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[writer-in-theory]

Ever since he can remember, everyone has always said Steve looked like his Mama.

He acts like her too—that persistent kindness and protectiveness for the people they love, the ability to talk to people with relative ease, even the propensity for having a bit of an attitude. Even his soft brown eyes and the texture of his hair, all of it was Maggie Harrington.

Maggie always said that Steve was her greatest accomplishment, one of her best friends. She was so proud of her son, first for being Hawkins High's first All-State Champ in swimming and then for being a good role model in town. She'd missed the moment when he began to distance from her, from his parents, until she hardly knew anything about his life. She thinks it might've been because of Robert.

Steve Harrington could only have the best in store for him, which is why she'd allowed Robert to be tough with him. He knew what it meant to build a good future, what it would take to find happiness and stability. So she'd let Robert yell at him for throwing a party at their house and allowing a poor girl to go missing there. And she'd thought it had worked, based on the way Steve started bringing around sweet Nancy Wheeler and stopped hanging out with the Hagan boy. She thought it had worked.

When the Harringtons came home from their last business trip to Chicago, Steve was being dropped off by Police Chief Hopper. It looked like he'd been in a fight, and as much was confirmed when the Chief told him to stay out of trouble. Robert had been furious, ready to lay into Steve about the Harrington name and respectability, but then a group of kids Maggie didn't recognize tumbled out of the car, too, all hugging Steve and thanking him. He was their hero, they'd told the Harringtons, Steve was the best babysitter ever. Steve had never showed interest in babysitting before, but the way all of those kids so clearly looked up to him had Maggie in near tears.

Maggie had a feeling the mall job was a mistake. She'd felt it the moment Robert made the decision, loudly proclaiming that their son would learn what it was like to work a tough job, that he'd realize how lucky he had it that there was a family business he could be hired in. Maggie hated the humiliated look their Steven had given the first time he set out for the mall in that sailor's uniform, but her husband knew what it was like to be a teen boy, surely he had Steve's best interests at heart.

But then she'd gotten the call that there had been a fire, that Steve was involved and they needed to get down to the hospital. If she thought the fight in '84 looked bad, then nothing could have prepared her for the sight of her son in that hospital bed, vomiting profusely into a container and wincing through the obvious pain in his head. The morning after, that same group of kids fought the hospital staff to visit Steve, demanded it. The one with curly hair and the youngest girl loudly proclaimed that Steve had saved their lives, that he'd risked himself to make sure they were safe. Her baby was an actual goddamn town hero and she'd almost missed it, she almost never knew because she was too busy worrying about his future.

Maggie stopped worrying about family names and legacies, after that. She was the first to ask how his shifts at the movie store were and never minded when his talkative friend came over for dinner. Maggie kept waiting for the moment Steve would admit the two of them were dating, but he kept insisting they were friends, best friends.

She never saw Eddie Munson coming.

After the fourth tragedy to befall Steve, Maggie was convinced he needed to get out of Hawkins before it destroyed him. No one could find Steve in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake. He wasn't at the shelter, or the hospital, or with any other search parties. She'd worried briefly that the serial killer had gotten him, too, that they'd have to see what was so horrific about the method of killing that had left the town sparking a witch hunt for the guy.

He was found later at the Munson trailer, wearing military-style gear and bleeding out from his abdomen and neck. Maggie would never understand how an earthquake could cause that level of damage, nor the kind that was found on Eddie Munson just beside him. When Steve had woken up in the hospital, he'd simply told her that he couldn't talk about it, that it was better if she didn't know. She thinks that might be true.

Once Steve recovered, he stayed by the Munson boy's bedside every day. He'd bring a book, or a hacky sack, anything to keep himself busy while Eddie slept off his injuries. And when he came home, Steve was with him constantly. They were volunteering, he'd told her.

Then one day, months after the earthquake, Steve came home looking nervous.

"Mom." Maggie ached for the days when he'd come waddling into the living room screaming Mama, missed when he felt like he could tell her everything. When had that disappeared? "I need to tell you something."

"Of course, Stevie. You can tell me anything." Steve winced in the way she figured he would: they both know that hadn't been true in years.

Steve shuffled on his feet, wrung his hands together and worried them through his hair. Finally he stood ramrod straight, eyes focused directly on hers as he blurted the truth out. "Mom, I like guys. And girls. It's called being bisexual and I'm not sorry for it. I can pack a bag tonight if I have to, but I won't pretend anymore. I won't."

It was supposed to be scary. Maggie knows the version of her four years ago would have been terrified by the statement, angry or upset. Maybe she still is a little scared, only because she knows what the world is like for people who are different. She used to be upset by people who were different. In '83, she might've kicked Steve out for the fear of it all. But looking at him now, she saw the kid who drove those middle schoolers to the arcade because he could, and who saved peoples' lives in the mall at the near expense of his own, the guy who believed Eddie Munson was innocent even when the entire town had turned on him out of fear of the Other. She saw Steve Harrington, her darling son who'd grown up before she even realized it, becoming far greater a man than she could have ever hoped for.

"How long have you two been dating? You and Eddie Munson?" Maggie asked gently, a smile working its way on her face. She'd wondered why he hadn't dated anyone after Nancy, but maybe it was simply that he wasn't telling her about that part of his life anymore.

Steve's eyes widened, lips parting like he was surprised by the response. He floundered a little, looking around for an explanation. "Um. Since last summer, we met at the mall. How did you...?"

Maggie laughed then, far brighter than it ever had been in years. "I know when my son's in love. I just didn't know where to look, didn't notice the answer was right there."

"You're not...mad? Disappointed?"

"Honey," Maggie sighed, taking a few steps forward so she could grab onto his arms. "Steven Robert Harrington, you are my son. I will always love you, no matter what. I'm so sorry I ever ever made you feel otherwise. All I've ever wanted for you is happiness, and if that's with Eddie Munson then that's that."

"Mom," Steve croaked, voice cracking around the word as he pulled her in for a hug. She could feel him shake in her arms, sniffling like he was trying to hide the tears. "Do you want to meet him? Eddie, I mean, do you want to...?"

"He's outside?"

"He came over to support me, in case we needed to, well." In case his parents were kicking him out. God, where had they gone so wrong? "Do you want to?"

"Please," Maggie answered quietly, knowing this wouldn't be enough to make up for the years of wrong they'd done. She wanted to know her son, wanted to know the people who made him happiest. She wanted to hear about his day and know that if something ever went wrong that he would call his parents himself, not wait for the hospital or the police to do so. "Please."

Then Steve was bringing in Eddie Munson, who stood out in the pristine, polished Harrington home but who made Maggie's son's eyes light up in a way she'd never seen them. He was smiling, holding his hand out for a handshake.

"Mama, this is Eddie," Steve was saying, and Maggie could cry because it felt like she'd done something right, because she could see how deeply in love Steve was with Eddie because it was a mirror of her own expression when she looked at Robert. This was her son, and her future son-in-law, and Maggie couldn't be prouder.

[moraxrkive]

ƞsʄw ɑlpɦɑbet witɦ: ɱiƙɑsɑ

cw: this whole post is nsfw, so yeah... title is self-explanatory, lol. canon!universe, post-war mikasa, sapphic mikasa, female!reader, feeding kink (?) (not really confirmed, but it is mentioned so...). MINORS AND NON-WLW DNI. a/n: i'm not from the US, so i had to search how to convert bra sizes, so i'm sorry if it's wrong, i'm not used to this way of measuring chest.

A - AFTERCARE

mikasa is really good at aftercare, always making sure to take care of you with whatever you need: water, snacks, a massage, and even a bath. you name it, she does it. her personal favorite is massages: she loves both massaging you and receiving massages, she loves the contrast between the previous sexual touches and these softer ones.

B - BODY PART

i personally believe her favorite body part on herself is her arms. after years of fighting (not to mention her ability to carry those thunder spears), her arms are pretty big. she secretly loves that it’s so easy to swoop you directly into her arms, and how easy it is to just pick you up whenever she feels like it.

when it comes to you, her favorite body part of yours is your thighs. i can 100% see her being a thighs person. she loves them, she loves to kiss, bite and grab them. dare i say, she has wet dreams specifically about your thighs, but she’ll never admit it out loud. she’s obsessed.

C - CUM

our dear mikasa is a little shy when it comes to cumming. she doesn't like to cum on your face, even if you say 100x it's ok, she just doesn't feel like it. she feels as if it would make you dirty, and, to her, sex is something to make you feel good. she only cums either against your pussy or on your fingers (curiously, she doesn't complain if you make her suck your cum-stained fingers. huh)

D - DIRTY TALK

i'm sorry to the fans of dirty talk out there, but our dear mikasa is not a fan of it. like i said, she thinks sex is something to make you feel good, to make you feel loved. she's not wrong, of course. that's why she absolutely refuses to call you anything degrading. the maximum she can do is something along the lines of "you look cute when you're desperate". do not expect more from here.

E - EXPERIENCE

dear mikasa is not experienced. with all the stress and trauma from the war, eren's death and just the overwhelming discover of how the world really is (consequently, how her whole life was a lie), her libido was pratically nonexistent. pratically. once in a blue moon, she would engage in some private time for herself, touching herself silently in the dark of the night, but still a virgin. you were her first and, honestly, she hopes you'll also be her last.

F - FAVORITE POSITION

100% scissoring. she loves the eye contact you two make during it. to mikasa, intimacy and romance are the most important parts of sex, so expect her to be clingy during it. also expect a lot of eye contact, she loves looking at you, seeing that she's the one making you feel good.

G - GOOFY

not goofy at all. mikasa takes sex very seriously, it's a very important part of your relationship. but i can't deny if you made a joke or two, she would let out a chuckle. only a chuckle, though.

H - HAIR

canonically speaking, i think none of the women in aot shave lmao. they have better priorities honestly. therefore, expect mikasa to have a black bush of hairs down there. they're relativately thin, comparing to how most pubic hairs are, but still there.

I - INTIMACY

mikasa LOVES intimacy. after killing the boy she had been loving for years, she started to prioritize intimacy in her life and, of course, that means total investment in her relationship with you. even when it comes to things not sex-related, she just wants to feel your love and show you how much she loves you. mikasa is a woman with a heart full of love, and how lucky you are for being the one she loves.

J - JACK OFF

previously, she didn't have the habit, like i mentioned before. after you two started dating, and the terrors of the war started to wear off, tiny bit by tiny bit, mikasa allowed herself to feel sexual desire again. so she rediscovered masturbation, and she doesn't regret it: it allows her to discover new spots on her body that send shivers down her spine, and she's happy to share her discoveries with you.

K - KINK

i don't really think mikasa is a kinky person. that doesn't mean she's not open to try new things with you, though. one thing she discovered she likes, for example, is overstimulation. she likes to see you begging for her to let you cum. she likes to know she's the one in control of your pleasure.

another thing i believe mikasa enjoys a lot is mirror sex. you're the first woman she's ever been with, don't blame her for being curious! she likes to see her fingers going in and out of you. she also enjoys to see you eating her out in the mirror. (she also secretly likes to see herself lost in pleasure. it reminds her of how all the nightmare is over now, and she can lower her guard and indulge herself in this but, hey, you'll never see her admiting this out loud.)

L - LOCATION

sex is for the house and the house only. mikasa is against doing it in public, or in any circumstance that might get you two caught. your sexual lives are for your eyes only, mikasa prefers to die than let anyone see you in such an intimate state.

that doesn't mean some hands here and there don't happen. when she's in a particular good mood, she can give your ass a squeeze or two, but nothing beyond that.

M - MOTIVATION

mikasa is still rediscovering her libido and her sexuality, so that's why she doesn't really have a specific reason to have sex with you. sure, sometimes you might wear something sexy to tease her, or bend down a little too much near her, but most of the time... perhaps just your presence is enough to get her going. she just wants to be with you in the most intimate way possible, so give her some love, will you?

N - NO

mikasa will never degrade you nor be rough with you. her life has been filled with violence since her childhood, demanding aggressiveness from her to simply survive. ever since the end of the rumbling, mikasa promised to herself she would never be violent again, only if she deemed extremely necessary, and you are the last person in the whole world she ever wants to do something violent with.

O - ORAL

mikasa LOVES oral!!! both receiving and giving. she was a little bit intimated at first, not only because she was a virgin, but also because she was performing oral on another woman! she felt like she needed to know what to do, since she's also a woman, but you calmed her down and guided her. since then, mikasa got hooked.

when she's giving, she loves the way you squirm under her, it makes her feel proud of herself, since she's the one making you feel so good. she likes seeing you so relaxed and letting go.

when she's receiving, she likes to hold your hand. it's a reminder that you are the one making her feel good. it's also a reminder to herself, how she can allow herself to let go and break free from all the mental strains she has.

P - PACE

mikasa likes long-duration sex, so she's not rushing anything. dear mikasa takes her time taking off your clothes, kissing your body and caressing it. to her, you're a work of art, and she's glad she's the one who has the privilege to appreciate you with eyes, hands and mouth. you can bet she'll take her sweet time going through your body.

Q - QUICKIES

with that being said... she hates quickies. you two tried doing it once, and she hated it. she hated how rushed and messy it was, not to mention she didn't get to appreciate your body the way it deserves to be. so, no, mikasa doesn't tolerate quickies.

R - RISK

not taking any risk. mikasa is a very private and quiet person, but she's also very jealous. the mix of all these 3 traits are the reason you two won't do anything outside the house, not even on your backyard. sex belongs only inside the house, more specifically in your bed.

S - STAMINA

mikasa is an ex-soldier, you know she has stamina. even if the war has worn off of her and her belly is a little chubbier rather than the hard abs she had in the past, her stamina is still there. she can easily handle 4, maybe 5 rounds before she needs to stop to catch a breath, but, of course, if you can't handle all of those, she's not going to force you.

T - TOYS

toys are not her priority in the bedroom, but I can't see why she wouldn't enjoy them. you are the one who brings toys to sex, and she's not opposed to it. she likes seeing their different features, and also the different reactions they can get out of you.

she wouldn't be opposed to you using some toys on her, of course. just don't expect it to happen frequently.

U - UNFAIR

out of the two of you, you're the one who teases her honestly. 99% of the time, it's your doing, but that 1%... that 1% it's when mikasa is feeling really needy. it's when she puts on revealing clothes and bends down in front of you, making sure you can see her boobs perfectly. she also sits on your lap and innocently grinds against you.

she doesn't tease you often, but when she does... you're in for a long ride.

V - VOLUME

mikasa is pretty vocal in bed. she doesn't moan loudly, she's vocal in the meaning of always telling you that "you fell so good, love" or letting you know that you're doing something she's enjoying a lot. poor girl can't keep her mouth shut, she'll always be praising you, telling you how much she loves you and how good she feels.

W - WILD CARD

"m-mikasa..." you moan as you feel her featherlight touches on your neck, just the tip of her fingers. she purposely scratches your neck with her trimmed nails, just to see you shiver.

"shh, my love, take another one" she says, pushing a grape against your lips. she watches as your eyes get half lidded, taking the grape inside and grazing your teeth against the tip of her fingers.

mikasa has you sitting down on a chair. she's sitting on your lap, feeding you grapes. oh, and you're both naked. and she also has your hands tied behind your back.

"that's it... you're doing good, such a good girl for me" she whispers against your ear, kissing right under it, on that spot she knows it's so sensitive and makes you gasp and arch your body towards her.

you're breathless. you have no idea how long it has been since this little teasing game of hers began, all you know is how frustrated you feel right now. you can feel your neglected pussy aching between your legs, begging for attention.

you never took her as the type to have a feeding kink.

eh, maybe she doesn't even have it. maybe she's just in the mood to tease you.

"mika..." you whine once she puts another grape against your lips, silently demanding you to open them up. "p-please..." at this point, you don't even know what you're begging for. you just need her to do anything, anything at all.

"I know my love, I know" she kisses your neck "but you've been acting so good, you can handle more for me, can't you? you're my good girl, aren't you?"

just between us, you have no idea if you can handle more teasing, but hey, you'll never know if you never try.

X - X-RAY

mikasa has big breasts, easily 42C. she's very neutral about them, but you? oh, you make up for it. always buring your head on her chest and lapping at them. it makes her flustrered and shy but, hey, it's her fault for having such big boobs, right? how can you act normally when it looks like they are staring at you and begging you to suck them! as for her pussy, it's hairy, like i mentioned. it has a pretty pink color, lips not too big or too small, just the perfect size. her clit is on the bigger side, which makes things more interesting for the both of you, giving how easy it is to stimulate her.

Y - YEARNING

you two have a healthy sex life, and have sex surprisingly frequently. 3x a week, even 5x a week if one of you is feeling needy. the best thing is when both of you get needy at the same time: you'll have sex literally everyday. the only time things die down a little is when mikasa or you get a period. she used to be embarassed to have sex when she was on her period, saying "it's disgusting" or "i'll get the bed dirty". but, once you tried it, she saw how it soothed her cramps, and - since she was sensible - how the sensations were enhanced. so now, you two are not against having sex while on your periods anymore.

Z - ZZZ

our pretty girl falls asleep easily after sex lol. do not be fooled, she's not trying to avoid pillow talk (she loves them), her body is just asking her to find comfort in your cuddle. mikasa likes to fall asleep right after sex because she enjoys feeling the warmth of your body pressed against hers. she truly thinks your arms are her real home, and who are you to say they aren't?

[love-on-mars]

Im not sure what or where the source is so take this with a big ol grain of salt BUT ive heard mick apparently would show up to photoshoots with messed up lipstick bc he would be eating a girl out right before… So, what if reader was one of these lucky girls in that situation ;3? Probably around the time of shout at the devil or theater of pain, since that was when the crue were doing the most stage makeup :3 (thank u!!!!!)

HIIIII!!!! I’m so sorry this took so long writers block is kicking ass. I need to find out where you learned about this for….reasons…..

Anyways I hope you like it!

Warnings: oral (f! Receiving), mild language, mick being unholy.

Mick Mars x Reader

Lavender Lips (18+)

Having a rockstar boyfriend had its ups and downs. The best upside are you get to see just how sexy he can be in his stage outfit. It’s always a treat to see him on stage wearing it, but up close? It’s impossible not to gawk at him.

Mick sat in the dressing room, just having finished putting on his ‘Shout at the Devil’ attire, waiting for you to come in. You two met before he joined Motley Crue, during his Vendetta days. Your sweet yet mysterious nature allured him into talking to you at one of the venues they played, and he instantly fell for you.

You also had a very spontaneous personality, which he had a love hate relationship with. As much as he loved to see you have fun he didn’t want to just run off and potentially get lost, but it wasn’t always so bad….

As you walked through the door you went straight to Mick, admiring the costume and makeup he had on. You loved the demonic look it gave him, you especially loved the dark fuchsia on his lips.

“Don’t you look ravishing…” you teased, you had always wanted him to take you in costume, but hadn’t had the opportunity yet.

Mick looked at you up and down, you were wearing a black shirt and skirt with some fishnet leggings. Simple, but tempting for the ghoulish rockstar. “As do you, my love…” he purred, stepping towards you with a sly smirk on his face.

In an instant his lips were on yours, wandering your body hungrily. Whenever he wore his stage outfit it brought out a more confident and bold side of him, almost as if he was possessed.

Mick gently lifted you up to sit you on the dresser, pushing aside whatever was in the way. As his hands found your now dripping core you realized what he was after, “Mick we can’t…you have a photo shoot…don’t wanna mess up your costume do you?” You whined out, wanting to go further but knowing he had a job to do.

“Well, maybe I don’t have to for now…” he smiled, kneeling down to remove your skirt and fishnets, along with your underwear gently. He spread your legs to reveal your drenched pussy, aching for his touch. He looked up at you as if he was asking if this is ok, you smiled down at him giving the confirmation he needed.

Immediately he began to lap and suck on your folds, instantly attacking your clit. You jolted are the feeling, letting out a small whimper. Mick had always been a master at making you come undone within seconds, even if he was barely touching you.

He looked up at you to watch your face twist into pleasure, feeling your hands in his hair only Pushes him on more and more. The most unholy and wet sounds coming from where you both meet.

“Mph…Mick the photoshoot…” you moaned as he teased your clit. “They can wait, I wanna make you cum first.” He declared as he sucked at your clit harshly. Suddenly two of his fingers slid into your warmth, pumping in and out slowly. He quickly picked up the speed of his fingers as you trembled, your orgasm inevitable.

You put your hand over your mouth to try and muffle your moans and whimpers of pleasure as Micks fingers curled up to brush your g-spot, making your legs quake and your eyes roll back. “Such a sensitive little thing…it’s ok sweetheart, cum for me…” he cooed.

You screamed into the palm of your hand as you came, Mick lapping up as much of your sweet nectar as he could. He slowly stood up, and helped you put your clothes back on. As He admired your beauty, you looked up at him and began to giggle.

“What’s so funny?” He said with a smile. “Your makeup is all smudged!” You exclaimed through giggles. Mick looked in the mirror behind you and shrugged. “It’s fine, make me look more demonic.” He smirked.

“Mars! Time to go cmon!” A man’s voice boomed outside the room. “Be back soon baby. Then we can have some real fun.” He said as he kissed your forehead.

As Mick walked into the set, the guys gave him knowing looks and smirks. “He’ll yeah old man! Get some!” Tommy shouted. Mick ignored him, needless to say the old man took his sweet time with his beloved, who said he couldn’t get some excitement every now and then?

[oncewhenalongtimeago]

Hii! I don't know if you're still accepting requests or if you're alright with requests but may I request something related to "Sorry, but I Think I Lost Your Plot"?

But it's in Hiccup's POV ? If that's alright with you, you can ignore this if you don't feel comfortable writing!

Sorry, but I Think I Lost Your Plot pt 7

Pairing: Onesided!Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III x Modern!Fem!Reader

Words: 1874

During a quiet moment, both you and Hiccup share some words.

Tags: Time Travel, Reader into Movieverse, love language, acts of service, Hiccup’s POV, quiet moments, part two, unedited

<Previous - Next>

Hiccup groggily scrubbed the back of his head, hunching scrawny shoulders.

He stumbled through the dark underbrush, marching back towards his small, almost comfy spot in the clearing, not even able to keep his eyes open as he went. 

Toothless had followed earlier and had collapsed into a tired lump by one of the large rocks further down the hill. He couldn’t completely remember why he didn’t do the same.

He felt when he broke back into the clearing rather than saw the cold breeze hitting his front. He wasn’t sure if he found it soothing or biting, though he was too tired to care, eager to return to rest on something at least softer than gravel, maybe.

He spent one too many nights at the forge.

Hiccup looked down. It took him a very long moment to discern what he was seeing, squinting at the grumbling lump of you hidden below furs and old blankets.

His cheeks heated as he crumpled down into a sitting position, legs crossed on the stiff grass. He had a few very large, very jumbled feelings about you. Nobody else seemed to catch on yet. He was really grateful for that.

No one except for maybe Dagur. Hiccup wasn’t grateful for that.

Fishlegs might have something out for you too. He felt extremely brackish about that still. Hiccup definitely spent a lot of time glaring at his teammate, now, whenever he had the chance.

With weary, nervous fingers he nudged your shoulder.

He couldn’t understand what you were mumbling for a while still. He was too busy remembering what it was like working back-to-back with you the other night. 

Side-by-side, with someone other than Gobber. It was sort of peaceful, not that peaceful was ever something he had spent much time thinking about until it had gotten here.

“Hiccup…?” You asked dazedly, half turned over in your cocoon of blankets.

His shoulders touched his ears as he stiffened, burying shy hands into baggy sleeves and grass. He cursed himself, and then the Gods for his poor manner of speech.

“Are you alright?” You asked with a scratchy voice, stretching out thin arms as you struggled to stay awake. 

“Alright? I guess so. Why…” He yawned mumbling to himself, ”Why do you ask?”

A cold breeze blew by then, causing shivers to wrack up and down his spine, putting the hairs on the back of his neck on edge. It was enough to bring him to full wakefulness, at least for a moment.

He watched you bury your cheek further into the furs by his knees, feeling lucky to be able to be there in that moment.

“Everybody’s been wondering where you went,” You sighed, “I was looking for you earlier, you probably didn’t hear but I was calling around in case you got caught in something. But you were just asleep.”

“Oh yeah,” Hiccup leaned back, blinking blearily into the sky. He remembered that. He’d been too tired to even take off his prosthetic before collapsing onto the ground, “I guess I was…”

You hummed a confirmation.

The next few moments were spent in silence, Hiccup blinking drowsily and listening to the leaves and forest pine shift abc and forth in the wind, his torso shifting back and forth with them, surely about to collapse onto the ground. Not forwards. That would be embarrassing.

He wasn’t completely sure you yourself hadn’t fallen back asleep, not until you spoke again, eyes still closed. 

“I, uh,” You whispered, “I brought you some blankets? To… borrow. …Yeah. After I found you. But you kind of walked off before I got back, I think.”

“Right,” Hiccup said, shaking himself awake again, “I think I, ah, no, Nature calls, you know, So…”

You began squirming around under the sheets, for what reason he wasn’t sure quite yet, until you were able to push out some blankets from under you. You managed it without  having to get up off anything, somehow.

“Thanks,” Hiccup said, scooting back clumsily and tugging some of the length of the blankets back with him. He took a long while pulling off his prosthetic, scrabbling slowly at the rope binding it to his leg and trousers with dull fingers until he could pull it off and place it gently to the side. 

You had sat up by then, leaning back on your hands, and blinked at him slowly. After a moment of staring, you began to pinch at the side of one of his blankets, pulling it out sort of.

It took him a moment to guess at what you were doing before he realized and started the sluggish business of straightening out his own sheets. 

He was thankful for the fact that he was probably too drowsy to do anything embarrassing, attempting to get up before stumbling back down onto his but, realizing he’d already taken off his prosthetic.

It turns out he’d have to straighten his sheets the hard way, then. It was a measure more difficult to shake then out with half his height and a few more tired muscles than he used to, but he managed it okay.

While he did that, you had apparently spent some more time pushing out and smoothing your own, a sort of unraveled pile turning into a more even, flat arrangement of blankets and furs. 

The flatter setup revealed a few pillows.

Hiccup watched you settle one by the top of his setup before inching back and burying yourself into your own. He fell forwards into it, letting out a grateful exhale of breath, worming his way into it and turning over to stare up into the sky.

“...Are you still awake?” He asked.

“Hmm,” You muttered, After some further silence. Hiccup thought the conversation might have been over, and cursed himself for trying to start one at such a bad time. But it seemed you may have picked up on the fact that Hiccup was having some trouble sleeping, even with his exhaustion.

“How did your test flying go?” You asked.

Hiccup bit back a swallow. He was a little embarrassed, thinking back on it. He was glad no one else was around to see.

“Not great.” Hiccup cleared his throat, adjusting his shoulders against the fur below him. “I basically fell asleep after the first crash. Not- not because of it,” he corrected, “I made a few notes after, and, well.”

“So you’ve been asleep since…?”

“Since midday. I’ll be asleep again soon, though,” Hiccup promised, staring at the black silhouette of the trees to his left, wondering when it would be appropriate for him to start trying to count sheep.

“What’s up with the sudden design change?” You asked. He could hear you shift in your blankets. He imagined you might also be on your back, staring up at the stars. He was right. He checked, pressing his cheek into the part of his pillow on his right.

“I never asked why. Not that it’s bad. I want to hear more, I mean.” Hiccup watched the way your face moved as you spoke, baggy eyes struggling to stay open. 

“Oh,” You eyes went from a third lidded to a close as Hiccup sighed in relief.

His inventions usually weren’t that great. He would be the first to admit that. Even after he and Toothless brought down the Read Death, not a lot of people cared to learn what he did in the forge. 

But he remembered before that, when you’d brought him back his journal. You said it was nice. He spent what was probably an inconsiderate amount of time watching you from the forge window after.

That was a pretty bad reason to like someone, admittedly. He had a pretty bad relationship with his Dad and hardly a friend at the best of times. Maybe it was partly because you were a foreigner, but you didn’t know who Hiccup the Useless was. There was something pretty attractive about that, if he was going to be honest with himself. 

“I wanted to look cool,” He admitted.

You didn’t treat him differently before or after. You were out of place in your own right.

He liked you a lot.

You were great. You were pretty normal, all things considered. But not normal in the way the rest of the Vikings on Berk were. Normal.

For a while, he hoped he wouldn't have to confess how messed up he was. The hiccup Chief's son.

It turned out that wasn’t much of a problem, at least not anymore. He wasn’t sure whether or not you found a problem with it in the first place. He hoped you didn’t.

“Have you tried painting his fin green?”

 “Green?” Hiccup asked, blinking to himself.

“Like your shirt.”

“I still wear it a lot,” Hiccup’s voice stopped and started oddly as he spoke, as if to reflect his hesitance, “It was really nice…”

“Oh,” You mumbled. He could tell you were puzzling over it through your tone, “The red one? Or…?”

Which else? Hiccup though sardonically, waiting in tense, nervous silence, “Yeah.”

He wondered if you thought less of him for it. He pursed his lips, wondering what the Gods thought of him now, staring down at the two of you from up above. If it was something they noticed at all, or cared about, the same way he did.

“I’m glad,” You said, “But that wasn’t all me, you know.”

Hiccup turned his face back up to the stars, feeling the back of his neck heat up, “I know.”

You hummed back your assent.

Hiccup exhaled, all too aware of his tensed shoulders and the rigid set of his back. He did his best to relax, leaning back against the pillow until he felt as if the top of his head might fall off the other side and onto the dirt, uncovered by the blankets below him.

“I think about your scar a lot,” You drifted, “The one under your eye…”

The world seemed to quiet as you spoke, rising and falling by a tempo only your words knew. He took it in, hands folded together across his stomach, aware of the whistling bugs, the prosthetic laid by his side by his left foot, every wrinkle in the blanket above him.

His legs heated with restless, jerky energy, though he stayed still. He was afraid that if he moved, the moment might end. 

Hiccup could tell when you fell asleep by the gentle rise and fall of your breath. He wondered if you knew what he meant, if you understood the meaning behind those words, and what they meant to him.

He knew you didn’t. And yet, still, he was much too awake from then on to join you, too busy grazing his soft place under his eyelid with his fingertips. 

It had been a pretty nasty cut, and very easily agitated. Now, it was slightly rigid, dipping below his touch just the slightest bit. It was not completely healed, but firm and light enough around the edges, noticeable enough for him and everyone else to tell that it was scarring and it would be there for a long while.

He’d be thinking a lot about it a lot from then on, too.

[echantedtoon]

A Champion Time For The Heart Ch6 The Entrance Ceremony

You had a ...peaceful time helping Mrs. G in the kitchen cooking up some lunch for the guys...but by the time they all came back it might as well have been their dinner instead. Victor looked tired but still smiled, probably still happy to be able to get home and see all his family and friends, and in his possession was a small little pokeball and a new band around his wrist. That must've been the extra starter pokemon from Sonia! When his mother asked him about it, he answered that Victor had in fact received a small eevee to help him on his journey to over come the gym challenge. Well that was a nice thing for Sonia to do. It was also nice to just to listen to him talk about the small adventure he had taking pictures for the online blog he had. And made Gloria squeal with delight upon surprising her with a handful of polaroid pictures for her pokedex book. Next thing you knew it was already night and you were fast asleep....Only to be woken up VERY early in the morning by Silver grabbing at your face demanding food. ..Whelp. You couldn't go back to sleep now even if you wanted too so with a groan you got up and dressed, and went to go fix Silver something to eat. Only to be stopped again when there was a knock at the door. Confused you went to go answer it, but was surprised when you saw none other than Leon there.

"Leon?" You blinked. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey, Y/n!" He greeted giving a smile. "I decided to swing by before I head back."

"Back? You mean you're leaving now?"

To confirm your question he nodded again. " Yeah! But I didn't catch the morning train, got lost in the dark hours of the sun rise and somehow ended up circling my way back in front of my own house." He gave a sheepish chuckle and one hand came up to rub his head. "Not sure if I should consider myself lucky or not, but now I have to wait for the afternoon train at Twelve."

You rolled your eyes but smiled. Yep! That was definitely something Leon would totally do, game canon or not. You shook your head before looking back to him, not minding the Sobble who jumped onto your overalls and started climbing up you like a cat would. "Are you looking for Gloria? Her Mom said she left I think."

"Actually I was looking for you!"

That certainly caught you off guard as you blinked and your Sobble finally managed to flop itself over your shoulder as you blinked and pointed to yourself, "Me? Why?"

He looked over for a moment still rubbing his head nervously before closing his eyes and sighing. "Y/n...Never in a million years did I think Hop or Gloria would think taking off into Slumbering Wield would be a great idea, and honestly..That place is so unexplored and full of dangers I wouldn't be even caught lost in there." He looked back up to you. "Those two could've gotten seriously lost or...well I don't want to think about what could've been worse. I don't know how you figured out how they were in there, but that was some quick thinking on your part. As Champion I should thank you for your efforts, but as a big brother I could never thank you enough. But I'd like to try." He smiled real widely at you with that goofy grin you always saw.

You stood there for a moment brain processing what he said, before asking, "Huh?"

He chuckled at your reaction to him. "You lost all your stuff being chased by those wild corviknight right?" He gestured towards the door. "There's a local market and clothes store just across from the Pokemon Center in town. If you're going to be traveling all over the place with Gloria then you're going to need your own separate stash of clothes and food to sustain yourself. I can help in that department."

You stared......Was...W-Was Leon offering to BUY you new clothes?? Your brain finally clicked back to normal and you instantly shook your head holding up your hands. "N-No! I couldn't ask you to do that!"

"And have you travel around Galar with no supplies at all?"

That made you pause. You didn't really have any supplies did you?.....Literally nothing but the clothes on your back, a back pack, and one pokeball for the sobble on your shoulder. And now that he mentioned traveling with barely anything-.....You were REALLY under prepared and hadn't even thought of that! No food, barely any clothes, and overall no money at all to buy things with. So in much easier terms, you were absolutely hopelessly broke. BUT Leon was offering to pay for anything you needed- NO! You shook your head. You only helped out because you knew someone would be in danger and you knew the things had to progress in game if you wanted to get home. It'd be wrong to accept money just because you helped him out....But then again you still had nothing, and it'd be better not just for you but for Gloria too if you guys needed supplies for two people traveling around a giant region for who knows how long. Plus Leon is THE Galar Region Champion! He's the most popular person in all of Galar with millions of fans. Logically he'd probably have cash to spare for the supplies and not put a dent in any of his paychecks and you DID need the supplies. So technically he'd be helping out Gloria as well as endorsing her too if she insisted on having you come along.

"I mean-.." You started raising a brow. "Are you sure? I really don't mind and you don't have too!"

"If I didn't I wouldn't have offered, Y/n!" He gave a smile and again gestured towards the door. "Plus..I could use someone to help make sure I didn't get lost on the way there again. I wouldn't want to loop in front of my house again."

Well....Considering all the factors and that he was totally willing- "I mean....Sure! Ok!" You nodded and smiled. "I'm gonna need some supplies if I'm going to be traveling I guess. And since you're offering I guess I can't say no. Oof!"

That earned you a friendly pat to the shoulder from Leon as he smiled. "That's the spirit! Mrs. G won't mind if we leave now. She's already busy anyways."

You nodded in understanding and when he gestured for the two of you to leave again, you walked your way over to the door, Leon being the polite gentleman he was opening the door for you as you stepped out back into the world and the two of you were off. Walking down the road and passing all the normal things you all had done previously on your way towards the Center, which was pretty easy to spot as it was bright pink. And again people awed and waved at Leon as he smiled and waved back. At one point stopping and agreeing to take a picture with a young boy who couldn't have been much older than five or six as his presumed mother took his picture, before thanking Leon and allowing the two of you to continue on they're way. The smells of flowers and vegetation was in the air. You didn't see Hop or the twins on your way there though despite being out catching more pokemon. You just hoped they didn't decide on going back into Slumbering Wield again. Once you two got to about the center, Leon turned to you and gestured for you to follow him to the left past as a couple of elderly ladies walked past the both of you, both giving Leon a 'WOW!' kinda look. The building he led you too was a brick building with a green and white striped awning over the doorway and a sign above it reading 'Postwick General Store'. In front of the store was a couple crates of you assumed crops the local farmers produced.

"There it is!," Leon explained to you walking towards it as you two got close to it. "Should have everything one needs if they're going on a journey. It's where I got my supplies for my journey long ago, so it should have everything you all need." He assured as you two finally got near it. Once again reaching out and opening the door for you, a small bell going off above you, to which you thanked him and walked in. The inside was cool, and it ...looked exactly like a regular convenience store with a bunch of shelves with things labeled with prices and a few freezers stuffed with more foods. "See? What'd I tell ya?!"

Before you could say anything a different voice caught your attention. "Well, Well. As I live in breath." Both of you looked over to a counter and a middle aged man with dark brown hair and mustache smiled from behind the register. "If it isn't little Leon the champion, eh? Last time I saw you, you weren't much bigger than a beanpole. Now what pleasure does this old soul have to have you walking in here?"

The purple haired man happily waved to him. "Hey, Mr. Frederick! Long time no see!" He happily patted your shoulder. "My friend here needs some supplies, and being the best store in Galar, I thought you would have just the things we needed!"

The old man laughed and nodded smiling. "Well you ain't wrong! Look 'round and see if there's anything to your liking."

That was enough signal for Leon to grab onto one of those convenience store baskets and nod towards the food on the shelves. "C'mon. We'll want to find non perishable foods that'll last longer for long trips! So they should be in-..." He gave the aisles a look..and rose a brow. "Uh.."

"In the last aisle to the left," the older man corrected him.

Leon pointed to the left. "What he said! I remember now!" You chuckled at him, but he seemed to ignore them as he walked over and you followed. Taking a look at the aisles they seemed to stacked with the regular food you'd find in stores like back where you came from, and the aisle you guys went too could have what could only describe as camping foods. All packed away in plastic wrap and such so well they looked like a hiker's paradise. Especially when Leon hummed at what was available. "I guess a couple trainers already been here. Usually there's a whole lot of this available. But y'know what, that's perfectly fine." You watched curious as he just started grabbing a ...lot more than what you were expecting as he started just grabbing handfulls of packages from the shelves before you. "You can never go wrong with lots of rice and sausages."

"Uh..." You raised a hand.

''There's also plenty of pasta and salad mixes too," he mumbled to himself grabbing more handfuls of plastic wrapped packages of instant foods, "I think you'll like the moomoo cheese here. I used to use these a lot as cheese usually lasted a long time, like these bean tins here. Although steer clear of the pungent root. It's edible but has a strange smell too it. Coconut milk is also good to have on hand, canned moomoo milk is always good-"

"Leon," you interrupted his rambling as he hummed and looked to you. And you pointed to the now almost overflowing basket, "Isn't that uh....a little much for just me?"

He looked confused for a moment, before looking to the basket and seeming to get it. "OH! Nonono. I was grabbing some for the guys as well. ....I...probably should've mentioned that before we got here I guess, but it slipped my mind." He gave an embarrassed smile. "Sorry about that."

"It's alright." You assured him as he turned. "I think that's really nice of you to help us like this anyways."

"Well, a journey is never easy and if I can make it easier for them I will." Well you couldn't argue with that. By the time you two had walked out of there, Leon was holding two bags and you were holding two after helping to separate them between the four of you after paying the man with what must've been this world's version of a credit card, and you once again started following him after he turned to you once out of the store and said, "Follow me!" He nodded ahead of you and there was something you recognized. It was the clothing shop you'd encounter in the beginning of the game. It looked fancy compared to other buildings in town, with mannequins wearing clothes in the window, Sign above reading 'Cothes Mart'. "We can grab you two or three outfits in there and that should be that." He paused...before grunting and turning back over his shoulder. "Oh no."

you stopped and looked at him, before glancing at your sobble, then back to Leon again. "What?"

He stared at the pokemon center. "I forgot to stop by the center for something." He turned back to you. "And I have limited time...Here! How's this? Go inside there-" he nodded to the store. "And ask for Martha, she's the lady that owns the store. She knows my mom since she shops here all the time. Tell her that I sent you and to put it on my mom's tab, I'll digit my mum the money to pay for yours!"

You gave him a deadpanned look. "Leon, no offense, but wouldn't that just look like I'm trying to bum off you? If anyone could do that, then it probably would've happened a lot more with you in a lot of identity theft."

"Oh yeah! Tell her 'I got lost on a barn's roof!' That's the code I set up with her after one of my getting lost sprees. Hehe," he gave a nervous chuckle and you couldn't help but roll your eyes. How could anyone get lost and end up on top of a barn? Only Leon you supposed.

You nodded. "Alright. Won't you get lost? No offense."

"None taken. Ill wait for you outside the Center, just be sure to make it quick. I don't think I'd want to miss my second train of the day."

You nodded before the two of you parted ways, you going towards the building, semi heavy bag of foods in your hands towards the double glass doors. Once you reached the door open, a small bell went off and you stood in aw at the fancier looking store than the previous general store. There was....a LOT more included in here than you remembered in game. Much more clothes racks. Much more shoes on shelves. Much more bags. And MUCH more shelves of clothing.

"Good Afternoon, Young Lady." The lady's voice spooked you enough to make you jump, nearly knocking the chirping sobble off your shoulders as you turned to a middle aged dark brow haired lady who looked about the same age as Gloria's Mom as she smiled at you cheerfully. "Welcome to Clothes Mart. Feel free to ask for help if you need anything."

"Uh...." You blinked before clearing your throat. "Y-Yeah?....Martha?" You asked hesitating before pointing at her and she nodded.

"That's me! How can I provide you excellent service today?"

....You looked around a little bit before walking up to her, a few other ladies and young girls were looking at the clothing, this Martha raising a brow as you approached. Eyeing the others around you before clearing your throat and looking back to the slightly confused lady with uncertainty. "Uh...I got lost on a barn's roof?"

She still looked confused for a moment before her face instantly went from confused to overjoyed like a person had waved a full stack of a million dollars in front of her face. "OH! Of course. Would make sense since the Champion is in town." You sighed relieved as she stood from her place behind the counter with a smile. "Although I wasn't expecting Leon's cute country gal coming in.~ And just in time by the looks of it." She gave a criticizing eye over the overalls and green gum boots you wore.

It took a moment for you to register what she had said, and your Sobble gave this Martha lady a scowl as she looked you over. ...And you instantly held up your hands, red faced. "WHA- OH NO!! DEFINATELY NOT! I'M NOT-..HE'S...W-Were just..Friends." Well...You couldn't say exactly that you guys were friends since you've only know him a total of what...two or three days at most outside of a video game. But it was the only thing you could think of to call this.

She paused to look at you for a moment but shrugged. "Small mistake. Any friend of Leon's is a customer of mine." You lightly scowled at her as she smiled and sat back down. "Do let me know when you're finished, Ma'am. And don't be afraid to ask for assistance!"

"R-Right. Ok." You quickly shuffled away shaking your head from the encounter and looking at the Sobble. "Can you believe that?" The Sobble chirped and nodded in agreement with your statement and you couldnt agree more. "My thoughts exactly."

It didn't take long for you to pick out just a few shirts, two black with a pink pikachu and green eevee, and a blue one with an arcanine, and some plain black sweats to go with them. A pair of really good sneakers, a plain blue dress you thought was nice, and a jacket. Before you realized that it'd be impossible to carry it all with your small old backpack. Probably why Victor didn't want to take it in the first place you thought, but managed to find a rather large grey plaid rucksack, it was perfect with it's multiple pockets and size. You were quick to try and check them all out as this Martha lady wanted to chat but you didn't feel so talkative after the way she seemed to judge you with her eyes and quickly just left as fast as you could after she had apparently finished punching everything into someone's online tab she kept and wishing you a "Champion Time, with your 'Friend'!" and to "Stop by anytime!". Man you couldn't walk out faster and get outside holding the heavy bags of clothes and food you had gotten. Thank goodness because you surely just wanted to get back to Leon and help him back to the train station. Just your luck too as you walked past the Postwick's general store and towards the center, you managed to catch sight of Leon. He was leaning down and signing a small girl's book while her assumed mother watched.

"LEON!!," you called out and he looked up smiling at you waving a hand, one of the bags hanging from your wrist.

He waved a hand back, finished signing whatever the excited young girl was holding out to him before nodding to her and her mom before picking up his two large bags and walking towards you as you continued to walk towards him. "Hey!" He greeted once he was close enough smiling. Glancing at the new backpack on your back and the new bag in your hands. "I see you got some new kicks! Good! Sorry I took so long, but I got a lil caught up as you could see."

You smiled rolling your eyes, "I know. And it's fine....Are you sure about all this stuff tho? It's really no big deal-"

"Exactly!" He stated with a wink. "It's no big deal to me either, and I'm not bothered in the least." He gave that wide champion grin. "I make it a habit to use my position for as much good as possible, especially now with the power crisis." He turned to walk back down the road towards the train station and you followed.

"Power...crisis??" Oh yeah! Wasn't there a plot in the game involving that kind of thing? You tucked away that information just in case.

He nodded as you two walked. "Yeah. Been having it ever since I was about sixteen. The Chairman's been trying his best to help and look into the problem, I think?? But so far there hasn't been much progress unfortunately."

"Oh. I see..." You glanced down to the bags he held. They looked a wee bit fully than you last seen. "What did you get at the Center anyways?"

He seemed to perk back up at the mention. "OH!" He held up the bags. "Some more things that trainers would need for the long trip! Potions, antidotes, one or two revives and awakenings, and a few healers. Trust me. They're going to need them for their pokemon in case there's no pokemon center nearby to help them."

You nodded as the two of you continued to walk all the way to the train station, still no signs of the two children. You remembered someone saying that there was a lot of wild pokemon on Route 2 so maybe that's where they went?? The two of you walked the rest of the way to the train station and he was nice enough to hold the door to the station open for you to walk in, you thanking him. The inside wasn't anything special. A bunch of waiting seats, a man in a small stall like area who seemed to not pay attention to you, what must've been this world's version of an ATM next to a vending machine along side the far right wall, a clock above them, and a pay-to-enter entrance to a grey and yellow train. Well, at least Leon won't miss his evening train. Speaking of Leon he seemed ecstatic.

"Phew! Made it just in time! And not a minute too soon it looks like." He glanced at the clock on the far wall and frowned again. "Ten fifty eight! It's going to leave in two minutes!" He quickly turned back to you and you blinked as he held out the two bags. "Shoot! I'd sworn we had more time! I have to get on before I miss the second train in one day! Could you give these to the kids for me!?"

You took the bags from him as he nudged them towards you Sobble chirping in curiosity at them as you blinked again. "W-W-Wait! You're not saying good bye to them first?"

"Well I kinda don't have a lot of time," he said gesturing between the clock and train, "I can't be late for this one!''

"Oh right!" Your eyes widened at the clock. There was now one more minute before noon, when the train leaves. So you pushed Leon who blinked. "You should get going then! You only have one minute!"

"OH RIGHT!!" He quickly turned and made a run for the pay-to-enter entrance, once again taking out what must've been a pokemon world's credit card and either letting the machine scan it or pushing it into a small slot in the side, you couldn't tell past his cape that swished around with his movements. He managed to get past the bars and stopped at the other side to give you one last smile. "Thanks for helping! Maybe we'll get to see each other again-"

HONK!!

Both of you jumped at the loud train horn going off and you pointed. "LEON!!"

"I KNOW I KNOW!! BYE!!" Grabbing his hat he ran to the double doors that opened and closed behind him with a whoosh noise.

You sighed in relief and the train chose that exact moment to start pulling away with a metal groan. Followed by the click-clacking noises you knew only trains could make and you sighed. You did end up just sitting down in one of the waiting seats arms and feet sore from carrying all the things with yo-

"LEON!!" You and your Sobble jumped, the small pokemon tumbling into your lap as you turned your head and a familiar purple haired boy came running in and you whipped your head around to the blur of Hop rushing in. Sliding to a stop in front of the entrance to the train watching as it continued to go past. "AH MAN!" He deflated with a sigh. "...I'm too late."

"Hop?"

It was his turn to jump and snap to you as you sat there with a brow rose staring at him. And he relaxed. "Y/N! What are you doing here? WAIT! Did Lee come through here already!?"

Your Sobble chirped in annoyance righting itself up at Hop, and you nodded as the last car of the train flew by. "You just missed him actually...Hey. Where's Gloria and Victor?"

He groaned and reached a hand up to rub his head. "Ah man. I really wanted to say good bye...Oh. Glory's battling Victor down the road." He pointed his other hand out the door. "I was kinda hoping I'd get a chance to see him go, y'know..." He looked at you again and seemed surprised at the bags around you...and pointed. "Hey. What's all that you got there?"

You blinked for a moment before looking to the bags, and smiling. Holding out one to the younger boy. "Leon left you guys a fair well present."

You perhaps should've seen it coming when Hop's excitement was reignited when he heard Leon left him a present and you gladly handed over one of the bags to which he opened up in a hurry but looked utterly confused at all the healers and camping food until you explained the reasons why Leon got them all for him. Which he understood with a nod. And after a moment more of resting you decided to walk back with him towards the road, but the two of you ran into another familiar face in the form of the twins. Or more like she almost ran into the two of you as she ran into the train station pulling her brother behind her as you got up from your seat. Your sobble still sore over how many times he already fell from your shoulder and so resorted to gripping your shoulder sleeve harder.

"Geez Glory!," Hop commented raising a brow, "What's gotten you in such a hurry? I thought that was my thing."

"Sorry," she apologized leaning over to look around you and Hop at the station, "Did Leon leave yet? You said somethin' about stopping him so we could say good bye."

He again sighed and slouched a big bag in his hands. "Yeah he's gone back to whatever he was doing. I suppose I can't catch a train after all." ...He gave a small smile though. "But I guess I can't complain! He's the Champion! So of course he's gotta be like SUPER busy! We'll come face to face again soon enough!"

Gloria smiled back and nodded in agreement. "YEAH! Besides, maybe we'll see him at the Opening Ceremony tomorrow!"

You nodded at them. Although you knew he wouldn't be there as in game if the current events kept up, but you didn't want to break their hearts or anything so soon.

"Are you endorsed trainers?," a man's voice asked from behind the three of you turned around to the man in the small store like stand in the train station. His smile widened as he nodded to his side where a stack of books was settled. "Would any of you three be interested in joining in our charity dex events?"

"Charity dex?," you asked obviously confused.

And the man nodded again gesturing to the two different book stacks one smaller than the other. "Yes! For just five dollars you can purchase one of two dex books and enter the dex challenges to win a variety of prizes! All proceeds goes towards the power crisis fund raiser."

There was that mention again about the power crisis. You wondered how dire it was exactly. Gloria seemed to take interest in it though and walked right up to the stand staring at the books. "....What's exactly the challenges?"

"Well there's the Poke-Dex challenge and the Curry-Dex challenge?" He explained holding up one of the small books, it had a picture of a plate of some kind of food etched into it. "The challenge is too take a picture of every labeled curry, or pokemon, on the pages and when your albums are fully completed, you turn in into your local pokemon center to claim your prizes! And there's no time limit. It's all for charity and you get a neat scrap book out of it. We already sold a few to some people on their way on the train. Would you be interested in joining one of the dex challenges?"

"I dunno. Sounds like a scam to me, Glor," Hop commented glancing at the books. "I always thought photography was Victor's gig. And we're already got the gym challenges ahead of us tomorrow.......Glory?"

Dexes?? As in completing the entire pokemon dex for this game?? Was this how it was manifesting in this game? You guessed so. It WOULD be weird if Gloria just discovered her pokedex had a limit of numbers in order to 'complete' it like a game's challenge. but a curry dex?? You faintly remembered there being some kind of food challenge in game but you couldn't remember it too well.

"I can't believe you wasted twenty dollars on two scrape books and camera film." Hop gave a small frown at the rolls of film and books Gloria was carrying along with the bag of goodies provided by Leon from earlier. "You don't even have a polaroid camera for all of that."

"No, but Victor does! I'm sure he won't mind if I take his old one." She gave her brother a look and Victor rolled his eyes. "Besides! It'll be fun and easy! Just fill up a whole book with pictures of pokemon and curries! How hard can it be?"

Hop's face deadpanned. "That's not exactly what I meant."

The four of you had left the train station not longer after that and had taken a small detour to the grocery store you were previously in that morning so Gloria could buy herself a decent amount of film rolls. It was crazy how many rolls of film you could cheaply buy in this world for a mere ten dollars, although you were sure Hop disagreed. So you decided to change the subject by asking them a question.

"So," they both turned to you, "We're leaving for the Entrance Ceremony tomorrow morning right?"

"YEP! Bright and early! The morning train leaves at seven thirty sharp and we have to get our Dynamax bands from Professor Magnolia tomorrow! So we're gonna have to get up real extra early if we don't want to miss it. These train conductors are always on time, whether it's a good or bad thing. But those bands will be worth it to be able to dynamax and complete our Badge Circles!"

"I see. ...What's a badge circle??" You don't remember hearing anything like that from the game even when you played it way back when. "I don't think I know how these gyms and badges work."

They both gave you a confused look and for a moment you thought you goofed up before luckily Gloria unknowingly saved face for you when a look of realization came over her. "OH RIGHT!! You're not from this region so you wouldn't possibly know how the gyms work!" You thanked whatever god was listening for this great save as Gloria happily explained. "You see there's ten gyms each with their own gym leader unique to their own type of pokemon, but in order to compete in the finals at the end of the year you only need eight badges to complete your Badge Circle. A Badge Circle is like a puzzle but instead of carboard puzzle pieces you use badges to make it, then you present it to the official board who helps host the Gym Challenge. They're also the ones who's going to be checking to make sure your endorsements are legit at the Entrance Ceremony," she explained as you listened. Never knew when this info might come in handy later. "That's where four of the gyms are optional. While usually they give you they're own unique piece for the Badge Circle..Both Rock Type and Ice Type Gyms offer the same shaped badge. So does the Fighting and Ghost Type Gyms. So usually you'd pick either one of the two choices, grab it, and then move on. Lots of people don't see the point of battling both gyms for the same piece as it's not required." She smirked before pointing a confident hand forward. "BUT NOT ME!! What's the point of me joining the Gym Challenge if I don't at least try out every gym at least once! We have a full year until the finals anyhow! That should be plenty of time for me to get what I need!!......Plus...m-maybe because I'm also kinda hoping to get some pictures and a few autographs. It's not everyday you get to see such famous people. Hehe."

You rolled your eyes with a smile. Just like a teen meeting a famous person but Hop sighed again. "I just don't see why you're going through all of this trouble. Won't it make more sense to just focus on one thing?"

"Hop you need to broaden your horizons a bit! It's gonna be our first times away from home! It's not just about the Gym Challenge!" She smiled widely at him. "It's about seeing new things! Meeting new people! Getting to see all kinds of new pokemon! It's...." Her smile dropped for a bit as she looked down. "It's actually a bit scary.....but I guess that's what's also making it so exciting." She smiled again. "Plus I know you're also doing the challenge so it's not like I'll be going into it alone right? Ill have my best bud and bro going through it with me!"

Victor looked off to the side and Hop stared at her for a moment before clearing his throat and nodded looking away. "Y-Yeah! You're right. "

"See? Told you! It'll be fun! And I'll have Y/n as a traveling buddy anyways! So it should be fine."

You nodded in agreement as the three of you continued to walk back towards their homes, and both children mentioning the new pokemon they had been able to catch while out on their little adventure today.

"So how many pokemon did you guys catch?," you asked curiously.

And Gloria proudly answered, "NINE! And Hop caught five!"...Before she hummed. "Although Vic seemed to have o' bit of trouble with it."

You did a double take at the two. "Wait. You guys caught fourteen pokemon between the two of you in the few hours I was gone!?"

"Yeah! Hop's really lucky! He's got a shiny butterfree!"

Hop gave a sheepish smile and in a similar fashion to Leon raised a hand to rub the back of his head. "Well I guess I was just lucky to catch it off guard enough to catch it in the farmer's meadows."

Oh yeah. Weren't shiny pokemon a pokemon born with a rare color variety compared to most of their other kind? Wow. Well it sounded like the two of them certainly had a fun time out and about. "Wow. It sure sounds like you guys had a fun time." The three of you were coming up to the roads that split into to directions to both of the children's homes.

Gloria nodded again. "Hey! Hop! Come over to my house so I can practice my camera."

Victor's brow rose again, "Don't you mean my extra camera?"

"Same difference! If I take pictures of all the pokemon we caught then it'll be good practice and give me a head start on the challenge! Plus who else would have a picture of a shiny butterfree?"

He sighed. "I swear you can bounce forward on anything like a ball."

You chuckled as the three of you made it to Gloria's house. Finding her mother in the kitchen cooking food and the first thing you noticed was the delicious smell coming from the kitchen stove, whatever she was cooking smelt of spices and your stomach growled. She looked up for a moment and smiled at the three of you, asking what the bags were for once she noticed, so you explained to her what had happened with you and Leon that morning as the two kids went off towards the door outside. She chuckled when you explained how Leon got lost on his way to the train in the early morning and got lost to only somehow end up back in front of his own home. Calling him 'a sweet young man for helping the kids out like that' and asking how your day went. Overall it was pretty well and you soon found yourself sitting down at the kitchen table resting yourself from all the walking around town you did. It was still fairly early in the day being only twelve something in the afternoon- You jumped when your Sobble all of a sudden chirped curiously and half climbed onto the side of your head to look towards the opposite side of the house as a flash of light came from one of the windows from outside. A minute long pause. And then another went off. A total of fourteen flashes with about a minute pause between them and while you tried to wrangle your sobble from your face without hurting it and it was enough to catch Mrs. G's attention as she stared with a brow rose.

"Gloria, what are you kids doing? I hope you're not practicing electric type moves near the house" her mother demanded. "You already almost caught your bed on fire from teaching your scorbunny Ember inside!"

"It's fine Mum!," Gloria's voice came followed by her head appearing in said window and waved what could only be described as a polaroid camera. "We're taking picture of our pokemon! Can you believe that I already have fourteen pokemon for the dex challenge!"

Her mother gave her a confused look placing a hand on her hip, "Dex challenge? What are you talking about?" She asked just as her Munchlax came toddling him yawning with another green pokemon behind him. He must've smelt the food and woken up you figured.

However Gloria's eyes lit up with a gasp! "Make that soon to be sixteen! You caught a Budew!?"

"Oh?" She glanced at the pokemon at her feet glancing up at her. "Oh yes. It was one of the two that always hangs around the flower beds. I always thought they were rather helpful for planting so I thought-" She paused as Gloria was already gon-

BANG!!

Both of you and the three pokemon jumped and turned to Gloria in the door's entrance camera in hand and scorbunny at her heels as she grinned at the Pokemon at her mother's heels before lifting the camera at them. "SAY CHEESE!!"

"Gloria! What are you-" She was cut off by two flashes that blinded you for a moment and you reached your hand up to cover your face as a white coated your vision. "GLORIA!!"

"Whoops. Sorry Mum!"

"WHAT. ARE. YOU. DOING!?"

"Taking pictures of pokemon. Duh."

"I can SEE that! Or I would if you hadn't blind sided me.....Wait. Isn't that Victor's camera? What on earth were you doing playing with it!? You know that's not yours!"

You groaned and rubbed your eyes as they contined to talk. You trying to rub away the white dots that came with the flash as your sobble sat there. And you suddenly felt a small hand pawing at your face, as if your sobble was mimicking the movements you made at the attempt of clearing your vision. It was cute....But it would've cuter if you could see it.

"But Mom," Gloria pleaded, "It's for a good cause I promise. There's this Dex challenge and if you fill up the entire book with pictures when you can win something! Plus it's fun! And he's totally cool with lettin' me borrow it!"

"Only cuz ah now you'd just take it anyways!," Victor called from outside.

"Well watch where you're pointing that thing! The last thing we need is you blinding someone."

"Yes, Mom." "Sorry Ms. G."

You finally opened your eyes still lightly rubbing them as you blinked and your vision was slightly blurry, but it quickly cleared revealing the two teens and their mother standing there as they looked at you. And Mrs. G held out a hand to you.

"Oh dear. Are you alright, Y/n?"

You nodded. "Yeah. I guess. It was just real bright for a moment." You paused as the camera was held out pointed at you by Gloria.

"Hey, Y/n. Can I take a picture of your sobble?"

A picture of your- "Oh. Yeah sure! Just lemme close my eyes for a minute." She nodded as she held the camera up to her face and you slammed your eyes shut as the words left her mouth.

"Hey Sobble!" The pokemon turned to her. "Say cheese!" Another flash of white lit up everywhere and your sobble chirped in surprise as his eyes went wide and it swayed as you reopened your eyes. Gloria smiled as the camera made a whirling noise and a moment later a perfect picture of you with your sobble staring towards the camera came out through a slot in the bottem as she grabbed it. Examining it with a smile. "Yep! That makes seventeen now!"

You gently took the sobble off your shoulder and into your arms as it swayed wide eyed, before shaking it's head and scowling towards the three teenagers, letting out a very loud squeak of annoyance at her before leaning back into your arms like a cat would still glaring at the two of them. You kinda felt bad so you ended up scratching it's back making it give a pleased sound and smile after a moment. What a cute newt thing!

"Hey Glory. Shouldn't we be dropping off some of your pokemon at the center for your rotomi boxes?," Hop asked

Gloria nodded before looking at him. "Hey. Doesn't your grandpa have a purrloin?"

"Yeah he sure does."

"Think he'll let me take a picture of it?"

"I don't see why not! C'mon!"

"Wait! What about lunch?!," Gloria's mother called after them already running out the door. She stood there for a few moments, before sighing and shaking her head. "I swear! If those two were pokemon they'd be rapidashes for how fast they head off to things."

You chuckled at her. The rest of the day went by very quickly. You had ended up helping Mrs. G clean up after she had started cooking and she gave you some curry as a thanks. You never had this kind of dish before. It was some rice with some kind of red sauce with the same spice smell from earlier, but neither of you were complaining as you ate. It was actually pretty good. Nice to have a peaceful meal considering the past couple days with how chaotic they were. Although you did have to keep your sobble from trying to grab food from your plate and to appease it you fed it a few peices of pokemon food after Mrs. G offered. Gloria and Victor didn't return until later that evening where you assumed she had dropped off some of her pokemon with Hop. The camera secured around her neck by a strap and her hands was one of the journals you noticed she had purchased. So you asked about it and her face lit up and she showed the both of you the eighteen pictures she had taken along with a bunch more Victor had given, something about him not needing them anymore anyways. Some of them you had recognized. Gloria's scorbunny. You and your sobble. Mrs. G's two pokemon of course, and a couple of Hop's. Including a yamper like Sonia's. What you didn't recognize was a few new ones which she gladly told you the names of them. But the most surprising one was her phone but it looked as if it was posessed by a rotom. When asked Gloria explained that it was perfectly normal for someone to have a rotom phone with their very own rotom. She probably assumed you didn't have any of that back in 'Kanto'. Time flew by and other than Mrs. G scolding Gloria for snapping a picture of the curry she had saved her for dinner, it was pretty easy for you to follow your routine before once again falling asleep on the couch and dozing off for the night. Until the very next day of course. You were just laying there peacefully snoozing away peacefully until you felt a harsh shake on your shoulder and a light was shown on you. Of course you being asleep ignored it in favor of turning over on the couch and curling into the blanket even more. Again a harsher shake made you groan in protest at whoever was trying to kidnap you from slumberland.

"Y/N!!" A young girl's voice shouted fairly close and loud next to your ear. Startling you awake with a snort, sitting right up and blinking and rubbing your eyes at the harsh light that extended on you. "Time to wake up or we'll miss the train to Motostoke!"

"Uuuuuhhh," you groaned peeking your eyes open and blinking groggily up at the form of Gloria smiling at you. You yawned a bit. "Gloria? Wha-....*yaawwn* What time is it?"

"Six o four in the morning!," she stated happily before leaning back up and it took you a moment to figure out it was still dark in the early hours of the morning and the light was coming from the light bulb above you. "You need to hurry up and get ready before we're late! I still need to pick up my Dynamax band from the Professor too!"

"M' up," you mumbled reaching a hand out to slowly toss off the blanket from your form as Gloria backed away.

She turned as you both heard her mother's tired voice call to her, asking what was up. What you needed to wake you up was a nice hot shower so that's exactly what you did. Dragging yourself out of bed, you trudged into the bathroom and took a deserving hot shower, brushing your teeth, and opting to instead of the overalls lent to you by Mrs. G wore the black shirt with the Eevee print, slacks, and the non rubber shoes you also picked up. By the time you came out, with everything else in the gray plaid bulking back pack of yours, the smell of food was already in the air and it didn't take you too long to find out why when you look over and saw Gloria holding what could've only been described as a plain waffle in one hand obviously in the middle of eating it, and going through her big brown back pack with the other as her mother looked at her.

"Uh huh. And are you sure you got plenty of clothes?," Mrs. G asked raising a brow, "Extra pokeballs? Your region map? How about the revives Leon was nice enough to get you?"

"Yes Ma!," the teen mumbled half way through eating, "I already went through this last night!"

"Well it never hurts to double check! Especially since you can't lose that endorsement letter or else they won't let you register for the challenge at all," she looked up and noticed you before smiling, "Ah! Y/n! Good morning, Dear. I hope you slept well."

You nodded shifting the backpack over your shoulders, "Yeah thanks! ......Hey. Where's that sobble?" You rose a brow while looking on the floor. Strange the little guy wasn't around.

"He was hungry so I gave him some food to tide him over for you. And speaking of which you must be hungry. I'll get you some breakfast. You aren't starting off your trip on an empty stomach."

"But Mom! That's gonna take even longer! Vic's already waiting for me! We still need to grab the dynamax bands before we go and we'll miss the train if we wait-"

"How about you guys go get the..bands and I'll *yaaawwn* meet you at the train station?," you suggested. You weren't really in the mood for any arguing in the morning, and to be honest you were hungry and the idea of starting a long trip on an empty stomach just didn't appeal to you.

You were lightly surprised when Gloria agreed to it and after a few more moments of going through her pack, left with Hop you assumed, as her mother kindly handed you over some food. More waffles but you weren't complaining. Your sobble at some point noticed you were awake and soon enough you felt that familiar feeling of the little guy crawling up your clothes only to plop itself into your shoulders. It really liked being carried around didn't it? Your muddled mind didn't know when but sometime after you finished the pancakes you were out the door bag in your hands, one hand holding it and the other digging through it to make sure all the few belongings you did own for now were secured. Sure enough you found the non perishable food Leon had given you, the few clothes, and of course your Sobble's pokeball tucked somewhere in the bottom of it all. You decided to keep your sobble out for the time being as it seemed to enjoy being out. The early morning light was starting to peek through with the light pinks and yellows of the sunrise. Already as you made your way to the train station, you saw the farmers and their wooloos out in the fields. Early to bed early to rise you guessed. You saw no sign of the teens besides Victor who waved at you and gestured for you to come wait with him, guessed they were still getting the dynamax bands from the professor, even as you walked right into the train station. So you did the only thing your tired self could do. You once again plopped yourself into one of the seats tiredly and waited for the two to arrive. It couldn't have been that long(or maybe it was but you didn't notice) but you perked up at a familiar voice.

"So out with it, Glor! How many did you catch again?"

"I already told you eight! You saw me take pictures of them yesterday remember?"

"Oh right! Sorry that's just the sleep talkin'. " You turned to the door as the young voices got louder. "But look at how many you caught! You're well on your way to building a fine team! I caught myself a special one not to brag."

" I KNOOOWWW!! I'm so jealous you caught a shiny before me!" Gloria walked right into the train station with Hop right behind her.

He shrugged with a proud smile. "Well what can I say? I'll make a difficult rival."

"Where are we heading again?"

"The Gym Challenge will begin Motostoke and our train's waiting so let's go-" He paused finally looking away from her and seeing you two sitting there. Upon catching his eye you smiled and waved mumbling something like 'Good Morning'. And he smiled. "Hey! Y/n you're here!" You stood up to meet them with a light yawn as they approached. "I thought you'd be on the train already.''

You chose not to mention you haven't gotten any money to pay for the ticket entrance and waved. "Nah. I said I'd wait for you guys at the station and I wanted to keep my promise." Looking to Gloria you noticed something around her neck, so you pointed and asked. "Hey. Isn't that your brother's camera?"

"Aye." Victor rose a brow crossing his arms at his sister. "Don't go runnin' 'round crazy with that thing if you value ye life."  He jabbed a thumb to the awaiting train. "Anyways it's nearly seven thirty. We should probably get on before it takes off." He suggested and the lot of you agreed. Walking towards the small gate-

"Not so fast you three!," an older but familiar lady's voice cut through the air and the three of you all turned around as a result.

Hop's golden eyes widened. "Wha-? What're you doing here, Mum?" He asked turning around just as the two mothers of the children walked right in. You were confused at first two, before seeing what they were holding in their hands and you immediately understood why they had followed you here.

"I knew this day was coming since the moment you chose Grookey as a partner, Darling," the older woman smiled fondly at him, a smile you remember your own mother used to have way back when. She held up the small rolled up thing in her hands. "You took off so fast you two didn't take any sleeping bags. Did you forget you probably won't be able to afford hotels most of the time or won't be able to sleep in one every night? You can't expect a free bed around every corner."

Both looked immediately sheepish as Mrs. G spoke. "Professor Magnolia was kind enough call and let us know that you three would be setting out now." She held up a small looking back of her own. "So here. A little last gift to see you well set on your way. All the kit you'll need for camping! And the reason why you should always double check BEFORE you take off like your brother." Gloria made a face and looked away before her mother made her take the small kit, which consisted of a small compact tent you could carry over your shoulder and another sleeping bag, before crossing her arms with a frown. "Honestly! I swear you'd lose your head if it wasn't attached to your neck sometimes."

"HEY! I only forgot this one thing," she protested and her mother hummed.

" Ah yes. Like you forgot to tell me about how the two of you snuck off into the Slumbering Wield." In an instant she froze and you could've sworn a little color drained from Gloria's face in that moment. "And yes, I heard the news from young Leon. I'm glad someone bothered to tell me!" She sighed and her other hand was held out to you. "Here we are! A bit of pocket money for your journey. Buy yourself a little something at the pokemon center. Maybe some potions or something!"

You stopped and blinked at the small twenty bill in her hand before shaking your head. "Oh no! I couldn't possibly take your money! I-"

"Happened to save my child from a dumb idea. It's not much but something tells me you could use it anyways."

Well......It wouldn't hurt to have some money on you in case of emergencies even if it wasn't much. So you reluctantly took it from her. "I....Thank you."

She nodded to you before turning to Gloria and pointing a finger at her with a serious look. "Now. Remember that Scorbunny will battle to the very end for you so don't you go pushing the poor dear too hard! Come home to rest anytime that you need. After all east or west, home is best." She smiled. "No matter what happens out there, if you and your partner are together I know you'll be fine. Take my advice to heart Sweetie. As long as you have your pokemon at your side and the energy to carry onwards, you'll naturally find that you always have a smile on your face."

Gloria stood there for a moment before nodding to her mother and you blinked when she all of a sudden hugged the older woman, seemingly startling her too for a moment before she smiled and hugged the child back tightly like any mother would....Well except maybe yours. She was always seeming to be too busy working or making sure you worked hard to get good grades or worked hard enough to help out with the bills with your after school jobs. You didn't notice the frown come over your face as Hop mimicked his friend in giving his own mother a hug who like the other mother mirrored a smile and hugged back patting his head followed by Victor.

"Remember. No matter what happens out there, if you and your partner are together, I know you'll be fine."

Hop smiling pulled away and gave a big grin. "Thanks Mum! And just think of how lucky you are!" He raised a determined fist. "Mother to the first ever pair of Champion Brothers! Because I'm certain to be the Champion next! You'll see!"

She nodded in agreement but her face was amused. "Of course you will, Darling. Anyway, do have fun and take care of yourselves. And don't be too worried about not winning. You're welcome back home anytime."

Home huh- A loud train horn sounded off startling the five of you into turning to the train, then you happened to glance at the clock hanging upon the wall and noticed that it was seven twenty eight in the morning. Two minutes before seven thirty and the deadline for the train's departure. So you decided to point this out, having the two kids make a worried frown before taking a few steps back.

"We'll be off now!," Gloria explained lifting her hand a moment to give a quick good bye to the two mothers and turning to the train. "C'mon guys! We're off! Don't want to miss the train!"

You nodded in agreement tailing right after her with Hop behind you. "Wish us luck! Not that we'll need it!"

As the mothers waved good bye, the four of you went towards the gate and watched as Gloria slipped a single dollar into the slot of it. It made a ping noise and you guess it unlocked because the four of you easily slipped by and towards the train. The grey and yellow train's doors slid open with a whoosh sound as the three of you entered just as another horn sounded off startling your sobble a bit making it cling to your shoulder harder. Inside was who you assumed to be a train conductor who gestured for you all to exit through another door to the right which lead to the passenger cars and other people who happened to be on the train with you four. There was about fifthteen other people with you so the lot of you had to go to one of the back seats. Yellow painted metal bars were everywhere along with Blue seats with a table between the two of them. Above each pair of seats was a small area to put luggage. You sat down just as the train was starting off. Gloria breathing a sigh of relief from all the weight she was carrying. You assumed she was carrying more than you already along with the camping equipment she was given just a few moments ago. You ended up looking out the window and watching the station and small town of Postwick move away from your view and starting on your way. Beside you Gloria sighed and slumped into the soft cushioned seat.

"Man. We just left and I'm already feeling beat."

"Well look on the bright side," Hop suggested, "We're finally heading out on our journeys! And Lee told me Motostoke is a good place as any to start off an adventure."

"Oh really? How come?," you asked curiously as he explained.

"Well besides the obvious Opening Ceremony going on there. Motostoke is surrounded by a giant piece of land called the Wild Area. It's a real sight! There's all sorts of wild Pokemon just wondering about everywhere you look! Plus you can camp out, do a spot of fishing, and sight seeing! I don't think I could ever get tired of it!," he explained smiling widely, "But I don't think we'll be able to see it. The Entrance Ceremony's in the town not the wild. But on a lighter not! There's loads of brilliant trainers and all kinds of pokemon out there waiting for us! My excitement's running ahead of me faster than this train can go!"

"Yeah? Well it's too bad. Would've loved to take a couple more pictures." Gloria sighed leaning more against the wall of the train. " Im already starting to understand why Victor likes it so much. Like I wouldn't make it a living like he wants to but it's a nice hobby."

You nodded agreeing with her and extended your arm to allow your sobble to crawl along your arm and onto the table, watching as it curiously crawled up to the window and looked out at the world passing by. You all sat there for who knows how long chatting, the kids pulled out their phones and showed you a few pictures of what looked almost like a castle's high walls and beautiful scenery surrounding it. It was quite lovely. At one point someone said it would take at least a few hours to get to the town so all of you had plenty of time to relax but you couldn't help but let your mind wonder. What was happening back at your home? Was your mother worried about you suddenly going missing? What happened when she went to wake you up but found you completely gone? Did she call the police to file a missing person's report yet? Counting today it would've been five days that you had disappeared and that must've been worrying. And if this happened to just be a crazy dream you surely hoped you would wake up sometime soon. You were soon snapped out of any bad thoughts though. How? Simple the train suddenly slowed down out of no where it caught you off guard and you ended up hitting the table in front of you your poor Sobble chirping in shock as it was sent tumbling across said table and into Hop's extended arms as he thankfully caught the poor thing before it could splat onto the floor below. What the world was that!? Your head turned as Gloria nudged your side. you gave her a questioning look about to ask if she was alright but she pointed out the window and you looked. There was.....Nothing but nature?? Which wouldn't be strange since it was the out doors, and you WOULD have chalked it up to just being another stop on the way to Motostoke but then why did the train suddenly stop like that? Granted you never rode on a train before but you were pretty sure they weren't supposed to stop suddenly enough to ram yourself into a table. One of your hands rubbed your sore ribs where they had hit the table, surely leaving a bruise later but no real damaged luckily. So why had you all suddenly stopped in the middle of seemingly no where? Around you other people were also noticing, muttering to themselves, some getting up to peer out the windows or to take a couple steps up the alley way as to walk up to the engine car.

"Attention Passengers!," a man's voice blared from a loud speaker somewhere, "Due to some unfortunate events beyond our control we have decided to take a quick stop at Wild Station. We apologize for any inconvenience and to please wait patiently while we fix the issue. We thank you for your cooperation."

"Wha- Wild Station? That's just outside the town!," Hop exclaimed holding your sobble in one arm while staring at a map on his phone with the other. Confusion on his face. "Why didn't they just stop inside the city?"

"Let's find out!" Gathering her things into her arms Gloria was quick to jump past you.

"WHA- Hey wait!," you called out extending an arm out to her as she darted up the car past other people.

You stared after her for a few seconds before turning to Hop who shrugged and got up to after her which you followed obviously. The three of you hurried after her as Gloria trotted up to the exit and with a whoosh the doors opened with her stepping out and the two of you followed. On the other side was another train station. Only this one had slightly different colored brick walls and there was a whole bunch of leaves and twigs scattered about. Besides the four of you there was a couple looking over a map in one corner of the station looking confused and lost, a map just sitting in the waiting chairs, and someone who looked to be in some kind of uniformed green vest.

You gave a confused look around. "Where the heck are we?"

"Ill check!'' Before you could respond Hop had already turned to the man in the vest and asked, "Hey, Mr. Station Master!" The man hummed and turned to him. "Isnt this the Wild Area? What're we stopped here for?"

The man sighed crossing his arms. "Yes....This is the Wild Area Station makes no mistakes. I'm sorry to tell you that the train is halted due to a flock of wooloo."

"WHAT?!," both you and Gloria said at the same time.

A giant herd of wooloo!? Oh great! Now what were you all supposed to do?

Hop however wasn't the least bit concered. "What's there to be sorry about? This is brilliant!"

Gloria gave him a look that looked like he just did something crazy. "What is?"

He excitedly smiled widely at her. "This Wild Area is massive!" He explained the sobble in his arms giving a noise of annoyance at his sudden movements. "There are loads of pokemon to battle here! You don't get it do you, Glor? This is the best possible place to put together the greatest team!"

"I don't think we should be taking off, "Gloria pointed out and you nodded agreeing. "We have to get to the Entrance Ceremony soon or else we'll be considered forfeiting our sponsorships entirely!"

"That's the smartest thing you said all day," Victor mumbled.

"They take it that seriously?," you asked lightly surprised as she nodded.

"Something about a long time ago a lot of trainers tried to sneak their way into the challenge by claiming they were late to register or something like that. Since then the rules have been pretty strict. Which is why I want to register first and then come back here if I have a chance."

"When is the deadline?"

"Midnight. And as much as I'd love to explore around...Im kinda nervous about securing that spot."

You could totally agree with her on that point Buuut- You pointed behind you. "But the train's going to be backed up for a while by the looks of it. Maybe we can walk? How fair is this Motostoke?''

"Let's step out and see. The map said it shouldn't have been too far away I think."

That wasn't a bad idea and with no objections the four of you stepped out and what you saw made you pause. As soon as you stepped out you were hit with the strong rays of sunlight making you blink but once your (f/c) eyes managed to get a hold of themselves...Well....Breathtaking was a pretty good way to describe it. A giant meadow stretched as much as you could see with a giant lake, a few scattered trees, and A GIANT WALL! A giant wall was set up with a few bridge like structures to the right and you could see a few very tall buildings/structures ahead. You saw what you thought was oil rigs movie, a giant clock which reminded you of Big Ben back in your world, a few sky scrapers, and a few other things you were too far away to make out. Over all it was a very strange but pretty sight as the wind blew through the trees.

"Look at that!," Hop said in awe pointing at the buildings which must've been a decent half mile away. "That's Motostoke way off that way! And between here and there are countless new pokemon waiting to be met!"

Gloria hummed. ".......Well it would be cool to explore somewhere we won't get in trouble I guess."

"EXACTLY!!" He pointed towards the meadow. "Im itching to just see what's out there. It's not too far away and we can probably spare a couple hours. I mean we have until Midnight right? And we left pretty early in the morning."

She hummed again. "Well when you put it that way it does sound like fun!" A smile crossed her face again. "I can take a whole bunch of pictures for my scrapebook! And catch a few more pokemon of course."

You weren't sure that was a good idea- "Well well. You two running off again?"

The three of you turned- You blinked surprised. "Sonia?," you asked. True to your word the orange haired professor's assistant was walking right towards the four of you with a smile. "What are you doing here? I don't remember seeing you get on the train."

"Of course you didn't. I didn't enter the train through the station right side of the station," she smiled. "Besides. I figured it'd be an opportune time for me to travel for my research." Sonia gave a sigh and looked to the ground shaking her head. "My grab gave me a proper earful in her own way. 'Those two young trainers are setting out on a journey, but what are you doing with your life?' Her words not mine."

"Ouch Professor," you commented, "That sounds rough." You didn't mean to be so blunt but you kinda understood how she felt. Your mother had asked you similar things to that while simaltaniously pushing you to study more, go to college, and get a job-

Sonia waved you off. "Ah. Never mind that. Nothing to worry yourselves over. " Her eyes lowered back to the teens next to you. "Besides I've been more curious about that pokemon you two met in the forest. I'd been thinking I should look into it so the timing works out fine! If I discover something really huge then maybe even Gran'll admit I got some talent."

Pokemon- OH RIGHT!! You nearly forgot the legendary pokemon they saw in the fog. Although you were still unsure what it was exactly. A thought suddenly struck you. In the game Sonia would uncover some amazing things important to the plot of the game. If ONLY you could remember what it was!

"Yikes." Hop made a cringe face. "Being an adult got it's own challenges eh?"

You frowned and gave a chuckle and shake of your head which made him look at you. "Oh you have NO idea."

"I said you needn't worry about it," Sonia stated a little more firmly. "I'm glad to be on the road really! It's been ages. It'll be great fun to fish and camp and rough it outside again."

"Uh huh. Well you have fun with that! Meanwhile.." He turned with a smile. "I heard there's natural dynamaxing pokemon in the Wild Area! I'm off to go stick my head in as many of those red dens as I can find!"

"Not. So. FAST! Mr. Impatient!" He yelped when gloria grabbed him by the hoodie and with the same frown as her mother stared at him when she yanked him back. "We only got here and you want to run off again into the wild??"

"Oh c'mon Glory. I promise Ill meet you up back at the Entrance Ceremony."

The young girl hummed. ".....What time is it by the way?"

"Oh." You glanced to sonia as she rolled up her sleeve and glanced at her watch. "According to this it just turned Eleven thirty in the morning."

She hummed and slowly released her friend. "Fine. But let's agree to meet at the Entrance Ceremony at six or seven in the after noon. That should be enough time for the both of us to explore and get to the town before it gets dark." She gave a concerned frown. "I really don't want you hurt or lost."

Hop paused for a moment before looking away coughing his cheeks having a light pink hue. "Um....YEAH! I can totally do that!"

Her smile returned. "Then it's settled! Can't lose my rival before I even join the challenge."

"GREAT!!" He turned again. "I'm going to battle the snot out of a bunch of dynamax pokemon and fill in the tale of my legend!" And he ran off.

"DONT YOU DARE FORGET HOP!!," Gloria hollered after him.

Victor sighed before looking at Gloria and You, "I'd better go with him and make sure he doesn't really forget. I'll see you two later."

Both you and Sonia shared a chuckle at their childish behavior before she looked at you. What cheek. Dynamax pokemon are really on another level you know." She glanced to Gloria. "You'd better dynamax your partner pokemon too if you want to take on opponents that strong." She directed Gloria to the wild. "He's right about red dens. You'll find spots here and there in the Wild Area that emit a red beam of light. If you think you're up to it, check it out. They're usually cave openings with dynamax pokemon inside. But PLEASE be careful. It can be dangerous at times. I wish Hop would've waited for me to warn him before he ran off like that."

Gloria nodded in understanding as you looked down to your sobble climbing up your leg. Hop must've put him down when you weren't looking. "I understand Sonia! You don't have to worry about me!"

Sonia nodded to the two of you. "So with that Ill leave you two off here. The Wild Area is waiting for you. This is the start of your real adventure. Take care now."

You watched as she turned to walk away and....you weren't sure what really compelled you to say it in that moment but you reached your arm out after her. "Ms. Sonia!" She stopped and turned to you with a hum. You paused uncertainly if you should say anything. Would it affect the progress of the game's route? "I just....wanted to let you know that....You really are a great scientist already. And you're going to find a lot of things."

She blinked at you in surprise for a moment not sure what to make of your words, but settled on a smile and nodded. "Thanks. Your kind words mean a lot but we'll have to see what I actually accomplish. I wish you the best sights and experiences of Galar a tourist like you can have!" Before she turned and walked her way towards you assumed Motostoke.

"Wow." You jumped and looked to Gloria who smiled. "That was really nice of you. Even if it was a little out of no where."

You shrugged. "I guess I know how she feels a little bit. Sometimes a few kind words is what someone needs."

"Lee always says something similar, but I think he calls it 'champion encouragement'." She suddenly snapped her head forward and pointed. "Well you heard Sonia! I want to try out my first dynamaxing battle before I take on any gyms! We got about seven to eight hours to get some battling and sight seeing in so I say we give this day all we got!"

-time skip five hours forward-

You lost track of how many times Gloria pulled you along this way and that....but it was an eventful few hours.

You lost count of how many pokemon Gloria tried to battle. Key word being 'tired'. The first pokemon she tried to battle was one you remembered. An Onix. A. GIANT. MASSIVE!! AND CRANKY!! ONIX!! Probably didn't help Gloria snapped a picture of it before trying to battle it. You had to literally grab her and drag her behind you as you ran. Terrified scorbunny at your heels as it charged towards the two of you. Not the greatest start to be honest. But it wasn't as worst as her first dynamax battle. She had found an opening in the cliffside of a cave with red aura around in, one of the dynamax dens and she ran into it without a second thought with you chasing after her. Inside the dark was lit up by a GIGANTIC DIGLETT with the red-black cloud hovering over it's dynamax form. You nearly fainted then and there but when the thing ROARED you felt like you were about to have a heart attack!!! Your sobble poor thing made a small squeal of fright before forcing itself into your backpack to hide immediately. Things just went downhill from there when in the middle of the battle Gloria decided to dynamax scorbunny and all of a sudden you both were having a very hard time standing up from the shaking ground and the debry the attacks caused to the point you literally yelled that you both had to leave then and there but she couldn't hear you past all the noise and therefore barked orders to her gigantic scorbunny from her holding onto the ground. With you clinging onto the cave's wall for dear life hoping it would be over soon. Thankfully it did. It was all a blur really. You vaugly remembered Gloria somehow capturing the diglett and returning scorbunny to it's rightful size. And you two carefully climbed around disheveled cave floor until managing to get out of the cave....where the both of you collapsed onto the ground.

"HOW THE HECK CAN STADIUMS HANDLE THOSE THINGS!?,'' you yelled out dizzily into the soft grass. In the game you didn't have to worry about debry being flung at you or the ground giving away suddenly. BECAUSE IT WAS A GAME!! REAL LIFE POKEMON DYNAMAX BATTLES WERE NOTHING LIKE THE GAME!!"

Gloria raised a weak hand. "T-They were made a long time ago with top professors, contractors, and researchers to build them strong enough even a dynamaxed monchomp with the strength of a thousand earthquakes couldn't shake it. Dunno how but man I'm glad they did."

You could 100% agree with that! It took a minute for the both of you to recover before the two of you got up, dusted yourselves off, and went off again. Gloria managed to resume battling and taking photos of a few pokemon. Although some of the pictures were so blurry from the pokemon moving they would be no use at all and she didn't catch a lot of the pokemon she tried to battle. But she did win a few and even had two other dynamax battles within the dens you guessed the boys didn't come across. Catching one of them but not the other as you struggled to not lose your lunch or have a heart attack both times. You were not a fan of wild dynamax battles after that. At one point you even came across what Gloria explained was a wild berry tree and demonstrated how to get the fruits off them by forcibly shaking it until a couple berries fell off it. They all had a somewhat bitter taste you didn't like when you tried them tho, but your sobble seemed to enjoy up as you handed them right over when they extended their....hands?? Paws??...towards it. You couldn't remember how much time had passed before the two of you finally had a chance to sit down under the shade of a tree and have a break. Gloria took the time to go through all the pictures she took, must've been about thirty, but only twenty one were salvagable. Curious you took a peak at the pictures she showed you. The pokemon she got pictures of were a onix(of course angering it-), roselia, vespiquen, and a few others. Not a lot but certainly a decent haul for her. It was you who eventually asked the question-

"Hey. What time is it?"

Gloria responded by quickly pulling out her phone and checking the time on it. And she blinked. "It's four twenty seven! It's already been about five and a half hours!"

"Wha-" You looked up to the sky. Didn't look like sunset yet, but it was definitely about late after noon. You two hadn't even noticed the time fly by. "We've been out here nearly all day!"

With a hum gloria quickly scrambled to pick up her things. "I think we better head to Motostoke now. I don't really know how long it'll take to walk there and I did promise Hop we'd meet him there."

You nodded scooping the confused sobble into your arms. The walk there was pretty uneventful as you two walked what must've been half a mile, your eyes widening the closer you got, until you finally got there......AND. IT. WAS. NOTHING. LIKE IN GAME!! The entrance to Motostoke was all bricked with a medieval ages meets industrial period kind of look. All the buildings you could see were brick other than the familiar pink pokemon center and there was A LOT MORE people and buildings than in game you remember....makes sense you supposed. This was a real world and so of course there would be a lot more people and buildings. It was so crowded you were certain if Gloria wasn't walking beside you, you were sure you would've easily watched her. The first place you two stopped was the pokemon center where Gloria went inside to heal her pokemon from todays battle and put away any new ones she caught into those Rotomi box things. You were busy marveling at the busy streets and environment around you. You had never been in a city before let alone a town like this so it was quite a shock for you to see. This place even had GIANT WORKING GEARS BUILT INTO IT'S VERY WALLS!! It was like a real steampunk town. But once she came out she.....stopped and stared around her.

"So which way to the ceremony?," you asked her gazing at a few stores lined across the street.

She looked really unsure now fidgeting with the straps of her bag and looking around her. "U-Um...I don't know."

You snapped your head to her. "You don't what?!"

"Im sorry!" She apologized looking around. "I know it's here! I just.....don't know exactly where in town."

You wanted to facepalm but decided not too to avoid hurting her feelings and looked around as well as people and their pokemon passed you two. No signs of Hop or any indication of a ceremony anywhere in sight. No other trainers, no signs, certainly no ceremony!

Gloria suddenly held up her phone. "Maybe I should call him? He might already be there waiting for us-"

"HEY YOU TWO!!" A familiar voice called out and to both of your relief you turned and walking towards you with a shopping bag in one hand, yamper at her feet was your saving grace Sonia waving at you. "Over here!"

"SONIA!" Gloria smiled. "Boy are we glad to see you! We ran into a 'Leon situation' here."

That made her laughed. "Oh really? Real ace of you to make it through the Wild Area. And a Leon situation huh?"

Gloria nodded sighing. "We're kinda lost. Do you know where the ceremony is?"

"You're first time in a city and already lost? But Motostoke is big right?" Gloria nodded and Sonia smiled. "Not to worry. Sonia is here to show you around a bit."

"Thanks, Ms. Sonia." Gloria politely smiled at the older woman. "Could you point out where we gotta go?"

Sonia hummed. "The Entrance ceremony huh? I get a bit worked up when I think how exciting and moving it was to actually stand on a stadium's pitch for the first time." Sonia smiled off thinking of an old memory most likely. She shook her head. "Anyways. Brilliant young trainer who braved the Wild Area! Do you remember what your goal in Motostoke is?"

"I'm here for the Gym Challenge!," Gloria shouted determined smile on her face and Sonia nodded.

She nodded. "Yep! The Gym Challenge Opening Ceremony!" She pointed behind her at the busy street. You Guess since she once too here attending the Gym challenge with leon as kids she would know where it would be. "Use that lift over there to get to it K? OH! By the way the ceremony tomorrow is being held at the Motostoke Stadium ok?"

......You looked at Gloria. "There's a stadium here AND a second ceremony tomorrow??" Gloria shrugged at you.

"Well, laters!" She waved a hand at you two. "I'm going to swing by the shops while I'm here but don't forget to register at the Stadium,k?" Gloria nodded and Sonia went to tur- She stopped. "OH! I forgot. I got you a little something." Reaching into her coat pocket and fishing around, she pulled out what looked like at first glance some kind of training card before holding it out to Gloria who curiously accepted it...And her eyes WIDENED at it.

"NO!! WAY!!" She stared wide eyed between the card and Sonia. "Is this what I think it is!?"

She giggled. "Yep. I know Leon already sent myself and Hop a couple so I figured it would be the perfect start off to your own collection."

Gloria gave off a girly teen squeal and practically shoved it into your face making you blink. "OH MY MAGIKARP!! LOOK!! I GOT A LEAGUE CARD!!" You blinked and true to her word it was a card. And on it was a picture of Leon sitting down looking off somewhere. She smiled widely pulling it from your face. "Thanks so much So-...." She blinked. "Hey where'd she go?"

You shrugged. "I guess she left. Come on. We better get going."

She nodded ad the two of you made off for this lift at the end of the street. Along the way you guys passed a few stores. A flower shop, a cafe, a book store, a record shop, a barber shop, and another clothes shop. Once you two were at and on the lift....you became unsure again.

"Um. Now what?"

"I dunno..." Something caught her eye as she looked over and pointed. "hey what's that?"

"What's what?"

"This panel has a button." She pressed it.

"AH!!" You instantly fell to your bottom and Gloria grabbed onto the small pedestal as the lift suddenly lifted the two of you up and around, until it suddenly stopped again and you groaned. Pushing yourself up...and hearing a snicker. You shot a look to the teenager who was snickering behind her hand. "Nice to see you're still standing." You muttered pushing yourself up to your feet again and looking over, in front of the both of you was a giant building with glass doors, in front of the doors was two men in some kind of uniform and sunglasses like some bodyguard and some man with.....A Pokeball head?? Was waving to a few people passing by. A mascot maybe??.....You pointed at the building. "You think that's it or what?"

She went to answer but someone already beat here to it. "Gloria! Ms. Y/n!" Both of you looked over and the boys was making his way towards the two of you. "You made it too? "

You rubbed your aching back. "Yeah. Where are we?"

"Motostoke Stadium! This is where the Opening Ceremony will be held!" He exclaimed excitedly pointing to the large building behind him. "Everyone'll be watching the Opening Ceremony for the Gym Challenge! My mom, your mom, the whole world!! It's getting me a bit nervous really." He shook his head. "Naw. This isn't nerves. I'm only trembling because I'm so excited!"

"Well I say we go it and get registered before it gets too dark," Gloria suggested. 

"You're right!" He turned back to the stadium still pointing. "Come on, Glory! It's time the world knows our names!"

As the three of you rolled up to the doors one of the two men standing in front of the door held one of their hands out in a clear stop motion in front of you four.

"Can I see your sponsorship letters please?," He asked holding out his hand and Hop didn't hesitate to pull his out of his pocket and have the letter over to the man in the meantime the twins had slung her backpack off her shoulders and went digging through it. You hoped she didn't forget it all the way back in Postwick. The security guard carefully examined the piece of paper in his hands. Running a hand across the red unbroken seal, holding it up to the light, and then taking a small device out of his pocket. A small green light came out and scanned it for a few seconds until there was a small ding from the machine and the man nodded before handing it back to him. "Head on inside and sign in Trainer. Next!" Saying a quick thanks Hop quickly snatched the letter back just as Gloria pulled out her own (thank goodness she still had it) and handed it to the man who repeated the same process from before he too handed them back hers and allowed them to go. But when you made a move to follow them he held another hand up. "Sorry, Ma'am. Only registered trainers, staff, and authorized personal are allowed inside. You'll have to wait out here. It's the rules."

You paused for a moment before looking at Gloria uncertain who smiled. "It's alright Y,n. Just wait for us out here ok? It shouldn't take too long. I mean we're just signing in!"

"Well...Alright if you say so." You gestured to a nearby bench. "I'll just wait for you two over there ok?"

They agreed and left you standing outside the stadium as they went inside. Not that you minded waiting of course. Your feet ached and your shoulders from carrying around your backpack all day, so plopping on the bench you gave your sore body a rest before slinging your pack off your shoulders. Your sobble had decided now would be a good time to fully crawl out of your pack from where its been hiding out this whole time and you let it climb on you when you placed your bag down with a sigh and leaned into the bench. FINALLY allowing yourself to rest for a while. You waited for a little while as people passed you, going up and down the lift and and streets as the body guards still stood there making sure no one entered without permission. A few teens Hop's age excited including" one boy with bright white fluffy hair and a long pink coat and you thought he looked rather grumpy. At one point you thought you heard a happy yell from somewhere but ignored it as it was probably a child playing somewhere. The sky slowly turning to a light pink as it got later in the day. Eventually the two did come back out but with what looked like white work out bands on their wrist that didn't have the dynamax bands on them. You waved at them as they walked right on over to you.

"Hey guys. Did everything go well?"

Victor nodded before smiling, "Although we might have to part ways for a while."

She gave her brother a confused look. "Whatcha mean?"

"I've decided to join Hop on this little adventure If he doesn't mind."

"Really!? That's awesome! Of course!" Hop was quick to agree with a friendly punch to Victor's shoulder. "Why wouldn't I want one of my greatest pals joining me while I write my legend? It'll be grand to have a traveling buddy of my own!"

"NO WAY!!" Gloria's large smile returned! "Oh this is great! We'll be able to see each other for a while more. I haven't been able to see you since you went on a journey last year so this is totally a win win for me in everyway!"

You nodded. "Oh. How'd the registry go?"

She waved a hand. "Oh y'know. We got our Challenger Bands we're apparently supposed to wear all the time so everyone knows we're a part of the registered trainers group. Our own League cards for the challenge. And we got to meet some of the rival trainers in there too! I liked the Sherry girl. She seemed really shy."

"I heard she was sponsored by the Gym Leader Milo but I can't be too sure," Victor replied before looking up at the sky. ".....But in any case I believe we should all head to Budew Drop Inn before the actual ceremony tomorrow." He turned to Gloria. "That way I can show you all the new pictures of pokemon I've gotten. You can use them for that dex challenge thing you told me about."

They turned and you nodded in agreement standing up and grabbing your bag, your sobble grabbing onto your bag as your hoisted it back over your shoulders and followed them guessing they must've known the way.

"By the way how many pictures of pokemon did you add to your collection?," Gloria asked glancing at her twin.

"Um." He made a thoughtful face. "Well let's see. Nessa's Aquarium has at least one of every water type pokemon...and with how many nature preserves I've stayed...and with the hundreds of tourists with different regions pokemon....and trading pictures with fellow photographers from different regions at the International Photographers Expo..........Six hundred thirty four different pokemon!"

There was silence for a moment.

"........WHAT?!"

The four of you made it down the street and over to the six story building that certainly looked like a fancy hotel. Along the way the children explained that the Chairman had not only endorsed as well but apparently paid the hotel in advance to allow all the trainers to stay the night before the actual ceremony took place the next day and the challengers were officially given the go ahead to start their journey. But a small surprise awaited the four of you yet in the hotel when you walked in and you looked around. There was a couple potted plants, two pairs of stairs leading up to another level with furniture, a sign in desk, and an elevator like a regular hotel but the thing your eyes were drawn to was the golden statue. It reminded you of those knights in ancient fairy tales. The golden man stood with his sword held up to the sky, a gleamering shield on his other arm in defense, and his face one of determination to not fail. Quite the craftsman ship. And standing right in front of it with a small yamper at her feet was-

"SONIA!" Gloria loudly greeted startling the poor lady and making her turn around.

Upon seeing who it was she sighed and smiled. "Oh it's just you guys. You gave me quite the jump scare there. But it looks like you both got yourselves registered." She nodded to the arm bands before her gaze drifted to Victor as she blinked. "....Oh. Hiya! I don't think we've met."

"This is my brother, Victor. He's gonna be with Hop for a while. But what are you doing here? I thought you were going out to study."

"Yeah." Hop chimed in. "What are you doing at our hotel?"

"Oh!" She shifted the many shopping bags in her arms. Guess she did go shopping while here after all. "I'm researching the mysterious pokemon that are said to be in the Slumbering Wield. I reckon if I look into some of Galar's lengends I might figure something out. Care to join me?" She gestured to the statue. "You're here already anyways."

"SURE! It'd be fun!" She turned to you."Hey. Y/n new to Galar. I don't think she even knows the legends."

"That's perfect then! While you're doing that, Im gonna go stand in that long like up there and secure a spot for us ok?"

"But I-" You raised a hand as theVictor turned and walked away leaving you with sonia and the other two...and you sighed. "I don't think I was that way when I was fourteen."

Sonia chuckled. "We were all like that at one point or another. But would you like to hear one of the legends? A newbie to Galar like you might enjoy some foreign tales."

"I'd like to hear too!"

You stared at her for a moment before shrugging. "Why not? I was just cast out from the little tribe."

She chuckled even more before she turned towards the statue. "Alright then. I'm sure you've seen the statue then.''

"Yeah." You rose a brow looking back up to the handsome man's golden face. "Who is he anyways?"

"It's a statue of the hero who once saved the Galar Region. I can run through the legend right quite if you fancy?" You nodded and that was all she needed to continue. "Long ago a great black storm covered the Galar Region." She gazed back to the statue. "People called it 'The Darkest Day'. The land was assaulted by gigantic pokemon but they were defeated by a single young hero bearing a sword and shield. This statue here is meant to depict the young hero of that legend. We still don't understand what kind of sword and shield the hero actually had. And what this 'black storm' is supposed to be is just another mystery. Whatever it was, it blotted all the skies across Galar. I suppose that tracks with it being 'the Darkest Day' but still..."

Hop blinked blinking at the golden statue's face and scratching his head. "Huh...I suppose that hero must've been about as strong as Lee then. Looks like you're going to have your hands full with plenty research though, Sonia. Black storms and swords and shields and all..."

"You'll be alright Sonia!"

She chuckled. "Heh. Thanks. I'll muddle through somehow. Don't you worry." She shook her head. "But legends aside. You three are staying at the hotel tonight though, right? Shouldn't you check in?"

"Probably so. Victor's holding our place in line." With a smiled similar to Leon he smiled widely at her. "And we'll look out for you too, Sonia! If we hear anything about any hero or whatnot we'll tell you!" Gloria nodded with a hum.

Sonia bowed her head in thanks to the two. "Thanks so much. Even if you don't find anything the thought's appreciated." As the kids said good byes and walked around her to a stair case you paused as she lifted her head and gazed at you. "I hope you enjoyed my little tale."

You smiled and nodded. "Yes. It was really entertaining. Thanks for telling me."

She nodded. "And thanks for taggin' along with the kids this far. I know we're practically strangers but there's just....I don't know....really good aura about you." You chuckled. You? Really good aura? That certainly was a first. "I'm sure Lee appreciates it too. He's always so worried about Hop. He practically raised him after all-" All of a sudden it was like a switch flipped off in her mind and her happy smile went to a sudden shocked face. "Oh no. I didn't mean to mention that. Please forget I even said that."

Your brow rose confus- "Y/N! C'MON! We got our room key already!"

You looked up to Gloria's call before back to Sonia before waving good bye and leaving. Wondering what the heck that was all about. Oh well. You had bigger things to worry about- Like the the fact that the three kids had gotten into a fight with four punk rockers!! You had just walked up the stairs and instantly was face to face with the three teenagers up in the faces of four people who dressed in black and red from their face paint to their outfits shouting something about they're going to cheer someone on and no one could stop them. You couldn't tell between the seven people shouting at one another and the front desk clerk trying to calm them down. THANK GOODNESS FOR THE YOUNG GIRL WHO STOPPED IT ALL!! She walked up the stairs and stopped next to your shocked state. A look of shock coming over her own face for a moment before she sighed and that snapped you out of your trance long enough for you to look at her. She was a teenager same around the same age as the other children with black hair tied back in two ponytails by red ribbon, a pink dress, with a black leather jacket and boots.

"What are you lot doin' here?" She had asked in what sounded what a brittish accent but you were sure Britain wasn't a thing in this world. Instantly the fighting stopped from the punk rockers as the they looked to her shocked like a couple toddlers caught taking candy. One shouted what you assumed was her name. Marnie you thought? As they stuttered out excuses. "I know you all are terribly curious 'bout the other gym challengers, but you gotta show a bit of restraint." Well it was nice of her to settle them down before she apologized. "Sorry 'bout them. They're just a bunch of my fans. Call themselves Team Yell and follow me around. cheerin' for me. I think they've let it all go to their heads a bit.....Come on you lot. Back home with you now!" She sighed as they guiltily slunk away past you down the stairs. "They're just so caught up with wantin' to support me and all that they tend to get a bit short with other Gym Challengers. Sorry if they caused you any trouble."

With that she simply walked past the lot of you, got her room key, and just walked away like it never even happened. You were still in a bit of shock but shook it off in favor of getting to the room you'd be bunking in with Gloria and have a small break from today. The inner workings weren't too different from the hotels you've been to before and was more than eager to plop yourself down and have a rest. The rest of the afternoon was a blur. At one point all three kids were sitting around the bed helping sort through Victor's collection of photos and helping Gloria glue in quite a lot of them into that small book of theirs. Hop mentioned about calling room service and Gloria suggested the four of you order each a different curry to help her fill in a bit of her curry challenge book as well. Which you had no problem against. It was free room service and you were interested in trying some of this world's curry since it was supposed to be world famous as Sonia told you. You ended up randomly choosing Sweet Curry as someone phoned it to the front desk and waited for it too arrive. It was pretty good. But it wasn't too different from Mrs. G's curry you had tasted other than the sauce on the rice tasted a mildly hot enough to be sweet. Of course that didn't stop Gloria was taking your curry's picture along with Hop's that had a massive egg in what was call a bitter boiled egg curry, Gloria's was a dry smoked tail curry(you hoped that wasn't an actual tail, and you think Victor's was leek curry with some kind of veggies decorating the plate. You ended up letting your sobble finish what food was leftover after you ate and soon you two found yourselves bidding the two boys good night and went to finally rest for the night. After getting a quick shower you decided it was best to go to bed since the actual Ceremony was tomorrow. Gloria had gotten the bed and you borrowed the sleeping bag Mrs. G had given Gloria. As the darkness slowly consumed your vision as your eyelids drooped you vaguely registered your sobble climbing on one of the shelves.

.........

CRASH!!

Both of you were startled away in the dark from a giant crash and a couple panicked chirps before you were tackled by an invisible spooked sobble burrowing under your arm as Gloria turned on the lamp to reveal the pokemon's mess.

"Y/n! Your sobble knocked over the shelf!"

"Uuuuuuhhhhh!!!"

[bi-galacticgargleblaster]

okay I just got back from a trip to the US and I have thoughts:

why is the water level in the toilet bowl so high?? I accidentally dipped my hand in twice during my two weeks there and believe me it was twice too many!!

christ your groceries are expensive compared to here?? maybe it's because I exclusively go to aldi/lidl (which are cheap here) and I hadn't worked out what the equivalent in the states is but like, hannaford and trader joe's seemed a lot more expensive (based on my rough estimations of exchange rates and sales tax)

oh yeah the sales tax not being included on the price of the thing is strange to me also but I kinda knew that was a thing already

I occasionally see memes about like US public toilet cubicles being poorly constructed, with gaps, etc, and living in the UK I did kinda relate to them, but actually going over there I can confirm that the US gaps are bigger and the amount of panel you have is significantly less. like I can maybe squeeze my head under a uk toilet cubicle but I could fairly easily completely shimmy under a US one

okay this one is probably because of the state we were in and I'm sure it's not universal but like, the amount of pride flags I saw flying?? the amount of progressive pride flags?? the amount of "trans people are welcome here" signs and "we respect trans people" posters?? Active trans specific inclusion in *government buildings* right there for everyone to see, and not a single one (that I saw) defaced or torn down? in the uk you're lucky to get trans positive stickers on streetlamps (and even then a lot of them get defaced/torn off soon after going up) and specific LGBTQIA+ businesses might fly flags or put up posters, but in the US, even in the small towns we visited, a bunch of private houses and not specifically queer businesses had pride flags and posters up (again I'm sure this is different in other states but coming from the uk it was a breath of fresh air). oh and also we went to a farmers market in a tiny town and someone running one of the stalls was like "how's it going guys?" and then was immediately like "ah wait is it okay that I say guys? I don't want to misgender anyone" and like, that has never happened to me in the uk and I struggle to even imagine it happening outside of specifically queer settings

oven pizzas!! honestly the oven pizzas we had while there were better than 99% of UK pizzas (I'm including UK oven pizzas, restaurant pizzas, and takeout pizzas), idk what goes in them that's different to the uk but they were So Good

vanilla ben and jerrys??????? we get some B&J flavours in the uk but they're generally expensive compared to other ice cream and there might be 1-3 flavours to choose from in stores that stock it. we saw a whole freezer dedicated to B&J ice cream, in the entire aisle dedicated just to ice cream. anyway, I thought B&J only did fancy flavours so seeing the plain vanilla there was cool

also my lactose intolerance seemed to go on holiday during the trip?? like is american dairy just different? I had cheesecake and ice cream and incredibly cheesey pizzas and cheese toasties and had like 0 ill side effects. As soon as I got back to the uk I went "well I must be cured" and drank a yoghurt drink and Let Me Tell You That Was A Mistake

cars are B I G. we got off the plane and went to the car rental place and all the trucks and vans and stuff were just completely towering over me. It's like someone took a uk truck and expanded it to like 1.5x size. I felt kinda like I was a child again just with the height difference

gas stations!! we stopped off at gas stations and I was expecting like a lil selection of packaged sandwiches and bottled drinks but like, there were salads and sushi and wraps and sandwiches and then an entire hot food counter doing pizzas and hot wraps and there were pastries and several different types of filter coffee and teas and then An Entire Beer Cave?? (side note: alcoholic arizona ice tea?? holy shit??). apparently gas stations are some of the best places to buy booze, which I was not expecting?

I had a super great time while there and everyone was so friendly ^_^ but if someone could tell me why the toilet bowls are like that I'd appreciate it D:

[pokeexehasstoppedworking]

A Champion Time For The Heart Ch33 Through Golden Eyes P2

(This is the second half of Leon's P.O.V covering Post game events.)

This whole year went by in a blur of chaotic messes.

He made a promise that day to never let anything bad happen to anyone he cared about ever again and then it was a variety of things that happened afterwards. All of you were emergency flown to Wyndon Hospital as Mr. Rose was arrested and taken into custody. Luckily they were ok. And he was ok besides a few scrapes and bruises. And he was SO relieved when he found out you were ok as well! Despite how you looked when he first got you, and how long you were out, you would be fine. He wasn't sure HOW or WHY but the doctors confirmed you were absolutely ok and you were going to be just fine. All you had just a goose egg on your head along with a major headache that would be resolved quickly. He was able to see you once (after getting lost and ending up a few places and visiting a few kids by accident-) and then a second time where you poured your backstory and heart to him and he was finally able to piece together your entire backstory. Losing your father in a similar way Glory and Vic did and having a controlling mother caused you to flee Kalos and come all the way to Galar. That also might explain why you never had pokemon before. Honestly she sounded like a narcissist and a nightmare. He was glad you got out of that situation though. He...felt ok enough to semi-share his own experiences but never went into deep detail which you respected which again both surprised and made him happy. Anyone would've pushed him for more details because well-...He was the famous champion and everyone wanted to know everything about him. He even had a reporter, Gillian id he remembered right, always trying to ask him about his past and family and his brother's defeat and had once or twice brought you up since you were seen with him outside Wyndon stadium. But he shut down those intrusive questions faster than a rapidash. Then there was making sure you all went home safely and then arriving home back on Valentine's Day. And his grandpa just had to give him a little piece of advice-

"She's a keeper, Lee. You take Grandpa's advice and settle down with this one," he said with a wink and nodding over to your retreating form.

In an instant, Leon's face went bright red. "G-GRANDPA!!"

Why did his Grandpa say THAT!? Well-.....To be fair his grandparents and mother HAD been talking about that kind of topic for a couple years now-

"Leon. When are you going to settle down and take some time for yourself?" "Yes. When are we going to get a new daughter-in-law? Or maybe even another son if we're extra lucky!"

To which he always laughed it off. "Sorry. But my Champion duties take up a lot of time. Not today but maybe someday!"

"Well what about Sonia? She cooks too and you two get along so well. Or perhaps that nice young man you always fight? You always say he's such a strong rival."

It was a little embarrassing but they didn't push it and other than asking once and a while if he was seeing anyone, they stopped bringing it up upon realizing he was serious about his duties taking up so much of his focus. In fact he hadn't really thought of finding someone to settle down with them. But for some reason he felt...compelled to do something for Y/n. On Valentine's Day. And it left him feeling pangs of something in his chest.

"Y-Y/N!"

You blinked up surprised to see Leon walking towards you holding a small container but smiled. "Hey, Lee. I thought you would've gone to bed by now."

He seemed to smile nervously and rub the back of his neck with a hand. A habit he did when feeling nervous or embarrassed, and coughed. "W-Well I was actually."

"Did..you get lost again?"

"Wha-...N-No, no, no, no!!" he held up a hand. "I d-didn't get lost this time!" Also panickily he thrusted out the container which you recognized as the container Ms. Magnolia gave him earlier today. "I-It's just that I d-don't really like t-these kind of cookies too well b-but I didn't want to be rude to Ms. Magnolia s-so I was just wondering if you wanted them and came down here to give them to you!" He forced out quickly face reddening.

Oh. So that's why he was here. With a bright smile you took the small cookie tin from him. "Thanks Lee! But are you sure? She did make these for you?"

"Y-Y-Yeah! I'm sure! It's no problem!" He gulped. "I-It's better t-to not let them go to waste! Y'know?"

You nodded. Yeah. It would be a waste of food if he just threw them out you supposed. "I see. Ok then! Thank you! I'm sure they'll be..*yyaaawwnn* -delicious." With a turn of your body you bid him good night. "But I think I'll hit the hay now. Good night. And Happy Valentine's Day!"

Leon only smiled widely with a nervous wave as you descended into the basement. "Y-Yeah. H-Happy Valentine's Day to you too."

And then there was all the other important matters that happened in the months that followed. Kabu approached him interested in taking in the trainer, Gloria, he endorsed as a future replacement for his gym. Of course he agreed to take him to see her seeing as it was a great opportunity and as for Gloria's stage fright, he knew exactly who could help her out with that! Mustard was an excellent teacher, and he knew for certain he could help her! He had seen you there but-...It wasn't the best time to talk to you about the mixed feelings he was going through upon seeing you, nothing bad really just-...New and confusing. Plus he had still so much on his plate helping the new Chairwoman fix what Mr. Rose did and organizing things. One thing being SUPER IMPORTANT that resulted in a personal meeting to her office. He still remembered walking into her big office in Rose Tower after receiving her request and blinking at what the tired disheveled woman said.

"A-....A tournament?"

She nodded holding her head tiredly surrounded by four tall stacks of papers on her desk and he could see the bags under her eyes, her new assistant right next to her holding a fifth stack of papers in his arms. Poor fella looked just as tired as she did. "Yes. Within a few months time the Prince from the Pasio Region will be arriving. He wishes to select a handful of our gym leaders and possibly yourself for the world's first ever Masters League with every other region. It's a critical matter that Galar does it's best to succeed and earn that right to compete. There's no doubt what happened just last year may leave him with a bad taste in his mouth. I will not have Rose taint Galar's good name with other regions. I want you to help me plan a show worthy of his acceptance in advance."

OH! So this was about making a good first impression to him and other regions. Of course he'd help with that. He nodded to her with a serious face. "Of course. I'll do whatever I can to help you. Just tell me what you need to be done and I'll do it." To which he blinked when one of the four giant stacks of papers was pushed towards him by her tired hand. "...What's this?"

"Plans to reroute energy to take care of the power crisis once and for all."

He blinked surprised. "Wait...You found out a solution to that!?"

She nodded. "Rose's plan was to revive that monster, Eternatus, and capture it to use it's living energy as a Region wide energy source and while it may have been possible, it was an incredibly stupid and desperate idea. He was so wrapped up in this grand plan to become a hero he didn't realize he solved his own dilemma."

"What do you mean?"

"Reviving that thing meant he needed lots and lots of power. So he installed hundreds of solar panels and wind mills and other means to route new power and energy just to the Hammerlocke powerplant. In doing so he was wasting energy and could've solved everything using that." She gestured towards the papers. "Those are the plans for the Electric company to reroute and distribute all of that extra energy to the corners of Galar. If done properly, he won't have to worry about it too longer I hope."

He stared in her in awe before looking back at the papers. "This is-...T-T-That's amazing!" He beamed brightly. "This could fix everything! I'll take this and make sure it's done down to the very last detail!"

"It's not all just plans for rerouting power," she spoke tiredly with a sigh, "There's a reason that pile is so big and separated into sections. Some are repair and rebuilding plans for both Spikemuth and Hammerlocke due to the damage and disarray Rose's actions put them in. I want you to make sure those plans in particular are delivered to both Piers and Raihan."

"Oh. So you're having them help over see the damages too huh?"

"There's much to be done and much to repair. We'll be needing all the help we can get." He nodded. Understandable. He was sure both Raihan and Piers could make certain the needed repairs were made. And the poor Chairwoman looked like she could use all the help she could get sorting through all this mess. "Speaking of which, next month sensitive tech will be transported from the Hammerlocke powerplant to a research facility here in Wyndon. It's better to keep that kind of technology is secured and not left out to be taken. I'd like both you and Sonia to over see it's relocation if you have time."

"Understood. I'll make sure everything is delivered and secured. Don't you worry about a thing, Ms. Chairwoman! You can count on me!"

He sighed relieved. "Thank you. I knew I could. Now...Where we again with this giant mess?"

A piece of paper was placed down in front of her by her assistant. "The plans to repair the Wyndon Stadium. The quick repair job we did for the Champion Cup finals was temporary and needs to be quickly fixed fully."

"Of course."

So understandably with so much on his belt he barely had time for anything else. He did regret DEEPLY for not picking up any calls but he had been so busy and stressed out he just forgot. Can you blame him with everything that had been happening? Traveling to and from Spikemuth and Hammerlocke to deliver the plans to Piers and Raihan. Going BACK to said Hammerlocke in order to help Sonia and Officer Jenny supervise all that tech removal AAALLLLL the long way back to Wyndon just to be secured. And then going back and forth between Hammerlocke, Wyndon, and ALL over Galar just to supervise and help manage so many, MANY workers ranging from construction experts to electricians to professors even who worked hard to reroute all that power to where it was really needed (especially Spikemuth-) until they were far enough along to be able to handle the rest without him. Now if you thought THAT meant he'd be given a break then you'd be wrong. Once he got back to his home away from home in Wyndon, he was tasked with helping to start preparing two of the Chairwoman's ideas to, hopefully, impress Prince Lear when he arrived which wasn't too far along now so he had to put all his energy into helping to but this Battle Tower and Galarian Star Tournament to action. Don't think he was sharing all the burden however. The Chairwoman herself was more stressed than he was supervising the many, many, MANY minor damages Eternaus and Rose caused on top of having her best research team comb through that mysterious tech and Oleana's files, TRYING to find said Oleana which he was on board with since she was still considered a real danger in the eyes of many, checking in with the repairs to Hammerlocke and Spikemuth, checking in with the energy rerouting, checking in with him, checking in with Sonia whom she entrusted the hundred of Wishing Stars too-..And a lot of other things he lost count of. OH! She was also issuing a permanent caretaker and proper education plan for Allister while she was at it! Something Rose had been neglecting for so long which he approved! Allister certainly needed it. Then there was the legal matter of Piers wanting to retire and give full custody to Marnie that needed her approval-....

Wow. Come to think of it now she WAS WAY busier than he was.

He would admit it. Ms. Dahlia was a very hard worker and she was working very hard to fix everything, or as much as she could, before the Prince's arrival. Luckily everything seemed to be going smoothly-...Or so he thought. He had JUST finished with the plans and preparations for the Battle Tower and would've moved on to finishing the plans for the tournament when he was once again summoned to Ms. Dahlia's office. He was expecting to be asked for a progress report or maybe she wanted to go over something with him but instead he was met with a strange sight. Ms. Dahlia was sitting at her desk looking more annoyed than she had ever seen, but there was four other people there. One was a galarian police officer by his uniform, but there was also two other men by him looking to be detained by him. Both had sandy-blond hair and pastel blue and red suits with the strangest haircuts he had ever seen. Styled in a way that looked like a literal sword and shield. And then there was-....Piers?? The goth looked almost as tired as Ms. Dahlia did and just looked at him blankly. He instantly recognized the weird sword and shield duo. Why did he recognize them? Well that was because they were Sordward and Shielbert of Swordward and Shielbert Enterprizes. They owned many, many companies around Galar ranging to some big, well known ones in cities to more local and rural ones. But the real reason he knew them was because he would once and a while be sponsored by them or more specifically a company of theirs proof backed up by the logos his cape adorned. But he barely interacted with them. Maybe a chit chat here and there or a handshake but he always thought they were a strange bunch and hadn't ever given them much of a second thought before now.

"Uh-...Sorry." He apologized looking between the five people before him. "Am I interrupting something? I can come back later if you're having a meeting-"

"No, Leon." Ms. Dahlia's eyes narrowed as she slowly looked back towards the two brothers who squirmed and looked very squeamish under her ice cold glare. "Come on in and close the door behind you. Mr. Piers and I have something very important to discuss with you."

It was then that he was revealed the horror that had taken placed when he was distracted. He was told the whole story. Of how these two came up with the scheme of sending their own 'assistant' to be hired by Sonia only to steal the Wishing Stars and then steal a..ancient sword?? That info would be made sense of later when Speaking to Hop. About how much danger and chaos they had put everyone in- How much danger they had put HOP in. AND VICTOR. AND Y/N! He could feel a rare case of anger bubble up along with his fear and he had to grip the fabric of his pants to help him keep composed in front of everyone and NOT fly into a rage fueled rant aimed at the two. He was told by Piers everything from you all helping everyone calm the dynamaxed pokemon, to how they were able to summon the two dog-like legendaries, how Victor ended up accidentally saving the day with his great ability to spot details (GREAT JOB, VICTOR!! He was so proud of him and Hop!), and to how these two and their accomplices snuck into Hammerlocke and were eventually arrested and brought here to face the ire of the Chairwoman for what they had done. Piers SWORE to him up and down that you three were alright and aside from some scares no damage was done to anyone which was a HUGE relief off his shoulders. But that still begged the question.

"So...What did you call me here for then?"

"I called you and Mr. Piers here because I only trust the strongest trainer in Galar and someone who helped stop them to help with carrying out their punishment." She gestured to nothing. "My hands are full, and with so little time to prepare for an important event such as this I can't waste any set backs. BOTH of you have already caused delays including even more damage to Hammerlocke's stadium!" She spat and they flinched scared under her gaze. "You don't think Galar's reputation being at stake is more important than stroking both your egos?! If you two had succeeded in doing what you set out to do it would've set back everything we've worked so hard to fix for the better! NOT to mention putting countless lives at risk! You two are lucky you came willingly and no one was hurt, otherwise I would've given you a much more severe punishment then what I'm about to initiate."

"A-A-And we are SO grateful for that!," Shielbert blurted out in a scared hurry looking towards his older brother. "Aren't we, Brother?"

Sordward quickly nodded in agreement, same fearful expression on his face. "Oh yes!! So, SO grateful! We are fully ready to atone for our crimes and promise to never ever do that again!"

"Oh yes! We swear to Arceus with that promise!"

She sighed. "Mr. Piers. Leon." She addressed them making both men look at her. "I know I'm asking a lot of you two to do this. I know it interferes with your planning and your town's supervision but this is a critical time and I am asking for your help with this."

"Of course. You know I can always help you."

"*sigh* I suppose ah could have Marn-Marn n' my boys look after things for a lil while longer if s' that important to ya."

She sighed relieved. "Thank you both so much. I promise I'll do all I can to make it up to you both." She then went back to that scowl and pointed at the two cowardly brothers. "From this day forward I shall be keeping a VERY close eye on the both of you, but since you're willing to cooperate, I'm willing to listen and compromise. In fact I already have a few things in mind about how you can make up to us."

"Oh yes! Do tell!" "We're willing to do anything!"

"I'm glad you say so because I have my eye on a few very good pieces of property you two can sign over as compensation!" Both froze..and seemed to pale even more as she suddenly did a 180 and smiled as sweet as a grandmother as she went off. "Oh yes! That giant megamall in down town Wyndon. I believe you own all the stores within it. It'll be so perfect!"

"....You want...o-our mall?"

She smiled so sickeningly sweet. "Mall? Oh no no. You mean the new and affordable Wyndon University Collage!" They paled more- "Oh! And that one nice looking building in Hulbury!"

"O-O-Our beach house!?"

"Oh no! Not a beach house! You must be mistaking it for the loading deck for freighter ships! We always needed a bigger one you know!" She hummed finger tapping her chin as she fake thought. "Now what was that place just a little ways from the collage? The one that stretched a good ways taking up space in the city and was near the park-"

"The W-Wyndon golf course!?....OUR golf course!?"

"Oh no! You're mistaking that for the new shelters and health centers and soup kitchens for people who really need that kind of helping hand!" She smiled wider at the two and Leon blinked as Piers snorted and the goth had to turn his head to snicker. Shoulders shaking in a rare display of laughter. "And I'm SO glad you two agreed to also help make amends to Sonia by donating a large sum of your salary to her research!" She tilted her head. "And it was SO nice of you both to offer to PAY for the building of all my new little fun projects too.~"

".....We did?"

"Oh ab-so-lutely.~" Her voice said with an undertone that made them pale more-

"PPPFFFTT!! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Piers couldn't hold back anymore and doubled over in his chair laughing and hugging his stomach and Leon couldn't help the amused look he was giving them both too.

"Hmm. But I think you boys still are forgetting something."

"....We are?"

"But of course. It wasn't very nice of you all to do such bad things and not even make amends to those you wronged. Hmm. What to do? What to do?" She then fake gasped and held up a finger. "I know! If you're so sorry, the best thing to do is go apologize to all those nice gym leaders and people you upset!"

...Shielbert gulped. "A-All o-of t-them?"

"All. Of. Them. Oh but you poor dears might get lost on your way. Don't worry. I'm sure these nice two young men would be happy to escort you. Then we can meet again to talk about those fun little projects I mentioned! Doesn't that sound like fun?~"

Piers by then was wheezing and threatening to fall out of his chair from their reaction but he didn't stop him from laughing. From there another long journey began. What he referred to as 'The Great Apologizing Spree'. Starting from Turffield then to Motostoke then to Hulbury first. Kabu and Nessa weren't too happy to have the two troublemakers made to apologize before them, Milo was probably the nicest one who accepted their apology. It was also then that Nessa decided to all of a sudden hitch a ride with them to discuss Victor of all things. Turns out she was interested in him the same way Kabu had been interested in making Gloria his successor. Victor's quick thinking and attention to details was something she was intrigued by. Hey! The more the merrier on their journey either way! Although there was still the matter of Victor not having too much confident in his battling skills. Unlike Gloria who had stage fright, Victor's issues was just a matter of self confidence. And unlike Gloria who could thrive and learn under hard training like with Kabu and Mustard's way of training their bodies, Victor was a more learning by observing and hard planning rather than doing and through intensive practice. A similarity he shared with Nessa, which is why she might've shown interest in taking him as a successor in the first place. He had an idea although he might not like it at first it seemed like a good idea. There was a special place he remembered, a town in the Crown Tundra. It'd be a good challenge for Victor, get him out of his comfort zone. Cold. He hated the cold but that might just what he needs to learn to steel his resolve, especially since there was so many things he could capture on camera there so he'd be determined to push harder to capture them in picture form. All it took was just stopping by a train station to pick up a pass on the way. Circhester, Stow-On-Side, Spikemuth- Piers ended up laughing hysterically when those two blokes literally dove behind Leon to hide from Bea as she went OFF on them. She always did have the attitude to back up her fighting skills. Poor Allister though. Then there was only two stops left. Postwick and Hammerlocke. Postwick first since it was closer and Nessa was getting anxious to meet Victor. Imagine Sonia and Ms. Magnolia's shock at seeing those two again. Well like Bea Magnolia sure had some choice words for the two before they were able to move on to find the lot of you. Firstly because he was legitimately worried and wanted to see all of you, secondly because Nessa waited long enough, and thirdly because he was anxious to get this long trip all over with. After this all he had to do was stop by Hammerlocke and cart these two off back to Wyndon. Sigh....Did he mention he still had a lot on his plate? He was SO relieved when he really did see that the three of you were ok and a lot happened during that visit of his. Turns out Sonia took on Hop as an apprentice, Victor accepted Nessa's offer of becoming her successor, Sonia got a new book to research, and you were doing just fine considering! Although he doubted you'd be traveling anywhere anytime soon. ...He uh...Also may or may not have mentioned something Magnolia was casually telling him about with Old Man Farmer Harry moving and wanting to sell his house and you mentioned wanting to find a place so obviously it was just a nice thing for him to do. Totally not because he was worried about you possibly leaving Galar! HAHAHA!! NOPE!! Absolutely not-....Ok. Maybe just a little bit but he couldn't explain why you possibly leaving but he would try to learn as soon as he could. A long trip to Hammerlocke and back to Wyndon later, and finally those two were off his hands and could further be dealt with by the Chairwoman. So now he could get back to planning for that tournament...

Right?

Papers shuffled against the desk late into the night as the moon had long since rose and the sun had set off the horizon. Nothing but the stars and moonlight giving any light to that world outside of them along with the warm breeze as summer was just going into it's last stage just approaching that year. She giggled just thinking about it. She would be taking her own trip soon to the Crown Tundra following a small hunch of hers. Perhaps she'd be able to see Victor while he was there. She'd make sure he was ok for Leon while she was there...Hmm. She wondered what Hop was up to at the Isle of Armor? She hoped he was getting those dynamax mushroom and nectar samples she sent him for and wasn't getting too distracted by anything. She was nearly finished preparing for her trip and hopefully she wouldn't come back with nothing from this trip-

Knock, knock, knock.

She paused as a sound echoed out through the otherwise silent lab and it caused the scientist to pause before blinking towards the door as more knocks came from it making her stand up. Someone was knocking at the lab door at this hour of the night? It must've been almost ten o' clock by now. Who'd be out at this time of night? And who'd be here at the lab of all places? Couldn't have been Hop. He wasn't even in Postwick and he would've called her if he was returning. And it couldn't have been her granny. She would've just walked in. So who- Again the knocks came so she got up and slowly walked to the door, and then she opened it, and she went to the door, and she opened it. And the professor was shocked at who exactly was on the other side. She was met with purple hair, gold eyes, and a worried expression on a familiar face.

"Leon!?"

"Uh. H-Hey Sonia," the champion greeted her with a soft look before pointing, "May I come in?"

She blinked. "Oh. Yeah." She stepped aside allowing him to walk in. "Come on in."

"Thank you..I'm..sorry If I came at a bad time-"

"Hey. It's alright." She said closing the door. "But Hop's not here right now. Or did you just get lost again?"

"Huh?" He blinked before holding up his hands. "Uh n-no. I didn't come here to really see anyone. Actually I um-...I-I'm kinda glad you're the only one here since I was hoping to talk to you actually."

She blinked and rose a brow looking him up and down before speaking. "You wanted to talk to me? Why? Is something wrong?"

"That's just it," he mumbled looking back down to the ground, "I don't know."

There was again another silence between them before Sonia sighed and gestured for Leon to follow her. "Sit down. I'll go get us some tea."

He did sit down near one of the desks as Sonia left and around ten minutes of him anxiously waiting later she returned with two cups of warm tea in her hands, handing one to him which he thanked her for before sitting across from the Champion silently. He sat there for a while looking at the cup in his hands.

"So. What brings you to the lab tonight?," Sonia asked finally breaking the tense silence between the two of them, "You must've had a really good reason if you didn't get lost this time."

He sighed. "That's just the thing! I don't know!" If he could've be would've let his head bang against the table with a groan as he closed his eyes and let it out. "Uuugh! I've been feeling...strange lately."

"Strange? In what ways?"

"In what ways?" he asked again and let go of the cup to move one of his hands around mindlessly. "I dunno. Like..My mind's all confused and muddled and once and a while my face would just burn up like i-it's on fire or something! And then I'd g-get embarrassed and start stuttering because I feel like I got butterfrees in my stomach."

Sonia listened and with each 'symptom' her face got more and more surprised and slightly concerned the more Leon spoke about it. "Really?" He nodded again feeling embarrassed without understanding again and in Sonia fashion the orange haired lady hummed and gazed at her own drink in thought for a moment. "..Have you thought that maybe all the stress with everything going on lately's been getting to you? Maybe you're just overworked and burnt out."

He shook his head. "Can't be. I'm not really feeling burnt out or stressed. Maybe a bit tired and annoyed but not that. Besides I'm used to taking on such a large amount of duties remember?"

"Ok. Maybe you're sick then? You mentioned your face burning up. Sounds like the signs of a fever to me."

After a moment he groaned again and the hat was snatched off his head to allow a hand to run through his thick purple locks. "Ggrraaagh!! No it's not that either! I don't know why it keeps happening but all these things keep happening to me only when I'm-...W-When I-I'm around-...Someone."

"...Someone? Could that 'someone' be sick then and you don't know?"

...He shook his head hand still holding it. "No. She's pretty healthy whenever I-I see her."

Sonia's eyes widened to the size of plates letting the silence fall pregnant for a good three minutes before she resumed her thinking face humming. "I see....Does any other symptoms pop up whenever you're around her?"

"I mean-...I-I guess."

"Could you describe them for me?"

He looked up surprised. "I mean..Yeah sure. If it'll help you figure out what's wrong with me."..He shrugged. "Other than what I said? ...W-Well like I said before it only happens when I'm around her..o-or thinking about her. I just feel so strange b-but not in a bad way if that even makes any sense! I just get so-...Weird! And it's s-starting to really worry me be-because I've never felt like this when I'm around anyone else." Gold eyes looked desperately at her. "Sonia, you're my oldest and smartest friend! If anyone could figure it out if would be you so t-that's why I came here! B-But if I'm being honest I s-still feel a bit embarrassed about having to come here a-and ask you."

"Mmm hmm. And uh when exactly did these 'symptoms' start happening around you two?"

He hissed through teeth. ''I-I don't know..I-I think maybe it started halfway through last year?? B-But lately i-ir's started to get a lot worse ever since we had a little-..." He still remembered how soft Y/n's lips we- "*AHEM!!* A l-little incident l-last Christmas!"

Sonia blinked at his sudden high pitched tone and the fact his face turned an embarrassed red in less than five seconds. It made both brows raise. "...An incident?" Leon felt himself gulp under her intense gaze as she narrowed her eyes and leaned across the table to stare him down. "And what kind of 'incident' was this Leon?"

...he gulped down feeling like it was trying to swallow a lump of frozen cactus in his throat. "HAHA!! S-S-So funny story! L-Last Christmas we were j-just c-c-casually hanging out as JUST FRIENDS!! ONLY FRIENDS!! B-But then she slipped o-on some ice a-a-and I caught h-her but then I slipped and I uh...he winced..W-Well...I uh.." He shrunk, body curling in on himself the longer Sonia's piercing gaze stared right through him. "I-...M-Might have hit her mouth..wi-with m-m-my face-

"You kissed someone?"

What followed was Leon giving off a noise sounding something between a wet meowth's screech and a started stantler bleat startling the scientist for a minute. "W-W-WHAT!? NO!!" He shouted WAY too quickly!! "...I-I mean n-no! I didn't-...We didn't-...I-IT WASN'T A KISS, SONIA!!"

"Did your lips touch hers?"

"Um..W-Well I mean-"

"And you're 'symptoms' have been worse since it happened?"

"Maybe there was a bit of an-"

"Then it's simple. You obviously have the hots for someone and you're totally embarrassed you kissed her."

Another meowth-stantler bleat- "S-S-SONIA!! D-DON'T SAY IT LIKE THAT!!"

"Why not? That's obviously what's going on, you just couldn't see it. Y'know that's another thing you and Hop have in common."

"I just- ..You are-...I didn't-...RRRRR!!!" His red face was introduced to the inside of his hat as he loudly gave off a flustered yell. "I-I came so you could help me figure out what's wrong with me! Not t-t-tease me like we both kids again!"

"Leon. I'm not teasing you. Far from it."...He slowly looked up to give her a deadpanned look but she seriously shook her head and smiled. "I'm really not. In fact it's honestly really sweet you like someone! That isn't something to be ashamed about."

"Hmph! I b-beg to differ. Y/n's just a friend-"

"*GASP!!*" Her eyes widened again as she stared at him and he immediately wanted to slap himself- "You like Y/n!!" Her eyes got even WIDER!! "YOU TWO KISSED!?"

"ARCEUS SONIA BE QUIET!!", he shouted back in a panic, "I-I don't need all of Postwick awake for that!!"

"Sorry," she apologized but that didn't stop her surprised look, "But you like Y/n!? I never would've expected that!" he groaned and went to re-hide his fa- "Hey, hey, hey! There's nothing wrong with liking her, Lee!" She assured him quickly. "Y/n's a really nice person! I just never would've expected you to like her."

"Yeah? Well that makes t-two of us," he mumbled. He...LIKED you? Like..THAT!? NO WAY!! T-There's just no possible way he could..Right? But then again, Sonia's a girl and she's really smart so if she says so then maybe there's a chance he could "UGH!!" He facepalmed himself. "Well what do I do now!?"

"Just talked to her."

Another pokemon noise- "WHAT!?" He gawked at her like she had suddenly grown another head. "ABSOLUTELY NOT!!"

"Why not? You can't just keep letting this eat you up like this. Talking to her would help clear up the air between you two and make you feel better. Who knows? Maybe she even feels the same way."

"WHAT!? No way-"

"You can't say that when you DON'T know," she interrupted him, "Did you even ask her?"

"I-..*sigh* Well no. She never brought up the ki-..Incident so I fi-figured she didn't want to-to talk about it anymore or just forgot i-it even happened."

"Or maybe she does feel the same way but you're disregarding that." he remained silent and she sighed. "You came to me for help. My advice is to just talk to her. She's not a bad person and I'm sure she'd understand. But it's up to you to do whatever with the advice I gave you." She smiled. "I'm sure you'll make the right choice though. Just think it over."

Well he DID think it over. A lot. He had a lot of time to. When he was planning the tournament he thought about it. When he was doing favors for the Chairwoman he thought about it. When he was finished and the Chairwoman wanted him to personally deliver all the invites to everyone he thought about it. When he went to Postwick to deliver his family's and friends' invites he thought about it. When he didn't find you at his house and was surprised to have learnt you moved into Old Man Harry's old house he thought about it. When he walked to your new house he thought about it. When he knocked on your door he thought about it. When you answered he thought about it. When you blinked surprised to see him he thought about it.

"Leon?"

"Um...H-Hi, Y/n. Sorry to drop in unannounced like this b-but can I come in. There's uh...something I'd like to talk to you about."

[lolitastories]

————-Maybe———-

Description:

You work alongside Matt and Foggy at the law firm. Of course as one of the most successful lawyer in the city the one and only Tony Stark would recruit you. As you are trying to find a meaning of your life you find life in someone. It’s may be a rocky start for you two but maybe it’s worth taking.

Chapter 2:

“Goodmorning, How can I assist you this morning?” The young lady at the front desk asked me.

“Hello, I am here to see Agent Penelope Garcia” I check my phone and verify if she has responded but nothing.

“Am sorry I don’t recognize that name”

“Of course. She and her team are here on the doppler case” Come on.

“Oh yes.” Thank god. “Let me lead you to the office she is using. I nod following right behind her. Once we arrive I give her thanks and she lets me walk in alone.

“Why haven’t you responded to any of my messages?” I can’t help but smile as her usually bubbly self engulfs me into a hug.

“Im sorry, I just wanted to get these papers filled out so I can have enough time to shop around before leaving tonight”

“Well new york is surely the place to walk around and shop”

“Sure is, so what's up” I take a seat next to her. She always made every place she was in hers, no matter how long she was in them. She was the one to bring the cases into a new level with a sense of emotion. We met here about 2 years ago when they requested my help. One of their agents was in trouble and needed to get his case resolved. He was being wrongly accused and working alognside her the most was the best. Since then we have kept in touch.

“My client was found dead last night from an apparent suicide, and my partner and I know that was not the case. He left a note behind and photos of the scene were taken.” one of the things I hate doing is asking for things, more when they haven’t asked anything of me.

“They took you off the case and they are just treating it as a soon to be closed one since he probably admitted guilt in the note” She surely is a smart bee.

“Yes. So my question is if you could..” Why does asking for help have my heart beating faster and wanting to punch myself?

“Get you the pictures? Sure. Give me a couple seconds” I let out a short laugh seeing her move her fingers magically over her keyboard. “I will send them to you using an encrypted address, so no one knows it was sent to you and no one can take them off your phone” After a short conversation I bid her goodbye. I was so lucky she was in town. I drove back into the office and straight into Matt’s.

“Hey got the pictures, did you get the videos?” I see him shake his head but move a file towards me. I open them up and see death certificates.

“There is no video eveidence in or around his home and the officers are of no help, but they did mention that” I see him point at the papers again. All in alphabetical order, all the suspects' death certificates. All killed one day during the week prior to Miller’s death. “Foggy spend his morning looking them up and even confirmed it with the families”

“Why would they kill Miller and the suspect in question? Eitheir we never got the right guy in our suspect list or they don’t care who they kill, loved one or not '' I throw the papers to the desk. It's like if I was driving down a road and had three ways to go. One was the easy way, just a straight paved road. The other one was a road that would take me days to drive. I would have to take a car, then a boat, a plane and finally walk on foot to reach. The third one I could see the destination but the bridge had just broken. The train broke. Everything is falling piece by piece. What was supposed to be our advantage and a step ahead brought us closer to nothing, nothing. Anyways, that just confused me more. I get up, popping open my phone. “I got the pictures of the letter and you are right it was definitely not a suicide note”

We spent the whole afternoon trying to figure anything out. Any connection to the Miller to the suspects or any of them to the 3 guys mudered and finally we got a lead. One of the suspects had the same marking left on the note and the three guys that were murdered. We looked back on the guy’s pictures and with the help of Foggy and Karen now we came to find that the suspect was close to another guy with the same marking on his wrist.

“I will send over the information to the lead officer” I nod at Karen. Our next step is to wait for them to take them into custody and wait for him to talk. Let the police do their jobs and have him give as much information as possible. What did that marking mean? Who was the suspect to him?

“Now what?” Foggy asked, as he is seated next to Matt and I. I take my phone out to check the time.

“Well it's 4:45. I say we take a break and resume this as soon as we hear anything from the police. I can’t miss Tony’s party and neither can you three” I part to my home to get ready. I rush home quickly, taking a shower and fixing myself up. Supricenly I look into the mirror and it doesn’t look like I havn’t slept well for the past 2 weeks. When I arrived at the tower the time hit 7:10. I took the elevator to the floor where they were having the party. It was a long way up but I finally made it.

“Look who’s here” I hear Tony scream from across the room. I would have turned right around but I notice Nat and Steve now behind Stark as he walks towards me.

“I brought you your succulent but those guys in the entrance took it from me” I say feeling his arms wrap around me and pulling towards the way he came from. “Happy birthday” I say quickly returning his smile.

“Thanks. I know you are a no show to parties but I want you to enjoy yourself tonight” I was about to argue with him but he always has to get his way or he won’t stop. “Come on do it for me. It's my birthday!” He grabs a drink from the waitress passing by and with that he walks away.

“I understand you’re his lawyer but that doesn’t mean you have to be his friend” I laugh at Nats words as I hug her, than Steve.

“I know I am not the most uplifting person but someone how in his little weird way he makes me like him. Plus the pay is good so if I have to come to these once every year I can take it”

“Well it's good to see you,” Steve says, handing me a drink. “So what has been keeping you busy from visiting us?” Nat and I follow him as he leads us towards the bar.

“I had this case that has been going on for 3 weeks and just this morning my client was found dead. Now it seems to be a murder but the officials want to pronounce it as a close case because some letter states he admitted fault” Damn I am going to need more alcohol.

“So they just want to throw him under the rug and call it a win?” I simply nod towards them stealing two cups from a waiter. “So what is the reason you think it was a suicide?” Before I could ramble on about what we figured out a tall figure walks behind steve and places a hand on his shoulder

“Hey man, I need to talk to you” The deep voice belonged to a dark-haired guy. Build with a strong stance. A vibridium arm. Call me crazy but I don’t even know how to handle my thoughts right now. Being in the presence of the avenger is not new. I know everything can be expected but not me becoming so infatuated with only looking at this guy for the first time. Who was he?

“Yeah of course” Steve got up, excusing himself from the table. “I will be back soon” I nod watching them both leave

“Bucky” I hear from the side. Quickly I noticed I was having a staring problem so I looked towards Nat with an awkward smile. “Well James Buchanan Barnes. He was stationed with Steve back in the 40s. We found him as the Winter Soilder”

“Oh yeah. You told me some details, before he had to go to Wakanda '' Nat mentions some things here and there but with her missions and my cases we prefer to leave our work lifes behind most of the times we hang out.

“Yeah. He seems much better now but I know its a struggle for him to get used to this world now” As she continues talking I can’t help but move my eyes discreetly towards them. The lights were low but when he was close I could tell they weren’t brown. His face was emotionless as he walked away but he tried to direct a smile towards us as he spoke to Steve. Being on the bad side most of your life and having to work for it now is not simple. “You like him.”

I shake my head, “No, no, just curious” It was true. He was the mysterious, cold looking, low voice guy in all of my books I have read before and fell in love with but I am too smart to know that something like that would work out. Boys in my books fight for what they want while battling their demons. When I see him I see a guy who has demons he has yet to overcome because the main demone is himself. He is struggling. His arm twitches and his head turns at every noise. He has things he needs to fix and if all my books are correct a woman may help but they want their space. Also the woman in the books does everything for them not to be alone and helps them fight their demons but I am not one to do so. I get scared and run away at the first look of difficulty. I am not the one to be placed with someone's trust and love. I can’t give you a correct response. I am not someone’s needs.

“Stop analyzing everything” She laughs while handing me another drink. “Is you were to stop anylizing eveythning and just go for it you would see how wonderful life could be '' She was right. Every move I make has to be foreseen by a pro and cons list. A breakdown of cause and effect. I break down my decisions and take the best route, even if my heart is telling me not to.

“Am a lawyer, that's what I do” I take a sip shrugging her off to change the conversation.

“Well how about for tonight you can be a girl in a little black dress who everybody in the party sees as carefree” I smile at her words. Of course I am not the one to let go but fuck it. Right?

“And what do you suggest, Miss. Romanoff?” She drinks her last glass and pulls out her hand.

“I suggest dancing like nobody's watching?” And that is exactly what we did. We dance past midnight. Many guests had left and while the rest were drinking and talking Nat and I were the only ones on the dance floor.

“Girls! The DJ needs to go” We both turned booing at Tony who was speaking through the microphone. “Don’t boo me! Go get some water!” We both laugh making our way to the other avengers. Which was only Steve, Wanda. Vis, Bruce and soon I knew Tony was going to come over.

“Hey I know you are not in the right mindset but I have something I would need help with in the morning?” Steve asked innocently which I only nodd to trying to gulp down a whole water bottle. “Its nothing just a ticket” I burst out laughing and soon the others follow.

“Goody two shoes got a ticket?!” Of couse Tony was the one with the nickname although everybody was thinking it.

“It wasn’t my fault! I was fed up with Nats feet on the dashboard and didn’t see the light was red”

“Well it wasn’t my fault either. You could just have ignored it but you chose to remove my feet yourse-'' We were caught off guard as the big windows outlooking the terrace blew up. I don’t know if they were the drinks or if I was just that tired but I don’t remember anything else from that night.

A/N: we are introduced to Bucky!!!. I am going to start writing the next part tomorrow and I want them to have a sort of enemies to lover kind of relationship but I don’t know how to get there. If you got any ideas feel free to comment. Thank you♥️

[nyxielich]

The Melee Run, Cogmind Beta 13

This is my third run of B13 :3 My goal was to destroy a RIF Installer and get an ECA so I can summon Warlord's friends to help me out.

Let's go!

-9 Mats Picked up a system shield and improved visual processing unit. -9 Mines

-8 Mats Picked up corrupted proto shotgun and gained 5% corruption :( Picked up corrupted proto autogun and gained 3% corruption :(( Confirmed no branch access is available, so we're going to -7. Couldn't find a garrison. Got a maul and katana with melee analysis! Considering treads and EM cannons since I found a lot of coolant utils.

-7 Factory -7 Garrison

Acquired advanced melee analysis. Intentionally destroyed RIF installer. Acquired nanoactuators, hardcell cannon, improved fusion compressor, and light antimatter reactor. Ran from a behemoth. Looped back to -7. -7 Factory Worried about propulsion. Lost propulsion and move time rose to 240 which is way too high, so I must respec. Found cesium-ion thruster, guess we're flight melee now!

-7 Lower Caves Cesium-ion thruster immediately destroyed, picked up VTOL module. Core at 129 durability has me worried. ZB-3UA(g) tells me about Warlord and gives me the ECA! Yay!

-7 more Caves? Get me outta here.

-6 Factory All melee weapons destroyed, but managed to get a couple flails soon after. Got a Xenon bombardment thruster.

-5 Factory Got field propulsion drive. I was picking up some treads but I think I'll stick with flight, it feels really good! Dropped treads. Found enhanced optical array. Found 2x cooled Cesium-ion thruster in a transport!

-4 Factory

Lost all power sources. Found a light neutrino core! Now using two improved melee analysis suites and two advanced melee analysis suites. Lost light neutrino core but found a fusion compressor, which demands 1 matter per turn and that's not ideal.

-3 Research Swapped out fusion compressor for a cold fusion core and picked up some impulse thrusters. Got beat up but found 3 impulse thruster arrays, advanced RCS, and a couple of shock mauls! Dropped ECA for nuclear pulse array, since I've not done enough damage to get Warlord's help. There were so many Titans and even cutters surrounded me. I thought for sure the run would end there, but I bravely fought the cutters and only lost power sources and shock mauls thanks to my advanced utility shield I picked up. I swapped out the shield for a heavier power source and force lance soon after since it was quite beat up. I fly and I fly fast with my new impulse thruster arrays.

-2 Research I now equip 3 impulse thruster arrays at the same time since they are large in my 5 slot inventory. Maybe I'll get lucky and find some more utility shielding or even light armor. Reached a peak rating of over 100 when I picked up advanced RCS! Picked up a proto flight unit while running from an ARC squad of grunts, and it was a faulty electron diverter, which triggered a power surge that broke my second-to-last impulse thruster array. Very unlucky!

I got the hunted achievement to simultaneously be tracked by 20 hostiles just after i found a lucky restock of 4 impulse thruster arrays. But my last hacking util got destroyed so now I'm wondering how I can escape from -1 Access. Maybe I can destroy the access shield with my half durability shock maul? I doubt that the melee weapon will even last me long enough to find the exit.

-1 Access I now equip 4 impulse thruster arrays, a light quantum reactor, and a shock maul. My inventory has only a cooled field propulsion drive. I have no utility. How am I supposed to escape with this? I hope I find some hackwear I guess… I just wish I had my visual processing unit :( I did just find a basic ECM suite though. That will help! I lost 3 of my 4 impulse thruster arrays to swarmers so I equip my last prop on hand, the cooled field propulsion drive. OwO I just found a hacking suite! That's going in the inventory for safekeeping until I find the exit. I found a field propulsion array but I'm terribly worried about losing my last power source. I'm still being chased by the swarmers :( Got triple warning now: core, energy, matter. Not looking too good!

Everything has been destroyed. I am a naked core with two advanced hacking suites in my inventory uwu

Alert: core integrity low. I found an experimental melee analysis suite, which would be great except I haven't had any melee weapons in a little while now >w< they got shot. I ran into a heavy, another group of swarmers, and a programmer while running from cutters and… core destroyed. I must have been SO close to the exit. SO close.

Final score: 13921

New PB! Yay!

Check me out on the scoreboard under the name Lazuli (give it a day to update, I just finished this run!) :3

I should have just installed RIF! At the time of destroying it, I was still leaning towards abandoning melee and instead committing to a heavy cannon build since I had so much heat dissipation potential. I was going to switch to a tank build once I got the ECA but I just wanted a good utility to detect bots and scan for rooms. I got beat up pretty bad in the Factory -7 level between destroying RIF and entering the Lower Caves so my hand was forced.

If I had just installed RIF and gone for couplings, then I think I would have won the game with the melee flight build. Lesson learned for next time: if you want ECA, you need to clear garrisons and DSFs. Running isn't helpful for ECA and whenever I tried on the ECA, it would complain that I have a D-approval rating with Warlord :(

Next time I will just install the RIF and fly to victory!

[gummybear1178]

F-14 (Family of 14)

Chapter 2:

Chapter 3:

Chapter 4:  

Also on AO3:

So, I’ve never posted on tumblr before but decided to start spreading my works onto here. So here is my first Top Gun Fanfiction. More chapters to come! Let me know what yall think! If yall have any advice for me for using tumblr please give it! I’m just starting to learn it! I did learn the keep reading bar thing before I posted this so I hopefully don’t clog the feed! 

Not fully sure where this story is going other than it will be IceMav and their 12 adopted dagger squadron kids!

Followed Maverick plot but Icemav is a thing, some changes along the way, all set up to show Mav and Ice and their adopted Dagger Squadron kids!

The dagger squad is determined to find out who Maverick is married to, leading to some shenanigans and eventually the reveal! Followed by one shots featuring MavDad Icemav and Dadmiral with the Daggers! Feel free to leave requests and ideas!

My first Top Gun Fanfic and being used to pull me out of writers block. May not be some of my best work but you can edit a story but not a blank page.

No matter what let it be known that dagger squadron is in fact not oblivious. Well, they are not always oblivious.  They do have their moments though, however this, was not one of those moments.

"So, everyone else has seen the ring on Mavericks dog tags, correct?" Payback asked.

"Yes, and yet we have had no mention of it is." Hangman rolled his eyes at the fact this conversation was starting again. They had been theorizing since they first saw the ring.

"Obviously, it has to be Penny. I mean you guys saw him flirting up a storm with her our first night at the hard deck. How else could he have gotten permission for us to use the beach for football yesterday?" Fanboy asked aloud.

"No, that was more," Phoenix paused for a moment trying to find the right word, "Familiar banter. They've obviously known each other for years, but they are not married. More like long term friends."

Rooster just sat in the corner shaking his head. For he had all the answers, but absolutely no will to give them.

---

The next day was the day everything took a turn for the worse.

Jake stared at the radio from the ground helpless hearing Maverick yelling at his best friend trying to pull him out of G-Lock.

"Come on Javy." He muttered under his breath.

A weight was lifted off his shoulders as soon as he heard Javy say he was okay, and Maverick also took a breath.

Only for the next tragedy to occur.

"Bird strike!" Maverick yelled out over the comms.

This time it was Bradley's turn to freeze and stare at the radio begging anything and everyone that his best friend would be okay as Phoenix spoke everything she was doing. While Maverick told her to eject.

Though even when Maverick announced he saw the two parachutes, he did not let the tension go.

He knew better than most anyone that a chute didn't mean much. Especially after Top Gun in '86.

Until he heard confirmation from Phoenix, he wasn't believing anything.

"Rooster, there were two chutes." Hangman tried to pull him out of his stupor, only still in the room because he was waiting on Coyote to get back.

"Chutes mean nothing Hangman. I'll believe it when I see them with my own two eyes."

Jake nodded, knowing what they had been told in flight school. Before heading out to the tarmac to wait on Coyote.

Rooster knew he wasn't going to get info from anyone, not until the copter was back from picking them up and probably not until medical had checked them out.

So he sat in the rec room until he heard otherwise. Someone with information would eventually make it in here, and he didn't want to miss that info.

Eventually, news did make his way, just not in the carrier he would have wished for.

"They'll keep Phoenix and Bob in the hospital overnight for observation," Maverick broke the silence, "They're gonna be okay."

"That's good," Bradley took a deep breath, "I've never lost a wingman."

"You're lucky. Fly long enough, it'll happen. There will be others."

"Easy for you to say. No family. No kids. Nobody to mourn you when you burn in other than Ice. All you've got left in your life is on man."

"Go home. Just get some sleep."

"Why'd you pull my papers at the academy?" Rooster suddenly moved, having remained mostly still, "Why did you stand in my way!"

"You weren't ready." Maverick said softly, the day Bradley left flowing through his mind.

"Ready for what? Huh? Ready to fly like you?"

"No. Ready to forget the book. Trust your instincts. Don't think, just do." Maverick shook his head, "You think up there, you're dead, believe me."

"My dad believed in you. I'm not gonna make the same mistake." Rooster said putting all the venom he could in that one bite. He knew what words would hurt the most and he was willing to use them.

Before Maverick could say another word Bradley stormed out the door, just like he had all those years ago.

Maverick leaned against the wall and slid downwards til he was sitting on the floor with his knees pulled close to his chest.

Flashes of the night Bradley left covering his sight before changing to his days with Goose. Until his line of sight was engulfed by memories, his mind unable to comprehend anything else.

All he could hear was Bradley's words on repeat, only broken up by the sound of Goose's neck hitting the canopy.

"Maverick." Another noise breaking through the sounds, but he kept fading back out.

Warlock had come to check on the captain after the insane day, and especially after seeing a fuming Rooster leave the room.

Realizing words would not get through to him, Warlock decided to pull the emergency card, one he really hoped he wouldn't have to use.

Seeing Maverick's phone sticking out of his pocket he gently grabbed it, only to realize there was a password on it. One Warlock did not know.

Shaking his head he pulled out his own phone and called Cyclone.

"Warlock?" Cyclone answered professionally though unsure what his co worker would be calling him for having seen him mere minutes ago.

"I need you to get medical to the rec room, and I need you to make another call..."

"Why do you need medical in the rec room?"

"Sir, Maverick is having a panic attack."

"No, we don't call medical-"

"But sir-"

"No, I was given special notes on who to call for this and we avoid medical."

"Understood sir, I'll stay with him."

Cyclone stared down at his phone for a moment, before taking a deep breath and pressing call on a contact he had only ever been called by.

"Admiral Kazansky." The voice on the other end answered.

"Sir this is Cyclone, your orders were to call you directly for anything concerning Mav-"

"Get to the point Admiral." Ice spoke coldly, he was not one for wasted time espeically when it came to the wellbeing of his husband.

"Sir, Maverick is experiencing a panic attack." Cyclone said bluntly realizing it was the best way to go.

"Is anyone with him?"

"Yes sir, Warlock."

"Understood, I will be calling Maverick's phone, have Warlock answer."

"Understood sir."

The phone made a click as it hung up as Cyclone then began texting Warlock the instructions.

---

The phone Warlock had pulled from Mavericks pocket mere minutes ago began ringing as a text from Cyclone came through with instructions.

Warlock answered immediately and was met by the face of the COMPACFLT.

"Sir"

"Thank you, please put the phone in Maverick's hand with the screen facing him and exit the room, wait just outside."

"Yes sir."

"Mav, I need you to breath ok. Just breath." Ice spoke softly, but still loud enough to be heard through the phones speaker.

Maverick was slowly coming out of the attack, and that was being expedited from hearing Ice's voice.

"Mav, it's Ice, just breath, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, alright now breath out." Ice continued to talk him through breathing as his car took off towards Top Gun.

Ice watched at Mav slowly started to slow his breathing down to match the counts.

"Mav, I need you to start listing off things you can see." Ice saw the panic in Mavericks eyes as he went to speak.

"Hey, Mav, it's okay. Take a second. You aren't in the ocean or in a plane. You are on the ground in the rec room at Top Gun. I need you to keep breathing for me."

The panic began to subside from his eyes once more as he became more aware of his surroundings.

"Ice." Maverick choked out.

"Yea, it's me Mav," Ice nodded over the phone glancing up to see they were approaching the Top Gun building. "I will be there in just a few minutes ok, just keep breathing."

As soon as the car stopped in front of the entrance closest to the rec room Ice jumped out of the car and took off. A few people did a double take as the Commander of the Pacific Fleet ran through the building.

Warlock's eyes widened as he saw the admiral turn the corner. He opened the door as Ice nodded a look of thanks before entering. Slowing his speed as not to startle Maverick.

"Mav, hey, I'm here."

"Ice." Maverick said much more clearly this time.

"Hey, Mav, I've got you it's going to be okay. Just breath with me." Ice spoke softly tugging the other man against him. Maverick held on tight breathing in Ice's scent, mostly coming out of the panic.

"Alright, I need you to name five things you can see."

"You, the tarmac outside, the tables, a radio, umm..." Maverick paused for a moment.

"That's four, just one more Mav."

"The chairs."

"Good, alright, four things you can hear."

"Your voice," Mav smiled softly, just barely, for a second remember the time when they weren't sure they would ever hear it again. Ice smiled with him. "Your breathing, jets taking off, and people talking outside."

"Good, now name three things you can feel."

"Your heartbeat, your arms around me, and your presence."

"I'm not sure if the last one counts Mav, but I'll take it."

"Fine, if your being picky, the floor." Mav snarked back a bit making Ice smile, seeing him really coming out of the panic attack.

"Alright, two things you can smell."

"You and jet fuel."

"Good." Ice breathed out pulling Maverick back into a tight hug.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" Ice asked softly.

"Not here. Tonight." Maverick promised.

"Alright, are you good to head back outside yet, or do you want to sit here for a few more minutes."

"Few more minutes. I haven't seen you since this morning." Mav smiled into Ice's neck.

"Yeah well, at least we get to see each other every morning and night right now. Might even be able to keep that up if you don't make another admiral mad."

"Yea well, if they would stop doing stupid stuff I would stop making them mad."

"Yeah I know, though not all of them are your fault some are their fault." Ice rolled his eyes.

"Come on, you know you had fun ruining Cain's fun."

"I did have fun with that one, you ejecting at mach 10.4 not so much."

"Details."

"Are you ready?"

"Ready? To let you go? Never. Can I go out now? Yes."

Ice nodded at the answer, pulling away just enough to give his wingman a kiss.

"You head out, send Warlock in. I'll talk to him then head back to my office. I'll see you at home tonight." Ice promised before releasing his husband from the hug. "I love you."

"I love you too." Maverick said as he went to leave before stopping, "Don't get mad until I tell you what happened at home ok. I just want to talk about it there, not here. I'm not trying to hide it. I promise."

"I believe you." Ice nodded watching as Maverick left and Warlock entered.

"Sir."

"Thank you for assisting. I expect your discretion on this matter."

"Yes sir."

"Beside this, how has it been going, and don't give me the official wording."

"Maverick is a better teacher than he wants to say. The kids rally behind him. They recognize his skills and abilities, albeit they didn't at first. He definitely has an unorthodox method to teaching and life in general, but that just seems to be Maverick over all."

"Unorthodox is definitely a good way to describe him."

"But I think I understand why you were so insistent on him teaching this mission. I don't think anyone else could. Not with his expectation of them all making it home."

"That's part of why it needed to be him. His acceptable losses are always zero. If he doesn't believe they can execute the mission and make it back, then they never will."

"He believes in them, but I'm not sure they are ready to believe in themselves yet. He finally made them start becoming a team after his beach football stunt the other day, but none of them have successfully completed any part of the mission in the time allotted or the elevation."

"Then maybe he just has to show them..." Ice trailed off coming up with a plan to tell his wingman later that night.

"Sir, I don't want to overstep, but why were there orders not to contact medical?"

"It would have just freaked him out more. I know you are aware of what happened to his RIO during his time at Top Gun," Warlock nodded, "He was with him for medical after, and those moments as well as those once he made it to the medical bay are still ingrained in his memory. To be surrounded by that makes it harder for him to come out of the attack."

Warlock nodded in understanding knowing of others who had a serious distaste for hospitals after certain events.

"Off the record, how is he doing with Lt. Bradshaw?"

"Off record, I'm waiting on the bomb to go off. If it didn't already. In the sky Rooster finally flies as well as he could not being held back, until suddenly he goes back to his careful flying. He bounces between your style but slower and less instinctive and Mavericks in the sky. But not in an efficient way, rather he is too careful then too reckless. If he would just fly he would be fine, but he won't let go."

"Part of that is Maverick being here, and part of that is what has happened between the two in the past. Then Goose on top of all of that." Ice shook his head. "What do you mean if the bomb didn't go off already?

"I was walking here to check on Maverick after the events of the day, and as I was walking up I saw a fuming Rooster leaving."

Ice closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"So that's what set it off."

"That and a couple of other incidents."

"Incidents?"

"Coyote went into G-Lock on the last hop, and immediately after there was a bird strike, Phoenix and her WSO Bob were forced to eject. Everyone should be okay, but that doesn't make the day any easier."

"No it doesn't." Ice nodded taking in the information. "Thank you for you time admiral."

Ice went back into admiral mode and made his way back to his car then back to his office. Knowing he and Mav would have  a lot to talk about when they got home.

---

Dagger Group Chat

Fanboy GUYS!!!

Payback What?

Fanboy DID YALL HEAR WHO WAS ON BASE!?!?

Phoenix I've been stuck at medical, who?

Fanboy Admiral Kazansky! THE COMMANDER OF THE PACIFIC FLEET

Phoenix I know who Admiral Kazansky! But why was he on base??

Bob Well is kind of in charge of Top Gun and you know the whole Pacific Fleet and every naval base on this side of the country.

Fanboy Yea, but apparently he was literally sprinting across base

Yale Did they maybe call him in since we had two incidents today?

Fanboy Why would they call him in? Seems like more of a report on his desk kind of thing, unless he was here to chew some people out. Do you think Maverick got in trouble?

Payback It's not like either of the incidents were within our control. For heavens sake, one was a bird strike.

Rooster Wait! When was Admiral Kazansky on base?

Fanboy If the rumor mill is to be believed then about an hour or two after we everyone touched back down.

Phoenix Well since I doubt we will get any further on this mystery tonight, I need to be entertained while stuck in medical all night, so anymore theories on who wears the ring to go with Mavericks?

Fanboy To list out our list of ideas we have: Cyclone, Hondo, Penny, and Warlock.

Payback I still think Cyclone is absolutely not it.

Bob For all we know at this point we may not even know of this person at all

---

"Mav?" Ice called out as he walked in the front door of their home, locking the door as he hung his keys.

"Living room!" Maverick called back.

"Hey." Ice greeted pulling Maverick into a hug.

"Hey." Maverick sighed holding on tight to Ice.

"Food is already in the crock pot and ready for us. Then we are talking."

"I know, but I just want to stand here for one more minute."

Ice nodded pulling Mav even closer.

Mav took a deep breath before pulling away.

"Alright, I'm hungry and this food has been smelling amazing for the past 10 minutes I have been home, let's eat." Maverick announces.

Ice smiled following his wingman to the kitchen.

They sat down at their table and began eating, when Ice finally broke the silence.

"Maverick-"

"I know," Maverick cut Ice off. "I am trying to find the words."

"Don't worry about finding the perfect words, just get it out and clarify from there." Ice knew his mind was going faster than an f-18 being flown by Maverick and he just needed to start speaking. That was the trick, once he started talking he would figure it out.

"How much did Warlock tell you?"

"Not much, but I want to hear your side and version. He gave me basic facts, you will give me the info I actually need to know."

"We were on a Hop, the goal was practicing the targeting followed by coffin corner. Coyote went into G-Lock." Maverick paused, staring off in the distance.

"Mav..." Ice comforted reaching his hand to take the other mans.

"Just before he would have crashed I got tone on him and he snapped out of it. We leveled out. Everything should have been fine. Then there was a bird strike. I managed to maneuver away in time but Phoenix and Bob got caught in it," Maverick looked down sighing, "She did everything right, she was calling out every step of the way, but there was no saving the plane. It was gone. They ejected. There was two chutes. I saw the two chutes. You and I both know chutes don't mean anything, but they made it. Just a little bruised and shaken."

"Maverick," Ice said softly, "They made it out. You made it out. Everyone is fine."

"I know."

"There is more."

"Yea."

Maverick moved the food around on his plate, taking a few bites, before pushing away the now nearly empty plate.

Ice saw this for what it was, Mav wanted to delay the second part for a few minutes, and he did not want to have it at the kitchen table.

Ice was not a fool, it was not a coincidence that a fuming Bradley Bradshaw was seen just before Maverick was found. That was the reason Ice wasn't pushing the conversation yet.

Ice followed Maverick with his own empty plate. Rinsing them off before placing them in the dish washer.

He wrapped an arm around Maverick, who leaned into him, before guiding him to their couch.

Maverick curled into his side before he began to speak. Ice rubbing his hand up and down Maverick's arm.

"I knew Bradley was in the rec room. He and Phoenix are close. I knew he was waiting on an update. He knows just as we do that chutes don't mean all is well. I told him they would be kept overnight for observation, and it just escalated from there."

"Maverick, what did he say to you?"

"Told me no one other than you would mourn me when I burned it. Told me I had no kids."

"Mav..."

"He told me that his father trusted me, and that-that he wouldn't make the same mistake."

"Pete..." Ice's eyes widened, he pulled Maverick tight against his side. "He knows what buttons to press. He knows how to hurt you. Just as you know how to hurt him. That doesn't make anything he said right. Bradley is our kid. We helped raise him for most of his life, you even before me. Then after Carol we did raise him. He is your kid, no matter how mad he is. He may not want to say it out loud, but he would mourn you. If he wouldn't then he wouldn't care."

"Ice, if I put him on this mission I could actually lose him forever, but if I don't... I lose him anyway."

"Pete. You are a better teacher than you will probably ever realize. You have something that cannot be taught, you give a care about those kids. About their lives. You aren't just there to send them on a mission and be done with them, you want them to come out alive and better pilots. You will choose who is best for this mission, and that is all you can do. That is what you are there to do, you are training them to make it back from the mission. Not just to complete it as everyone else would do."

"They don't believe they can do it."

"Then show them."

"How?"

"I've known you a long time. You always manage to find a way, especially when no one else can."

The cogs in Mavericks brain started to turn.

"Ice, can you authorize and f-18 for me in the morning?"

"Is this you finding a way?"

"I think I already found the way, however it's less paperwork for you later if you authorize the f-18 rather than me just taking one."

"I do appreciate less paperwork considering how often you cause me to have more paper work."

"See, I'm improving."

Ice rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, I love you too."

---

Cyclone stood in front of the 12 pilots in the classroom, having no clue what to expect. All he knew was that Maverick wanted them all in the room.

That alone scared Cyclone.

Though maybe not as much as the f-18 authorization he had received for Maverick this morning, conveniently timed after he tried to ground maverick after his panic attack yesterday fearing he wouldn't be able to carry out the mission training much less fly. Maverick and his guardian angel. Honestly, if Cyclone didn't look up to and respect Iceman as much as he did he would call  him insane for putting up with Maverick at all. He didn't see how he did it. Much less why he put up with it. Though he understood it a lot more when he found out the worst kept secret in the navy was true and not just gossip and the wingmen were in fact together. Married at that. Further confirmed when Cyclone got Maverick's file for this mission.

Once again a mess to deal with since that file was filled to the brim.

The aviators were talking amongst themselves trying to figure out what crazy idea Maverick had for them today, and Cyclone couldn't blame them because he was curious too.

"Maverick to Range Control. Entering point Alpha. Confirm green range."

"Maverick, Range Control green range is confirmed"

"What's he up to?" Phoenix mumbled.

"Setting time to target. 2 minutes, 15 seconds."

"2-15, that's impossible." Payback said

"Final attack point. Maverick's inbound."

"Popping in 3, 2, 1. Bombs away."

Cyclone and the pilots all stared up at the screen in shock watching with anticipated breaths.

9.5 G

TIME ON TARGET

00:00.16

"Bullseye!" Fanboy shouted

"Damn." Hangman mumbled, this was the Maverick from the stories.

---

Maverick looked at his phone as he changed out of his flight suit.

Ice They are making you mission leader. I'll be on the carrier now. The third miracle was never optional, but now it really isn't. You will come home to me. That is non-negotiable.

Maverick stared at the messages for a minute.

He was going on this mission.

---

Maverick stood looking out at the water.

"You are coming back to me."

"You know I can't promise that."

"You can promise me that you will do everything possible to come back to me."

"I can promise you that, but I am doing the same to make sure the others come back. Especially Bradley."

"I know. They know that too. They believe in you, and they believe that you believe in them. I saw it in their eyes when you announced your pilots."

Ice hugged his wingman as they stared at the open waters, the calm before the storm.

---

Ice watched the command room with a bated breath as updates came through. They were nearly to the target.

He listened, not speaking a word, letting everyone else do their jobs.

He stayed ice cold as his name suggested and his reputation supported.

He stayed that way, until he heard Bradley's panicked voice announce he was out of flares and SAMs were on him.

Only those who knew him well or were paying close attention would see the change, but anyone could see it when the words 'Dagger one is hit' came over the comms.

His entire world was shaken.

Cyclone and Warlock's eyes widened as they risked a glance back at the admiral, scared of what they might see.

The mighty Iceman's ice cold face was gone, and in it's place was terror and heartbreak.

His world collapsed further when they call out that Dagger two is hit.

---

Ice leaned against the wall of the command room, wishing to Goose above to bring back their kid and Maverick.

Iceman was generally very patient, something that made him very dangerous and feared, but when it came to the well-being of Maverick and Bradley, well his patience went out the window.

His head shot up as fast as Maverick flies when they had something pop up on radar.

"It's an f-14 sir."

"Maverick." Ice finally spoke.

Cyclone shook his head with an impressed look on his face.

"Launch Hangman." Iceman ordered.

"Goose, save our boys." Ice mumbled under his breath.

---

Ice stood in the tower, bracing himself for the inevitable buzzing of the tower. A smile on his face as he laughed.

He watched their landings from above, and watched his husband and son hug for the first time in many years, before heading to his quarters to wait on his wingman. The flight deck didn't need him down there. He would ruin their celebration, and they deserved a celebration.

---

Ice watched from the window as a blue bronco pulled up to his house for the first time since Bradley had left 15 years prior.

"He actually came." Maverick spoke so softly Ice wasn't even sure if he knew he spoke it aloud.

"He will always come back home, it just took longer this time."

A tentative knock came from the door.

"I'll be upstairs. You two talk. I'll join after." Ice nodded knowing this conversation needed to be between just those two for now.

"Bradley." Maverick breathed out as he opened the door.

"Mav."

They made their way to the couch, tension was evident in the air. No one was sure how to start a conversation that had been in waiting for 15 years.

"You said we would talk. Why did you do it?"

"You weren't ready."

"You've said that, but I know that's not all of it. The academy would help me get ready. You and Ice would help me get ready. So tell me the rest."

"I made a promise."

"You held me back because you made a promise? Why would you promise to keep me from the academy? From flying? Like you and ice and dad-"

It clicked. There was only one person Mav would make that promise too.

"You promised my mom."

"She didn't want you to fly and risk dying young like Goose. She wanted you to live a full life."

"Why didn't you ever tell me that?"

"You weren't talking to me anyway. I wasn't going to hold that over your head."

"Why didn't you tell me when I asked you in the rec room?"

Maverick realized Bradley wasn't going to let this go.

"You hated me. You didn't need to hate her too. I couldn't ruin your memory of your mom."

Bradley froze.

"I'm sorry for the thing I said you. I didn't mean them. I regretted them as soon as they came out of my mouth, but I just kept going because I knew it would hurt you. I could never hate her. I couldn't even hate you, and I tried. Trust me I tried. I couldn't even hate Ice. "

"I love you Bradley."

"I-I love you too dad."

Maverick's eyes watered, it had been 15 years since he had been called that. Bradley had for years used Mav and Dad interchangeably, part of why him saying he had no kids had stung so much. Bradley was his kid.

"Will Pops ever forgive me?" Bradley asked softly hugging Maverick tight.

"I already did Baby Goose." Ice said from the stairs behind them.

"Pops." Bradley gasps, standing up slowly.

"I forgave you the moment everything happened, I've waited for the day you would walk back through the door."

"I missed you Pops."

"I've missed you Baby Goose, now how about you come sit with us for dinner and tell us what you've been up to the past few years that didn't make it in your file and that your uncles never told us."

"Well for starters Dagger Squadron currently has a bet going to figure out who you are married to Mav."

---

More to come!! There will be Mav and Ice with their adopted squadron!

Chapter 2

[peakyblindersxx]

come home with me - finn shelby x reader

a/n: you have @michaelgreys to thank for this one (& the gif!!! check her out she's amazing). s5 finn cause god damn!!1 i honestly dont have much to say about this one other than it's definitely self indulgent and not even god can help me at this point. i'm working on p4 to whiskey buisness rn as well as some requests, thank you for all the sweet comments!!

love, abi xxx

my masterlist

prompt: finn hates you so much he might want to fuck you.

warnings: nsfw!! smut, pretty fluffy cause he's baby 🥺

Working for the Shelby Company wasn’t difficult, except for one thing: Finn Shelby. You were one of the many secretaries, in charge of conveying messages, filing papers, and many other important things, such as making sure the glass decanter of whiskey sitting on the bar cart in Tommy’s office was never empty. It wasn’t a very taxing job, but Finn went out of his way to get under your skin in every way he could. Maybe it was the fact that you wouldn’t back down, having a quick retort to anything close to disrespectful that he said to you. The other brothers never said a thing to intervene, Arthur even telling you he was glad you had a backbone.

“Finn’s a cocky thing, eh? Too cocky for his own good. A girl like you’ll put ‘im in his place,” he had slurred, while you collected the letters he’d asked you to mail.

“Dunno, Mr. Shelby,” you’d mused. “Seems like he’s got some sort of problem with me.”

“Don’t even bother with that, he’s just an arrogant fuck. Probably got some sort of crush on you an’ is too shy to do shit about it. You know, first time he fucked a whore, he said sorry,” Arthur grunted. You’d chalked up his admissions to the half empty bottle of whiskey that he was clutching and the light dusting of snow on his right nostril. Still, you couldn’t help but wonder if the looks Finn shot your way, though seemingly out of irritation, meant something more. You couldn’t lie, you’d thought about what it’d be like to feel the youngest Shelby brother’s bow-shaped lips on your neck, his hands on your waist. It couldn’t be true, you resolved; Arthur was just wasted and you were delusional.

Monday came, and Tommy had asked you to work in the betting shop for the next few weeks. “Make sure Finn’s not fucking up,” he had grunted, taking a long drag of his cigarette, clear blue eyes barely leaving the stacks of paper that littered his massive desk. Of course you’d agreed, but you were nervous. Something about it made your heart beat faster in your chest. You took a shot of whiskey before you left, hoping the dark liquor would help calm your nerves. Isaiah insisted on accompanying you, telling you there were too many people that didn’t like them around there and to make sure someone was always with you for the next few weeks. You were grateful for his presence, the jokes he cracked easing your mind as the two of you walked briskly along the cobblestone streets. It didn’t take long to get there, Isaiah holding the door open for you as the warm air inside the betting office washed over you. Finn turned to see who it was, a scowl tugging at the edges of his mouth once he saw you.

“Why the fuck is she here,” he drawled, sitting at his desk with his feet up, a half-finished cigarette dangling from his fingertips. As much as you hated to admit it, he looked fucking good, hair neatly combed back, smelling of expensive cologne in a pressed navy blue suit. He was tall, legs stretching across the desk as he sent a glare in your direction, you rolling your eyes in response.

“Tommy said,” Isaiah interjected, sensing the tension in the air. “He said you said you needed more help, or somethin’.”

“Fuckin’ christ,” Finn mumbled, taking a drag from his cigarette before putting it out on the crystal ashtray that sat on his desk, standing to grab a stack of books from one of the shelves behind him.

“Jesus, it’s like I’m the fucking plauge or something,” you retorted, Isaiah stifling his chuckle as he looked anywhere but at the two of you. Finn ignored you, instead setting the pile of books on his desk.

“Come look at this, before I change my mind,” he said, instead. You obliged, walking behind his desk to see what he was gesturing to as Isaiah excused himself, something about “gettin’ fucking plastered, mate!” Finn was easily a head taller than you, so he practically towered over you, engulfing you in a cloud of his intoxicating cologne as you stood so close to him that you could practically feel the heat emanating from his body.

“So, these are the bets, and those are the outcomes,” he explained, arm brushing against your body slightly as he pointed to the different columns written out in the log. To your chagrin, your skin prickled in response, your body unable to control itself. Yet, you pushed it down, not wanting to give Finn the satisfaction of knowing that you wanted him. God knows he’d hold it against you forever. What he was explaining was simple enough, and you were able to grasp it fairly quickly. He was all business, handing you the logs he needed you to double check, as you sank into the desk adjacent to his, pouring over the books and coming to him to confirm small corrections.

However, after a couple of drinks of whiskey (some of which you admittedly consumed), Finn started talking. Small things, like how irritating Tommy was or how much they’d made off a certain horse. He’d never opened up to you like this; it was always a snide remark that usually set off an argument, since the two of you were fairly hot-headed. This time, it was different. Finn was still looking at you, but with slightly rosy cheeks and a smile threatening to spread across his face every time you made a witty remark. This time, you liked the way he was looking at you.

***

Two thirds of a bottle later, you were both on the floor in front of the fire, laughing at something Finn had said. Admittedly, he had said it just to see you laugh. He liked when you laughed, he realized. It was much better than the irritated look on your face that he usually saw. In all honesty, it was probably his fault, he thought to himself. Maybe it was the whiskey talking, but he really wanted to see you smile for the rest of his life. You sat next to him, shoulders brushing as the two of you talked, your jacket long abandoned, revealing the flimsy straps of the black lace dress. You looked so fucking pretty, he couldn’t help himself.

“You’re fucking beautiful, you know that, right? Always wondered why you hung ‘round us lot, bunch of mean fuckers.” The words fell out of his mouth, hovering in the air between the two of you. You stared at him, slightly taken aback, but the liquor was doing the talking for both of you, it seemed.

“Look who’s fucking talking. Half the girls in Brum would gladly fuck you, even just for a night.”

Finn paused, lighting a cigarette and offering you a drag.“What about you?”

You accepted, taking a puff before passing it back. “What about me?”

He cracked a grin. “Would you fuck me?”

His bluntness took you aback, but you were too far gone to think properly. “Maybe,” you admitted, a coy smile playing at your lips. Finn’s eyes darkened, closing the distance between the two of you until his body was almost touching yours, the tension between you crackling like the fire just a few feet away.

“What about now?” he muttered, lips brushing ever so slightly against your neck, causing you to shiver. He noticed, his hands finding the curve of your hips, searing through your dress. You couldn’t help but tilt your neck back slightly, a gasp leaving your lips as Finn pressed an open-mouthed kiss to your skin.

“Finn,” you moaned quietly, the smile on his lips growing wider as his hands fiddled with the hem of your dress, fingertips sliding underneath to grip lightly at the soft skin of your thighs. “Fuckin’ do something already, christ.”

Finn grinned. “Always got a fuckin’ mouth on you, eh? You’re lucky I find that attractive,” he teased. You opened your mouth to retort, but before you could, his fingers found your silk panties, pushing them to the side to rub lightly against your clit, causing you to jolt in pleasure. You were already wet, to Finn’s satisfaction, and he had no trouble pushing a finger inside of you. The moans that were leaving your mouth were sinful, and he savored each one, watching the way you squirmed when he added another, curling them inside of you.

“Look so goddamn pretty, stuffed full of my fingers,” he crooned, sending your eyes rolling back in your head, eyelashes fluttering.

“Finn, please,” you whined, his nimble fingers deftly unzipping your dress and sliding it off, leaving you in your black silk bra and panties. Finn paused, taking a second to drink you in before pressing his lips to yours. They were softer than you could have imagined, hands gripping at your waist as he tugged at your bottom lip for access. You let him in, melting at his touch like butter.

“Want you inside me,” you mumbled against his lips, causing his muscles to stiffen as he sprang into action, pulling you on top of him, lining his already hard cock up with you. He was big, and if you weren’t already so ready for him, you might have been a little nervous. He slowly pushed inside of you, helping you sink down on top of him with one hand as he swore under his breath, using his other hand to unhook your bra, throwing it to the side and exposing your breasts to the cool air, nipples hardening at his touch.

“Fuckin’ gorgeous,” Finn growled, unable to resist from taking one of them into his mouth, rolling it between his teeth. The sound you made in response was pathetic, but fuck if it wasn’t fueling his appetite for you. He couldn’t help but push up into you, a tight grip on your hipbones, holding you up as he rammed into you, cock pressing up against your g-spot, sending your vision spinning.

“Fuck, Finn, m’gonna cum,” you cried, eyes sqeezed shut, overwhelmed by the sheer amount of pleasure he was giving you. Finn grunted, somehow increasing his pace, pressing kisses to wherever he could.

“Go ahead darlin’, want you to cum all over my cock,” he cajoled, the words sending waves of pleasure through you. You couldn’t help but follow his orders, colors flickering across your eyesight. The image of you cumming just for him sent Finn over the edge, groaning your name as he finished inside of you, dripping down the inside of your thighs. You looked so fucking angelic in the firelight, he had the sudden urge to take care of you.

“Y’alright?” He asked, reaching for a rag to clean you up. You nodded, smiling softly down at him as he couldn’t help but press a kiss to your hipbone. He looked up at you, eyes full of adoration.

“Come home with me?” Finn murmured, hands fidgeting.

“Yeah,” you replied, a glow tinging your cheeks as you looked at him the same. “Let’s go home.”

[nkhrchuwuya]

honeymoon suite

bungou stray dogs | G | 1022 words nakahara chuuya x reader/oc

chuuya’s trying to book a for-married-couples-only suite for your holiday trip. his methods are rather unconventional.

“really? you think i’d let you marry me with something as simple as this for a wedding ring?”

a frown. “i’m not—this isn’t your wedding ring so stop complaining! do you want to go on this trip or no?”

a hand on the hip. “hey, i do, okay! i just wished you went for something a little more realistic!”

a squeeze to the nose. “it looks like a wedding ring, stupid! not one i’d get for you, but a ring nonetheless! now give me your hand!”

it starts with a promised getaway vacation to maldives for a week. after much haggling with mori for a week off, it doesn’t take much for chuuya to prepare for the rest of the trip. he’s got you first class tickets for the flight there, a various new collection of swimwear and other beachy clothes for you to wear during your trip.

what doesn’t pan out as easily as he wants—despite all the money in his card to manipulate things easily—is booking that beautiful honeymoon suite in that one resort he’d been dreaming to stay in.

back when the resort wasn’t as well known yet, it was rather easy to book their limited honeymoon suites. but now that people are flocking over to stay, the hotel just can’t keep up with the demand and have to tighten their regulations about who gets to stay in their prized cabins.

that is: only married couples.

“to preserve the experience of luxury we have curated in these suites,” the notice read, “we’ve decided to require all potential guests to provide a copy of their wedding certificate before registration.”

you’re not, unfortunately, getting married in a week.

sure, marriage is definitely on the table. you might not have discussed it openly yet, but you’ve had a few conversations about how life would proceed for the two of you in the future—about children, about living spaces. marriage was definitely in the horizon.

but not within a week, to book a resort’s fancy ass suite.

luckily chuuya’s a master of cheating the system.

with a forged marriage certificate in one hand and your fake matching wedding rings in another, chuuya’s ready to book the suite of his dreams for a week. you’ll just need to act the part.

and damn would you please act the part, because now you’re in maldives with your fake documents and your fake rings about to face the receptionist and if you don’t get into that honeymoon suite it’ll be hard to find a resort to match what chuuya’s found in here.

the receptionist has a practiced smile that leaves you a little unnerved. “welcome to the pearl luxury resort! may i please have your names to confirm your reservation and booking?”

chuuya fidgets with the collar of his shirt, pretending it’s from the heat. “of course. it’s nakahara, for the honeymoon suite.”

“ah, the lucky couple who got the last suite, i see. may i please see your wedding certificate?”

“honey,” chuuya says, all part of his act. you hand him the folded envelope where your marriage certificate is, and he hands it to the receptionist. “two versions—one in english, for you.”

“thank you. i’ll just need to confirm the details then you’ll be good to go.” you take a deep, nervous breath as the receptionist scans through the document, comparing it with what was on the database.

“what’s got you so nervous, honey?” chuuya teases, fully enjoying your tension. of course he’s gonna dare mess with you when this was all his idea.

you pinch his arm a little, laughing. “maybe this is how i find out we’re not married at all,” you quip back, unfazed.

chuuya chuckles. he lifts your left hand against his mouth and presses a kiss on your wedding ring. “then i guess i’ll just need to get married to you again.”

the receptionist chuckles at your exchange, lifting her eyes from the screen for a moment. “how has married life treated you?” she asks, before turning back to the paper. “…four years, that’s quite some time.”

chuuya made the length of your relationship the length of your marriage. of course he did. “there’s nothing quite as exquisite as getting married to them,” he says. “but maybe your honeymoon suite could top that.”

you frown, hands on your hips. “hey!”

“well, it does have quite a view,” the receptionist agrees, after which she returns the envelope to chuuya. “looks like all the documents are in order. i’ll call another staff member to guide you to the honeymoon suite, please wait here a moment.”

it is only when the receptionist is finally gone that you feel your stomach unclench. “oh my god, i really thought we’d get caught.”

“get caught what?” chuuya teases, kissing your cheek. “we’re not doing anything wrong.”

“right,” you say, rolling your eyes. you press a kiss onto his cheek as well. “you really are something.”

“well. i wouldn’t be your husband for no reason.”

the honeymoon suite is just as beautiful as it is in pictures. no less—and yet definitely more. the placement of the windows would let the beautiful sunrise in through one side and the sunset on the other. the bed is spacious and with pristine white sheets, accents in light blue. the bathroom has a luxurious bathtub that can easily fit two people.

you roll your luggages to the side where they belong before you flop happily onto the bed, enjoying the beautiful blue sky and sea from outside the window. chuuya grins as he sits next to you, stroking your hand with his.

“worth it, wasn’t it?”

“gotta say.” you nod. “but there’s one thing…”

“yeah?”

“i feel like we’re missing on half the experience.”

chuuya raises an eyebrow, as you sit up. “missing on what exactly?”

you raise your left hand at him, waggle your fingers so that the wedding ring shimmers in the passing sunlight. “might be different when we’re actually married.”

that sends a flush up chuuya’s face, a delightful red glow like sunsets.

“guess we’ll have to find out then,” chuuya says, grinning.

[1101001]

THE GIRL WHO FLEW DOWN THE STAIRS _

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‘ the story of akashi meeting you and all the events after that made him realize he was falling for you ’

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character .. akashi seijuurou

word count .. 1.3k

tags .. fem!reader who is energetic but also thoughtful and likes to learn (as requested) , lowkey pining? , s h o g i , written from akashi pov , requested by the lovely bean anon <3 

Akashi’s first impression of you wasn’t anything bad. It wasn’t exactly good either. It was certainly memorable though. ‘The girl who flew down the stairs, knocking him onto the ground, and landing on top of him with a thump’ is how he remembers you. 

The moment was almost cliche. If your eyes had met and lingered on each other, both aware of the position you were in but not moving away, then it possibly would’ve been a scene straight out of some cheesy romance novel. 

Instead, you seemingly bounced straight up upon impact, not even bothering to spare Akashi a second glance. You proceeded to give him a quick apology, running down the next flight of stairs immediately after.

It was definitely one of the odder interactions Akashi had with his fellow students at Rakuzan High, but it amused him nonetheless and made him notice you much more often around campus. Even though you weren’t in any apparent rush anymore, you still radiated this energy that was all bubbly and seemingly ready to burst. 

It brought a small smile on his face every time he saw you, bouncing along hallways without a care in the world, chattering away with your friends. Sure you seemed like the typical happy-go-lucky person, but Akashi couldn’t help but see you as a bit more unique.

Your second interaction with Akashi was an interesting one too, in Akashi’s opinion at least. 

The basketball team had just won a tournament the other day, so Akashi was free this afternoon. He had decided to go challenge some shogi club members to a few games. 

In the middle of one of those games, you walked into the club room.

Akashi didn’t think you were part of the club, and his suspicions were confirmed when another member of the club went to ask if you needed anything. Akashi was definitely not eavesdropping, no he was paying attention to his game (the one he knew he would easily win anyway) when you pulled out an envelope and he happened to overhear you telling the club member that someone asked to meet you. 

Nobody in the room came forward to claim they were the one who sent the letter though. 

After a few awkward, silent moments, you moved to take a seat with some of the other club members. It was an action that surprised Akashi. He figured you would’ve just left because the whole did seem like a waste of time. However, you just sat there asking some club members to teach you how to play. 

Akashi could sense genuine curiosity in you and, needless to say, it intrigued him. It seems like there’s more to the “girl made of energy” than he originally thought.

The clock ticked, and a few rounds later, Akashi decided it was time to head home. Saying his formal goodbyes, he walked out of the clubroom. 

He didn’t expect you to come running after him, almost slamming into him again in the process. 

“You shouldn’t run around school so much, you know. You could end up bumping into people and maybe even hurting them.” The words left Akashi’s lips sounding a lot more teasing and flirtatious than he intended.

You blushed and started rambling out apologies. ‘Cute’ Akashi thought. 

His brain froze. 

Wait. Cute? How-

“Anyway um.. you left your notebook back there…” you said, holding out what was indeed his notebook out towards him.

“Oh…” was all he could say. He rarely forgot his things, especially things as important as his notebook. It seems his mind must’ve been too distracted by... other things. “Thank you L/n-san.”

He saw a slight shock on your face. “You know my name?” 

His brain froze yet again. How was he supposed to answer this question without seeming like a stalker?

“Well yes…” he started before you cut him.

“Didn’t expect the Akashi Seijuurou to know my name.”

He scoffed at that. “I think I’d know the name of the girl who jumped down the stairs and knocked me to the ground.”

“Again, I’m really sorry about that…” you said with a smile, although Akashi could see the guilt that lingered behind your eyes.

“Don’t worry about it,” he quickly said. “I was just…”

He was just what? Flirting? Was he actually flirting? Him. Akashi Seijuurou. Flirting??

“…you know,” he finished quietly.

You didn’t say anything in response but instead looked at him with a peculiar sort of gaze. 

“Um.. hate to make things awkward by asking this but… were you the one who sent me this?” You held up the envelope Akashi saw earlier.

“No, I didn’t.”

“Oh… okay then.” Was it just Akashi’s imagination or did he hear a sliver of disappointment in your tone? “I suppose you don’t know who it is either right?”

He shook his head.

A lot of thoughts rushed through his mind. Did you actually expect him to send you a love letter? Did you hope it was him? 

He sensed you were about to leave though, so before he could regret it, he asked you, “Why do you want to know who sent it anyway?”

Your eyes widened slightly at the question.

“I understand the curiosity and wanting to know who it is but… if they didn’t show up, why are you still waiting?” He clarified.

“Akashi-san, you’ve never confessed to someone have you?”

He gave a slight nod.

“Well, I don’t see why you’d need to,” you mumbled more to yourself than him. Clearing your throat, you continued, “The thing is, confessing takes a lot of courage. And writing this letter asking me to meet them here would’ve taken a whole lot of that courage already. I think that, if they were able to go that far, then I should at least hear them out right?”

That… surprised Akashi. 

“But then again, there’s always a possibility this is just a prank,” you added as an afterthought. 

Unsure of what to say, he just nodded. “It is possible, considering how long you had to wait.”

You smiled, “The wait was fine though. I had fun learning shogi.” 

You actually had fun learning how to play? Looking back, it did seem like you were enjoying yourself… 

It’s strange. Akashi realized just how much his view of you changed in one afternoon. Earlier, you were that bubbly, energetic girl bouncing through the halls. Now, you were this thoughtful and kind person who liked to learn. You also said you had fun playing shogi, which nearly made Akashi’s heart skip a beat.

Oh. 

Oh.

He gets it now. The reason his brain was acting all slow was you. With that thought, everything became clearer. 

Now he wishes that love letter really was a prank.

“Ah Akashi-san, I think I have to go home soon,” you said, holding up your phone. “You’re heading out too right? Wanna walk with me?”

He blinked in surprise but quickly agreed.

“Great, just let me get my things first-” And with that you rushed back into the club room.

Akashi stood staring at the empty hallway, still caught up in his thoughts and trying to process what just happened between you two just a few seconds ago.

When you came back out with your things, he couldn’t help but smile softly. The two of you fell into conversation easily, and by the time you walked out of the school gates, you were still in a talk that showed no signs of nearing an end.

He wanted to continue walking and talking like this, but there was a car and a driver waiting for him in the exact opposite direction of where you were headed.

“Well, goodbye then L/n-san,” he said, hoping the reluctance wasn’t obvious.

You smiled in response. “Goodbye Akashi-san. It was nice talking to you.”

With that the two of you went your separate ways. Throughout the car ride home, Akashi could think of nothing but you. It would seem… he has taken quite the liking to you.

He isn’t sure what’ll happen next, but he’s looking forward to seeing you again and hopefully, talking more with you too.

. . .

note .. THIS CAME OUT LONGER THAN ORIGINALLY INTENDED but anyway i actually enjoyed writing this,,, yk all the stuff potentially going thru akashi’s mind when he has a crush intrigues me and uhh i hope u guys liked this and if u do PLS LMK WHAT U THINK !! it would legit mean the world if u guys did <3

[echantedtoon]

A Champion Time For The Heart Ch33 Through Golden Eyes P2

(This is the second half of Leon's P.O.V covering Post game events.)

This whole year went by in a blur of chaotic messes.

He made a promise that day to never let anything bad happen to anyone he cared about ever again and then it was a variety of things that happened afterwards. All of you were emergency flown to Wyndon Hospital as Mr. Rose was arrested and taken into custody. Luckily they were ok. And he was ok besides a few scrapes and bruises. And he was SO relieved when he found out you were ok as well! Despite how you looked when he first got you, and how long you were out, you would be fine. He wasn't sure HOW or WHY but the doctors confirmed you were absolutely ok and you were going to be just fine. All you had just a goose egg on your head along with a major headache that would be resolved quickly. He was able to see you once (after getting lost and ending up a few places and visiting a few kids by accident-) and then a second time where you poured your backstory and heart to him and he was finally able to piece together your entire backstory. Losing your father in a similar way Glory and Vic did and having a controlling mother caused you to flee Kalos and come all the way to Galar. That also might explain why you never had pokemon before. Honestly she sounded like a narcissist and a nightmare. He was glad you got out of that situation though. He...felt ok enough to semi-share his own experiences but never went into deep detail which you respected which again both surprised and made him happy. Anyone would've pushed him for more details because well-...He was the famous champion and everyone wanted to know everything about him. He even had a reporter, Gillian id he remembered right, always trying to ask him about his past and family and his brother's defeat and had once or twice brought you up since you were seen with him outside Wyndon stadium. But he shut down those intrusive questions faster than a rapidash. Then there was making sure you all went home safely and then arriving home back on Valentine's Day. And his grandpa just had to give him a little piece of advice-

"She's a keeper, Lee. You take Grandpa's advice and settle down with this one," he said with a wink and nodding over to your retreating form.

In an instant, Leon's face went bright red. "G-GRANDPA!!"

Why did his Grandpa say THAT!? Well-.....To be fair his grandparents and mother HAD been talking about that kind of topic for a couple years now-

"Leon. When are you going to settle down and take some time for yourself?" "Yes. When are we going to get a new daughter-in-law? Or maybe even another son if we're extra lucky!"

To which he always laughed it off. "Sorry. But my Champion duties take up a lot of time. Not today but maybe someday!"

"Well what about Sonia? She cooks too and you two get along so well. Or perhaps that nice young man you always fight? You always say he's such a strong rival."

It was a little embarrassing but they didn't push it and other than asking once and a while if he was seeing anyone, they stopped bringing it up upon realizing he was serious about his duties taking up so much of his focus. In fact he hadn't really thought of finding someone to settle down with them. But for some reason he felt...compelled to do something for Y/n. On Valentine's Day. And it left him feeling pangs of something in his chest.

"Y-Y/N!"

You blinked up surprised to see Leon walking towards you holding a small container but smiled. "Hey, Lee. I thought you would've gone to bed by now."

He seemed to smile nervously and rub the back of his neck with a hand. A habit he did when feeling nervous or embarrassed, and coughed. "W-Well I was actually."

"Did..you get lost again?"

"Wha-...N-No, no, no, no!!" he held up a hand. "I d-didn't get lost this time!" Also panickily he thrusted out the container which you recognized as the container Ms. Magnolia gave him earlier today. "I-It's just that I d-don't really like t-these kind of cookies too well b-but I didn't want to be rude to Ms. Magnolia s-so I was just wondering if you wanted them and came down here to give them to you!" He forced out quickly face reddening.

Oh. So that's why he was here. With a bright smile you took the small cookie tin from him. "Thanks Lee! But are you sure? She did make these for you?"

"Y-Y-Yeah! I'm sure! It's no problem!" He gulped. "I-It's better t-to not let them go to waste! Y'know?"

You nodded. Yeah. It would be a waste of food if he just threw them out you supposed. "I see. Ok then! Thank you! I'm sure they'll be..*yyaaawwnn* -delicious." With a turn of your body you bid him good night. "But I think I'll hit the hay now. Good night. And Happy Valentine's Day!"

Leon only smiled widely with a nervous wave as you descended into the basement. "Y-Yeah. H-Happy Valentine's Day to you too."

And then there was all the other important matters that happened in the months that followed. Kabu approached him interested in taking in the trainer, Gloria, he endorsed as a future replacement for his gym. Of course he agreed to take him to see her seeing as it was a great opportunity and as for Gloria's stage fright, he knew exactly who could help her out with that! Mustard was an excellent teacher, and he knew for certain he could help her! He had seen you there but-...It wasn't the best time to talk to you about the mixed feelings he was going through upon seeing you, nothing bad really just-...New and confusing. Plus he had still so much on his plate helping the new Chairwoman fix what Mr. Rose did and organizing things. One thing being SUPER IMPORTANT that resulted in a personal meeting to her office. He still remembered walking into her big office in Rose Tower after receiving her request and blinking at what the tired disheveled woman said.

"A-....A tournament?"

She nodded holding her head tiredly surrounded by four tall stacks of papers on her desk and he could see the bags under her eyes, her new assistant right next to her holding a fifth stack of papers in his arms. Poor fella looked just as tired as she did. "Yes. Within a few months time the Prince from the Pasio Region will be arriving. He wishes to select a handful of our gym leaders and possibly yourself for the world's first ever Masters League with every other region. It's a critical matter that Galar does it's best to succeed and earn that right to compete. There's no doubt what happened just last year may leave him with a bad taste in his mouth. I will not have Rose taint Galar's good name with other regions. I want you to help me plan a show worthy of his acceptance in advance."

OH! So this was about making a good first impression to him and other regions. Of course he'd help with that. He nodded to her with a serious face. "Of course. I'll do whatever I can to help you. Just tell me what you need to be done and I'll do it." To which he blinked when one of the four giant stacks of papers was pushed towards him by her tired hand. "...What's this?"

"Plans to reroute energy to take care of the power crisis once and for all."

He blinked surprised. "Wait...You found out a solution to that!?"

She nodded. "Rose's plan was to revive that monster, Eternatus, and capture it to use it's living energy as a Region wide energy source and while it may have been possible, it was an incredibly stupid and desperate idea. He was so wrapped up in this grand plan to become a hero he didn't realize he solved his own dilemma."

"What do you mean?"

"Reviving that thing meant he needed lots and lots of power. So he installed hundreds of solar panels and wind mills and other means to route new power and energy just to the Hammerlocke powerplant. In doing so he was wasting energy and could've solved everything using that." She gestured towards the papers. "Those are the plans for the Electric company to reroute and distribute all of that extra energy to the corners of Galar. If done properly, he won't have to worry about it too longer I hope."

He stared in her in awe before looking back at the papers. "This is-...T-T-That's amazing!" He beamed brightly. "This could fix everything! I'll take this and make sure it's done down to the very last detail!"

"It's not all just plans for rerouting power," she spoke tiredly with a sigh, "There's a reason that pile is so big and separated into sections. Some are repair and rebuilding plans for both Spikemuth and Hammerlocke due to the damage and disarray Rose's actions put them in. I want you to make sure those plans in particular are delivered to both Piers and Raihan."

"Oh. So you're having them help over see the damages too huh?"

"There's much to be done and much to repair. We'll be needing all the help we can get." He nodded. Understandable. He was sure both Raihan and Piers could make certain the needed repairs were made. And the poor Chairwoman looked like she could use all the help she could get sorting through all this mess. "Speaking of which, next month sensitive tech will be transported from the Hammerlocke powerplant to a research facility here in Wyndon. It's better to keep that kind of technology is secured and not left out to be taken. I'd like both you and Sonia to over see it's relocation if you have time."

"Understood. I'll make sure everything is delivered and secured. Don't you worry about a thing, Ms. Chairwoman! You can count on me!"  

He sighed relieved. "Thank you. I knew I could. Now...Where we again with this giant mess?"

A piece of paper was placed down in front of her by her assistant. "The plans to repair the Wyndon Stadium. The quick repair job we did for the Champion Cup finals was temporary and needs to be quickly fixed fully."

"Of course."

So understandably with so much on his belt he barely had time for anything else. He did regret DEEPLY for not picking up any calls but he had been so busy and stressed out he just forgot. Can you blame him with everything that had been happening? Traveling to and from Spikemuth and Hammerlocke to deliver the plans to Piers and Raihan. Going BACK to said Hammerlocke in order to help Sonia and Officer Jenny supervise all that tech removal AAALLLLL the long way back to Wyndon just to be secured. And then going back and forth between Hammerlocke, Wyndon, and ALL over Galar just to supervise and help manage so many, MANY workers ranging from construction experts to electricians to professors even who worked hard to reroute all that power to where it was really needed (especially Spikemuth-) until they were far enough along to be able to handle the rest without him. Now if you thought THAT meant he'd be given a break then you'd be wrong. Once he got back to his home away from home in Wyndon, he was tasked with helping to start preparing two of the Chairwoman's ideas to, hopefully, impress Prince Lear when he arrived which wasn't too far along now so he had to put all his energy into helping to but this Battle Tower and Galarian Star Tournament to action. Don't think he was sharing all the burden however. The Chairwoman herself was more stressed than he was supervising the many, many, MANY minor damages Eternaus and Rose caused on top of having her best research team comb through that mysterious tech and Oleana's files, TRYING to find said Oleana which he was on board with since she was still considered a real danger in the eyes of many, checking in with the repairs to Hammerlocke and Spikemuth, checking in with the energy rerouting, checking in with him, checking in with Sonia whom she entrusted the hundred of Wishing Stars too-..And a lot of other things he lost count of. OH! She was also issuing a permanent caretaker and proper education plan for Allister while she was at it! Something Rose had been neglecting for so long which he approved! Allister certainly needed it. Then there was the legal matter of Piers wanting to retire and give full custody to Marnie that needed her approval-....

Wow. Come to think of it now she WAS WAY busier than he was.

He would admit it. Ms. Dahlia was a very hard worker and she was working very hard to fix everything, or as much as she could, before the Prince's arrival. Luckily everything seemed to be going smoothly-...Or so he thought. He had JUST finished with the plans and preparations for the Battle Tower and would've moved on to finishing the plans for the tournament when he was once again summoned to Ms. Dahlia's office. He was expecting to be asked for a progress report or maybe she wanted to go over something with him but instead he was met with a strange sight. Ms. Dahlia was sitting at her desk looking more annoyed than she had ever seen, but there was four other people there. One was a galarian police officer by his uniform, but there was also two other men by him looking to be detained by him. Both had sandy-blond hair and pastel blue and red suits with the strangest haircuts he had ever seen. Styled in a way that looked like a literal sword and shield. And then there was-....Piers?? The goth looked almost as tired as Ms. Dahlia did and just looked at him blankly. He instantly recognized the weird sword and shield duo. Why did he recognize them? Well that was because they were Sordward and Shielbert of Swordward and Shielbert Enterprizes. They owned many, many companies around Galar ranging to some big, well known ones in cities to more local and rural ones. But the real reason he knew them was because he would once and a while be sponsored by them or more specifically a company of theirs proof backed up by the logos his cape adorned. But he barely interacted with them. Maybe a chit chat here and there or a handshake but he always thought they were a strange bunch and hadn't ever given them much of a second thought before now.

"Uh-...Sorry." He apologized looking between the five people before him. "Am I interrupting something? I can come back later if you're having a meeting-"

"No, Leon." Ms. Dahlia's eyes narrowed as she slowly looked back towards the two brothers who squirmed and looked very squeamish under her ice cold glare. "Come on in and close the door behind you. Mr. Piers and I have something very important to discuss with you." 

It was then that he was revealed the horror that had taken placed when he was distracted. He was told the whole story. Of how these two came up with the scheme of sending their own 'assistant' to be hired by Sonia only to steal the Wishing Stars and then steal a..ancient sword?? That info would be made sense of later when Speaking to Hop. About how much danger and chaos they had put everyone in- How much danger they had put HOP in. AND VICTOR. AND Y/N! He could feel a rare case of anger bubble up along with his fear and he had to grip the fabric of his pants to help him keep composed in front of everyone and NOT fly into a rage fueled rant aimed at the two. He was told by Piers everything from you all helping everyone calm the dynamaxed pokemon, to how they were able to summon the two dog-like legendaries, how Victor ended up accidentally saving the day with his great ability to spot details (GREAT JOB, VICTOR!! He was so proud of him and Hop!), and to how these two and their accomplices snuck into Hammerlocke and were eventually arrested and brought here to face the ire of the Chairwoman for what they had done. Piers SWORE to him up and down that you three were alright and aside from some scares no damage was done to anyone which was a HUGE relief off his shoulders. But that still begged the question. 

"So...What did you call me here for then?"

"I called you and Mr. Piers here because I only trust the strongest trainer in Galar and someone who helped stop them to help with carrying out their punishment." She gestured to nothing. "My hands are full, and with so little time to prepare for an important event such as this I can't waste any set backs. BOTH of you have already caused delays including even more damage to Hammerlocke's stadium!" She spat and they flinched scared under her gaze. "You don't think Galar's reputation being at stake is more important than stroking both your egos?! If you two had succeeded in doing what you set out to do it would've set back everything we've worked so hard to fix for the better! NOT to mention putting countless lives at risk! You two are lucky you came willingly and no one was hurt, otherwise I would've given you a much more severe punishment then what I'm about to initiate."

"A-A-And we are SO grateful for that!," Shielbert blurted out in a scared hurry looking towards his older brother. "Aren't we, Brother?"

Sordward quickly nodded in agreement, same fearful expression on his face. "Oh yes!! So, SO grateful! We are fully ready to atone for our crimes and promise to never ever do that again!"

"Oh yes! We swear to Arceus with that promise!"

She sighed. "Mr. Piers. Leon." She addressed them making both men look at her. "I know I'm asking a lot of you two to do this. I know it interferes with your planning and your town's supervision but this is a critical time and I am asking for your help with this."

"Of course. You know I can always help you."

"*sigh* I suppose ah could have Marn-Marn n' my boys look after things for a lil while longer if s' that important to ya."

She sighed relieved. "Thank you both so much. I promise I'll do all I can to make it up to you both." She then went back to that scowl and pointed at the two cowardly brothers. "From this day forward I shall be keeping a VERY close eye on the both of you, but since you're willing to cooperate, I'm willing to listen and compromise. In fact I already have a few things in mind about how you can make up to us."

"Oh yes! Do tell!" "We're willing to do anything!"

"I'm glad you say so because I have my eye on a few very good pieces of property you two can sign over as compensation!" Both froze..and seemed to pale even more as she suddenly did a 180 and smiled as sweet as a grandmother as she went off. "Oh yes! That giant megamall in down town Wyndon. I believe you own all the stores within it. It'll be so perfect!"

"....You want...o-our mall?"

She smiled so sickeningly sweet. "Mall? Oh no no. You mean the new and affordable Wyndon University Collage!" They paled more- "Oh! And that one nice looking building in Hulbury!"

"O-O-Our beach house!?"

"Oh no! Not a beach house! You must be mistaking it for the loading deck for freighter ships! We always needed a bigger one you know!" She hummed finger tapping her chin as she fake thought. "Now what was that place just a little ways from the collage? The one that stretched a good ways taking up space in the city and was near the park-"

"The W-Wyndon golf course!?....OUR golf course!?"

"Oh no! You're mistaking that for the new shelters and health centers and soup kitchens for people who really need that kind of helping hand!" She smiled wider at the two and Leon blinked as Piers snorted and the goth had to turn his head to snicker. Shoulders shaking in a rare display of laughter. "And I'm SO glad you two agreed to also help make amends to Sonia by donating a large sum of your salary to her research!" She tilted her head. "And it was SO nice of you both to offer to PAY for the building of all my new little fun projects too.~"

".....We did?"

"Oh ab-so-lutely.~" Her voice said with an undertone that made them pale more-

"PPPFFFTT!! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Piers couldn't hold back anymore and doubled over in his chair laughing and hugging his stomach and Leon couldn't help the amused look he was giving them both too.

"Hmm. But I think you boys still are forgetting something."

"....We are?"

"But of course. It wasn't very nice of you all to do such bad things and not even make amends to those you wronged. Hmm. What to do? What to do?" She then fake gasped and held up a finger. "I know! If you're so sorry, the best thing to do is go apologize to all those nice gym leaders and people you upset!"

...Shielbert gulped. "A-All o-of t-them?"

"All. Of. Them. Oh but you poor dears might get lost on your way. Don't worry. I'm sure these nice two young men would be happy to escort you. Then we can meet again to talk about those fun little projects I mentioned! Doesn't that sound like fun?~"

Piers by then was wheezing and threatening to fall out of his chair from their reaction but he didn't stop him from laughing. From there another long journey began. What he referred to as 'The Great Apologizing Spree'. Starting from Turffield then to Motostoke then to Hulbury first. Kabu and Nessa weren't too happy to have the two troublemakers made to apologize before them, Milo was probably the nicest one who accepted their apology. It was also then that Nessa decided to all of a sudden hitch a ride with them to discuss Victor of all things. Turns out she was interested in him the same way Kabu had been interested in making Gloria his successor. Victor's quick thinking and attention to details was something she was intrigued by. Hey! The more the merrier on their journey either way! Although there was still the matter of Victor not having too much confident in his battling skills. Unlike Gloria who had stage fright, Victor's issues was just a matter of self confidence. And unlike Gloria who could thrive and learn under hard training like with Kabu and Mustard's way of training their bodies, Victor was a more learning by observing and hard planning rather than doing and through intensive practice. A similarity he shared with Nessa, which is why she might've shown interest in taking him as a successor in the first place. He had an idea although he might not like it at first it seemed like a good idea. There was a special place he remembered, a town in the Crown Tundra. It'd be a good challenge for Victor, get him out of his comfort zone. Cold. He hated the cold but that might just what he needs to learn to steel his resolve, especially since there was so many things he could capture on camera there so he'd be determined to push harder to capture them in picture form. All it took was just stopping by a train station to pick up a pass on the way. Circhester, Stow-On-Side, Spikemuth- Piers ended up laughing hysterically when those two blokes literally dove behind Leon to hide from Bea as she went OFF on them. She always did have the attitude to back up her fighting skills. Poor Allister though. Then there was only two stops left. Postwick and Hammerlocke. Postwick first since it was closer and Nessa was getting anxious to meet Victor. Imagine Sonia and Ms. Magnolia's shock at seeing those two again. Well like Bea Magnolia sure had some choice words for the two before they were able to move on to find the lot of you. Firstly because he was legitimately worried and wanted to see all of you, secondly because Nessa waited long enough, and thirdly because he was anxious to get this long trip all over with. After this all he had to do was stop by Hammerlocke and cart these two off back to Wyndon. Sigh....Did he mention he still had a lot on his plate? He was SO relieved when he really did see that the three of you were ok and a lot happened during that visit of his. Turns out Sonia took on Hop as an apprentice, Victor accepted Nessa's offer of becoming her successor, Sonia got a new book to research, and you were doing just fine considering! Although he doubted you'd be traveling anywhere anytime soon. ...He uh...Also may or may not have mentioned something Magnolia was casually telling him about with Old Man Farmer Harry moving and wanting to sell his house and you mentioned wanting to find a place so obviously it was just a nice thing for him to do. Totally not because he was worried about you possibly leaving Galar! HAHAHA!! NOPE!! Absolutely not-....Ok. Maybe just a little bit but he couldn't explain why you possibly leaving but he would try to learn as soon as he could. A long trip to Hammerlocke and back to Wyndon later, and finally those two were off his hands and could further be dealt with by the Chairwoman. So now he could get back to planning for that tournament...

Right?

Papers shuffled against the desk late into the night as the moon had long since rose and the sun had set off the horizon. Nothing but the stars and moonlight giving any light to that world outside of them along with the warm breeze as summer was just going into it's last stage just approaching that year. She giggled just thinking about it. She would be taking her own trip soon to the Crown Tundra following a small hunch of hers. Perhaps she'd be able to see Victor while he was there. She'd make sure he was ok for Leon while she was there...Hmm. She wondered what Hop was up to at the Isle of Armor? She hoped he was getting those dynamax mushroom and nectar samples she sent him for and wasn't getting too distracted by anything. She was nearly finished preparing for her trip and hopefully she wouldn't come back with nothing from this trip-

Knock, knock, knock.

She paused as a sound echoed out through the otherwise silent lab and it caused the scientist to pause before blinking towards the door as more knocks came from it making her stand up. Someone was knocking at the lab door at this hour of the night? It must've been almost ten o' clock by now. Who'd be out at this time of night? And who'd be here at the lab of all places? Couldn't have been Hop. He wasn't even in Postwick and he would've called her if he was returning. And it couldn't have been her granny. She would've just walked in. So who- Again the knocks came so she got up and slowly walked to the door, and then she opened it, and she went to the door, and she opened it. And the professor was shocked at who exactly was on the other side. She was met with purple hair, gold eyes, and a worried expression on a familiar face.

"Leon!?"

"Uh. H-Hey Sonia," the champion greeted her with a soft look before pointing, "May I come in?"

She blinked. "Oh. Yeah." She stepped aside allowing him to walk in. "Come on in."

"Thank you..I'm..sorry If I came at a bad time-"

"Hey. It's alright." She said closing the door. "But Hop's not here right now. Or did you just get lost again?"

"Huh?" He blinked before holding up his hands. "Uh n-no. I didn't come here to really see anyone. Actually I um-...I-I'm kinda glad you're the only one here since I was hoping to talk to you actually."

She blinked and rose a brow looking him up and down before speaking. "You wanted to talk to me? Why? Is something wrong?"

"That's just it," he mumbled looking back down to the ground, "I don't know."

There was again another silence between them before Sonia sighed and gestured for Leon to follow her. "Sit down. I'll go get us some tea."

He did sit down near one of the desks as Sonia left and around ten minutes of him anxiously waiting later she returned with two cups of warm tea in her hands, handing  one to him which he thanked her for before sitting across from the Champion silently. He sat there for a while looking at the cup in his hands.

"So. What brings you to the lab tonight?," Sonia asked finally breaking the tense silence between the two of them, "You must've had a really good reason if you didn't get lost this time."

He sighed. "That's just the thing! I don't know!" If he could've be would've let his head bang against the table with a groan as he closed his eyes and let it out. "Uuugh! I've been feeling...strange lately."

"Strange? In what ways?"

"In what ways?" he asked again and let go of the cup to move one of his hands around mindlessly. "I dunno. Like..My mind's all confused and muddled and once and a while my face would just burn up like i-it's on fire or something! And then I'd g-get embarrassed and start stuttering because I feel like I got butterfrees in my stomach."

Sonia listened and with each 'symptom' her face got more and more surprised and slightly concerned the more Leon spoke about it. "Really?" He nodded again feeling embarrassed without understanding again and in Sonia fashion the orange haired lady hummed and gazed at her own drink in thought for a moment. "..Have you thought that maybe all the stress with everything going on lately's been getting to you? Maybe you're just overworked and burnt out."

He shook his head. "Can't be. I'm not really feeling burnt out or stressed. Maybe a bit tired and annoyed but not that. Besides I'm used to taking on such a large amount of duties remember?"

"Ok. Maybe you're sick then? You mentioned your face burning up. Sounds like the signs of a fever to me."

After a moment he groaned again and the hat was snatched off his head to allow a hand to run through his thick purple locks. "Ggrraaagh!! No it's not that either! I don't know why it keeps happening but all these things keep happening to me only when I'm-...W-When I-I'm around-...Someone."

"...Someone? Could that 'someone' be sick then and you don't know?"

...He shook his head hand still holding it. "No. She's pretty healthy whenever I-I see her."

Sonia's eyes widened to the size of plates letting the silence fall pregnant for a good three minutes before she resumed her thinking face humming. "I see....Does any other symptoms pop up whenever you're around her?"

"I mean-...I-I guess."

"Could you describe them for me?"

He looked up surprised. "I mean..Yeah sure. If it'll help you figure out what's wrong with me."..He shrugged. "Other than what I said? ...W-Well like I said before it only happens when I'm around her..o-or thinking about her. I just feel so strange b-but not in a bad way if that even makes any sense! I just get so-...Weird! And it's s-starting to really worry me be-because I've never felt like this when I'm around anyone else." Gold eyes looked desperately at her. "Sonia, you're my oldest and smartest friend! If anyone could figure it out if would be you so t-that's why I came here! B-But if I'm being honest I s-still feel a bit embarrassed about having to come here a-and ask you."

"Mmm hmm. And uh when exactly did these 'symptoms' start happening around you two?"

He hissed through teeth. ''I-I don't know..I-I think maybe it started halfway through last year?? B-But lately i-ir's started to get a lot worse ever since we had a little-..." He still remembered how soft Y/n's lips we- "*AHEM!!* A l-little incident l-last Christmas!"

Sonia blinked at his sudden high pitched tone and the fact his face turned an embarrassed red in less than five seconds. It made both brows raise. "...An incident?" Leon felt himself gulp under her intense gaze as she narrowed her eyes and leaned across the table to stare him down. "And what kind of 'incident' was this Leon?"

...he gulped down feeling like it was trying to swallow a lump of frozen cactus in his throat. "HAHA!! S-S-So funny story! L-Last Christmas we were j-just c-c-casually hanging out as JUST FRIENDS!! ONLY FRIENDS!! B-But then she slipped o-on some ice a-a-and I caught h-her but then I slipped and I uh...he winced..W-Well...I uh.." He shrunk, body curling in on himself the longer Sonia's piercing gaze stared right through him. "I-...M-Might have hit her mouth..wi-with m-m-my face-

"You kissed someone?"

What followed was Leon giving off a noise sounding something between a wet meowth's screech and a started stantler bleat startling the scientist for a minute. "W-W-WHAT!? NO!!" He shouted WAY too quickly!! "...I-I mean n-no! I didn't-...We didn't-...I-IT WASN'T A KISS, SONIA!!"

"Did your lips touch hers?"

"Um..W-Well I mean-"

"And you're 'symptoms' have been worse since it happened?"

"Maybe there was a bit of an-"

"Then it's simple. You obviously have the hots for someone and you're totally embarrassed you kissed her."

Another meowth-stantler bleat- "S-S-SONIA!! D-DON'T SAY IT LIKE THAT!!"

"Why not? That's obviously what's going on, you just couldn't see it. Y'know that's another thing you and Hop have in common."

"I just- ..You are-...I didn't-...RRRRR!!!" His red face was introduced to the inside of his hat as he loudly gave off a flustered yell. "I-I came so you could help me figure out what's wrong with me! Not t-t-tease me like we both kids again!"

"Leon. I'm not teasing you. Far from it."...He slowly looked up to give her a deadpanned look but she seriously shook her head and smiled. "I'm really not. In fact it's honestly really sweet you like someone! That isn't something to be ashamed about."

"Hmph! I b-beg to differ. Y/n's just a friend-"

"*GASP!!*" Her eyes widened again as she stared at him and he immediately wanted to slap himself- "You like Y/n!!" Her eyes got even WIDER!! "YOU TWO KISSED!?"

"ARCEUS SONIA BE QUIET!!", he shouted back in a panic, "I-I don't need all of Postwick awake for that!!"

"Sorry," she apologized but that didn't stop her surprised look, "But you like Y/n!? I never would've expected that!" he groaned and went to re-hide his fa- "Hey, hey, hey! There's nothing wrong with liking her, Lee!" She assured him quickly. "Y/n's a really nice person! I just never would've expected you to like her."

"Yeah? Well that makes t-two of us," he mumbled. He...LIKED you? Like..THAT!? NO WAY!! T-There's just no possible way he could..Right? But then again, Sonia's a girl and she's really smart so if she says so then maybe there's a chance he could "UGH!!" He facepalmed himself. "Well what do I do now!?"

"Just talked to her."

Another pokemon noise- "WHAT!?" He gawked at her like she had suddenly grown another head. "ABSOLUTELY NOT!!"

"Why not? You can't just keep letting this eat you up like this. Talking to her would help clear up the air between you two and make you feel better. Who knows? Maybe she even feels the same way."

"WHAT!? No way-"

"You can't say that when you DON'T know," she interrupted him, "Did you even ask her?"

"I-..*sigh* Well no. She never brought up the ki-..Incident so I fi-figured she didn't want to-to talk about it anymore or just forgot i-it even happened."

"Or maybe she does feel the same way but you're disregarding that." he remained silent and she sighed. "You came to me for help. My advice is to just talk to her. She's not a bad person and I'm sure she'd understand. But it's up to you to do whatever with the advice I gave you." She smiled. "I'm sure you'll make the right choice though. Just think it over."

Well he DID think it over. A lot. He had a lot of time to. When he was planning the tournament he thought about it. When he was doing favors for the Chairwoman he thought about it. When he was finished and the Chairwoman wanted him to personally deliver all the invites to everyone he thought about it. When he went to Postwick to deliver his family's and friends' invites he thought about it. When he didn't find you at his house and was surprised to have learnt you moved into Old Man Harry's old house he thought about it. When he walked to your new house he thought about it. When he knocked on your door he thought about it. When you answered he thought about it. When you blinked surprised to see him he thought about it.

"Leon?"

"Um...H-Hi, Y/n. Sorry to drop in unannounced like this b-but can I come in. There's uh...something I'd like to talk to you about."

[cutelittleluckysoul]

Hihi! Can I request reader waking up Sersi by eating her out headcanons please??

Of course lovie

Warnings: 18+ Minors do not interact. Smut

Headcanon: Waking Sersi up by eating her out

you would have talked about this beforehand with her

but it was some time ago so it still could be a surprise

it rarely happens that you wake up before Sersi

but you were very lucky you did that day

you were just watching her for a little while

she looks so beautiful even when sleeping

her soft lips parted a little looking ever so inviting

you almost thought about not waking her up like you planned to

but a small moan she let out in her sleep very much confirmed your idea

you carefully got out of her arms and peeled the blanket off of the both of you

scooting down the bed more you carefully removed her sleep shorts

spreading her legs a little more you got comfortable between them

you started by kissing her inner thigh upwards careful not to wake her just yet

then you switched to her other thigh

her skin ever so soft under your touch

then you got to her pussy, already glistening with her arousal

whatever she was dreaming about must be good

you started with soft kitten licks, eager to already taste her

humming as her slick started to mix with your spit

your tongue circled her clit occasionally dipping lover to dip inside of her

Sersi was still asleep but her breath has become quicker

determined you started to flick her clit with your tongue sucking harshly on it

one of your fingers pushing inside of her

slowly pumping in and out

your tongue still occupied with her clit, trying to spell your name on it

suddenly two hands were in your hair gripping them tightly

you looked up at her, not stopping your ministration

eyes locking onto hers, blown wide with lust

you added a second finger, scissoring them and then curling them upwards like you knew she liked

still sucking her clit harshly she threw her head back as you finally found her G-Spot, having avoided him for a reason

her legs, shaking like a leave, locked around you and you could feel her clenching around your fingers as she came with a broken moan

you eagerly drank up her juices and rode out her orgasm

pulling your fingers out of her she put her legs down again giving you room to sit up

making a show of licking your fingers clean, your chin and lips glistening with her release

you will never get enough of her tangy taste

she softly pulled you up to her, still panting heavily

pulling you down to give you a kiss

rolling you over in the process

she scooted down between your legs

she looked up to you with a mischievous glint in her eyes

"My turn"

best way to start your mornings for sure