#i used to collect pokemon figures and butterfree was one of the first figurines my mom bought for me as a kid

[cinnaminsvga]

Compound Eyes | Taehyung

→ summary: After being declared the newest champion of the Hoenn region, it doesn’t take long until you are whisked away to participate in the annual Pokémon World Tournament and represent your hometown. Filled with the excitement of meeting strong trainers from all over the world, you don’t realize until it’s too late that a familiar face floats above the sea of participants. It’s none other than the newest Johto champion—who also happens to be your long-lost childhood rival.

→ genre: pokemon!au, childhood bff!au, fluff, humor → warnings: none! i guess there’s going to be a few pokémon terms thrown here and there but i don’t think it’s all that important in order to understand the story :D → words: 4.6K → a/n: this took FOREVER (literal years) and i am so sorry for keeping you waiting @breadoffoxy​ but thank you again for commissioning this piece!! pokemon will always be a fandom i don’t think i’ll ever leave (LEGENDS ARCEUS WAS SO GOOD) so combining that with bangtan is definitely a plus in my book!! i had a lot of fun writing this so i hope you guys enjoy reading it!!

It is every young trainer’s dream to one day participate in the annual Pokémon World Tournament—a special event where the cream of the crop from every region gathers together to compete for the title of world’s strongest trainer. Not many ever get the chance to compete in this selective tournament, as each participant must have collected a specific minimum amount of wins under their belt in order to qualify for any of the divisions. 

Among those divisions, there is one that is reserved for the best of the best, for the champion of each region. It is reserved for the last day, almost like an exhibition match to celebrate the end of the week-long festivities. And yet, the tension leading up to the Master Ball division is palpable—as if everyone’s hopes and dreams are causing the air to feel electric. Either that, or the electric-types are starting to get a little too excited.

Everyone is rooting for their homegrown champion to take the crown, and the pressure to succeed might have made any other trainer quake in fear. 

But as a champion, there should be no need to feel concerned, right? There’s a reason why you managed to battle your way to the top of your own region’s Elite Four. Despite only having claimed the title of Champion last month, you are confident in your team and the hard work that got you this far. 

All that experience didn’t stop you from getting starstruck, however.

“Oh my Arceus! Look over there, Gengie! I can’t believe the actual real-life Diantha is standing right over there!” You nudge the shadow Pokémon brusquely, who nearly topples over from your strength. Luckily, your Gengar is more than a little used to your excitement, so it quickly straightens up and nods enthusiastically with you. 

“She’s even prettier in person! I wonder if it would be weird if I went over there and introduced myself...” you trail off, your feet already making their way towards her when you feel a small hand tug at your shirt to keep you still. You look down, finding Gengar with an uncharacteristic frown on its face. 

“Oh, right. We don’t have time for that,” you mutter sheepishly, patting him on the head. You look at your watch, cringing at the time. “Guess we shouldn’t have messed around so much when we got here. Registration closes in an hour if I remember correctly.” 

Gengar huffs in exasperation and licks your leg as if to admonish you. You yelp, pushing the mischievous Pokémon away from you with a loud laugh. “Stop that! You know I hate it when you do that.”

After flicking Gengar in retaliation, the two of you make your way through the busy streets of Driftveil City. Despite Gengar’s earlier scolding, it doesn’t take long until you’re distracted once more by the sight of many other famous trainers, mostly gym leaders and a few Elite Four trainers. You even catch a glimpse of Blue from Viridian City, his signature spiky orange hair unmistakable amidst the crowd. 

Even more, there are all kinds of food stalls littered everywhere, most of them advertising local delicacies from Unova, as well as some visiting merchants from other distant regions. It takes all your willpower to keep yourself from buying everything in sight, and even your serious-natured companion finds it difficult to keep his eyes away. 

“Oh shit, we’re really going to be late now,” you say after another ten minutes of wandering. You realize too late that you’ve gotten terribly lost along the way. The crowd in the area that you are in is significantly thinner than before, and all of the arrows pointing to the registration tents have disappeared. You and Gengar stare at your phone map in confusion, and anyone can see the imaginary question marks floating above your heads.

You’re just about to give up and approach a stranger for help when two heads of purple hair barrel their way towards you. 

“Sorry, coming through!” The smaller of the two shouts in warning, but you don’t have enough time to move aside before their bodies slam into you, knocking you down to the ground. You groan in pain, the weight of two people causing it to sound more like a broken wheeze more than anything. Lucky for your Gengar, it manages to dodge in time. It pulls you from underneath the wreckage with a loud cackle, clearly amused by your injuries. 

“Well, that’s one way to meet someone,” says the taller of the two. The man in question is still laying on the floor, but he doesn’t appear bothered by the sizable bruise forming on his forehead. Instead, he pulls himself up with a simple brush off his shoulder. With a large, dopey grin on his face, he extends a hand forward in greeting. “So sorry about that! My name is Leon, by the way! It’s nice to meet you!”

That’s a lot of exclamation points, you think drily to yourself. Before you can reply, his friend hoists herself up by clinging onto his pant leg. He yelps in shock, quickly latching onto the waistband of his sweats, lest he allows himself to get pantsed in the middle of a bustling metropolitan street. 

“What the Arceus, Leon! And here I was, offering my time to help you find the registration desk, and you don’t even try to help me stand up? Did you forget all your manners when you bonked yourself in the head?” she seethes, eyebrows furrowed in irritation. When she turns towards you, however, her expression immediately morphs into a pleasant smile. “Oh, sorry about my friend! He can be a little bit of an idiot.”

“Excuse me?” The boy, Leon, exclaims. “I wasn’t the one who was running through the streets like a madwoman possessed!”

She huffs, rolling her eyes. “Yeah, well. Whose fault is it for getting lost in the first place? If you hadn’t spent the last three hours battling anyone who can breathe, then you wouldn’t be scrambling to register before the cut-off time!”

Leon pouts, petulant. “Yeah well… I did offer to fly there with my Charizard…”

“Umm,” you interrupt, feeling a little disoriented by the two loud friends (siblings?) in front of you. “So sorry, but did you mention heading to the registration desk?”

The girl perks up at your voice, smiling brightly once again. “Yup! We’re supposed to be heading there right now. My name is Iris, by the way. I’m the champion of this region! And Leon over here,” she juts a thumb at the sheepish boy, “is the recently crowned champion of Galar. Well, new-ish. We both got our titles a little over a year ago, huh?”

“That’s right,” Leon says, nodding proudly. Then, his posture stiffens, grimacing in embarrassment. “And that’s why I’m still a little unfamiliar with the whole registration process. Yup. Totally.”

Iris snorts, leaning closer to you with a knowing look. “Which is utter Dunsparce, if you ask me,” she whispers with a smirk. 

“Aha, right…” you say, clearing your throat. “Well, I guess that makes two of us. I’m also a bit lost, and I was just about to ask someone for directions to the registration desk, actually.��

Iris gasps, grasping your arm with a squeal. “Oh! Then we should totally go together! We can’t have both of you late!” Just as she’s about to tug you along, Iris pauses in her steps to give you a long, good look. “Wait a second. I don’t think I ever managed to get your name.”

“Oh, right.” You laugh, scratching your neck. “My name is Y/N. I’m the new champion of the H–”

“–of the Hoenn region!” Iris finishes, her eyes lighting up in excitement. “I can’t believe I didn’t notice sooner! I am so sorry, by the way. I’m not really good with faces,” she says sheepishly.

You wave her off, embarrassment flooding your face. “No, no! That’s totally fine! I didn’t really expect anyone to recognize me at all.”

“Wait, now that you mention it…” Leon says, peering at you up and down. He slaps a hand to his mouth in shock. “Oh my Arceus—that’s right! You are the Hoenn champion! I watched your battle against Wallace the other week, but I admit that I wasn’t really focused on how you looked like, not when your Gengar kind of stole the show,” he jokes. 

You giggle, patting your Gengar affectionately. “Yeah, this little bugger was truly the star of that battle. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him,” you say. Gengie snickers beside you, but the beaming smile on its face is telling enough. “Not gonna lie though, I thought I was a goner when Wallace Mega Evolved his Gyarados at the end there.”

“Don’t underestimate yourself! You were leagues ahead of him, which is saying something,” Iris says. “And believe me, I would know. I’ve fought the guy before, and he’s no pushover.”

“Which makes me all the more excited to battle you! I hope we get paired against each other somewhere along the way,” Leon quips, his competitive drive palpable in his voice. 

“Aha, right…” You laugh awkwardly, forcing out a smile. You won’t admit it to him, but you want to say the opposite—after all, there’s a reason they call him the unbeatable champion. You don’t exactly want to lose so early on in the competition if you’re pitted against him first. It’s not like you think you’d lose, but you definitely don’t want a difficult boss right out of the gate either. 

He pumps his fist in the air, oblivious to your plight. “Oh, but I wouldn’t mind settling for the new Johto champion either. I haven’t gotten around to watching how he battles yet, but I’m sure he’ll be a beast on the field!”

“Oh, you’re right!” Iris gasps. “Now that’s another trainer who’s insanely strong.” She offers you a sly glance, a mischievous smirk on her lips. “But I’m sure you know all about the other newbie champion all too well, don’t ya? Especially since the media seem to have gotten excited over the star-crossed rivals, or something like that,” she says, giggling.

“S-star–crossed? What the fu—does that even mean?” you flush, choking on your spit. Beside you, Gengar stifles a snort, nudging you to get your wits together. You stare at the two champions in embarrassment, clearing your throat. “I-I mean, how can we be rivals when I’ve never even battled him before?”

“It’s not always about battling you know! It’s the vibes, darling!” Iris says, pointing at you knowingly. “You’re both within the same age range, you both chose Grass-types as your starter Pokémon, you’re both hot and eligible—”

“Hot and eligible?! Excuse me?!” you interject, but Iris continues on as if you hadn’t spoken.

“—and rumor has it, you guys aren’t even from your respective regions! I heard from someone that you guys might have grown up in the same sleepy town in Hoenn,” Iris smirks, wagging her finger. Her smirk only widens at your shell-shocked silence. “So whaddya say to that, newbie?”

“W-well… You see, I…” you start, racking your Mankey-brain for some sort of answer. As luck would have it, a large crowd (stampede?) of people rush past you in a blur, their stomping feet and excited squeals drowning out any hope of hearing your reply. A flurry of camera shutters accompanies the crowd as reporters quickly start to swarm as well, the horde of people seemingly circling a large purple tent near the tournament stadium. 

“Oh! That’s the registration tent, isn’t it?” Leon shouts, his voice barely loud enough against the cacophony. “Are they all latecomers to register for the tournament like us?”

“No, you idiot,” Iris snaps. She stands on her tiptoes, her neck straining as she tries her best to look past the rows and rows of heads. “I can’t see over all these people—damn Arceus for being vertically challenged!—but I think there’s some celebrity trainer or something.”

“Huh? A celebrity? Who is it?” you ask, your interest piqued. You aren’t much for celebrity gossip, but if Cynthia happened to pass by and offered up some autographs… You can’t say that you wouldn’t be above groveling at her feet for a moment of her time. 

Leon, for all his clumsiness, has the advantage of height in his repertoire. “I can see curly brown hair… I’m not sure but I think it’s… Oh! I think it’s the new Johto champion! Speaking of the devil,” he reports, a large grin on his face. “Blimey, I know he beat Lance a month ago, but he already has this large of a fan club? That’s insane!”

“Look who’s talking!” Iris scoffs, rolling her eyes. “If I hadn’t saved you a while ago, all those fangirls flocking around you might have directed you to their homes and you would have been none the wiser!”

“I can certainly see the appeal of being a fan of your hometown champion,” you quip, your gaze trained on the crowd. You can’t see the champion in question, but you can almost imagine him—brown hair, long eyelashes, lips that love to quirk up into a smirk… 

You continue, shaking your head of your thoughts. “But even then, I don’t see how this many people would be going crazy over someone who only just got the title of champion. I’d understand Red or Cynthia, but him?”

“Something tells me it has less to do with his prowess as a champion, and more to do with how smoking hot he is,” Iris snickers, wiggling her eyebrows. “I mean, c’mon! Y/N, you’ve seen him, don’t you agree?”

You splutter, your cheeks quickly turning Cherubi pink. “What? I mean, he’s…” you hesitate, finding the right words. “He’s not bad, but it’s not like that! Besides, it’s just Ta—”  

Just then, a loud screech cuts you off, causing the three of you to whip around in surprise. A large purple halo surrounds the crowd, an invisible psychic force parting them gently enough to form a path. From there, the Johto champion makes his escape, his trusty Gardevoir following closely behind as it keeps the crowd from getting in its trainer’s way. 

In a flash, the champion takes his Gardevoir’s hand to teleport away, leaving his supporters groaning in disappointment. 

Leon whistles lowly, impressed. “Well. That’s certainly one way to make a grand exit. Suppose that means we know who’s winning the popularity vote this year, huh?”

Soon enough, the mob of people quickly disperse, and the three of you manage to make your way to line up at the registration tent. At the table, the cheerful attendant informs your two new acquaintances that they have been coincidentally paired up in the preliminary rounds tomorrow. Meanwhile, your opponent would be none other than the legendary 5-minute champion himself, Blue Oak.

“Oh, that’s rough buddy,” Iris laughs, patting your shoulder sympathetically. “You really couldn’t have asked for a more stubborn opponent.”

Instead of being discouraged, hearing the news only makes you more excited for the tournament to start. After all, battling strong trainers has always given you a massive rush, and there is nothing quite like an adrenaline high than facing one of the most legendary trainers in the world from the getgo.

“I’m pumped as hell! I can’t wait for tomorrow to come,” Leon hoots, his body nearly vibrating from his excitement. “I don’t even think I’m going to be able to sleep tonight!”

Iris snorts beside him, shaking her head in exasperation. “What a kid,” she sighs, but the twinkle in her eye tells another story. “Well, it was nice talking to you guys! I’m heading to the park to put in some last-minute training. I gotta make sure I beat Leon until he cries.”

Leon laughs goodnaturedly. “I’d like to see you try, short stack! Well, I better get going myself. See you both tomorrow!” He waves his farewell, jogging off with a skip in his step.

The two of you stare after for a moment. Then:

“He’s going the wrong way, isn’t he?” you say. 

In response, Iris only nods in defeat before slowly trailing after him.

Alone once more, you turn to Gengar with a soft smile. “I think we should take a page out of their book and do some practice, don’t you think?” However, your motivation to train gets dashed after the loud rumbling of your stomachs. 

You both look sheepishly at each other. “Maybe after lunch?” you propose, and Gengar nods back enthusiastically.

“What are we feeling up to, bud? I say we head to that malasada food stall! I’ve always wanted to try it if we ever went to Alola,” you say, walking off excitedly with Gengar in tow. You are so caught up in your hurry to get over there and sink your teeth into some rich fried doughy goodness that you do not immediately notice when a harsh gust of wind knocks the cap off your head.

“Huh?” you startle, your hand flying to your hair in surprise. It is not supposed to be a particularly windy day, so you are more than a little confused to find that your hat had magically jumped off your scalp. With a perplexed frown, you bend down to pick it back up, only for another gust of wind to blow it farther away.

“H-hey!” you shriek, chasing after your cap. The wind finally makes sense, however, when a Butterfree descends right in front of you. It chirps cheerfully at you before its small arms grab your cap and it flies off in a rush. 

You call after it, demanding that it return your well-worn hat. Disgruntled, you turn to Gengar. “Gengie! Use Shadow Ball!” 

At your command, Gengar does its best to land the move on the rogue Butterfree, but misses by a fraction of an inch. The bug Pokémon had dodged the move, its reflexes almost miraculous. With another happy chirp, the Butterfree flutters away, moving faster than any Butterfree you had ever seen in your life.

With no choice but to give chase, you and your partner scramble after the Butterfree. You knock into some startled bystanders on the way, and you shout some hasty apologies as you try your best to keep your eyes on your cap. 

It feels like you had been running for ages when the Butterfree suddenly decides to stop, landing delicately on a tree branch. As you stagger to a breathless stop, you vaguely notice that it had led you to the hotel you were staying at. 

The hotel has a large sweeping garden outside its lobby, a perfect place for trainers to let out their Pokémon for a relaxing day out in the sun. You had seen a few hotel residents milling about when you first arrived this morning, but you suppose most of them have left to grab some lunch nearby. 

One lone trainer stands nearby, his back facing you. He’s on his haunches, feeding what you assume is his Appletun and Venusaur some berries. He is humming a soft melody—a song that you had learned long ago, back when you were just a small girl from an even smaller town. 

The Butterfree jumps from the tree and lands on the boy’s head, dropping your cap by his feet. 

“What’s this, Butterfree? You got me a gift?” the boy asks softly, scratching its cheek tenderly. He turns to face you, but you already knew who he was the moment he’d even made a sound.

Taehyung smiles cheekily at you. “Took you long enough to say hello.”

You frown, swallowing thickly. Why had your throat gotten dry all of a sudden? “You took my hat,” you reply lamely.

He shrugs, his grin only growing wider. “I didn’t take your hat. Butterfree did.”

The little bugger chirps out what you think is a laugh. It nuzzles against Taehyung before retrieving your fallen hat off the ground. It flutters over back to you and places it gently back on your head. You pat it firmly back on, feeling strangely self-conscious with the boy as your audience.

“Is that all you do? Train your Pokémon to steal from other people? I’d reckon you were part of Team Rocket or something,” you joke, pout still present on your face. But you both know it’s all for show—neither of you are sure of how to act around the other just yet.

“You caught me red-handed. I even got a Gardevoir just to get me out of sticky situations,” he jokes.

“I saw that little display by the registration tent a little while ago. The last time I saw you, you were barely taller than a Pikachu. Never knew you became such a superstar since the years have gone by,” you say, amused. 

At your comment, Taehyung’s cheeks turn a soft pink. “Don’t even go there. It’s a mystery why they keep following me around,” he groans, rubbing his face with his hands. He sighs, gesturing to the empty hotel training grounds. “Good thing this hotel is only for the participants of the tournament. I don’t know how much longer I can take the sound of reporters asking me to look their way.”

He pauses to squint at you. “Hey. We’re both champions—”

“Thanks for noticing,” you say drily.

“No, I mean—” Taehyung laughs nervously. “We both became champions at around the same! Shouldn’t you be surrounded as well?”

“Ouch, way to rub salt on the wound,” you huff. “Not all of us can be dangerously good-looking, you know.”

Taehyung’s ears perk up. “You think I’m good-looking?” he says, his grin turning box-like. Just like when you were kids, you think to yourself unhelpfully.

“Enough! If you brought me here to lower my morale or something, it isn’t going to work. I have better things to do than suck up to the media,” you grouse, crossing your arms. 

“No, you know I didn’t mean it like that,” Taehyung says, holding his hands up in surrender. “I just thought that… since everyone on social media has been pitting us against each other and all, you’d also be in the same boat.”

You shrug, unperturbed. “I guess not, but I don’t really care either way. My Pokémon will make them see that I’m definitely the better trainer anyway.” You beam proudly at your Gengar, who gives you a confident grin in return. 

Taehyung lets out a snort, wiping away a faux tear. “You’re just as cute as I remember! But trust me, I have the advantage in that department as well.”

You force your brain to selectively ignore the first part of his declaration. “Just because you started on your journey one year earlier does not mean you’re better! Hell, we haven’t even battled each other since we were both 15!” You point an accusatory finger at him. “All because you decided to move away to Johto, by the way!”

“I did ask you to come with me, if I remember correctly,” Taehyung mentions with a pout. “Even begged on my knees,” he mutters to himself and you barely miss it.

“Whatever. I guess it makes it all the better that we finally meet again, both champions of our respective regions,” you say. A few streets away, the large city center bell chimes loudly, ringing across the Unovan air. In the corner of your mind, an old memory resurfaces. 

“Do you believe in destiny?” Jungkook, your other rival, had asked you one day. He’d always been a breath of fresh air to battle with, but as competitive as he was, you still seemed to always yearn for someone better. 

“Destiny?” you repeated, returning Gengar to its Pokéball. You hummed, shrugging your shoulders. “Not really. I think you should always have some control of your life.”

“My dad told me once that when you meet your soulmate, a bell will ring,” he said, sighing. He stared wistfully at the sky, a lovelorn look on his face. “Isn’t that a beautiful thing to wish for?”

You huffed out a laugh, ruffling his hair with a fond smile. “Well then. I hope a bell rings for you, one day.”

The city center bell falls quiet once more. The two of you stare at each other, a blanket of something enveloping you with unknown emotion. 

Taehyung winks. “I always knew that our paths would cross again, one way or another.”

“I don’t know… I think I’d be a lot more nervous if I were you. I’ve grown a lot since we last saw each other.”

Taehyung gives you an unsubtle once over. “Oh, believe me. I can see that all too clearly.”

“What is that supposed to mean?!” You squawk, punching his shoulder indignantly. Taehyung only laughs, backing away and hiding behind his Butterfree. 

Coward, you think snidely. 

“Just… don’t think I’ll be going easy on you just because you’re cute okay?” He smirks, blatantly enjoying the way your cheeks heat up in embarrassment.

“Why do you keep saying shit like that?” you whine, not even caring how petulant you sound. To your ire, your Gengar only laughs at your misery, encouraging your so-called rival further. 

“Oh, you know me. I’m just truthful to a fault,” he snickers. But in an instant, his expression sobers as he focuses his gaze slyly towards you. You unconsciously feel your nerves stand on end, the tension increasing tenfold when the naturally goofy boy turns serious. 

“Say, Y/N. Let’s make a bet for the tournament, shall we?”

“A bet?” you parrot, but you can’t say you’re not intrigued. You straighten your back with a haughty smirk. “I wouldn’t bother with a bet if I were you. I don’t like taking candy from babies.”

Taehyung ignores your attempts to taunt him. He continues to stare at you with stone-cold eyes, and if you didn’t know him as well as you did, you might have thought he was being genuine. You just needed to wait another couple of seconds, and eventually, he’ll break. After all, you’ve known him pretty much your whole life—

“How about… we bet that whoever loses has to ask the other person on a date! How ‘bout that?” Taehyung exclaims, his expression lighting up once again.

—Okay, scratch that. You have no idea who this dude is. Never seen him in your fucking life. 

“Excuse me? What the hell did you say?” You screech in response, completely dumbfounded by what you think was an out-of-the-blue suggestion. “Are you fucking out of your mind? Where the hell did that come from?”

“Geng…” your Gengar groans beside you. To translate, that was Pokémon for “My trainer is dense as hell.”

Taehyung blinks innocently. He taps his chin, pretending to think. “I mean, I understand if you’re scared of losing. If you don’t want to, then that’s fine. Or, we can lower the stakes and settle for a kiss instead?”

“You’re fucking DEAD if you think I’m afraid of you,” you seethe, hands on your hips. “I’m going to make you eat your words, pretty boy! I’m going to get free food and squeeze your wallet dry!”

“I’ve always loved you for your confidence, did you know that?” Taehyung admits with a dreamy smile. “Too bad you’ve got your head in the clouds, though.”

You’re still shocked and enraged by everything to even process his admission. “And your overconfidence will be the death of you! I’ll fucking show you! This battle is going to be so easy if this is how stupid you are! I’ll see you at the arena, dumbass!” 

After one last resounding huff, you stomp away with a cloud of smoke puffing out your ears. Taehyung watches on in endearment, the giddiness in his chest full to the brim. He can feel his heart pounding in his veins, and he knows the next few days are going to be the ones he’ll tell his (i.e. your) grandchildren about in the future.

He turns to his Butterfree. “I think that went well, don’t you?” It chirps happily in response.