A/N: This may be the most self-indulgent fic I have ever posted. I hope it's as enjoyable for you as it is for me.

Oh, and for the record, while I might start fudging timelines later on down the road, Hop is ~11-12 while Leon is ~18-19 for this fic.

"Mum! We're home!" Hop shouts, throwing the front door open. Wooloo rolls in after him.

She doesn't acknowledge that she heard him, which is odd, but he hears her voice coming from the living room. Do they have a visitor? Or is she on the phone with someone? It sounds like she's retelling the story of how Hop accidentally fell into the Wooloo flock's water trough last week, which, ugh. Typical. It's too much to hope for that she'll stop talking about it if she knows Hop is listening, but he figures he'll show his face all the same.

While Wooloo opts to trot upstairs for a nap, Hop pokes his head into the living room. Mum's Rotom Phone is hovering above the coffee table while she sits on the couch, wildly gesticulating to add to her retelling. Must be doing a video call, then. Hop perks up at the realization. There aren't that many people that Mum would bother with a video call, and the people she does video call tend to be some of his favorites.

"…and, speak of the devil," Mum smiles, finally looking over at Hop. "Guess who just got home."

A familiar, hearty chuckle crackles through Rotom's speakers. "Is it the Wooloo?"

"Lee!" Hop shrieks. He sprints across the room and dives onto Mum's lap, twisting in midair so he can face Rotom's screen with his brother's smiling face on it. "You didn't tell me you were gonna call today! Why didn't you tell me? I wouldn't have gone out with Wooloo if I'd known you were gonna call!"

Lee's phone calls are always the highlight of his week. Always, always, always. He only finds time to call two or three times a month, which is already far too few times in Hop's opinion. That makes the times he does call all the more special. So, Hop is incredibly miffed that he missed any of that precious time with his brother. He might be pouting a little.

"Aw, but it's not a surprise phone call if you know it's coming," Lee grins. "How's my favorite little brother doing?"

"I'm your only little brother," Hop says, sticking his tongue out at him.

"If you're gonna give me that attitude, I might just have to get a new one," Lee says, sticking his tongue out too.

"I can see you, you know," Mum says.

Lee smiles and ducks his head, embarrassed. Guess he didn't know Mum could see the screen from her position behind Hop.

She taps Hop on the arm. "Hop, sweetie, I love you, but you're getting a little big to be sitting on my lap. Scooch over."

"Sorry, Mum," Hop says sheepishly, sliding off her lap and settling in next to her on the couch.

"Anyways, now that you're here, Hop, I can tell you the big news," Lee says.

That catches Hop's attention. "Big news? What big news?"

"Well, there's a new battle facility opening up in Unova in a couple weeks," he explains. "They call it the Pokémon World Tournament. They're going to offer different types of tournaments for Unovan Trainers of all skill levels to participate in. But for the more elite tournaments, they want to invite skilled Trainers from all over the world to take part. I've been invited to the opening ceremonies and to participate in the inaugural tournament."

"You're going to Unova!?" Hop exclaims, jolting closer to the screen. "That's so cool! It's so far away! I've never been to Unova. Can you bring me back a souvenir? No, wait, that's rude. Oh, oh, you've gotta send me tons of pictures! Especially of the Pokémon! They have tons of cool Pokémon in Unova that you can't find here in Galar, right? I wanna hear all about them! I wanna hear about everything! Wait, wait, you're gonna be in a tournament, right? Are the matches gonna be televised? I need to watch you beat everyone–"

"Alright, slow down there, Hopscotch," Lee chuckles, holding up a placating hand. "I'm glad you're excited, but I wasn't done."

"Oh. S-sorry," Hop flushes pink. It's not the first time Lee has left the region as part of his Champion duties, but it is the first time he's gone to Unova as far as Hop can recall. Hop's never gotten to leave the region ever, so he can't help getting excited whenever his brother gets to go somewhere new and exotic.

Plus, it's always so much fun when Lee goes on work trips. He calls them every day to tell them about all the interesting things he did or saw, and they're always so much more exciting than whatever stories of the day Hop has to tell, but he still listens to Hop's stories after he's done with his. And when he gets back, he makes a point to visit home as soon as possible, so he can give Mum and Hop souvenirs from some obscure little tourist attraction he visited and show them all the pictures he took. They're never particularly good, mind – Lee could really use some photography tips from Raihan – but they showcase all these different places that Hop's never been to and all the unique cultures and histories of other regions and, most importantly, they're accompanied by the thrilling stories and enjoyable company of his big bro.

It's the closest Hop ever comes to feeling like he has a normal brother.

(Not that having an atypical brother is bad! Hop loves his brother. He's awesome and strong and special and Hop doesn't mind that his relationship with his brother is different than what most siblings have. But, sometimes…sometimes it's nice to feel like he's not so different after all.)

"So, I've known about the tournament for a while," Lee continues. "But it turns out that I missed one little detail on the invitation. They're allowing me to bring a guest."

"A guest?" Mum echoes, a hint of wariness in her tone.

"Mhm. Travel, accommodations, and food at the hotel are all paid for, and they get a reserved box for the opening ceremony and my tournament matches. It's a pretty sweet deal." Lee hesitates and rubs the back of his neck, like he's nervous or something. But Lee doesn't get nervous, right? "Uh, if you'll allow it, Mum…I was hoping to bring Hop with me."

Hop lets out an excited, high-pitched squeal that makes Mum wince. "Really!?" He feels like he's practically vibrating. He gets to go to Unova! With his brother! And watch a tournament, live! He gets to see his brother – Galar's great unbeatable Champion – defeat elite Trainers from all over the world and prove to everyone how great the trainers of Galar really are! He's so ecstatic that his brother even wants to take him along that he doesn't notice how Mum is having the exact opposite reaction.

"Leon…I don't know that that's a good idea."

Hop freezes. He thinks his heart might've stopped beating for a second. He turns to face his mother, expression slowly crumpling. She's not seriously going to – no, she can't – she won't possibly – this is the most exciting thing that's happened to Hop in ages and she's – won't – allow…?

"Unova's so far away," Mum continues. "I don't like the idea of my little Hop traveling so far all on his own–"

"He won't be alone," Lee says, affronted. "He'll be with me."

"Not all the time," she retorts. "I'm sure you're going to be busy with official Champion duties sometimes. And what about during the tournament? You can't take him onto the pitch with you."

"No, but he'll be watching all the matches from a private box. No one's gonna kidnap him from the stadium, Mum."

"And when he can't be with you? When you've got meetings or press conferences or whatever else it is you've got to do at these things?"

Lee runs a hand through his hair and sighs. "It might happen," he concedes. "But he'll be fine. He's not a little kid anymore. Right, Hop?"

"Huh?" Hop startles a little at being drawn back into the conversation.

He looks at Lee for the first time since Mum started talking, and the corners of Lee's eyes crease with worry. Does Hop really look that upset? He feels a little moisture in the corners of his eyes and quickly rubs it away. Okay, maybe he does. It's just – to get his hopes up so much and then have them dashed so suddenly – it's a very intense rollercoaster of emotions right now.

Lee looks back at Mum, a quiet intensity blazing in his eyes. "You let him outside with Wooloo earlier and no one else was with him. Heck, I was even younger than him when I went on my Gym Challenge. What makes this any different?"

Mum smiles sadly. "The difference is that here, if something happens, I'm close enough that I can come and help. If something happens in Unova, I'm thousands of miles away."

"If something happens, I'll take care of it," Lee declares. "Just like I always do."

Mum sighs and puts her arm around Hop's shoulders, pulling him into her side. "I can't help worrying about my baby," she admits. She glances at Lee and smiles. "About both my babies."

"Mum," Lee groans, his face turning red. "I'm an adult. And the Champion."

"Doesn't matter how old you get or how many battles you win," Mum says fondly. "You'll never stop being my babies."

"M'not a baby," Hop protests, pushing Mum's arm away. His cheeks are almost as red as Lee's.

Lee clears his throat. "Mum, I promise I'll do everything in my power to keep Hop safe," he says. "I think it'll be good for him to see what it's like being in another region himself. And I think it'll make him really happy. So…can he come to Unova with me?" He looks at her hopefully.

Hop, himself, gives her the most pleading eyes he can muster. "Please?" he adds, because Lee never said it and maybe Mum would be swayed by Hop being polite.

She looks between the two boys, her expression carefully neutral. "How long will you be gone?" she asks Lee.

"Four days," he says quickly. "I'll have him back before you know it."

Mum hums thoughtfully, looking back at Hop. "Four days. That's less than a week."

Hop nods, wondering where she's going with this.

A small smirk appears on her face. "Are you sure you can put up with your brother for that long?"

Hop giggles, the action releasing some of the tension from his shoulders. "I'll survive."

"You mean…?" Lee says hopefully.

"Yes," Mum says, and Hop feels a wave of relief wash over him. "You can take Hop with you to Unova."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Hop exclaims giddily, giving Mum a big hug. Lee thanks Mum, too, and while it's not as enthusiastic as Hop's, there's no less warmth in his tone.

"I'll send you all the details as soon as I can," Lee says. "In the meantime…Hop, anything exciting happen around Postwick lately that I should know about?"

"Nothing as exciting as getting to go to Unova!" Hop responds instantly. Mum and Lee both laugh at that. He tries to push his excitement about their upcoming trip to the side and remember anything that happened in Postwick since Lee's last call. Even the non-exciting stuff. "Um…Wooloo and I raced from Postwick to Wedgehurst today. I won."

"Congrats! You've always been quick on your feet, little bro," Lee beams.

"Yeah, well, I always beat Wooloo," Hop shrugs, but he can't help it if his smile gets a little bigger at the praise. "Next time I'm gonna race you."

"Well, guess I'd better start training then," Lee says with a smile.

"What?" Hop says, brow furrowing.

"To make sure I don't lose to you. We can race on our way to the station." When Hop still looks puzzled, he adds, "I'll be there in two weeks, remember?"

"Oh!" Hop flushes with embarrassment that it took him so long for the pieces to click together. He's used to making those kinds of challenges thoughtlessly, something to get excited about in the moment but always knowing that it's unlikely to ever happen. Because Lee just doesn't get to come home very often, and when he does they have more important things to do than see who can climb up to the roof the fastest or herd the most Wooloo or make it to Wedgehurst first. If Hop even remembers making the challenge at all.

But now…he'll be seeing his brother in two weeks. And he'll get to spend four whole days with him. And he'll get to travel to a new region for the first time ever! And he'll get to watch Lee battle live in person! He's getting giddy beyond belief all over again. Four days, just the two of them. Enough time to do all the goofy, pointless, fun things they want. Like racing from Postwick to Wedgehurst.

"I'm not gonna lose, you know," Hop says, smiling so wide that he thinks his cheeks might fall off. "I'm really, really, really fast!"

"Finally, a worthy opponent," Lee says, making his voice sound deep and gravelly. Hop starts laughing, and then Lee starts laughing, and then Mum joins in. And to an outsider it might just look like two people laughing at a phone screen, but to Hop this is what family really looks like. He won't have it any other way.

Even so…two weeks can't come fast enough.

A/N: There is no update schedule for this fic. It updates at the whim of the muse, and she's been very finicky as of late. So please have patience and give her some kind words if you can. :)

At the moment I'm estimating about 4 more chapters for this fic, one for every day they're in Unova. That number may increase or decrease depending on how much detail I decide I want to go into with everything. I predict a 75% chance of fluff with a 25% chance for angst.

If the angst happens, just know that it is entirely Leon's fault and I am not to blame.