The walk over to Hop's place was quiet, tense, and above all else, extremely awkward. For Cassius, anyway.
It was Gloria who took the initiative first. "So, why're we makin' a trip to your place outta nowhere?"
"Lee says he has something for the three of us, before we go." Hop's smile had yet to leave his face. "Says it's important. Part of the reason why I came over was to get you."
Hop had looked relieved enough to last a lifetime after Cassius had finally agreed to join him and Gloria on their trip around Galar. From what Cassius had bothered making out, Hop looked like he would have outright hugged him if the look on Cassius' face hadn't been so empty and unwelcoming. Instead, he seemed content on just maintaining that gigawatt smile of his for the rest of the month.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, Cassius hadn't managed a single word after his agreement. Internally, it felt like there were two parts of him that were at constant war with each other. One was berating him for being actually dumb enough to fall for Hop's plea and trust his imminent future in the hands of a shoddy lie. The other was hopeful for... something. The former side much outweighed the latter currently.
"And he couldn't have bothered handling this important thing with us when he gave us our endorsements?" Gloria seemed skeptical. Cassius was quickly coming to see that there didn't seem to be much that actually made the girl happy. "Seems lazy."
"Gloria, you know Lee wouldn't mess with us like that. I'm sure whatever it is he's got planned is a welcome surprise."
'Yeah, because your brother is so good with surprises,' Cassius spat mentally.
The walk was a short one. Everything in this town was within walking distance, including Hop's house. It wasn't hard to miss—it was easily the biggest compared to the rest. Two stories, with what looked like a shed or garage parked directly beside it. A wide pitch sat barren some ways away, marked with the universal Poké Ball in the middle. It didn't take a genius to figure out what the pitch was used for.
The small party eventually reached the front door, Hop leading the way with Cassius bringing up the rear. Hop procured a key, and unlocked the door before opening it. He announced his presence as he and his two companions walked in. "We're back!" Cassius didn't bother taking in the sights—it wasn't long before a familiar presence greeted the three.
"Well, well!" Leon's booming voice seemed to echo within the walls. He was still dressed in that eye-catching garb from yesterday, as if he wanted to remind them all that he was still champion. "Glad to see you all made it! My three favorite trainers, all in one place."
"Hey, Lee!" Hop offered a fistbump, to which Leon happily returned. Gloria actually smiled, accepting the side-hug from the older man. "Heya, big man."
And then Leon's attention was on Cassius. "And our town's newest hero, Mr. Hargreaves. Again, I must thank you for your efforts yesterday. I trust you've been settling in nicely?"
There was an argument to be made that Leon was more responsible for his predicament than Hop was. Hop hadn't been the one to declare him a hero and hand him the endorsement in wide view of the public, after all. For as idolized and revered as Leon seemed to be by everyone, it took all Cassius had not to view him in the very worst light.
It took an equal amount of willpower not to give up the charade then and there and just come clean with the truth. Sure, he had promised Hop he wouldn't, but Leon was right there in front of him. One sentence, one simple explanation, and this nightmare would come to an end. A messy end maybe, but an end all the same.
He could practically feel the gazes of Hop and Gloria boring into him. The temptation was strong, but his mind quickly moved on before he could think of going through with it. "I have, thanks." He lied with a curt nod. And with that, his final chance at getting out of this mess came and went. From the corner of his eye, Hop shot him an approving nod.
"I'm glad to hear that," Leon replied honestly. "I'm sorry to uproot you once more right when you're settling down, but I'm certain you'll make the most of this opportunity." His smile turned slightly mischievous. "Plus, it helps to have an extra set of eyes on my daft brother once he leaves the nest."
"Hey!" Said brother whined.
"In any case, Hop did mention that I had something for the three of you, yes?" The man turned in the direction of a side door that led back outside. "Come on, then."
The three followed the man back outside, coming to a stop at the battle ground Cassius had spotted earlier. Leon stood on one side, while he, Hop and Gloria stood on another. To an onlooker, it probably looked as though the three of them were about to challenge Leon to a three-on-one.
"Again, thanks for coming on such short notice," Leon turned to them with a smile. "I'm sure you're all anxious to get your journey underway, but Galar's champion of champions has something to impart to you before you all get a move on."
'Is this guy a narcissist?' Cassius genuinely wondered. Who went around calling themselves the champion of champions? Hop and Gloria didn't seem to particularly mind though, judging by the looks of rapt attention on their faces.
"Come on, Lee!" Hop urged. "You promised us a present, so out with it!"
"Suggest you get on with it, wise guy," Gloria added. "You should know better than most how much I hate waitin'."
"So eager! Wouldn't hurt a bunch to take a page out of Cassius' playbook and show some restraint, wouldn't it?" Oh, that poor man had no idea exactly how much he was restraining right now. "All that aside, I've got a quick question for you three."
Gloria audibly groaned. "Oh sweet angels above, can we just please get on with it? I've no time for a pop quiz, Lee!"
"Humor me," if Leon was at all perturbed by her unladylike interruption, he didn't show it. "What are Pokémon to you?"
Naturally, Hop wasted little time in answering first, trying to impress his brother. "Pokémon are our partners! We share everything with them—emotions, success, failures. When we work together, the world is a better place for it!"
Gloria went next. "Well, hard to imagine a world without them, wouldn't it? I won't be as sappy as Hop, but Pokémon are certainly more than mindless tools for any ninny to control."
Cassius had a sinking feeling that last part was aimed at him. Gloria didn't seem to be on Team Cassius early on. Then again, it was hard to think of anyone who was.
What were Pokémon to him? Cassius hadn't been prepared for the question. Obviously, he couldn't go and say some evil line about how they were a means to a nefarious end. Even if those were his genuine feelings, saying that after the relatively positive answers Hop and Gloria had given would make him stand out. His goal for the next number of months would be standing out as little as humanly possible. In a way, this was good practice for that.
Cassius simplified the question. What was Hyla to him? She was the only Pokémon he was really acquainted with, anyway. Putting it in that perspective...
"Pokémon are... friends," he answered after a moment of thinking. He hadn't realized all eyes had been on him. "Er, yeah. We take care of them, and they take care of us. It's a mutually beneficial bond." His answer might have sounded a bit clichéd and robotic, but it got across his sentiment well enough.
Leon's smile lit up once more. "Excellent answers, all of you! I can tell you have the essences of true trainers coursing through you! No doubt, your journey will be a fulfilling one."
The champion reached behind his back. "With that in mind..."
"Ooh!" Hop quickly interjected. "You brought us Pokémon! You did, didn't you? I know you must have!"
Leon sighed, but he wasn't upset. Quite the opposite, in fact. "I never could sneak anything by you, brother of mine." His louder tone returned. "Right then! The greatest gift, from the greatest champion... it's show time, everyone!"
What he had been reaching for had been revealed—three Poké Balls. Wasting little time, he softly tossed all three of the capsules onto the pitch. After a short hop, the capsules opened simultaneously, revealing the creatures inside.
Hop and Gloria both gasped in surprise at the Pokémon. Cassius tried his best to look shocked at the three Pokémon, but he honestly had no idea what it was he was looking at.
The first one was a green monkey with a stick. As in, a literal stick in its tuft of hair atop its head. It had wide, expressive eyes and a somewhat mischievous look to it. Immediately after it was released from its ball, it scampered to a nearby tree with a wallop, disappearing among the branches.
The second one was a rabbit-looking thing with its feet on fire. Its ears and feet were both comically large and colored with stripes of varying red on their ends, while the remainder of its body was pure white, exempting the weird yellow bandage-looking mark on its nose. With a joyous cry, the fire rabbit ran in circles on the pitch while its feet occasionally burst into flame. It looked to have no intentions of slowing down.
The third was a bluish amphibian that immediately started crying the second it made contact with the ground. It held its face with its fingerless hands that had two thin appendages. Seeking reprieve, the Pokémon rushed to the nearby pond by the tree and jumped in, hiding itself among the water.
Hop and Gloria both continued to "ooh" and "ahh" at the three Pokémon. Cassius kept his mouth shut, waiting for one of the three animals to stop what they were doing and attempt to bite his head off.
"I present to you, your future companions!" Leon angled himself to gesture at each of the three Pokémon. He first pointed toward the green monkey, who was in the process of banging his stick against what looked like a berry. "Grookey, the Grass-type Pokémon!"
Next to the fire rabbit, who was still running in circles. "Scorbunny, the Fire-type Pokémon!"
The blue amphibian nervously peeked its head out from the water. "And Sobble, the Water-type Pokémon!" Sobble quickly returned to the water once it realized the attention it was getting.
Leon's attention returned to the three. "As it just so happens, there are three new trainers here, and three Pokémon waiting to meet their newest friends!" Calling back at the Pokémon to line up, the three creatures stood at attention at the center of the pitch. "Make your choices, trainers! I'm sure whichever you pick will be thrilled to have you as a partner!"
That remained to be seen, but Cassius actually went against his recently growing sense of cynicism for once. He'd heard of starter Pokémon back in Unova—friendly, amicable, and above all else, easy to train. Seeing as he would be essentially learning how to be a trainer on the fly, it helped to have a low-maintenance Pokémon on his team that wouldn't expect too much from him early on. It could learn as he learned, and hopefully get along with Hyla in the meantime.
He didn't have a real preference as to which one he wanted, so he instead decided to defer to the others. They had probably been thinking longer and harder on this than he had anyway.
Cassius saw the excitement in Hop's expression, but he was slightly surprised to see him do the gentlemanly thing. "Well, ladies first. Make your pick, Gloria." Gloria seemed just as surprised herself. "You're seriously okay with me goin' first?"
He probably wasn't, from what Cassius could tell, but he could appreciate the attempt at being nice. "Nah, it's cool. Besides, Cassius and I already have a Pokémon. It'd only be fair that you get your first before we get our second."
She couldn't very well argue with that logic. "Well, if you say so. Now, then..." Strolling up to the line up of starters with no lack of confidence, she carefully eyed them with a pointed gaze. As if appraising them mentally.
"I've no idea why she's botherin' to put up a front," Hop whispered to Cassius. The sudden sound almost made him jump. "She's probably studied these Pokémon more than I have."
Regaining his composure, he scooted a few inches away from Hop, but put aside his anger in favor of asking more. "You knew you were getting these Pokémon?"
"Sure did. Leon's bad at secrets." He faltered slightly. "Uh, as I'm sure I already told you." Quickly regaining his composure, he returned his attention to Gloria. "In any case, she's goin' Scorbunny."
"What makes you so sure?"
"I've known this girl since I was in nappies, Cassius. I know how her mind works."
Sure enough, after a minute or so of what was apparently false deliberation, Gloria offered a confident smile at the fire rabbit. "I like your style. Think I'll go with you, Scorbunny."
The Fire-type leapt with glee, the bottoms of its feet igniting. With a jump, it met its fist with the one Gloria offered, before joyfully sprinting around the girl. Gloria started laughing, and Cassius might have even found the sound pretty if he wasn't so afraid of her.
"The Fire-type Scorbunny!" Leon exclaimed. "It's filled to bursting with fiery passion! I'd say that suits you plenty well, Gloria!"
"I'd say," Gloria agreed, picking up the small Pokémon. "Let's go kick some trainer arse, yeah?" The little Scorbunny, with no knowledge of human curse words, was content to agree cheerfully.
"You go next," Cassius quickly offered once the choice had been made. He knew next to nothing about any of these Pokémon, and would have probably overthought himself to death if he had to choose. He'd rather Hop made the decision for him.
Hop quickly caught on to his plot, and nodded appreciatively with a small smile, accepting the offer under the guise of simple kindness. "Thanks, Cassius. I'll pay it back some day." With a slow walk forward, Hop's small smile turned to a beam. "Think I'll skip the theatrics and just go with the one I wanted all along!"
Kneeling before the Grass-type, Grookey, he offered a hand. "Whaddya say, Grookey? Up for an adventure?" He didn't offer a verbal answer, but the ecstatic high-five the Grookey gave Hop was more than enough.
Leon nodded in approval. "Grookey for you, eh, Hop? Like a walk in the woods, this Pokémon is soothing—which makes him a complete opposite of you, little brother."
The younger Dande brother rubbed the back of his head. "Ah, lay off the rippers, wouldya? Can't even give your own brother a nice word!"
"Only messin', Hop. Besides, I can't very well be handing you compliments while you aim to take my throne!"
That brought back Hop's competitive fire. "Fair point. Keep that seat warm for me, Leon, 'cause the title of champion will belong to a different Dande before long!"
Leon laughed. "Really? Since when did mum take up battling?"
"Since never," a new voice called out. A woman came out from the side door, followed by Gloria's mother, Meredith. It wasn't hard to see the resemblance she bore to the two Dande boys—the same purple hair, yellow eyes, and easy smile. "Someone needs to make sure you two don't lose yourselves in all this trainer nonsense."
"Was wonderin' where you'd been, mum," Hop offered the woman quick side hug, which she accepted. "You and Miss Meredith off tastin' tea leaves?"
"Goodness, Hop, we aren't that old yet," Gloria's mom chided playfully. "We just came to see you all pick your darling little Pokémon." Her eyes quickly fell on Gloria's newest companion, Scorbunny. "Oh, how adorable, dear! Did you pick a name for him yet?"
"Who said I had to pick a name for 'em? I can't just call him Scorbunny?"
Meredith frowned. "Gloria, honey, there are plenty of other Scorbunny in the world. You should give him a nickname to make him a one-of-a-kind!" Her eyes lit up. "Oh, how about Precious! Precious the Scorbunny!"
The look Gloria gave her mom could have melted glaciers. "I'd sooner put the poor thing outta its misery than give it a name that stupid."
A sharp whistle returned everyone's attention back to Leon. "This friendly banter's all well and good, but I'd ask you to withhold it for now. After all," his gaze made its way to Cassius. "Dear Cassius still has to acquaint himself with his newest partner!"
"Oh, where are my manners!" Hop's mother quickly made her way to Cassius. He didn't think he was particularly tall, but she still fell about a foot or more shorter than him. "I'm Hop and Leon's mother. I've heard so much about you, dear—thanks for what you did the other day."
He was becoming good at introducing himself. "No problem, Mrs Dande. It's nice to meet you."
"Please, Linda works fine." Her eyes traveled behind him, "I shouldn't keep you for any longer. You've got a friend waiting for you, yes? Go on and meet them, dear."
Swallowing the lump in his throat, Cassius turned back in the direction of where the lone Pokémon left in the lineup was waiting. Slowly, he made his way toward the Sobble, who looked ready to disappear if he so much as hiccuped.
A part of Cassius almost felt bad. Forcing this innocent, scared creature to do his bidding. Beyond that, he would be making this Pokémon be a part of this lie he would be forced to keep up for who knows how long. He thought back to that old quote he had heard someone famous once say—"There is no such thing as a bad Pokémon. Pokémon only do bad things because their trainers tell them to." By that logic, he'd be making this Sobble a liar.
Cassius shook his head. He'd have to put that line of thinking behind him. There was little to no way that he would ever beat the challenge (or even make it very far) with only Hyla. He was going to need to get more Pokémon. If that made him a bad person, so be it. It was to the point where he would be forced to do just about anything to maintain his reputation.
Here was a Pokémon practically being handed to him on a silver platter. Strong, friendly, and above all, easy to control. He'd be an idiot not to take it.
He put on his best friendly face, which admittedly wasn't a very good one. He leaned down toward the Sobble. "Uh, hey there, Sobble. Wanna work together?" Cautiously—almost agonizingly so—he extended a tentative hand.
The Sobble eyed his hand wearily. Cassius' arm was starting to hurt. Slowly, however, the small amphibian moved closer toward his outstretched limb, in tiny hops. Cassius didn't know what else to do, other than keep his arm outstretched for the creature.
He wondered how things would turn out with this Sobble. If they would become lifelong friends, just as he and Hyla were on. If they would come to love and support each other through everything, including this weird situation he had found himself thrust into. If they would—
"Waah!" The Pokémon cried. The Sobble quickly turned around, tears in its eyes, and hopped back to Leon, hiding behind his leg and shaking. "Um..." Leon, for the first since Cassius had met him, seemed lost for words.
From the corner of his eye, he could see Hop in a similar state, eyes wide and mouth open in shock. The two mothers didn't seem to be faring much better. Gloria had her hand over her mouth, appearing to try to desperately hold in the laughing fit she was threatening to let out. For whatever reason, her Scorbunny looked to be having the same issue, a white paw attempting to cover its smug mouth.
So this was humiliation. Pure, unadulterated shame and embarrassment in view of the public. Well, maybe not the public, but that didn't bring Cassius or his quickly reddening face any solace.
"I, uh..." Leon looked like he was still having trouble getting his mouth to move. "I-I'm sure he's just shy! Some Pokémon are like that, believe me! Why, it took my Charmander a few days to warm up to me!" The laughter that followed was perhaps the most forced thing Cassius had ever heard in his life.
Leon kneeled down to the tiny Sobble and attempted to gently prod it forward in what was supposed to be a soothing, high-pitched voice. "Go on, Sobble! He won't bite. He's friendly!" Still, the Water-type refused to move, clutching desperately onto Leon's leg.
Gloria let a few snickers slip past her closed mouth, the sound being the only thing that was heard in the suddenly very quiet clearing. Her mother shot her a deathly glare, but she didn't seem to care very much for it.
For the next minute, all that followed was the Champion of Galar, the region's most heralded celebrity, trying and failing to pry the blue amphibian from his leg and direct it over to Cassius. When baby-talking it didn't work, he opted to instead pry the Pokémon off of him. The Sobble just latched onto his leg and started crying even more.
Eventually, after multiple failed efforts, Leon stood back up, regained his posture, and offered what was apparently an apologetic smile—though, to Cassius, it looked more like an I have no idea what to do type of look. "Well! It, uh, seems that this Sobble has suddenly become very attached to me. Unfortunately."
It was a miracle that Cassius heard himself over the embarrassed cries of anguish ringing in his own head. "It... seems that way."
"Yes!" Still, Leon tried to get the situation back under control. "Worry not, Cassius! Some Pokémon happen to pick their trainer before the trainer picks them! I'm certain it's nothing on your end that scared it away! This Sobble seems to just be set on me becoming its partner!"
The positivity in Leon's voice was making Cassius feel even worse. "Apparently."
"... if you want, I can give you the Poké Ball it came in. It might take some work, but I'm sure you two would warm up to each other given enough time."
For some completely unknown reason, the terrified look in the Sobble's expression made Cassius think otherwise. He figured that he'd just leave this whole debacle behind him with his dignity still intact. "You know what? You can keep him."
Leon's brow raised. By now, his lower left pant leg was completely soaked with tears. "Are you sure?"
'Take the hint, dumbass.' "Yeah, I'm sure. I've got Hyla anyway, so it's fine."
"Hyla?" Leon's face scrunched in confusion, before lighting up in realization (and potential relief to be talking about literally anything else). "Oh, you mean the Deino you caught yesterday! I'm surprised you've already named it—you two must have become fast friends!"
Cassius' breath hitched. Hop started fidgeting nervously, while Gloria's glare was bordering on lethal. Leon wasn't supposed to know that he had actually owned this Deino for the better part of six-plus years. He was supposed to have caught this mean-spirited Deino yesterday.
"I, uh..." Cassius quickly scrambled for an explanation, settling for the first one he could come up with. "I name all Pokémon I catch! Yeah! I like to, um, get friendly with Pokémon early." He laughed a little too hard for his liking. "Like Miss Meredith says, one-of-a-kind! Haha..."
'Please fall for it. You've already embarrassed me enough in the past 24 hours. At least let me have this.'
The smile that lingered on the champion's face told him that his wish had come true. "Great to hear it! I'm sure you'll meet a great many Pokémon on your journey that will be more than happy to join your party. Keep the faith!" At least someone was excited for him.
"Well!" Linda Dande, in all her motherly expertise, quickly cut in. "Enough of that trainer nonsense for one day! You're in luck—lunch is ready and waiting inside. Bring your Pokémon!"
"Right. Before that, though!" Hop turned a challenging eye to Gloria. "Been a long time comin, ain't it Gloria?"
Gloria seemed to pick up on... whatever it is Hop was thinking of. "Oh, you've no idea how long I've been waitin' for this moment." She smirked.
Cassius, mostly to himself, asked aloud, "Waiting for what?" He jumped again when he found Leon's towering form standing next to his immediate right. Either a knack for sneaking around people ran in the Dande family, or Cassius was really out of it.
"Ah, I suppose you wouldn't know, but these two have been dying for a chance to fight each other." Leon explained. "Hop's always had his Wooloo, but Gloria wanted to wait until she officially got her first Pokémon and began her challenge to battle Hop." That sounded a bit too meticulous and restrained for it to be Gloria's style, but Cassius didn't really know much about her to begin with. She could have been a genius beneath all that aggression and that accent.
Leon shot him a knowing look. "Well, I personally think it's something else that they've been waiting for. Something a little more, ah, intimate, if you're catching my drift."
Cassius was not catching anything from this man. "Intimate?"
"You'll see, I'm sure. Given enough time."
Meanwhile, any thought of battling was quickly snuffed out by the two adults present. "Hop, dear?" Linda asked with a sweet smile, and an ironclad grip on the younger boy's ear. "Did I not just say enough trainer nonsense for today?"
"C'mon, mum!" Hop whined. "We've been waitin' to do this for years! What's the harm in a quick little battle?"
"The harm is your lunch getting cold. You haven't even begun to start packing yet, have you?"
Hop slumped, which was an odd sight to see given that he was still angling down to his mother's height due to her grip on his ear. "No, ma'am..."
"Then you'd better get on that after lunch, shouldn't you dear?"
"Yes, ma'am..."
"And I expect you to help Gloria and Cassius pack once you're done."
Gloria beat Cassius to the punch before he could decline. "The offer's nice, but hardly necessary, ma'am."
"Oh, don't be like that, Gloria. You're going to be spending plenty of time with him, so you might as well start accepting his help now!" Meredith not-so-quietly snuck up beside Hop and whispered in his ear, "and, just so you know, I'm giving you express permission to share a tent with her. I get how dangerous things can get on the road, and a little intimacy can keep everyone safe!"
Gloria's face burned a bright red, and her accent became just a little more high-pitched. "An' who gave you permission to decide that, hag?"
Oh. So that's what Leon had been talking about. 'I'd better steer clear of... whatever that is.' The better to stay off of Gloria's bad side.
Pokémon were recalled to their capsules, and the group made to return inside. On the way in, Hop's mom shot him an apologetic look. "Sorry your parents couldn't have been here. I tried asking if they were available, but they said they had work. I'm sure they're very proud of the journey you're about to take."
Quite the opposite, in fact. It'd been a family effort to get him out of this mess earlier this morning, in fact. He definitely wouldn't have wanted them to see the embarrassment of being rejected by the most easily trainable and friendly Pokémon the Galarian Champion had to offer, in any case. "It's alright. They've got their own lives to adjust to. I'll talk to them later tonight."
The woman smiled. "Such a good son. I'd recommend you tell them goodbye, too, before you leave. Something tells me you'll be gone for some time before you see them again."
He didn't need a reminder. Who knows when he'd be able to see his family in person again after tomorrow? This morning, he'd been hopeful for a way out—now he was going to have to pack supplies for a multiple month-long trip beginning tomorrow.
Linda noticed his hesitation. "Are you alright, dear?"
Cassius threw up the best smile he could muster. "Yeah. Just nervous excitement." Hyla's Poké Ball flashed in the sunlight as he walked, as if she were trying to convince her too.
The phone rang, and before long, the tone ended in favor of a voice. "Hey, Lee. How'd it go?"
"Good!" Leon had to force himself a little bit, but not as much as he had to about an hour ago. "A few hiccups, but it all ended well enough. They're packing tonight, and they'll be on their way tomorrow morning."
"So I should be expecting them tomorrow, is what it sounds like?"
"Most likely. Be pretty shocked if something sidetracked them, but you know the journey. Always something to distract you."
"Don't I know it," the voice sighed in agreement. "So. How were they?"
"'Bout as you'd expect." Leon shot the three in question a look from his spot at the end of the hall. "Gloria got first pick, went Scorbunny. All the confidence in the world, that one."
"You expect anything less? Don't forget, I taught her everything she knows. The spunk is just an added bonus. S'why she's my favorite."
"I'm well aware," Leon smiled. "Hop went Grookey. No surprise there, I take it?"
"Nah, I could see that. Free-spirited, fun-loving. Wouldn't be surprised if Grookey'd been his first pick all along."
"You'll be pleased to know that's exactly what he said when he picked him."
"Seems I know your brother better than you do, Lee."
"Take him from me, why don't you?" Leon laughed softly. The expression fell once he realized where this conversation would naturally lead.
"So, the newcomer. Cassius, was it? He's got Sobble then."
"About that... Sobble actually didn't choose him."
He could feel the shock from the other side of the line. "Sobble didn't accept him as a trainer? That's... unheard of."
"My thoughts exactly," Leon sighed.
"Anything out of the ordinary? There had to have been."
"Not that I could see. A little stiff and nervous, but that's everyone when they receive a Pokémon." He could feel the embarrassed heat climbing along his back as he thought back on the incident. "Probably the most awkward experience of my life."
"It doesn't make any sense..." the voice tried to rationalize. "Sure, Sobble as a species are inherently shy, but I've never heard of one being so spooked that they'd deny a rookie trainer."
"Might be something with this individual Sobble," Leon added. "Poor thing wouldn't let go of me. I'll keep him around for the time being and see if I can pick up on anything unusual."
"And you'll let me know if you do pick up on anything?"
"I always do, don't I?"
The voice was silent for a moment, seeming to think something over. "I just can't make sense of it all... starter Pokémon don't do that. There has to be something else at play here."
"Well, they'll be at your place tomorrow, so you can check him out in person once they get there." Leon gave the newest Postwick citizen a brief look. "Though, I don't know what you'll hope to find. Seems like a good kid to me, and his deed yesterday speaks for itself."
"One good deed doesn't define a person. And I mean this in no offense, but you're not exactly the best judge of character."
"And you are?"
"I'm an apprentice researcher—it's my job to look beneath what's seen on the surface."
That much was true. "Just promise not to be too rough on him, alright, Sonia?"
"No promises."
Leon wasn't entirely comfortable with that answer, but he supposed it was the best he'd get from her.
The TV blared on with the news. "His younger brother, Hop Dande, and a surprise candidate in Cassius Hargreaves were the first two trainers chosen by Champion Leon, in his first year actively endorsing trainers. The champion is expected to add one more endorsed trainer to his tally, per reports, and..."
The couch's lone occupant, and the TV's sole audience, called out behind her, maintaining her attention on the screen. "You see this?"
A male voice answered in the form of a distant yell from the kitchen. "See what?"
"Champion's trainers. The ones he endorsed."
The voice thought for a moment. "Oh, right. Leon did mention somethin' like that. He pick 'em already?"
Eyes stared at the profiles of the two young men who had been chosen. Well, one of them anyway—the one named Cassius was just a blank slate with a default image rather than a face. "Apparently."
"Look tough?"
The girl grunted noncommittally. "Who knows?"
"Think you could take 'em?"
Bright green eyes lingered on the faceless profile. A wayward finger, with a nail painted black as night, idly fiddled with a strand of equally dark hair.
"We'll see."
"They look weak, sir."
"Come now, dear boy," a deep, authoritative voice called from beside him. "There's no need for insults. These two were chosen by our champion—hand-picked by the very strongest this land has to offer."
"With all due respect, sir," the younger voice added subserviently. "The Chairman of the Pokémon League is far more important than the champion. That's not even counting your status as President of Macro Cosmos."
The man hummed. "Maybe so. But it would be most foolish to count out Galar's strongest trainer. They will provide you with more than a decent challenge. They will most certainly not be weak."
"As you say, sir."
Flickering the massive screen off, the man paced slowly to his desk, taking a seat in his chair. The open window behind him stretched the entire city into view—as marvelous a sight as any in the entire region. A reminder of the prosperity and peace that reigned throughout the region—and would continue to reign.
"You've a great many tasks yourself to deal with." The man spoke after briefly admiring the view. "Will you be able to handle the League Challenge while attending to your duties?"
"Without fail, chairman," the younger voice answered without hesitation. "I was born for this moment. It was the reason you chose me, after all."
Another hum. Such confidence, this boy. Much like himself, back when he was younger. That meant he would only get stronger as time wore on. Such a development would do nicely for his future plans.
"You are strong. I am fully confident that you will rise to the occasion and become the very best trainer this region has ever seen," he smiled. "Bede."
Determined purple eyes met the chairman's. "I will not fail you, Chairman Rose."