"Hop! Rise and shine sleepyhead!"
Hop's eyes slowly opened as he yawned, sitting up in bed. He looked around his room multiple times.
Strange...
There was no one else there. But he was sure he heard someone speaking. Was it a dream?
"Down here!"
Hop turned his attention to a window near him, noticing your voice was coming from outside. Once Hop opened the window, he found both you and Suicune down below.
"Good morning!" You said, a bright smile across your face. "Get dressed! We're gonna be late!"
"Late? For what?" Hop asked.
"You'll just have to wait and see! Now let's hop to it!"
~
"We're watching the Championship Match at the STADIUM?!" Hop exclaimed, his eyes sparkling.
"Yep! Now stay close! I don't want to lose you in this crowd."
Hop held onto your shirt as the two of you navigated through a large crowd of people. You were currently near the entrance of the Wyndon Stadium, searching for Leon. He hadn't given you tickets yet, so you couldn't enter.
"Leon... Where are you?" You murmured, dialing his number yet again. Your thoughts were pulled elsewhere when the crowd outside began cheering and screaming. They pushed past both you and Hop in a hurried manner, much to your annoyance.
"Arceus, what's with all the commotion!?" You asked.
"I think they spotted someone," Hop sheepishly said. You turned your attention to the swarming crowd, hearing their odd comments.
"Raihan!!! Step on me Senpai!!!"
"I wanna park my face on your chesttttt!!!"
"Leon! Please use your G-Max Wildfire on meeeee!!!!"
You sweatdropped as you covered Hop's ears, thoroughly embarrassed by the crowd's comments.
Arceus, they were so thirsty.
Both you and Hop moved through the large crowd, getting a clear view of both Leon and Raihan. You also saw two other people you didn't recognize. It was a man in a suit and a tall woman with blond hair. The small area they were standing in was blocked by security guards, so you couldn't get too close.
"Hop, who are those people?" You asked.
"Oh, that's Chairman Rose," Hop explained. "And the person next to him is Oleana. She's his secretary."
Ah. So that's how Leon's boss looked.
"Ladies and Gentlemen," Rose calmly said. The crowd grew quiet. "We appreciate the enthusiasm! I believe this Championship Match will go down in Galar history."
"However," Oleana said. "I suggest you all refrain from such distasteful comments-"
"Raihan!!!! Kick Leon's arse!!!"
That single random comment caused the crowd to go wild yet again, the flash of the cameras becoming blinding. Raihan grinned and Leon smiled. Both you and Hop laughed.
"Lee! Lee! Over here!" Hop shouted. Leon continued to smile and wave at the crowd, completely oblivious to Hop's calls. "He can't hear me!"
"The crowd is too loud! I can barely hear myself!" You exclaimed.
The atmosphere was suffocating. As the crowd screamed and bumped up against you, your world began to spin. Hop was pushed around and lost his balance, falling to the ground below.
"H-Hop! Are you alright?!!" You asked. Hop nodded as you helped him back to his feet.
"I'm f-fine! No harm done!" Hop said. You checked him over for bruises and whipped your head around to the person behind you.
"Watch where you're going!" You snapped at the much larger man. "You could've hurt someone!"
"Oi, Fock off ya twat," The man replied.
"Says the daft cow! Don't push my kid!" You shouted.
"Y/N! I'm fine! Honest!" Hop exclaimed, trying to calm you down. "Let's just move somewhere else, okay?"
You sighed before nodding; a bit angered by how rude that person was. Before you could move to your next destination, however, you heard Oleana speak again.
"Everyone! Please head to your seats! The Championship Match shall begin soon!!!"
The crowd cheered one last time before slowly making their way inside the stadium. Once the outside area was clear, Oleana turned her attention to you, an unreadable expression across her face.
"Mr. Leon. I believe you know this person."
"Oh?" Leon stopped his conversation with Raihan and turned around, noticing both you and Hop. "Oh!! Hop! Y/N! You made it!!!"
"Hi Lee!" Hop exclaimed. Leon happily patted the top of Hop's head before he hugged you, his lips pressing against your cheek. Your cheeks heated up, Oleana raised an eyebrow, and Rose chuckled.
"How cute... You two are in a relationship?" Rose asked.
"Yep!" Leon said.
"No!" You said. Leon laughed and you blushed, pushing his face away. "We are friends!"
"With benefits," Raihan added. Your cheeks flared red as you mentally noted to kill Raihan later.
And commit seppuku after that.
"Mr. Leon, Mr. Raihan, I suggest you prepare for your match. The Chairman wishes to speak with Y/N alone," Oleana said.
"Right. Let's go Hop."
Hop waved before he followed after both Leon and Raihan, causing you to smile.
"So you're the trainer our Champion endorsed himself. Welcome!" Chairman Rose said. "And it's a delight to finally meet you Y/N. I'm Rose, of course."
"Hello Mr. Rose. It's... a pleasure to meet you too," You said, bowing a little.
"Actually, Oleana and I were just talking about you. I admit, I was curious about Leon's reasons for endorsing you...well...until I saw your magnificent pokémon," Rose explained.
Baka, flattery will get you nowhere.
"Oh um...thank you," You said, smiling a little. On the inside, however, you frowned.
You weren't stupid. You knew why he was interested in Suicune.
"I must ask, how did you come across such a pokémon? Suicune, was it?" Chairman Rose moved closer to you and you blushed, slightly embarrassed.
Arceus, he was way too close. You could smell the cologne on his suit.
"I can't say for certain..." You trailed off, taking a small step back. You quickly bowed in apology. "Sorry, but I don't remember how Suicune and I met."
"That's alright," Rose said. "Ah! I have a good idea. You are going to face Gym Leader Nessa soon, yes?"
You nodded.
"If you get a Gym Badge from her, I'll hold a celebration! I'd like to get to know you a little better, after all."
You held back laughter. This was Leon's boss?! Arceus, compared to your boss, he was a joke.
"Sure, why not!" You said, smiling a little. The Chairman wasn't a threat. And even if he was, you could just kill him. "I think it'd be a nice experience for both of us."
"It's settled," Oleana said. "The sooner you battle Ms. Nessa, the better. Chairman Rose, shall we take our leave?"
"Of course, best of luck to you Y/N."
You smiled as the two made their way inside the stadium, Oleana pausing at the front doors. She turned around and moved back over to you, handing you a ticket. You thanked her before she spoke.
"A Gym Challenger in relationship with a Champion and/or Gym Leader is bad for business," Oleana explained. "You should stop this troublesome relationship before it gets out of hand."
"...What?" You asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Must I spell it out for you? If you wish to avoid humiliation, then I suggest you limit the time you spend with Mr. Leon," Oleana said. "And Mr. Raihan for that matter-"
"Wait, what's your name again?" You asked, genuinely confused. Oleana raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, but you're so insignificant that it seemed to have slipped my mind..."
"You think you're funny!! Don't you!?" Oleana snapped. Her eyes were widened, and you could feel anger radiating off her. It was as if a light switch flipped on, making her mentally unstable. You remained quiet and smiled before she spun around, making her way off.
"Hmph, well we'll see who gets the last laugh."
~
114k reads! I was playing Pokémon Sword and came across a Shiny Charizard in a Max Raid! Wasn't able to catch it though so that was devastating...
How many shiny pokémon do you have?