light my soul

Brock had tried to warn him, but Ash hadn’t really believed just how much the other half liked to dress up for something as simple as dinner. He had seen the outfits men paraded around high society in, but he had always assumed frocks and dresses would take longer to change into than the suit he was currently being draped in. It felt like he’d been wearing one layer too many since putting on a waist coast, but then Sonia would arrive with another to prove him wrong. 

"Don’t look so worried. We’re almost done." She said, catching his expresison in the mirror.

He gave a tiny, skittish laugh. Her Yamper padded in circles around his feet as she adjusted the white bowtie at his neck, and Ash waited for Sonia to stand back and place her hands on her hips before he bent down to pet the Pokemon. 

She sounded satisfied as she sighed,  “Fits like a glove. I knew you and my husband’s brother were around the same build.”

“You’re, um… sure he won’t mind?” Ash asked. The suit fit far better than he expected but it was something he could never afford to repair, which only made him feel more nervous about borrowing it.

Sir Leon grinned from where he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. “Keep it.”

“W-What?” Ash sputtered. “I can’t keep it!”

“Why ever not? My brother is home in Galar. We bought this as a gift in Kanto. He won't miss what he knows nothing of,” Leon shrugged. “You look more dashing in a tailcoat than Hop ever did, anyway. Or me, for that matter.”

Sonia didn’t even glance up as Leon fidgeted with his own collar, “He much prefers a cape.”

“Capes are a strategic choice.” 

“Strategic or boisterous, dear?”

“Can a man not be both?” 

Sonia arched a brow. “You just like to make a statement while you battle.”

“You both battle?” Ash asked. Neither of them looked the type dressed in their finest, but, Ash supposed, neither did he right then. 

They exchanged an amused look. Leon smirked, “You could say that.” 

“Not so much myself,” Sonia admitted. “I prefer research these days. Though I cannot say the same for my dearest husband. You may not have heard of his ongoing heated rivalry with Raihan, but I can assure you—”

“Raihan?” Ash interrupted. “The dragon-type user, Raihan?”

“The one and only!” Sonia said.

Leon said, “We’ve traded wins for years now.”

“Amongst other things.” Sonia winked. 

Ash eyes widened as he stopped petting Yamper. He’d heard of Raihan from newspaper clippings and mouth of word over his travels. And now that he was putting the pieces together, he was sure–

“Wait—” Ash hopped back to his feet. He spun on his heel to face the man directly and pointed at him. “You’re that Leon?  The guy who’s beaten all the arenas!”

Leon grinned, echoing Sonia’s words with a wink. “The one and only.”

“Whoa…” Ash breathed. “You—you’re—”

He stared, overwhelmed and amazed and a little bit jealous. For all the years he’d known Misty, he never imagined these were the types of people she kept company with. He had dreamed of visiting Galar to see the arenas there and the system worked, how the best of the best trained and fought. His face lit up, and he leapt forward without thinking. “I want to battle you!”

Leon threw his head back in laughter. “I’d be more than happy to! We have a little time before dinner starts–”

 Sonia held a hand up. “Not so fast!”

She reached out and caught Ash by the chin, tugging his face back toward her. He blinked at her, struck suddenly. The green in her narrowed eyes and the shine of her red hair reminded him of Misty just then, and he shrank back in his shoulders on instinct. 

“You may be keeping that suit, but I’m not letting you ruin it before dinner.” She dropped her hand and started to attach some cufflinks to his sleeves. “You can both throw yourself into a battle after.”

“W-we’d better listen to her.” Leon looked like he was sweating already. 

“I agree.” Sonia huffed playfully. 

She stepped back and gave Ash’s appearance another sweep of her eyes. “There. You shine up like a new penny! I doubt Miss Waterflower will be able to recognise her saviour.”

“She won't?” Ash blinked at himself in the mirror and wondered if that was true.  In all those years stopping by her estate, he had never given much thought to what he wore around her. 

“Yesterday evening was my first time meeting the young lady,” Sonia said. “But I must say—Miss Misty has a unique charm to her.”

He tried not to react, but something like a scoff caught in his throat. He had to cough to cover it, thumping a hand on his chest.  Sonia tilted her head at him in question. 

“I- uh- I think so too.” He tried to sound polite about it, even if charming was about the furthest thing he would consider Misty. After two years of not seeing her, spending time together on the decks earlier had reassured him of as much.

“Can’t say the same for that man on her arm.” Sonia tutted. 

“Sir Rudy.” Leon chuckled. 

Sonia hummed in agreement. “A man who likes to hear himself talk, if you ask me.”

The thrill of a battle with Leon was quickly buried beneath the way Ash’s stomach clenched. He’d been trying not to think about Rudy since meeting the man, because there was no point to dwell on it. Ash had always known Misty was going to marry someone like him. 

They’d joked about it once.