" Tana sighs as Belle huffs and sits after shaking her wet fur coat out.

'We wait, your mate will come looking eventually and you wore the right things not to get wet…It was good to leave Naru at the new den otherwise he would have made such a racket being out in this' Belle chuffs as Tana giggles in agreement.

Raihan would call after an hour had gone by, Tana still sitting on the steps with Belle for company as they watched the rain continue to come down.

"Heey, how's everything going you two?" Raihan asks as her Rotom Phone floats in front of her to reveal where she was. Naru hoping up into his lap from where he's sitting in the Hammerlocke Stadium pitch. Supervising the training session his gym trainers were doing.

"It's just me…It's absolutely pouring right now" Tana admits wryly as she motions to the area in front of the Pokémon Center.

"That sucks. Can't he meet you and you guys go somewhere else?" Raihan asks as Tana hums.

"He's got a photo shoot after our date. The weather is probably why he's running late...hopefully" Tana sighs as she leans back, both knowing Leon likely could have gotten lost too on top of setting up wherever they were going for their lunch date.

"Well good luck" Raihan says before hanging up once Tana had reassured him she wasn't stressing about it and that they weren't going to reschedule.

Not long after she would spot a figure running toward where she was sitting, Belle perking up telling her who it is as the figure becomes clear. Leon using his cape as a cover trying to keep himself dry. As he approaches the bench, Tana would stand up, pulling her hood up as she quickly joins him under it. "I'm so sorry I'm late! Don't worry, we are still going to make this work, okay?" he reassures.

A warm smile makes its way onto Tana's face as they had to stand very close together for it the cape to cover them both, not that she minds. "It doesn't look like it's going to stop any time soon, though…And you have that shoot in an hour…" she muses as she returns Belle to her ball.

"It's okay! If I'm late I'll just tell them I got lost trying to find my way there in the rain" Leon waves off.

Tana sighs with a small laugh. "Just don't get yourself in any kind of trouble because of me" she points out lightly. "So what's the plan now?" she asks curiously. Reminding the taller boy of what they were out here for.

"Right, follow me!" Still carrying his cape over their heads, Leon leads Tana down an alley in between some buildings. Pretty far in is a spot that is covered by a roof and there is already a picnic blanket spread out on the ground, with a basket placed next to it. "I know what you're thinking, but no one is going to see us! Those apartments are getting remodelled, and there's no way the construction team is going to work in this kind of weather…so we're completely alone" he explains as Tana smiles up a Leon.

"It's perfect Lee" Tana reassures, glad he'd been this considerate of being seen before they were ready to tell the wider Galar region of their relationship. Settling down neatly on the dry blanket.

"Then come on! Let's eat!" Leon says, hanging up his cape on a chair that was nearby to dry, somewhat. Taking her coat as well as he picks up the basket and carries it over to her as he took a seat on the blanket next to her. "A lot of times when we have multiple events in one day, Rose's assistant, Oleana, will have someone cater lunch at the stadium. I grabbed a little bit of everything so I could make sure there was something you'd like!" he explains.

"Wouldn't they think it was odd you took all this food and left?" Tana asks as she thanks him, accepting the sandwich he hands her.

"Not really! Meal times are usually the closest thing I get to a break on busy days like this, so they are used to me taking my food and going somewhere on my own" Leon says calmly while taking one of the other sandwiches from the basket.

"Being Champion sure keeps you pretty busy, huh?" Tana muses quietly before taking a bite from her sandwich, humming happily over how good it is.

"It wasn't always this hectic…I mean when I first started out, I had all kinds of free time! I was able to go home whenever I wanted, see my family…But so many years of remaining undefeated has made me so popular- I hope that doesn't make me sound conceited. What I'm trying to say is…the fans are constantly wanting to see me doing, something. I'm always doing autograph signings, meet and greets; companies want me promoting everything they are trying to sell. My days are so packed busy" Leon explains as Tana swallows, having nodded along in understanding. A sympathetic look on her face in remembrance of some of her own experiences when she lingered in a region too long after challenging and beating the region champion.

"It's really stressful" Tana says in agreement though she found it rather impressive that he's been able to stay so strong through all of it. He always seemed to have a smile on his face no matter how tired he might be.

"It is, but it has a lot of good things that completely outweigh the bad!" She watches a smile grow on his face. "Every time I hear a fan tell me that I've inspired them to work harder with their Pokémon, to train harder, battle harder…that I make them want to be the best trainer they can be, so they can battle me in the Pokémon League. It makes me want to keep working hard to give them a battle worth that journey! Even my little brother wants to grow up and have the chance to battle me for my title someday! It's really nice to be a role model for him, since our dad isn't around" he explains excitedly.

Tana rummages around in the basket for another snack, taking a few berries. She's happy to hear him talk about how much he enjoys those parts of being the Champion. She really couldn't imagine anyone better to be a role model for younger trainers. He's always been so true to himself, never faking anything for a camera. Every word he said in his interviews came from his own heart, rather than some script. She smiles when he mentions Hop. She hadn't seen him much since she left, the last time being when she'd called to see how he was feeling after the age limit being changed the first time when he turned ten. "How is Hop? I haven't heard anything from him since he turned ten, he's probably gotten so big by now" she notes fondly.

That brought another smile to the Champion's face. "Oh like you wouldn't believe! He's been talking about wanting a Pokémon for himself since that video call. I'm really thinking about bringing one home for him the next time I get to visit" He enthuses before drifting into his own thoughts for a moment. "You should go with me! I know my family would love to see you again! And we could tell them…you know about us!" he says excitedly as Tana blinks in surprise.

"It's not a bad idea, but shouldn't that be time you spend with only them? You were just saying you don't get to see them that often" Tana points out slowly. Green eyes reflecting how unsure she is.

Leon laughs softly. "Yeah? And I didn't see you at all for nine whole years" he says with a teasingly 'hurt' tone in his voice. "Come on, it will be fun! They already love you! They asked about you all the time while you were gone!" he reassures.

Tana pops one more berry in her mouth and chews it slowly, while thinking to herself for a moment. "You really don't think it will be a problem?" she asks still a little unsure.

"I'm positive! Please?" He pleads giving her a look that reminds her of a pouting Belle and Cor. How could she say no to that? Besides, he wouldn't have to work during that time, which means more time for them to spend together. So what if his family is around? She liked spending time with his family. She'd spent nearly a whole year with his baby cousin Hau who was four years older than Hop.

"Okay, okay, I'll go! Just stop looking at me like that!" Tana laughs.

"I knew that would work on you" Leon teases with a laugh.

"Oh, very funny, Lee! Just you wait until there's something I want" Tana pouts, smacking his arm lightly.

"Good luck! I'm impossible to break! Comes with the whole undefeated streak I've got-" Leon says proudly only to be interrupted by his Rotom phone starting to ring and floating up in front of him. Oleana is calling, probably to ask where he ran off to. "Man…already? That went by way too fast!" he sighs as Tana begins helping with clean up.

"Fast or not, I really enjoyed this and we should do it again when we can" Tana smiles happily.

"I know it wasn't exactly how we planned, but I'm glad we were still able to make it work" Leon smiles as he took a step out from under the roof they were beneath and looks up at the sky. "Looks like the rain finally stopped! Why don't we call you a Corviknight Taxi back to Hammerlocke before it starts back up?" he offers as Tana nods knowing he had things to do. Pulling her coat on as Leon picks up the picnic basket and blanket, as well as his still soaked cape and leads her back out into the open city.

When the taxi arrives and it is time to say their goodbyes, she turns back around to look at him with a sad smile on her face. It's a shame they couldn't do something like this everyday. But it just made their time together more special.

"I leave for Postwick in about a month. Charizard and I will meet you at the Hammerlocke train station and we can travel there together, okay?" Leon taking her hand in his as he spoke. Thankfully, there weren't many people around, so he felt comfortable being so close to her. "This is only goodbye until then!" he reassures as Tana nods. Smile warm and understanding even if a little sad around the edges. She'd come home for him and they'd had a day to adjust to this new aspect of their relationship, but a month isn't so bad when you're only a Pokémon flight away.

Leon knows her well enough to know why she is so silent, so he offers her another smile to cheer her up. "It will be okay! I'll call you every night until then! I promise!" she can only nod in response. Leon's Rotom phone starts ringing once again. "I have to go…Oleana is already going to give me an earful when I get there. But I'll talk to you tonight!" He squeezes her hand and turns to walk back toward the stadium as she starts to board the taxi.

Before he gets very far though Tana would make an impulsive decision. Tugging him back, making sure no is watching and gives him a very quick, shy peck on the cheek. "Have fun at your photo shoot! Send me lots of pictures if you can, and I'll see you again soon" she says, smiling at him as she boards the taxi. It flew away to take her back to Hammerlocke, leaving the Champion rubbing his cheek with a flustered look on his face.

Tana returning to the condo with a small satisfied look on her face. Glad for a little peace and quiet as she changed into some work out clothes and made her way back out to the Wild Area for a little training with her team. Wanting to work with Lily a little before giving her a Sweet Apple so her stats were a bit better upon evolving. She knew a month would go by fairly quickly if she kept herself busy.

Passed out and lightly snoring on the couch with Naru by the time Raihan returned to the condo to see how the date went. Having seen the small video Tana had posted of her training session with her team. Her Applin tucked away in it's ball by the time the video had been taken and posted.

A month going by in a similar fashion as that afternoon.

Tana yawns widely as Raihan walks with her to the station, her trainer bag packed with a month's worth of clothes. Leon was supposed to meet her at the train station for them both to catch the early train heading to Postwick. Dressed in what she slept in without a care in the world as she drank her coffee.

Ignoring Raihan's amusement as she curled around her travel mug as they sat down outside the station.

"Hmph, guess you love birds are just gonna spend all your time together and forget I even exist, huh?" Raihan teases as he lets Tana cuddle into his side.

The month of living together had been quiet and reminded him keenly of things he'd forgotten with her traveling the last nine years. Not being a morning person, a bit of an adrenaline junky when the mood struck her, that she liked to cuddle with all her friends and the fact she could cook better than Sonia though he and Leon had sworn up and down never to tell Sonia that.

"Yeah, like you'd ever let us forget you exist" Tana teases as she cuddles into his side. "You know we'd never do that to you. You're our best friend" she points out around a yawn.

Raihan chuckles and checks the time on his phone. "So where is he, anyway? Don't tell me he got lost again" he sighs.

"Charizard is flying him over, so he shouldn't have any trouble" Tana says in amusement.

Moments later, a shadow is cast over them both as Charizard flew above them, coming in to land in front of the train station where they sat. "Come to see us off, Raihan?" Leon asks as he hops off the Pokémon when they were close enough to the ground. He isn't wearing his usual Champion attire, aside from his signature hat. He's dressed a bit more casually, sporting a black hoodie and jeans.

"Course I did! It's your first time going on a trip together. It's kinda special, isn't it?" Raihan responds. "Just, you know, try not to have too much fun on your little honeymoon, if you know what I mean" he teases, while lightly jabbing Tana in the side with his elbow.

"Raihan!" Tana hisses as she jabs him back, ignoring his wince of pain at her bony elbow to grumble and pick her bag up off the ground.

Raihan laughs at how flustered Tana is, while Leon only rolls his eyes at him, trying not to show his own embarrassment over his friend's comment.

"Oh come on, you guys know I'm only kidding! But for real! Have a good time and tell me all about it when you get back!" Raihan says as Tana nods, shooting back the rest of her coffee and letting him take the travel mug back to the condo.

The two would get off the train at the station in Wedgehurst, the closest stop to Leon's childhood home a few hours later. Tana had been to this house a few other times, though Sonia and Raihan were there too. This is the first time she had ever come with just Leon. They hadn't told his mother that Tana would be coming with him, but he had assured her that she would be welcome no matter what.

"Hey, let's take a small detour on the way! I still want to catch a Pokémon for my little brother!" Leon tells her, while taking her hand to pull her toward the tall grass.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? What if you get us lost by going a different way?" Tana teases lightly as she drops her trainer bag outside the long grass.

Leon turns to give her a look, about to get back at her for her words when they hear a rustling in the grass near them. "I wonder what it is…" Leon knew he couldn't send out one of his Pokémon to battle this one, since the Pokémon on this route were much weaker than the ones up north. He was just going to have to rely on luck!

This thought is short lived though as Tana lays herself out flat to get a better look at the Pokémon, when she notices a white fluffy body. Smiling when the fluffy sheep rolls over to her.

"Tana, what are you doing?" Leon asks with a small laugh. Unworried about her scaring the Wooloo off.

"Don't worry" Tana reassures as the Wooloo began to eat the grass next to where she is laying. Letting her pet it as she hums and croons praise at it for being such a good boy and asking if he wanted to make a friend. Ignoring Leon's obvious amusement as a few more Wooloo roll over. Grunting when one headbutts her in the side when she didn't pet it fast enough.

"Be nice" Tana wheezes out as Leon snorts and begins to laugh.

"Here! I'll show you how a Champion catches Pokémon!" Leon teases while reaching into his pocket for a few berries.

"That's what I was going to do next, you know" Tana rolls her eyes with a small laugh as she sits up rubbing her side. Accepting apologies from the other Wooloo once they realized the impatient one had hurt the ravenette.

"Uh-huh, I'm sure it was!" Leon jokes. The Champion kneels down to the ground and places a few of the berries in front of him. "It's okay! We aren't going to hurt you!" he calls.

The small herd watch Leon cautiously, slowly the first Wooloo Tana had been petting walks towards him to take the berries he is offering. When it is sure he is safe, it comes over and starts eating the berries happily.

Leon chuckles and reaches down to pet the Pokémon as it ate. "Wooloo, would you like to come along with us? I have a younger brother who would love to have his very own partner and I think you would be perfect for him" Leon asks as Tana continues to pet the rest of the small herd she'd attracted.

Wooloo looks up to him with questioning eyes before letting out a happy 'Yes!' to Tana's ears and a happy bleat to Leon's.

And with that as his response, Leon offers a ball to the Pokémon, which it bops with its nose and went inside.

"So that's how a Champion catches Pokémon, huh? Seems a lot different from how you used to catch them when we were kids" Tana giggles as she gets up from the ground. Dusting off her t-shirt dress and leggings.

"Hey! This was under different circumstances! My team is far too overpowered to take on this little guy, so I had to improvise a bit!" Leon laughs with her as he stood, holding the ball containing Wooloo in his hand. "Now come on, they're waiting for us!" he says.

"Lee? Is that you?" a teen's voice rang out as they near the house.

The voice coming from Leon's younger brother, Hop, who had no idea he had come home for a visit. "It's me, Little Bro! Surprise!" Leon opens his arms to give the younger boy a hug.

"I'll go get Mum! She's inside!" After giving Leon a big hug, Hop ran inside to find their mother, Linda. Within a few short moments, Hop comes out of the house, pulling her out by her hand. "Look, Mum! Look who's here!" he says excitedly.

While the visit is a complete surprise to his younger brother, his mother knew he would be arriving that day and is already preparing his favorite meal for lunch. But to play along with Hop, she says, "Well isn't this a surprise! Welcome home, Leon! I've missed you so much!" She places her hands on his face and kisses him on the cheek.

"Thanks, Mum! I missed you too!" He blushes over his mother's affection but decides to reveal her surprise next. "Look who I brought with me!" Leon takes a step to the side, revealing Tana standing behind him, looking rather shy.

"My…is that you Tana? Haven't you just grown into such a beautiful young lady!" Linda rushes over to her and took both of her hands in her own. "When did you make it back to Galar, sweetie?" she asks in delight.

"I've been back for little over a month now" Tana smiles, blushing over Linda's compliments. She's always loved how sweet Leon's mother is. Less smothering and more respectful compared to Mrs. Weasley and the Burrow.

"Is this just a visit or are you here to stay this time?" Linda asks, releasing her hold on Tana's hands.

"I'm here to stay, now. I'm living with Raihan right now. I really enjoyed visiting all the other regions, but…" She glances over at Leon and smiles. "Something seemed to be calling me back home" she admits fondly.

Leon steps closer to Tana again and took hold of her hand. "Actually, Mum, there's something we'd like to tell you. Tana and I…We're dating" he says happily.

His mother's eyes fill with tears as she covers her mouth with her hands. She is completely overjoyed! It is almost like she had been hoping to hear those exact words. She pulls them both into a hug. "This is wonderful news!" she says happily.

"Lee has a girlfriend?" Hop asks, not grossed out since he was finally hitting puberty and coming out of the stage where he thought girls were gross and had cooties. Even though his best friend happens to also be a girl.

Hugging Tana at her offered open arms, still taller and able to lift Hop off his feet to his vocal delight though Leon and Tana both knew this wouldn't last forever since Hop is nearly as tall as Tana now and still growing. Happy to have her back considering she'd split half her time in the few visits she'd made to the Yates household between him and her friends.

Taking him out into the fields and letting him play with her Pokémon and the Wild Pokémon that always seemed to gravitate towards the dual specialist regardless of typing.

"Want to see what your brother and I brought for you?" Tana asks as she puts Hop down.

"Wait, a gift for me?" Hop asks in awe, offering Tana a big smile, one that reminded her a lot of Leon's as he nods eager to see what they'd brought for him.

Tana grins and stood to face Leon, who tosses the Pokéball her way. "Here, go ahead and give it to him!" Even if the Pokémon is one he caught for his brother, having Tana give it to him would make it a little more special.

"Your big brother caught this little guy special for you. You have to promise you will take very good care of it! You'll do that, won't you?" Tana asks Hop as Hop's eyes stare wider than the Pokéball itself, with the biggest smile on his face as she places it in his hands.

"My very own Pokémon? I promise I'll take really good care of it!" Hop promises happily.

"Go ahead and let it out of the ball! I just know it's so excited to meet you" Tana encourages with a warm smile.

Hop releases the Wooloo from it's ball and he and Tana play together with his new Pokémon friend while Leon stood with his mother and watch the two of them. Tana letting Lily the Appletun out of her ball to play with them as well to Hop's vocal delight.

"I always knew" Linda says fondly, catching Leon off guard.

"Huh? Knew what, Mum?" he asks, his confusion clear in his voice.

"I knew that someday you and Tana were going to end up together" She chuckles. "You two were always so close, even when she wasn't here. That look on your face and the excitement in your voice when we would be sitting at the dinner table and you asked to be excused because she would be calling you…A mother notices these things, you know!" she teases lightly.

Leon feels slightly embarrassed. His mother wasn't the first person to tell him that his feelings for Tana were pretty obvious to those around them, even before he understood them, himself.

"But I'm happy she's the one" Linda says fondly.

"Yeah?" Leon responds, not quite expecting that comment.

"It was hard not to worry that because of your standing in the Pokémon League, someone might come along and try to charm you and benefit off of your fame. But Tana isn't like that" The woman continues watching Tana laugh and play with her youngest son and his new Wooloo, Tana having kicked her heels off to run in the grass. "She's always been such a kind, sweet girl. I know she will treat you well" she finishes.

Leon smiles and turns his attention to Tana and Hop as well. He really is lucky to have her, isn't he?

After lunch, Tana and Leon agree to keep an eye on Hop while their mother made a trip up to Wedgehurst to buy some groceries. While Hop and Wooloo play near the practice battle field, Leon sat with Tana, his back against the tree and her between his legs, listening to the sounds of the pond in front of them. Her head resting against his chest and his own head was resting on top of hers. His eyes are closed while Tana plays with his hands, gently, linking her fingers with his. Everything felt so peaceful, which is a huge difference from how his every day life usually felt.

He opens his eyes when he hears the sound of Hop recalling Wooloo into its Pokéball and notices him getting ready to walk away from their home. "And where might you be off to, Little Bro?" he asks lightly as Tana links their fingers together.

"I'm going over to Gloria's to show her my new Pokémon!" Hop responds excitedly.

Gloria? That must have been the girl his age whose family bought the house next to theirs not long after Tana had gone traveling. He remembers their mother telling him how quickly Gloria and Hop became friends. "Okay, just don't be gone too long!" he says.

"He's a really good kid, I think he will make a really good trainer" Tana says quietly fond.

Leon chuckles a bit. "I think so to…Only a few more years and he will be old enough to enter the Gym Challenge. It's so hard to believe" he sighs as Tana nods.

"Just think, once that time comes, you may have a pretty worthy opponent challenging you" Tana points out, imagining the two brothers battling each other for the Champion title.

It's fun to think about, but in reality, Leon isn't so sure he would want that kind of responsibility put on his brother like it was for him at such though his little brother will be much older than he had been when he took the title. The past ten years have been a lot of stress for the Champion. It is definitely rewarding but exhausting all the same. The only positive side to Hop wanting to grow up and become Champion the same way Leon did, is that he would have someone close to him who has been in that position and be able to guide him when he needs it.

But this isn't the time to worry about such things. They had four more years to think about that, and besides, he is on vacation! It is time to relax and spend time with his family and with Tana.

"Hey, thank you for coming here with me" Leon says, softly. Letting go of her hand and wraps his arms around her, allowing her to lean into him further.

"I'm really happy I agreed, Lee. Truly happy" Tana says with a soft smile as she cuddles back into him.

Hearing those words makes him really happy. Leon smiles and rests his chin against her head with his eyes closed. He also feels content being so close to each other, just relaxing together. Being able to share this time with her made him happier than he ever thought was possible.

"I missed this on the road" Tana admits a little while later, breaking the peaceful silence.

"Really?" Leon asks with a soft chuckle as Tana nods with a soft smile on her face.

"Mhm, things aren't all that different from before I left, we're both very tactile people…for me when I let people get close I give a lot of myself to that relationship and you were the first person I felt I could be myself with. I didn't need to be anyone but me, didn't hurt I thought you were cute even then" Tana teases lightly as Leon sputters. Cheeks flushing as Tana just giggles into his shoulder, having turned around to sit on her knees, putting them face to face.

"C-Cute?...me? I…I don't know about that" He lets out a flustered laugh. "I'm the strong, undefeated Champion of Galar! I couldn't possibly be cute. I mean, not like…like you!" he sputters as Tana just laughs in delight at the reaction she'd gotten from him. Her green eyes dancing with mischief.

His embarrassed little speech not helping his case, reminding Tana why'd she had thought him cute even being physically ten years old. He just continues to ramble on, seeming like he won't stop, so Tana does the next best thing and kisses him into silence. Feeling a little bold at the idea he thought she was cute.

Leon's whole argument and embarrassment would die a quick death, and his brain would stall. In his mind, he realized just how much of a dork Tana probably thought he was. This was his first ever relationship, so he was still trying to figure everything out before reality kicked his brain back into gear and begins kissing her right back. Pulling her in when he felt her pulling back when he didn't respond immediately.

It's brief and chaste, lasting only a few short seconds, but it's enough to make Tana feel like she's about to melt once Leon finally kisses her back. Pulling back to stare at him, a shy smile on her face.

Before either of them could voice their opinions on the moment, they hear the sound of Linda's voice calling out. "I'm back! And I ran into someone at the store who I just had to invite over for dinner tonight!"

Leon and Tana both sat up straight and watch as she walks into the yard with Sonia not far behind, helping her carry groceries. Hopefully neither of them saw what they were doing! That would only embarrass Leon more!

"Oh, Sonia!" Tana calls out, standing up from the grass. "Here, I'll come help you two!" she offers, quickly dusting herself off.

Leon stands up, too, and clears his throat. "Uhh, I'll be back. Hop's over at Gloria's so I'm just gonna go get him" he says quickly.

"We'll see you soon, Lee!" Sonia says to him, waving with her free hand after Tana takes one of the bags from her. She then leans close to her friend and whispers. "Is he okay? He kind of seemed out of it, there" she asks with a chuckle.

Tana shrugs and smiles nervously. She figures he's probably just flustered that his mother and their friend almost witnessed their first kiss. "He might be tired? It was a long train ride and all" she points out as an excuse instead of throwing herself and him under the bus. Their first kiss is private and between them.

She turns around to watch Leon walk over to the neighbor's house to get his little brother, hoping they would have a chance to talk about what happened later that evening.

Tana knew she'd been a little bold and that this was likely Leon's first actual relationship. She at least having gone on a few dates at the insistence of a few of her friends over the years to test the waters and see her preferences. She never went beyond kisses and hand holding, not comfortable with the idea of doing more than that with her dates. Not comfortable like she was with Leon, so this was her first serious relationship. She just hoped she hadn't been too forward.

Later that night, after everyone had dinner and Sonia went back home, Leon's mother and Hop went up to her own bedroom for the night to sleep, opening up Hop's bedroom for their guest to sleep. "If there's anything you need, Leon's room is right across the hall! I know he would be more than happy to take care of you" the woman tells Tana with a smile.

"Thank you, good night" Tana says with a small smile, as Leon's mother closed the door to give her some privacy to get ready for bed. Tana would place her bag on the bed to take out what she needed to sleep. The pajamas she had packed being a green off the shoulder t-shirt dress with pink flowers all over Blue had sent her when she mentioned she was heading to Alola. A pair of her plain black work out shorts to go with it.

After she gets changed, she leaves Hop's room to go down the hall to brush her teeth and wash up for the night. As she opens the door, she stops for a moment to look at the closed door across the hall. Leon had already settled in for the night, Tana assuming it was due to exhaustion. Though, she did find dinner to be a little awkward. He hardly said anything the entire meal…maybe she had been a little too forward with that kiss.

She would let Naru out of his ball as she got settled into bed, planning to just talk to Leon about it the next morning, but her mind kept going right back to him and how much she'd enjoyed their kiss and wanted it to happen again as often as they could get away with. She would lay for an hour stewing in her worries, Naru curled up on her chest trying to ease them before she finally sat up. Giving up, she picks Naru up with her pillow and tiptoes across the hall to Leon's door and knocks lightly.

Unaware, Leon isn't asleep at all. He is actually wide awake and texting Raihan, still completely overthinking the kiss. As anyone would expect, Raihan couldn't help but make fun of the poor Champion.

[Leon]: Come on! It's not that funny, Raihan! I was trying to be smooth and idk she could be that forward!

[Raihan]: Relax, I'm only teasing ya! Besides, you and I both know Tana LIKES when you act all corny like that.

[Leon]: I guess that's true. But don't you think she would have been happier with something a little more…romantic?

[Raihan]: What are you asking me for?

[Leon]: I was hoping you could give some advice…

[Leon]: Oh man, I think she's knocking on my bedroom door…I'll talk to you later.

[Raihan]: 😏Time to turn on the charm! Have fun~

Leon rolls his eyes and puts his phone away before answering the knock at his door. He knew it had to be her, considering his family would have probably let themselves in right after knocking. "Tana? Are you okay? Come on in, we can talk in here" he encourages as Tana lets herself in, cuddling her Glameow to her chest with one arm and dragging her travel pillow with the other. Not quite making eye contact.

That action alone telling him a little more about how she felt about this afternoon and knew he had to do damage control.

He couldn't and wouldn't let her insecurities dig their claws in like they did that first month on the Isle when they were ten. She'd been hesitant about touch and giving hugs and letting humans touch her in a positive way that it had taken patience, her Pokémon and his Charizard, still a Charmander, to reassure her that no one would hurt her the way she had been before.

"I'm fine; couldn't sleep" Tana shrugs as she sits on the bed, letting Naru down to sit on the bed.

"Is Hop's room uncomfortable for you or something?" Leon asks as he takes a seat next to her and gave her a questioning look.

"No, no! its fine. I was thinking about what happened earlier, and I started spiraling and was—" Tana starts to ramble only to wince when Naru gently climbs up onto her shoulders, claws out. Easing her out of said rambling spiral.

"It was okay, more than okay…I was trying to sound cool, but once I actually said it, I realized how lame I sounded. Sorry about that" Leon rubs the back of his head.

Tana can't help but giggle in relief. "Lee, you really think that is what I took away from the moment? I thought it was really sweet and honestly the fact that you kissed me back at all is all I've been able to think about" she shrugs letting her gaze drift away from his out of shyness. "After you came in here to be alone, I actually started missing you. Here you are right across the hall and you would think I was on the road traveling again" she sighs, accepting Naru's nose brushing her cheek in comfort.

The Champion smiles softly, feeling incredibly relieved by her words. "Well we can't have you feeling lonely, now can we?" He wraps his arms around her and pulls her in close so he could hold her. "You know if you'd be comfortable with it, you're more than welcome to sleep here" he offers quietly knowing it was something they used to do before she went traveling. Before puberty had kicked in and his mom had put her foot down and forced them to sleep in different beds the few times all of Leon's friends had slept over.

"What about?" Tana asks tilting her head towards where he knew his mom's room was. Clearly able to remember the rule his mom had put in place the year before Tana had left.

"Don't worry about it" Leon reassures, a blush forming in his cheeks. He quickly shakes off his embarrassment as he scoops her up in his arms, Naru hoping to the floor. She nearly yelps in surprise, to which he shushes her, resulting in them both laughing quietly together. He turns around and gently places her down on the side of his bed that was next to the wall and hands her the pillow she brought with her. Something told him this was exactly what she was hoping would happen.

He climbs in next to her and faces her with a smile on his face. This is the first time they had ever shared a bed with each other in ten years. They'd had plenty of sleepovers, when it came to camping out together, but they were always in their own sleeping bags, back to back and had friends joining them. This felt a lot different than that.

When he smiles at her, Tana shuffles closer to him and presses her forehead against his, while closing her eyes. "This is really nice. Just being here with you" she whispers softly. In her mind, this is the perfect way to spend their evening. Just wrapped up in a blanket next to him.

"I couldn't agree more" Leon wraps his arms around her waist and pulls the rest of her body close to his. If only they could spend every night like this. It would definitely make his long, busy days much more bearable.

Tana opens her eyes to stare into his. They remind her of the sun, so bright and golden, but from this close she could also see he had slight bags forming under them. "I wish they didn't keep you so busy up there in Wyndon…You deserve more time to rest" she sighs with a sad look in her green eyes as she gently traces the dark circles with her thumbs.

"Hey, you don't need to worry about me! It's really not as bad as it sounds…most of the time" he chuckles softly, leaning into the touch.

"I just don't want you to end up being overworked, Lee" Tana grumbles, her cheeks puffed out in a small pout.

Leon thinks she is so cute when she makes faces like this. It made it really hard for him not to lean in and finally kiss her again, which is exactly what he did. This kiss came without warning, which catches Tana off guard, but she happily returns it. He pulls away from her with a smile. "Thank you for caring. I promise I'll be okay! I'm strong, remember?" He laughs and rests his forehead against hers. "And getting to spend time with you like this on my time off…it makes everything worth it" he admits quietly.

Tana ignores how red her cheeks are from the kiss to cuddle into him. Wrapping her own arms around him and letting him pull her closer. "I'm really glad you feel that way…Maybe someday it can be this way everyday, rather than only when you have time off" she points out quietly.

They had barely spent any alone time together in the weeks they had been a couple, due to the fact that they wanted to keep it a secret from the public. Tana didn't want to get in the way of his responsibilities, and Leon didn't want her to get dragged into the stressful side of his career. He knew that if the wrong people found out that they were dating, that they would try to use her in similar ways they were using him, to promote their products and businesses simply because she was his girlfriend and she didn't deserve to be put through that treatment again. Not after what had happened before she'd moved to Galar.

Obviously he would be much happier if they could be more open about their relationship, but he didn't want to risk anything. At least not right now. He knows it isn't realistic to keep it a secret forever, but he is happy to keep her all to himself while he could. "Someday it will be, I promise" as he says this, he kisses her gently on her nose.

Tana lets out a happy hum as she scrunches up her nose at the kiss. "I'm looking forward to it" she promises quietly. She trusts him and knows that he is right. They have plenty of time to figure things out.

Leon yawns and nestles his face into the top of her head, loving the scent of her hair. He found it rather soothing. One of his hands trails up to play with the short strands at the base of her head, which in turn relaxes Tana as well. She rests her face against his chest, ready to close her eyes for the night. "Good night, Lee" she says with a content sigh. Feeling when Naru stretches out at the end of the bed on their feet, the bed hog.

The next morning, Leon found himself awake before Tana, his girlfriend still curled up in his arms. It feels like a dream, waking up with her next to him like this, and he couldn't think of a better way to start the morning even if he tried. He carefully slips out of bed, making sure not to disturb her and gave her a kiss on the forehead before covering her back up with the blanket. Naru following on his heels with a quiet meow. Demanding his breakfast.

As Leon left the bedroom, he could smell his mother's cooking downstairs. Likely making breakfast. He makes his way downstairs and into the kitchen, where he sees exactly that. "Morning, Mum!" he says to her as he enters and gave the woman a kiss on the side of her head. Getting out some Pokémon food for Naru who would purr his appreciation. He fills his plate then ruffles Hop's hair as he passes by him at the table and took the empty chair next to him.

"Good morning, my dear. I hope you slept well" his mother responds.

"Best sleep of my life" he says with a smile, shoving a slice of bacon in his mouth.

As he is chewing his food, his mother continues, a bit of a knowing smirk on her face. "I sure hope the same for Miss Tana. I went to check on her last night and she wasn't in Hop's room, where I had left her."

"Busted!" Hop chuckles to himself.

Leon practically chokes on his food at her words. He never even thought about what his family might suspect about her sleeping in his room. "M-Mum, nothing happened! We were just-" he stutters out.

She brings her hand up to her mouth as she laughs. "I never said anything did!" She walks up behind him and places her hands on his shoulders. "You're both adults now. I know you're old enough to make your own decisions. Besides, you live on your own now! It's not like I'd be able to do anything to stop you while you're in Wyndon" she points out. While he knew she is telling him that he hadn't done anything wrong, his face is still a bright red, full of embarrassment. Did they really need to talk about this in front of Hop?!

Upstairs, Tana opens her eyes, seeing that she's in an empty bed. Still, she decides to linger for just a moment, soaking up the how happy she is to have been able to spend a night with someone so special to her. She brought the blanket up to her face and giggles happily, hiding her flushed cheeks as she did. She never thought it could be possible to feel so strongly about someone like she does about Lee. Everything between them brought her so much joy.

She couldn't help but wonder if this was what her parents had felt for each other and if they would approve of her choices…Either way, she's happy and wouldn't dwell on the what if's for long.

After getting herself ready for the day, Tana makes her way downstairs to meet up with Leon and the rest of his family, excited to see how the rest of this vacation is going to play out.

The next month would go by quickly, the pair able to relax and settle into the new aspect of their relationship. Making time for Hop and letting him play and interact with both their teams. Taking a strong shine to Hinata to Tana's delight and knew when the time came Hop was liable to try and find a Scorbunny of his own.

Both returning to their normal routines when the month was up, and Leon returned to work while Tana returned to Hammerlocke. Raihan teasing her mercilessly for the first week back about her bold move though would calm down after Tana pranked him to hell and back for it.

Posting the picture and video evidence of her pranks on Obstagram for all of her followers and his to see.

It would be around Christmas time, the pair having gone on a couple more small dates when they could be fit in, that found Tana out at Spikemuth with Piers and Marnie recording a few pieces for the fun of it.

The adults having agreed to take a small break from putting out albums to do live streams and posting songs direct to Poketube videos for people to find their music and slowly build up for an album they would release the year Marnie and Hop were legally allowed to take part in the Gym Challenge.

"Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah

Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah nah

Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah

Nah, nah, nah, nah

Here we go, here we go

It's about time that we set it off

Here we go, here we go

Red lights, I could never stop

A dreamer with the fever to be great was all I ever want, was all I ever wanted

A finder with the fever for the fame was all I ever want, was all I ever wanted

Got me singin' like

Bang, bang

Bang, bang

Bang, bang

This fire's a weapon

Bang, bang

Bang, bang

Bang, bang

Won't stop till we're legends

Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah

Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah nah

Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah

Nah, nah, nah, nah

Won't stop till we're legends

Here we go, here we go

It's my turn to make history

Here we go, here we go

When I'm gone they'll remember me, yeah

A dreamer with the fever to be great was all I ever want, was all I ever wanted

A finder with the fever for the fame was all I ever want, was all I ever wanted

Got me singin' like

Bang, bang

Bang, bang

Bang, bang

This fire's a weapon

Bang, bang

Bang, bang

Bang, bang

Won't stop till we're legends

Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah

Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah nah

Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah

Nah, nah, nah, nah

Won't stop till we're legends

Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah

Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah nah

Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah

Nah, nah, nah, nah

Won't stop till we're legends

Blood, sweat, I'll break my bones

Till all my scars bleed gold and

My name's forever known

Woah-oh, woah-oh

Blood, sweat, I'll break my bones

Till all my scars bleed golden

My name's forever known

Woah-oh, woah-oh

Blood, sweat, I'll break my bones (bang, bang)

Till all my scars bleed gold and

My name's forever known

(Bang, bang, won't stop till we're legends)

Woah-oh, woah-oh

Bang, bang, won't stop till we're legends

Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah

Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah nah

Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah

Nah, nah, nah, nah

Won't stop till we're legends

Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah

Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah nah

Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah

Nah, nah, nah, nah"

Tana sang, the first piece for the Heroes and Legends album she and Piers were building, a call back to their roots as Challengers. The album an attempt to bring back to life a piece of their region's history that everyone had forgotten over time till it had become a simple children's story.

"That sounded really good" Marnie says in awe, never quite able to get over the slight hero worship she has for her brother's best friend. Tana having a voice she knew most girls would kill to have and one that hadn't changed much even through puberty.

"Thanks Marnie" Tana laughs as she runs her fingers through her hair to break up the hair gel holding it in place. The hair stylist having emphasized some of the spikes to change up the usually lazy style she had.

"Did you get all your Christmas shopping done?" Tana asks curiously as Marnie nods with a small smile as she passes over her gift for Tana. The ravenette already having passed along her gifts for Piers, Gordie and Marnie to Piers himself.

"Thank you, I'll open this Christmas day" Tana smiles as she hugs Marnie while Piers would ask if she was doing anything after posting the video to Obstagram and Poketube. Tana having spent most of the week on the Isle with her family. Hyde happy to see her and ecstatic with the Porygon-Z she'd given him, having worked with Gladion to trade for it.

"Lee is working so I'll likely head back to Hammerlocke after I call to check in" Tana shrugs as she tucks Piers and Marnie's gifts to her in her trainer bag as Ichigo got up from where he'd laid down to watch the show.

'You'll need to get a move on if you want him to answer the phone Tana' Ichigo chirps as Tana nods and would climb up onto her partner's back to head outside. Dressed for the weather in her black winter coat, dark grey sweater dress, dark blue with silver and gold stars leggings, black winter boots and the black and gold scarf Leon had gotten her for her 12th birthday by the time Ichigo reaches the entrance to the indoor community. Piers having heavily influenced her wardrobe choices over the years in that she preferred a lot of the darker colors to the lighter shades though she did have a few pieces of clothing that were bright and eye catching.

Tana would dial his number and finish getting the hair gel out of her hair as she waits for him to pick up. The moment Leon's face appears on his screen, her face lights up. "Hi, Lee! Are you busy right now?" she asks, ignoring the fact she likely looks a mess and tired after the last couple days of working towards tonight's live stream.

"I just got home actually, what's up?" Leon asks, an amused smile on his face.

"Not much, just checking in since I finished up with Piers and the band for the night and I missed you" Tana responds, noticing the look on his face. "What's so funny?" she asks with a small pout.

Leon chuckles, hardly able to keep his little Christmas secret in. "Ohhh, nothing at all! I was actually just about to call you myself! You don't have to miss me for much longer" he teases lightly.

"You were?" Tana asks, happy to know that even with how busy he is, he always made time to contact her when he could. But then there the last part of what he said catches up with her tired brain. "Wait, what do you mean?" she asks in confusion.

"Look up!" he tells her, pointing to the sky. She does as Leon instructs and sees Charizard flying above her head.

"You're here in Spikemuth?" Tana asks in surprise.

"Not exactly!" Leon chuckles as Charizard lands in front of her and Ichigo, she notices that the champion isn't with him.

"You sent Charizard? But why? Don't you need him?" Tana asks, her green eyes conveying her confusion and how her tired brain isn't able to quite keep up.

"He's there to pick you up!" Leon tells her with a smirk on his face. "Surprise!" he laughs as Tana climbs off Ichigo.

"Leon! Are you sure? But what if someone sees me?" Tana asks, petting Charizard on the face, happy to see her boyfriend's partner.

"Don't worry! I have it all taken care of!" the champion says, and almost as if on cue, Charizard crouches down to reveal a gift box on his back.

Tana takes the box and lifts the lid, finding Leon's hat and cape inside. "I don't get it" she says with a laugh.

"Wear them while you're on Charizard and no one will realize it's you! Just keep your head down. Charizard knows what to do!" Leon explains as Tana slowly nods. Her smile building as Ichigo nudges her to get a move on.

She was going to Wyndon to see Leon! In her mind, this was the best Christmas gift ever.

"I'll see you soon then" Tana laughs as she returns Ichigo to his ball. Charizard letting her climb on once she's got Leon's hat and cape on properly. Her trainer bag tucked safely along her front. The flight quick and peaceful.

Charizard hovers in the air in front of the balcony of an apartment in East Wyndon, his wings flapping to keep him and his passenger in the air. The fire dragon lets out a cry to alert his trainer of their arrival. Leon opens the door with a smile on his face and a Santa hat on his head…which matches his cape that she is currently wearing surprisingly well.

Tana can't help but laugh as her boyfriend takes her hands to help her down from Charizard's back. "What are you wearing?" She asks as she hops down onto the balcony and wraps her arms around his waist to hug him tightly. It had been weeks since she had seen him, and she had missed him dearly.

"Come on, it's Christmas! What else am I supposed to wear?" Leon asks as he rests his chin on top of Tana's head and holds her close. It had been such a long day but having her here made everything better. "Come on inside, I'll start a fire! Its freezing out here!" he encourages feeling the slight tremor that indicated Tana was starting to feel the cold.

He returns Charizard to his ball and leads Tana inside. As he kneels down to the fireplace to start the fire, she wanders around the living room and admires all of the awards that were hanging on his wall. She couldn't believe how high end his apartment is. "Leon, this place is amazing" Tana says in quiet awe. He chuckles lightly, and Tana notices a bit of sadness in his voice. She turns to look at him with a concerned look on her face. "What?" she asks.

"I love living my dream up here. I love battling new challengers and meeting with fans and all, but living so far away from my Mum, my brother, and…you" Leon starts as he stood up from the fireplace, but he is interrupted by a hug from behind from Tana.

She can tell he's lonely. If only they hadn't decided to hide their relationship from the public, then she could visit with him all the time. But they couldn't risk anyone seeing her coming in and out.

"I'm so sorry, Lee…But hey! I'm here now, right? What made you decide to send Charizard to pick me up?" Tana asks.

"It's the first Christmas since you came back to Galar and our first Christmas as a couple" Leon tells her. She could sense the shyness in his voice at that last part of that sentence. It's so cute how even someone who speaks in front of crowds like he does could get so nervous when it came to their relationship. He clears his throat and turns around to face her. "I just didn't want to miss it" he admits a little more confidently at the gentle smile on his girlfriend's face.

"I'm happy and really grateful you thought all of this out so we could spend time together" Tana reassures as she stands on her toes to kiss his cheek.

Leon wears a goofy smile on his face as she pulls away from kissing him. "Yeah, but I haven't even told you the best part of it all" he points out.

"There's more and you didn't tell me?" Tana asks, in a sarcastically offended tone.

"I wanted to wait until you got here to share the rest of your surprise" Leon wraps his arms around her tightly. "I spoke with Chairman Rose this afternoon…and I took the rest of the week off! It took an awful lot of convincing, but we rescheduled all of my meetings until next week. I'll just be a little extra busy for a few days, but it will be worth it" he explains as Tana's face lit up brighter than the Christmas tree in his living room.

"You really mean it?" Tana asks in delight.

"I do! My Mum and little brother will be here tomorrow for Christmas day, but..." He explains while rubbing the back of his head, a little nervous about the next thing he is about to tell her. "But if you're comfortable spending the day with my family, then you're more than welcome to stay over for the next few days?" He offers as Tana relaxes in his arms at the offer.

The two had been in a relationship for nearly 4 months and he had never invited her to stay with him at his apartment before. Sure, she had gone with him to visit his family in Postwick, and they had spent a few nights together in the Hammerlocke condo with Raihan, but here he is asking her to spend nearly half a week in his own place. He also wants her to spend Christmas with him and his family. "Lee…It would mean the world to me if I can stay here with you" She hugs him tightly and buries her face into his chest. "But only on one condition" she adds on knowing what she truly wants from him.

Leon chuckles and kisses the top of her head. "Okay, what would that be?" he asks in amusement.

"Aside from when your mom and Hop are here, you spend as much of your time off as possible resting and relaxing. You're always working…I worry about the fact your overworking yourself so you need to take the time to take care of yourself when you can and not the little bits Oleanna and Rose give you during the day" Tana says firmly, tone brokering no argument since she knew it was incredibly rare for Leon to get time off like this. She would feel guilty if he spent all of it spoiling her like he usually did when they were able to find time together.

"Hmm, I guess I could handle that…As long as I have a cuddle buddy" Leon half teases.

Tana lets out a tired giggle at his choice of words that makes Leon's heart melt. "Oh, that's fine, did you really think I would leave you all alone?" she asks with an arched eye brow.

Leon laughs a little. "Nah, of course not. I just wanted to make sure you were all mine for the weekend!" He then leans down to plant a kiss on her lips for the first time since Tana arrived that night.

Christmas night, after Leon's mother and Hop had already come and gone, the two ate dinner together with the lights of the Christmas tree and light of the fire in the fireplace setting a romantic atmosphere as they share their meal and talk about some of the battles they had participated in recently. Tana having gotten back into the swing of things by acting as one of Raihan's gym trainers this season with Hades, Sakura, and Lily.

Once they finish eating, Tana helps him clean up the kitchen, though they end up with more of a mess than when they started.

Leon couldn't resist taking some of the suds from the dish water and blowing them in her face, which resulted in lots of laughter as the two of them splashing each other with the water. The entire kitchen soaked and so were their clothes by the end of it. Once they finally settle down, Leon takes her into his room so they could find something dry to wear and offers her one of his League jerseys to wear. Tana having her own pair of pants to wear, always keeping a couple spares in her bag due to training.

After Tana changes, the Champion struggles not to stare at her. She just looks so cute in his clothes! The shirt is just slightly too big for her, but she looks comfy.

The difference in their heights more pronounced now compared to when they were ten and she was stealing his and Raihan's shirts when they were camping.

"Just one more thing to complete your new look!" Leon says, placing his favorite hat on her head. "There! Now you look like you're ready to go out and have a Champion Time!" he laughs.

They both laugh before the ravenette got up on her tiptoes to kiss him. Once they part, she hugs him tightly and rests her head on his chest as he wraps his arms around her. She sighs contently. Mumbling something into his shirt.

"Hm? What is it?" Leon asks her then kisses the top of her head.

"I love you Lee" Tana says sleepily, her green eyes fond as she tilts her head back to look up at him.

"Y-You…you what?" Leon stutters, struggling to find the proper words to say in response. His face about as hot as his Charizard's flame. This is the first time she had ever said anything like this before. Tana frowning a little in response at the reaction and a little more awake.

"If you're not ready to say it you don't have too, I just felt I needed to say it" Tana says in quiet embarrassment. Turning away to hide it from him.

Leon blinks, still a little shocked by what she has said. But then he notices her embarrassment in response to his reaction. "Wait! Tana, it's okay!" he says with a laugh as he hugs her from behind. "I just wasn't expecting that. The truth is…I love you, too! I just didn't know when the right moment was to say it" he reassures.

Tana's eyes widen in surprise as she shifts around to face him once again. He really loves her back? "You mean it?" she asks in awe.

"I mean it" Leon says before kissing her face. "I love you!" he repeats himself as tears fill Tana's eyes and she laughs to try to cover it up.

Hearing the phrase coming from his mouth fills her with so many emotions, she hardly knows how to cope with them. He kisses her cheeks multiple times, even kissing away her happy tears that inevitably start falling. When he stops she buries her face into his shoulder as he gave her a big bear hug. Clinging to him tightly in quiet relief.

"I love you, too. Thank you for bringing me here" Tana mumbles into his shoulder.

And for the rest of her stay, the two hardly left each other's embrace.

It would take a year and a half of dating before their relationship status got out. They were careful to keep quiet about their relationship status from the public. Unfortunately, with how much time Leon spent in the spotlight, it didn't leave a whole lot of time for the two of them to be together, but any time they were, they made sure to make up for any time they had lost.

The Gym Challenge season was coming to a close for the year, which left Leon with a lot of important responsibilities to take care of as Galar's Champion. By the time of the Champion Cup, it had been nearly two months since the last time they had seen each other in person. Tana had decided to attend the tournament and surprise her boyfriend after it was over. Usually, once the Champion Cup is over and the season ends for the year, Leon isn't as busy in the following months until it is time for the next season to start, which meant that evening they should have time to see each other and maybe even stay together somewhere.

The battle was very close, probably one of the closest battles he's ever had with anyone who wasn't Raihan since he became Champion. But he still defeated the challenger that everyone believed might threaten his title that year. Tana had known this battle had him feeling a little on edge for the past few days, but she was incredibly proud of him. He never lost his cool or showed any signs of nerves. She always loved seeing how comfortable he was battling.

When the battle was over, Tana left the stadium to meet him outside. She had wanted to get out there before any fans might start to gather, or he would never find her in the crowd. By the time he came outside, a pretty large one had formed behind her, all excited to see their reigning Champion up close and in person.

"Lee!" Tana waves when he was in her line of sight. She ran over to him, security not stopping her as they knew she was close to the Champion. He had told them many times not to hold her back from seeing him. Though this time, it might have been a good idea to do so with how hyped he was from the battle.

Leon wasn't sure if it was from the adrenaline the battle brought him or that he was just excited to see her in person again after so long, but as soon as Tana was close enough, he put his hands on her face and planted a kiss on her lips. As he pulled away, he saw the look of surprise on Tana's face and realized what he had just done. All those people gathered in front of the stadium saw what just happened.

Cameras begin flashing from all angles as the crowd's questions fill the air. "Champion Leon, are you two dating?" "Hey, isn't she a member of Piers' band?" "What does this mean?" Taking only a second to react, Leon throws up his cape to cover Tana as a member of security led them back toward the locker rooms.

When they were finally alone, Leon began pacing nervously. "Ana…I'm so sorry…I don't know what I was thinking. I just…saw you and I was just so excited and-" he rambles as Tana took a deep breath and pulls him to a stop.

"Lee it's okay. We knew we weren't going to stay a secret forever, not with how high profile we both are" Tana points out patiently, reminding her boyfriend that she had earned just as much infamy as he had though hers was a build up from her nine years traveling the other regions and performing with Piers' band.

"I know…but there's going to be a lot of talk now, and I don't know what anyone is going to say about you…or about us" Leon sighs. He knew the public could be a bit cruel when it came to popular figures having a relationship, and he wasn't going to stand for anyone saying anything that might hurt Tana.

Not when they were both so happy and Tana had finally settled into what she wanted for her future. Kabu having taken her on a few months back as a potential successor after Tana had spent the year as a Gym trainer under Raihan. Sakura, Viola and Lily having gotten a lot of training time in as her Gym roster. Giving the fire specialist a chance to see if she would fit in Motostoke since fire was her specialty.

"Don't worry about it. We will figure all of that out as it happens. But right now we need to go back out there and explain ourselves…If we run it will only make things worse" Tana points out with a tired smile before wrapping her arms around his torso to hug him, hoping the affection would help him calm down. "We'll do this together like we always have" she reassures.

The Champion relaxes at her touch and raises his arms to return the hug, with his cheek resting on top of her head. He is so thankful she is keeping so calm in this situation. Anyone else might have called things off when it got to this point, but he could tell she wants nothing more than to always be by his side, no matter what it took. The publicity they were about to get for this 'scandal' as some would call it didn't bother her in the slightest. "You're the best" he whispers as Tana laughs.

"And don't you forget it Undefeated Champion!" Tana laughs in delight at his comment. "I haven't had the chance to congratulate you for today. You were amazing out there" she says happily.

Suddenly, the door to the locker room opens and the couple jumps, feeling startled. "Don't panic, it's only me" Raihan's voice calls out and both sigh with relief. "It's pretty wild out there right now. The Chairman's dealing with the crowd right now…but I'll warn you, he doesn't seem happy" he warns as Tana frowns. It only made sense, of course. Rose was one of the ones kept in the dark about their relationship, which meant he found out through all of the commotion caused by their public kiss. The man is a little strict about Leon keeping a clean image, and keeping a secret relationship was probably the exact opposite in his eyes.

"What a mess" Leon says with a sigh. Rose's reaction never even crossed his mind. It was rare for the chairman to ever show his anger, but Leon had seen it happen a few times, even if it was never directed toward him. He had no idea what kind of response his boss was going to give them and if it were to be negative, he did not want Tana to be on the receiving end. Not when he knew the two of them were barely able to keep civil in each other's presence on a good day let alone what had just happened out there.

It might be for the best if he dealt with things himself for now, and then the two of them could officially announce their relationship to the public together once the madness settles. "Alright. Raihan, can you stay back here with Tana? I'm going to go out there and try to-" Leon starts outlining his plan only to be interrupted by Tana who did not look pleased.

"What happened to us doing this together?" Tana demands in a rare show of temper.

"I'm sorry, Ana…I know how Rose can be. I think it might be easier to calm him down if I go alone. Besides, I'd rather not give him the chance to say something that might upset you" Leon kisses the side of her head. "I'll be back to get you once everything outside has settled, I promise" he reassures as Tana sighs and withholds some of the choice words she has for Rose.

She watches as Leon leaves the locker room, the main thought in her mind wondering if Leon is going to be in trouble because of this.

When Leon arrives outside, he is met by Chairman Rose who, while calm, carries a bit of a disapproving look on his face. The Champion feels his stomach drop, but he takes a deep breath. "Chairman, listen, I can explain everything!" he says quickly.

Rose holds up a hand, signalling him to stop talking. "What's done is done. You don't need to explain a thing to me, Leon. Right now what you need to do is explain yourself to the people of Galar and answer their questions" the man says firmly.

"Right" Leon says with a nod. The crowd had nearly doubled in size at this point, with everyone wanting to find out what was going on between Leon and the "girl with black hair." Oleana and a few members of the League staff were now taking care of the crowd. The Champion walks up behind them and gave Oleana a tap on the shoulder, letting her know that he would take things from there. The fans erupt in cheers and questions as he steps forward, cameras flashing all around him. He is used to having a lot of excitement surrounding him when there were crowds, but not like this. This time, things felt much different.

Leon clears his throat as the crowd grew quieter to listen to what he has to say.

Back inside, Tana takes a seat on one of the benches next to where Raihan is standing. Her worry clear as day to him. "Hey, relax! Everything is going to be fine! Leon's got this!" the dragon tamer says while taking a seat next to her. "I know things seem hectic right now, but that's only because no one was expecting what they saw today. It will die down, trust me!" he reassures as Tana gives him an amused look. They both know Raihan has a bit of experience with having relationships in front of the public eye due to his internet presence.

"I know...I just don't want this to mess things up for Lee. He's worked so hard to get where he is now" Tana admits quietly.

"Ana…you two have been together for over a year now. If you were going to get in the way of his career, you already would have. He loves you and he loves being Champion. He's not going to let either jeopardize the other. Rose and the others may not understand right now, but they'll see in time" Raihan reassures her. "You keep that boy's head on straight. He'd be even more lost than usual if he didn't have you around! If they can't support that, then who needs 'em" he points out with a grin.

"You're right. You don't think he's going to get into any trouble with the Chairman?" Tana asks curiously.

Raihan shrugs. "What's he gonna do? Fire him as Champion? It would probably be the biggest mistake he'd ever make" he points out as Tana hums thoughtfully.

It was pretty common knowledge how much money Leon brought in for the League with how frequently his battles sold out. Not only that, but there would surely be other sorts of backlash if Rose were to ever do something like that. She felt a little better after talking with Raihan about it.

As Raihan scrolls through his social media on his Rotom Phone, something happens to catch his eye. "Oh, look! Someone's live streaming what's happening outside right now!" Raihan notes as Tana scoots closer to him so she can get a better look.

"I'm sure all of you have plenty of questions about what you saw earlier but allow me to explain. The girl you saw me with…her name is Tana Evans. Some of you may remember her from my own Gym Challenge the year I became Champion. Some of you might know her from her own accomplishments outside Galar. We have been very close friends since before that Challenge" Leon takes a deep breath before continuing. "And yes, she is now my girlfriend and has been for over a year now. We decided to keep our relationship a secret because we weren't sure how anyone was going to respond to that kind of news. I realize now that was probably the wrong way to handle things, and I apologize. I hope all of you understand" he explains.

He closes his eyes and a smile forms on his face as he pictures her. He finally had the chance to brag about Tana, so he definitely wasn't going to let this opportunity pass. Especially since she isn't out here listening…though he has no idea she's watching from inside the locker room with Raihan. "Tana is…a very special girl. I'm the one who is lucky to have her" he begins, responding to a few whispers he hears saying how lucky she was to be dating the Champion. "She's the kind of person who puts the people and Pokémon she cares about before herself. She's always wanting to help those in need, and she takes exceptionally good care of her Pokémon! And not just her Pokémon. My own Pokémon absolutely adore her! I've never met anyone who loves Pokémon as much as she does!" he admits proudly.

"Tana is very sweet and she makes me happy…I love her! So please…I hope you can all accept her as your Champion's girlfriend and that you will all treat her with kindness. It's what she deserves!" Leon announces to the crowd.

Inside the locker room Raihan laughs at how red his best friend's face is as the live stream ends. "I'd say that went pretty well" he says around a laugh. Cackling when she smacks his arm in aggravation of his laughing at her.

"I can't believe he said all of that in front of all those people" Tana sighs, unsure how to feel about it but knowing there's no going back now.

The dragon tamer scoffs. "I can! He says that stuff to me all the time!" When her face grows a darker shade of red, he throws her a grin. "Like I said before, he really loves you. And now that your relationship isn't a secret anymore, he'll make sure everyone in Galar knows that!" he points out as Tana pulls her legs up onto the bench to hide her face.

Hides the excited smile on her fact at the idea. Things were going to be a lot different now, but with things finally being public, they would be able to spend more time together. No more worrying about someone spotting her leaving his apartment when she stays over or having to plan dates in private areas so they don't risk getting seen. She couldn't wait to see what things were going to be like from then on.

Unaware of the changes coming her way on a personal level, that her past was finally going to catch up with her in the next couple years because of that live stream and the media presence Leon and Tana were going to garner with going public.

Unaware that the year after she disappeared Earth time her godfather Sirius Black had broken out of Azkaban to try and find her. Revenge forgotten when word finally got out that the last living Potter had disappeared and hadn't yet been found. That all of the Potter wealth and treasures had been pulled from Gringotts not a month after Hogwarts had let out for the year, the goblins not saying a word on who had pulled it all. Admitting it definitely wasn't Harriet who had come in and hadn't seen the girl since the summer before her second year when she'd pulled funds from her trust vault. They would point the man though in the direction of Fawkes since the phoenix had been the last living being to see Harriet alive. Some of Harriet's true friends joining the man in the search once they realized Sirius had a lead and they all would keep it from Dumbledore who was scrambling to reclaim control and find Magical Britain's savior.

The headmaster working under the impression Tom Marvolo Riddle, Voldemort was still trying to come back when in fact Fawkes had put an end to the madness when he burned the horcrux out of Harriet, his magic burning out the rest through the tiny shard left behind in Harriet.

Fawkes on his part would make the small group wait, Sirius in no condition to make the jump and the rest needing to get their affairs in order and make peace with the fact they were liable to lose their magic where they were going.

Luna translating this when Sirius pushed on the subject, Neville and twins more than agreeing with the youngest and Fawkes' point. They would be giving up a lot to go find Harriet and they needed to do it with little regrets. But the trip wouldn't happen for a long time yet so they had time. They needed to make sure Dumbledore and Magical Britain wouldn't come after them and Harriet once they did leave.

In the present though, every year since he'd become champion, Leon had off from Christmas Eve to New Years Eve. For the past two years since they had started dating they had made it a tradition to fly Tana from wherever she was that day to Wyndon so they could spend that week together, with Christmas Day spent with his mom and Hop. Tana spending the week before with her family on the Isle.

This year being a little different from the others, however. This being the first year that they had been public about their relationship, which meant they could spend this time together out in the city, taking in all the festivities it had to offer.

On New Years Eve, Leon noted Tana slowly growing more withdrawn as the day went on. Over the last couple days, all she could talk about was getting to see the fireworks with him at midnight and even teasing about how she was looking forward to that special midnight kiss…so why didn't she see seem happy? He hopes what he plans to ask her that night would cheer her up, but they were still hours away from that happening. He needs to know what is bothering her so much.

He finally asks when they stop at a food stand to grab a snack. While they were sitting side by side on a bench, eating, he notes the wistful look on her face and decides it's as good a time as any to ask what was on her mind. "Everything okay, Ana? You've been awfully quiet today. Aren't you having fun?" he prods as Tana swallows the bite of food she'd taken.

"Hm? Oh, I'm having a lot of fun" Tana reassures, flashing him a smile. It isn't a lie! She really is enjoying her time with him. Being able to go out and enjoy some of the things Wyndon did this time of the year reminding her a little of the Ecruteak festival and the amusement park she'd gone to with Touya and N.

"Then is there something on your mind?" Leon asks as the small smile fades a little.

"It's New Years Eve, Lee" Tana points out quietly.

Leon tilts his head to the side in confusion. "Of course it is! And we've both been looking forward to tonight! That's why we're here! So…what's the problem?" He asks as Tana reminds herself she needs to be honest and not get upset.

"Tomorrow you go back to work and I go back to Hammerlocke. It's almost over" Tana points out quietly.

"Ah" So that's what this is about. If only she knew about the gifts he wants to give her at midnight… Then she wouldn't be worried at all.

"Mhm, ah is right" Tana chuckles as she takes another bite of her food. Resisting the urge to snap or pout.

"Huh? Oh!" Leon shakes his head, a little embarrassed that he got caught up in his thoughts instead of giving her an actual response. But he couldn't exactly tell her what is on his mind. Not yet at least. "No, I was just thinking. I'm not ready for it to be over either, but shouldn't we try to enjoy what time we do have left as much as we can?" he points out as Tana nods with a fond smile.

"True. Sorry for being so mopey" Tana apologises as she rests her head on his shoulder and he puts an arm around her. Letting the fact he'd been spacey all evening go to Leon's relief.

"Don't worry about it! We'll just have to make today extra fun!" Leon kisses her head before standing up and holding out a hand for her to take. "Come on! There's lots of games we can go play! I'll win a big stuffed Pokémon for you!" he offers.

Tana giggles at the thought of it. He may be really good at Pokémon battles, but when it came to carnival games…he wasn't so talented. But when he set his mind on something, he didn't stop until he succeeded. She takes his hand and stood up, but before they could walk away, she tugs on his hand to pull him into her for a hug. "Thank you" she sighs into his chest. Missing the fond look on her boyfriend's face.

After hours of games and laughs, Leon finally won a stuffed Scorbunny for Tana. It wasn't the giant one like he had planned, but it's still big enough for her to cuddle in her arms as they walk together and she couldn't have asked for a better prize. She's just happy that he won it for her.

"You know, there isn't much time left until the fireworks…We should probably find a good place to watch them" Tana muses. "I asked around and the grassy area in front of Rose Tower is a good place to go" she points out.

Leon chuckles, already having something arranged for them. "I know of somewhere even better than that!" He takes her hand and leads her towards the Ferris wheel, which had an awfully long line.

"The Ferris wheel? But don't you see all of those people waiting in line? There's no way we will get on before midnight" Tana points out in amusement, her eyes fond as she stared at it.

"You worry too much, Ana! Just trust me on this!" Leon reassures her with a wink. As it turns out, he arranged things with the festival staff to be able to get on at just the right time, which would leave them at the top the moment the clock struck midnight. Being the Champion had its perks.

Once they got on, Tana giggles helplessly at her boyfriend's antics. "How long did you have this planned and what about those poor people still stuck in line?" she asks.

"I'm sure it will be okay! I've had this planned for weeks! The staff probably warned them before they even got in line!" Leon admits as Tana got her giggling under control.

"Weeks?" Tana asks in surprise.

Leon's cheeks turn a little red. "Well…yeah! It's a special night for couples! So I…ahem…I wanted to make sure ours was extra special! Especially with what we talked about earlier and the fact I know you're fond of Ferris wheels" he admits as Tana smiles.

Tana reaches forward and takes his hand since they were sitting across from each other. He is a lot more thoughtful than most people like to give him credit for. "That really means a lot, Lee" she says gratefully.

Leon smiles back at her and rubs his thumb over her hand. It's almost time…He checks his watch.

11:58PM

He takes a deep breath and pulls out a small gift box from his pocket. And Tana's jaw drops slightly. "Wait…We're exchanging gifts? I didn't bring anything to give yo-" she stutters out only for him to cut her off.

"Hey, it's okay!" He gives her a big smile. The one where he shows his teeth, that always makes her heart turn to goo. "This is kind of for both of us in a way, anyway!" he reassures.

Tana eyes him suspiciously as she removes the ribbon. She opens it to find a dainty silver ring with a green stone in it. "Lee, this is so pretty" she breathes in awe. It definitely isn't a proposal ring or she probably would have passed out. But what made him decide to get it for her?

11:59PM

"It's a promise ring. I know we don't always have a lot of time to spend with each other, but I wanted you to have it to remind you that no matter what, you're always in my heart" Leon explains, tears already in Tana's eyes before he could even finish. He chuckles and helps her put the ring on her index finger, then wipes away a tear from her cheek. "Wait, not yet! That's not all!" he continues.

"There's more?" Tana asks with a wet laugh, feeling more emotional because of that, rather than calmer. Besides, how could anything top this?

30 seconds…

Leon clears his throat, trying not to get emotional himself at the sight of her tears. The Ferris wheel stops, with them at the very top as he continues. "There's something else in the box" He is starting to get a little nervous.

20 seconds…

Tana blinks and looks down at the box again and removes the small pillow that the ring had been resting on. "A key?" she asks in surprise.

From down below, they can hear the sound of people counting down the seconds. "Well I've been thinking, and I even talked to Rai about it, now that we don't have to hide our relationship from anyone anymore if it's okay with you…" Leon starts to explain as the countdown got louder.

10… 9… 8…

"I'd like you to move into my apartment with me" he finishes.

7… 6… 5…

Tana stares at him, her eyes wide. She couldn't find the words to explain how it made her feel. But she knows exactly how to show him.

4… 3… 2…

She quickly leans forward and wraps her arms around his neck and kisses him right on the lips.

1... HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Fireworks start to go off in the distance as they kiss, making the moment that much more magical. When she finally pulls away from him, Leon laughs and put his hand on her face. "So does that mean you will?" he asks.

"Of course I will" Tana laughs, leaning into the touch with a fond look on her face. Letting herself be tucked into his lap for the ride down.

Both really happy and eager for the move. Raihan helping Tana pack all her things up in the weeks to follow. Quietly moving in without the press catching word to the amusement of the dragon tamer who hadn't quite figured out how Tana managed to avoid the press and her more rapid fans.

It was on New Years though that Fawkes would drop Sirius Black, Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom and the Weasley twins in Sinnoh. Willing to help them but unwilling to disturb his favorite human's happiness. Having discreetly checked on her over the years, happy to see her healthy and making her mark in the world that wasn't influenced by her losses.

Ichigo sensing the power surge unlike the first time and knew some kind of trouble was brewing. Mentioning it to the rest of his flock so they could better protect Tana. She deserved this well earned happiness after having struggled this long on all levels to get to a place where she no longer struggled with the scars her past had given her.

It would be two years later, Hop just turning 18 and excited to be legally allowed to get his license that found Tana getting up before her boyfriend. Tana having turned 28 over the summer and Leon's coming up in October. His birthday making the once dreaded month a time to look forward to now.

A light shining through the bedroom window, hits Tana directly in the face and wakes her from her sleep. She grumbles softly and sits up to stretch. As she did, a pair of arms snake their way around her torso, holding her down from leaving the bed. Tana chuckles and looks down at the mess of purple hair next to her and ran her fingers through it until she could see Leon's face. "Good morning, sleepy head" she laughs lightly.

"Just a few more minutes…" the Champion whines, pulling her back down with him. She did as he wished with no protests, as these early morning cuddles were her favorite way to start the day. Mornings just like this one were common since she moved in with him two years ago, the exceptions being the days he had to be up early for League business. But the Gym Challenge season doesn't start for a few more weeks, so they are free to spend their morning this way.

When Tana is back down to his level, Leon pulls her in close and gave her a sleepy kiss on the cheek before burying his face into her neck. She sighs and strokes his hair, trying to smooth some of his bed head away. "We can't stay in bed too long today. You did promise that we would make a trip to Postwick today to take Hop and his friend those starter Pokémon" she points out lightly.

Excited since the Scorbunny was one of the two babies Hinata had given birth too. Leon and Tana remembering that Hop had gotten along really well with Tana's starter and shown a preference to the shiny Cinderace.

"Don't worry, I didn't forget" Leon responds with a yawn. "We still have a few hours until it's time to catch the train, so…" His words trail off as he hugs her close. He feels so relaxed as she plays with his hair. Once the Gym Challenge starts, they wouldn't get to sleep in as often, so they might as well take advantage of it while they could.

As she usually did, Tana is the first one out of bed once their little cuddle session comes to an end, so she would be able to make them breakfast before their trip to Postwick. Feeding their Pokémon as she moved about the small kitchen.

Leon yawns as he enters the kitchen and sat at the table. He's greeted with a kiss on the side of his head from his loving girlfriend as she sets a plate of food in front of him. A warm smile spreads across the Champion's face before he starts eating. "Thank you, Ana! This looks amazing!" he praises as Tana smiles, stepping over one of the chew toys that had been left out for Cor and Belle's puppies as she got her own food. The Lycanroc and Houndoom surprising them a few months back with the small litter of three Rockruff and one Houndour puppies.

Tana sitting across from him with her own meal, beaming at his compliment. It made her happy to see him enjoy her cooking so much. "So do you have everything packed for today? I'll bet Hop is really excited to see you!" she states while taking a bite of her breakfast. Her coffee cup within easy reach of herself and guarded viciously. Calem Dubois having sent her another large package of her coffee beans last month when she'd nearly run out.

Leon nods. The Pokéballs for the three starter Pokémon he is bringing to give to Hop, and his friend Gloria are tucked away in the bag they packed for their trip. "It's been a while since I've had the chance to see him or Mum…Probably since Christmas" Leon muses as he taps a finger on his chin. "Come to think of it, I don't think I've even met this friend of his in person before. But I know my little brother is awfully fond of her" he admits as Tana grins wryly. She'd met Gloria in one of her few visits to Postwick on her own when she'd gone to visit Sonia and Professor Magnolia.

"Well they're just as close as we are though I don't think Hop's quite figured it out yet" Tana chuckles fondly.

The Champion simply shrugs. "They have known each other longer than we had back then, so who can really say! But as long as she's a good friend of his, I can't wait to meet her!" He stands from the table and took both of their empty plates to the sink. They would deal with clean up when they got back.

He puts his hands on his hips and turns to face her with a smile as she brought him his cape. Even if he was going to see his family, he's still technically on League duty by delivering starter Pokémon to young trainers.

"Let's get going, then" Tana says as she kisses his cheek after draping the cape over his shoulders.

After traveling for a few hours, Tana and Leon step off the train in Wedgehurst. The inside of the train station relatively empty, as the staff had asked any fans that had gathered to welcome him home to wait outside. He pulls Charizard's Pokéball from his pocket and releases the big orange lizard, who gave a happy growl to greet his trainer. Tana letting Cor out as well, reaching out toward both Pokémon to pet, Charizard muzzling his face into her hands affectionately while Cor would press into her side with a happy grumble.

Once the four of them are ready, they finally step outside the station to thank everyone for meeting them there. The crowd is smaller than the ones they are used to seeing in Wyndon, as Wedgehurst is a much smaller town. They all cheer upon seeing their Champion! Leon eats the attention right up and gave them his signature "Charizard Pose" to which the crowd only cheers louder.

"Hello, hello, Wedgehurst! Your Champion, Leon, is back!" He crosses his arms over his chest as he speaks confidently to his fans. "I promise I'll keep doing my best to deliver the greatest battles for you all to watch!"

"It's our unbeatable Champion!" someone shouts. "Leon, you and Charizard are the greatest!"

Tana grins in amusement next to Charizard, a hand holding onto Cor's collar to keep herself steady. She's happy to see all of the positive attention her boyfriend is getting. "Well thank you for that!" Leon responds before gesturing to Tana. Her eyes widen as she realizes what he's about to do and hisses quietly in protest. "But Charizard and I aren't the only ones here to see you today! My lovely girlfriend is also joining us!" he announces proudly as Tana and Cor share a just done look.

"Leeee" Tana sighs tiredly. But much to her surprise, it seems they are quite excited to see her as well. Her face grows red as she waves to them shyly.

Leon chuckles, happy to see that she is being welcomed too. Turning back to the crowd, he continues. "I hope you'll all carry on training up your Pokémon and never shy from battle. Then come challenge me for the Champion title!" Obviously, since he is still technically working, he had to promote the Gym Challenge, but it didn't bother him all that much. It only meant encouraging trainers to battle him!

"We're on it! We've all been working on our battle skills just like you've taught us to, Lee!" one of the trainers calls out.

"But that Charizard of yours is too strong for the likes of us to take on!" says another.

The Champion lowers his head. "Too true that Charizard is blazingly strong. But other Pokémon can be strong as well! That's why I want the strongest of challengers to fill the Gym Challenge and come battle me!" he says, speaking from his own heart and not just saying what the League would expect him to say. "My wish is for Galar's Trainers to work together to become the strongest in all the world!" Charizard lets out a roar of approval as the fans cheer for their beloved Champion.

Suddenly, from behind the crowd, a hand waves from side to side in the air. "Lee!" a familiar voice shouts out.

Leon smiles brightly, recognizing the voice to belong to his brother. "Hop!" he says as he walks through the sea of people to meet his sibling. "So, my number-one fan in all the world has come out of his way to pick us up!" he laughs in delight.

Tana follows behind him, wanting to greet the young boy as well. She had been dating his brother for 4 years now and considered him as part of her family. "It's great to see you, Hop" she says fondly.

"Look at you, Hop!" the Champion says with a proud tone in his voice. "I reckon you've grown…exactly an inch and a quarter since the last time I saw you" he chuckles, noting fondly that Tana would always be the smallest of them, Hop having grown a couple inches taller than his girlfriend even with her favorite pumps on.

"Bingo!" Hop responds excitedly. "That's the sort of sharp eye that's kept you undefeated so long, eh, Lee?" he says as Tana grins in amusement at his excitement.

Leon smiles, giving him a nod before noticing the young girl standing next to him. "And these bright eyes over here…" Was this his friend? She certainly fits the description Tana had given him. "I've got it! You must be Gloria, am I right? I've heard loads about you from my little brother and Ana!" he says excitedly.

The girl seems a little star-struck, having the famous undefeated Champion know who she is, though she really shouldn't have been surprised considering his brother is her very best friend. "Y-Yes, that's right! It's nice to finally meet you!" Gloria stutters out.

"I'm the Galar Region's greatest-ever Pokémon Champion…and a massive Charizard fan, too. People call me the unbeatable Leon!" he exclaims, officially introducing himself to his family's neighbor.

Hop, knowing that his brother brought gifts for the two of them, couldn't wait to get home. "Come on, Lee, Ana, and you too, Gloria! Bet I can beat the three of you back home!" he teases, then breaks out into a run back to his house. Cor quick to follow to Tana's vocal amusement.

"That Hop…Always wanting to be the best, isn't he? With a proper rival of his own, I bet he'd push himself to become something truly special" Leon muses, speaking to no one in particular. He then turns to face his fans one last time, striking his "Charizard Pose" for them again. "Well, everyone! I bid you farewell for today! But don't you fret, I'll always be around to make sure everyone in Galar can have a Champion Time!" And with a 'whoosh' of his cape, he dashes after his brother.

Tana laughs while watching the two race back to their house. It reminds her of the day she and Leon met and the days running around the Isle. "Those two are so much alike" Tana says to Gloria.

"Hop really admires Leon! He's always saying he wants to grow up to be just like him!" the younger girl responds.

"Well he's definitely on his way" Tana gives her a smile, then turns to Charizard. "Why don't the three of us follow them, Lee has something special planned for you and Hop" she suggests, holding an arm up and letting Gloria tuck into her side. Gloria more than used to Tana by now. Looking up to the older woman as a role model since Tana had done quite a lot in her 18 year trainer career.

Once they all arrive at Hop and Leon's house, they all stand outside in the yard. Hop could hardly contain his excitement! "Come on, Lee! You promised us a present! So out with it! You brought Gloria and me Pokémon. You did, didn't you? You must have!" he pushes in excitement.

Leon laughs. His brother knew him all too well! "Right then! The greatest gift from the greatest Champion…It's showtime, everyone!" The Champion pulls the three Pokéballs from his pocket and tosses them to the practice battlefield beside him. "Take a good look, you two!" he encourages.

The three Pokémon emerge from their balls and he introduces each of them to the young trainers. "The Grass-type Pokémon, Grookey. The Fire-type Pokémon, Scorbunny. And the Water-type Pokémon, Sobble." The Pokémon scamper around and play. While Grookey is up in the tree, Sobble relaxes in the pond below. The Water-type accidentally shoots out a small blast of water right at Scorbunny. The soaked Pokémon jumps in surprise and hits his head on the branch the monkey happens to be on, causing Grookey to drop a berry it had found right into the pond, startling Sobble. The small reptile then begins to cry, so the other two move to console it.

When the commotion between the Pokémon settles, Leon calls out to them. "All right! Line up, everyone!" The Pokémon did as they were told, knowing the most important moment of their lives is about to happen. They were about to be chosen by a trainer! "Which will you choose?" Leon asks Hop and Gloria.

"Go on, you pick first!" Hop says to his friend. "I've already got my Wooloo, after all!" he points out as Tana sits in the grass beside Cor.

Gloria kneels down in front of the Pokémon. They were all so cute! It made the decision a little difficult for her to choose her first ever Pokémon! However, one in particular seemed to catch her eye.

"The Water-type Pokémon, Sobble, eh?" Leon asks as she turns to face the blue reptile. "It's soothing, like a nice, long swim in the lake."

The young girl smiles at the Pokémon and reaches her hand out to it. "I choose you! You'll be my partner, won't you?" Sobble cries out happily before jumping up to hold her hands.

"So it'll be Sobble for you? Nice one!" Hop says, happy for his friend. He then turns to the two remaining Pokémon. But his decision wasn't difficult, having loved playing with Hinata growing up he would approach Scorbunny. "I'll go with Scorbunny! You're mine!" He kneels down to the fire rabbit. "I'm aiming to be the next Champion, so be ready! You and I'll be doing some serious training!" The small Pokémon chirps happily in response. Hop's Wooloo walks over to greet its new teammate, happy to have a new friend.

"I bet you will be, Hop!" Leon tells him, giving his little brother a bit of a confidence boost. He knew it was very possible that someday he really could be the one to come take his title away from him! "That's why I brought these Pokémon along for you and Gloria! So the two of you can battle and train and grow stronger together, to try to reach me!" he explains

The Grookey, who was standing all alone, looks around. It's the only one not chosen by one of the two trainers. The Champion stands in front of the small monkey with a friendly smile. "You'll come with me! Charizard will show you the ropes! He's strict, but real strong and real kind too!" Grookey leaps with joy, happy to be so lucky to be chosen by such an amazing trainer.

"All right, enough of all this trainer nonsense for one night" a female voice calls. Everyone turns to see that it's Hop and Leon's mother, Linda, speaking to them and Gloria's mother is standing next to her. "Dinner's ready, children. Bring along your Pokémon, and let's all eat!" Linda says happily.

After the barbeque the two mothers had prepared is over, Gloria and her mother walk back home. Tana in the kitchen with Linda, helping her clean the kitchen while the two brothers spent some time together outside with their Pokémon while the sun is still out.

Tana stands next to Linda, drying the dishes she had just washed as they watch the two boys having a practice battle out the window. "So how are things up in Wyndon?" the woman asks. "Has that son of mine been treating you well?" she prods.

"Of course he is. He's always been so good to me" Tana says with a fond smile. She folds the towel she is using and sets it down then turns around to lean against the counter. "Wyndon is really nice. It's such a big city! Even after being there for two years, I still struggle to find my way around sometimes. It really makes me wonder how Leon has been able to survive up there sometimes with how easily he gets lost" she admits with a small smile as she reaches down to pet Cor.

"Thank Arceus he's had plenty of help since he moved up there!" Linda chuckles for a moment, but her tone grows a little more serious. "It's not even that he doesn't know where he's going. That boy is just always so distracted…He has so much on his plate" she points out as Tana sighs tiredly.

Recalling last year's Gym Challenge season. It was the busiest she had ever seen him. This year could be just as bad… "Lin…do you ever worry that they are overworking him?" Tana asks quietly.

The woman gazes out the window at her oldest son and sighs. "That's been a concern of mine for quite some time now. In recent years, he hardly ever gets to come home. But he's doing what he loves so it's not my place to step in and tell them not to push him so hard. As long as he takes care of himself in the process, then I'm happy" Linda says. She then looks over to Tana, noticing the concern on the girl's face, how tired her eyes are and reaches out to lift her chin slightly. "And the fact that he has someone like you to come home to every night…I know I have nothing to worry about! I'm sure he knows his limits, and if things ever get to really be too much for him, I trust that you will be the first person he tells" she admits fondly.

"I hope so" Tana says with a smile, grateful Linda has such faith in her.

Her smile getting a little wider when Scorbunny runs over to hug her legs when the boys come back into the house.

'I love my human, let mama and Hestia know I'll be coming for you and your mate's titles!' Scorbunny chirps excitedly as Tana picks the rabbit up with a smile.

"I'll let her know and I look forward to it, just keep yourselves out of too much trouble" Tana chuckles as she cuddles the young starter.

"What did he say?" Hop asks excitedly as Tana gives him back his starter.

"He loves you and is just as gung ho about taking titles as you are. Especially his mum's" Tana grins as Hop looks between his Scorbunny and Tana in surprise.

"Hinata gave up an egg?" Hop asks in awe as Tana nods with a smile.

"Mhm she knew you would pick a Scorbunny and knew this way she would get to see he or she grow into a strong partner. I kept and hatched the other egg since Hinata is getting up their in age" Tana admits as Hop tackles her in a hug, Leon the only thing keeping the ravenette on her feet.

"I was wondering why you didn't use Hinata last season" Linda muses as Tana nods.

"Yeah Hinata was fairly old for a Scorbunny when I caught her on the Tundra and we agreed she's earned her retirement after a 17 year run. Now she gets to eat as much as she likes and play with all the babies still in the apartment" Tana admits with a small smile. She'd been sad at first, but she knew Hinata had left her the other egg as a means to leave a part of herself with her human when she finally passed. Had lived this long to make sure Tana and the rest of her chosen warren would be taken care of when she is gone.

Her shiny daughter Hestia more than eager to take up the torch while her brother now would watch over Hop for them.

"I worked with Hestia behind the scenes all of last season so I'll be using her this season as my test run with Kabu" Tana admits proudly as Hop's jaw drops in surprise.

"You'll be the Motostoke gym Leader this year?!" Hop exclaims as Tana nods with a smile. Ignoring the shaking laughter of Leon behind her as Hop vocally pumps himself and his Scorbunny up as he heads upstairs.

"He's going to have nightmares I hope you know" Leon chuckles as Tana shrugs as they got ready, having stayed up an extra hour after Hop had head up to bed.

"Yeah well whose fault was it that he saw the videos of my Gym Challenge run?" Tana points out with a laugh as she brushes her teeth, Leon sitting on the edge of the bathtub.

"So Hestia evolved into a Cinderace?" Leon prods as Tana nods.

"Yeah, she has the Gigantamax gene too...I think Hop will likely have to see dad if he wants Hestia's brother to do the same since he took more after their sire in comparison to Hestia" Tana admits as Leon shrugs knowing they likely would look into the passes as Christmas presents.

"He'll come to us when he gets to that point" Leon points out as Tana nods as she pulls her bangs out to note her hair is getting long again.

"I'll need to get a trim after the Opening Ceremony otherwise my hair is just going to catch fire in the matches" Tana sighs as Leon chuckles, he may miss her long hair, but he knew Tana preferred practical.

"C'mon time for sleep, we can worry about those things tomorrow" Leon prods as Tana nods and follows him to bed.

The next morning, Tana woke to an empty bed, as Leon got up early to check on Hop and Gloria with their new Pokémon. She sat up, hearing voices outside of the house. It sounded like Hop and Gloria were having a Pokémon battle.

After getting herself ready for the day, Tana heads outside to meet them just as the battle came to an end. From what she could tell, Gloria had actually beaten Hop too. "Well, that was a shock! Guess I now know why Lee thought he should give you a Pokémon, too!" her boyfriend's younger brother says.

"You and your Pokémon fought hard!" Leon says in response. "Made me almost want to let out Charizard and join in on all the fun!" he admits as Tana settles at his side with her travel mug in hand.

"Now, how fair would that be? Your super strong Charizard against their brand new starter Pokémon?" Tana asks in amusement.

"Well good morning to you too, Ana" Leon snickers.

"Morning, Tana!" Hop says as his brother places an arm around her and kisses her on the side of the head.

Leon turns to face Gloria with a smile on his face. This girl beat his brother in her very first ever battle. He is impressed to say the least. "Gloria, you've got real promise! In fact, I've got a favor to ask you…" he says to her. He then glances over to his brother. "Be a real rival to Hop, would you? Push him and make the both of you stronger!" He asks as Tana smiles in amusement.

"I already want to get stronger and stronger!" Hop responds. "You've seen me battle now, Lee, so come on! You've gotta let me take on the Pokémon Gyms!" he pleads as Tana hums in consideration.

"You? Join the Gym Challenge? You think you're ready for the single greatest competition in the Galar Region?" He should have known this was coming. Hop is 18, a whole 8 years older than Leon was when he took on the Gyms, himself. But he still isn't sure his little brother is ready for something like that. It's possible Hop could end up facing him in the Champion Cup, which meant if Hop were to defeat him and take his title, he would be left with all of the responsibilities Leon had to take on every day. And being so young with that kind of weight on your shoulders was tough…He had been there. "Not putting the cart before the Rapidash there, Little Brother?" he asks.

"If that's really what you want to do, you two have a whole lot you need to learn about Pokémon. Especially your friend Gloria" Leon points out. She had only had her Pokémon for a single day. Would she really be ready to take on something as big as the Gym Challenge?

In his opinion, it would be in both of their best interest if they held off on the competition and spent some time training and studying Pokémon with a Pokédex from the Professor… "Before you think about getting Gym Badges, best to think about getting a Pokédex. A Trainer's Pokédex helps them learn lots of things about all the Pokémon out there, including their strengths. But it's more than just a collection of data, you know. It's a record of a Trainer's love and passion for Pokémon training!" he explains his idea.

"Right, right, we get it" Hop says. "Pokédexes, then! We're on it! Looks like it's off to the Pokémon Research Lab for you and me, Gloria!" he says excitedly.

"That's the kind of enthusiasm a Trainer needs! I'll let the professor know to expect you" the Champion responds. He's glad his brother wasn't going to argue. Now if only he could talk him into holding off on the Gym Challenge…

"I'm going to be the next Champion, so completing a simple Pokédex will be nothing! Just another page in the tale of my legend!" The young trainer turns to face his friend. "You'd probably better go tell your mum that we're heading out, though" he points out to Gloria.

As the two kids leave for Gloria's house, Leon breathes a heavy sigh. Tana looking up to him with concern. "What's the matter?" she asks quietly.

His face turns red when he realizes she had heard that. "Ah…well, it's nothing, don't worry!" he reassures as Tana puts her coffee down, half empty which is never a good sign.

"Leooon" Tana says slowly, tone stern. And there it is, the pouty look she gives him anytime he tries to hide how he feels about something. He should have known he wouldn't be able to keep it from her.

"Alriiight…" He rubs the back of his neck. "I just don't think it's a good idea for Hop to take on the Gym Challenge just yet…I don't think he's ready" he explains in a rush as Tana hums thoughtfully.

"Why wouldn't he be? He's been waiting years for this" Tana points out quietly.

"He's too young…" Leon says and knows his reason isn't going to fly with the looks she's giving him.

"Too young? Lee, we were a lot younger than him when we entered the Gym Challenge" Tana points out bluntly.

"But that was before I knew what it really means to be Champion…It's a lot more than just winning battles and smiling for cameras" Leon explains, sounding a little worried.

So that's what this is about. He's concerned about Hop taking on the burdens that were placed on him as a child. Tana wraps her arms around him and gives him a hug. "You're right, but it's not like he'd have to handle it all alone" she says, looking up to him with a bright smile on her face. "He's got a pretty amazing brother who would be able to show him the ropes. He'll always have you to look after him" she reminds him.

A warm smile creeps onto his face as Tana says these words. She has a good point. "What would I do without you?" He leans in and kisses her on the nose. "I guess I should give Professor Magnolia a ring and let her know those two will be arriving soon, huh?" he sighs as Tana nods.

"Mhm that would be the polite thing to do" Tana points out with an amused smile.

After quite some time had passes, Leon calls Professor Magnolia again, wondering why he hadn't heard from her or Hop about him picking up his Pokedex. When she answers, she told him that neither Hop nor Gloria had shown up to her lab yet. The lab isn't very far away from Postwick, which meant if they were heading straight there like he expected them to, they would have been there already.

When he makes the call, he and Tana are sitting in the living room of his mother's home. Tana could hear everything being said on the call with him sitting next to her, so when he got up to leave after hanging up the call, she stood and follows him. "Let's go make sure they didn't get into too much trouble" she says, letting Cor out to see if he could track them.

Leon is happy to know his girlfriend is also concerned for his little brother and didn't argue with her as they follow Cor outside. Postwick and Wedgehurst were both very safe towns, so he is pretty sure they wouldn't have run into anything dangerous.

Unless they tried to go into the Slumbering Weald.

As they leave the house, Leon happens to notice the gate keeping anyone out of the dangerous forest to be wide open. Cor already trotting in that direction.

"Why would they go in there, knowing this place is off limits?" Tana sighs as they approach the gate. Arms wrapped around herself at whatever she could sense from the Weald.

"That's what I'd like to know, too" Leon responds as he inspects the gate. It almost looks like it had been forced open. "Let's go check it out but stay with me!" he says.

Tana nods and took his hand so he could be reassured that she is with him at all times while in there. She remembers hearing stories from Sonia when they were younger about this place, so she knew it could be pretty scary.

Leon releases his Charizard from his Pokéball so the Pokémon could protect them both from any possible danger. Cor pressed close to his human and anchoring her in his emotions instead of the sleeping presence deep in the Weald.

When they finally find the two young trainers, they are laying on the ground. Did they pass out or something? Tana glances to the side to see a fainted Wooloo. She kneels down to the Pokémon to examine it. "It's not Hop's, it doesn't have the bracelet he made for his" she sighs in relief as she reaches into her bag for a Revive.

Just then, the younger trainers come to and start to lift themselves off the ground. "Hop! Gloria!" Leon shouts before running toward them while Tana, Cor and Charizard kept an eye on the sheep.

Hop, who seemed to be awfully calm about the matter, looked up at his older brother. "Wha-? Lee? How'd you manage to find your way here? You're pants with directions. You always get lost" he points out as Tana snorts.

Leon places his hands on his hips and gives Hop a look of disappointment. Just when he is warming up to the thought of Hop going off on his own Gym Challenge, he pulls something like this! "Oh, that's nice to hear from the little brother who had me worried sick!" He shakes his head. "We'd been waiting ages for you two and you never showed! Of course we came looking for the both of you!" he chastises lightly.

"Wait, where's the Wooloo?" Hop questions urgently. "We were trying to rescue that Wooloo!"

The Wooloo? So they were trying to save a Pokémon…That meant they didn't just run into the forest for no reason. Still, it was reckless of them. Leon smiles anyway and turns to face Tana and his Charizard with the wild Wooloo. Tana cuddling the creature as it let out a happy "Meh!"

"The little chap's just fine!" the Champion responds. "Though all of you had fainted by the time we found you here. You know this place is out of bounds…" he starts to scold, but he sighs. Watching Tana tend to the Pokémon, he is reminded of their good intentions. "But it took courage to come in here all the same. And I can understand well enough why you did it. You did good, Hop!" he praises as Tana lets the sheep go.

"And at least that Wooloo is alright…Yeah, Gloria?" Hop looks over to his friend with a relieved smile on his face. "I thought we'd had it when that weird fog started rolling in and that mad Pokémon attacked, but at least it wasn't all for nothing!" he says in relief.

Leon and Tana both look at each other with confusion as well as concern, then back to Hop. "Attacked by some mad Pokémon? What are you talking about, Hop?" Leon asks worriedly as Tana stood up, keeping a steady hand on Cor who was quietly growling.

"It seemed loads stronger than any Pokémon I've ever seen. And it just had this sort of presence…" Hop explains. "Our moves didn't even touch it. I mean, really, they seemed to pass right through it!" he admits as Gloria nods along in agreement.

Leon crosses his arms. "Your moves passed right through it? So, the fearsome Pokémon they say live in the Slumbering Weald…Are they actually illusions or something?" It was the only option that made sense. Either way, he is impressed that the two were able to challenge it. Even he hadn't ever had the chance to do such a thing! "Get strong enough and maybe the two of you could be the ones to reveal the truth someday" he points out.

"For now, let's simply get out of this place. You'll be all right now that I'm here with you!" Leon tells them. Taking up Tana's hand and squeezing, able to see her unease only made stronger by Cor's own unease at whatever they were able to sense deeper in the forest.

As the two adults lead them out of the forest, Hop turns to Gloria and whispers, "Even if we did get an earful from Lee, what an experience! This'll make a pretty fine first page in the tale of my legend!"

After everyone is out of the Slumbering Weald safely, the four trainers travel together to the Pokémon Research Lab in Wedgehurst. Professor Magnolia had already gone home for the day, but Sonia and Yamper stayed behind to wait for them to arrive. She gave Hop and Gloria their Pokédexes and sent them, along with Leon, to her grandmother's home on Route 2 so they could let her know they received them.

Tana would stay behind in the Lab to catch up with Sonia. Yamper hopping around playfully at her feet, excited that she was there to visit. Tana laughs and crouches down to pet the little dog.

"So how have things been going with you and Lee?" Sonia asks, giggling a little herself when Yamper rolls over onto his back for Tana to rub his belly.

"Things are good. Moving in with him was probably the best thing I've ever done. Sure, he's still busy, and so am I but now I get to see him every day. It's made me really happy" Tana admits, the tone in her voice softening.

Happy for her friend, Sonia smiles. "But it's getting to be that time of year again…I know his schedule is pretty packed once the Gym Challenge season starts up" she points out as Tana nods.

"It's okay, though. When he's away more it just makes the times we spend together that much more special. Plus I'll be just as busy this year with Kabu letting me take over most of his responsibilities this season" Tana admits.

"That's the spirit!" the red head responds.

Later that evening, Leon pops into the Lab to pick Tana up so they could return to Wyndon that night. As they walk back to his mother's house to tell her goodbye and get their bags, Tana notes Leon's quiet mood. "So how did it go?" she prods gently, taking his hand into her own.

Leon squeezes her hand, happy to have contact with her and rubs his head with his other hand. "I ended up writing those two endorsement letters…Hop kind of had Professor Magnolia talk me into it" he admits as Tana smiles in amusement.

"I knew you would end up giving in anyway, you big softie!" Tana teases, laughing at the idea of Leon being ganged up on.

"Hey! I'm not that soft!" Leon responds, laughing along with her. "But I have a feeling the Gym Challenge this year is definitely going to be an interesting one" he admits as Tana grins at the idea.

And he had no idea just how right he was, both having gotten ready for the season. Tana designing her own Gym uniform this year as the Motostoke leader. Her gym challenger number on the back of her Motostoke jersey, a white long sleeve under shirt with her Keystone bracelet and Dynamax band on display, black leggings under black shorts to go with her Motostoke gym shoes. Tassel earrings gold instead of the black she wore when performing with the band. Her belt changed out for the new thigh holsters that had come out in the last few years.

With her new position on the pitch someone would post a video of Tana walking onto the pitch with the other Gym Leaders at the Opening Ceremony being what leads Neville and Luna to Motostoke. The twins having set up shop in Sinnoh so Fred could be close to his girlfriend, Candace of Snowpoint City. Sirius still traveling the other regions looking for Tana under the name of Harriet. Neville and Luna still on their journey after they'd set out from Sinnoh. Sending back some of their catches and trading with the twins and Sirius when they found a new team mate that was better suited to one of the other three.

All of them assuming she had kept her name to the amusement of Luna who had known, gaining psychic abilities in the place of her magic while Neville had gained Aura and a greater green thumb. Sirius having lost his magic for minor psychic power while the twins like Luna had gained strong psychic abilities.

"Excited?" Kabu asks in amusement as he watches Tana read over the challenger list a couple months after the opening ceremony. Having spotted Hop and Gloria's names in the morning challenger list. Marnie having come in a few days before and used status effects to her full advantage.

"Mhm I can't wait to see what they'll throw at Hestia and the others" Tana smiles as Kabu nods. Hestia and Viola were the only team members she used from her personal roster while working with a couple of the gym's fire types to fill out the rest of the Gym match roster. To throw off the challengers who had researched her public team roster before the match.

"Good luck" Kabu agrees as he heads out to train for the day, paper work tucked in his training bag for when he took a break.

Hop would be her first opponent of the two and it kept Tana on her toes for most of her morning matches until he got through the Gym's mission trial.

"Ready to show me what you've got Hop?" Tana asks as she straightens from where she had been waiting at the entrance to the pitch. Unphased by the heat. Grinning in amusement at his indignant squawk when she tugs his sleeves back down.

"Don't want you getting burned okay?" She says as Hop makes a noise of realization and both head out onto the pitch. Tana jogging to her spot on the other side, waving to the crowd as the commentator announces, "The ever-burning lady of fire! The Fire-type tamer, Tana!"

"Congrats on making it this far! I am Tana, the Fire-type Gym Leader. The fact that you've made it this far means you've bested both Milo's grass-type Pokémon and Nessa's water types, too. That's something to be proud of! Now lets see what you can do" Tana calls out as she releases out an Arcanine and begins the battle. Giving it her best as Hop decimates her Gym roster until only Hestia is left.

"Right time to get moving and light this place up to see if victory is on the table!" Tana laughs, wide smile on her face as she returns the Lampent she'd been using.

Tana pitches out Hestia's ball. She doesn't raise her voice but speaks with determination from her lowered position as the stadium breaks into chanting. "Let's show them some real fire power, Hestia. Let Gigantamax change your size and your form!"

Tana clenches her fists and holds her Pokéball while not entirely facing forward, channelling all of her energy into it before heaving it with more strength than Hop likely thought her capable of. Looking absolutely tiny in comparison as Hestia grew in size and came to rest on top the giant fire ball that was part of Cinderace's Gigantamax form.

Even Dynamaxing isn't enough though as Hop pitches his Raboot against them and uses every move and strategy he has till Hestia is beaten and shrinks down. Having taught his Raboot Mud Shot much like Tana had done at his age with Hinata.

"Nothing for it, you've raised your team well and clearly you've surpassed me this round" Tana huffs out a laugh as she looks Hop over. Quietly relieved he hadn't been burned in his match like the last challenger.

"Thanks Ana" Hop cheers as they shake hands. Tana handing over the Motostoke gym uniform and TM to go along with the badge once they're in the change rooms. Accepting his hug as he trembles a little as it hits him that he'd beaten Tana, a veteran battler of 18 years and still going. His brother's girlfriend and near equal when using her personal team.

"C'mon brat you should go see Gloria while I heal up my team for the next challenger. We can catch up later" Tana encourages as Hop leans back with a wide smile and hurries off.

Gloria's match would go the same way though much quicker since she had the type advantage with her Drizzle. Hestia more than done with losing for one day would bow out of the matches in favor of the back up Centiskorch Kabu kept in the gym roster.

Tana would be dozing at her desk in the small office she shared with Kabu later that day when her phone rang, Blue's ringtone blaring loudly and obnoxiously enough she couldn't ignore it.

"This better be good Blue" Tana hisses out tiredly as her phone floats in front of her face as Blue winces at how tired she looks and the full tray of done paperwork.

"First of all sorry for waking you, second overachiever much?" Blue asks as Tana ignores the look he's giving her out tray as she leans back in her chair, stretching out. Sighing softly when her back cracks the right way.

"Not that I don't mind the wake up call Blue but what's up? It's early on your end, like really early" Tana points out as Blue remembers why he called.

"Right sorry Evans, but you know the little bits you let slip to us about before Galar? Well I had a pair of trainers come through the other day and they matched the description you gave Red and I though they've aged up obviously" Blue rambles as Tana sits up sharply and asks which people.

"Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom. Neville looks to be twenty while Luna looks to be just above the legal age to have her license" Blue explains as he sends her the videos of his battles with the pair. Neville specializing in grass types while Luna had specialized in psychic and fairy types from the looks of it.

Blue was right though that they didn't look like she did, Neville having been born a day before her and should be at least 30 if time moved the same in both dimensions.

"Time moves differently maybe? I know for sure Neville should be 30 if the time difference between dimensions wasn't apparently a thing and Luna should be 28" Tana admits as Blue hums in thought.

"So taking into account Arceus likely shrunk you to fit into our age group there's a 9 to 10 year gap between this dimension and the one Fawkes brought you all from and they likely landed here two years ago now from what little I was able to get out of Longbottom…Your people's names are weird by the way! Like who thought Longbottom was a good surname" Blue rambles as Tana took a look a the time and plugs her headphones in knowing she needed to make her way home now if she wanted to get dinner going. Having taken her lunch break with Hop and Gloria since Kabu, Milo and Nessa had the dinner plans with the winners covered.

"Yeah so Neville would have been 18 and Luna 17. Makes me wonder if the twins came with them and why they weren't there. They would now be 22 I think which makes them six years my junior…my head hurts thinking about it" Tana sighs as Blue nods in agreement. "Anyways thanks for the heads up, knowing Luna bell she'll know how to find me" she says as Blue smiles slightly.

"No problem Tana, you should give Red a shout when you have a spare moment. He was really excited after you told him Kabu gave you the reigns this season" Blue says as Tana nod with a small smile before hanging up.

'Sounds like trouble is coming' Naru meows quietly as he sat in his human's lap during the taxi ride home. Quietly glad that Tana's part of the challenge is nearly over with how tired she is. He knows though the more she did it the less stressed and tired she would be about her potential duties.

"Yeah luckily Fawkes is the only one who can bring people here and that means they're not here to drag me back…I don't want to go back when everything I care about is right here" Tana sighs as she cuddles her Glameow close. It's kind of crappy timing considering since the Gym Challenge season had started Hinata's health had started to slowly decline and marking the beginning of the end for her starter.

Leon would be home when she got in and would have to sit Tana down when she couldn't feel Hinata in the apartment. Hinata having passed in her sleep with everyone but Naru, Viola, and Hestia to see her off.

"It's just one thing after another this week" Tana sniffs tiredly as Leon makes a curious noise wondering what else had gone wrong.

"Nothing bad, Kabu got harassed a little bit by Team Yell while training yesterday, Hestia put her foot down on battling in the gym after Hop and Gloria kicked her ass with their starters and Blue called today with some news that I'm unsure how to feel about" Tana explains as she accepts the tissue and blows her nose.

"I saw the battles and they both did so well, but what did Blue have to say?" Leon asks as Tana crumbles up the tissue in her fist as Naru climbs up into her lap.

"You know that little power surge Ichigo mentioned in passing a couple years ago, after New Years? Well from what Blue told me today it sounds like Fawkes dropped a couple people I knew from before we met" Tana admits as Cor passes over her album so she can flip to the one picture she has of herself with Neville and Luna. Ron and Hermione having tried to isolate her until Hermione was petrified.

The twins had done their best, but they had been two years older than her and couldn't be everywhere like they seemed to be.

"Neville and Luna? Are they still this tiny?" Leon asks as Tana shook her head. Always a little sad and angry on Tana's behalf when he took in just how tiny Tana used to be. How it had stunted her further growth and leaving her a little smaller than Hop's 5 foot 5 inches.

"Nope there looks to be a nearly 10 year gap between here and the dimension Fawkes brought me from so they're 20 and 19 right now…They're likely already in Galar since Blue sent me the links to their trainer records and they challenged him for his badge a couple months ago" Tana sighs as she pushes her phone over for Leon to have a look.

"You're worried about who came with them" Leon says quietly, having picked up on what she wasn't saying.

"Yeah. I know Fawkes wouldn't let anyone through that was a threat, but there's the expectations that I likely won't and can't meet of whoever came with them. Potentially someone who knew my parents" Tana admits in a small voice, clinging at the hug he offers her.

Leon hating how small and fragile Tana seems when her life from before Galar comes up and only able to offer physical comfort by just being there till she gathered herself and put those feelings back in the box so to speak.

"We'll handle it as it comes, but in the mean time what did you want to do for Hinata?" Leon asks as Tana pulls herself together to outline what she and Hinata had agreed to once they realized that the end was coming sooner than they had been ready for.

"Hinata wanted to be cremated and I'm allowed to keep a small portion of her ashes for a small alter, but she wanted the rest spread out where we first met. That part will have to wait till the season is over since her first warren was around Ballimere Lake in the Crown Tundra" Tana explains as Leon nods knowing she was right and that his girlfriend didn't want to go alone.

"Call me if you need anything since Kabu gave you tomorrow to sort it all out…I called him since you were in the middle of a match" Leon offers as Tana nods and would just cuddle into him.

The rest of the week not improving from that as Tana said good bye to her Cinderace. Quietly grateful that as a Legendary Ichigo would be with her for life and her children if she didn't release him first. Grateful the rest of her team had been young when she caught them, and it would be a very long time before she'd have to say good bye like she had Hinata.

It would be a month later and the progression of challengers coming to Motostoke had finally slowed to a crawl that Tana would make her way through the Wild Area to Hammerlocke to see Leon.

Not having visited since she'd moved out of Raihan's condo into Leon's apartment though Raihan had come up to see them and they'd gone to the Wild Area to train, but never back in Hammerlocke since both were busy and Tana tended to hoard what little time during the Challenge season she could get with Leon.

It's later in the Gym Challenge season, which meant his challengers were starting to pour in. He wasn't nearly as busy as Leon, but she still hadn't had much of a chance to see him outside their once in a blue moon training sessions and their weekly video calls.

Meanwhile, Sonia had been running all over the region to research a historic event, known as The Darkest Day, which meant she had little time to spend with Tana as well. For the last couple of weeks, Leon had been working in Hammerlocke with Chairman Rose in the Power Plant below Raihan's Gym. She didn't know all of the details, but it had something to do with Galar's future energy supply.

So it would be the first time Tana truly realized that something is wrong, and that Rose's project is at the heart of it as angerterrorpain practically radiated from Raihan's stadium as she stepped through the city gates looking to surprise Leon with a small lunch date. Leaning heavily into Cor to keep herself on her feet from the onslaught of emotions.

Anchoring herself the best she can in Cor's emotions and would move to take a step only to stumble as the ground beneath her feet rumbles and a beam of Dynamax light shoots up into the sky from the stadium followed by a couple more nearby and Pokémon started Dynamaxing.

"C'mon Cor we have to help out" Tana hisses as the pair make a run for the Hammerlocke gym, joining the fight to subdue the Dynamax Vibrava in the stadium pitch.

"Sakura use Surf" Tana barks, surprising a couple of the gym trainers as Tana's Dragapult flew out of her ball to follow the command. The move followed up by Raihan's Flygon using Dragon pulse causing the scared Vibrava to faint.

"You okay Ana?" Raihan asks in concern with how raw around the edges his best friend seems leaning into her Ninetales.

"Whatever is happening down in the Power Plant isn't happy and your gym practically radiates the negative emotions Rai. I nearly fell down walking into the city" Tana breathes out as she recenters herself. Cor growling and purring as he tries to help her.

"What were you doing here anyways?" Raihan asks as Tana pulls out a bento box from her bag.

"I was going to surprise Lee with lunch but with what's happened I guess he'll be too busy to sit down for an actual lunch break" Tana sighs as Raihan smiles a little sad and would guide her off the pitch, offering to pass the bento box along. Not wanting her in the city any longer than she needed to be if Rose's experiments were making her feel sick.

Getting Tana into the taxi himself since she was too unsteady to fly on her own.

"Could you make sure no one mentions what I said in the gym? I don't want to get Lee or myself into trouble if Rose catches on I can sense his project whatever it is he's doing down there" Tana asks quietly as Raihan nods and makes her promise to take a nap when she gets home.

"I will, I'll text you when I get in, so you know I made it" Tana reassures with a laugh before the taxi took off.

She would get home, shooting off a text to Raihan letting him know she'd made it safely before getting into her evening routine a little earlier. Letting most of her Pokémon out of their balls to feed and spend some time with them. Knowing Leon wasn't likely to come home tonight with what had happened that afternoon.

"Leon, you've been working more than usual lately" Tana would point out in the video call with her boyfriend later that night. Sitting alone in their shared apartment in Wyndon worried about him.

After what she'd felt in Hammerlocke and what she little knew about what was going on with Rose, she felt she had even more of a reason to worry. "Are you sure Rose can't give you just one day off? You need some time to rest" she sighs, ignoring the fact she knows she looks just as tired as Leon does. Having avoided the question as to what had happened that day for her to look like she'd been trampled by a herd of Wooloo.

"I'm sorry, Ana. Ever since he disqualified challenger Bede from the Gym Challenge, I've had a lot more work on my plate. Apparently, he was doing some part time work for Rose on the side." Or something like that. It wasn't like he's completely lying to her.

Tana nods her understanding, having seen the disqualification notice in her email after her last match before she'd handed the gym back to Kabu.

Bede had been taking care of finding most of the Wishing Stars Rose needed for Rose's…project. Now that the blonde was out of the picture, a lot of that was being put on Leon, himself. As much as he didn't agree with Rose's way of saving their region's future, he knew that it could hurt his career to disobey the man.

Though, even if it brought on a much heavier workload for him, there is a bit of an unspoken sense of relief Leon felt having Bede out of the Gym Challenge after hearing from Gloria how he had been treating Hop. In his mind, it could have very well been considered bullying and should have been enough to disqualify him in the first place. But if Leon were to try to do anything about it, it could have been seen as the Champion showing favoritism, which in turn could have made things even more difficult for Hop.

"And you're absolutely sure there isn't anything more I can do to help?" Tana asks, wanting to make sure he wasn't in any sort of trouble after what she'd felt from the stadium that afternoon. "I have a lot of free time right now, taking on more work might not be so bad. Especially if that means spending more time with-" she offers only to be cut off.

"No! I, uh, already asked him and he said no" Leon says, guilty that this one was a lie. There was no way he wants Tana anywhere near this side of his job as champion. Rose's experiments lately were highly dangerous. He couldn't forgive himself if she got hurt because of this mess, unaware she already had an inkling. "I promise I'll be just fine. Things won't be like this for much longer" he reassures. The Champion Cup was coming up soon, which meant that he would be free to focus on it instead of searching for Wishing Stars and chasing down rogue Dynamaxed Pokémon.

"I hope you're right" Tana sighs tiredly and a little disappointed, which only makes Leon's heart feel like it could break. He hates seeing her so down.

"Hey, I didn't get the chance to thank you for lunch today. It was the best meal I've had all week!" Leon says, trying to brighten her mood a little.

"Oh come on, you're just saying that. I know what kind of lunches the League serves you" Tana chuckles as Sophia, the sole Houndour puppy from Belle's litter toddles into her lap.

"No, I mean it! Sure, League food is great, but none of it is made with the same love you put into it. And the note you left truly brightened my day!" Leon says as a small smile forms on Tana's face.

"I'm glad to hear that" Tana says as she cuddles the sleepy puppy into her chest.

Leon offers her a big smile in return. "I'm sorry to cut this call short, but there's still a lot I need to get done before I can come home."

"I'll try to stay up to see you when you get home tonight. I miss you" Tana says quietly

"I miss you, too. I'll try not to be too late" Leon promises.

After they say their goodbyes, Tana taps the "End Call" button on her Rotom Phone and sits back staring at the device in silence for a few moments before tossing it across the room out of frustration.

It wasn't him she's mad at…She knew Leon couldn't help it and would change things if he could, but it was hard not to let it get to her.

When Tana threw the phone, she accidentally initiates a video call with Gladion in Alola, where it happened to be the middle of the night.

Unaware of this mistake, the blonde answers the call with a yawn.

"Hey, what's up- uh, Ana?" What he saw on the other end of the call is Tana pacing her room, wiping frustrated tears from her eyes. "Are you crying? And why are you so far away from your phone?" he asks, startling Tana out of her pacing to pick her phone back up.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. I must've hit the call button by mistake" Tana sniffs, feeling embarrassed that her luck would kick in now of all times. "It's just been a bad night, Gladion. Don't worry about it. I'll let you get back to sleep" she waves off.

"Hey, it's fine! What's bothering you!" Gladion waves off as he sat up. Mindful as he got out of bed not to wake Elios who slept through all the noise.

Sleeping like the dead being one of the things Elios and Tana had in common to the blonde's amusement.

"Lee has been extra busy lately and is almost never home. The League Chairman is overworking him and I even offered to take on more to help, but I can't even do that" Tana slumps down into the bed with a scowl on her face. "This much running around with little rest…it's harmful to his health. But that's not even the worst part" she sighs.

"It can't be as bad as Lusamine right?" Gladion asks slowly only to grimace at the look in Tana's eyes.

"I think it is...Whatever the Chairman has been experimenting with, it involves a really powerful Pokémon and Leon's been assisting him in some way. I didn't want to believe that he would be involved in something like this, but I stumbled and nearly fell today when whatever Rose is experimenting on let loose a power surge. A bunch of Pokémon randomly started Dynamaxing which might be connected to the experiments and I had to step in to help with Raihan to subdue one...whatever is down in the labs though is really angry, fearful and hurting like the Pokémon in the Aether labs before you shut them down" Tana explains with tears in her eyes.

"That sounds really bad…Have you tried asking him about it?" Gladion asks worriedly.

"I haven't had the chance…I didn't want to ask him over the phone while he was still over there. I just don't understand why he would keep something like this quiet. He usually tells me everything" Tana sniffs as she tugs a couple tissues out, frustration clear to her blonde friend.

"I'm sure he has his reasons! I haven't met him in person, but from what you've told me, I can't see him lying to you without a good reason" Gladion points out, trying to sound optimistic, hoping it would lift her spirits. Another yawn escaping as he says this.

"I guess you're right…I do trust him, I'm just worried" Tana sighs, chuckling lightly at Gladion's yawn. "Go back to bed Gladion. Thanks for talking with me tonight, it helped a lot" she reassures as Gladion nods with a small smile and hangs up.

'We need to tread carefully Ana...whatever is below the stadium felt as old as whatever is sleeping in the Weald' Ichigo chirps, his feathers puffed in his agitation at the situation. He remembered how sick Tana had been after the Aether labs and didn't want a repeat of the few days it had taken for her to recover.

"We will be...there's nothing I can do without getting into major trouble so we just wait and watch" Tana sighs as she sits down and cuddles into her partner.

Leon coming back to the apartment to find her sound asleep against Ichigo's side, tucked under his wing. The legendary bird the only one to see Leon's shoulders slump and how tired he truly was from whatever Rose had him doing that he wasn't home much anymore. That Tana slept on the couch or in the Pokémon beds set up around the apartment with her teammates the nights Leon didn't come home.

The Pokémon League Tournament would happen a month later, Tana keeping an eye on Hammerlocke and the rogue Dynamax Pokémon that continued to pop up since the conversation she'd had with Gladion.

Gloria quickly winning her way through each of her matches, even defeating Hop in the process. Tana felt pretty bad for him, but it seemed he was taking the loss well by being happy for his friend.

When the Finals match ends, Tana would make her way down to the Stadium Lobby to meet up with Leon, so they could greet Hop and Gloria. As usual a crowd gathers around him, all wanting him to autograph their copies of his League Card or take pictures. Tana watches as he happily ate up all the attention he was receiving, smiling in amusement.

Hop and Gloria come in just as the crowd around them is settling, their eyes on the girl who could potentially be their next Champion.

Leon smiles brightly as the challenger and his little brother approach him. "That was incredible. Brilliant. Honestly, there were even tears rolling down my face before I knew it!" Even if Hop had lost, he is happy to see that at least one of the trainers he had endorsed made it this far. It makes him feel proud! "To think that the two of you set out together from the same town, built up the greatest teams, and arrived here at this point to throw everything you had at one another. That burning desire to win. Those moves filled with undefeatable passion! It was battling at its very purest, in every possible way! Even though there were some Trainers who weren't sure whether you were fit to be endorsed for the Gym Challenge at first…" he trails off as Tana snorts in amusement.

"That was you, Lee!" Hop remarks pointedly.

Tana cackles and lightly nudges Leon with her elbow in response.

"Well, all the more reason!" Leon says, laughing along with Tana. "My team members and I will give everything that we've got in us to defeat our challenger. And that challenger may very well end up being you, Gloria. In fact, that's precisely what I'm hoping for!" he admits as Tana grins.

"That's right, Glo! The real challenge is what's coming next" Hop tells the brunette as he stretches out. "And I'm completely exhausted! I just want to head back to the hotel and rest" he sighs.

"Best to refill your stores first!" Leon says as he tucks Tana against his side. "Why don't we all go get some dinner together?" he offers as Tana brightens at the idea.

Hop places his hands on the back of his head. "I wouldn't say no, but you never care at all what food tastes like, Lee! A night like this deserves more than rubbish takeaway, so at least pick something good!" he says, referring to how often his older brother would usually go out for a meal somewhere quick and easy while he would be busy with his Champion duties.

"I think we manage somewhere nice to celebrate Gloria's accomplishments today" Tana says lightly as she smiles at Gloria who flushes a little at the proud look on the older girl's face.

After making plans for dinner, Leon and Tana return to their apartment to freshen up, while Hop and Gloria went back to the hotel to do the same. While Tana is in the bathroom doing her hair, she overhears Leon answering a phone call and peaks her head out the door.

"Wait…right now? Can't it wait until later this evening? I have dinner plans with- ...yes. I know, I understand" Leon sighs and scratches the back of his head, seeming a little stressed, which only made Tana's worries worse. "Alright, I'm on my way" he sighs.

Tana leaves the bathroom and meets him in the living room with a look on her face that shows a mix of concern and disappointment. "Everything okay, Lee?" She asks, reaching forward and gently takes both of his hands into hers.

Not wanting to make her worry, Leon puts on a smile and squeezes her hands. "Everything is fine! Something just came up that I need to take care of really quick" he admits.

Tana tilts her head to the side, not entirely convinced that things were okay. While his fanbase may not be able to tell when he is forcing a smile, she can. The sides of his mouth would always twitch slightly. "But what about dinner?" she points out gently.

He kisses the top of her head, then throws his cape back on. "We're still going! Just wait here. I'll come back to pick you up and we will meet them at the hotel" he promises. And with that he is out the door, leaving Tana standing in the living room confused.

"Okay…Love you" Tana sighs to the empty apartment.

Several hours later, after many attempts to try and contact Leon, Tana calls Hop's phone to see if he had gone to the hotel to get them first.

However, as it turns out, Hop and Gloria learned from Piers that Leon is up in Rose Tower with the Chairman, and that Oleana made a big deal out of letting them go to see him. The secretary had ordered members of the League staff to distract the young trainers and keep them from obtaining a card to take the monorail to the Tower.

It all sounds suspicious to Tana, only fueling her fears further about what is potentially going on in Rose's labs.

Tana would meet up with Hop, Gloria, Piers, and Marnie at the entrance of the Tower. Flying on Hanabi's back to get there.

Piers, Marnie, and the members of Team Yell, would keep watch outside while Tana slips inside with Hop and Gloria.

Once they make it to the giant dome at the top of the Tower, having battled their way up, Oleana stands waiting for them. She must have expected them to show up. Far behind her, Tana spots Leon and Chairman Rose who seemed to be having a discussion of some sort.

While the secretary is distracted by Gloria, Tana quietly slips away to try and find out what is going on between them. Though, with the way the woman is yelling at the younger trainers, she almost has half a mind to go back and deal with Oleana herself…but she knew Hop and Gloria could more than handle her on their own.

Thankfully the two men have their backs to Tana and didn't see her coming closer, as she really didn't have anywhere to hide. But she listens carefully to what they were saying, hoping it would reassure any worries she has…even if Oleana's reaction to them being there almost confirms it all to her right there. How the two of them aren't alarmed by the battle going on behind them is beyond her.

"Leon. We've discussed this a hundred times already" Tana hears Rose say. "And still you fail to understand what's at stake? You, who is supposed to be our Champion…" he trails off.

"I think I understand well enough" Leon responds, sounding a little frustrated. "What I don't understand is why we ought to cancel tomorrow's tournament in order to solve a problem that's a thousand years away from affecting any of us! What difference is one day going to make?" he demands as Tana frowns.

Rose wants to cancel the tournament? But that didn't make any sense…It sounds like it's because of that future energy crisis she's heard him mention before, but what did it have to do with the tournament? Leon was right! Couldn't they just worry about it afterward?

"My duty as Champion isn't this…this madness! It's to carry out that Championship Match!" Leon continues. "That's what Galar wants, and what I want! It's what we've all been looking forward to for so long!" he points out firmly.

"No, you don't understand…You still don't understand a thing!" Rose says in response, seeming a little angry with Leon. He gestures out the large window to the city below them. "Look around us, Leon! Look at the Galar Region stretched out before us! And know that the energy required to keep this brilliant, glittering world alive will be exhausted a millennium from now! The people of Galar today will no longer even exist. What Galar wants today hardly matters! The future is more important than just one day! We must act as quickly as we possibly can! We must take action in order to avert tragedy! So that all can look forward to a better future!" he rants as Tana swallows hard.

She understands wanting to provide the region with a better future, but if this wasn't going to affect anyone currently living in the Galar Region why was he so focused on taking care of it now? And what Pokémon was paying the price for his need to solve the problem.

"In a thousand years!" Leon exclaims. "Fine. Look. I think I understand your concerns, Chairman. And I give my word, I'll help you with your plans…just as soon as tomorrow's match is over" he reassures the Chairman.

A pang of anxiety hits Tana upon hearing these words. Did that mean he really know what's been involved in Rose's experimenting? Did he know that Rose was hurting a Pokémon trying to solve the problem?

Just then, she hears Hop and Gloria coming toward them. Forcing Tana to take a couple quiet steps back so Hop and Gloria were at her back. The brunette quick to grab Tana's hand once she sees the slight tremble.

"Lee" Hop starts, causing Rose and Leon to turn around to face them all. "You never showed when you were supposed to, so I got worried that something had happened. Ana, Piers, and Marnie, and all those Team Yell oddballs, they helped us out to get here" he explains. Looking between his brother and Tana a little nervously. Having noticed Tana's slight tremble as well and how she hadn't spoken up before they'd beaten Oleana. That she'd only steadied a little when Gloria had offered the older woman her hand.

As Rose took a step closer to them, Leon happens to notice the fearful hate filled look Tana is giving the Chairman. He knew she already wasn't very fond of the man, but did she hear any of what they were saying?

"I must apologize to you, Hop, if we've made you worry at all" the Chairman said. "There are times when adults just can't seem to have an honest discussion with one another. Sometimes our pride gets in the way" he explains as Tana swallows a couple choice words she has for the man.

"Never mind any of this, you three. Let's head back to the hotel and we'll all grab dinner together, yeah? It's on me, so you can order whatever you fancy" Leon interrupts. There is no reason to get any of them involved in the discussion, especially since he knew that Rose would try to persuade them on what he is trying to accomplish. He glances over at Tana, who still seems upset then looks over at Rose. He's had enough of this for one night. He was supposed to be out celebrating with his family and friends. He couldn't keep allowing Rose to keep him from spending time with his loved ones over something so silly. "If you'll excuse us, Chairman Rose; And I do hope you'll watch tomorrow's match. It's sure to be one for the history books."

He steps away from the man and puts his arm around Tana as the four of them make to leave the Tower. "I'm so sorry" he whispers to her. "I'll explain later, I promise" he promises quietly as Tana nods, giving him a small smile of reassurance.

As the trainers left, Rose steps back to face the window. "One for the history books…You still don't understand, young Champion…We, No, I am going to change the course of history!" Are the last words Tana hears before the elevator closes behind her. The words sending a chill down her spine.

Neither saying a word about what had happened up in the Tower during dinner or that night, Leon unsure where to start and Tana waiting patiently for him to give her answers.

The next day, while Gloria is battling her way through the Champion Cup tournament, Tana would sit stewing in her anxiety over what little she'd learned lately.

The fact that Rose failed to show up for the tournament and Leon not keeping his promise to talk only making her more anxious.

It looked like she would need to put her Gryffindor pants on and look for answers on her own.

After Raihan lost in his match with Gloria, Tana hops into a Corviknight Taxi, following him home to Hammerlocke. If anyone could help her figure things out it was him.

"C'mon, Rai this bullshit has gone on long enough, do you think I like having to avoid Hammerlocke to avoid getting sick and do you think I like having Leon trying to shield me from whatever trouble he's gotten himself into" Tana demands after entering the Gym, fists on her hips. But Raihan is already against her crazy idea of learning the truth behind Rose's schemes.

"Sorry, Tana. I really can't do that. Shouldn't you be in Wyndon right now? Leon is going to have his match with Gloria soon, and I really think she's going to give him a real challenge" Raihan says as he grabs her by the shoulders and spun her around to push her out the door of his gym.

Leaving Tana with no other choice than her plan B.

"Sakura, Ayame, now!" At Tana's command, Tana's Pokémon phases through Raihan and gets the card key to the elevator from his back pocket while Ayame uses an Ice Beam at his feet to keep him from following them. "Sorry, but this is really important" she says quietly before she ran towards the elevator and got in before he could pull his foot out of the ice.

"Yep, Leon's gonna kill me" Raihan groans loudly once Tana was out of sight.

Tana breathes in and out shakily, centering herself through the pain she could feel in the lab. She feels bad for going against Raihan like this. But the thought of Leon being involved in something illegal, or worse dangerous. She shudders.

The fact that Raihan tried to stop her only fuels her paranoia further.

The elevator arrives at the power plant in the basement of the gym with a ding. Tana quietly slips out, her Pokémon tucked safely away in their balls. The coast is clear so she quietly makes her way down the hallway, which opens up to a big open area on the right. Where Rose is conducting his experiments as the angerterrorpain sensation only grew stronger.

She peers around the corner to see what looks like a giant egg. "What the hell is that?" she whispers in disbelief. She watches as Rose gives it some sort of energy. Whatever it is, the egg just seems to absorb it. The ground seems to shake the more he gave to it, forcing her to look away as the negative emotions get strong enough to make her nausea bad enough she has to swallow hard otherwise she knows she's going to gag.

The moment she turns around though, two men dressed in Gym Challenge official gear grab her. It took everything she had not to yelp in surprise as the two men lift her up by the arms, taking her off the ground.

The two Gym officials carrying her into the room catch the attention of both Oleana and Rose, himself. Oleana crosses her arms over her chest and sighs, shaking her head as they approached her. "I don't know what you thought you were going to accomplish by coming here, but we're going to have to ask you to leave. Take her away!" she orders as Tana looks at them both in stony silence.

"Wait!" Rose says, stopping the two who were carrying her. "If she is so curious, why don't we let her stay and watch as I save this region's future. Maybe then our dear Champion will change his mind and assist us this evening." Even if she wasn't so close to the Champion, he couldn't allow someone to run off and spread the word on what he is about to do. But their relationship could surely work to his advantage.

"What?!" Tana yells in outrage. Before she could question what he meant about Leon, the two men who are holding onto her, carry her, following behind as Rose got back to work. Struggling weakly as they got closer to the egg.

Not one person notices this change. Instead, they keep their attention on the egg, which is starting to shake more furiously. Fear starts to set in. That thing is about to hatch and she is too close like she had been in Aether.

"Belle help" Tana barks weakly, still struggling to get free.

Her Lycanroc charges towards them, but a Pokéball is thrown her way. Oleana's Garbodor, blocking Belle's way. "I wouldn't, if I were you" Oleana warns the Pokémon. "It's a Rock-type against a Poison-type. You don't stand a chance" she points out as Belle snarls.

This is really bad. Tana swallows hard knowing she won't and can't risk her team in this scenario and hopes Raihan had gone to get help. He should have been free of the ice by now.

"Here it is! Eternatus!" Rose calls out, interrupting her thoughts. A loud rumbling fills the power plant as the egg breaks open, revealing a terrifying sight. She has never seen a Pokémon quite like it before… Judging by its appearance, it seems incredibly powerful. Eternatus radiating just as much fear and pain as Tana is feeling, confused as to why it's in such a place. "Turn on the machine" he tells one of his workers.

Using energy that had been gathered in the power plant, an electrical beam is fired toward Eternatus, with the intention of bringing it to submission.

However, this only enrages the Pokémon, and it fights back, first attacking the one who fired the beam at it. Tana flinches, wondering why would Rose try to mess with and hurt such a strong Pokémon? Was there really something it could do to solve an energy crisis so far in the future?

"Sir, I'm worried we may be a little underprepared to contain this thing" Oleana says, starting to worry that they had gone just a little too far.

"You see? This is exactly why I required Leon to be here. He is the only trainer in this region strong enough to capture this thing" Rose responds, sounding eerily calm.

"You want Leon to battle that thing?! After you abused and trapped it here?!" Tana demands harshly. Unfortunately the Pokémon doesn't seem against attacking people, though being brought into such a hostile environment, she doesn't blame it.

"It's his duty as Champion to protect our beloved Galar region, is it not?" Rose points out.

"Yes, but this is too much for one person to handle!" Tana yells knowing with how much Leon had been overworked lately, he won't be at his strongest, either. "Haven't you done enough?!" she demands.

Her question goes unanswered as Eternatus emits a strange energy and Oleana's Garbodor Dynamaxes without warning and goes into a furious rampage. It fires off a multitude of poisonous attacks, one of which hits Belle with a critical hit. The men who have a hold of Tana practically drop her out of shock and she hits the ground with a thud. Eternatus breaks out of the power plant, with Garbodor following behind it to escape. Oleana and the other two chase after Garbodor, but still, Rose remains calm.

Through the chaos, Tana crawls to her Lycanroc to try and ease some of her pain. "Belle, are you okay? Come on, we need to get out of here" Tana reaches into her bag to find Belle's Pokéball. She would just have to go back into her ball till Tana could get her an Antidote or to the Pokémon Center. "Okay, there's no time, let's just- Hey!" she snarls out.

"You're staying right here" Rose says angrily as he grabs her by the wrist. He snatches the ball from her hand and shoves her back to the ground with her weakened Pokémon. He tosses Belle's Pokéball away from them and pulls out his Rotom Phone, which floats in the air in front of him. "Leon's match with Gloria should be starting right about now. I think it's time we call for 'help'. With you here, the Champion will come running like a knight in shining armor coming to rescue a princess from a dragon!" The man adjusts his tie and starts recording a broadcast to be played on the screen in Wyndon Stadium.

Leon stares down at his phone just before heading out onto the battlefield. He hadn't heard from Tana in quite a while, which is unusual. Should he be worried? He sighs and shoves the device into his pocket.

Cheers erupt in the stadium as Leon and Gloria take their places to start their battle.

Leon scans the crowd for Tana but couldn't spot her anywhere. Maybe she's just running late. Just as they are about to throw out their first Pokémon, the crowd all begin shouting at them to look at the screen. There, they see Rose's face and Leon immediately cringes.

Was he really so set on doing this right now that he would interrupt their match to make a point?

"Hello there, Leon and Gloria! Just letting you know…I think it's time I brought about the Darkest Day. For the sake of Galar's future, of course! But I'm in a bit of a pickle. The energy released by the Darkest Day is too much for us to contain. I'm sorry it's come to this. But it's you who forced my hand, Leon. You refused to listen!" Rose then turns the camera on Tana curled around Belle, both looking worse for wear. "A friend of yours decided to drop by to lend a hand, but it seems her Pokémon was hurt. You may want to hurry if you don't want to endanger their lives" he says pleasantly as Tana glares at him, hate prominent on her face as she snarls some choice words at Rose.

"Ana…" Leon breathes in shock, his heart immediately dropping to his stomach.

What was she doing there?! How did she get there?

Suddenly a beam of light bursts out of the ground on the battlefield and his thoughts are cut short. He and Gloria rush to safety, where they meet up with his brother, Hop.

"Lee! Gloria!" Hop shouts as he ran towards them. "That video stream…That was from Hammerlocke Stadium, right? What in the world did the chairman do? And why was Tana there?!" he asks frantically.

"I don't know!" Leon responds, worry very strong in his voice. "But everything he was saying yesterday… Did he really pull this crazy stunt to solve some problem a thousand years in the future?! I've got to go see what's going on" He sighs and shakes his head. "I should've realized what the chairman intended to do before it came to this" he admits.

Leon rubs his forehead, feeling stressed. "And to think Tana got dragged into all of this because I wouldn't tell her what was going on. It's too dangerous for her to be there! I'll take responsibility now for fixing this mess! This is a real Champion time!"

As he runs off, Hop calls out behind him, "But, Lee! You're terrible at directions! What if you get lost along the way?"

Tana sat on the floor; Belle gathered into her lap. The poison quickly draining Belle's energy and she doesn't have any kind of medicine or berry to cure her. All around them, the building is shaking, with Eternatus raging on the rooftop. Just knowing Leon is heading this way to fight it has her both relieved and terrified at the same time. She knows she would feel safer with him there, but she also worries for his safety.

"You know, if Leon would have just listened to me in the first place, you wouldn't be in this position" Rose tells her, with his back to her. He stands at the entrance of the power plant, waiting for Leon's arrival.

She can't believe Rose is trying to throw blame at Leon for his own stupid decision to try and fix a far off energy crisis instead of focusing on the now. On top of that he is the one forcing her to stay here like she was some sort of hostage. Leon has nothing to do with any of that, he might be angry with her if anything for being so reckless. "No. It's your fault for being as bad as Lusamine of Aether and experimenting on a Pokémon that only wanted to be left alone" Tana hisses. The sound of a Charizard's cry quickly snaps her out of her anger. Hefting Belle up into her arms, she struggles to get her feet under her with help arriving.

Rose, his back still facing her, puts up a hand, signaling her to stay put. He walks out to the elevator, where he meets a very angry Champion. His Charizard growls at the sight of the man walking toward him, but Leon places a hand on the Pokémon to calm it. "Let Ana go, Rose! This isn't funny!" he shouts.

"You're right, it's actually quite serious. I didn't ask much of you and now look at the situation we're in" the chairman responds. "I'll tell you what…You capture Eternatus and bring it back to me, and she will be free to leave with you" he bargains.

Leon clenches a fist at his side. "Fine. But nothing had better happen to her" He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a Pecha berry. "Just make sure she gets this" he orders.

As Leon rushes to the other elevator that would take him to the rooftop, Rose returns to the power plant where Tana remained with her Lycanroc. Without a word, he tosses the berry to Tana, who had heard the whole thing. Grateful Leon had come prepared with something to take care of Belle. She feeds the berry to her poisoned friend and calmly pets her head as Belle starts regaining her strength.

Tana knew as she is now with how much anger she could feel coming from Eternatus that she couldn't beat Rose without further hurting her Pokémon so would stay curled around Belle who would growl every time Rose moved.

Before long, Tana hears more footsteps approaching the power plant. Why would anyone else try to come down this way? Belle gets up to guard her trainer, though she has a low amount of health. However, both are pleasantly surprised to see that their new visitors are Gloria and Hop.

Gloria stands before Rose, her Pokéball in hand. Ready to battle him. "And what do you plan on doing, Gym Challenger?" Rose asks her.

"We're here to help the Champion" Gloria responds.

"I'm afraid I can't allow that. The Champion is the one who needs to control Eternatus" Rose rubs his forehead and sighs in annoyance. "Must I explain myself? From your perspective, I suppose it must seem that I am doing something terrible. I don't expect you to understand. But I must provide the Galar region with limitless energy to ensure everlasting prosperity. It is my purpose, my duty, my destiny!" he rants.

"That's why we've been giving the Wishing Stars to Eternatus! Surely you remember the red light that caused a ruckus around Hammerlocke. That was all part of our experiments to awaken Eternatus! You must understand. I can't let you interfere with my plan to protect the future of Galar!" Rose sends out his first Pokémon, an Escavalier, to battle her.

As the two begin their battle, Hop runs to Tana's side. "Hey, are you okay? Lee was pretty worried about you" he points out as Tana shakily gets to her feet.

"I'm okay, but we have to go. I know Lee is strong, but that Pokémon is too powerful for just one person to take on with how angry and hurt it is after what Rose did to it" Tana explains as Belle snuck behind Rose and takes her ball back. "But Belle was pretty hurt by Oleana's Garbodor and I don't want to head up there down a team mate" she admits quietly as Belle hands her ball over.

"Here, let me help" Hop reaches into his bag and pulls out a Full Restore and sprays it on Belle. "Let's get you out of here so you can help my brother! I'll wait for Gloria down here!" he says as Tana nods.

"Thank you, Hop. You know, you remind me of Leon when we were younger than you" Tana chuckles fondly as she returns Belle to her ball and follows behind Hop, sneaking past Rose now that he is distracted. When they reach the elevator, she gives him a quick hug. "Be careful…Rose is really determined to take care of this whole energy crisis, and desperate people do rash, hurtful things to meet their goals" Tana warns quietly. Green eyes stern and conveying her belief in him and in Gloria. Between the two of them, they would stop Rose.

When Tana reaches the top of the building, she hears the sound of Leon recalling one of his Pokémon. Not a good thing for her shaky calm, but she swallows down any of her panic and steps forward.

Leon reaches to his belt for his last Pokéball, which has Charizard inside. As he threw the ball to release the Pokémon, he notices another Pokémon sent out next to him. A familiar Charizard with a Mega Stone collar around it's neck. "Hanabi?!" he shouts in shock.

"Leon focus!" Tana barks as he quickly turns around, relieved to finally see she is okay. He wants to take her into his arms and never let go, but unfortunately, there's no time for that. "Ana! Get behind me!" he urges only to go ignored.

Instead, she stands next to him and takes his hand. "I came to help. I've seen what this thing can do, you shouldn't be fighting it alone" Tana argues sternly.

"No! It's too dangerous! You shouldn't even be here!" Leon argues, shaking his head.

"I'm not leaving so suck it up and let's end this" Tana says, still firmly holding his hand.

Leon sighs deeply and squeezes her hand. He didn't like it, but he didn't have any time to argue with her. "Alright. Just stay close, okay?" He relents.

Tana nods with a grim smile. Hiding how difficult it is to stand in the face of the angerterrorpain even though it's lessened quite a bit since Eternatus had broken free from the lab. Able to breathe fresh air and gain a semblance of control of itself.

The fight would go on for quite some time. Charizard down to his last bit of health, while Tana is down to just Sakura and Ichigo, but they did it. Eternatus is weakened just enough for Leon to capture it.

Hop and Gloria finally make it to the top of the building, which meant that they had defeated Rose in the power plant.

"You're alright" Tana says in relief. Leon turns around to greet them as well. "You came to help me in spite of the danger? Thanks, Hop. And you too, Gloria. You two really have grown tremendously" It's hard to admit, but he is actually thankful for all the help he is receiving. The good news is it's almost over. "But no need for you kids to worry. It seems like some power of Eternatus's was keeping my team from Dynamaxing, but…we've had a Champion time all the same" he admits, holding Tana's hand tightly. "My champion team members and Tana's Pokémon have really worn Eternatus down. Now if I can simply catch it in a Pokéball, we should be able to get this madness under control. Then everything will be back to normal" he reassures. At least he hopes that's the case, but he keeps on a brave face for the two young trainers.

Leon looks down to the ball in his hand. All he has with him are regular Pokéballs that he carries with him to help new trainers learn how to catch Pokémon at the start of their journey. In his rush to make sure Tana is okay and take care of the danger, he never thought to stop and get something a little more powerful. But he has to try, anyway. It's his duty to protect everyone at any cost! "So watch this! It's going to be a real champion catch!" He tosses the ball at Eternatus as it cries out.

This time not missing the fact that Tana's been struggling the whole time as she flinches at the noise and how hard she's truly squeezing his hand to keep her self centered in the face of Eternatus' emotions.

Tana would watch as the Pokémon is absorbed into the ball. Hop jumps up and down with excitement, but Leon puts out his hand, his eyes widening.

Something isn't right. He looks over to his Charizard, who knows exactly what to do.

The ball bursts open, completely shattering on the spot and sends a powerful blast their way. Charizard flies to Hop and Gloria, using his body and wings to protect them from the blast. Leon jumps in front of Tana and wraps his arms around her tightly, attempting to shield her with his body. The two sent tumbling to the ground.

Tana hisses out in pain as she tries to sit up, needing to slide herself out from underneath Leon's body. Noticing immediately he's been knocked out. "Leon?!" she shouts, starting to panic. She places her hands on his face. "Please, please wake up" she whispers, swallowing her panic to check his pulse and is relieved its still going strong.

Eternatus roars loudly, Tana feeling it's anger increase beyond what it was before. Hop looks over at his brother and Tana, and back to Charizard and nods. The large lizard flies over to the couple and lands next to them.

"You two need to get out of here! Get Lee to the hospital! Gloria and I will handle the rest!" Hop shouts as Tana looks between Leon and Hop, wanting to get Lee help but not wanting to leave Hop and Gloria alone to face Eternatus' rage.

Charizard grunts and nudges her cheek with his nose as Sakura twirls around her, projecting her feelings to help soothe and center her human. It's clear both are worried about Lee and her, but she can also sense the belief the fire lizard has in Hop and Gloria.

She hisses out some choice words and gets to her feet with a nod. "Okay, let's get him out of here" Charizard lowers his body to the ground to make it easier for Tana to get Leon on his back, ignoring her own pain to make sure her boyfriend is secure. Once he is up there, she lets Ichigo out of his ball.

'You're hurt!' Ichigo shrieks as Tana struggles up onto his back.

"I know but I can treat it later. Lee needs us first" Tana soothes. "Sakura I need you to stay and make sure they're okay" she asks as her Dragapult nods and floats over to Hop and Gloria, both grateful for the dragon type's presence as Sakura curls around them protectively.

With Tana secure on Ichigo's back the group start to fly away. Tana looking back at Hop and Gloria just in time to see two wolf-like Pokémon join them in battle, the presence she'd always been able to sense from the Weald. She doesn't focus on it for long as Charizard and Ichigo swoops down in front of Hammerlocke Stadium, where Raihan stood keeping watch. To keep everyone in his town safe, he made sure no one else was able to get into the gym.

When he sees the two Pokémon flying toward him, he runs to meet them halfway. "Tana, what happened?" he shouts.

"Leon got knocked out by Eternatus! We need to get him to a hospital" Tana explains quickly, not climbing down from Ichigo in fear she'd likely stumble and fall.

Raihan looks back to the entrance of his gym. By now everyone should have been warned of the danger. If he left for just a moment, everything should be okay. "Follow me!" He lets out his Flygon from its Pokéball and hops on its back to lead them to the hospital.

They make it to the lobby and get Leon on a stretcher and the nurses take him away. Tana climbs off of Ichigo's back after she puts Charizard back in his Pokéball for Leon. She limps over to Raihan to thank him and he notices the way she is moving immediately. "I think we should probably get you checked in, too, Tana" he says sternly.

"I'm fine, Rai. We got Leon here and that's all that matters to me right now" Tana sighs, tilting her head back and resisting the urge to cry. "Listen, I'm really sorry for what I did to you earlier. I knew something was wrong but not Aether level bullshit wrong" she sniffs. "And he got hurt trying to protect me, and…and…" she stutters unable to contain her stress and pain over the situation anymore.

Raihan sighs and pulls Tana into a hug, just letting her cry into him. "Hey, it's alright. I'm not mad at you. I know Leon isn't either" rubbing her back as he spoke to her. "None of this is your fault. Even if you hadn't been there, Rose still would have interrupted the Champion Match to get Leon to capture Eternatus for him. He still would have ended up fighting it. At least with you there, he wasn't fighting it alone, and I know that probably meant the world to him" he soothes as Tana nods with a small sob.

"Do you think he will be okay?" Tana sniffs out.

"Probably. You really think the Undefeated Champion Leon could actually go down this easily? Just give him some time, and I'm sure he will bounce back real soon" Raihan pulls away from their hug and glances down at her swollen ankle. "Now, I think it's time I repay you for icing my foot earlier. We need to get some on yours" he says. Knowing she would probably protest again he lifts Tana up with one arm and practically throws her over his shoulder and takes her to the front desk to get her checked in. She hisses and spits some choice words and hits his back with her fists a few times, but ultimately gives in, knowing he is only doing this because he cared.

Tana's ankle is taken care of relatively quickly. Wrapping her ankle and foot in bandages and would offer a crutch which she waves off, mentioning she had a couple team members that were willing to help her get around. They didn't require her to stay over night for an injury like that, so after she's done, she goes back to the lobby to meet up with Raihan.

When she asks if he had heard anything about Leon while she was gone, Raihan informs her that Leon just had some minor injuries to his head and a few other areas on his body, and that he would recover with some rest.

"Thank Arceus…do you think they would let me see him?" Tana asks as she sinks down into the offered chair.

"I'm sure they will, but before you go, you have to see this" Raihan holds his phone out to her and shows her a news article he had found. According to it, Hop and Gloria not only defeated, but captured Eternatus, Rose had also turned himself into the police. Everything was going to be okay.

"I knew they could do it. Leon will be so proud" Tana sighs tiredly, feeling proud herself. She had known Hop for his whole life. It's been a pleasure to see how much he had grown over the years.

"You bet he will! Now come on, let's get you to his room" Raihan stands and held out his hand to help her up. Even if he isn't staying, he still wanted to help her to Leon's room before he left.

When they arrive at Leon's room, the first thing Tana notes is that he is asleep. The nurses tell her and Raihan on their way in that he came to a little earlier and they filled him in on everything that happened.

Tana places Charizard's Pokéball on the nightstand next to his bed and stares down at the sleeping champ. She knows he's exhausted. Between everything that had happened that night and all the stress he had been under recently, she doesn't blame him. She could only hope that since Rose turned himself in to the police, that his work life would be a little different.

There are bandages wrapped around his head, and a few on his arms. It makes Tana sick to her stomach that Rose had put Leon in that kind of danger so willingly. Reminded keenly of Lusamine and what she'd done to Gladion and Lillie. Of Dumbledore and herself before Fawkes had set her free.

Taking a shaky breath Tana would collapse into the chair by the window. It's late and she doesn't want to leave his side. The chair isn't the most comfortable thing, but she figures she would make due until morning. Belle would go down the hall and retrieve a small stool and place it in front of the chair for Tana to prop her foot on. Wrapping herself up in Leon's cape like a blanket and curls up to the best of her ability to try to get some rest. Naru letting himself out and into her lap to ease her stress with his purring and comforting emotions.

In the middle of the night the Champion stirred in his sleep, slowly sitting up and rubbing his sleepy eyes. Still very sore from the battle. As he sits up, the Pokéball on the nightstand catches his eye. How did that get there?

Leon then turns to see Tana and Naru curled up in his cape, sleeping in a very awkward position with the way her leg is propped up. Looking smaller than he's ever seen her, the tired rings under her eyes obvious now compared to the video calls and only a small grimace giving away how uncomfortable she is. But likely too worried to leave him to find something more comfortable. Regardless, he won't let her sleep like that all night.

He quietly gets out of bed and walks over to her side of the room. He carefully scoops her up in his arms, Pokémon, cape and all. It's a bit of a struggle with the way his body feels, but he tries to ignore the pain.

A few steps into carrying her, however, Leon feels his legs almost give out. He doesn't drop her, thankfully, but he does wake her with the movement.

Tana opens her eyes just as he silently curses himself for being so clumsy. "Leon, what are you doing up? You're supposed to be resting" she scolds, a sleepy tone in her voice.

"I couldn't sleep knowing you couldn't possibly be comfortable, so I'm bringing you over here with me" Leon explains, trying his best to hide the fact that he is struggling. It would only worry her more if she knew. But he is determined to bring her safely to his bed where he knew he could hold her tightly for the rest of the night.

"I was just fine. And besides, couldn't we get in trouble if the hospital staff came in and saw me in bed with you?" she asks tiredly as Leon places her on the bed. Adjusting her grip on Naru for him to slip out and make a place for himself once the pair had resettled.

Leon climbs into the bed next to her and pulls the covers over them both before he wraps his arms around her once again. "We'll be fine. We have a lot of time to make up for. I've been away from you for so long and, I'm really sorry for that" he apologizes.

Tana cuddles close to him, content to be in his arms again. "It wasn't your fault, but I forgive you" she sighs and looks up toward his face. "I'm sorry too for what happened today and for not telling you about my fears and anxieties. For not telling you I could feel what was going on in the lab that day I had Raihan pass you that bento box and that it was a little too close to what the Aether labs felt like before Gladion shut them down" she sniffs out, tears in her eyes at the idea he might be upset with her.

Leon kisses her forehead, hoping to show her that he isn't upset or mad with her for not saying anything. Though he's a little upset with himself for not realizing his girlfriend had sensed something was wrong and had waited for him to tell her, had waited until she couldn't wait anymore. "I should have just been honest with you from the beginning…I was just so scared of putting you in danger, but that is exactly what happened anyway." His grip on her body tightens just a little as he thought back on what could have possibly happened to her. "I wanted to keep you as far away from Rose as possible. Once you're on his radar, it's practically impossible to get off of it. It was also why I was so hesitant to endorse Hop and his friend" he explains as Tana nods.

"You were right to worry but I'm glad you endorsed them…Because of them, we don't have to worry about Rose anymore. Because of their strength and fresh eyes they were able to do what we couldn't" Tana points out gently.

"Those two really have grown a lot over this year…And to think Gloria made it to battle me for the Champion title! I know the doctor said I have to stay here for the next few days, but I'm anxious to get out and battle her" Leon chuckles sheepishly as Tana giggles tiredly with him. Resting her head against his chest.

She's so glad to hear him talk about the things that excite him. It had been a while since they had the time to talk like this. "She will put up a good fight for sure, but if she's a match for you is another matter altogether" Tana sleepily hums out.

"Heh, thank you for always believing in me" Leon chuckles, his face turning red at her compliment.

"I always will. I love you, Lee" Tana closes her eyes, ready to fall back asleep, but this time in his arms.

Leon buries his face into her hair. "And I love you. Get some rest, okay? I'm sure we will have lots of visitors in the morning" he points out not knowing how right he is.

Hop and Gloria being the first later that morning, Tana back in her chair though within easy reach of Leon as she holds one of his hands and flips through Poketube with her other hand.

"Lee!" Hop shouts happily and nearly tackles his brother back into the bed to the amusement of Tana and Gloria.

"You okay Tana?" Gloria asks quietly as Tana nods, pulling the brunette into a hug. Letting the younger girl cling to her.

"I'm alright, we both are after some sleep" Tana reassures as Gloria sniffles and clings tightly in relief.

"She said you would be okay but seeing you like that was scary" Gloria sniffs as Tana pulls back in confusion.

"Who are you talking about?" Tana asks in concern, her tone catching Hop's attention as he bounces over to hug her as well.

"A blonde girl and her boyfriend were waiting for us in the Weald and confirmed for us that Zacian and Zamazenta are the Sword and Shield from the legend of the Darkest Day. Said we'd need their help to succeed in protecting you from the dragon of eternal darkness" Hop rambles as Tana sucks in a surprised breath.

"Did the boy call her Luna bell?" Tana asks as Gloria nods, accepting a tissue from Hop.

"Yeah she said they both knew you and that you and Leon would be okay till we could get there with the Sword and Shield. That Potter Luck would hold out whatever that means" Gloria says as Tana looks to Leon to see her own surprise reflected back at her.

Leon had been the only one she'd told her old name and the label her family's weird luck had been given.

"Are they trouble?" Hop asks bluntly as Tana splutters out a laugh and shakes her head.

"The entire opposite Hop…They're friends from my life before Galar and I've been waiting for them to approach me, but I guess Luna bell knew to wait till all this bullshit was over" Tana sighs as Gloria frowns at how tired Tana sounds.

"Why do you sound so tired then?" Gloria asks before she can stop herself and ducks her head when Hop nudges her shoulder in reproval.

"It's fine Hop…Lee knows most of it since he was there from the beginning and I didn't quite trust my parents yet with all of the stories I told him. But my life before Galar was difficult and one life and death situation after another quite similar to some of my misadventures during my journey across the different regions. I won't go into detail since I really don't want to make you cry more than you already have but lets just say it wasn't pleasant and that waking up in the Crown Tundra in my boarding school uniform was a blessing" Tana explains gently as Gloria nods while Hop would cling.

Like Leon not liking to think about the fact that someone would and had hurt Tana with how sweet and caring she was once you had her trust.

"Anyways Luna and her boyfriend Neville were a part of a very small group of friends I had that for the most part I could be myself with, but due to things that happened before any of us were born they looked to me quite a bit for leadership. You see I'd gotten credit for surviving a terrorist group when most who were targeted didn't, my mum having done something to keep me safe and due to her standing within our community they gave me the credit instead since she was lesser in most people's eyes. It made me League Champion famous and by the time I learned about it after spending 8 years clueless about it I didn't know how to deal with it and had a hard time living up to the expectations so, when an out was given to me by a dear friend I accepted it. I was tired and just wanted to be taken care of instead of taking care of everyone else, so I didn't question what he'd done till later" Tana finishes as both teenagers cling to her at how tired she sounds. Lying a little about her age knowing physically she was 28 and didn't want to give any of them headaches about her mentally being nearly 30.

"Anyways Luna and Neville will come see us when they feel we're ready so don't worry about it and focus on the upcoming match" Tana says with a grin as the two nod, Gloria pulling back to ask if it was true that Tana would be performing at the Championship after party. Piers having brought it up in his pop up performance at the Wyndon station.

"Yes I'll be performing with Piers at the after party. We'll be performing pieces from our latest album, Heroes and Legends which we've been posting videos of since Lee, and I started dating" Tana giggles as Hop asks why wait that long.

"We wanted to put something special out since you, Gloria and Marnie were 18 this year and allowed to get Trainer's licenses and participate in the Gym Challenge" Tana admits as Leon smiles fondly while Hop would tear up and tackle her in another hug. The older girl patting his back and letting him get it out of his system.

Not long after Raihan would show up with Sonia to check in on the pair to find Tana had conked out in her chair again with Gloria and Hop on top of her. Making her look so much smaller than any of them were used to.

"I forget how tiny she is when she's awake then you get her cuddled up like that and it hits you in the face" Sonia sighs as Raihan takes a picture to share with Leon and Tana later.

"She's got that bigger than life personality going all day everyday when she's awake it's easy to forget she's tiny compared to us with her heels off…who got her into them by the way? I know you tried but she nearly pulled all your hair out when you tried to get her to where them" Raihan points out as Sonia pouts at the reminder.

"Wallace Belnades did I think when she did the mixed year in Hoenn with Ayame" Leon admits remembering that was when she'd stopped growing and wanted a couple more inches to her 5ft 5 inches to keep her at chest level with all of them. Found she liked how she looked in them after puberty had fully set in for her.

"Remind me to send him a present then" Sonia says happily as both men snort knowing if Tana had heard her Sonia was liable to get pranked. Tana wore what made her feel comfortable and anyone trying to force her otherwise learned not to get on the bad side of the dual fire/dragon specialist.

The next couple days would fly by after that and both Leon and Tana would be released to go home where all of their Pokémon showered them in attention as they both got ready for the Championship battle and the after party. Leon getting a sneak peek to the last piece his girlfriend and Piers had been working on in the month he'd been running around after rogue Dynamax Pokémon for Rose.

Finally the day everyone in the entire Galar Region was waiting for had finally arrived. It was time for the battle between the Pokémon League Finalist and Champion Leon, and this time without interruptions or cancelations. The stadium is packed, the Championship Battle sold out as it did every year. Though this time, the energy from the crowd seems much different.

Leon incredibly anxious to add such an intense battle to his victorious streak.

However…the battle ended much differently than what he is used to and expected.

For the first time in nearly 19 years, Leon is defeated, which meant Gloria was going to be the newly crowned Champion of Galar. He is completely blown away, not only by her skills, but over the fact that he had lost. He quickly pulls his hat down over his face to cover up his disappointment and quickly put on a smile for the crowd, not wanting them to see that he is actually a little upset. The last thing he wants is to come across as a sore loser.

He is happy for her! He's proud of everything she had accomplished since the day he handed her that endorsement letter! But losing his title just days after failing to protect the Region he loves so much and feeling betrayed by the very man who endorsed him all those years ago…it hits him hard.

But still, Leon knows that her hard work deserves to be recognized. He walks over to her and places a hand on her shoulder, smiling his bright, Champion smile. "Congratulations, Gloria! You've beat even the unbeatable Champion— making you the new Champion of the region! You've become a first-rate Trainer, all right. I offer you my heartfelt congratulations!" he congratulates.

"And now that you've grown so strong, perhaps it's time I started looking ahead myself" Leon continues. "It's time we adults started working on improving the here and now, for the sake of all that's to come! And you, Gloria! What you ought to do now is believe in yourself and your partner Pokémon, and keep on blasting ahead, in order to create that bright future we all hope to see!" he encourages.

He turns away from Gloria and faces the audience surrounding them. "People of Galar! Here you have it! A new legend born right before your eyes! Your Champion, Gloria! Bet you can't wait to see what kind of future a kid with this kind of strength might bring about! I sure can't! Let's watch and see what she can do!" He then takes her hand and holds it up high as the stadium fills with cheers and applause.

Once the awards ceremony ends, Tana would quietly slip down to the locker rooms, knowing that is where she would find her boyfriend. She no longer needs help moving around, but has bandages wrapped around her ankle, as it hasn't fully healed, but it isn't as hard to maneuver with anymore.

Texting Piers to get Marnie and start without her knowing that Leon likely needed her more in that moment and that 'Legends Never Die' could wait for its live debut till next season. 'Legends' would be a good substitute in the mean time.

She makes it to the door of his private room by the time she's sent the text and stands in the doorway for a few moments in silence. Leon sits on a bench with his back to the door and is hunched over. While he seems to be in good spirits after the fight while in front of the crowd, Tana knew deep down exactly how he was feeling. And seeing him like this now that he is alone, practically confirms it for her.

She knocks on the open door lightly before letting herself in. "That sure was some fight, huh?" She sighs as she takes a seat next to him. With his head down, his hair covering his face so she couldn't see his expression.

However, Leon takes a deep breath and sits up straight, throwing on that same Champion smile he always wore, even when something is wrong. "She was great! The future of Galar couldn't be in better hands!" His mouth twitches slightly as he says this, and Tana could see right through him.

"And how are you feeling?" Tana asks taking his hand into her own.

He keeps his facade up in response to her question. "Absolutely fine! I've never felt better!"

"Lee" Tana scolds gently and he sighs, knowing he couldn't lie to her.

"Alright, I feel like I've been punched in the stomach" Leon admits shaking his head, trying not to let himself get emotional again. The last thing he wants is for her to see him cry…it would be embarrassing. "I just never thought this day would actually come; you know? I can't believe I lost…" he sighs.

"You both gave as good as you got though and that's all you can ask of your team and Gloria of hers, but we already knew this going into that fight" Tana points out, reminding Leon of Tana's semi final battle with Raihan when they were ten. Her words an echo of after she'd lost to Raihan.

"Mm" He nods and stares down at the floor. "I feel like I've let you and all of Galar down" he admits into the silence.

"Hey, you could never let me down" Tana scolds gently, resting her head on his shoulder and traces circles with her thumb on his hand. "You fought your hardest and I couldn't be more proud of you for that" she says sternly.

Another sigh is the only response Leon gives her.

Tana sits back up and stares at him with a concerned look on her face. Leon is really taking this hard, much harder than she'd initially thought.

Though with how much he had been through over the past week, she hoped this hadn't broke him.

Unaware that it had.

Leon closes his eyes for a moment before standing, his hand slipping out of hers.

"Leon…" Tana calls quietly.

The defeated Champion knew that the best thing for him now was to be somewhere he could get his mind off of everything that had happened over the last few days. The only issue, however, was that he didn't want Tana seeing him in such a low state, so he decides it may be for the best that he went on his own. He couldn't even look at her as he spoke. Her reaction would only change his mind, and he knew he needs this. "Ana, I think I need to get away for a little while" he says quietly.

"Oh where did you want to go?" Tana asks quietly, knowing something is definitely wrong if Leon wouldn't make eye contact with her.

He flinches, hesitating for a moment before continuing. "No, Ana…I need to get away…by myself."

"I understand. If that's what you need to do to make yourself happy right now, then I'm not going to stop you" Tana says quietly, swallowing the urge to cry knowing that it isn't what he needs from her right now. Knows she needs to let him go if that's what he wants.

After all, she went away for a whole 10 years to explore and truly settle into her skin.

"Sorry" Leon tells her before turning around and leaving the locker room. He couldn't look back at her… He knew if he even glimpsed the expression on her face, he would give in and take her in his arms, forgetting all about his plans.

But he just, couldn't do that. All of the recent events are starting to overwhelm him. What went on with Rose, fighting and failing to catch Eternatus, not being able to protect anyone from it and losing his Champion title. It was all too much. It's something he doesn't want to burden her with. He needs to go somewhere that he could get rid of all of this stress, so he could just go back to feeling like himself again. A place already coming to mind as he exits the stadium.

Once Tana can no longer sense his Pokémon she would finally let herself cry, the tears just rolling down her face. What else could she do? She knows he's really hurting, and she can't do anything about it beyond what she'd done.

Tana would let herself sink to the floor, letting herself cry her frustrations over how helpless she feels out.

Their whole life is about to change, she knows that for sure. But what did it mean for their future? They had discussed their plans many times for what they would do once he wasn't Champion anymore, but him going off on his own hadn't been one of them. They had always talked about taking some time to go visit the many friends she'd made on her journey outside Galar, maybe going to see her parents on the Isle or taking a break and visiting his mum for a while, spending some time with Hop…Family related things. Maybe open some kind of battle facility like the ones she told him about from her travels as she settled into her role as a Gym Leader. It all seemed like they would just settle into a normal life after his days as Champion were over.

But all of that is so far out of reach with Leon walking out that door. It scares her in a way that she hadn't felt since facing down the basilisk in the chamber of secrets when she was twelve the first time.

A small thud brings Tana out of her head as her Rotom phone slips out of her pocket and falls to the floor. She opens her eyes and stares down at the device, where a picture of the two of them is showing on her background. Taking it into her hands as she looks at her 10 year old self curled into Leon's chest, both of them sleeping and so innocent to how hard their lives were going to be.

Feeling hesitant, she unlocks it and went to her messaging app, then taps Raihan's contact. Not wanting to be alone in that moment.

[ Tana ]: Rai? Are you busy right now?

[ Raihan ]: Nah, what's up?

[ Tana ]: Would you please come to Lee's locker room? It's urgent…

[ Raihan ]: What? Is our Champ crying over his loss or somethin? Lol

[ Tana ]: ...just get over here, please.

Raihan shoves his phone back into the pocket of his hoodie. Luckily he hasn't yet left the stadium, so he isn't that far away. Within a matter of minutes, he is at the door of the locker room, ready to joke with Leon and try to cheer him up. However, when he walks in, he feels his stomach turn. Leon is nowhere to be seen and Tana is sitting on the floor, her face resting in her Glameow's fur. It looks like she had been crying, too…What the hell happened?

He walks over to where she is sitting and slid his back down the wall until he is sitting next to her. At first, he isn't sure what to say. He has no idea what went down in here before he arrived, but he understands why she had claimed it was urgent.

"Okay, I'm here. What's going on, Tana?" he asks her, his voice calmer than usual. He hates seeing her cry. They had always been close, like the sibling the other had wanted growing up, so seeing her hurting always upset him.

"It's Leon" Tana says quietly as she looks up from her Glameow. Green eyes rimmed red and tired in a way he didn't like. She hadn't fully recovered from being exposed to all of Eternatus' anger yet so to get upset like this wasn't good to her equilibrium and recovering her mental shields.

"He okay? Knowing him, I'm sure he took that loss to heart" Raihan asks, head tilting in her direction.

"I came down here to try to cheer him up and he just told me he needed to get away for a while, that he wanted to be alone" Tana admits, her Glameow quietly purring and making himself as cuddly as possible to ease her obvious stress. "And then he just left. I'm trying to be supportive, but I'm scared. He's never acted like this before…What if he chooses not to come back?" she asks in a small voice, putting to words her one major fear. To be left alone when she'd spent her formative years growing up alone in a hostile environment.

He just…left? "Did he say where he would be going?" The dragon tamer asks as Tana shook her head, cuddling Naru even closer and doing a small breathing exercise to keep herself from crying even more.

Raihan wears an angry scowl on his face after hearing this and seeing her reaction. What in the world was that guy thinking? He understood his friend probably had a lot on his mind, but to run off and leave behind the one person who cared about him the most in this world, who always had his best interest in mind…It didn't make any sense. He looks down at his phone, thinking about how he would have to give Leon a piece of his mind once he is away from Tana.

Raihan stands up from the ground and held out his hand to her. "Listen, I'm sure he will be back by morning. Why don't I walk you to your apartment?" he offers, Tana nodding and taking his hand while he pulls her up to her feet.

As she stood, Naru pops open one of her Pokéballs, releasing Cor. The Pokémon understood what was going on and wanted to be able to support his trainer. Cor would stand on the side opposite of Raihan just in case Tana's ankle gave her any trouble during the walk.

The Gym Leader smiles down at his friend's Pokémon. "Thanks, Cor. Let's get her home" he says quietly.

Leon not there when Raihan drops her off, the silence deafening as Tana looks around the home she'd made with Leon in the last two years. The apartment feeling empty and cold without him there.

Two days would go by before Tana would pack her camping gear and several sets of clothes before heading out into the Wild Area with her team. Her nightmares driving her out and not wanting to be in the apartment without Leon. Knowing if she stayed she'd just slip into a place she couldn't and wouldn't go with her Pokémon depending on her. Taking the time to actually recenter herself and fix her mental shields in a place that was peaceful, a place where the Pokémon's emotions weren't all over the place like they were in the city.

A training trip for the last two puppies of Belle's first litter. The female Houndour puppy and the sole shiny male Rockruff being the ones she'd kept while finding homes for the other two puppies amongst her friends.

It would be a week and a half later that Raihan would track her down, finding her camped out beside Lake of Outrage.

Having called Master Mustard to see where she had gone after not finding her in the apartment.

"Your dad mentioned I'd find you out here" Raihan says quietly as Tana sat by the lake edge. Her Milotic's head in her lap humming and crooning to the ravenette. Hair clipped back and out of her face the only indication she'd been training. Less tired looking but the rings under her eyes still visible being the only indicator her sleep hadn't been peaceful even out here.

"It was too quiet, and dad suggested I go camping if I didn't want to go home to work on my mental shields" Tana says quietly as she pats Ayame to let her know she was okay to go swim. Cor coming over to take her place in keeping Tana company.

"Well I'm glad you're not shutting yourself in. How's training the puppies going?" The dragon tamer asks as he looks over to the wrestling match going on between Sophia and Nyx.

"Nyx is close to evolving and Sophia is not too far behind. Hestia has been working with them when she wasn't going to the gym with me" Tana admits fondly.

"That's great, did you want me to go look for curry ingredients? You're supplies look a little demolished" Raihan offers as Tana nods and waves him off as she leans back against Cor.

Taking comfort in his fine fur coat and letting herself bask in his emotions.

Tana's concentration would break though when she hears a man shouting not too far from where she's sitting.

She raises her head from where it had been resting on Cor and sees a trainer with a Sylveon…and he is yelling at it. She slowly gets up knowing this isn't something she can ignore. From what she can understand, the trainer was upset with the Pokémon for evolving into the wrong type of Pokémon and he is trying to leave it behind. The Sylveon didn't quite understand and tries to follow him, anyway, affectionately rubbing against the man's leg…until he kicks and shouts at it to get out of his sight.

Without a second thought, Tana runs over to the Pokémon, checking to make sure it's okay. "Let me have a look…Are you hurt?" she whispers, Cor having followed along and stood, guarding the Pokémon as Tana gets up and faces the man, anger and many other emotions filling her eyes. "You should be ashamed of yourself! That's no way to treat a Pokémon!" she hisses, storming over to him.

"Why don't you mind your own business? This doesn't concern you" the man turns around and stares her down. Flinching when he realizes he's just dismissed the Motostoke Gym Leader and pissed her off even more. Common sense not kicking in as he ignores the very real threat Tana can be since she'd settled for the third gym in the league instead of the eighth her strength was better suited for.

"It does when I see an innocent Pokémon get hurt! Especially by someone it loves!" Tana growls. All of her emotions starting to resurface right alongside the anger. But she couldn't let her own pain stop her from standing up for this Pokémon. "You don't deserve to call yourself a Pokémon Trainer and I should report you to the League for abuse" she hisses, her eyes promising death as she steps even closer.

"What did you just say?" the man responds, angrily. Raising an arm, making to hit her. Was he really about to hit her? Especially since she knew there were videos of her response to people who had tried to hit her in the past. He freezes, staring behind her with a bit of a shocked expression on his face.

Tana doesn't question it when she feels a hand gripping her shoulder. Looking up to see Raihan behind her, looking down at the man with an intense glare that would have made even Eternatus run for the hills. Gently, he pulls Tana to stand behind him as he deals with the trainer himself.

"You know Pokémon aren't naturally useless. Every single one has the potential to be great" The Gym Leader stuffs his hands in the pockets of his jacket as he steps closer to the other trainer, who recognizes him, knowing very well not only his position in the League, but also his strength, and slowly backs away as he spoke. "It's our responsibility as trainers to help our Pokémon realize that potential. So if you see one of your own Pokémon as useless, well…that just means you're a useless trainer."

Tana crouches back down to Sylveon, petting it gently. The trainer had kicked it pretty hard, so it was bound to have a bruise…if not worse. Listening to everything Raihan is saying to the trainer as she cares for the Pokémon. "He's right, you know" she whispers gently. "I can see you have a lot of potential. You're not useless at all" she reassures the Fairy-type.

Raihan continues, backing the man into a tree. "You understand how Sylveon evolve, I'm sure. It happens when an Eevee grows affectionate towards their trainer. Your Pokémon evolved out of love… for you. And you were willing to just throw it away for that very reason. It's disgusting…" He shakes his head. "You know, anything that could love someone like you must be pretty strong in my opinion. Really, you don't deserve it. Sylveon is going to be a lot better off now." Especially in Tana's care. He knew her well enough to know that Sylveon already has a place in her heart.

He looks back to see Tana holding out her hands while her Milotic forms some ice with a low grade Ice Beam. Tana would take that clump of ice and wrap it in a small towel she had in her bag and place it gently on Sylveon's injury. "That should help. We will get you to a Pokémon Center as soon as we can, okay?" she says, her tone as gentle as she can make it.

At some point during all of the commotion, Tana and Raihan's Pokémon caught on to the trouble, three of them coming to Raihan's aid. His Flygon, Goodra, and Sakura were behind him, all ready to battle if they were needed, while the rest of the Pokémon were at Tana's side. The Pokémon smarter than most would give credit for. The particular group who chose to assist Raihan knew exactly what they were doing by grouping together, and it made the Dragon Tamer proud. He chuckles, turning his attention back to the trainer, who is certainly intimidated at this point. "It's kind of funny, you know? If that Sylveon were still at your side, you'd be the one with the upper hand" Raihan points out.

The man scoffs and runs off. "Oh well, good riddance" Raihan sighs. He is almost certain he is going to find some article at some point, claiming he and Tana attacked some trainer in the Wild Area, even if he never would have actually allowed the Pokémon to hurt the man. That isn't the kind of trainer he is. But it was worth it to see the look on his face. Raihan couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

He walks back over to Tana and Sylveon, kneeling down to their level. "You're going to be in much better hands now, I can promise you that. My friend here loves all Pokémon" he cheerfully tells the Fairy-type.

Upon hearing his words, Tana smiles. For the first time in two weeks, she actually, genuinely smiles. It's enough to bring a tear to the eye of the strongest Gym Leader in all of Galar out of relief that his best friend is going to be okay.

"I think we need to get her to a Pokémon Center. We can treat all of the Pokémon to curry after we get Sylveon taken care of" Tana says, pulling a ball from her backpack. It's a Friend Ball much like Naru's own ball. "Would it be okay if I asked you to stay with me? I'd say you and I both need each other right now" she admits quietly. Green eyes a little sad around the edges and it's the need to ease that sadness that has the Sylveon agree.

Sylveon rests her head in Tana's lap and makes a sound of consent before nuzzling her face against her new trainer. Tana gently taps the Friend Ball on Sylveon's head, and she goes inside. Usually, if a Pokémon already belonged to another trainer, it would break out of a ball owned by another, but it was clear that this Pokémon no longer accepted the other as her trainer as the ball began to shake, rather than bursting open. When the ball clicks shut, Tana sniffs and tries to hide the fact she wants to cry.

Raihan places his hand on her back, letting her cry. "I'm really proud of you, Tana" He knew he shouldn't say this part out loud, but he wants to tell her that he knew Leon would be too. He decides it would be best to keep that to himself though, he's sure she knows it too deep down. "Now come on, let's get her to the Center" he encourages as Tana nods and would accept his help packing up her camp and returning all but Nyx to their balls.

After bringing in the injured Sylveon to the Pokémon Center, Tana and Raihan sit silently in the lobby, waiting for the nurse to finish looking over the Pokémon. The poor Sylveon was hurting pretty badly both physically and emotionally after the events that took place with her previous trainer. But now that she was going to be in Tana's care, she was going to be safe.

Tana is just glad she'd been out camping otherwise who knows what would have happened to the Sylveon.

"Thank you Rai" Tana says quietly, breaking the silence.

The dragon tamer looks over to his friend and tilts his head slightly. "Hm? Ah, it was nothing. That dude was a jerk, I'm glad we were able to get Sylveon away from him" he waves off.

"Not just for that. You've been really patient with me and I really haven't taken the time to tell you how much I appreciate it" Tana admits knowing she hadn't been the easiest to get along with by going out into the Wild Area where the phone signal was spotty at best.

"Tana, you're one of my best friends! There's no way I'd leave you all alone in a time like this" Raihan sighs before continuing, knowing the next thing he is about to say could possibly be risky, as it could end up making her sad or worse angry. "And even if I am pissed at him, Leon's also my friend and I know for a fact he wouldn't want you to be alone right now, either. He might have screwed up, but I do know he still cares about you" he says quietly as Tana nods, closing her eyes.

Tana wants to believe the last part to be true, but the longer she goes without hearing from Leon, the harder it is for her to ignore all her old insecurities. Playing with her promise ring on her index finger the only outward sign of her insecurities.

Raihan takes notice of her reaction and tucks her into his side for comfort. "Listen, it's not something we have to focus on right now. I just wanted to make sure you heard it." Maybe it was a good idea for him to change the subject. "But hey I'm super proud of you for taking care of that Sylveon today!" he points out as Tana chuckles opening her eyes to meet his.

"You were the one who chased her trainer off though I was liable to lash out at him if you hadn't. That would have been pretty bad" Tana sighs her mind flashing back to the man raising his hand to her. Shaking her head to avoid thinking about the Dursleys.

"Hmph, he was nothing but a coward" Raihan huffs, then looks over to her with questioning eyes. "You're going to keep it though, aren't you? She really seemed to trust you" he points out. After being treated so harshly, seeing that it would trust another human so willingly is surprising. But he could tell that Sylveon is thankful Tana came to its rescue.

"Of course! I can't stand the idea of abandoning a Pokémon. I've seen it happen so many times throughout my travels and it makes me sick" Tana sighs. To her, all of her Pokémon were her family. Leaving any of them behind in the way that man tried to with Sylveon is unthinkable.

She can't understand how it seems so easy to other trainers.

"What are you going to call her?" Raihan asks as Tana hums and lets herself get lost in her head thinking about a name for her new friend.

"I'm thinking Momo to keep with the nature theme I have going with all my female Pokémon" Tana admits and would resist the urge to smack her friend who laughs quietly in amusement at some of her name choices.

As their conversation continues on that subject, the nurse who took Sylveon returns with the Pokémon at her side. "Excuse me? Your Pokémon is happy and healthy! It does seem to have a bit of bruising around her ribs, but with proper rest it should heal just fine!" Sylveon jumps up onto Tana's lap and nuzzles her face, happy to see the human who saved it again. "She's very lucky to have found a trainer like you!" the nurse says happily.

Tana giggles as the Pokémon licks her cheek, basking in Sylveon's joy that Tana had stayed. Her presence able to stabilize her emotions like Naru could.

Maybe Momo isn't the only one who was lucky they found each other.

Raihan takes her back home before leaving to head off to Hammerlocke. She walks back into the apartment with Nyx and Momo at her side. The silence of the apartment bringing back some of her loneliness, which is something both Pokémon take notice of as Tana lets out her other Pokémon.

Momo knew nothing about Tana's current situation, but after helping her, she wants nothing more than to do the same for Tana.

Tana wanders into the bedroom she and Leon share. Since he had disappeared, she had spent the first nights on the couch before she'd packed up and gone to the Wild Area where her sleep had been a little less restless. The bed is far more comfortable than the air mattress, but at the same time the thought of sleeping there all alone makes her feel even lonelier. She would shake her head and head into the bathroom for a shower knowing she stunk after a week and a half of cold baths in the lake.

When her shower is finished, Tana returns to the bedroom to find something clean to sleep in when she spots Momo curled up on the bed. She isn't quite asleep, however. While Tana had been in the shower Nyx had filled Momo in on what happened and how lonely Tana had been with Leon gone.

As Tana changes into her usual sleep clothes, Momo gets up and pulls down the covers with her teeth and then sits back down, watching her as her tail sways back and forth.

"Ah, sorry Momo. It just doesn't feel right to be sleeping in here without him…I'm gonna sleep out in the living room with everyone else, okay? But you're welcome to sleep in the bed if that is where you are comfortable" Tana reassures gently.

She turns to walk back out into the living room, but notices Cor blocking her path. Not only that, but he has the blanket Tana had been using in the tent in his mouth.

"Cor" Tana sighs, her warning clear.

'If you want to cuddle with some of us the bed is better for it' Cor says, then walks past her, carrying the blanket over to the bed. He jumps up with Sylveon and drapes it over Tana's side of the bed, then jumps back down, going over to nudge Tana toward the bed with his head. Belle, Sophia, Viola, Nyx, Hestia and Naru trotting in and picking their places in the room. Ichigo and Hanabi taking up the dog beds in the living room for a change while Lily, Ayame, Hades, and Sakura slept in their balls.

Tana sighs, choosing not to argue with her Pokémon and walks over to sit on the bed. Once she's there, Cor would nudge his way into the closet. "What are you doing?" Tana asks with a small chuckle. However, when Cor came back out, tears immediately fill Tana's eyes.

Gratitude swamping her as she realizes what her growing flock is doing for her.

Cor returns to her side, carrying one of Leon's hoodies to give to her. He jumps up on the bed and drops the piece of clothing on her lap. It hadn't been washed since the last time Leon wore it, so the hellhound noticed his scent on it and thought it might help her sleep a little better if she had it with her in the bed. Tana wipes her tears and kisses the hellhound on the head to thank him, as words were escaping her for the moment.

Momo nudges her pillow, trying to get Tana to lay down. With a small smile, she did as Momo asks, holding the hoodie close to her chest. Momo curls up close behind her with Naru, while Belle pulls the blankets over their trainer. Once Tana is comfortable, Hestia turns the light off then climbs up into the bed, wiggling her way under the covers with Tana, then nuzzling her face. Belle, Cor, Viola and the pups taking up the floor around the bed while Naru would lay on Tana's feet.

None of her Pokémon were going to let Tana feel alone anymore. They want to do anything they can to make their beloved human happy and comfortable, and Tana knew that was their intention. She is so thankful beyond words for her special partners as she pulls the hoodie close to her face and drifts off to sleep.

A few days after Momo came home and Tana resettled back into the apartment Luna and Neville would come knocking at her door with Gladion Mohn and Elios Hatake in tow.

Gladion having gotten worried after Tana hadn't called back to let him know what had happened and learned about Eternatus from the news.

The quartet being let in by one of Tana's neighbours when they realized the ravenette was likely recording something and hadn't heard the front door buzzer go off.

Tana on her part had gotten into a writing mood and had been sucked into creating her latest piece at the encouragement of all her Pokémon who knew she was better at putting her feelings down first on paper than into vocal word. Just putting the finishing touches on the song that best described her feelings of late.

So Gladion knocking on what once was the guest bedroom now her studio door is what catches her attention, his head peeking in to see the light mess she'd made recording the instrumental for her song.

"Hey, the neighbour let us in" Gladion chuckles as Tana got up and hugs him tightly.

"It's so good to see you, I know Elios came with you obviously but who else came in?" Tana asks as he tugs her out into the living room to come face to face with Neville and Luna.

"Nev? Luna bell?" Tana breathes out in surprise, bursting into tears when Neville tugs her into a tight bear hug. Still taller than her even though he's eight years younger than her now.

"God damn why does everyone have to be so tall?!" Tana hiccups out as Luna hugs her from behind.

"Because someone has to be short, and all the short people have the nicest and loudest personalities" Elios chirps smugly as he cuddles into his boyfriend's side.

"Whoever told you that is a filthy liar" Tana sniffs as she pulls away to get a good look at her friends. Pleased to see that life on the road had done them both a lot of good since Neville had lost all his baby fat and shot up like a weed and Luna looked a little less spacey.

"We would have come sooner, but you made it hard to pin you down" Neville chuckles as Tana shrugs and would head into the kitchen to get tea and coffee.

"I needed sometime to get my head on straight and I got Momo out of it so I'm not going to apologize" Tana says as Luna giggles.

"We know and once you're ready you should head home to find what you've been missing" Luna says as Tana nods without hesitation to Elios' confusion while Gladion would ask Luna what she knew.

"Luna bell just knows things and she'll neither confirm nor deny it so don't ask unless you want her to give you a headache" Tana calls from the kitchen as Neville snickers and shrugs as Luna plops herself in his lap.

"So what happened after I left?" Tana asks as she places the tea tray down with a small pot of tea and three cups of coffee for herself, Gladion and Elios.

"Sirius Black, a cousin of ours and your father's best friend broke out of Azkaban. He didn't do anything wrong to get tossed in there, but everyone thought he'd killed 14 people so left him there for 13 years Earth time. He broke out when word got out you'd disappeared" Neville explains as Tana nods with a small frown. Momo hopping up into her lap to be pet and ease Tana's nerves.

"By that point we were just relieved you were free and making plans to try and track you down with the twins when Sirius came to us with Fawkes. The old bird wouldn't send us right away and most of us were okay with that but Sirius needed to be talked around to waiting since he looked like a good wind would knock him over and emotionally he was still 22 when physically he was 35" Neville sighs tiredly thinking about those first few arguments. Focusing back on the present with a squeeze from Luna.

"Anyways we used the time to start on mundane classes since Fawkes warned us things would be different here and the education from that side of things would fit better here than a Hogwarts education. Got out estates in order to come with us in the case of most of us. Sirius left most of his estate to your father's other friend Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks" Neville shrugs as Tana nods slowly.

"Yeah it took me a couple months after I finished the Galar Gym Challenge to get caught up with my friends but my parents here were patient and pushed me to excel" Tana shrugs as Luna nods cheerfully while Neville would hide his wince behind his tea cup. Sirius was not going to like hearing that on top of the fact that Tana wasn't 20 like everyone one thought she would be. 28 and in a steady relationship if the apartment they'd been let into anything to go by.

"Where are the twins?" Tana asks curiously as she bit into one of the cookies from the tea tray.

"They set up shop where we landed in Sinnoh. Fred found a girlfriend in the Snowpoint City Gym Leader, Candace. Fred mentioned that George is getting a little restless and might start wandering again" Luna giggles as Tana smiles in slight relief.

"So Sirius is travelling?" Tana asks as Luna nods a little sad.

"Mhm, looking for you under your old name, the boys didn't think you changed your name, but I knew better" Luna says as Tana nods slowly.

"New place, new name and new life" Tana says as she reaches out to pat Luna's knee at the wan smile the blonde is giving her.

"You looked happy on the pitch at the Opening Ceremony, but are you going to be working at Motostoke next season?" Neville asks as Tana leans back thoughtfully.

"Kabu and I were talking about it after things wound down in the season for us…my team were a little bored and Hammerlocke is the last gym in the circuit so the Challengers coming should be able to handle the level of battle my team are used to" Tana admits as Gladion changes the subject to his sister and how Lillie had come home recently from traveling. Putting Hau out of his misery to Tana's delight.

Raihan would let himself in around lunch time to find Tana had company, two of the four faces he recognized from her Obstagram account and the other two from the few stories Tana had shared about her life before Galar.

"Hey look who came out of her lair" Raihan chuckles as Tana gives him the middle finger, a cookie sticking out of her mouth as she made lunch. Neville and Luna looking through her photo albums to see what they'd missed over the 18 years Tana had been without them. 18 years of training, battling and enjoying her life in a way she wouldn't have been able to back on Earth.

"Keep teasing and I'll stop introducing you to my single friends" Tana warns lightly as Hestia passed her the noodles she needed for Pasta Curry.

"I'll behave" Raihan chuckles as he settles against the counter, quietly asking who Neville and Luna were as Gladion told them the story behind one of her Alola pictures.

"Neville and Luna are a couple friends from my boarding school days. They've been traveling and exploring for most of the Challenge season and the neighbours let them in after Gladion helped them find the building. I was in the studio finishing up when they got in" Tana admits as Raihan grins wryly.

"Kabu and I got your paperwork straightened out for the next season even if things are on hold for the moment" Raihan says as Tana nods gratefully. Missing the curious look she and Raihan are being given by Neville as they finished up making lunch in peaceful silence. How close together they are and how unbothered Tana is with Raihan in her space.

"She's really happy" Luna says contently, not looking up from the picture of a slightly beaten up Tana cuddling with her Alola friends in a hospital room. Tana sleeping curled up around Elios, the pair of them the most beat up looking of the five in the room.

It would be after lunch that Tana would step out to call her little brother, Hyde always honest and willing to help her out regardless of the situation.

"Hi Ana" Hyde says quietly as he answers his Rotom phone, his sister looking a lot better than she had when she'd called two days after Leon had disappeared. Less tired and wrung out and some of her inner fire coming back as she fixed her mental shields every morning.

"Hi Hyde, I know our old man won't say a word, but is Lee there with you?" Tana asks as Hyde pushes back from his desk to make sure their parents weren't listening before plugging in his headphones. Hiding the fact he was on the phone with his sister.

"Yeah he came straight here from Wyndon, been meditating on the beach most mornings and up on Challenge Road training with his team like mom says you did when you were little" Hyde reports as Tana nods her understanding.

"I'm glad he's safe…I'll finish up the week here before coming out with my friends since I know Gladion and Elios signed up for a little training with dad as part of their two month vacation. I also want mom and dad to meet a couple of my friends from before they adopted me" Tana explains as Hyde brightens up at the idea of Tana coming home.

"I won't say anything, I know mom misses you and dad has been a little worried about you after you last called him" Hyde promises as his Porygon-Z floats up into the screen view, buzzing a warning.

"Thanks I'll see you soon Hyde" Tana promises before Hyde quickly went back to what he had been doing, his Rotom hanging up for him.

A week later would find Tana, Raihan and her Alolan friends catching the train to the Isle, Momo out of her ball for the train ride to comfort her human, her anxiety obvious the closer they got to their destination.

Luna waving them off when Tana offered to get her and Neville passes to come visit with her and would drag her boyfriend off to continue exploring, not having really gone into the Wild Area yet and wanting to so she could draw and document everything she saw and learned.

"Ana!" Hyde calls excitedly in a rare show of energy as they get off the train platform, Tana bending down to catch him and lift him up off the ground.

"Missed you" Hyde sighs into her shoulder as Tana presses a kiss to his hair and hugs a little tighter.

"I missed you too. Have you been keeping mom and dad on their toes?" Tana asks as she puts her brother down.

"Mhm, been keep an eye on things for you and Static has been good to me too" Hyde nods as his Porygon-Z pops out of his pocket.

"Ah speaking of Static I have a new friend for you like I promised when I mentioned Belle had puppies" Tana grins as she passes over Sophia's ball to him. Relaxing at her brother's happy smile.

"Thank you…So Leon's not in the dojo right now if you want to drop your things off. He tends to meditate each morning by the ocean, right over in that direction" Hyde explains, pointing where he's referring to.

Raihan's gaze follows the boy's directions, then he turns his attention to his friend. "Alright Ana, you ready?" he asks her, but notices the look on her face. The insecurities that she'd been ignoring rearing their ugly head.

"Let me unload my stuff and get Gladion and Elios settled…I need a moment" Tana sighs, picking up her bag and ignoring the knowing look on Gladion and Raihan's faces.

"It's okay…How about I go get him and bring him back to you? Where will you be?" Raihan offers while patting her on the shoulder.

"Top of Challenge Road and there's no rush" Tana says quietly as she heads towards the Dojo. Her brother quick to take her hand as Gladion and Elios follow her. Gladion taking her bag and shooing her off to do her own thing once she'd walked them there.

"Go be where you said you're going to be and relax okay? Things will work out one way or another" Gladion points out as Tana smiles wryly and heads down the path and makes her way up to Challenge Road with Momo. The wild Pokémon happy to see her home as Momo explored and made noises of excitement at how pretty everything is.

The pair sticking out against the rocks as they climb the stairs, Tana's raven black hair and her white summer dress not helping at all next to Momo's pink coat.

Once Tana is out of sight Raihan quickly takes off toward the area Hyde pointed out. It didn't take long for him to find the former Champion as he is sitting alone on the beach in the dojo uniform and hair up in a ponytail.

As he approaches Leon though he feels his anger start to bubble up from inside of him.

"What the hell were you thinking? No calls? Texts? Nothing? You've had everyone worried sick about you, asshole!" Raihan shouts.

Leon's head whips around quickly, recognizing the voice that is shouting at him, slightly startled by his sudden appearance. "Raihan? Nice to see you too" he says with a light chuckle. He stands up and brushes the sand off of his clothes. "Listen…I know I should have said something, but I knew you guys would try to stop me from coming here and to be honest, I really needed it! Things were really starting to pile up, and…I needed some way to let go of all of that" he explains.

Raihan sighs, knowing this trip was probably really good for Leon. But that still didn't change the fact that Tana had to be the strong one and deal with the fall out of that decision at a time when she herself is still recovering from the aftermath of the Eternatus mess. "I get it, believe me, I do…but leaving Ana behind like that, not telling her where you were going. That was pretty messed up" the dragon tamer points out with a sigh.

Watching the smile slip off Leon's face at the mention of Tana.

Tana…She probably hates him, doesn't she? He couldn't get that sad look in her eyes out of his head since the moment he left. It's left him with a heavy sense of guilt that he can't get rid of. He misses her so incredibly much and he can't wait to return home to her, feeling refreshed and good as new. "How is she doing?" he asks.

"Better than she has been. She's been a wreck barely holding herself together, dude. She had no idea if you were lost or hurt somewhere. She's worried that you might not love her anymore. She spent nearly two weeks out in the Wild Area with no way to contact her and barely caring for herself" Raihan sighs, unsure if he should bring the next part up, but figures Leon needed to know. "She's had nightmares about Eternatus and Aether even though she's hidden that fact well from most of us. This has all been really hard for her" he admits.

Hearing all of this really made his heart hurt. The last thing Leon ever wanted to do was cause her pain. "I really messed up…Please, when you make it back, tell her that I'll be coming home soon and that I do love her…very, very much."

Raihan just shrugs. "Tell her yourself. She's up on Challenge Road" he admits.

Leon grabs Raihan by the shoulders. "She's here right now? Why didn't you just say so?!" Quickly, he gathers all of his things and shoves them in his bag. "Let's go! Right now!" he exclaims.

"I'll catch up. You go ahead" Raihan waves off.

Up on Challenge Road Tana would settle to sit at their favorite spot in the area and begin quietly singing her latest piece to Momo and Nyx. The Dusk Lycanroc humming with her as Tana let herself cry a little at the long month she'd been having and the near sleepless nights of Aether and Eternatus taking up her dreams.

"Boy, you make it sound so pretty even when it's not

Didn't choose, but it's the only one we've got

And sometimes, I get so tired of getting tied up in my thoughts

You're the only one that ever makes it stop

God, it hurts to be human

Without you, I'd be losing

And someday, we'll face the music

God, it hurts to be human

But I've got you, you, you, you, you, hey

And you've got me, me, me, me, too

Like we're buckled and preparing for the crash

Like we're walking down a road of broken glass

Now if we defeat all odds and it was us against the world

You can count on me; you know I'd have your back

God, it hurts to be human

Without you, I'd be losing

And someday, we'll face the music

God, it hurts to be human

But I've got you, you, you, you, you, hey

And you've got me, me, me, me, too

But I've got you, you, you, you, you, hey

And you've got me, me, me, me, too

Hope floats away

If you could spend a day in my shoes

Your mind would change

If you knew what I've gone through

We want the same (Yeah, we do)

Maybe then you'd understand

How it hurts to be human, oh

God, it hurts to be human

Without you (Without you)

I'd be losing (Yeah, yeah, yeah)

And someday, we'll face the music (Yeah)

God, it hurts (Yeah) to be human

But I've got you, you, you, you, you, hey

And you've got me, me, me, me, too

But I've got you, you, you, you, you, hey

And you've got me, me, me, me, too

Oh God, it hurts to be human"

Unaware that Leon had managed to make his way up the stairs and could hear her singing her feelings across the cliff face and towards the ocean below. Realized in that moment how much hurt he'd truly caused by leaving her the way he had.

Tana's back being to him, she doesn't see that he is there. He takes a deep breath and runs the rest of the way to her, stopping right behind her as she brings her shawl sleeves up to wipe her eyes.

"You have absolutely every right to be mad at me right now. I wouldn't blame you if you hated me and never wanted to see me again…I made a huge mistake, but if you will let me, I'll do anything I can to make it up to you" Leon says and looks down to see her hand clenching the bottom of her dress, tightly. He feels horrible for putting her in this position, but he continues, hoping he could explain himself. "I should have opened up and talked to you more about what I was going through, but I was worried that I'd be burdening you with all of my stress. I had a lot going through my head and it made me feel like I was going to burst. So I came here, the one place I knew I could go to get away from all of that and just let go of all the negative things that were bringing me down."

Still standing behind her, he sighs and sits, reaching out to gently take her hands in both of his, pulling it away from its grip on her clothing. Trembling, like she wants to cry, but from where he's sitting he still couldn't see her face. It is already bringing tears to his own eyes. "Raihan told me everything…I am so sorry for worrying you and even more for hurting you" he apologizes as Tana exhales shakily.

Finally Leon falls silent, opening it up to give Tana a chance to speak.

Tana tilts her head back and counts to ten, willing herself not to cry. "You're right, I do have the right to be mad" she begins, her voice shaky. "But I'm not mad…I'm tired and sad okay? We've always told each other everything, no matter what…But you chose when you were hurting the most to shut me out after you were the one to teach me the exact opposite growing up" she hiccups, the fight not to cry lost as she voices her feelings. Feeling as he nods, listening to everything she has to say while still never letting go of her hands. "When you said you needed time alone I understood. You gave me that same time and I knew even then that you needed it after all the bullshit we'd been through that week. I just wish you could have talked to me about it before you left. I had no idea if you were safe, or where you were going…I couldn't reach you on your phone either. But do you know the worst part?" she asks.

Leon squeezes her hands to let her know he is still listening, and finally…she turns to face him. Her eyes are red rimmed, green eyes tired, and he could tell she had been crying for quite some time, even if she'd hidden most of it from Rai and the others that much is obvious.

That she'd had many sleepless night, breaking his heart seeing the usual fire in her eyes gone…

"You never even said goodbye" Tana finishes, breaking down into more tears as she says this, choking on a small sob, the tears rolling down her cheeks uncontrollably.

Leon didn't know what to say. So he does the only thing that felt right in that moment. He pulls her into his lap and hugs her as tightly as he could.

Tana doesn't hesitate once she's in his lap. She pulls her arms up to wrap around him tightly and she just sobs…All of her fears, all of her worries…they were all gone. He is here and she knew he wouldn't ever disappear again. She isn't the only one crying, either. Leon buries his face into her hair and sobs with her. It was incredibly hard not too.

As Leon calms his emotions, he plants multiple kisses on the top of her head. "I love you so much, Tana…No matter what happens, that will always be the truth. I wish I could change the way I handled everything that made you feel like you had to question that. But I promise, I'll never leave you in the dark like that ever again. I promise to never let go again" he promises as Tana hiccups a small laughing sob and burrows into his chest.

Of course he'd managed to find his way up here to hear her song for them.

Deep down, Tana had always known this to be true, but hearing from him directly how he feels about her is exactly what she needed to hear. She finally looks up at his face, knowing by the look in his eyes that his words were genuine.

However, Tana also notices that they seem to be searching for an answer from her, and Leon's next words confirm his own insecurities.

"If I'm being honest, part of why I didn't explain myself before I left was because I was scared." Still silent, Tana continues to look at him with questioning eyes. She never thought she would ever hear him say those words out loud. "You see…after losing against Gloria, and losing my title as Champion…I wondered if the people in my life would still look at me the same way…Would Hop still look up to me the way he always has? Would Raihan still consider me a strong rival? Would Galar still think of me as the hero they always have, even though I couldn't stop Eternatus?" he voices his fears aloud as Tana remains quiet.

Leon pauses for a moment, closing his eyes as he sighs. "And would you still love me even with all of the times I've failed recently…with me no longer being the Champion you were so proud of? Those were the questions that kept running through my head after I lost. And if there was any possibility that any of those things were no longer true, I didn't want to know…So before I could find out, I ran" he admits quietly.

"Lee" Tana sighs sadly as he says this. It's all starting to make sense now.

"I know" Leon continues. "It was crazy for me to think so drastically. You were so supportive after I lost and yet I still wanted to believe that I was losing not just my title, but everything important to me. So I needed to distract myself from those thoughts" he finishes as Tana smiles sadly.

Lifting herself up a little in his lap, Tana kisses his lips, softly. "You're never going to lose me…You were my best and first friend before even becoming Champion. I loved you long before you ever earned that title and I still love you after you've lost it. You're so precious to me and I would never even think about leaving you over something as flimsy as a title. Those come and go all the time. I love you for who you are, Leon. Not for the things you've accomplished" Tana says gently, green eyes fond and so full of affection purely for him.

Leon's face grew red as Tana spoke her truth, tears threatening to escape his eyes again.

Just as Tana knew deep down that Leon's feelings wouldn't change for her, Leon realizes he should have known the same about her.

The two of them had a very special bond that could never be broken so easily.

As Leon struggles to find the right words to respond, Tana wraps her arms around his neck to hug him close to her.

"Please come home, I've really missed you" Tana pleads quietly into his ear.

Leon holds her close, his heart warmed by her words. "I'm sorry, Ana, but…I can't do that." His response, however, causes Tana to pull away and look at him in surprise. He immediately realizes how that answer must have sounded and he quickly pulls her back in. "Wait, what I mean is I still have unfinished business here on the Isle and can't go back just yet" he explains quickly as Tana huffs out a laugh.

"Well you're lucky I came out here to give Sophia over to Hyde and brought some things for a long stay…mind you I'll need to wire some money over for a couple Armor passes" Tana sighs as Leon laughs in relief.

"I've missed you a lot too, and there's no way I want to be away from you any longer" Leon smiles as Tana tucks her head under his chin.

"You're lucky my dad sends me a uniform every time I grow out of the old one. I'll try not to be too distracting" Tana grumbles, silently glad Leon had come back here to their roots.

Still a little miffed with Mustard though that he'd tried to hide Lee from her.

"I'd be more distracted by missing you than I would be knowing I'd get to see you after my training is finished each day" Leon says, kissing the top of her head.

"Okay, you lovebirds is everyone feeling better now?" Raihan's voice calls out as he approaches them.

Tana would grumble and try to get free at the sound of Raihan's voice. She had been so caught up in the moment that she almost forgot they weren't completely alone. She keeps a hold one of Leon's hands as they get up to face Raihan. "A lot better…Thank you for coming here with me" she says, looking up at Leon's face and smiles before continuing. "Lee wants to stay here just a little longer, so sorry, but we aren't going to be heading back with you. I hope that's okay" she laughs.

Raihan gives them a smirk. "It's fine. I'm sure you two have quite a bit to catch up on. Besides, I don't think I'll be alone for long, not with the number your friends gave me!" he says while flashing a wink at Tana. Her jaw dropping in surprise at the cheek of Luna and then turning thoughtful knowing George likely would get along really well with Raihan. A little too well for her comfort.

"Hm? You brought friends with you?" Leon asks, completely oblivious.

"Gladion and Elios are here through their own passes for their vacation…He's talking about Luna and Neville who came by a little over two weeks after you left. They're the ones who will need the Armor Passes" Tana explains tiredly.

Leon makes a noise of understanding as Raihan spoke up again. "Anyway, I'm really happy to see the two of you together again…"

In response, Leon leans over to kiss Tana's head. "We're happy too…And don't worry, this isn't going to happen ever again" he reassures.

"It better not!" Raihan scolds, but then sighs. He couldn't be too mad. Things ended up just fine. "I'm gonna head out and give you two some time alone. Let me know when you get back to Wyndon!" he says before heading back down the stairs and towards the train station.

Leon would greet Gladion and Elios excitedly when they returned to the dojo holding hands. Tana slipping away to scold her dad and hug her mom.

Apologizing for not actually checking in before wandering off.

"No worries sweetheart, we're just glad you're both alright now" Honey reassures as her oldest hugs her tightly in quiet agreement.

"I'll need to spend a little more time on my shields but otherwise I'm better…My friends from before came by the apartment though with some information and I expect the rest will be trickling in once Luna bell tells them where I am" Tana sighs tiredly as Honey frowns in concern.

"Is that good or bad?" Honey asks in concern as Tana shrugs, following her into the kitchen to talk. Leon quick to join them at Gladion's prodding. The blonde teen knowing that the two were discussing the bomb Luna had dropped while they were in Wyndon.

"It'll be good to see the twins, but someone I haven't met yet came with them…He was my father's best friend at school and we're distant cousins on top of it, but he was the one my blood family named as my guardian in case something happened to them" Tana explains as Honey puts a glass of lemonade in front of her daughter.

"And where was he those eleven years you were stuck with those horrible people" Honey asks sweetly as Tana smiles slightly at how angry her mom is on her behalf.

"Apparently in jail for something he didn't do and my parents deaths. He only broke out once word got out that I had disappeared under the teachers care, a few months after the fact. Fawkes helped him and my friends come here nearly three years ago now. To put it in perspective if I had stayed in the other dimension I would be 20 instead of 28 and he'll expect a 20 year old if he's not warned" Tana sighs as Honey frowns in concern while Leon just holds and squeezes her hand.

"What I'm worried about are his expectations. He grew up with my father and got to know my mother through him for the 6 years my blood parents were together and married…he likely expects a clone of James with my mother's coloring or a mini Lily. With what little I know about them I'm neither of them and I've got no patience to want to meet or deal with those kind of expectations" Tana grumbles as Honey nods.

"Well the man will have to suck it up and deal with it. You're old enough that you don't NEED him in your life and can get by without him" Honey says bluntly as Tana nearly chokes on her drink laughing as Leon chuckles in agreement with Honey's words.

"So where have your friends been?" Leon asks as Tana would smile at the subject change and chatter on about what Luna and Neville had told her in the week they'd stayed in Wyndon.

Gladion and Elios having taken up the guest futon in the living room since Tana had known they were coming to Galar but forgotten with everything that had happened. Her happiness for her friends obvious as she pulled up their League profiles for them both to look at, Leon whistling a little impressed by Luna's tactics and the two Mega Evolutions she had at her disposal.

"We should stop off at the Tundra before we return to Wyndon" Leon points out gently later that night, both of them curled up on Tana's bed in her old room in the dojo's small second floor. Mustard and Honey having converted the second floor bunks into the three bedrooms that made up their home while setting up a small bunkhouse above the storehouse for Mustard's students.

"I packed the ashes in case we had the time…it'll be weird going back since I haven't gone since I left on Ichigo" Tana admits as Leon chuckles knowing they both would need to dig out their winter clothes from the bottom of their trainer bags.

"We'll manage and I've never been, so it'll be one small adventure before we head back to get things straightened out" Leon reassures as Tana nods and burrows into his sleep shirt without another word.

They would spend one more week at the dojo training with everyone before making their way to the Tundra with Gladion and Elios in tow, the pair having paid for both passes as part of their vacation pack. Wanting the whole Galar experience and would be in for a bit of a weather shock when they got off the train and stepped out onto Slippery Slope.

"How did you manage this in a skirt Ana?!" Gladion chatters out as Tana leads the way down the slope, hand in hand with her boyfriend while Elios would look around in awe. Not having seen this much snow since leaving Kanto.

Mount Lanakila being the sole exception and even then it wasn't this cold.

"I'm used to it? Hogwarts was a stone castle with no electric or gas heating and the weather around the castle in winter was just as cold as this, so it wasn't too much of a shock. That and I woke up on the warmer side of the Crown Tundra in the summer" Tana admits as she lets Ichigo out of his ball. He knew the way better than she did.

'We came home?' Ichigo shrieks in quiet surprise as he took a couple hesitant steps forward. Leon frowning in concern.

"Is he okay?" Leon asks as Tana nods, reaching up with her free hand to soothe her friend's ruffled feathers.

"Yeah he's fine, just a little surprised we're here" Tana chuckles as Ichigo would lead the way on fast feet to Ballimere Lake. Jumping the gap the river that separated the Old Cemetery from Ballimere Lake and Dyna Tree Hill. Ayame carrying them all across two at a time.

"Thanks Aya" Tana says gratefully as the Milotic coos and would return to her ball while Ichigo would pace a little bit impatiently.

"He's really eager" Elios notes as Tana grins fondly.

"Yeah well he knows where the warren is, and Dyna Tree Hill is where we met. I wouldn't be surprised if we find his sister and the other two birds there fighting over the Dyna berries considering the time of the year" Tana admits as the tree comes into sight, the large berries in season.

"That is one big tree" Gladion whistles impressed and like Tana had admitted the three Galarian birds were jockeying for who got to eat from the tree first.

"You were tiny back then and you got in the middle of that?" Leon asks as Tana shrugs with a small smile on her face.

"I was scared shitless, but Ichigo came to my rescue from the get go when Moltres rushed me" Tana admits as Leon squeezes her hand and swallows as they climb the hill.

Ichigo already there and talking with a smaller Galarian Zapdos.

"That's his sister, he hasn't seen her since their parents left for their territories in the deeper wilds of Galar. We left before Moltres returned with her since the Tundra needs all three to keep the balance like they do in the Whirl Islands in Johto" Tana says as Articuno and Moltres land to greet their friend.

"It's been some time since you were last here"Articuno notes as she approaches the humans, using her psychic power to communicate with them all. Having learned the trick in the 18 years since Ichigo had left with his human.

"We came to put a friend to rest, and the Tundra was her home as much as it is Ichigo's" Tana explains as Articuno nods and floats over to Moltres and Ichigo's sister to call a truce so Ichigo's human could do what they came to do.

"She's really strong to be able to do that" Leon whispers in awe as Tana nods and would gently dig out the container of ashes she'd kept safe in her bag.

"Yeah, she was the only one not to outright attack me when I accidently interrupted their fighting. All three of them were fairly young and smaller at the time but still huge in comparison to me…Ichigo and Hinata kept me safe that first night here, Hinata having climbed out of her burrow to see what had happened and kept me safe while Ichigo scavenged for things he thought I would need" Tana says fondly as Gladion asks if her travel bag had been one of the things Ichigo had found.

"Oh yeah, someone had thrown it away at the small island campsite in the middle of the lake so Ichigo took it since it was still usable. It's survived 18 years of traveling and misadventures even if everyone thought it was ratty looking" Tana cackles as she pulls the lid off the container and starts to quietly spread Hinata's ashes. Ichigo coming back to her side when he noticed what she was doing.

Gently pressing into her side as Tana's eyes brighten with unshed tears as she takes a moment to truly grieve and say good bye. Both of them missing the strong and steady presence Hinata had given them both over the years.

"The burrow is gone" Tana notes with a small sniff as Ichigo nods with a sad chirp. Without Hinata to protect the burrow the warren had moved on to a safer spot and likely rebuilt.

"Yes the warren moved deeper into the wilds to avoid the foot traffic coming through after the humans discovered the Dynamax cave" Articuno reports as Tana nods her understanding as she finished throwing out Hinata's ashes.

"Dynamax cave?" Leon asks as Tana remembers the light set up they'd seen heading down the slope and out through Freezington.

"She's talking about the Max Lair. The labyrinth with all those Power Spots in it" Tana says as Gladion and Elios nod knowing they were going to give the Lair at least a couple tries while they explored the Wild Area's of the Tundra. Though with how cold it is they weren't likely to stay as long as they originally planned.

Leon and Tana would return to Wyndon a few days later, Gladion and Elios heading off to explore the region on their own with the promise to come back to Wyndon to sleep when they weren't camping to save on money. Tana pointing out she'd stayed at their homes when they weren't camping in Alola.

Two weeks going by as Leon cleans up the mess Rose had left behind and dealing with the paperwork to change Rose Tower into the Battle Tower as they discussed on the train ride home from the Crown Tundra. Tana running around with Piers, Hop and Gloria (Having joined up with the trio once they stopped in Hammerlocke to find Raihan and Tana had things well in hand) as they dealt with Shielbert and Sordward's scheme to claim their supposed birthright with the capture of Zamazenta and Zacian.

That plan failing at the hands of Gloria, Hop, Piers, Sonia, and Tana.

Tana and Sonia watching on as the last battle between Hop and Gloria gives Hop the final push towards finally finding what he wants to do with himself at the encouragement of Zamazenta.

"You sure this is okay?" Sonia whispers to Tana as her friend leaned against Ichigo watching as Hop challenged Gloria, pointing out it had all started in the Weald so they should finish in the Weald.

"It'll be fine, Hop's not giving up being a trainer and they can still train together but he's recognized being Champion isn't what he's wanted. He wanted to be equal to Gloria and Lee, his journey and Zamazenta's acceptance of him as his human has helped him finally settle into his own skin" Tana admits with a fond smile as Sonia nods, sharing a smile of understanding as they watched the two teens battle it out one last time, the wolves of legend being bit against the other as the last Pokémon each, their conversation having pulled them away from the results of the other match ups.

Tana watching as Zamazenta falls beneath Zacian's Sacred Sword attack as Ichigo shifts next to her.

"That's our greatest Champion for you, you really are strong Gloria!" Hop smiles as Gloria flushes and stammers only to stop as Hop spoke up once more. "But getting beat this time felt a bit different. I may have lost, but I feel great!" he admits as Tana approaches with the healing items and passes them over. Smiling widely at the pair at Hop's next words.

"You know what Gloria? I think I've found a dream of my own. I want to be someone who can help out Pokémon that're in trouble, wherever they are, I think I want to become a Pokémon Professor. I started thinking I might when we were going around to all the stadiums to help the Pokémon that were running out of control with Piers and Tana" Hop admits as Tana heals his Pokémon.

"That's great Hop" Gloria smiles softly, relief clear in her brown eyes. She'd been worried about Hop and tried her best to be what Tana was to Leon for Hop. Having realized on their journey her feelings for her best friend and had feared her many wins against him had soured it until recently.

"I know I don't know enough about Pokémon yet, and I've got no experience for this sort of thing, but I'm gonna study and learn a whole lot! And someday I'll become the sort of professor that you, Tana, and Sonia…well that sort you would be proud to know!" Hop explains as he accepts his Pokémon back from Tana. Smiling widely at Gloria as the brunette tears with a smile of her own.

"I'm gonna take a different path than you, Tana and Lee are taking Gloria, but I'll still always think of you as my true rival and best friend" Hop finishes as Tana steps back and gently nudges Gloria forward.

"There's nothing I'd like better as more than friends" Gloria laughs and throws herself at her oblivious best friend. Hugging him tightly as Hop hugs back, cheeks pink and eyes wide with surprise as Tana looks pointedly at him then at Gloria with her knowing green eyes.

"Ahh! No fair, you two are so young and cute! I'm tearing up" Sonia sniffs as Gloria pulls back to smile shyly up at Hop. Hop not letting the brunette step away completely as they look at Tana and Sonia.

"Sonia! Getting a bit weepy in your old age, eh?" Hop teases as Tana snorts out a laugh and leans into Ichigo to hide her cackling.

"What?! I'm still young and super energetic and stop laughing Tana!" Sonia growls in outrage as Gloria hides her own laughter into Hop's shoulder.

"You are so easily riled up Sonia" Tana giggles helplessly as Sonia calmed down slightly.

"Say Hop, fancy becoming my assistant at the lab?" Sonia asks, throwing Hop off as Gloria passes her Pokémon over for Tana to heal, both knowing Sonia is serious about the offer.

"What?!" Hop asks in surprise.

"I've got all the books and data on Pokémon you could ever want. Since you want to be a professor someday, I'll oversee your studies" Sonia explains patiently.

"Then I definitely want to! Only you sure I can really be any help to you?" Hop asks unsurely as Tana huffs a laugh while Gloria pinches his arm in reprimand. Hop was super smart and could do anything he put his mind too.

"Of course! Mind you, it'll be a lot of work. Work's really been piling up since I lost my first assistant" Sonia reassures without shame.

"Wait! So what you really mean is you're offering me the position to help yourself out? Ah fine I'll still do a bang-up job" Hop sighs, smiling slightly.

"You'll have my back too right Glo?" Hop turns to Gloria who nods with a bright smile.

"Of course" Gloria chirps as they exchange their rare league cards, all but Tana startling as clapping starts behind them. Leon and Piers having texted her that the brothers wanted to truly apologize.

"Well, well, well now! That certainly was a splendid battle and a refreshing back and forth, eh wot" Sordward says cheerfully.

"Well, well, well now…that really touched my heart" Shielbert agrees as Tana pets an uneasy Ichigo who was eyeing the princes with wary gold eyes.

"Huh?! Sordward and Shielbert…with Piers and even Lee?!" Hop asks in surprise as Tana nods stepping down to hug her boyfriend.

"What're you lot doing here?" Sonia asks bluntly.

"No need for the noisemakery, young lady" Sordward waves off.

"We have come to meet with the Lady Gloria" Shielbert says.

"They didn't get the chance to properly apologize yet" Piers admits.

"And I'm here to keep an eye on them. They did technically descend from the original kings of Galar after all. Seems you lot have been up to all sorts of things while I was stuck in Rose Tower trying to take care of the mess the chairman left behind" Leon admits with a smile.

"You've no idea! Those two were forcing Pokémon to Dynamax all over the place" Hop explains, gesturing wildly as Leon let Tana tuck herself into his side, truly tired from all the running around she'd been doing with the group.

"And for that, we are really, truly sorry. Look at our sorriness" Sordward says as his little brother speaks up.

"We thought only of ourselves and brought harm to innocent Pokémon. We have truly caused a large amount of trouble" Shielbert admits freely, voice small and truly revealing how sorry they were.

"Lady Gloria, you helped us even though we did those awful things…" Sordward points out as Gloria nods.

"You are so worthy of the throne, you could say it's a Dynamax-sized amount of worthiness" Shielbert admits as Gloria's eyes go big and looks to Sonia for help, not wanting that level of responsibility.

"I already told you two…Zacian and Zamazenta are the real royalty" Sonia says in exasperation.

"Incorrect! We have abdicated the title to her. There are no other rulers but Gloria" Sordward says sternly as Gloria sways slightly at the implications. Hop catching her by the elbow.

"Hmm. Now that I look closely you absolutely do have the air of a celebrity" Shielbert muses as Gloria squeaks.

"I think you've grown on them Glo" Hop says slowly as the two princes bow and dash off to continue their tour of apologies. Piers right after them complaining for them not to run off without him.

"Hop" Leon says, catching Hop's attention away from Gloria, gold meeting gold.

"Er, what?" Hop asks curiously.

"Just so you know, I saw your Pokémon battle against Gloria. You sure have gotten strong. You were so good, I nearly sent out Charizard without thinking, wanting to join in on the fun" Leon admits with a bright laugh as Tana grins fondly at Hop.

"It seem like you've found your own path to walk in life, Hop. As your older brother…no as your rival, you have my full support" Leon says with pride.

"I, I do?" Hop asks in quiet surprise.

"Of course" Leon says before striking his infamous pose to the amusement of Tana.

"We'll see you two later" Tana says before following after her partner to make sure he didn't get lost. Quick to grab his hand and lead the way out of the Weald.

"You know the Weald feels less heavy…I guess it was the wolves I was feeling" Tana muses as Leon makes a curious noise.

"Yeah whenever we were in here or got too close there was this heavy presence warning me off…I guess they were waiting for the right partners to come forward. Your little brother and Gloria were the right fit like I was the right fit for Ichigo" Tana explains herself as Leon nods and asks whether they wanted to head back to Wyndon or spend the night in Postwick.

"Wyndon, I promised Rai a training session outside the Hammerlocke entrance before the camp out we had planned with Gladion and Elios since they should be getting close to that entrance after two weeks of exploring the Wild Area" Tana says as Leon nods and tucks his girlfriend into his side, eager to be able to do the simple things again. Having missed being able to camp out and see his friends whenever he wanted.

"Lets head home then so we can pack" Leon says cheerfully as they let their Charizards out to race back to the apartment they called home.

Both unaware that during all of the commotion caused by Sordward and Shielbert's scheme Luna and Neville would pick up the twins from the airport and get them settled into a hotel before making plans to meet up with Tana.

Messaging with Raihan to get an idea of Tana's schedule and where she would be for the next little while.

Luna and the boys finding them in the Wild Area outside Hammerlocke in a training session when the small group approached. Gladion and Elios having joined Raihan and Tana around lunch time as they were exploring the areas around the Hammerlocke Entrance though had avoided going into the Dusty Bowl at the recommendation of Raihan and Tana both.

The battle just winding down when Fred and George scoop Tana off her feet in a hug she quickly returns once she realizes whose picked her up. Realizing for the first time since Luna and Neville had come to the apartment in Wyndon she had really missed her friends and that she was sad they'd missed a good chunk of her life.

Missed all the highs and lows she knows they had wanted to be apart of as it hits the twins that she's older than them now.

"You got old Mischief" Fred laughs wetly as Tana squawks in offense while George would laugh at her outrage.

"What? it's true sister dearest. You're older than us when last we saw you we were your big brothers" George points out as Tana shrugs, hugging him tightly in quiet admittance she understood what he wouldn't say in front of Gladion, Elios or Raihan.

"You still are, time just moves differently between dimensions and I had a little help in healing some of what happened before and during Hogwarts" Tana reassures quietly as she leans back to smile and looks to Raihan, Gladion and Elios.

"Now let me introduce you to my best friend and co-gym leader Raihan, my little brother Gladion Mohn and his boyfriend Elios Hatake" Tana says as Gladion smiles shyly at his title while Elios would smile brightly and bounce forward to introduce himself.

Raihan taking in the twins and seeing how relieved they were to see Tana healthy and happy.

Shaking hands with Fred and George as Fred asks how co-leading worked. Taking everyone's minds off the obvious losses that were being felt and moving forward by wanting to hear about Tana's life in Galar.

"Hammerlocke is traditionally the dragon type gym but Rai is a weather specialist as well so we alternate between challengers to keep them on their toes. I dual specialized during our Gym challenge and the typing stuck though I deviated with partners like Ichigo, Belle, Ayame, Naru, Nyx and Momo to balance out the typing conflicts" Tana explains happily as she and Raihan set up for dinner. Leon due to meet them at some point for the camp out that had been planned.

Fred and George keeping the conversation going by asking about Tana's travels, watching her light up as she talked about the good and turned sheepish about some of her misadventures though she did avoid talking about Aether for hers and Gladion's benefit since Lusamine was a sore subject for them both.

This would be how Leon found them as Tana worked on the curry she and Raihan had pulled together. Making sure the twins didn't get involved since a lot of their pranks involved food.

"Smells good Ana!" Leon says cheerfully as Tana grins in amusement and lets Leon curl around her to peek at the pot, George and Raihan a little further out finishing up their battle. George's Empoleon coming out triumphant against Raihan's Flygon if Raihan's groan is anything to go by.

"You're just in time Lee. The twin that just beat Rai is George and Fred is the one sitting with Gladion and Elios pumping them for embarrassing stories from my time in Alola. Luna and Neville biked down to Giant's Mirror to take pictures since the weather is clear" Tana explains as Leon nods and stay curled around her till Fred and George noted his presence and asked Tana if she had anything she'd like to share with them.

"Mhm I know Luna ratted me out so don't play dumb Fred and George. This is my boyfriend and partner Leon Yates. Lee this is Fred and George Weasley, my adoptive older brothers from before I came to Galar" Tana introduces as Leon smiles easily at the pair while the twins take in how comfortable their sister is with the taller male. Remembering keenly how uneasy she had been being touched by strangers and how they had to broadcast their actions when they gave her hugs or ruffled her hair.

"It's good to meet you, Ana has said a lot about you and her friends" Leon says cheerfully offering a hand, George taking it readily enough. More than able to see that much like her dad before her Tana had settled on Leon from the start.

"Hopefully all good though word of warning it's not us you have to worry about the shovel talk" George chuckles sheepishly as Tana grumbles slightly while Raihan grins widely. He'd been the one to pull Leon aside and give the shovel talk on Tana's behalf as the sibling like friend since Mustard and Honey never left the Isle of Armor.

"When is Sirius supposed to show up?" Tana asks as Luna and Neville come back up the hill. Neville answering the question.

"He got a ticket for next month so he'll be here around the opening ceremony for the next Gym Challenge season. George, Luna, and I are going to give it a go since Magnolia gave us letters after she had a chat with Professor Rowan" Neville explains as Raihan and Tana perk up.

"What about you?" Leon asks Fred who grins in amusement.

"I'm going to head back to Sinnoh to man our shop and my partner since we took time off from our shop to come out and see you. Might convince Candace to come out and see the Tundra next year for our anniversary since she's the Ice Type Gym Leader of Sinnoh" Fred explains as Tana nods.

"She'd enjoy it, you just have to wear an extra layer compared to Snowpoint since its colder than the city in some places on the Tundra…Lee did I include that warning when we gave Hop and Gloria the passes?" Tana asks as Leon nods, pressing an amused kiss to her hair.

"Yes you did and Hop sent pictures of the gear they picked up in Circhester. I don't know when they'll check it out though since the Gym Challenge season starts in a month" Leon admits as Tana shrugs.

"Knowing Hop he'll head out at the end of this season since he won't go without Gloria" Tana says as Leon chuckles and asks when that happened.

"Hop had the epiphany in the Weald just before you, Piers and the princes showed up. Though Gloria hit him in the face with it so to speak. She had been hinting at it all through their gym challenge if her messages to complain to me were anything to go by" Tana laughs as she serves up the food. The curry more than ready, the twins eager to dig into her food for the first time since that summer before second year.

"You still performing for the opening ceremony with Piers?" Raihan asks as Tana swallows her bite of curry with a nod.

"Yeah, we'd signed up for it when Rose was still in charge and now that Piers has more time since stepping down at Spikemuth we're eager to show what we've been working on. The center piece of that album we were going to release at the end of the season for Hop and Marnie's Gym Challenge season" Tana explains, her whole face lighting up as she discussed her hobby and giggling when she wouldn't reveal what the center piece would be to Raihan when asked.

"You're being just as secretive as you were when you released the center piece for Memories" Raihan sighs as Leon shook with amusement. Having heard snippets at this point of 'Legends Never Die'. It would be a good opening piece for this years season with a new Champion and new Gym Leaders.

"You'll get to hear it with everyone else, Piers and I are releasing the whole album after the opening ceremony and the last whole album we're going to release for awhile as we settle into our new roles" Tana admits as she cuddles into Leon's side.

"Oh?" Fred asks curiously as Tana grins in mischief.

"Mhm Piers doesn't know it yet but Gordie has been looking at rings recently" Tana admits as Leon and Raihan look at her in surprise before Leon snorts out a laugh.

"Gordie plans on proposing?!" Raihan asks as Tana nods.

"Yup, he's been messaging me with pictures and asking for my opinion since I'm Piers' best friend…things are still rough with his mom obviously but they've been together since Gordie's Gym Challenge season" Tana points out as Leon nods and Raihan leans back trying to remember when Gordie did the Gym Challenge.

"Gordie was two years after us Rai. He did fairly well for himself with his Rock Types. Reached the second round of the Finals before Bea's predecessor knocked him out" Leon reminds as Raihan makes a noise of understanding.

"The only reason he wasn't in our run is because he wouldn't do the challenge the way his mom wanted him too. Kabu gave Gordie his letter of recommendation once it became clear Gordie wouldn't back down on his specialization" Tana admits as Leon and Raihan nod their understanding.

The ongoing battle of wills between Melony and Gordie was very well known and most of the League stayed out of it until they forced the pair to compromise and split the gym like Bea and Allister had done in Stow In Side.

"Whose turn is it for this season?" Lee asks curiously as Tana burrows into his side tiredly.

"It's Allister and Melony this season since it was Bea and Gordie last season" Raihan admits as he gets up to start cleaning up. Leon pulling Tana into his lap to be a little more comfortable as she dozed off.

"We missed a lot" Fred sighs as he watched Tana snooze, finally relaxed in a way that told him that she'd been high strung and anxious about their reactions to the age difference and the life she'd built for herself in the time apart.

"What should we expect from Sirius" Raihan asks, tone and overall demeanor serious. No longer relaxed and smiling like he had been since Luna and Neville had brought the twins to the campsite.

"He's going to be clingy and high strung about the obvious age gap…he's received help but he tends to revert back to what he was like after he escaped prison when faced with surprises" Neville explains as Luna sighs and gives all three boys a look.

"He's going to expect her to be a 20 year old clone of James since she looks like a female version of the man with Lily's eyes. We all know that's not true but you have to understand that like the rest of the Black's, Sirius isn't as mentally stable as the rest of us. He's better than most of his relatives but he has his moments where you question his decision making process. Let's the Nargels influence him more often than not" Luna explains patiently as the twins nod.

"Luna isn't wrong about Sirius and he isn't going to be happy when he shows up, but we're all happy Tana grew into herself and made a life for herself. She wouldn't have had that chance back on Earth so be prepared to be harassed a little and close ranks if Sirius doesn't accept Tana's choices" George says seriously as Fred nods.

"Is he that bad?" Leon asks warily knowing Tana would not handle or cope well dealing with someone expecting her to be something she wasn't.

"He'll calm down but it'll obviously take time. Just be prepared to deal with an overgrown man child in the mean time" Neville reassures as Leon and Raihan share a look but let the matter drop.

Sirius showing up when Neville said he would, Tana too wrapped up in preparing for her performance with Piers and their band to stress about it like she would have without the performance to focus on.

Leon taking up Rose's role in the opening ceremony introducing the Gym leaders and Gloria to this year's challengers.

"Without further ado we welcome Tana Evans and Team Yell onto the pitch" Leon announces with a wide smile on his face, a flash bang and some smoke going off signalling the beginning of the performance and the spotlight shifting from Leon and Gloria to Tana, Piers and the band. Sirius sitting up a little in his place between George and Neville, Luna and Neville having gotten tickets to the ceremony and made

Revealing Tana and Piers had dressed up for this performance. Keeping to the theme of the album in that Tana looking like a princess in a long, elegant ballgown with a dark blue layer over a pastel blue layer. The dark blue covering is dressed with pink glass roses on clear thorn branches while Piers looked like a dark mage, both straight out of the stories of old in his gothic style black robes.

"Legends never die when the world is callin' you

Can you hear them screaming out your name?

Legends never die, they become a part of you

Every time you bleed for reaching greatness

Relentless you survive

They never lose hope when everything's cold

And the fighting's near

It's deep in their bones

They'll run into smoke when the fire is fierce

Oh, pick yourself up 'cause

Legends never die when the world is calling you

Can you hear them screamin' out your name?

Legends never die, they become a part of you

Every time you bleed for reaching greatness

Legends never die

They're written down in eternity

But you'll never see the price it costs – the scars collected all of their lives

When everything's lost, they pick up their hearts and avenge defeat

Before it all starts, they suffer through harm just to touch a dream

Oh, pick yourself up 'cause

Legends never die when the world is calling you

Can you hear them screamin' out your name?

Legends never die, they become a part of you

Every time you bleed for reaching greatness

Legends never die

When the world is callin' out your name

Begging you to fight

Pick yourself up once more

Pick yourself up 'cause

Legends never die when the world is calling you

Can you hear them screamin' out your name?

Legends never die, they become a part of you

Every time you bleed for reaching greatness

Legends never die"

Tana sang out for the cheering crowd the anthem of the Heroes and Legends album, a battle cry for those to follow and try and make their own legend, their own mark on the world.

A call back to Galar's past and reminding all that the kings from the legend were just like them once, young trainers looking to make their mark on history and were the most successful of their time thanks to the legendary wolves who helped them fight of the darkness.

Performing a couple other pieces like 'Legends', 'Polaris', and 'Electric' before the ceremony came to an end.

"Thanks for coming out Galar and give a round of applause for this years challengers!" Tana calls as the crowd roars their approval, smiling widely at the challengers on the pitch knowing that the future was bright with the next generation at the helm.

Once the stands cleared out Tana would let out her Pokemon to help with dismantling the instrument set up, mindful of her dress as she did so.

Laughing when Leon swept her off her feet to the amusement of Piers who knew Tana had hidden the dress from her partner for that reaction.

"I forgot how cavity inducing they can be" Gordie chuckles to Piers who nods as Tana tugged Leon down into a kiss, looking very much the fairy tale couple in that moment.

"How did you hide this dress?" Leon asks in amusement knowing he would have seen it had it been in their closet at the apartment.

"Piers let me stash it in his closet, generally where I stash all my band clothes" Tana admits with a grin as she steps back to continue helping only to spot Raihan, Luna, Neville and George coming onto the pitch with who could only be Sirius Black.

Sirius on his part had taken in his goddaughter and for the first time since coming to the world of Pokemon listened to her friend's words about her. Taken in how happy she was on the pitch singing her heart out with talent she could have only gotten from Dorea since James and Lily both couldn't hold a tune like Tana could.

Watched as the Galar League Chairman swept Tana off her feet from the pitch entrance and the picture they painted together. For a brief moment seeing James and Lily before the image faded to his goddaughter and her partner.

It's Sirius' gray eyes that trigger the one memory Tana has of the man, Tana having loved playing with Sirius in his Animagus form and found it amusing when he changed back to throw her into the air and catch her. Even as a toddler loving to fly in whichever way she could.

"Padfoot?" Tana asks quietly as she approaches slowly, picking up her skirts to run as Sirius jerkily nods and catches her when she nearly falls onto her face. Having lost one of her heels in her rush to hug the man who had played with her and loved her just as much as her parents.

"Yes that's what your father and our friends called me. What we got you to call me when you couldn't get your 's' to come out right" Sirius laughs wetly as he pulls back to take her in and a smiles a little sadly at all the time he's missed. Letting himself be tugged and introduced to those she cared about and that had taken care of her in his absence.

More than able to see that she loved Leon Yates as much as James had loved Lily. That like her ancestors before her she'd fallen in love fast and hard. Not letting anyone or anything sway her from the person her heart wanted.

Leon more than happy to tell the man that should have raised Tana about their adventures and some of their misadventures.

Moving the party to Postwick where Gloria, Sonia and the rest of his family welcomed the man warmly and were just as eager to share. Tana able to change out of her dress and Leon out of his suit and into more comfortable clothes.

Hop pointing out to his brother as they ate outside that Tana looked a lot like Sirius in comparison to her actual parents though her eye color was all her mom. Hop having seen the pictures of James and Lily that Tana had.

Sirius answering the unsaid question in Tana's eyes when she looked to him with slight amusement.

"You take strongly after your grandmother Dorea who was my aunt and a Black. One of the only one in your family who had the same talent you do for music. The wildness of your hair is all James though" Sirius admits fondly as Tana grins wryly knowing it to be true.

"That and my weird luck" Tana sighs as Sirius nods sagely.

"That too from what you've all been telling me" Sirius chuckles as Tana pouts and cuddles into her boyfriend's side, her Rotom phone flying out of her pocket with a message.

Tana smiling widely in delight at the picture of a nicely dressed Piers and Gordie flashing their ring fingers to the camera outside the Wyndon courthouse. Marnie giggling beside them in a nice red dress.

"Looks like Piers and Gordie took the easy route" Tana laughs as Leon stares at the phone in shock before snorting out a laugh as Raihan reaches for the phone to see what has the pair cracking up and his whole face goes poleaxe at the fact Piers had posted the picture to his Obstagram account.

Piers the hermit of their group and rarely posting to the account regardless of the pestering of Raihan and Nessa both.

"Sonia you owe Nessa money!" Tana calls out as Sonia shrieks and asks what for.

"Piers and Gordie took the easy way out and got married at the Wyndon courthouse right after a mutual proposal" Tana cackles as Sonia grumbles and calls Nessa to share the news and the promise of a money transfer.

"You just love stirring up trouble" Leon chuckles tiredly as Tana snickers and burrows into his side without shame. Humming when he kisses her on the forehead as they watched the part wind down.

Everyone tired after the long day and ready for the busy days to come as Hop lifted a snoring Gloria up to sleep in his room.

"I wouldn't be me if I didn't stir up a little trouble" Tana points out as Leon grins, both content and in no rush to change what they had now though they knew that finding a bigger place and starting a family was something they both wanted in the next few years as they settled in their new roles.

Knew that they would always have each other through the good and the bad and were loved and supported by their chosen friends and family in all of their decisions.