"Cassius, dear, would you mind coming outside with me?"
A 12-year-old Cassius looked on, slightly worried. Night was fast approaching, yet his grandmother seemed in no rush to return home. Even after the famed Lacunosa Legend had been identified and defeated, he couldn't help but dread the evening. It was silly, sure, but it was almost intertwined to the townsfolk. As much a part of them as the town itself.
At her age, Grandma Millie—with hair already a pure white, hobbling around with a walking cane—didn't seem like the most fit for late night strolls. A quick look back at his parents for help yielded nothing. His mother gave him a knowing look, with a small smile. "Go on, Cassius." With that last cryptic urging, Cassius warily followed his grandmother into the streets of Lacunosa.
They walked for a time, Cassius careful to observe her every step. As though a single gust of wind would blow her over. After helping her up a flight of stairs, the two had decided to sit on a bench overlooking the town some ways away from their house.
For a moment, she didn't say anything. Cassius wondered if she was simply catching her breath, or leaving him waiting on purpose. In silence he sat, until the older woman finally spoke. "It's a beautiful night, isn't it Cassius?"
"Y-Yes ma'am," Cassius answered hesitantly. He was beginning to get nervous. What could have prompted his grandmother to bring him out all the way here?
"I used to come out here often," Grandma Millie continued. "Even with the Legend, I would sneak out and explore. Admire the stars. I was young then, and eager to do a great many things."
Cassius couldn't imagine a younger Grandma Millie, running around the empty streets of Lacunosa. But he didn't think to interrupt her—there was that small part of him that always loved her stories of when she was younger. Of when she was a Pokémon Trainer.
"You seek to do a great many things too, don't you?" She turned to him with a small, tender smile. "To do more than simply exist here, in this small town."
Did he? Cassius had never thought about his future. All throughout his day-to-day life, he had never bothered to sit down and think about what he would do when he was older. What was it that he wanted to do?
And... would it be so bad to stay in Lacunosa? To simply exist, minding his own business? Or was there more for him out there, like his grandmother said?
"I... don't know," Cassius answered honestly. His young brain couldn't reach a decision now.
"That's quite alright, Cassius." Not once did his grandmother's smile betray her. "You're young, and have plenty of growing to do. Know that whatever you choose to do, I will always support you." An old, wrinkled hand came to softly ruffle his hair. "Because you're my precious grandson."
Her hand returned to her side. "You've no rush to reach a decision now. Take all the time you need, Cassius."
"Grandma..." Cassius asked hesitantly. "When did you know?"
"When did I know that I wanted to become a Pokémon Trainer?" Cassius nodded. Millie was silent for a moment more, reminiscing on the days of her youth. The boy waited patiently for her answer.
"It's different for everyone. Some people know immediately once they can decide for themselves. Others feel a kind of urge later on in life. I... was neither."
Cassius leaned forward eagerly. "So what was it like for you?"
His grandmother's gaze returned to the stars above. "I never got that feeling. I suppose it simply came to be, all on its own." Cassius' head tilted in confusion, but his grandmother continued. "Are you curious about battling, Cassius?"
The boy shrunk in on himself. "I... not really. I'm not very good at it, and I don't like it all that much. I'm always dead last in the mock battles during free time..."
Despite the memory, his grandmother laughed softly. "Is that so? The way I see it, you can only improve. But I suppose it's up to you, in the end."
Cassius had begun to pout slightly, before he heard rustling from his grandmother's side. Intrigued, he eyed what it was she was searching for, before his eyes widened at what he saw in her hand.
A Poké Ball. In the familiar red-and-white. A little weathered, but still seeming to work. Grandma Millie eyed it with care, before presenting it to Cassius. "Cassius, I want you to have this."
Cassius nearly dropped the device upon his grandmother placing it in his hands. "B-But... what...?"
"Go on," His grandmother beckoned despite his shock. "See what's inside."
Heeding her words with slight hesitation, Cassius eyed the ball. Cautiously, his thumb hovered over the button that would open the capsule. With a gulp, he aimed the ball at the ground, and pressed down.
With a click, the device opened, and a flash of red illuminated the area before them. Shielding his eyes, Cassius slowly opened them when the flash subsided... and when a shape appeared.
It stood on four legs, stubby and blue. Its fur, jet black in color, seemed to cover the entirety of the creature's upper portion, from its neck to its face. All except the mouth, which was large and fanged, and a similar shade of blue. A lone horn protruded from the top of its fur-covered head, jutting out a few inches.
Though Cassius was hardly the most knowledgeable when it came to Pokémon, he knew immediately what this Pokémon was when he registered its shape. "That's... t-that's a Deino!"
His grandmother nodded. "Indeed. Her name is Hyla, and she is a young, healthy Deino. I helped to raise her myself." She turned to him once more. "And now she is yours, Cassius."
Cassius' jaw slacked. "Grandma Millie... you're giving me a Pokémon? But why?"
"Everyone should experience the joy of a partnership with Pokémon." She answered instantly. "A life spent with Pokémon can be most fulfilling, grandson."
Cassius' eyes couldn't leave the Deino in front of him. He had heard plenty of stories about this particular kind of species—though all Dragon-types were difficult to raise, Deino were a challenge above that. Powerful and destructive, only the most experienced of trainers could manage to tame them.
And his grandmother thought he could do it. "But grandmother, I'm not a trainer! I don't know anything about battling!"
"Pokémon are not merely tools for battle. They are partners, companions for all your life. Whatever it is you decide to do, this Deino will follow you faithfully."
It just didn't make sense. What could he have done with a Pokémon? Much less a Deino! They were vicious, they were strong, they were...
"Why don't you try to pet her?" His grandmother carefully guided his hand toward the animal before he had a chance to object. He shut his eyes, preparing for the worst.
Instead, his hand landed gently atop the creature's head. It was soft to the touch, and warm. Hesitantly, he reopened his eyes and was shocked by what he saw—the Deino was nuzzling against his hand in affection, giving no indication of a desire to bite or attack.
He'd reflect on this moment much later in life with fondness. He never knew what came over him in that moment. It was like an out-of-body experience, something that felt entirely out of his control. But not once did he regret it.
Standing up, Cassius wordlessly embraced the Pokémon, all previous fear gone. He sensed no unease in the Deino—no, in Hyla as he did so. She simply eased into his embrace, craning her neck around his own.
He could almost feel the smile from his grandmother upon the nearby bench. "Treasure this moment, Cassius. Not only will you live for yourself, but you will be living for Hyla. Just as she will live for you."
Putting some space between the two, Cassius gave Hyla a good look. Her tail, stubby and blue, wagged excitedly. While he couldn't see her eyes, her face seemed to be pleased. He'd only just met her, but it felt like they'd known each other for years.
He still knew nothing about Pokémon. He wasn't eager to battle. But maybe that had been the "moment" that his grandmother had mentioned. When he knew what it was he wanted.
"You will do great things, my grandson. Of that I have no doubt." His grandmother had quietly shuffled beside the two, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You will face a great many hardships, and an equal amount of triumphs. Throughout them all, you will share them with Hyla. That will make you strong, Cassius."
"The bond you two will share will guide you. Always remember that, my grandson. Always remember."
"Woah..." Hop gasped not too silently. "Is that... a Deino? I've never seen one of those before!"
Now was hardly the time for him to be impressed. Ignoring Hop, Cassius set to work. "Hyla, can you clear away some of this fog for me?" Hyla yapped in affirmative.
It was a stupid command in retrospect. Hyla was hardly equipped for such a task, and only served to tire herself out by flailing about in the fog. He was lucky that the beast had apparently decided not to attack during the act—he and Hyla both would have been toast.
Still, it hadn't been for naught. With at least a bit of the fog cleared away, Cassius was able to get a closer look at their pursuer. From what he could see, its fur was a strange shade of bright blue, with odd pink strands of hair that looked like braids traveling along its white underbelly. He was also able to spot a white snout and unblinking golden eyes, before the fog quickly set in again.
It wasn't much, and Cassius still wasn't able to identify what it was, but it was helpful. That wasn't all Cassius was able to see, too, as he readied his next command. "Hyla! Run right at it! Don't stop!"
"Are you mad?" Hop yelped. "That thing'll rip her apart!"
Maybe. But something told him that the creature wouldn't attack them, at least not yet. It seemed to have been observing them this whole time—if it had wanted to attack them, it would have had plenty of opportunities to do so before now.
Hyla continued her sprint, and Cassius was ready to relay what he wanted next before the unthinkable happened—Hyla phased right through the creature, as if it wasn't even there to begin with.
"What?" Cassius and Hop exclaimed simultaneously. Cassius had been caught off-guard, while Hop began running through theories aloud. "Is that a ghost-type? There's no way it could be otherwise, right?"
A little disoriented, Cassius shook his head quickly. He had hoped to land at least a glancing blow on the creature as a means of distracting it, but he would have to scrap that. "Hyla, go left and don't stop!" The Deino immediately took to his order and changed her course, now sprinting to her left.
She continued on, and Cassius nearly lost sight of her until he heard a loud thump. That grabbed both boys' attention, as well as the creature's. Some seconds later, another sound came—the creaking of wood, and the rustling of leaves.
"Great work, Hyla!" Cassius fumbled slightly with his Poké Ball, before recalling his Pokémon back to him. Another red flash illuminated the clearing, and once Cassius was certain Hyla was safe, he grabbed ahold of Hop. "We're leaving!"
"Wha..." Hop stammered between breaths. The snapping sound continued, before an even louder smashing sound shook the ground beneath them. After a brief stumble, the boys continued their sprint. "What did you do?"
"When I saw through the fog," Cassius panted. "I saw an old tree. Figured if someone hit it hard enough, it would fall and make enough of a distraction for us to leave." He chanced a glance behind them. "I don't see the thing chasing us, so it might have worked. Maybe."
"Let's hope it did," Hop rasped, before catching his second wind. "I think I recognize this path. We should be almost out. Follow me!" Hop ran ahead, with Cassius hot on his trail.
Slowly, the fog cleared, before eventually dissipating. The two never slowed down, until they reached their original point of entry. With one last mad dash, they exited the clearing, tumbling onto the dirt road that led into the Slumbering Weald.
Cassius could hardly think straight. Between his desperate gulps of air, he checked on Hop to see him not faring a ton better. He wasn't in the greatest of shape, and judging by Hop's frantic gasps, he wasn't either.
Even so, they had made it out of that nightmare alive. Hyla hadn't seemed to be hurt either. He almost felt the urge to laugh, and he would've if not for his glaring lack of oxygen.
"I don't... think it followed... us," Hop eventually returned to his feet, still panting slightly. He offered a hand to Cassius. "You alive, mate?"
"Barely," Cassius wheezed, accepting the hand and pulling himself to his feet. The sudden vertigo nearly got to him, but he managed to hold himself together. With a bit of the adrenaline gone, Cassius shot a weary eye back to the forest. "What... was that?"
"I've no idea," Hop followed his gaze. "In all my days here, I've never seen a fog that thick, or a Pokémon of that variety in the weald."
"What do you think it wanted?"
"Food? A nap? A nice game of Rummy? Whatever it was, it's gone now."
With a breath, Hop then turned towards him. "Cassius."
"Yeah?" Faster than he could blink, Hop had bowed to him. So flabbergasted was Cassius that he didn't have time to formulate a response before Hop continued. "This is my fault. I led you into that mess, and I very nearly got the both of us killed. I owe you my life for getting us out of there. Please, forgive me."
With all that had happened, Cassius hardly had the energy to even process how strange Hop's gesture was. It was equally difficult to find any real reason to be upset with him. "Don't worry about it. Uh," he had no idea how to respond to this. "You were just being nice, right? I can't blame you for trying to get me better accustomed to the town."
"Even so, we both could have died." Hop was unflinching. "It doesn't have to be now, but I'm going to make this up to you one day. That, I swear."
They'd met barely an hour or so ago, and yet Hop had already committed so much for his sake. And even though their time together didn't amount to much, Cassius felt like he knew him far better than he should have. Hop was friendly, outgoing, and loyal. He put his all into everything, most notably his dream of becoming Champion. He didn't seem to let that dream define him, though.
In a way, it felt like he had known him for far longer. Was this what a best friend was? Would it have been weird to call him that this early on? He'd never had anything nearly like this in Lacunosa.
"Er... Hop," Cassius started. "Seriously, it's okay. We're fine now, aren't we? Don't beat yourself up over this."
Hop returned upright, and much to Cassius' relief, allowed a small, guilty smile. "No can do, mate. I'm sorry, but I have a tendency to get stubborn over these kinds of things."
Cassius returned the smile. There were certainly worse traits to have. "I'll think on it, then. I'll probably settle for having you pay for lunch or something."
The Postwick native's grin widened. "I can do that."
Just as the air around them seemed to finally settle, a loud rumbling came from within the weald. Immediately, both boys were on high alert once more. Cassius' mind immediately thought of the worst. "Did it follow us?"
"Maybe, but I'm not willing to find out," Hop turned in the direction of the town. "We need to get the neighborhood watch on this. If whatever that was gets into town, there's no telling what might happen."
The thought of that thing breaking into his house, and reaching his parents... "Right," Cassius choked out. "Let's go."
The rumbling got louder, even as they turned and ran further into town. Hop sounded confident in the watch, but Cassius had witnessed firsthand what that thing could do. Hyla had phased right through it. Could trainers beat that kind of thing?
The trees behind them shook wildly. Just as Hop and Cassius cleared the first set of houses—Cassius' own among them—a collective noise sounded. Hop stopped running.
"Hop!" Cassius called out, slowing to a jog. "What are you doing?"
"That sound..." Hop whispered. After a second of staring, Cassius saw him do the unthinkable—he turned and ran back in the direction of the weald.
"Are you insane?" Cassius yelled after him. "What are you doing? You're gonna get yourself killed, Hop!" Still, the boy didn't bother answering. Cassius was then met with a choice; follow him and try to keep him from inadvertently killing himself, or keep running by his lonesome and attempt to alert the neighborhood watch, whom he had no idea where to find.
Biting his lip, and avoiding the urge to dig in his heels, Cassius turned and ran back towards the weald.
Hop had already stopped by the time Cassius eventually caught up to him. He stood silently, eyes squinted towards the Slumbering Weald. Ignoring the burning of his lungs, he began to formulate ways to drag him away from the coming chaos, before said chaos interrupted him.
Out from the dense forest, a sole Wooloo charged into the clearing.
Hop's eyes widened. Cassius felt the strong urge to collapse. "You've got to be fucking kidding me."
Another Wooloo followed after the first. Then another. And another. Before long, droves of Wooloo, dozens strong, bleating their fluffy heads off, were rushing forward with zero caution, trampling upon the grass and stampeding right towards them.
"I knew it!" Hop, despite the absurdity of the situation, seemed oddly pleased with himself. "I can recognize that kind of call from anywhere! Those were Wooloo stampeding!"
His face fell as the severity of what was happening eventually set in. "Oh Arceus. Wooloo are stampeding! The town might get overrun!"
Cassius couldn't even fake like he was worried. After everything that had happened, a bunch of fluffy, overgrown cotton balls running at a brisk pace felt tame. "Will it? They're just a bunch of Wooloo. Aren't they supposed to be harmless?"
"Alone, yes," Hop hastily explained. "But together, they're a bit of a nuisance. And when they charge, they've got the means to level houses!"
And just like that, Cassius was worried again. "They... do?"
"Yes!"
"But they're just Wooloo."
"Yes, but they're still Pokémon, Cassius!"
This was so stupid. Completely, unbelievably stupid. In all his years of living, Cassius had never come to dislike anything as much as he had come to dislike Wooloo. How could such a seemingly docile animal be such an asshole?
He could gripe later. For now, he had to at least try and do something. "Okay. Wooloo are apparently dangerous. What do we do?"
"They think as a collective," Hop spoke, eyes on the flock that was rapidly approaching. "If one stops, they'll all stop. We just need something to either scare them somewhere else, or stop them entirely."
"And what can do that?"
"A loud sound, but we don't have access to that. One of us could physically try and stop them, but on the off chance they don't stop, that's a trip to the hospital, if not worse. Our best bet would be to use a... Pokémon." Hop's eyes conspicuously traveled over towards Cassius. Specifically, the Poké Ball in his pocket.
Once Cassius caught on, he immediately made to decline. "Nuh-uh. No way. I am not putting Hyla in a position to get hurt."
"Cassius, we don't have a choice!" Hop pleaded. "If we don't stop them, who knows what they'll destroy! Houses, farmland, anything!"
"But..." Cassius tried to argue. Hop was having none of it. "Please, Cassius. If you feel like she's in any kind of danger, you can call her back. But we have to at least try."
Try, for a home that didn't feel like home. He would be putting his Pokémon, his one true companion, on the line for a place he had lived in for less than two days. How was that fair to him? Fair to Hyla?
Cassius immediately shook his head, erasing that line of thought. How would that be fair to the people of Postwick who did call the town home? To some people here, Postwick was all they ever knew. If Cassius didn't try to help, he would have been responsible for potentially taking that away. Something like that would weigh on him.
Even if only for a selfish reason like not having that burden on his conscience, it was enough to justify helping. He could think of the consequences later—he owed it to Hop to at least try. "You're right, Hop. Sorry."
Despite the chaos, he smiled. "A wise man once told me to not beat myself up over things like that. Go get 'em."
Taking a deep breath, Cassius took a step forward. He'd lucked out before—could he do it again? Sparing himself from overthinking, he released the capsule on Hyla's Poké Ball wordlessly. Another flash of red, and the Deino stood, eyeing the coming flock.
'Nothing crazy. Just get the Wooloo to stop,' Cassius reminded himself. The goal wasn't to actually win. The goal was to divert. "Hyla, you okay?" Even for a Pokémon, for as long as he had known her, a few words or gestures were enough to convey what he wanted to her. With an affirmative bark, Hyla answered, and Cassius smiled. "Good. I've got something for you to do, alright?"
Though he couldn't see her eyes, Cassius knew she was at full attention. "I need you to be as scary as possible. Run, shout, do anything you can. Don't worry about getting hurt, I'll call you back before the herd can reach you. Can you do that for me?"
The Deino nodded. Stomaching all his nerves, Cassius nodded back in kind. "Awesome. Be safe, Hyla."
With her orders, the Deino charged towards the coming Wooloo. After coming to a stop a few meters away, the Pokémon planted her feet, steeling herself. However, she made no further move to do anything.
'What's she doing?' Cassius wondered, fear beginning to build. 'Is she scared? She's too close—if she doesn't do anything, she'll get trampled!'
Still, Cassius held out hope. Hyla was smart. Sometimes, even smarter than him. He just had to keep faith. Even so, his hand drifted back towards the Poké Ball, readying it in case the Wooloo got too close for comfort.
Hyla continued to remain motionless. Just as the Wooloo were mere feet away, and as Cassius began preparing to recall Hyla, he was interrupted by a roar. He was shocked upon hearing the noise—and shocked further when he saw that it was coming from Hyla.
"Preaaaaaah!"
Immediately, the herd stopped. The leader in front skidded to a halt, crashing into the Wooloo directly behind it, toppling both over. It snowballed from there, as Wooloo began to pile up one after another, stopping in a sea of wool and stubby limbs right in front of Hyla.
Cassius was speechless, Hop a bit less so. "Woah... was that a roar?" Cassius had no idea—he had never seen Hyla do something like that before, in all his years of having her. Had she always been able to do that?
Hop was the first to snap out of his dazed stupor. "That... was so bloody cool! Those Wooloo all stopped immediately! Your Deino's incredible, Cassius!"
Apparently. He'd have to give her a bigger dinner tonight. "Uh, yeah. Definitely."
"Seriously, that has to be the most intimidatin' roar I've ever heard! And how it worked to such an effect... why, that could've made a full-grown Beartic think twice!"
With the situation seemingly quelled, the two slowly made their way over to the newly-made leaning tower of Wooloo. Hyla stood proudly, hardly appearing to be winded by the affair.
Cassius didn't bother hiding how proud he was, coming by his Pokemon's side and giving her a good rub atop the head. "Great job, Hyla. You killed it out there." The smaller Pokémon barked enthusiastically, relishing the attention.
The young man figured that was enough action for the Pokémon for one day. "Let's get you some rest, yeah?" Just as he pulled out his Poké Ball, it slipped as he clicked the button to return Hyla. The ball fell aimlessly to the ground, shaking a few times inconsequentially.
"Seriously, mate, that's some Pokémon you got there," Hop spoke after a moment. "Don't think I've ever seen a Pokémon work that efficiently, and I like to think I've seen my fair share."
The praise was a little much, but Cassius didn't mind. "Thanks. Yeah, Hyla's a good partner."
"It's no wonder you two work so well together, given your time together. You must be quite the battler, huh?"
Cassius froze. "Well... actually, I—"
Another voice suddenly cut in. Deeper, and seemingly from out of nowhere. "Hop!" Cassius jumped at the sound, frantically looking around for the source. He failed to find it on the ground, until a passing shadow prompted him to look up.
It was more than a shadow. A winged creature came soaring down to their level from a distance, with no shortage of speed. Upon closer inspection, Cassius' jaw fell. It wasn't just any creature—it was a Charizard. Nauseatingly popular, and extremely terrifying in person.
It took a moment upon the Charizard landing near them for Cassius to notice that someone was atop the beast. He had to be the most regal man he had ever seen in his life—the first thing he noticed was the flowing, red cape draped on the man's tall backside. A hat—crown?—sat atop his head, and traces of his outfit were lined with what looked like gold trimming. The man's entire getup screamed importance.
He looked friendly enough, but Cassius would withhold judgement for now. The man hurriedly hopped off the Pokémon before rushing to Hop's side. "Gracious, Hop! What happened to you? You look like a bloody mess!"
Hop turned sheepish, but didn't shy away from the stranger. Upon closer inspection, Cassius noticed how similar the two looked. Almost startlingly so.
"Er... hey, Lee! Fancy seeing you back so early! I thought you wouldn't be back until—"
"Hop!"
"Okay, okay!" Hop quickly ended his antics. "Well, it's a bit of a long story. I'll give you the rundown later." Seemingly eager to remove the attention from him, Hop quickly gestured toward Cassius. "Anyway, this is Cassius! He just moved here a couple of days ago! He's the one who solved this whole mess!"
The man's gaze shifted to him, and Cassius felt his posture quickly right itself. Though the man seemed to have calmed down, his presence simply commanded attention, and Cassius was subconsciously inclined to follow that instinct. Who was he?
"Ah, I believe I did hear about a potential newcomer to our humble town." For the first time, the man smiled, and Cassius was almost taken aback by how white his teeth were. "A great pleasure to meet you, Cassius...?"
"Hargreaves!" He blurted out after realizing the man was subtly waiting for him to introduce himself. "Er, Cassius Hargreaves. I, uh, just moved from Unova. It's nice to meet you."
"Unova?" The stranger seemed intrigued. "Fascinating. I've met a scarce few people from there. Though, the few I've met all seemed to be rather skilled and proficient. You included, if I might say so."
What? "I'm sorry?"
"Hop did mention it was you who fixed this mess. Hop's a great many things, but a liar isn't one of them." Hop pouted as the man gestured to the slowly reorganizing group of Wooloo. "I was arriving into town when I saw the tail end of it. Marvelous work, I might say!"
Where was all this praise coming from? Not that it wasn't welcome, but it felt like he hadn't done much of anything to deserve it. If anything, Hyla was the one who should have been on the receiving end of all these kind words. He certainly couldn't have gone out by his lonesome and fixed this.
Cassius began to notice the commotion around the group. The townsfolk—none of whom he had met yet—were streaming from their homes, eyeing the Wooloo and the man with mixed reactions of curiosity and... reverence?
"Goodness, what happened here..."
"What's all the commotion about? Wait... is that Lee?"
"Ah, he's returned! Our star!"
Star? Was this Lee person important? It sure seemed that way, based on the townspeople's reception of him.
"And the way you caught that troublesome Deino at the end was nothing short of first class!"
Cassius' breath hitched. "I... huh?"
"Coordinating the stampeding Wooloo to tire it out, then catching it!" The man continued. His excitement felt palpable, while Cassius' growing dread was reaching a similar state. "I've no idea how a Pokémon like a Deino even managed to find itself all the way down here in Postwick, but you were sensational, truly! Who knows how many Wooloo might have perished if not for your quick thinking! I doubt even I would have been able to accomplish such a task!"
The whispering around Cassius grew louder. "That boy did this...?"
"I've never even heard of a Deino before."
"True, but it must have been scary if it got the Wooloo all up in arms like this!"
Cassius felt something bubbling up within him. He didn't know what it was, but it was uncomfortable. To hear people talking about Hyla like some kind of rabid animal... "Excuse me, I think you might have the wrong—"
"Lee!" Hop pointedly interrupted, casting a worried look between Cassius and the newcomer. "Don't you think it's about time you properly introduced yourself? Shouldn't be rude to our newest resident, after all!"
The man ran a sheepish hand through his hair. "Right, apologies. I'm afraid I have a tendency to get absorbed into these kinds of things." He extended his hand to shake. "My name is Leon Dande. Hop's older brother, and current Galarian Pokémon League Champion."
And just like that, all feeling left Cassius' body. "I-I'm sorry... did you say...?"
"Ah, I suppose you might not be as aware of Galarian happenings, even if you are a trainer." Leon offered an easy smile. "Yes, I am this region's champion. Been as such for the past few years. Again, it is a great pleasure to meet you. I cannot thank you enough for helping my brother and the town, even though I'm sure you've plenty going on in your right."
Yeah, like having the damn champion of an entire continent mistake his deed as one of heroic sacrifice. Not only was he being set up as this awesome trainer who could do no wrong, but Hyla was being framed as some kind of child-eating rampaging monster! Those two ideas couldn't have been farther from the truth!
He had to clear this misunderstanding up as soon as possible. Why had Hop stopped him from doing so earlier? A quick look to the boy showed him frantically gesturing to him from behind Leon, but Cassius was already having trouble making sense of this entire situation. He didn't have time to try and decipher what Hop was worrying about when his own reputation was on the line, along with Hyla's.
He opened his mouth, but was once again cut off. "Hello, everyone!" Leon called to the crowd, moving to stand beside his Charizard. "It's great to see you all again! I'm happy to see everyone in our town in good health, and happy spirits!" The crowd, which had grown to seemingly include almost every resident in Postwick, cheered back.
"I've returned from my duties as champion to announce something during my brief stay back home!" Leon continued. "As I'm sure you're all well aware, this year's Gym Challenge is right around the corner! This year is sure to feature a great many challengers to my title, all of whom figure to be worthy opponents!" Another loud cheer rang through the air.
"And this year, I'm proud to announce my own personal wrinkle—I'll be officially endorsing my own brother, Hop, in this year's circuit!"
The crowd erupted. Amid the chaos, Leon pulled out what looked to be a note, barely larger than the man's palm, before handing it over to his brother. Hop looked shellshocked. "Lee... you're serious?"
"I know how hard you've been working, Hop." Leon assured with a smile. "You're strong, and more than a bit smart, if a little eager. You have no idea how proud I am to have seen you grow as a trainer, and as a man. You've earned this."
Hop's eyes began to water, but his confident smile still shone through. "Idiot... you're gonna regret endorsing the man who's gonna take your title away from you."
"We'll see about that, brother of mine." The two hugged, and the cheers grew almost deafening.
Leon turned to Cassius next, who was emotionally the complete opposite of Hop. Sweat rolled down his cheek, and the urge to shake was almost all-consuming. His breath was fast, and it was all he could do not to collapse on the spot.
"And as for you, Cassius," Leon projected loud enough for the crowd to continue hearing him. "Your deeds this day cannot be ignored. For saving the town from harm, and doing so in a timely and efficient manner, you are more than deserving of a reward! One I am more than willing to bestow upon you... if not a little spontaneously!" A chorus of good-natured laughter rang aloud. Cassius felt like throwing up.
"As such!" Leon dug into his pocket once more, procuring the same note he presented to Hop. "I've something very special to present to you as well! A reward befitting a skilled, compassionate, and outstanding trainer such as yourself!"
His body didn't feel like his own. Like he was a puppet, being controlled by someone else against his will. A spectator in his own mind. He wordlessly received the letter, noting how heavy it felt in his hand despite its size.
There was a great deal of jargon plastered all throughout the note, but the biggest piece of text was found at the bottom, next to a large, bold signature.
I, Leon Dande, utilizing the powers vested in me as Galarian Pokémon League Champion, officially endorse the bearer of this note as a participant in the 31st Galarian Gym Challenge.
"I've come to a decision!" Leon placed what was meant to be a reassuring hand upon Cassius' shoulder. "For his heroics on this day, I hereby nominate and endorse Cassius Hargreaves as a participant of this year's Gym Challenge!"
The crowd roared once more, but Cassius could not hear it.
