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The door to Hop’s hotel room has just barely clicked shut behind him when Leon’s Rotom Phone rumbles in his pocket. He fishes it out quickly, hoping it’s not another message from any of the assortment of League officials that have descended upon Wyndon following what everyone is referring to as The Incident. Calling it The Incident is a tad more polite than calling it Chairman Rose’s Barmy Break, at least, but Leon knows everyone’s thinking it anyway.
Regardless, he’s been running around nonstop for the past two days smoothing over as many ruffled feathers as possible in the wake of what had nearly been a regional disaster. He’d hoped after today things had been mostly settled, especially with his previously-interrupted Finals battle for the Championship with Gloria back on for tomorrow, but maybe there’s been a new snag. It wouldn’t be the first time. Whatever it is, he’ll fix it. He’s not Galar’s Champion for nothing, after all.
HammerlockeGymOfficial has posted one new photo!
Instantly at ease, Leon taps the notification to open up PokéPix. He’s not the only one who’s been busy—all of Galar’s Gym Leaders have been all-hands-on-deck working to ensure the mess Rose has left behind won’t be a lasting one. Leon hasn’t seen Raihan since early this morning, but it’s no surprise he’s still found time to snap some pictures for his social media. Leon can’t remember if he programmed his phone to give him a notification every time Raihan makes a new post, or if Raihan did it for him, but he’ll definitely take this over another message about a crisis or the like cropping up.
The picture pops up on the touchscreen. Instead of an up-close view of Raihan’s trademark sharp, toothy grin, or even a group shot with admiring Trainers or fans clustered around Raihan's tall frame like Leon was expecting, however, all Leon can make out is sand, clouding up the whole frame and obscuring anything else that might be in the picture from view. The picture has been up for less than a minute and it already has over 16k likes and 3k comments.
Raihan is by far the most social-media-savvy Gym Leader in Galar. His official Gym Leader account boasts the most followers (second only to Leon's official Champion account by default), and is the most active. He makes all kinds of posts, ranging from selfies, fashion choices, and food, to showing off both his training routine and his workout routine (Leon has a whole separate picture folder on his phone dedicated to saving those pictures to because it's hard not to get a little thirsty sometimes, especially when Raihan shows off his abs).
But occasionally, every so often, Raihan will post a photo that only shows a sandstorm.
Alone in the top floor hallway of the Wyndon Hotel, Leon...hesitates. He’s been going nonstop all day. For two days. He was in the hospital for a day before that, after nearly being crushed by Eternatus. He has the Championship battle to prepare for tomorrow. He’d taken Hop and Gloria out for dinner tonight and he’d nearly nodded off at the end of it while waiting for the bill. He’s knackered.
He could pretend he didn’t see it. That he was already back at the hotel, ready for bed, or even already asleep. Raihan would understand. That’s why he posted the picture in the first place, after all, instead of just texting or calling Leon directly.
It’s tempting to walk the two doors down to his own suite and tuck in for the night, for maybe all of half a moment. But it’s Raihan. Leon can’t bear to let his own fans down, let alone the man he loves. He’s just plain incapable of it. It's...it's...unsportsmanlike.
Leon taps the Like button on the photo, so Raihan will know he’s seen it. The first time Raihan ever posted a captionless photo of a sandstorm on his HammerlockeGymOfficial account, he was bombarded with thousands of comments questioning whether he’d meant to post at all or if he was finally cracking under the weight of his losing streak to Leon. When a reporter had caught up to him and asked him about it a while later, Raihan had laughed it off and said he’d just been practicing his weather moves with Flygon and liked the way the storm looked, the aesthetic of it.
As the years had gone by, with more photos of nothing but blowing sand popping up here and there on Galar’s most powerful Gym Leader’s social media account, the general public came to accept it was just one of the fan-favorite Leader’s many quirks. There’s even a few dedicated fan accounts out there that try to analyze each sandstorm pic, looking for an in-depth meaning behind them, as if Raihan’s trying to send out some kind of coded message.
For Leon, however, there’s no mystery. The sandstorm pics are meant solely for him. The coded message is come meet me in our spot.
Bypassing his room with the wide, comfy bed, Leon strides past the elevators too and pushes through the double doors at the end of the hallway into the stairwell. He leaps down the stairs two and three at a time, trainers slamming against the concrete in solid thuds that echo jarringly loud after the plush quietness of the fancy hallway, and instead of exiting into the main lobby and causing a fuss, he bursts out the side door into the small alleyway on the side of the hotel and out into the cool, crisp night.
His heart rate is up from the speedrun of the stairs, and coupled with the fresh air he feels a little more alert. He releases Charizard from his pokeball.
“Evening, champ,” Leon greets him fondly when Charizard rumbles at him questioningly, probably wondering what on earth they’re doing standing in a dark alley by themselves. “Up for a quick flight?”
Charizard perks up at that. He's always up for a flight, and will nearly pout if he finds out Leon has taken a Flying Taxi. Perks of being the Champion, and all—they're actually allowed to fly, unlike the rest of the Trainers in the region, so Leon tries to indulge Charizard when he can. Tonight might be a little frigid, but they're only skipping down to Hammerlocke from Wyndon. Leon could jog it if he felt like dealing with the snow on Route 10.
"Down to Hammerlocke, old friend," Leon says, and Charizard obligingly crouches down enough for Leon to be able to vault up onto his back, settling into familiar place.
Pumping his wings twice, Charizard leaps into the air, shooting upwards into the sky like a jet. Leon's heavy cape tugs uncomfortably at his throat for a minute, flapping wildly in the wind, before Charizard levels off and starts to wing towards the south, every powerful downbeat of his wings propelling them across the night sky. Leon's doing zero of the work but he still feels just as light and giddy as the very first time they took to the air together, closing his eyes against the rush of air and trusting Charizard to know the way.
It's a quick trip, Charizard touching down gently outside of Hammerlocke's towering stone walls just as the chill in Leon's bare forearms was beginning to grow unbearable. Leon hops down, adjusting his snapback and slinging his cape back into some kind of order, giving Charizard a fond pat on the nose.
"Bang up job as always," Leon says, and Charizard huffs out an amused snort as if to say what else did you expect?
Resting his hands on his hips, Leon turns to survey the wild area. Charizard's put them down in the Hammerlocke Hills, just outside the city, which Leon appreciates if only in the name of saving a little time: when people see him, they tend to want to snap selfies and ask for autographs, which he's always more than happy to indulge, but tonight he has somewhere to be and doesn't want to be held up. Luckily the stone steps leading up into the huge, fortress-like entrance of Hammerlocke are empty, as is the immediate grassy lawn outside; no Trainers are out camping here tonight since nearly everyone who's a fan of Pokémon is up near Wyndon right now for the Finals.
"You're going to have to lead the way," Leon says to Charizard, a little sheepishly, "unless you feel like getting a little lost tonight. Let's go find our Raihan?"
Charizard snorts again, and if a Pokemon could ever convey a dry look, exactly now would be it. Stretching his wings, he jumps back up into the air, staying low enough for Leon to track in the dark, starry sky, and Leon starts off at an easy jog after him, cape flapping behind him like a particularly long, flat tail.
It's not that Leon's purposefully bad at directions. His unfortunate lack of an internal compass has granted him somewhat of an air-headed reputation among his detractors and even some of his supporters with no small amount of chagrin. He spent a solid portion of his late teenage years trying to get better at it, frustrated, back when he still cared about what every single internet comment said, but to no avail.
Leon can look at any Pokémon in Galar and name its type, its weaknesses, its strengths, its move set all the way from level 1 to 100, what kind of nature is best for its typing, and how to build an entire 6-member team around it as the anchor. He can come up with battle strategies both thought-out and intricate, and on-the-fly in the middle of a fight when the initial setup doesn't work. His brain is a Pokémon index, built mostly on intuition, and that takes up a lot of space. There isn't any room left for other things like remembering how to get from here to there.
And why bother to try? He has Charizard, he has Raihan, he has Sonia, he has Hop. Between the four of them, there's always a guarantee Leon will get to wherever he needs to be.
Charizard leads him around the ridge of Hammerlocke Hills, and Leon's comfortable jogging pace is fortunately too fast for any of the wild Pokémon stomping around in the grass to take notice or interest in him. The weather is clear, but as Charizard takes him through Giant's Mirror towards Dusty Bowl, Leon can already see the Bowl is living up to its name: a sandstorm is swirling, obscuring the landscape as the wind whistles ominously in the dark.
They come to a halt together just on the edge of the storm, right before the danger of being pelted with sand becomes tangible. Leon knows they're going to have to plunge in if they hope to reach Raihan—he may be terrible at directions but he still knows exactly where his boyfriend is, even if it'd take him half the night to actually get there without a little help.
"I can ask Rhyperior to lead the way instead," he offers when Charizard eyeballs the sandstorm with thinly-veiled disdain.
That earns him another snort, Charizard champing his teeth pointedly.
"Alright, alright," Leon laughs, digging into his items. "You're as proud as Rai-chan. Hold on just a tick." He finds his Safety Goggles, carefully slipping them over Charizard's head and eyes, adjusting the strap so they won't slip off. An old gift from Sonia, they'll keep Charizard from taking any damage from the sandstorm.
They'd be mighty useful in actual battle with Raihan, but Leon reserves them just for this specific use. Raihan's entire strategy revolves around weather-type moves, and Leon doesn't want to cancel them out with an item. His victories wouldn't feel so well-won.
"It's all you, mate," Leon says, stepping back and gesturing Charizard forward. Charizard doesn't hesitate, folding his wings neatly along his back before walking into the sandstorm. Leon pulls the brim of his snapback a little lower across his face and follows his trusted partner.
The Dusty Bowl isn't that large of an area, but at night, in the dark, while a sandstorm is blowing, it's certainly disorientating enough to feel huge. Leon keeps his eyes focused on the bright flame of Charizard's tail, bobbing up and down with every step, and tries not to breathe in too much sand as they make their way towards the stone wall at the back of the area. It feels like it takes longer in the dark, at Charizard's somewhat slow, lumbering pace, but eventually the spray of sand lessens just a little as they come up along the side of the cliff that, if Leon were daft enough to climb it, would put him right back in Hammerlocke Hills.
From here, Charizard follows along the natural wall deliberately slow. Leon knows what he's looking for—it's so easy to miss, in fact, that as far as he's aware, he and Raihan are the only two Trainers to have ever discovered it: a small opening, hard to see in the shadows of the rocks and blowing sandstorm, the angles of the rocks nearly perfectly camouflaging it.
Of course, it's doubly hard to see at night.
Ahead of him, Charizard stops, and Leon nearly trips from trying to stop himself from walking straight into his flame tail. Straightening, Leon strides up alongside his Pokémon, squinting through the wind and sand.
Two bulbous, red eyes peer out of the darkness just ahead, set wide apart and glowing just enough to be eerie. Leon, however, is happy to see them.
"Flygon," he calls, and the eyes blink before disappearing. Leon reaches sideways to give Charizard's warm flank a pat. "Go on."
Three more steps, and the hidden entrance to the cave is visible, helped by the glow of firelight coming from deeper within. Leon waits for Charizard to squeeze his way through the narrow entry before following him, and he can distinctly remember not needing to duck so much back when they first used to come here, years and years ago when they were merely two young Gym Challengers with big dreams. Since then, the cave has become their secret getaway, far away from League responsibilities, the general public, and Leon’s full schedule thanks to Rose and his PR machine.
Though, Leon supposes, they don’t have to worry about circumventing Rose anymore to catch a break. Raihan can probably just text him to come here now rather than post a sandstorm pic. It’s a strange thought.
After the narrow entrance, the cave widens out into a space comfortable enough for an entire campsite to be set up in—and that's exactly what Raihan's done, his tent pitched in the very back while a crackling fire is set up in the dead center of the wide space. Shaking sand out of his hair, Leon comes to a stop and watches Raihan in action, dancing to a pop song—Leon doesn't recognize it, but honestly he never can keep up with the latest pop hits until Raihan decides to introduce specific songs to him—blaring out of his floating Rotom Phone's speakers as he stirs the huge pot of bubbling curry set up over the flames. Leon can smell the spice heat index from here.
Leon can't help but smile at the sight of him, his Raihan, dancing with his entire lanky frame like he's putting on a performance in this cave, empty save for his scattered Pokémon team. On top of providing a soundtrack, his Rotom Phone snaps pictures as it rotates lazily through the air in a wide circle around the pot, catching Raihan in various poses here and there as he stirs. Occasionally he looks directly at the camera and throws up his famous clawed-hand snarl stance for good measure, the glow of the firelight highlighting all of his best features. No doubt he'll post a whole album of these on PokéPix sometime later.
Raihan is the most ridiculous person Leon has ever met. This is exactly the same thing Raihan says about him.
As he dances around the curry pot, Raihan catches sight of Leon and Charizard standing in the entrance to their secret cave and points at him dramatically without breaking from his stirring. Leon immediately snaps into his Champion Pose, throwing one arm up into the air while closing his other fist down at his side, and Raihan lets out a loud laugh, shaking his head even while his Rotom Phone snaps a flurry of pics.
“He laughs but he loves it,” Leon says to Flygon as Raihan goes back to his currymaking and Charizard lumbers off to touches noses with Turtonator, using one claw to deftly pull the Safety Goggles from his eyes so they hang down around his neck instead. Flygon chirps, and accepts a gentle scratch beneath his chin, elegant tail swishing slowly back and forth.
Duraludon is snoring quietly, asleep standing up like a giant monolith of stone, but Goodra comes over to greet Leon, cooing at him hopefully. Understanding, Leon releases Dragapult, who immediately swirls around Goodra in delight, the two of them chattering away—they’ve always been friends, ever since Goodra was a Goomy and Dragapult was a Dreepy. Leon takes out his own phone and snaps a couple of pictures of them.
“Not yet, Charizard!” Raihan shouts suddenly, and Leon looks across the cave. Raihan fends Charizard off with the curry ladle, and from the looks of it Charizard was trying to stick his snout directly into the pot. “Greedy bastard lizard!”
Charizard merely rumbles, yawning widely in Raihan’s face, and Leon snaps a pic of Raihan’s scandalized expression. That’s absolutely lock screen material.
“Stick your tail under the pot,” Raihan orders, stirring the curry vigorously, “or see if I feed you at all, ya fuckin’ weapon.”
“You know he loves your spicy curry, so you can’t really blame him,” Leon teases as he walks over. Charizard does as Raihan asks, at least, turning around to place his tail into the flames and amping up the heat of the fire as Raihan stirs.
“You’re right, I can blame you ,” Raihan says, mock-griping, “seeing as he got his manners from you.”
Leon grins. “Hi, nice to see you, love.”
Raihan slants him one of his best lazy smirks, and leans over for a quick kiss. “I was hoping they were finished running you ragged for the day.”
“It hasn’t been that bad,” Leon says idly. “I even had time to take Hop and Gloria out to dinner.”
“Dining with the competition again, eh?”
“That’s nothing,” Leon says dismissively, “I date my biggest competition.”
Raihan laughs, but Leon can tell he’s pleased. “So how are things aside from that?”
“Everything’s a go for tomorrow,” Leon says. There’s a thrill of anticipation in his gut as he says it. It hasn’t even happened yet but tomorrow’s battle is going to be monumental. He can tell. Gloria’s no ordinary Trainer; the way she’d not only faced down Eternatus without flinching, but battled it into submission and caught it, where Leon himself had failed in doing so, was something else. She’s going to give him a fight unlike any other battle he’s ever had before, Leon just knows it. He can’t wait .
Raihan hums noncommittally, something odd in his expression for a moment before he reverts back to his usual easygoing grin. “Alright, now you have to put your heart into it,” he says, cocking his head towards the bubbling curry in amusement.
Leon catches Raihan’s hand in his own, linking their fingers together. “Ready?” he asks, and Raihan makes a kissy face at him before they both blow a kiss at the pot in unison, Raihan’s Rotom Phone zooming all around them snapping pictures. There’s no real rhyme or reason as to why it’s a well-known Thing to have to put your heart into the curry you make for your team, and everyone generally has a different approach. Their own little routine had formed naturally on its own over the years, starting off goofy and merging into sincere.
And speaking of, next comes Leon’s favorite part—Raihan tightens his grip on Leon’s hand, swinging him around so he can catch Leon’s other hand and pull him in close. Leon goes with the motion, allowing Raihan to fold their bodies together, sliding his own arms down around Raihan’s trim waist as they kiss again, slower and more drawn out than their brief peck before. Leon can feel his snapback coming loose on his head, but Raihan’s mouth is warm and tastes like spicy Figy Berry.
“You look tired, Lee,” Raihan says when they draw back just a little. He keeps his forehead pressed lightly against Leon’s, the soft material of his Trapinch beanie like a cushion between them.
“I do?” Leon asks. He’d been tired back at the hotel, but after Raihan’s post acting as a public secret message to invite him here, and the subsequent trip to get here, he’s feeling more lively. “It’s been a long day. I nearly did just turn in even after I saw your post.”
“I’m glad you came.” Leon can feel Raihan toying with his hair absently, curling his fingers through the long ends gently. Raihan’s always been tactile, even when they were 10 and he was constantly slinging his wiry arm across Leon’s shoulders and threatening to beat him next time, next time, I swear. Leon’s always soaked in every touch like a sponge. “I was going to facetime you if you didn’t, but this is better.”
“Much better,” Leon agrees, stroking Raihan’s back. His Rotom Phone hovers in close and automatically they both turn their heads sideways to face the camera, pressing their cheeks together and pulling faces.
Raihan laughs, his whole body shaking against Leon’s with the force of it. “I’ve got you so well-trained,” he says in satisfaction after the Rotom flits away again. “Remember when you were terrible at pictures?”
“I still think all your editing saves me most of the time,” Leon admits wryly. He’s nowhere near as adept as Raihan is at selfies or social media in general, but as far as Leon’s concerned, it’s pretty simple: taking pictures makes Raihan happy. Ergo, Leon will take as many pictures as Raihan wants.
Most of the pictures of the two of them aren’t even meant for Raihan’s social media accounts; Leon knows without asking Raihan won’t be posting any of the pics from tonight that contain Leon in them. Neither of them worry about conflict of interest with the League or even public perception—it’s not about that at all. Leon’s been in the public eye since he was 10 years old and became Champion on his first attempt at the Gym Challenge, and Raihan’s not too far behind him either given he’s held the Hammerlocke Gym Leader position since their teen years. Both of their lives are very public. Their relationship is private, just for the two of them.
“I should do a throwback Thursday of you when we were, oh, 14,” Raihan says. His vivid blue eyes are narrowed in gleeful speculation. “I think the people of Galar deserve to remember what their beloved Champion looked like only a few short years ago. Though I don’t see how they all could have possibly forgotten.”
“I can and will ask your mom to send me baby pictures,” Leon says calmly, “and we both know she’d be delighted to indulge me.”
“You’re relentless even outside of Pokémon battles,” Raihan says with a sigh, reaching up to adjust Leon’s snapback for him, tilting it to be more secure again on his head.
Charizard noses his way in between them, his bulk enough to pry them apart. He noses Leon gently, looking longingly at the curry, and Leon laughs, reaching up to stroke the top of his head. “Yes, we’ll feed you,” he says fondly, while on Charizard’s other side, Raihan lets out an exaggerated sigh, before he too gives Charizard a gentle pat.
“Oi, grub’s ready,” he calls out to his team scattered throughout the cave, “come and get it while it’s hot!”
Leon helps him dole out portions to all of the Pokémon, enlisting the help of Flygon and Goodra to help shake Duraludon awake so he doesn’t miss out on dinner. Once everyone is contentedly munching away, Leon accepts a bowl for himself even though he ate with Hop and Gloria back in Wyndon—he might as well be a bottomless pit as far as food’s concerned—and settles down next to Raihan leaned back against their favorite rock near the fire.
“Remember when we used to try and see who could cook the spiciest curry?” Leon asks while they eat. That had been back when they were still doing the Gym Challenge, trying to one-up each other in every conceivable way possible even outside of Pokémon battles. They’d thrived on competition even as newbie 10-year-olds, clashing again and again all over Galar.
“I got you pretty good that one time,” Raihan says with a sly smile, and Leon laughs ruefully.
“I’d gotten lost in the wild area as usual, and I’d been wandering for a lot longer than I’d planned but then there you were, by a stroke of luck,” he reminisces, “and you had your camp all set up all cozy. It was snowing.”
“You were pretty bedraggled,” Raihan says, amused, “and you looked so pathetic that of course I had to invite you to camp with me to rest. And you’d made that ultra spicy curry the last time we’d camped together, so I was ready.”
“You told me you only had enough supplies to make a sweet curry,” Leon says, a little mournfully. In retrospect, he shouldn’t have believed it for a moment.
“And you fell for it!” Raihan crows. “I’d practiced, too. You took that huge first bite and nearly died .”
Leon punches him in the shoulder. “You took advantage of a weakened opponent!”
“All’s fair in battle, love,” Raihan says sweetly, batting his eyelashes. “I wish we’d had Rotom Phones back then. You kept trying to eat snow.”
“To save my tongue from burning off .”
Raihan laughs, his shoulder jostling against Leon’s. “Classic.”
Leon elbows him, but laughs too. He’d been mad enough to challenge Raihan to a battle right there on the spot, and of course Raihan had come right back at him instantly. Leon had won, only barely, which soothed his dented pride, and afterwards they’d made up again while passing around Revives and Super Potions to heal up their Pokémon.
Their rivalry has always been elastic, loose and easy in instant friendship when they’d first met at the opening ceremony of the Gym Challenge as brand-new Trainers and stretched to the point of breaking in their battles as they throw everything they have at one another, but they’ve never come close to disliking each other. Even Raihan, who has every reason in the world to at least resent Leon for beating him every single time, has never truly hated Leon. When they were young, the sting of his losses must have been worse, but these days, even when he loses to Leon in stadiums packed with thousands of people and millions more watching on TV, he’s still capable of letting it roll right off his shoulders and looking Leon in the eye with that sharp smile to say next time .
“You ready for tomorrow, Lee?” Raihan asks after a stretch of companionable silence. They’ve finished eating, empty bowls set aside.
Leon looks away from watching Dragapult and Goodra toss the bouncy ball back and forth to each other. “Of course I am.”
“Are you sure?” Raihan’s studying him, oddly serious. The firelight makes his skin glow, and Leon can’t resist the urge to reach out and cup one warm cheek.
“You’re not usually this serious unless we’re battling,” Leon remarks, wondering if this is more of the glimpse he caught earlier.
Raihan blows out a puff of air slowly, not leaning into Leon’s palm but neither pulling away. “I’ve battled Gloria twice now, once in the Gym and again in the Finals. She’s not like any other Trainer I’ve seen before. She’s not even like you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Even with you, I can hold my own,” Raihan says, flashing him a brief smirk. “Up till a certain point, at least. But she just...steamrolls me. And I’m not the only one.”
“Hop,” Leon says, and Raihan nods.
“And the other girl, Marnie, and even that Bede kid. The rest of the Gym Leaders, too. You saw all the Finals battles. Gloria plowed through all of us without breaking a sweat.”
“Yes.” Leon considers. “You think I’m going to lose.”
“I think there’s a possibility you could lose,” Raihan corrects him. “Usually if anyone gets this far in the Finals, I’m still never worried about you pulling through. But this time...I don’t know, Lee.”
Leon’s quiet for a long moment. The fire crackles, logs shifting in a brief burst of sparks. Duraludon has gone back to sleep and is snoring again, a low rumble beneath the game of catch that has expanded to include Goodra, Dragapult, Charizard, and Flygon. Turtonator is still eating, taking his time and watching the others play.
“Truth be told,” Leon says slowly, his voice quiet, “I feel it too.”
Part of him has known it ever since Gloria’s pokeball clicked closed on Eternatus, the catch secured. She’d saved the day, not Leon. He’d never begrudge her that, not ever, but even where he’d laid half-concussed on the ground, Leon had felt the shift. She’s no run-of-the-mill Trainer.
And yet.
“Yeah?” Raihan says, somewhat cautiously.
“Yeah,” Leon agrees. “She may very well beat me tomorrow. If anyone can do it, it would be her.” He frowns. “Sorry.”
Raihan shakes his head. “Nah. Know you didn’t mean it that way.” He pauses. “But you’re not...worried?”
It’s Leon’s turn to shake his head. “No. It’s funny, I…” he trails off, trying to put the words in the right order. “Every time I think about our battle tomorrow, I get the same thrill of anticipation as always. I’m looking forward to it. I’m excited. I can’t wait to battle her. For better or for worse.”
“And if you do lose?”
“I don’t know,” Leon says thoughtfully. “Don’t take this the wrong way,” he adds, finding Raihan’s hand and wrapping it in both of his own down in his lap, “but I’ve never lost before. I don’t know what it feels like.”
“At least you’re honest,” Raihan says, dry as the sandstorm outside the cave, but he’s smiling.
“I don’t intend to find out tomorrow, either. I’m going to give it all I’ve got, just like every battle I’ve ever fought. I want everyone to have a champion time, and that means battling at the top of our game.”
“You and that bloody catchphrase,” Raihan mutters.
“I don’t want to lose,” Leon says, ignoring him, “but I might. And that’ll be alright. That’s what it’s always been about, hasn’t it? I’ve said every year to each new batch of Gym Challengers that I want one of them to face me in the Finals and defeat me. Maybe this year is finally it.”
“Maybe,” Raihan agrees. “Except you say all that, but are you really ready to give up your title? Are you really prepared to lose? In front of everyone, after being unbeatable for so long?”
“I’ve held onto this title long enough,” Leon says, shrugging. It’s never been about the title itself, anyway. Leon likes being the best, absolutely, but he’s always meant it every time he’s said he’s waiting for someone to come along and beat him. “Losing might be...a little rough, but it’s nothing we can’t weather.” He truly doesn’t know how he’ll feel when he loses. He won’t know until it comes. But if Raihan can get back up every single time, tall and proud, so can he.
Raihan lets out a short laugh, shaking his head. “You’re something else, mate. Anyone else who’s never lost once in their entire career might be at least a little bit daunted at the idea.”
“If I do lose, I’ll just be sorry it wasn’t to you,” Leon admits.
“Hah,” Raihan says, looking away for a brief moment before he seems to steel himself and looks back again, holding Leon’s gaze steadily. “I won’t lie, it’s frustrating. I’ve always wanted to be the one to beat you. But this isn’t about me.”
“It kind of is.”
“Maybe so,” Raihan allows, “but not really. If you lose tomorrow, I can still beat you any old other time after the fact. Unless you’re planning on hanging up your battling career with that cape.”
“No,” Leon promises swiftly. He could never give up battling, especially not just for one loss. That would be more embarrassing than the loss itself. He can’t imagine quitting just because he lost once. “I don’t want to stop battling. I don’t want to stop battling you.”
Raihan grins, sharp and jagged. “Then you might start racking up losses sooner than you think.”
Leon laughs, and leans sideways against him. Raihan’s bound to beat him one day, sooner or later. It’s only a matter of time; Leon’s never held the illusion he’ll remain perfect forever, even after ten-odd years. Gloria just might get there first—it’s not for certain, not yet, and Leon doesn’t intend to make it easy for her at any rate, but there’s a tiny thrill of nerves now to go along with his anticipation for their battle tomorrow. Anything could happen.
“This hasn’t psyched you out, has it?” Raihan asks, as if he’s read Leon’s mind. He drapes an arm along Leon’s shoulders, lifting his Rotom Phone briefly to take a quick snap of them sitting together. “You could still win tomorrow. This is all just speculation.”
“Oh, I know,” Leon says. He watches Charizard, busy balancing the ball on his nose for a suspended moment before he flicks it into the air and bats it back to Flygon. He thinks about Rose Tower, looming over Wyndon, silent and empty. “I’ll be fine. You’ll be there?”
“Wouldn’t miss it,” Raihan assures him, sliding his thumb along the back of Leon’s hand slowly.
“Is this why you called me out here?” Leon asks, smiling. “To check and see if I’m up for a potential loss? That’s very sweet.”
“Maybe I just wanted to make sure the League officials didn’t decide to throw you in a cell along with Rose after all,” Raihan says breezily, and Leon laughs.
“They wouldn’t dare,” he says, and makes sure to put as much posh snobbery into his voice as possible, “I’m Galar’s most beloved, undefeated Champion. I have a Charizard. ”
“Shut up ,” Raihan says pleasantly, and Leon’s only halfway through his laugh when Raihan pounces, shutting him up for real with a kiss. The rock behind Leon is firm and unyielding at his back, and Raihan is a force of nature all on his own as he pins Leon in place while they kiss, but Leon relishes the feeling of being caught up and held.
“We’re too old to have sex in this cave,” Leon reminds him when Raihan breaks away in order to begin mouthing his way down Leon’s throat. In their late teenage years, when their friendship-slash-rivalry had finally reached the tipping point of exploding into pure passion, there may have been some now-regretful incidences of outdoor sex, but neither of them are horny teenagers anymore, if only just barely.
“We’re not that old,” Raihan points out with a grin Leon can feel right up against his skin. “Tent’s right over there.”
“Or we could pack it in and head back to Wyndon. I have a very nice suite.”
Raihan laughs, pressing one last kiss right against his adam’s apple before he sits up, eyeing Leon with lazily-hooded eyes. “Alright, we can take this back to your hotel room if it means you’ll have a champion time—”
Leon hooks a hand into Raihan’s teeth-lined hoodie and tugs him forward into another kiss, Raihan laughing into it even as he comes willingly. Leon starts laughing too and the kiss dissolves a little, enough for Raihan to be able to pull out his Rotom Phone and snap another pic of the two of them pressed close together, grinning at each other with unbridled affection.
“Send me that one, will you?” Leon says reflexively and Raihan smiles, slow and curling.
“I always send them all, love,” he says, and then clambers back up to his staggering height, offering Leon a hand to pull him up too.
Leon helps him clean up the campsite, collecting the curry plates and packing up the tent. He recalls Dragapult and Raihan recalls the rest of his team too except for Flygon, who stays out along with Charizard as they do one last sweep of the cave to make sure they’ve left no trace behind. Wild Pokémon must come here for shelter sometimes when they’re not using it as a secret getaway, and who knows—maybe every now and then there actually are other Trainers who stumble upon the cave by pure luck, just like Leon did nearly a full decade ago.
Alright, maybe it wasn’t luck. He’d been a little lost at the time, trying to find his way to Hammerlocke, but at least he’d eventually remembered how to drag Raihan back to the same spot again days later.
“Flygon, would you take care of that for us, pet,” Raihan says as the four of them gather around the entrance to the cave. With the fire safely doused, and Charizard’s tail their only source of light, it’s too dark to see very far outside into the night, but the sandstorm is still blowing strong.
Flygon opens his wings, his bulbous red covers over his eyes beginning to glow. He flaps his wings once, twice, three times, emitting a singing noise that rings out across the Dusty Bowl as a high, clear note. Almost immediately the wind dies down and with it the sandstorm subsides, the dust and sand clearing away to reveal a cloudless, starry night sky.
“Brilliant!” Leon says enthusiastically, charging out of the cave to admire the new view before whirling around to beam at Raihan and Flygon as they follow. “You’ve never done that before!”
“We’ve been practicing,” Raihan says easily as he strokes Flygon’s antenna, but he grins, clearly chuffed. “Pretty ace, innit? Anyone can start weather effects in battle, but how about stopping them?”
“Forget Dragon Master, they’re going to start calling you Weather Master.”
“Has a ring to it.” Raihan snaps a pic of Leon absently, though with Charizard’s tail behind them Leon’s not sure what kind of lighting Raihan expects to have. “So. I’ll race you back to Wyndon.”
“You’re on,” Leon says immediately, and the two of them scramble onto their Pokémon, taking off in a flurry of kicked up sand and soaring high into the sky, the whole of Galar spread out beneath them at their feet.
*
Leon and Charizard win the race back to Wyndon, because of course they do, but back up in his hotel suite once Charizard and Flygon are recalled safely into their pokeballs for a good night’s rest, Leon allows Raihan to spread him out against the sheets.
Now more than ever even as Raihan touches him in all the familiar places, Leon can’t help but feel as if they’re balancing on an edge, teetering on the precipice of tomorrow and the unknown. The uncertainty is different, but Raihan is the same. He feels the same, his muscular body pressed against Leon’s, pressed inside Leon, and as they move together, hands gripped together tightly, Leon takes solace in Raihan’s strong, unwavering presence. Raihan’s been part of Leon’s journey since day one, after all, in one way or another.
Win or lose tomorrow, Leon will still have this, still have Raihan, and as far as he’s concerned, that’s all that really matters.
*
Despite the boundless energy he shows for the crowds, Leon is always calm and still in the locker room before a battle. He sits on one of the low benches, alone in the room, the noise of the quickly-filling stadium muffled overhead but slowly growing from a low murmur to a dull roar. All of Galar is going to be watching this match, and as many of them are possible are here in person.
He turns Charizard’s pokeball over in his hands slowly. He’s not nervous. Today’s battle will be a champion of a time, whether it ends with him retaining the title or crowning a new one in his place.
Instead, he’s merely pensive.
The door at the far end of the lockers opens, and Leon lifts his head. He’s half-expecting Hop to have finagled his way past League officials, but instead it’s Raihan, both hands tucked casually into the front pocket of his hoodie as he strides slowly across the room. Leon had woken up and left the hotel long before him in order to help the officials with the final preparations for the day, though it was probably better to not arrive together at the stadium anyway.
“You’ve got that look in your eye,” Raihan says with an easygoing smile, sinking down beside him on the bench. “Gloria’s in for a fight.”
“Shouldn’t you be up in the Gym Leader box?” Leon asks him, but slides Charizard’s pokeball back onto his belt and slips his hand into Raihan’s.
“Actually, I thought I might watch from the tunnel,” Raihan admits, giving Leon a sidelong look. “Pitchside view, and all that. If you’re alright with it.”
Leon blinks. “I don’t mind.” Aside from Leon himself, no one will be able to see Raihan standing there and wonder why, at any rate. Gloria might, but odds are she’ll be too focused on the battle to pay it any mind.
“Listen to them out there,” Raihan says after a few moments of silence, tilting his head back to look up at the ceiling. The crowd’s mood is starting to pick up as the battle draws near, stomping and clapping, voices rising and falling in cheers and singing. They’re already electrified, before Leon and Gloria have yet to even step out onto the pitch.
“Yes,” Leon says. They listen together for another few moments, ticking down the seconds. “I was thinking.”
“Oh?”
Someone knocks on the door, and a League official sticks her head in. “Mr. Leon? It’s time, sir, whenever you’re ready.” If she thinks it’s odd to see the Hammerlocke Gym Leader down here sitting right beside the Champion, she doesn’t comment. The way their bodies are positioned blocks her view from their linked hands, at least.
“Thanks,” Leon says, and she withdraws again. He gives Raihan’s hand a small squeeze. “Never mind. I’ll tell you afterwards.”
Raihan lifts an eyebrow, but stands up when Leon does, keeping his hold on Leon’s hand. He uses his free hand to gently tug Leon’s cape into place. “Nothing too heavy, is it?”
“No.” Leon smiles, walking them both over to the doors that lead into the tunnel out to the pitch. “It’s good, actually. Or at least I think it is. But I’d like your thoughts on it too. After this.”
Raihan studies him for a moment, taking in Leon smiling up at him. “Alright,” he says, leaning down to close the small distance between them for a light kiss. “After this.”
They push through the doors. The tunnel is dark, and none of the spectators can see them yet as they walk along it towards the bright opening at the end. Leon is charged up and ready to go, he lives and breathes for this, but it doesn’t have to be all.
He and Raihan stop together, just before the end of the tunnel. Leon looks up at Raihan one last time, and Raihan slants him a pointy-toothed grin, eyes crinkled at the corners.
They drop hands, and Leon walks out into the bright lights and onto the pitch to the roar of the crowd.
*
Charizard falls, his Gigantamax form exploding in a thunderous burst of fire and light as his Hit Points drain to zero, shrinking back down to original size and recalled into his pokeball.
Leon has lost.
Across the field, Gloria’s Dynamaxed Pokémon reverts back down to its normal size as well and she leaps into the air, her own cry of triumph drowned out completely by the screaming crowd, going crazy in the stands as they witness history.
Leon’s first reaction before he can even think to stop himself is to reach up and grab the brim of his snapback, pulling it down low across his face as if to hide. For a moment he can hardly think, hardly breathe, lungs crushed in his chest. It stings, worse than he ever could have imagined. He’s lost.
Beneath the brim of his hat, he glances sideways across the pitch, towards the tunnel. Raihan is there, leaned casually against the side. His eyes, so bright and blue even at this distance, find Leon’s at once, and slowly, deliberately, he smiles, lifting two fingers to his temple and giving Leon a tiny salute.
It’s okay.
Leon takes a breath. The cloud of uncertainty is gone. He’s already lighter. A grin suddenly sweeps across his face, so wide his cheeks ache from it, but it feels good. Gone is the sting of defeat, and in its place is only joy. Still gripping the brim of his hat, he pulls it off his head entirely and tosses it high into the air in celebration as the crowd goes wild.
“My time as Champion is over, but what a champion time it’s been! Thank you for the greatest battle I’ve ever had!”
*
There are seemingly hundreds of post-battle interviews to get through. Everyone wants to know how he’s feeling, if he’s alright, how he’s doing after experiencing his first ever career loss. Luckily Leon’s able to answer them all truthfully and absolutely sincerely—he’s feeling great. Galar is in good hands with their new Champion, and this year’s crop of Trainers are stronger than ever. He’s nothing but utterly, completely satisfied and happy.
The other question, of course, is what he’ll do now that he’s no longer the Champion. Leon keeps things light: the sky’s the limit, after all. Other than that, he tells them he has no solid plans as of yet, but of course they’ll all be the first to know. The reporters eat it up with a spoon.
Finally, after an age, they’re ready to fully move on to Gloria and begin cross-examining the brand new Champion, and Leon is free to go. He slips away, glad to surrender the limelight to her, and winds his way back down from the press room to the locker room. He still has a few extra belongings to collect from his locker, and then he’ll see about making his escape from the stadium, hopefully without running into any too -upset fans.
“There you are,” Raihan greets him as soon as he’s shouldered his way into the locker room. He’s sprawled out across two of the benches, scrolling through his Rotom Phone, but he gets up at the sight of Leon. “Damn, you know, I like you better already without the cape. Shows off your shoulders.”
Leon laughs as he goes over to him. “You’re still down here?” he asks, a little surprised. He thought Raihan would clear out with the rest of the crowds.
“Figured you’d come back eventually,” Raihan says with an easy shrug. He gestures to the bag sitting on the bench he’d been using as a pillow. “Packed up your duffel for you.”
“Thanks,” Leon says, grabbing the strap and slinging it onto his shoulder. “So.”
“So,” Raihan echoes him, amused. “You lost. How’s it feel?”
“It was pretty bad at first. Nobody likes to lose. But now I feel fine. Lighter.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. What’re they saying online?”
“It’s not important,” Raihan says dismissively, which tells Leon all he needs to know. There are probably plenty of people who are upset he lost, and plenty more that are viciously satisfied. But Raihan is right. It doesn’t matter. “So what were you going to say earlier?”
Leon smiles, thinking of the answer he’d withheld from the reporters, and takes Raihan’s hand. “I was thinking. Rose Tower. It’s just going to sit there on its own.”
“Most likely,” Raihan says as they walk together out of the locker room doors. “What about it?”
“It’ll take some string pulling at the League, but what if I turned it into a Battle Tower?”
“A Battle Tower,” Raihan repeats. “Huh. Now there’s a thought.”
“It’d be a much better legacy than letting it sit there as a reminder of what Rose tried to pull,” Leon says as they climb up the stairs, “and it’d be a gathering place for the elite of the elite. The strongest Trainers in Galar, duking it out in quick-paced battles that are easier to organize than throwing a whole tournament or Gym Challenge. It’s even on a Dynamax spot so it’d be possible to Dynamax during battle, too.”
“You have been thinking about this,” Raihan remarks, but he’s smiling. “You’ve only been ex-Champion for a hot minute and you’re already on to your next project.”
“I think it could be good,” Leon says, the familiar thrill of excitement coursing through him at just the thought of it all coming together. “But I wanted to know what you thought. As one of my former colleagues.”
“I think it’d be great,” Raihan says frankly. “Perfect excuse for me to keep battling you, at any rate, seeing as it’d be kind of weird if we kept having exhibition battles at the stadium. You said it yourself, you’re the awkward ex now, mate.”
Leon laughs. “I’m going to have to come up with a new catchphrase, too.”
“Oh no, the horror,” Raihan says, sounding genuinely worried, and Leon gives him a strong nudge. Raihan laughs, squeezing Leon’s hand. “I think you should do it. You’re already fired up about it. And if anyone has the leverage needed to pull the kind of strings it would take to make it happen, it’d be you.” They reach the short hallway at the top of the stairs that will lead them out into the lobby of the stadium where no doubt throngs of fans are still hopefully waiting, and Raihan stops, gently pulling Leon to a halt as well. “I’m glad you’re taking this well.”
“Of course I am,” Leon says brightly, dropping his duffel bag onto the floor so he can wind his arms around the back of Raihan’s neck, pressing their bodies flush together. “The show must go on, after all. We’re plenty young. We have our whole lives ahead of us.”
Raihan laughs, low and fond as he slides his hands down to Leon’s waist to hold onto him. “That we do,” he agrees, “and I for one can’t wait to see what you do.”
“What we do,” Leon corrects him, leaning up for a kiss Raihan gladly returns, and the future has never looked so brilliant and bright.