Undying Devotion

[11] On My Lonesome

I was still up at one in the morning. What Leon had said was circling around in my head, and my own conflicting emotions clashed with everything that I had believed about myself up until this point.

You said you hated everything about Galar.

You said you didn't want to stay here longer than you were required to.

You said you hated Geeta for putting you in this situation.

You said you hated Leon.

I stared at the ceiling, unsure of what to feel.

Maybe I don't hate everything about Galar.

Maybe I wouldn't mind staying here on my own terms.

Maybe I'm not as mad at Geeta as I thought.

I know I definitely don't hate Leon.

I sat up, pulling at my hair. "Argh! I've only known the guy for a couple of days! What's wrong with me?" I buried my head in my hands, my face burning.

I kept going back to the events that happened in the Flying Taxi. Me practically cuddling Leon, wrapped in his cape. The expression on his face probably mirrored whatever was on my face.

I rolled over in my bed and buried myself in the blanket, suddenly feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over me. Just sleep. Sleep, and maybe you won't have to deal with this.

I woke up late, feeling crumby. I checked the clock, which read 12:02. Grumbling to myself, I heaved myself out of bed and shoved the door open.

To my surprise (and slight disappointment?) I found the house completely empty. There was a note taped on the fridge:

Would've told you before I left, but you were asleep.

I had to leave for a commercial shoot (I know, don't roll your eyes) and some meetings related to the Gym Challenge. I won't be back for a while, so don't wait on me for anything. Sometime between 5:30-6:00. See you then!

-Lee

I tilted my head, curious about what kind of commercials he filmed. "Probably something like energy drinks or action figures." I mused thoughtfully, though I was joking. "Maybe some protein shake."

I felt slightly confused. Meetings about the Gym Challenge? What does he need to be involved in? What? I thought all Champions had to do was wander around, giving challengers random tidbits of advice and/or the occasional present to help them out on their journey. That's certainly what Champions of other regions did.

Perhaps this is another thing that Galar does differently.

I noticed a sticky-note that was stuck on the bottom of the note. I was slightly surprised to see it, as I hadn't noticed it prior. I unstuck it and read a postscript message from Leon.

I realize I hadn't given you my number prior to leaving- whoops. In case of emergencies and I don't answer, you can call Sonia to help (her number is the second one- I told her to look out for any messages from an unknown number).

And of course, Leon's number hastily scribbled onto the bottom of the sticky-note, barely legible. I chuckled, as I could tell when Leon must've realized that he was running late-his letters went from clean, arching lines to sloppy scribbles that could've passed for messy cursive.

After I punched in both numbers (Though I was confused about who Sonia was. Leon hadn't mentioned her. If he had, I must not have been paying attention) I stared out the window and at the Wild Area. There was no way that I was going to sit inside and drift around the house like a Ghost Pokemon haunting a graveyard. I decided that I'd go exploring and do a bit of training to hone team's skills (and bond with my Gengar more).