L_Henson has joined Fire Masters. Send him a greeting!
Leon blinks at the notification that pops up on his phone and reflexively sits up, only to lay back again when it’s not a summons from someone in the League. The sudden jolt draws a snort from his Charizard, who Leon was using as a pillow just a moment ago. Turning his head, the Galarian Champion watches as Charizard lazily raises his head. Considering the Fire-type was relaxing back first in the grass, Leon earns a raised brow for the false alarm.
Time spent together here, out in the backyard of Leon’s childhood home and away from the media and Pokemon League is sacred. You don't interrupt that.
“Sorry, Char,” Leon grins and pats the great not-Dragon’s side. “Looks like the guy Kabu was talking about joined the Fire Master group. You remember that video of the Ninetales and the little fire foxes she made?”
The champion-level pokemon yawns, but Leon knows his oldest partner well enough to see the glimmer of interest in the lizard’s eye.
Leon doesn’t know much about Lee Henson or his pokemon. Hoenn is a long ways away from Galar, and Kabu is the only person in the circle of Galar’s outward-facing League officials to keep an eye on Hoenn in particular. It makes sense to the young champion seeing as how Kabu was born in Hoenn.
When Leon went to the Hoenn section of BattleNet, the place was on fire. Threads left and right, speculation growing wilder by the minute, tall tales all over. The champion has seen it before.
Last time, Leon was the subject.
Starting off at ten years of age with a purebred Charmander at his side, the tutelage of former Champion Mustard in his head, and the sponsorship of the Galar League Chairman, Leon went on to train his pokemon into the ground, then dominated the Galar Gym Challenge, ascending to the throne of Champion at the age of fourteen. Ever since, he and his pokemon have gone undefeated and Leon has been heralded as one of the greatest trainers to ever live. The media and Galarian people love him, and nearly a tenth of all of the posts in Galar’s section of BattleNet, Contest Corner, and other big forums mention Leon’s name.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
For nine years he’s held the title of Champion… And what a lonely nine years those have been.
Elite trainers exist in a strange split of older folks and child prodigies, as great trainers and pokemon almost seem to be a phenomenon that skipped his generation. Or maybe high-level trainers in their 20s and 30s don't have the pizazz of a kid or the long legend of an elder. Either way, Leon can count the number of peers near his age on one hand.
Raihan and the other younger Galar Gym Leaders count as friends… but there is an underlying tension there. Nearly all of them want the Champion’s throne, and that makes things awkward at times.
To regular people, Leon is an icon, not a person. He and his pokemon are things to be in awe of and admire from afar.
Within the administrative side of the Galar League, Leon has no equals, only subordinates.
So Lee Henson, Hoenn’s biggest meteoric celebrity in a good long time, might know what such a feeling is like. If he doesn’t, then he will soon.
Compelled by the allure of an understanding pen pal, Leon grins and lets his thumbs flash across his's phone's screen.
You: Hi Lee! Welcome to the group! Charizard and I saw that clone move your Ninetales used. That was sick! How did you do it? Oh and if you need anything lemme kno. The place is run by coots :p [https://forums.spacebattles.com/styles/sbforums/smilies/tongue.gif]
Before Leon can hit “send”, a message from Lee pops up.
L_Henson: Hello everyone and thank you Kabu for the invite. I cannot say how active I will be due to being a traveling trainer, but I'll do my best to contribute where I can. I'm actually about to lose service now, so I hope to be back soon.
Then in the group sidebar, the green circle by Lee’s status flashes to OFFLINE.
“...” Leon blinks incredulously before his shoulders fall. “Aww…”