That's My Girl
1
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"It's a big step you know...moving from one region to the other. Especially from Alola to Galar! That's a long hop skip and a jump across a mighty ocean you know! Not to mention a mass atmosphere and climate change...are you sure you're ready for that, Kalia?"
"Even if I wasn't sure, Kukui...it's already done." Kalia sighed as she went back and forth with her troublesome brother back home in Alola.
She knew he was only expressing his concern...after all...to move from Tropical Paridise Islands to small towns and industrial cities was indeed quite a game changer...especially to those who knew nothing but such places for most of their life.
"And this guy you're seeing...you really like him, yeah? I mean...you're willing to go this far for him...I just want to make sure you're not pitting yourself in the end..."
"Yes Lee, is..." Kalia sighed happily into the phone as she looked up at the replaying ads that featured Galar's undefeated Champion as they approached closer to the region...and she smiled. "Lee is wonderful." she said softly, "I really do like him...if anything he is what will make this commute all worth it."
"And Nouii?"her brother, referred to as Kukui, shed a bit of concern as he questioned this,"She'll like him too, do you think?"
"I hope so..." Kalia sighed, glancing through the personal cabin of the first class seats they shared on the subway.
Her boyfriend had been so kind as to spend the extra buck, trying to make for a good first impression for the one that had locked herself up in the privacy cabin with the telly on.
"He's a good person...and I just know that with a little time...surely...Nouii will see it too."
xxx
"Welcome, one and all to our wonderful world of Poke'mon~! Our lovely Galar region is a wonderful place, with thriving nature, beautiful cities and many Poke'mon with which we share our lives! As you well know by now, our society is able to thrive thanks to these mysterious creatures that we all call Poke'mon! Yes, Poke'mon are all around us-in the sea, in the sky, and even with us in our towns! And those of us who choose to raise and train Pokemon to do battle and compete...we call ourselves, Poke'mon Trainers!"
"Oi...isn't that stating the obvious..." Nouii mumbled to herself as she held the clicker firmly with one hand.
She had seen this sharply dressed man many times by now...
On posters...
In tv broadcasts...
On almost every channel the Subway provided...there he was.
Him...and one other person...
"Oh! But I'm getting carried away~ Please allow me to introduce myself! My name is Rose! and it's a pleasure to be here!"
"Rose, huh? An odd name for a guy..." she mumbled.
Not that it mattered...he wasn't the one that Nouii was waiting to see...
"Now turn your gaze to the Galar Region's greatest Trainer, your undefeated Champion...CHAMPIOOONNNNNNNN LEEEEOOOOONNNNNN~!"
In a blazing trail of sparks and fire stood a tall dark and rather handsome dark haired man with shining eyes. He shot a grin to the crowd and shouted-
"It's...CHAMPION TIME!"
And the crowd went wild.
They got so over excited in fact- that Nouii had to be forced to turn down the volume on the telly.
"I see..." she muttered to herself softly, "So Lee's name is actually Leon, huh?" she sighed.
Her mother had been seeing a man who she called Lee for quite some time now...
She was so excited to tell Nouii all about him.
And now...
They were up and leaving their island home to move into a place with him...while Nouii would be meeting this man for the first time.
Things seemed to be getting serious...it made her stomach churn something fierce.
Undefeated Champion of the Galar region, huh?
She thought to herself.
I'll hand it to my mom...
The guy is really handsome...but...
She sighed as she clicked off the telly and dialed her father's number one more time...only to be left again on a series of un-answered rings.
"Still no answer..." she mumbled.
Beeeeeeep-
"Hey Daddy, it's-"
"We're sorry but this voice mailbox is full"
CLICK.
"Oh..." she sighed, a hand dropping to her side while her thumb tapped the screen.
"...No answer again, huh? W-Well that's okay...daddy is a busy man after all...s-so..." she blinked back a few tears, "...Next time then." she muttered softly through a broken smile.
Ever since the divorce was made official some years ago... Nouii and her father hadn't spoken.
She called him constantly...but he never seemed to answer.
And when they did finally connect...he always seemed far too busy to give her his time.
During his absence, Nouii's mother had moved on, and forward with a man named Lee who she met during one of his tour trips to Alola.
Suppose Nouii could have taken the opportunity to meet himthen...
But she was always a bit of a scamp.
Ever since she was small.
Always off on her little adventures, exploring all the nooks and crannies of the islands she called home...
Crawling through hidden sea caves...
Mantine surfing between the Islands.
Rushing off with her friends or even just helping her Uncle Kukui in his lab.
There was always something new to see...
Something fun to do...
She never stayed in one place-
Apparently-
Lee liked that Kalia had a daughter who was always full of energy and adventure-
He found it amusing and endearing...
At least...
That's what her mother told her- whenever she claimed to talk to him about her...
They stayed in contact and eventually became an item...Now...they were moving in together.
With him...
In the Galar region...
He had bought them a house in Postwick, his home town, and this would be where they would start their new life with him...as afamily.
So her mother says.
"We Will be arriving at Wedgehurst Station by mid morning..."called the conductor.
"Wedgehurt station, huh...?" Nouii sighed, leaning back her lavender colored head against the cushy seat of first class.
So mom's new boyfriend is famous, kind and has got dough apparently...
She blinked her golden eyes.
But I've come to learn the hard way...
If something is too good to be true...then...
She shifted a gaze to the blank screen of her phone which suddenly lit up.
She felt her heart flutter.
"Daddy!? He's calling me back!?" excited to respond, she felt a sting in the chest when the name that popped up was "Kukui"
"Oh..." she blinked and narrowed her eyes softly.
...It's often not real, to begin with...
Beep
"...Alola, uncle Kukui..." she smiled and greeted her uncle with the Alolan wave as her Rotom Phone floated to display the video screen of their call.
"Alola, Nouii~!"he smiled and returned the gesture,"I just got off the phone with your mom, She said you will be arriving in Galar really soon!"he beamed,"I bet you're excited, yeah!?"
"Oh yeah, for sure." Nouii answered awkwardly, "Super excited to meet a strange man for the first time that we will be moving in with...Galar region here I come...I guess..."
There was a long silence between them.
Nouii and her uncle had a pretty close relationship.
In fact, he was pretty much the father figure in her life-
Seeing as he was part of her life far more than her actual father really was...
"...Well you know kiddo, the friends you've come to know now all started out as strangers once before, yeah?"he smiled,"So maybe don't be too quick to judge before you give it all a hardy chance first."he hummed,"Besides..you've always been the adventurous type, yeah?"
She couldn't help but crack a small smile at that...
"That's true." she said softly.
She always loved a good adventure.
"So think of this just like that~"said Kukui,"You're off now...on a brand new adventure!"
xxx
"Excellent Exhibition match as always, Leon~" Chairman Rose comended the man as he threw over his King's Robe, "Just listen to that crowd~" he smiled, "You sure you're willing to risk giving all this up, hm?"
"I never said I was giving anything up." Leon chuckled, "But I would not Unwelcome anyone who could surpass me." he grinned, "I have a dream...for everyone in Galar to be strong Trainers..." he smiled, "But I also have another dream...to settle down with a family of my own."
"This girl must be really something, huh?" said Raihan, who was his opponent in the said match that was spoken of, "You're all ready to give up the Championship to have a life with her!"
"Like I said Raihan, I'm not giving anything up!" Leon chuckled, "But I AM willing to pass the torch to someone else...should they earn it."
"Say...doesn't this girl of yours have a daughter?" asked Raihan.
"Yeah...that's the part I'm nervous about..." Leon responded with a bit of an awkward smile, "I hope she likes me...otherwise living together as a family is going to be really awkward."
"No way! Champion Leon~ Nervous!" Raihan laughed, "This girl is DEFINITELY something then!" Raihan blinked, "Wait living together?"
Leon nodded.
"I bought that little house at the top of the hill near my home in Postwick." he stated, "It's still close to my mum and Hop that way...I'll be neighbors with them."
"You know stepping into fatherhood is no easy matter..." said Rose, "Especially if it's not your own kid to begin with. Playing daddy to a child of another man is even harder."
"The way I see it-she is just another extension of Kalia!" Leon glared, "I love Kalia, as such, I love Nouii as well!" He didn't take too well hearing someone referring to her daughter as "it" even if Nouii wasn't his...he promised Kalia to love and accept her as though she were.
Now he just needed to meet her...
"Besides...I practically raised Hop so...it shouldn't be too hard, right?"
"Girls are WAY different from boys dude." Raihan chuckled.
"I see...Then I'm in trouble." Leon chuckled awkwardly along side him.
"By the way, Leon, I need to meet with you about something tomorrow." said Rose.
"What!? Tomorrow!? But I am supposed to be heading home for a bit tomorrow." he stated, "I promised my little brother-"
"It won't take too long, You can just meet with him later." he stated, "See you then." and with that Rose was gone and Leon heaved a heavy sigh.
"I swear sometimes it feels like he doesn't think anyone else has a life." Raihan huffed before shifting his gaze to Leon, "Also, I wouldn't worry about anything he said about stepping into fatherhood." he stated, "As you've stated, if you think of your girlfriend's child as another extension of her to love then you are going in with the right mindset." he grinned, "Just be yourself and let the rest fall naturally-"
But it seemed Leon was paying no attention to any of Raihan's actually rather decent advice...he seemed to have something heavier on his mind.
"Now I really AM in trouble..." he muttered softly.
"How do you mean, mate?" asked Raihan as he finished organizing his locker and clicked it shut.
"Kalia and her daughter are supposed to be arriving to settle into our house tomorrow morning." said Leon, "Not only did I promise my little brother that I would be home for a bit tomorrow, I also promised her that I would meet them at the station..." he sighed.
"I see...yeah that does put a damper on things, huh?" said Raihan as he pondered, "Not setting much of a good first impression for a girl you want to call you dad one day if you make a promise and don't show up..."
Leon groaned.
That observation certainly didn't help things.
"I guess I'll have to call Hop and see if he can do it..." he stated, "But it's so late now...he's probably asleep." he sighed, "I suppose I'll have to call him in the morning..."
xxx
It was an early sunrise and a young boy slept nestled against the warm wool of a Wooloo while the Rookidee cried to the morning son. A constant ringing disturbed his sleep and he groaned rolling to the side and fumbling about blindly until his hand finally managed to grasp the phone in his hand.
"Mmph...Hello...? Lee...?" the boy groaned and yawned as he tried to rub his tired eyes awake.
"What!? What do you mean something came up!? Lee you promised!"
" I know, Hop...I know." he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Sorry to wake you so early to drop the bomb...I'm still coming- it will just be a little later than initially planned."
"How late are we talking?" asked the boy on the other line.
"Well I am hoping no later than lunch time, but listen Hop, I am calling to ask you for a favor..."
"Huh? A favor? what sort of favor?" the boy yawned and rubbed his eyes as he listened.
"So you know that woman I have been seeing right? The one I met when I was touring in Alola? Kalia?"
"Aye...what about her?" Hop wondered.
"Well she and her daughter are supposed to be arriving to settle into our new house next door today."
"Eh? A daughter?" Hop blinked, "You never mentioned that..."
"Didn't I?" Leon chuckled, "She's around the same age as you, I think!"
"Really!?" Hop beamed. "Well that would certainly be a nice change in pace! I wouldn't mind having someone my age to hang around with for once!"
"Aye." Leon chuckled, "Well they are arriving today and I promised that I would meet them at the station...but it doesn't look like I am going to be able to make it..." said Leon, "So I was wondering if you would mind meeting them there and helping them with their stuff at home-at least until I can get there."-
"Sure, Bro! You know I'd do anything for you, especially if I can help in anyway." Hop grinned, "So what time are they supposed to get here?"
"Early to mid morning."
"Hm?" Hop blinked as he looked to the clock and let out a gasp.
"Ahhh!? THAT soon!? Are you SERIOUS right now Lee!?" Hop huffed and panicked stumbling about as he hurriedly threw his clothes on, "You would have done better to call me up last night so that I could set an alarm or something!"
"But you were sleeping-"
"So Wake my arse up then Lee!" Hop huffed, "I swear-you're utterly REDICULOUS at times!" with a sudden slam of the door and the bleating cries of his following Wooloo. Hop was off to Wedgehurst, before his own mother could even grant him a proper good morning...
To Be Continued
