Hip Hop Straight to the Top!

"A-AYO? Who- HOW- WHAT-!!?"

Leon thinks a moment as that coin is flipped, watching it carefully before it was covered.

“Hm…tails.”

“Good choice.”

He says idly as his hand that covers the coin removes itself and shows... heads! He still smiles widely at Leon.

“Heads or tails?”

“I heard someone say that one often meets their fate on the path to avoid it.”

Finally pulling the topic from himself was…comforting to say the least.  He didn’t have to dig into wounds that shouldn’t be discussed with someone so young.  It felt strange to say that, considering his own brother was only about three years this ones senior.

“Smart, quick-witted…he’s been the strongest since we were young.  Always studying hard, tending to his team with the care of a professional.  I didn’t let anything hold him back once he finally broke through the gates–he was so excited to start his gym challenge.”

As he went on describing the other, there was audible happiness in his voice, that small smile spreading into something more vulnerable, honest.

“He made it so far…honest, if I had lost to him, I would have gladly handed over the position.  I feel…much more at ease with him under Oleana’s care.  But, the league is on pause for us, and he went off traveling in the meantime.  He’s been gone for about..” Leon counts on his fingers, “A couple months, calls me to check in every week.”

Leon talked, nearly on a tangent when he speaks of his brother. It reminded him of his own Lee, in the way he was encouraging in everything he set out to do.

Hop was glad the other him had such a support system too, even if he was a little envious of the time those two no doubt spent together.

“Okay, okay I get it.” He smiles, his hands coming up the fold behind his head.

“I trust you. I don’t think any Lee can be someone I don’t trust, even if you’re not the one I grew up with.”

There was still a mayrid of questions, but having to pick the most tactful ones weren’t his best area of expertise...

“You’re right–Flygon would bury you in the sand, and then sit on you! Which are both great ideas!”

He immediately grabbed a blanket, and attempted to wrap Hop up in it.

He’s a thin guy, he’d admit, but he would never be a burrito who’s purpose was to be sat on! Never again!

He will stand his ground and fight like hell!

“Help! Help! I’m being attacked by a deranged Purrserker! He’s eating me alive!”

Raihan immediately fell onto his back, right onto the couch, crushing Hop under his weight.

“I’m being eaten alive!”

“You’re such a wanker!”

It’s yelled from the soft cushion of the couch and the slab of back that was Raihan.

“But you know what? Get willied, idiot!”

“We made it through, I promise.” Leon is quick to reassure, thumbing his own arm as a small soothing measure.  One would assume over a decade was time to mourn, to grieve the loss.

But did Lee ever give himself the time for that…?

“It’s alright, you have just as many questions as I do, I’m sure.” A gentle smile, little attempts to show he was stable.  Perhaps a gesture that the other didn’t need to worry, “It was hard, sure, but my Hop grew into a smart kid, I couldn’t be more proud of him.”

“I’m sure you’ll do just the same, you’ll make your Leon proud, no doubt.”

The smile helped. It was off putting to see his brother’s face not split into a wide grin, to be something so stoic and hard to read. This guy was trying and it genuinely was appreciated. Hop even stopped white knuckling his strap, though he did rub his hands after.

“That’s good. At least... at least that’s the same. My Lee always tells me he’s proud of me.”

He rubs the back of his head, his other hand landing on his hip.

“Thank you, Yoda lookin’ ass!”

He tacked Hop down, and shoved him by his shoulders, squirming away some from the other.

“Just as ugly, too!”

“Oh yeah!?  You asked for it you oversized Exeggutor!”

He was quick to recover and even quicker to jump right onto Raihan’s back.

Raihan stuck out his tongue back at the other.

“Hey–Flygon is my brother too, you know! And he’s a pretty great brother, too!”

He grabbed Hop by the shoulders, and started to noogie him.

“You should be jealous of him! As my favorite brother!”

“Ow, ow, ow, ow! Quit it already!”

He wiggled and whined! At the audacity! At the sheer amount of GALL!!

There was a sudden deep dread at that question.  Impulsively, his arms crossed, guarded.

Leon closed his eyes, chewing on his bottom lip.  The situation was bad, to have someone so observant in the form of his younger brother…everything would be out in the open.  Normally, he didn’t mind ― Lee told him everything.

But..this person wasn’t his.  A familiar stranger, in a sense.

“It’s just me here, at the moment.  My version of our mom passed a long time ago, I took over the role of a parent from there since my brother was only about three.  It was just us, it’s been that way for over a decade.”

The grip on his bag tightened as a bit of color drained from his face. The idea of their mother not being there- simply wasn’t something he could imagine, honestly. There was a wonder if this other Hop even remembered his mom.

“I’m sorry, Lee.”

Hop had never experienced such a loss, even his own father he was vaguely aware of was somewhere in Kanto at the very least. Fortunate enough to have them both alive.

Leon could sense the discomfort, feeling his own start to well up.  He was just as much a fledgling to the whole ‘alternates’ business himself, having only met another who shared his appearance not too long ago.  The champion swallowed quietly, knuckle pressed to his bottom lip in thought, before a sigh escaped.

“I’m…still a Leon.“ He begins, trying to find the proper words. “You don’t have to be afraid of me, though.  I’m..not too different, at least personality wise?  I just grew up differently than yours, is all.”

“I’m not afraid, mate. Just... confused.”

He’s quick to say, to defend himself even now. Though, despite this guy not being his Leon (an odd thing to say), he was still Leon. Above all else, he trusts him. Or at least heavily inclined to do so.

Funnily enough, just by looking at the man, it was more than just personality wise the differences he can see at a glance. He spent the entirety of his single digits admiring his brother after all! Any read on the Lee in front of him just... came back tired.

Yeah, he should have seen that one coming.

“Nah, I’ve been like this–I’m not, uh…your Leon.  My Hop is out traveling, last I heard he was in Unova…what brings you here, though?”

The explanation does fly over his head, but in the span it took to metaphorically go passed his head, he snapped out to grab it.

“What... do you mean by- uh.”

He frowns, grabbing onto his shoulder strap and really taking the other man in. He could explain away logically the hair, makeup, and clothes. Leon was taller and he wasn’t before.

Hop frowned more.

There was no hesitation as he nearly ran to stand in front of the other, his smile wide and-