Champion's Sword, Galar's Shield (Leon x OC)

02 - Warmth

A/N: Decided we needed some Leon early ;)

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There were a few things Leon was aware of when he came to.

One, he was rather warm, and last he recalled was being half-frozen.

Two, he was undressed and covered in blankets.

Three, he was in a cave.

And, four, he was being stared at by a Corviknight.

The dark-feathered bird tilted its head this way and that, watching at him intensely with its big, red eyes. It blinked once, peering closer and making his heart race a little faster. Was he dead and didn't know it and this was some strange bodily experience that let him witness the moment he became food for a Pokémon?

Thankfully, it was just a silly-perhaps even delirious-thought, as the Pokémon only cawed, shaking its feathers before hopping away. Growls and chirps and chuffs filled his ears next and he turned his face to look. If he weren't so exhausted, he would have jumped up in surprise at the sight of a Lucario, Lapras, Boltund, Corviknight, and Arcanine on the opposite side of the fire-along with a familiar Charizard. His companion was awake, watching him with a pleased smile. His long-time friend made to move, but the Arcanine let off a short barking growl while using its paw to push the fellow fire-type back down. To his surprise, his Charizard only grumbled back as its furry compatriot only blew another small blast of fire onto its tail, which looked good, albeit a bit weak. Not unlike his owner.

"Where...?" Leon questioned, although it was more of a groan as he began to ease himself up. He found out just how weak he really was then, when the task alone was exhausting. He also underestimated the warmth of the blanket and couldn't help hissing when the cold air hit his bare skin. It was then he remembered he was practically naked save for his briefs. He couldn't stop the heat in his cheeks as he quickly pulled the blankets close, and glanced around for his clothes. He found them, to his surprise, hanging on the spikes of Lapras' shell, which had positioned itself near the flame-to dry them, he realized.

Well, if he was sure of one thing, it was that these Pokémon had a trainer. A smart one. One he no doubt owed his and Charizard's life to.

The young man glanced to the cave entrance, where a snowstorm brewed. It wasn't as bad as the one he remembered fighting through before they fell, but there was no way they could travel still. They were definitely trapped here, but it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. The Pokémon were obviously friendly, and their trainer had saved him. Although, he had a lot of questions about that-some that did make him suspicious. After all, he couldn't recall many people who camped in caves in a blizzard in the mountains. The team was also strong--very strong. He could feel it. They might even be strong enough to take his on, which meant his Charizard was badly outmatched. They were helping his Pokémon, though, so surely their trainer wasn't a bad one?

The Lucario barked suddenly, jostling Leon from his thoughts. He was greeted with a bowl of hot soup. Not much, about half full. He couldn't help raising a brow-it knew not to feed him too much? Or had its Trainer told it to do so? He might have considered it was drugged, but his growling stomach demanded he ignore that concern. So, he chose to be grateful and sipped carefully to relish in the warmth it sent through his body. It gave him some strength, back, too-enough to chuckle at his long-time friend.

"Made a new best friend I see. You never cuddle with me like that," he winked, ever cheeky if he could help it. That, and he decided to believe they truly meant him no harm. His Charizard reared its head slightly, glared, and then turned around to pout and "ignore" him. He laughed, glad to see his Pokémon doing better. They'd almost died in that storm, and he wished he had never let themselves get into it, but it had been their only escape.