Pokemon SwSh One Shot - My Champion (Leon & Hop)

My Champion

Pokémon SwSh Leon & Hop One shot

By TMWolf93

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"Oh, Leon, sweetie, you don't need to do the dishes."

The purple-haired young man looked up at his mother, who gingerly took the dirty plate from his hand and scooched him out of the way from the sink to put it under the hot running water. He stared silently as she set it into the dishwasher and then took his hand in hers, squeezing. Her eyes were soft, staring into his own with a lingering sense of something. His mind couldn't quite grasp it, though.

"You go rest up, alright? You must be exhausted after the week you've had. Go ahead and head up to your room—you know I keep it just like you had it."

"Yeah. Thanks, Mom," he replied, voice almost a whisper. Her smile was soft, too, as she squeezed his hand once more and let go. His feet felt like lead as he dragged himself from the kitchen to the entryway. The stairs were there, but he abandoned them in favor of the living room. He couldn't say why he did; his grandfather wasn't there, nor his grandmother or Hop. They'd gone upstairs to prepare for bed, and so he was alone in the large room.

Everything was like he remembered. Two couches on either wall, an octagon rectangle in the center, and all over were decorations; a book shelf of books and medals and small pictures; a mantle of large and small trophies, a small TV in the nook, and on every wall a picture. Of him. His medals. His accomplishments. They were all there as they had been, from his first ever win on the shelf, to a more recent one on the wall by his last trophy. A uniform from a special exhibition tournament he'd also won. Yet more photos and even one of his father nestled in it all—the very same man who inspired him to become a great trainer and Champion.

None of it had changed. It was all exactly as he remembered when he came home a year ago, the first time in a long time. It had been a joyous time; a family BBQ and then giving his little brother and his friend their very first Pokémon to send them on their journey. He'd been filled with such joy that day, and there'd been only warmth and happiness.

Now here was again, and all he felt was empty.

The house was the same, but he could no longer look with pride.

The pictures no longer smiled with him, but stared in contempt. The trophies polish mocked him with his reflection, the vibrance replaced with dullness. His medals taunted him. His father mocked him—because they hadn't changed.

He had.

Their condemnation was too much.

Leon turned, and nearly sprinted up the stairs to his room, shutting the door to lean against it. His eyes stung, but he bit back the sorrow as he ran a hand through his hair. He sniffed once before standing upright, straightening himself, and moving to the center.

As his mom said, it was the same as he'd left it when he'd turned sixteen and moved to Wyndon permanently for his work as Champion. His bed was settled in a corner beneath his window with the sheets tucked in, a display of caps he'd collected were set on two walls—he couldn't even remember when or why he bought them—a bookshelf with all his own articles and books on Pokémon was situated opposite to his bed, and he kept his desk right by to compare notes and learn from every battle. His dresser was settled between and shoved between as many spaces as possible were boxes full of things, both old ones that his mother couldn't toss, extras of articles about him and his accomplishment, or new things he'd brought him and left behind when he went to Wyndon.