“I must say, I’m rather surprised to see our latest addition to the line-up of Champions here in Galar,” Leon began as they sat at the table, drumming his fingers on a glass of water with an intent look on his face.

Bianca struggled to reply to that, not knowing how to respond to such a statement given that the individual who said it was the World Champion.

Or was it World Monarch?

Ash, as always, didn’t seem to have such qualms, and was practically vibrating in his chair as he replied, “And I can’t believe I’m meeting the strongest trainer ever !”

Even as she winced at the high-pitched squeal, Bianca couldn’t help but think that was a bit of an understatement, given the awe-struck look Ash had been making towards the man the entire trip back to the hotel room.

It was only at the man’s swift request upon Ash nearly exploding with excitement that prevented the Alolan Champion from drawing the attention of the crowd, something the Monarch clearly wanted to avoid.

In the room, however, there were no such problems, and Leon laughed jovially as he shook his head and waved him off, replying earnestly, “Only strongest for now! You never know who might come along and claim that title for himself…or themselves.”

Bianca almost missed the intent look Leon shot towards Ash as he said that, before it cleared and he continued, “In any case, this is still my home region. You, however, are quite far from Alola. You didn’t get deposed that quickly, did you?”

Despite the joking tone, Ash still looked thoughtful and concerned at the table as he murmured, “Man, I didn’t think about that. I hope not.”

Leon quickly corrected himself, waving his hands as he chuckled, “Sorry, that was meant as a joke. I definitely would have heard about something like that happening. And trust me, so would you.”

“Oh,” Ash blinked at that, before adopting a pleased look. “That makes sense. I’d have liked to battle before losing championship status.”

“I understand completely.” The Monarch replied with that same intent look that was now thoroughly confusing Bianca. What was up with this apparent interest in Ash? Was it simply because he was a Champion? Or was there something more to it?

‘Considering everything I know about him, probably the latter,’ Bianca dryly thought, taking a sip from her own glass as to not betray her thoughts. ‘I can’t help but wonder if he’s heard all of what this guy has done…wait, I can ask him.’

Seeing a pause in the conversation, she cleared her throat and delicately questioned, “So were you following us around because you were interested in finding out why Ash was here or something? What was up with that?”

Despite her mild tone, Leon still ducked his head in embarrassment. “Yeah, I’m sorry about that,” he began as he too started fidgeting. “I didn’t mean to alarm you, but you would not believe how hard it is to watch someone without being seen by everyone.”

There was a beat of silence as Bianca stared at him, the man clearly not recognizing how potentially creepy that sounded. Instead, he sat there and took a drink from his glass, looking impressively oblivious to his wording.

Sighing, Bianca decided to let it go for now, and asked wearily, “But how did you find us? Actually, how did you know we, or rather Ash, was in the region at all?”

“Oh, that’s easy,” Leon replied as he sat up straight. “When you stepped off that plane, two things happened,” he stated matter-of-factly as he raised his arm, forming a loose fist. “First, the hotel ran a background check as soon as you made that reservation to make sure they weren’t allowing any thieves or violent criminals in with so many wealthy individuals,” he said as he raised a finger, to which Bianca nodded thoughtfully. “The ones who run these background checks also happen to work closely with me and my other League fellows in the case where we might have to intervene with force.”

Bianca grimaced at that, not liking the image of top-class trainers busting down their door with their equally top-class Pokemon storming in with them. As ridiculous as it was, she mentally thanked her grandfather for not raising her to be a criminal.

She waved those thoughts off as Leon raised another finger. “And second, the fine people who work with Leagues across the world notified us when they failed to catch you in Alola, and then Kanto, and then Johto.”

Bianca almost snorted at Ash’s surprised “O” face, looking dumbfounded.

“...Oh,” he finally managed, before asking with a concerned voice, “I’m not in trouble, am I?”

“Certainly not,” Leon immediately clarified, much to Ash’s evident relief. “Don’t get me wrong, they sounded pretty annoyed when we got the call-”

Ash looked alarmed at that.

“-but you aren’t in trouble. They just wanted to go over your League duties. However, it seems they overestimated how long you would be remaining in Alola,” Leon finished, Ash letting out a breath.

Bianca nodded at this, although she was still confused. “But how did they know he went to Johto at all? And why did they try Kanto? Didn’t you skip going home?” She asked as she turned to Ash, who nodded thoughtfully.

“I did, yeah,” he confirmed, making Leon lean forward.

“All transportation services provide the League with any details regarding the travels of Elite four members, Champions, and other similarly important individuals within the league,” the man replied casually as though that wasn’t a blatant breach of privacy. “They noticed you taking a flight out of Alola and assumed you were going home. Imagine their surprise when they attempted to beat you to the airport, only to find out you didn’t go to Kanto at all, but Johto. Serves them right,” he remarked with satisfaction, Bianca finding herself in agreement.

“Although that does bring me to my next question,” he continued as he tilted his head in a way that reminded Bianca of Ash. “Why did you go to Johto instead of Kanto? I would have figured you’d be visiting home if anything,” he finished.

“Oh, that’s because Bianca here and her grandpa wanted me to come back after I was done in Alola,” Ash answered happily, prompting her to pinch the bridge of her nose at his unfortunate choice of words, hoping the World Monarch wouldn’t assume anything from it.

By some stroke of luck, he didn’t seem to think anything of all about Ash’s phrasing, and grinned approvingly as he said, “Ah, friends? Or siblings? You don’t look much alike, but—

”

“Friends,” Bianca confirmed with a nod, only to blink in surprise at how easily comfortable she was saying it. While Ash had been confident with his own assumption of their dynamic, it had felt more like acquaintanceship between them, with her only accepting the “friend” title out of simplicity’s sake.

I suppose it was only a matter of time before I grew fond of the idiot, she thought with a small twitch of her mouth.

Meanwhile, Leon continued with his pleasant tone, “So you picked up your friend and took off to Galar, huh? Been planning this for a while?”

“Uh, not quite,” Ash began as Pikachu jumped into his lap, idly scratching the mouse’s ears. “After the Manalo conference, I didn’t really know what to do with myself. I love Alola; it’s like my second home, with all my friends, and Professor Kukui and Professor Burnett, and my Pokemon….But-”

“But you felt restless,” Leon interrupted with a knowing expression, and Ash rapidly nodded.

“Yeah, exactly! There was just nothing else for me to do. We took care of Necrozma, the Ultra Beasts…and then Lillie went off to find her dad with Ms Lusamine and Gladion…”

Bianca raised her eyebrows as Ash trailed off, hardly surprised at this point that he managed to throw himself into trouble again. While he had told her and her family about the Ultra Beasts, this…Necrozma was new.

After juggling the thoughts in her mind, Bianca decided to file it under “classic Ash”, and leave the topic for another day.

As for the other items he listed….

“Lillie left Alola?” She questioned curiously, wondering what prompted the blonde’s family to go looking for a missing loved one now of all times. “Why did they wait until now?”

Ash hesitated for a moment, before cautiously replying, “Er, a family Pokemon seems to have found him…? Or at least, knows where he is.”

Bianca couldn’t fathom why anything about that would necessitate the need to be as stingy with information, but then again, it really wasn’t any of her business. If Lillie’s family had told Ash to keep something secret, then it wasn’t for her to dig into. All she could do was hope that they found Lillie’s dad.

“Well, good luck to them,” Bianca said as she shrugged, taking another drink before Leon’s expression caught her attention.

“Lusamine? As in the Aether Foundation’s president, Lusamine?” The Monarch asked intently as he leaned in again.

Ash’s cautious nature was thrown out the window as the trainer nodded happily, “Yep! That’s the one! She’s super nice, and helped set up the League in Alola!”

“You know her?” Bianca asked the man curiously, wondering how far this woman’s network reached.

However, Leon merely shook his head, running a hand through his hair as he replied while letting out a breath, “I don’t know her, at least not on a personal level, but I certainly know of her. We’ve had to send more Pokemon than we can count to any of her facilities, after all.…”

He trailed off as he carefully looked at Ash. “You mentioned Ultra Beasts, right?” Ash gave a quick “yup!”, and Leon nodded, explaining, “Well, here in Galar, we have a problem of our own with a similar magnitude. Every once in a while, wild Pokemon fall victim to the Dynamax phenomenon, and if they aren’t careful…well, whatever energy that causes them to Dynamax can be a little rough on their bodies, not to mention minds. In extreme cases, they can rampage, and Pokemon of that size do a lot of damage.”

Bianca grimaced at the thought. Ash had told her yesterday about how Galar had giant Pokemon, but imagining those same Pokemon running wild….What on earth about that sounded exciting?

As she shivered, Ash looked down in thought, nodding before asking, “And the Aether Foundation?”

Leon patiently continued, “Well, I’m sure you’ve heard about how they take care of Pokemon?”

“Yeah, I’ve been to their super huge island! There were a ton of Pokemon!”

“And I’m sure more than a fair share came from Galar,” Leon responded with a humorless chuckle. “I’m sure that you’ll be coming across a few power spots during your travels here, so please make sure you’re careful, and I mean that genuinely for multiple reasons.”

As the three travelers looked at him questioningly, Leon elaborated, “First, I don’t want to see youngsters such as yourself being hurt or killed out there. We don’t get a lot of deaths, but the few we get are few too many. Second, your parents would flay me and my fellows alive if they were to get word of you being crushed underfoot in our wild areas.”

Bianca wasn’t going to correct him about her parents, but she could agree that her grandfather would most definitely rain hell upon those responsible for any harm that she experienced, and the twins would clean up what was left of them.

“And third,” he continued, his next point making her start in surprise, “is that the Alolan populace would react rather poorly if their Champion fell in our territory. To my knowledge, something like that has never happened in any region, but given how beloved each Champion is to their home field, it would be safe to say that Alola would hold us responsible.”

“What about Kanto?” She asked curiously, making the man grimace.

“Ah, right. His actual home region. Well, Ash, you aren't the champion there, but Kanto’s government wouldn’t be happy, either. You are still their citizen, after all.”

“Oh, man,” Ash remarked, leaning back in his chair and looking stunned, apparently only now realizing what kind of position he held in the world.

However, Bianca couldn’t help but frown as she bit her lip, before nervously asking, “But…surely as trainers, people should be responsible for what happens to them while they’re traveling?” She felt guilty for suggesting such a thing, but her shame was somewhat mitigated as both Ash and Leon nodded.

“True,” the Monarch agreed before continuing, “but you must also consider that we cannot simply write off injuries or deaths as a result of pure incompetence on the trainer’s part. At the end of the day, it is the responsibility of the League and government to make sure trainers become strong, not dead. Even if Ash purposely jumped under the foot of a Maxxed Dreadnaw, we would still be held liable for it to a certain degree.”

Bianca grimaced at that; she did not envy those who had to deal with the fall out of stupidity of that magnitude. Then her eyes trailed over to Ash, and she vaguely wondered just what kind of stupidity he’d be dragging them into.

Was it wrong of her to doubt her coming here? Again?

“I see,” was all she said, relieved that the casualty count was at least low enough that she didn’t need to be paranoid about being such a victim, although she felt sympathy for the ones that weren't so fortunate.

“Anyway,” Leon continued as he smiled again, “I’m impressed, and happy, that you have an ally like President Lusamine. From what I understand, she is a fierce woman when she wants to be.”

“Yeah….” Ash said, before they fell into an uncomfortable silence, although the Monarch didn’t seem to notice as he casually nursed his glass of water.

It probably would have gone on like that for some time before Bianca remembered her question. “I apologize for bringing it up again, but why were you following Ash?”

Leon pleasantlty replied, “Like I said earlier; Champions tend to not stray past their regions.Whether they like their digs, or because they like to be the strongest trainer in their region, like Alder. So you can imagine my surprise when our newest champion wanders into the region unannounced!”

Bianca nodded as she considered his point, and Leon pressed on, “You may not know it, Ash, but a substantial amount of people tuned in to your performance in Alola, myself included. Your strategies were unorthodox, to say the least.”

“I get that a lot,” the younger trainer acknowledged with a rueful grin, making Bianca snort.

“I’m not surprised, given how you handled Team Rocket back there,” she said, her words prompting Leon to nod in agreement,

“Precisely! I’ll admit that I had some doubts when you ordered Pikachu to attack after that woman blatantly ordered her Wobbuffet to use Mirror Coat. I thought that win in Alola was a fluke until Pikachu sent the move right back to Wobbuffet like you were playing ping pong!”

Leon’s voice had escalated to the point of cheering by the end of his monologue to the ever increasing embarrassment of Ash, and amusement of Bianca.

She could freely admit that the move was impressive; while the battle was short, it completely changed her views of how battles were performed. Up until then, she passed it off as trading hits until one Pokemon fainted. Seeing the top trainer nerd out about it was another story.

“Yeah, well, I’ve fought them before, and they don’t learn all that much,” Ash sighed in exasperation, Pikachu following suit. “They’ve been after Pikachu ever since the start of my journey, and they still haven’t learned their lesson, or changed tactics. We’ve pretty much learned all of their tricks by now.”

Despite hearing this, Leon didn’t look any less impressed as he stated, “Still, not many would think to use their own opponent’s move against them, especially when the move was supposed to counter your move!”

As Ash sat back with a bashful expression, Bianca instead leaned forward with a cocked head and asked, “But you can’t have known that they were going to attack, so….”

“I didn’t,” Leon admitted as she trailed off. “Of course, I saw their balloon, and was curious why it was in the shape of a Kantonian Meowth instead of a Galarian one, but I freely confess that I didn’t know they were planning on attacking you, or anyone for that matter. If I had, I would have had Charizard gently escort them away from our airspace, probably into a jail cell.”

“So close,” Ash sighed ruefully, Bianca nodding in agreement.

“I don’t suppose they’re going to choose now to give up,” she muttered without much hope, Ash confirming her fears with a shake of his head.

“No way. They might leave us alone for a few days, or even a week if we’re lucky-”

Bianca very much doubted they’d be “lucky.”

“-but I guarantee you that they’ll come back again. Probably with more Pokemon,” he added with an exhausted look, making her grimace.

If there was one thing she could say, they seemed a lot less competent than Annie and Oakley. Granted, she couldn’t say as much with Leon around, but she could still talk to Ash about it after he left.

“At least they seem easy to deal with,” Bianca reasoned, only to pause at the tired looks Ash and Pikachu were giving her.

“Just wait until they start using giant robots,” Ash muttered, making both Leon and Bianca raise their eyebrows.

“Giant robots…?” Leon shook his head in bewilderment. “Sounds like they’re going to be a handful. I’ll notify the gym leaders to be on the lookout for them, although you may be on your own if they attack you on the road.”

Ash shook his head and replied ruefully, “That’s probably when they’ll attack the most. But Pikachu and I can handle it.”

As Leon nodded, Bianca couldn’t help but think of what Leon said. “When you say ‘on the road’, what do you…I mean…” She tried asking, failing to find the words.

Fortunately, the man seemed to understand what she was getting at, and helpfully supplied in a gentle tone, “By that, I simply meant while he was touring our region…unless you’re here for a different reason?” He finished quickly in a strange tone.

“Yup! I’m here for the gym challenge!” Ash replied confidently, Pikachu jumping on the table and nodding in confirmation.

Again, Bianca saw the quick look of eager satisfaction from the monarch before he cleared his expression, replying in a mild tone, “Ah, going for another win, are we?”

“You bet!” Was Ash’s response as he grinned, and Bianca couldn’t help but feel as though he wasn’t picking up the fact that Leon seemed happy to hear the reply.

Still, he covered it well enough, nodding as he downed his glass in one go, before setting it down and remarking, “Well, I suppose you’ve heard by now that you’re going to need an endorsement letter before you can participate in any of the League battles.”

Bianca could have piped then and said he was capable of giving Ash such a letter, but the man’s coy nature was giving her a strange impression to keep quiet.

To her complete lack of surprise, Ash didn’t seem to remember that fact, and once more began eagerly bouncing in his seat.

“Yup! I gotta impress the Gym people to get an endorsement,” the trainer said as he slapped his hands on the table. “Then I can battle them!”

“And have you thought about which title you’ll be fighting for?” Leon cryptically asked, catching them both off guard.

“Which title?” Bianca cocked her head, perplexed.

Ash seemed similarly confused, blinking as he stared at the other trainer. “Which title? There’s more than one?”

“Sure,” Leon smiled as he stared back. “You can either go for Galarian Champion and get two regional titles under your belt. Or, you can come and claim the title of World Monarch. On top of fighting the gyms, you’ll be challenged by other trainers to increase your rank before you can get into the main tournament. Some of these trainers will more than likely be some of your fellow Champions….”

Bianca, Ash, and Pikachu became still as he trailed off, considering his words before he grinned wildly.

“Either way, you’ll be facing me at the end, as I claim the title of both Galar Champion and World Monarch.” He said, and Bianca did not miss the fact that he seemed confident Ash would achieve either one. She had no idea why he was intent on Ash, but as long as he didn’t follow them around anymore, it was hardly her concern.

After all, it wasn’t her that was going to be facing down the best trainers the region had to offer.

Taking a glance at Ash, she was mildly surprised he wasn’t jumping at the opportunity to become the World Monarch, and instead stared up at the ceiling in thought. Had she misjudged him?

“Hmm…” he mused, before Leon chuckled.

“You don’t have to think about it right this instant. You have until the ceremony, which is…what, two weeks away? Then you can register for either competition,” The man assured them, making Ash visibly perk up.

Bianca, on the other hand, cocked her head curiously as she asked, “What if he decides to change his decision afterwards? Can he go from the big one down to the regional tournament thing?”

“Certainly,” Leon nodded with a smile. “Or vice versa, should you decide to tangle with your fellow big leagues.”

It was subtle, but she could tell which one the Monarch preferred Ash to participate in, although she still couldn’t fathom why; surely the man wanted less competition against his title rather than more?

“Then,” she continued as she tapped her fingers, “what happens if he beats you at the Coronation series? Conversely, what happens if he only beats you in the regional competition? Are you keeping the other position?”

Leon grinned approvingly at her and straightened up. “You sure are a bright one. I sometimes wonder if my mom and pop wish their eldest was as smart as you seem to be.”

Was he calling himself dumb? And then he mentioned “eldest”-

“In any case, yes,” he continued as he looked towards Ash, “If you beat me during the regionals, you’ll claim my title as Galar Champion, leaving me with just World Monarch…unless, of course, someone else takes that title. If that is you , however, then I’ll be left as Galar Champion…again, unless someone else takes the title.”

“Woah,” Ash breathed out as he leaned back, clearly thinking hard. Bianca hoped it wasn’t too strenuous on him, or Pikachu, who was again mimicking his trainer’s expression and movement.

One day, she would have to get a scientist to study the two of them.

Bianca was about to ask another question when a loud growl echoed in the room. All eyes turned towards Ash as he laughed and rubbed his stomach, saying timidly, “Oops, I forgot to eat…”

As if to illustrate his point, the sound once more announced itself, now clearly emanating from his stomach.

Staring in disbelief, Bianca snorted before shaking her head, muttering under her breath, “Unbelievable. Built-in hunger alarm.”

Leon chuckled as he stood up and stretched. “Well, I suppose that’s my cue to leave. I’d love to stick around and talk some more, but I already promised the Chairman I’d see him. Might as well get that over with… I suppose I should leave you with my contact information, as well. Rotom?”

A small rectangular shape flew out of his pocket and hovered in front of him of its own accord. Bianca furrowed her eyebrows at the sight, as well as the last part of his sentence.

“You said that’s a Rotom?” She asked, Leon nodding in affirmation.

“Indeed, I did! A Rotom phone, an idea concocted by a group of fine individuals in Paldea. They quite recently made their way over here.” Leon explained to the interest of Ash and Bianca. Was this the kind of mobile communication Nurse Joy was talking about?

It being a Rotom was quite the fact to leave out. In essence, it was the same as the somewhat annoying Rotom Dex Ash had during his first visit to Alto Mare, except as a phone. She vaguely wondered what the Dex would think of it.

“Hey, Ash,” she said, glancing at the trainer. “Did your Rotom Dex have any phone features?”

The trainer shook his head in the negative, replying thoughtfully, “No, I don’t think so. Just a regular Rotom Dex.”

Again, she wondered what Rotom Dex would think of such a description.

“A Rotom Dex, you say?” Leon asked with interest. “I haven’t seen one of those…ever, actually. You didn’t happen to bring it with you?”

His hopes were dashed as Ash again shook his head. “Nope! Rotom wanted to stay behind in Alola and work for Lusamine, so I let him.”

Bianca was grateful, as she didn’t want to constantly hear the chattering the Dex was so fond of.

On the other hand, Leon looked disappointed before shrugging. “Oh, well. Do you at least have a phone?”

Ash shook his head for the third time. “‘Fraid not, I never really needed one.”

“Same here,” Bianca said as she nodded. “I never really strayed far from my house, and my city doesn’t really sell mobile phones, funnily enough. We had to call from the Pokemon Center so I could let my family know I got here safely.”

“Hm, that’s definitely an inconvenience if I’ve ever heard one,” Leon mused as he crossed his arms. “Crossing the Galar region without reliable communication will be risky…”

He pursed his lips before continuing, “Alright, well, we’ll get that situated later-”

The Rotom Phone zipped back to his pocket.

“-but in the meantime, I think Ash needs some lunch.” As if to illustrate his point, Ash’s stomach immediately grumbled, prompting her to snort.

“I’m sure we can have something sent up, probably,” Bianca reasoned, not wanting to step out of the room again. All of their walking that day was definitely taking a toll on her.

Leon nodded as he started to make his way to the door. “Oh, sure. You won’t regret it, either, they make some delicious dishes, you wouldn’t want to miss it—

wait, that reminds me,” he said suddenly as he turned back around. “Do you know where the ceremony is, and where you’ll be starting your journey, and all that jazz?”

“Uh…” Ash began, his uncertain tone drawing a raised eyebrow from Bianca before he responded, “Well, I was planning on us making our way down from here, but now that you mention it, I have no idea where the ceremony is.”

She snorted, somehow not surprised. “Ash, I swear, one of us is going to be the death of the other. You seriously had no idea about the ceremony?”

“Er, no, I kinda figured this would be like the other regions…” He trailed off guiltily, earning a sympathetic look from Leon.

“Hey, it’s no big deal…well, it kind of is. But we all make mistakes. You can hardly blame yourself for not knowing Galar would be any different,” the man replied. “You were planning on heading out as soon as possible, right?”

When the two of them nodded, he continued brightly, “Then how about this? Get to the train station at about nine-thirty, and I’ll get you started off on your journey. That sound good?”

Bianca started in surprise at his offer; she had no idea how or what he planned to do, but to be so willing to help them after they just met… Her eyes trailed to Ash as he eagerly nodded.

“Thank you so much! But I actually don’t know where the train station is.”

“Well, in that case, I can escort you there. Why don’t you meet me in front of this hotel before nine, instead?” Leon offered, furthering Bianca’s confusion. What was this guy’s deal?

However, they needed the help, and Bianca wasn’t her grandfather.

“Thank you, Leon,” she replied, the man nodding and smiling as Ash joined in.

“Yeah, thanks! Again!”

“Pika!”

Leon lightly chuckled as he turned back towards the door and opened it, calling back, “No problem, you guys. Enjoy whatever lunch you order. I recommend the Wooloo leg. See you tomorrow!”

Bianca heaved a sigh as the door closed behind him, feeling somewhat relieved. It was mildly nerve-wracking, being in the same room as the World Monarch. Having a casual conversation with a celebrity wasn’t something that she considered she’d be doing, but then again, neither was traveling with one.

Ash, of course, was over the moon, and turned towards her excitedly, “Can you believe it, Bianca?! The strongest trainer in the world was here, talking to us!”

She couldn’t help but smile as he gushed, hardly blaming him. While it wasn’t quite as impactful for her, she could understand why an avid battler like Ash would be over the moon.

“Yeah, yeah, it was really cool,” Bianca giggled with a nod. “Now are you going to pick up the phone and order something to eat, or shall I?”

That got his attention immediately, and quick as can be, he rushed over to the phone mounted on the wall and picked it up. Bianca was vaguely aware of someone on the opposite end before Ash quickly said into the mouthpiece, “Hey, this is room, uh…”

“Nine-hundred and twenty-two,” Bianca helpfully supplied, earning a grateful nod from Ash before he turned back to the phone.

“Thanks! Yeah, room nine-hundred and twenty-two. We were hoping to order some lunch….Oh, alright, no problem,” Ash said, his impatient foot-tapping saying otherwise. Then he perked up again and continued, “Hello! Yes, I’m ordering food…Up here, yes, please…hm, I dunno. Hey Bianca, what do you want to eat?”

The trainer asked as he looked over at her again. She hesitated, as she had no idea what the place even served during lunch, until she remembered Leon’s parting comment.

“Uh, Leon mentioned Wooloo leg? I guess I’ll have that,” she answered uncertainly, fully aware of what that entailed.

Ash didn’t seem to pick up on her slight unease, and nodded again as he spoke up. “Yeah, three plates of the Wooloo leg, please! Oh, and a bottle of ketchup, if you have it?”

What?

“...Yes, I’m sure….I know. You can put it on my tab….Oh man, forty-five minutes? Well, alright…Thank you, bye,” Ash sighed before hanging up the phone, turning to her with a somewhat glum expression. “Food is coming, but it’s like forty-five minutes off.”

“So I heard,” Bianca remarked. “What’s up with the three plates? There’s two of us,” she pointed out, earning a glare from Pikachu.

“Pika…”

She cringed, realizing how insensitive she must have sound. “I’m sorry, Pikachu, I didn’t mean to exclude you,” she apologized. “I just…didn’t think you would want to eat fellow Pokemon.”

“Pi,” the mouse sniffed, crossing his arms. Ash laughed and scratched under his chin as he said, “Pikachu will eat anything, but he also really likes ketchup.”

That sounded exceptionally unhealthy, but given the electric Pokemon’s physique, she figured he must burn off the calories as fast as he ingested it.

“Well, whatever the case, I’ll leave you two to whatever it is you want to do,” Bianca said as she started making her way over to her room.

Ash called after her curiously, “What are you gonna do?”

“Draw,” Bianca simply replied as she stepped into the room. She walked over to the edge of her bed and sat, pulling her pack over to herself and rummaging around until she finally whipped out her tube of canvases and portable frame.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

As much as she’d like to have brought proper frames for her paintings, the idea of carrying even one wasn’t something she found appealing. It would be entirely unreasonable to constantly put a canvas on the frame, only to take it off, again and again. On top of being excessively annoying, it would also damage the canvas itself, given the amount of staples being put in and then ripped out.

No, a simple board and stretchy bands would have to work.

Taking out a clean canvas from the tube, Bianca centered it over her portable frame before carefully clipping the bands to the sides of the canvas. A brief minute of fiddling later, and the canvas was successfully stretched over the frame. Not as sturdy as she’d like, but it’d do.

Next, she looked around and grabbed the mini sketchbook she discarded earlier and opened it to the first page, feeling a tinge of annoyance at the slight smudge near the center.

“Damn,” Bianca muttered as she grabbed her newly acquired supplies and brought everything to the nearby table, sitting down and placing it all on its surface.

Once it was set up, she tapped her pencil against her wrist and stared at the canvas.

And stared…

…And stared.

Bianca didn’t know how much time went by before she groaned and rubbed her free hand against her temple, now heavily annoyed. What on earth brought about this artist’s block? She had the subject right there . Even if it was smudged, the event that inspired it happened less than an hour ago.

Why can I whip up a sketch of a scene, but not actually do a proper drawing of it?

Sighing, Bianca glared at the canvas for a moment longer before forcing herself to start drawing. Every so often, her eyes would flick to the canvas to make sure things were at least vaguely similar, before occasionally closing them again to better visualize the battle. Then she’d draw out a few more outlines before starting the process all over again.

Time was once more forgotten as she focused on her drawing, the scene becoming more and more detailed with every passing stroke of the pencil, until a knock at the door frame brought her attention to the form of Ash leaning into her room.

“Yes?” She asked somewhat impatiently, not wanting to stop after gaining her momentum.

“Er, lunch arrived,” he replied, making her start in surprise. Has it really been that long?

A sudden pang in her stomach made her more aware of her growing hunger, and she huffed as she slowly stood and stretched.

“Thanks for telling me,” Bianca murmured with a yawn. He nodded and disappeared, leaving her alone in the room once more. She took one more look at the drawing, feeling a small smile pull at her lips as she studied it. While it wasn’t a masterpiece, it definitely had more energy and motion to it than any piece she’s completed in the past few months.

“I guess this journey really is starting to help out,” she muttered as she quickly made her way over to the bathroom and washed her hands.

Wandering back into the living area, Bianca became extremely aware of the delicious smell permeating the room. Was that what Pokemon smelled like when they were cooked? If so, she should have at least tried it once, even if it meant going through the lengths of preventing the Garden Pokemon from smelling it on her.

As she approached the table, she could see the food laid out in front of two chairs, two of the plates being side by side.

“Are you sure you’ll be able to eat all that?” Bianca asked dubiously as she appraised the amount of food. The hotel sure wasn’t being stingy, as she wasn’t even sure she could eat everything on her plate. Looking at all the food Ash ordered…

“Yeah, no problem!” He grinned as he took his place, Pikachu jumping up on the table beside him as he began cutting up portions for the mouse to eat.

Shrugging, Bianca took her place beside him and grasped the silverware. She stared down at the plate, finally taking the time to really look at what she was about to eat.

Six or seven thick slices of mea twere laid neatly on one side of the plate, each with a little pink in the center. Next to them was a small mound of strange, semi-transparent green goo that jiggled as she poked at it with a fork. She had never seen anything like it, but it didn’t exactly look like a dessert item.

Sat beside the strange jelly were sliced vegetables, and if she had to guess, she’d say they were a mixture of different squashes.

Glancing over to Ash, she could see he was happily munching on the vegetables, surprisingly leaving the meat alone. Pikachu, on the other hand, was grabbing the occasional slice from one of the plates and nibbling on it.

The sight of a Pokemon eating another Pokemon disturbed her to the point of turning back to her own, and she cautiously took a tiny amount of the green jelly on the tip of her fork and brought it into her mouth. She blinked in surprise as she tasted mint. Why did they give her mint jelly?

Then her eyes traveled over to the meat. Was the jelly meant for that? Cutting a small bite from a slice, Bianca carefully stabbed the morsel and dipped it into the jelly, before nervously biting down and chewing.

In an instant, she was melting, letting out an embarrassing moan as the flavors permeated her mouth. This was better than anything she’s ever had before by a longshot, and it was over faster than she liked as she swallowed, eyeing the rest hungrily. Where had this been all of her life?

In the Garden, running around with all of their pals, her inner conscience dryly remarked, making her feel a momentary twinge of guilt before she shoved it aside. She was going to enjoy this, dammit, and she was going to enjoy all of it.

She quickly cut another bit out for herself, and then another, and then another. It was almost literally too good, and part of her was upset they’d be leaving in the morning. Sadly, sitting around day after day and stuffing herself with top-notch meals wasn’t going to do anything for her artistic skills.

Bianca took another glance towards Ash and Pikachu, seeing them inhale their food as quickly as she ate hers. The trainer had chosen to eat his vegetables first for some reason, making her wonder if he was simply getting them out of the way, or if they just tasted better than the meat.

If they taste better than this Wooloo…

Quickly stabbing a few of the vegetables, she brought them up to her mouth and chewed on them experimentally, slowly nodding in appreciation. While it didn’t taste better than the meat, the flavor was certainly there, along with the preservation of the textures. She could vaguely taste the eggplant and cucumber as she chewed and swallowed, stabbing a few more onto her fork.

It wasn’t a combination she’s ever thought about trying, but it certainly was one she was willing to try in the future.

Back and forth, she ate between the Wooloo and squash, trying out different combinations until, before she knew it, everything had been consumed. Not even a sliver of food remained, although given the fact that she was beyond full, she couldn’t muster up more than a moment of disappointment.

“Uhh…” Bianca groaned as she placed the silverware on the plate, leaning back. She doubted she would be eating dinner tonight given the enormous amount she just ate.

As she massaged her stomach, Ash also sat back, both of his plates also cleared as he huffed, “Oh man, I’m stuffed!”

“Pi-a…”

She didn’t doubt that for a second, and she couldn’t help but feel incredibly impressed with the accomplishment, despite having some help from Pikachu.

“I’m not really surprised,” she remarked as she straightened up and slowly gathered the plates in front of her and stacked them.

Ash looked at her with a confused expression, cocking his head as he asked, “What are you doing?”

“Taking these to the kitchen and washing them,” Bianca said as she got up with a grunt, carrying their dishes to the sink, Ash following a moment later. She gave him a weird look as he began helping her clean the dishes, Pikachu jumping up on the counter and copying his trainer.

Bianca paused for a moment, not expecting his assistance. She had taken his plates without asking to at least help this one time as a thanks for everything he’s done so far, but if he was willing to pitch in regardless, then who was she to say no?

With their help, it took less than a minute, and she couldn’t help but wonder what to do with them. Did they just wait, or…

“Uh, what next?” She eventually asked, pursing her lips as she looked at the spotless plates and silverware. “Is room service going to come back or something?”

“Yup! Said they would be back in an hour,” Ash replied cheerfully as he grabbed them up and carried them over to the table, setting them down with a low thunk .

Bianca was mildly relieved to hear it, nodding as she glanced towards her room. “I see…well, thank you for having it sent up. I was hungrier than I thought.”

Despite the emphasis of her gratitude, Ash simply waved her off with a grin. “Hey, I was pretty hungry, too! I haven't eaten since your house!”

“We probably should have had a snack or something,” she agreed as she thought about all the time they spent moving.

First a boat ride, then a (surprisingly wreck-free) car ride, then a plane, and then a walk to the hotel. She really should have requested breakfast be sent up then, but she insisted on sleeping, before waking up and spending the next few hours calling home, shopping, and ending with a would-be abduction and a stalking World Monarch.

“Still,” she said as she began making her way to her bedroom. “I’m not the one who can request food be brought up, that’s all you. Now if you’ll excuse me, my art isn’t going to draw itself.”

“Alright, have fun!” Ash cheerfully said before turning to his own room. As she closed the door behind her, she could vaguely hear him say, “Let’s see if that exhibition match was recorded!”

Of course, she huffed in an almost fond manner, amused to see his mind instantly pivot towards battling. Granted, she wasn’t much better with her own hobbies, although she was limited to her art for…quite some time.

No online activity for a long while, she internally sighed as she made her way back to her drawing and staring at it. It looked…good, if she allowed herself to say so. It felt a touch incomplete, but maybe with the right touches….

Grabbing her pack, she rummaged around until she found the appropriate tools and set them next to her drawing before leaving the room and fetching a couple glasses of water, placing one cup next to her other tools, and the other off to the side for her to drink.

Time flew by as she worked, only being interrupted by the occasional bathroom break and Ash once more knocking on her door frame to ask if she wanted dinner. Bianca declined, far too focused on the piece in front of her.

When she finally had enough, she set her brush down, and leaned back to appraise her progress. While working with watercolor could get tricky, especially with smaller details, she somewhat enjoyed how this piece turned out. The basic colors she remembered from the scene were fleshed out with her own personal touches, making some of the buildings appear richer in color than their real life counterparts.

Even the participants of the battle were not safe from “enhancements”, every color present on their bodies popping. Of course, she couldn’t do much about Ash’s hair, but she could at least make it look somewhat shiny and well-kept, and not the unbrushed mop it usually was.

The criminals were perhaps treated less flatteringly, and Bianca stifled a snort at the exaggerated expressions she gave them as the Wobbuffet was blasted into them.

She pursed her lips, as she stared at the nearly finished product, feeling some sense of dissatisfaction. While it was definitely an improvement over her last projects, there was still something…missing. Slightly glaring at the piece, Bianca leaned her head back and gazed upwards at the ceiling.

Why did I start the coloring process if I wasn’t completely sure I was happy with it?

Unfortunately, she could answer that easily enough. It was the same answer she had whenever she finished any of her other paintings: she wanted to get it out of the way.

Granted, the passion she had been missing was at least somewhat present, but…not to the capacity it was before. The last piece she had made that had any sense of excitement was…the drawing she made for Ash, all those months ago.

She huffed at the thought, casting a glance at the drawing before looking towards the door, thinking.

Of all her projects over the past year, the ones centered around Ash were the ones she liked the most. But why?

She got up with a soft grunt, grabbing her empty drinking glass and making her way to the living room, somewhat surprised to see how dark it was. How long had she been painting?

Hardly mattered. She was only focused on her “problem.”

The most exciting times in recent memory both involved the raven-haired trainer. First in Alto Mare, saving her and her family, and then here in Galar, battling the would-be thieves in a decisive manner that impressed even the World Monarch.

So I suppose my Latios’ hypothesis was correct; I’d find my motivation if I went out and experienced life, Bianca mused as she filled her cup and began drinking. Then again, I can’t help but wonder how he’d feel if he found out that the cause of that motivation was caused by the presence of criminals.

She downed the glass and wiped the remaining water droplets from her lips as she chuckled. The dragon would likely be highly annoyed with himself. Latias, of course, would be afraid for her, but would undoubtedly end up trying underhanded tactics to fool her into thinking she was in danger…although maybe that was too far, even for her friend.

“Big ‘maybe’” , she snorted quietly as she set the glass in the sink and made her way back to her room, sparing a glance at Ash’s closed door as she passed by. Whatever the twins felt, she knew they’d be happy to find out he’s so far kept his promise about keeping her safe.

Granted, it was more along the lines of protecting himself and Pikachu from thieves, but he still made sure she was out of the way.

Not to mention, he confirmed that the criminals would undoubtedly chase them across the region.

“That’s a problem for tomorrow, Bianca,” she muttered to herself as she closed the door behind her, fingers reaching for the lock before pausing. Was it necessary? Ash was likely sound asleep, and would be asleep until Pikachu electrocuted him awake. So it wasn’t like he’d wake up before her, nor was it likely he’d come snooping into her room.

Of course, that was assuming he wasn’t a sleepwalker. Bianca didn’t know if someone sleepwalking could open doors, but she wasn’t willing to find out.

Lock.

Then again, Ash never mentioned if he was a sleepwalker. Even his classmates hadn’t mentioned anything while they were visiting Alto Mare, and they seemed to enjoy teasing the trainer. There was no chance of him stumbling into her room accidentally.

Unlock.

But then, they never mentioned a lot of the adventures they were on, either…so he could still do that.

Lock.

Would Pikachu allow it, however? If his Pokemon slept with him, she was sure they’d notice him getting up and do something about it. Not to mention Pikachu probably wouldn’t let him wander away.

Unlock.

What if he had to get water like she did, though? Coming back to his room, he’d-

This is stupid, Bianca thought as she stared at the door handle, now fully aware she’d spent the entire time locking and unlocking her door. Being afraid of Ash entering my room while I’m sleeping is like worrying if Latios and Latias are just going to ditch Alto Mare.

Alto Mare…

She turned away from the handle and stood at the edge of the bed, taking a look at the bedside clock and grimacing, seeing the time read 10:23 pm. It was already late, and she would probably have to wake up a little early to get ready and eat breakfast in order to be on time. There was going to be no opportunity to go down to the Pokemon Center and call home, even assuming they’d be available to talk.

Mentally, she cursed the hotel for not providing a proper phone.

“Five star hotel, and they can’t even put in a landline,” Bianca muttered. A part of her was tempted to quietly leave the room and head towards the Pokemon Center, sleep be damned. However, Bianca knew that would be foolish, and her grandfather and flying friends would agree. No doubt they’d be glad to see her, but she had to be sensible. For all she knew, Team Rocket could still be in the city, despite their physics-defying exit.

No, the smart thing was to stay in the hotel and sleep, and maybe she’d come across a Pokemon Center at their destination. Maybe she’d even get to see some of the region on the way.

“And some of those giant berserking Pokemon, yippee,” Bianca muttered sarcastically as she began changing into her pajamas.

If she had known that people had died in the wild area thanks to the giants, would she have changed her mind about tagging along? Or would she have at least tried to get Ash to take them to a different region?

“Although I’m not sure how many other regions there are for him to explore,” she mused out loud as she moved to toss her clothes to the side, only to stop. Was she going to wear her normal clothes tomorrow, or was she going to wear some of her new ones?

Bianca thought about it for a moment before shrugging, folding her clothes, and putting them off to the side. I don’t think I’m quite through with my usual outfit. I can change some other time, she reasoned as she yawned, grabbing her pack and moving it off of the bed.

The tired girl laid down, head resting on her pillows as her eyelids finally dropped, allowing her to fall into a dreamless sleep.

“We’re on time, aren’t we?” Bianca asked the trainer next to her as they stood outside the hotel, waiting for Leon.

“Er, I think we might be a little early,” was Ash’s reply as he looked around the front of the building for their temporary guide.

She grunted at this, slightly shivering as she cursed her decision to wait to change into warmer clothes. How was it possible she was chilled now, with the sun creeping higher into the sky, when she was perfectly fine yesterday when they got off the plane? Was she just unlucky today, or was she too tired yesterday to notice?

Ash or Pikachu hadn’t been bothered, she thought with a frown. Then again, both of them had traveled to quite a few regions already, and were likely used to being chilly. Pikachu’s fur probably did wonders for the mouse.

Beginning to grow bored, Bianca adjusted the straps over her shoulders, testing the weight of her pack. When Bianca and Ash had woken up that morning, they immediately began packing their things, although not without Ash moving a little stiffly from his electric wakeup call. Nonetheless, they pulled through and helped Bianca divide their loads accordingly.

Naturally, that didn’t stop her from giggling at his hair.

Once they were satisfied, the two ate a quick breakfast, made sure they had left the room as close to spotless as they could manage, and checked out of the hotel room. Fortunately, the receptionist was different than yesterday—

a kind man that probably wasn’t too much older than they were. It came as no surprise to Bianca that he, too, recognized Ash, and it also didn’t surprise her that it took several minutes before she was able to pry the trainer away and outside of the hotel.

As guilty as she felt pulling Ash away from deserved fanfare, she would have felt worse if they kept Leon waiting, given his generosity thus far.

Even if she wished he would hurry up.

Just then, Ash tensed beside her, and she turned to see him staring at a spot several yards away. At first, it appeared to be perfectly normal ground, until a large blackish-purple circle formed, maybe six or seven feet in diameter.

As they watched, a form emerged from the circle; a very strange and ghost-like Pokemon with an extremely triangular head. Hanging onto this bizarre Pokemon was…Leon? The man was carrying a duffel bag and dressed in a manner he probably assumed to be inconspicuous, although given his entrance and ninja-like attire, he looked more like the world’s worst robber.

Surprisingly, less people than what Bianca would expect gave the man and Pokemon more than a simple passing glance. The ones that stopped to look were more focused on the Pokemon than Leon himself, including Ash.

“Woah, what’s that?!”

Unfortunately, Ash’s question would go unanswered for the time being as Leon leaned in and said something to the ghost-thing, before pulling out a Pokeball and recalling it. Once the Pokemon disappeared from view, anyone paying attention grew a disappointed look before moving on.

Bianca had to stifle a snort as the man spotted them and stepped over to them, whispering in a distinctly non-quiet manner, “Psst, Ash, Bianca, Pikachu! It’s me, Leon!”

“Oh, thank goodness you clarified. I thought you were a complete stranger at first,” Bianca dryly remarked, twitching her eyes in exasperation when he chuckled.

“I knew my disguise would work,” he said, clearly not understanding her sarcasm. “I was going to use the one from yesterday, but Hop always said to never use the same disguise twice if you want to remain conspicuous.”

Bianca stared at him flatly, her gaze trailing up the hat he wore while Ash grinned from the side, Pikachu face-palming. “Well,” she said slowly as she did her best to drive the irony out of her voice, “you definitely took his words to heart.”

As Leon grinned proudly, Ash leaned in and asked curiously, “What Pokemon was that? It was so cool!”

“Ah, Dragapault,” the man said as he looked even prouder. “She’s a strong one, a dragon and ghost type.”

Well, guess I wasn’t too far off with the ‘ghost’ bit, Bianca thought, vaguely wondering if Latias or Latios could take the Pokemon in a fight.

“A dragon and ghost type?” Ash repeated as he looked at the man with a grin. “That sounds awesome! I really wanna battle her one day!”

Leon smiled and nodded approvingly. “Well, Ash, go through your challenges and make your way through either tournament, and you’ll get to do just that. Now,” the man said, clapping his hands together, nearly dropping the bag. “Let’s get to the station before we somehow miss the train.”

He was confident in his words, although he wasn’t exactly inspiring the same within Bianca, given that he was looking around as though lost. Didn’t this man know the city?

“Er, which way?” Bianca helpfully asked, hoping that maybe she was overreacting. She had no such luck as the man simply shrugged.

“You know, I have no idea!” He announced cheerfully, his attitude making her wonder if he was something of a madman. Didn’t he say yesterday it was literally just a block away from the hotel? And why was he reminding her more and more of Ash?

Suddenly, Leon brightened up and said, “Ah, right. Rotom, could you guide us to Wyndon’s train station, please?”

With a bzzt, the phone obeyed, whipping out of his pocket and began slowly floating away, only increasing its speed once Leon began pursuing it. Glancing at Ash, Bianca raised her eyebrows before shrugging and following the man, Ash falling in step a moment later.

It was a relatively short walk that was made heavily embarrassing, given the state of dress the man in front of Bianca was in. He kept the brim of his hat down low to avoid unwanted attention, although she felt he would probably attract less looks if he shed his “disguise” and announced his identity to the city.

Bianca genuinely wished Latias was there to see it; the dragoness was very fond of disguising herself, and even fonder of making fun of poor disguises. In all honesty, she could probably come up with a better disguise for the man on the spot, or even simply draw the crowd away by actually looking like Leon.

Things only improved once they arrived at the station and purchased their tickets, first class on top of it, at the expense and insistence of Leon. His constant generosity was a surprise to her, and she couldn’t help but wonder how much money he had if he could spend money on strangers like this without batting an eye.

Great, now I feel bad for making fun of his disguise, Bianca thought uncomfortably. Guess that’s what I get for judging.

Her guilt was made worse once she actually saw their train—

an incredibly sleek-looking one that bore close resemblance to the bullet trains she’s seen a couple times online, capable of crossing vast distances in the blink of an eye. Even the slower models could cross the entire regions of Johto and Kanto in less than three hours.

What was even more surprising was when they boarded the train and saw how roomy the interior was—

two rows of compartments, one on either side of the central aisle, and both having enough room to fit six people comfortably. Probably not the slimmest train in the world, but certainly one of the most comfortable.

Once they found their compartment, she quickly excused herself as she made her way to the train’s nearest bathroom, bringing her pack along with her. If she was going to change, now was the time.

The bathroom wasn’t anything extravagant, but it had more than enough room for her to change. She was certainly grateful for that, and she wasted no time in pulling out her waterproof bag of clothes from her pack and carefully choosing the appropriate outfit.

Once she was satisfied with her choice, Bianca placed the items on top of the pack, and spared one more glance at herself in the mirror before stripping down to her underwear, carefully folding each article of clothing and tucking them inside the bag.

She then took the black leggings from the pile and slipped them up her legs, frowning in annoyance as she momentarily struggled to get them above her rear before she finally succeeded.

“Should have gotten a size bigger,” Bianca muttered as she adjusted the top seam. She had worn leggings before, of course, but that was some years ago, and it seemed she had forgotten the differences between then and now.

She briefly debated wearing the pants she had purchased instead, but waved it off, electing to wear them once they were in a colder environment. It wasn’t as though she was going to be around anyone who would care.

I could probably wear a mini skirt and tube top, and Ash probably wouldn’t even bat an eye , Bianca thought with a snort, pulling a white long-sleeve shirt over her head, and tucking it into her leggings. Given what Misty was wearing when we met, I doubt anything I wore would attract his attention.

A mirthful smirk played at the corners of her mouth as she snatched the corded light green sweater and let it slip over her, the bottom edge hanging midway up her buttocks. Pursing her lips, she scrutinized herself in the mirror, unable to decide if she should have had the tailor adjust it or not.

It would have to be a problem for later anyway; worrying about its length wasn’t going to change it. She snagged her beret off the counter and placed it back upon her head, adjusting it until she was satisfied.

Bianca wasn’t going to win any awards for her outfit, but she wasn’t going to be looking for one anyway.

“She looks even more unfashionable than Latias!”

Slightly flinching at the memory, she packed away any remaining articles of clothing and left the bathroom, making her way back to the compartment as she did her best to escape the mocking echo…

By the time she rejoined Ash and Leon, the two were in a deep conversation about a battle, the older man gesturing wildly with his hands as Ash and Pikachu paid rapt attention.

“-and right when Raihan thought he had us on the ropes, Charizard felled his Duraludon with a powerful tail sweep, toppling the mighty titan before Charizard finished him off with his Flamethrower. And that’s how we managed to keep our status as unbeatable,” the man finished with a smile.

“Woah,” Ash breathed out, staring at Leon with stars in his eyes, not seeing Bianca as she stood next to him. “That’s so cool! Awesome! Now I really want to battle you!”

“You’ll get your chance,” Leon promised cryptically, before nodding towards Bianca. “Now I think you have a friend that would like to sit down.

“Wha-? Oh, sorry,” Ash said as he began scooching over, starting in surprise as he glanced at her. “Hey, you changed clothes!”

Bianca snorted as he sat next to him, lightly pulling at the ends of her sleeves. “How perceptive. But yes, I changed.”

Leon grinned in understanding. “A little cold this morning, yeah? I don’t blame you for changing, and you chose well. You’ll have to get warmer clothes as you make your way up north again, but that will certainly be warm enough in the lower regions. Well, not including the Crown Tundra, of course.”

“Oh, uh, thank you,” Bianca replied, giving the man a small nod. “It was a little chilly this morning, but it wasn’t too bad. It mostly caught me off guard.”

“Well, be careful about that,” he warned, glancing between them. “I’m sure Ash knows this, but regions are rarely a place you don’t want to be on guard. Pokemon aren’t the only wild elements to keep an eye out for. The weather is…rather like karma, and if you know anything about karma….”

Bianca snorted at that, only for Ash to exacerbate her amusement by looking at Leon confused as he asked, “What about karma?”

The man lightly sweated, perhaps realizing he made a small error. “Er, it’s…tricky.”

The poor recovery had her covering her mouth with a hand and looking away, stifling a laugh. She almost wished she could help the man, except she had nothing. He was on his own.

“A-anyway,” he said quickly, clearly wanting to put it behind them. “I think you’ll like my hometown. It’s a fantastic little area, although that might just be my bias talking. And-”

“Will there be a Pokemon Center there?” Bianca interrupted before quickly apologizing, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt, it’s just…”

As she trailed off, Leon waved it off as he said, “Oh, I’m not bothered. Although I am curious; I don’t recall you mentioning you had a Pokemon, much less one that needs healing. Do you-”

“Oh, no!” Bianca swiftly denied. “No, I don’t have a Pokemon. I just wanted to see if they had a call center, is all.”

“Ah, you want to call home again?” The man guessed, Bianca nodding in confirmation. “Well, Wedgehurst has a Pokemon Center, but it doesn’t have anything like what you’re asking about, I’m afraid,” he said, making Bianca sigh in disappointment.

Suddenly, he chuckled, making her look up as he continued, “Luckily, you won’t need it. I was going to wait, but if-”

“The train will be departing soon. Please ensure you find your seats and keep your children, Pokemon, and belongings inside your compartments.” the overhead voice announced.

“As I was saying,” Leon began again, making Bianca slightly jump as she turned back to him. “I have something for the two of you. Well, two things. I mean, one thing for each of you,” he floundered, quickly shaking his head as he reached for his bag, Bianca slightly leaning forward.

“For us?” Ash repeated, looking curious, Pikachu cocking his head.

Leon smiled as he rummaged around in his bag for a moment, only to frown. “Hm, that’s not quite it. Not yet, at least. I know I- got it! Them! I got them,” he said as he pulled out two identical boxes before placing them on the table and pushing them forward.

They were rectangular in appearance, pure black and lightly sheening from the plastic wrap around them.

Ash immediately went to grab one, although Bianca was more hesitant. She reached for the other, only to stop and look up at Leon with uncertain eyes. At his nod, she closed the distance and grasped the box, pulling it towards her.

“Thank you…? What are they?” Bianca asked as she turned the box over in her hands, unable to find any markings.

“Yeah, thanks! Although I’m with Bianca with this one,” Ash confessed as he inspected it, Leon letting out a charming laugh.

“A solution to Bianca’s problem!” He replied jovially, leaning back and watching them.

Bianca frowned curiously at that, using the nail on her pointer finger to cut through the plastic, tearing it off and bundling it into a ball. Ash was having a little more difficulty, and she was about to help before she was beaten to the punch by Pikachu, who used his own tiny claws to tear the wrapping.

“Thanks, Pikachu!” Ash said to the mouse as he looked over the box once more, getting a “Pi-ka!” in response.

She also looked it over, wondering how to get it open until she saw the small gaps. Giving a single nod, she turned it over diagonally, letting one side point towards the floor until that end began sliding downwards. Bianca quickly stopped it from falling to the table, although once she saw the contents, she gasped and almost dropped it anyway.

Ash looked over, eyes widening as he turned back to his own box and similarly tilted it, revealing an identical rectangular screen. The two looked at one another, taken aback as they quickly turned back to Leon.

“Th-this is..? You really d-didn’t have to do this,” she stammered, quickly adding, “Not that I’m ungrateful, but-”

“Yeah, this is…” Ash trailed off, apparently at a loss for words.

Leon merely grinned wider as he casually waved his hand. “I appreciate your gratitude, but really, the thought of you two out in the Galar wild areas with no communications was making me cry. This was a logical move. Besides,” he suddenly said as he leaned forward, gesturing towards the phones. “They aren’t just regular phones. Try hitting the power button.”

Bianca obeyed, and the screen came to life an instant later, as did the phone. Both flew out of their hands and hovered in front of them, a zigzag popping up at the top as the word “Hello!” was flashed on screen.

She was left stunned as she stared at the hovering device, hands still frozen in place. Ash practically jumped in his seat as he squealed, “It’s a Rotom, too!?”

“Haha, yes!” Leon said as he smiled widely. “Same model as mine, might I add. These guys will absolutely carry their weight and more! I mean, they barely weigh anything, but still.”

“I-I can’t accept this,” she stammered as she let her hands rest on the table, Leon looking at her quizzically.

“Why not? They work perfectly fine, and I’m not asking for money-”

“That’s exactly why!” Bianca blurted out, wringing her hands. “I can’t imagine how much they must cost, and you’re just…giving them to us?”

Leon let out a small laugh before shaking his head. “Bianca, you have no idea how little this purchase truly cost me. I don’t like to advertise it, but I am not short on funds, even with the donations I make,” he admitted ruefully, not looking the least bit prideful. He seemed almost annoyed as he continued, “Every time I feel like I’ve given most of it away, even more comes in. Matches, sponsorships, et cetera, et cetera.”

He shook his head in exasperation. “All that, simply because I’m the top trainer…so please be assured, this really isn’t any trouble on my part.”

Bianca still felt hesitant, but she nonetheless bowed her head feeling the guilt fade as gratitude swelled in her chest.

“...Thank you. This means a lot to me,” she said honestly, wishing she could truly express what this meant to her. She no longer had to worry about finding a Pokemon center. All Bianca had to do was ask the Rotom to put the call through.

That is, once she got her grandfather’s number.

Ash also expressed his gratitude, smiling brightly at the man as he exclaimed, “I promise I’ll take good care of it! I just hope Rotom Dex won’t mind…”

“I’m sure your dex friend won’t mind,” Leon chuckled. “Although it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to try and get his data transferred over once you get the PokeDex application. Only if you need the data, that is,” he added, only increasing the excitement of the raven-haired trainer.

“A Pokedex application?” Ash all but shouted, making the other occupants wince at the volume.

“Might want to tone it down there, Ash,” Bianca suggested with a grimace as she massaged her ear.

He had the decency to look cowed, muttering a quick apology that she waved off.

“Yes sir!” Leon replied. “Unfortunately, it’s not something you can just find on the application store. You’ll need to get it from Professor Mongolia, or maybe Sonia if her granny is too busy to do it herself,” he remarked thoughtfully. “I suppose I’ll give them a call and let them know. Or a text, in case it’s Sonia. In the meantime, why don’t you get them set up nice and proper?”

The two nodded at his suggestion, and immediately the phones obediently floated back into their hands as Leon summoned his mobile and began tapping away.

Bianca stared at the screen and watched as the “Hello” switched to “Welcome. Would you like to proceed with your setup? Please say ‘Yes’ or ‘No’, or tap the selection below.”

Her mouth twitched at the thought of hitting “No” before tapping the other option and watching the screen change.

“Please Sign In to your Rotomi account, or Sign Up if you do not already have one.”

Once she hit “Sign Up”, the screen changed once more to read, “Please enter your full name, password, and password confirmation.”

Raising her eyebrow, she obediently typed out her name, only to pause at the password. What on earth would she choose? Part of her was tempted to type “LatiasIsAMenace”, although maybe that was a bit far, even if it was funny.

She was momentarily distracted as the intercom sounded off once more, “The train is now departing from Wyndon station. The current time is 10 'o'clock, and the estimated arrival time at Wedgehurst is 1200. Please remain in your seats until the green light above your head shines. Thank you, and have a pleasant ride.

Immediately, the train lurched forward, before rapidly picking up speed until the landscape was nothing but a blur. Her mouth gaped as she stared out the window; at their current pace, it would probably take less than a second to cross Alto Mare at its widest.

Leon barely glanced out the window before he went back to typing, although Ash had a similar expression of amazement as hers, whispering under his breath, “Woah…”

She found it hard to disagree with the sentiment.

Bianca watched for a few minutes longer, glancing up as the aforementioned green light blinked on above them before looking back down at her phone to choose a proper password.

She settled for “High@sth3Sea” and copied that over to the confirmation below it. Once she hit “Submit”, the screen cleared before more words popped up: “Welcome, Bianca Marina. Please stand by as I finish your setup.”

The use of the pronoun momentarily caught her off guard until she remembered there was a Pokemon inside the device. She moved to set the phone down, only for the device to immediately float a few inches above the table.

Bianca shrugged and glanced at Ash, the trainer idly tapping his fingers in front of Pikachu as his phone was going through its own setup process, the electric mouse casually trying to “catch” the digits as they waited.

As she smiled at the sight, Leon perked up with a smile and announced, “Good news! Sonia will be on her way to Postwick tomorrow. You’ll be able to get everything you need from her. Well, almost everything.”

“An endorsement letter?” Ash asked awkwardly, Bianca snorting next to him.

Leon had a mock offended face as he asked, “What, am I not good enough for you?”

“Oh, yeah,” the raven-haired trainer muttered with an embarrassed expression, Pikachu shaking his head with a facepalm.

Luckily, the man merely chuckled and said, “No. Rest assured, you’ll get the chance to earn one soon enough, but from me. Sonia, on the other hand, will provide you with the Dex application and a few dos and don’ts of camping out in the wild area. Knowing her, though, she’ll probably just throw a camping guide your way and rush off.” He finished in an amused voice.

“You know her personally?” Bianca asked curiously, hearing the fondness the man had for this Soni in his words.

“You could say that,” he replied with a grin. “We were childhood friends, and even rivals. Unfortunately…” he trailed off, his soft look becoming somber. “I made a bit of a foolish decision, and…well, we more or less went our own ways.”

She nodded sympathetically, although Ash’s melancholic expression caught her off guard. The trainer sighed and pitched in, “Yeah, I get that. I’ve had to leave friends behind…but hey, at least you still talk to her, right?” He finished with a hopeful expression.

“Yeah, I still talk to her,” Leon said, regaining his smile. “Perhaps not as much as I would like, but we’re still on good terms. Truthfully, the biggest difficulty is finding time to talk between my duties, and her constant research. She is nothing if not dedicated to knowledge.”

“Kinda like your dedication to battling,” Bianca pointed out mildly, the man laughing heartily.

“You got me there! It’s true, I admit I might be a bit battle crazed,” Leon said as his eyes slid over to Ash. “Although I’m not so alone there, am I?”

Ash almost banged his knees on the underside of the table as he jumped up and clenched his fist, a confident glint in his eyes. “Definitely not! I love battling more than anything!”

“I love your spirit!” Leon laughed again, although his voice was once more tinged with sadness as he replied, “Just make sure you don’t forget everything else around you.”

He glanced at Bianca as he said this, making her shift uncertainly before his expression cleared, leaning back and closing his eyes. “Anyway, I think it’s time I take a little nap before we arrive. Feel free to finish setting up your phones, and have Rotom pick something up from the trolley if it passes by, yeah? It knows what I like. Pick something for yourselves, as well.”

“Er, thank you…” Bianca trailed off, although there was little more than a twitch from him, the only further movement being his phone flying out of his pocket and joining theirs.

She exchanged looks with Ash, who just shrugged before turning back to his phone just as a new screen popped up. She followed his example and went through several more screens before the process was more or less complete. Ash was having a little more difficulty, although that was quickly sorted out when she stepped in to help.

“ [email protected] ” was certainly a strange email, but at least it was one he was happy with.

Bianca spent the next few minutes looking through the app store in the hopes of finding something interesting, although beyond various social media she didn’t have and brain rotting mobile games, the selection wasn’t ideal.

Fortunately, the phone was still just that—

a phone. While she was foolish for not writing down the phone number for her own house, she could always contact the Nurse Joy in Alto Mare.

Glancing at the sleeping form of Leon, she resolved to do that later. For now, she’d let herself relax.

She turned her head towards the window, staring past Ash’s fidgeting at the streaks of scenery. Their speed was so great, that colors almost blended together, making it difficult to see anything closer than a few miles. Outside of that range, she could vaguely make out a couple of landmarks.

A city…fields…ruins…

She hoped to see them while they were traveling. A nice view of some ruins with the right backdrop would make for an amazing painting. Maybe at night, where there was just enough light to illuminate the landscape.

A smile graced her lips as she thought about how nice it could look, hanging

squarely on her wall among many other paintings that served as reminders of her journey.

Her eyes trailed to Ash, the trainer using his hand to wrestle against Pikachu’s entire body, keeping impressively quiet apart from the occasional grunt. She’d have to paint something for him as well, something to hang alongside the one she gave him in Alto Mare.

Smiling at the thought, Bianca turned away from the window and waited as the train sped towards its destination.

There were sparingly few stops along the way, and very short ones at that. The train never stopped for more than five minutes each time before quickly resuming its swift speed. It was only a few minutes after the second stop when a lady with a cart started making her way down the aisle. Bianca rolled her eyes when Ash jumped on the opportunity, getting himself more than enough snacks and handing over some kind of card as payment.

Leon’s Rotom Phone also joined in as it flashed over to the cart, the lady looking somewhat surprised before realization flashed in her eyes at the sight of its owner.

He must be a regular customer if she isn’t fangirling over the guy, Bianca internally remarked as the lady diligently placed a few select snacks in front of the sleeping man before turning towards Bianca questioningly. Seeing her decline, the lady nodded and quietly moved on, leaving them in relative silence apart from the alarming noises of Ash and Pikachu tearing into their own assortment.

She rolled her eyes in amusement when they finished, looking satisfied as they sagged in place.

It wasn’t too long after when the intercom sounded, “We will be arriving in Wedgehurst shortly. Please gather all children, Pokemon, and belongings.”

To her surprise, Leon didn’t even budge from the sound, and Bianca grimaced as she wondered if they’d have to wake him up manually. Would he be grouchy?

By the time the train started slowing down, the clock on her phone’s screen read 1213. They had traveled the entirety of Galar in little over two hours, a feat only made believable from the time she spent watching the landscape blitz by.

Of course, it took another minute before the train came to a stop, but given how quickly they had gone from full speed to zero….

As the train pulled into the station, Pikachu was tentatively poking at Leon to get him to wake up. It took a minute, but the man finally yawned as he blinked his eyes open, rubbing them with one hand.

“Here already?,” he questioned as he glanced out the window. “Ah, yes, I’d recognize that station anywhere. Preferably right here, where it won’t move.”

Bianca snorted at the joke, earning a quick smile as the man stood up and started gathering his snacks. “Thanks, Rotom. Hop will be happy with these.”

Hop?

A name for a Pokemon, or…

“Now, let’s get back to my place, shall we?” Leon exclaimed as he stuffed the treats into his bag. “Goodness knows he’ll be itching to pester me, the little rascal.”

This did nothing to clarify the identity of this “Hop”, but he did mention a younger brother. Perhaps that was Hop?

“Er, who is that? A relative?” Bianca guessed, feeling a flash of satisfaction as the man nodded, looking pleased.

“Right in one! He’s my little brother, around your age,” Leon said as they began collecting all of their belongings. “I think you’ll find him to be a good friend and rival, Ash.”

“Rival?” The trainer questioned just as the train came to a complete stop.

“Welcome to Wedgehurst. Please exit the train with all children, Pokemon, and belongings, and enjoy your stay. Thank you.”

Leon rolled his eyes, snorting derisively as he asked, “Who would forget their child or Pokemon on a train?” Shaking his head, he turned back to Ash with a smile and nodded. “And yes, rival. He’s aiming to take on the gym challenge as well, although he’s been unable to until now.”

“Really? How come?” Ash asked curiously, drawing a wry look from the man.

“Because I refused to give him an endorsement letter,” Leon replied as he began making his way towards the exit, leaving behind a stunned Ash and Bianca. “Come along, now,” he called over his shoulder, the two formerly stunned people quickly putting their phones away and following.

“You refused to give him an endorsement? But why?” Bianca asked in a flabbergasted voice as they filed out of the train.

Ash nodded, looking as confused as Bianca felt. “You must have had a reason, right?”

Leon paused, pursing his lips at Ash’s somewhat indignant tone, although he didn’t look offended. Glancing around, he motioned for them to stay close as he started pushing through the crowd, Pikachu grumbling as he was jostled to and fro from his position on Ash’s shoulder as the young duo followed close behind.

No one tried to speak until they had left the station, a task made difficult by the double takes people were giving Leon as they passed by. Fortunately, the man was nothing if not slippery, and the three managed to get outside in a timely manner, albeit with minor complaints from Pikachu.

Bianca was slightly squinting from the sunlight, although she quickly got used to its rays. Ash was mostly unbothered, although Pikachu was attempting to groom himself, his fur sticking up in odd places.

The two were still behind the man as he began walking along the road, hat low over his eyes and hands shoved in his pockets. Ash and Bianca exchanged glances, the trainer lowly muttering, “We didn’t make him mad, did we?”

“Er-”

“No, you didn’t,” Leon interjected, having overheard him. He looked back with a small, reassuring grin. “Sorry, I was just thinking about how to answer your question from earlier.”

Ash heaved a breath of relief, and Bianca was also glad they hadn’t angered their very gracious host. “I’d still like to apologize for asking in the first place,” she began, biting her lip uncomfortably. “I should have been more considerate if it was a private matter, or something else.”

Leon tilted his head for a moment, replying a moment later in a thoughtful tone, “I wouldn’t say ‘private’, but…Hop is impulsive, and dare I say a little reckless.”

“Wow,” Bianca said in a semi-dry tone, giving Ash a pointed look. “Imagine being an impulsive and reckless trainer.”

“Yeah…” Ash nodded before whipping his head around to stare at her, affronted. “I’m not impulsive or reckless!”

The trainer started sweating as both Pikachu and Bianca were looking at him flatly, the artist replying in an exasperated voice, “Ash, I could point out a couple events from just my time seeing you that disprove that. Do I have to contact your other friends to find out more?”

As if to highlight the threat, her Rotom Phone flew out of her pocket on its own. “I don’t have their numbers, but I’m willing to bet that it wouldn’t be that hard,” Bianca said with a raised eyebrow.

Ash sagged in defeat, muttering under his breath, “You sound like Misty.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” she retorted, Leon laughing heartily.

“Oh, man. You two almost remind me of me and Sonia back in the day. But back to Hop,” the man said, his light tone slightly faded as he began. “I don’t doubt that there have been many trainers in your region, and others, that are as bad or worse when it comes to impulsive decision making. But Galar is not the region for that kind of attitude.”

Bianca gave Ash another side-eye at this, although she let the man continue.

“He looks up to me, more than I probably deserve. And he is desperate to prove himself to me, and others,” he smiled fondly at this, although it was tainted with no small amount of concern. “And because he’s desperate to prove himself, he’s willing to throw himself at a problem head first. Even if that problem is capable of throwing itself right back.”

Ash looked somewhat confused, although Bianca had some ideas as to what he was referring to. “You’re talking about the wild Pokemon, aren’t you?” She guessed, Leon confirming it with a grim nod.

“I am,” he agreed as they turned around a bend. “And while I know for certain he can handle himself...would you risk it? Would your loved ones risk you ?” Leon asked over his shoulder with unreadable eyes.

Bianca opened her mouth to reply, only to stop in her tracks.

Would she? If she had the authority to prevent either of the twins from doing something that had a small chance of bringing pain or death to them, would she allow them to carry through? Especially after something bad did happen that nearly killed both them and the city?

As Bianca began wrestling with the thought, she was distracted when Ash spoke up next to her in an uncertain voice, “I…think I would, yeah.”

Both Bianca and Leon turned to him surprised, the trainer elaborating with a smile at Pikachu. “My mom knew the risks of me being a Pokemon trainer. You wouldn’t believe the amount of times she’s told me to be careful over the years,” he chuckled in amusement, the two listening raptly.

“And she was right to be worried,” he said, stunning them both. “On my first day, I did something pretty dumb. I threw a rock at a Spearow, and the entire flock went after me and PIkachu.”

Bianca wanted to face-palm upon hearing that, although she stopped herself from doing so, wanting to hear the rest of it.

“At the time, Pikachu and I weren’t…close like we are now,” Ash admitted, the electric rat huffing as he crossed his arms. “He wouldn’t listen to me, and I tried…dragging him along with some string and rubber gloves.”

She would never have believed the words coming out of his mouth if it weren’t for the snort coming from Pikachu, the mouse clearly finding the entire event funny.

“If he was disobedient, you could have just put him in his Pokeball, right?” Leon asked, while Bianca had her own thoughts.

“I thought you loved Pokemon,” she murmured with a shake of her head. “I can’t really picture you dragging a Pokemon against its will. Or throwing a rock at one, for that matter.”

Ash sighed with a nod. “Pikachu doesn’t like going in the ball. I do love Pokemon, which is why I didn’t make him, but I was pretty stubborn-”

Was?

“-and I was determined to catch a Pokemon, even if he didn’t want to obey me at the time. So, I threw a rock at what looked like Pidgey, which is how we ended up getting chased by a bunch of Spearow,” he concluded, Leon’s face showing his surprise before it cleared.

“Odd, but not entirely unheard of,” the man said as they began walking through some kind of market. “Pokeballs are supposed to be comfortable, but some Pokemon do prefer being outside of them.”

“Pi-kaa.”

The younger trainer nodded in confirmation. “Yeah, exactly. He loves it outside the ball, but…I put him and myself in danger. That’s actually how we met Misty,” he said with a small laugh, while Bianca tilted her head curiously. “We jumped into a river to escape, and Misty pulled us out with a fishing rod. And then I borrowed her bike.”

“How’d you give it back if you just met her?” Bianca wondered aloud as she glanced curiously at a stand selling pastries.

Ash laughed nervously, while Pikachu snickered from his position. “Well, about that…”

She turned and frowned at him. “You did return her bike, didn’t you?”

The trainer coughed into his fist and looked pointedly away from her, muttering meekly, “Pikachu fried it right after the Spearow caught up to us.”

Bianca stopped in her tracks, staring at him. “You’re telling me,” she began with a disbelieving expression, “that you borrowed her bike to get away from a mess you created, only to destroy it right after? Did I get that right?”

“Er, more or less,” he admitted, Bianca rolling her eyes before moving forward again.

“And how does this relate to Leon’s brother?” She asked with a flick of her fingers.

The trainer looked thoughtful for a moment. “Hm… well, I was impulsive, but I learned from it. Just like I learned from all my losses.”

“We’re going to have to work on that ‘was’,” Bianca muttered, making Ash pout. “But I get what you’re trying to say. Except…”

“Except that this is Galar,” Leon finished, his expression unreadable as they passed the last stall, the road transitioning to dirt and the occasional patch of grass. “I understand where you’re coming from, Ash, and I get it in a way. I myself was pretty reckless when I started out, believe it or not. I was lucky to get out of the tight spots I found myself in. But that’s just what it was; luck.”

The man looked lost in thought before shooting Ash a grin over his shoulder. “Fortunately, I think I’ve found the perfect remedy.

The trainer smiled back and raised a clenched fist. “Alright!” Leon nodded before turning back to the road ahead with quickened steps.

Ash may have missed it, but Bianca was not oblivious to the intensity in the man’s eyes. The question was if she was going to bring it up.

Is this why Leon wanted to meet Ash enough to follow him? Was he looking for a babysitter, or something else?

Bianca sincerely hoped it was the latter. Traveling with one Ash was enough, but dealing with two sounded like a nightmare. Not to mention constantly trying to hide her communication to home from a stranger would get frustrating and awkward, and there was no way he was going to let him in on the secret.

However, she couldn’t say as much without appearing rude. She could only hope Hop was a more independent type, and didn’t ask to come along.

She pursed her lips at the thought as they walked over a small crest, before blinking at the sight before her, taken aback.

Before them was a rather nice collection of cottages with plenty of space between them, separated by both distance and rows of bushes and trees. If she thought Wyndon had a rustic look, Postwick took it to a whole new level. Many of the houses were made from stone brick, while a few others were perhaps more basic, but overgrown with a tasteful selection of vines and potted plants.

The entire neighborhood sat in a large depression, giving the community a sense of privacy from the outside world, a forest looming in the backdrop. Standing maybe twenty feet away from the first house was a long hanging sign that read “Welcome to Postwick.”

Bianca couldn’t help but frown as they passed the sign, looking around with concern.

“Hey, Leon…” she began, the man turning his head and looking at her curiously. “This is a great looking area, and all, but…what happens during a rainy season? Isn’t the entire neighborhood going to…you know, flood?”

He laughed and nodded. “I can see why you’d be worried, but I promise that you don’t need to be. There are quite a few drainage pipes that lead well away from Postwick. The yards are also quite absorbent, helping keep water away from the houses.”

Bianca wanted to smack herself. All of those were logical, and she should have known that a neighborhood such as this would think of something to counteract an act of nature like flooding.

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right,” she muttered as she kicked a pebble out of the way.

“Of course I am,” Leon haughtily replied, although Bianca could tell he was being intentionally snotty. “Now, if we hurry up, I’m sure we can get there before Ma starts lunch.” The man once more increased his pace, forcing Bianca and Ash into a near jog.

Any time before this, Bianca could have kept pace, no problem. Adding her pack and everything inside was a different matter altogether. To add insult to injury, Ash’s Rotom Phone flew out of his pocket and pointed the back face at her, the grinning visage of the Rotom mocking her as they moved.

“Ash…If your Rotom doesn’t stop laughing at me…” she panted out while holding onto her beret, “...I’m going to swat it out of the air.”

The phone merely floated out of reach, still cackling at her when they heard an excited shout from up ahead.

“LEE! YOU’RE BACK!”

Bianca took her eyes off of the flying menace as she looked ahead, seeing a teen with the same complexion as Leon running towards them with a grin. Their guide finally slowed to a stop as the newcomer slammed into him with a hug, making the man stumble and laugh.

“Careful, now! If I fall over, you’re gonna make me crush all the snacks I bought!”

The teen, presumably Hop, stepped back and looked between Ash, Pikachu, and Bianca, seemingly just now seeing them. “Who are these jammies, Lee? Must be important, if you’re chinwaggin’ with ‘em. They somehow recognized you under that brilliant disguise, didn't they?”

What.

“I’m Hop, by the way,” he greeted, holding out his hand. “I’m Lee’s little brother.”

“Ash Ketchum!” The raven-haired trainer said as he reached forward, the two shaking hands for a moment before letting go.

Hop tilted his head thoughtfully. “Ash Ketchum? Now there’s a name I’ve heard before. And that Pikachu, as well! You’re a trainer, right?”

Ash nodded with a grin. “Sure am! And Pikachu here is my best pal. Right, buddy?”

“Pika, pika…” The mouse waved his paw lazily, although the illusion of aloofness was ruined with the small upturn of his lips.

“He’s a cheeky one!” Hope laughed before turning to Bianca, extending his hand towards her as well. “And you are…?”.

“Bianca,” she said simply, accepting the gesture. “Pleasure to meet you.”

“Pleasure’s all mine,” he replied with a smile. “A friend of Lee’s is a friend of mine,” he said before immediately turning towards his brother and vibrating with excitement. “Have you got something for me? You always bring back the best from Wyndon.”

Leon made a show of tapping a finger on his chin. “Hmm, did I? Or maybe I forgot…” The man shrugged and smiled widely. “Guess we’ll have to see, eh?”

Hop sagged dramatically before immediately straightening up and bounding forward. “You always do this, Lee!”

Bianca chuckled as they hurried after the boy, luckily at a much easier pace than before. “He reminds me of a cross between you and Leon, Ash.”

“Ha!” Leon barked as they approached a house with a large court out front. “That’s not an entirely inaccurate description. But hand around him enough, and you’ll see that he’s his own man,” he finished as they slowed to a stop. “Now, where’s Ma?”

“In the kitchen making lunch,” Hop replied as he lived up to his name. Bianca and Ash took their packs off and set them down as they watched.

“Looks like we’re just in the nick of time, then,” Leon remarked before giving the two an approving nod and turning towards his brother with a grin. “Now, are you absolutely sure you want the surprise now? Or would you like to wait until after lunch?”

Hop had a matching expression as he adopted a reading stance. “I knew you had something, Lee! But you should know by now that I’ll skip lunch any day if it means you’re involved.”

Leon ignored Ash’s affronted grumble as he laughed and nodded. “Say no more,” he exclaimed as he turned and began rummaging around his bag.

“Now, this doesn’t have to be just for Hop,” Leon grunted as he searched around in his bag, drawing the curiosity of Bianca and the other two as they watched. “It’s a bit of a gift for Ash and Bianca, too, if they want one.”

“A gift? Another one?” She said in astonishment, wondering what he was talking about. He mentioned bringing a gift for his brother, but….

“Indeed!” He replied, before muttering, “Now, where did I—

Ah, here they are!”

The man pulled something from the bag and turned around, Bianca starting in surprise as she noticed it was actually three somethings; pokeballs, to be exact, although she had no idea what on earth they would be used for.

Ash and Pikachu perked up, staring intently as the man presented the Pokeballs to them.

They seemed to understand the situation better than her, and looked at one another in surprise.

Hop gasped once he saw them, before looking up at Leon with hope in his eyes. “You mean-?”

“Yup!” Leon said with a grin as he threw the balls up above the court as he exclaimed, “I think it’s time I introduce you to your starters!”