Chapter Text
Hop yawned as he pushed another completed paper to the side. Taking up the job of Sonia's assistant had been hard work, but it's something he wouldn't trade for the world. It certainly seemed better than everything Leon had to do as chairman or his friend had to do when they were champion. At least he got to lounge around and read books all day.
The lab was dark, save for the light over the kitchenette area and his dinky little desk lamp with a bulb that occasionally flickered. Whenever Sonia left, he got the luxury of sitting at the nice desk. It beat hunching over a crowded countertop, certainly. He tapped his pen on the edge of the desk, his eyes gazing away towards the night sky just past the windows. Maybe it was time for him to head home. He had finally finished the report on the rare Sinsitea form they had found in the Glimwood Tangle. He had earned some sleep, he thought to himself.
He stood up with a yawn, almost tripping over his napping Dubwool. The pokemon angrily bleated at him, causing him to let out an exhausted chuckle. "I'm sorry, pal. I didn't see you there." He carefully maneuvered around the pokemon, and grabbed his bag from his usual counterspace. As he slung it over his shoulder, he heard the familiar buzz of his rotom phone. He groaned, and pulled it out of his pocket. Without checking the caller ID, he pressed accept and held the phone to his ear. "Yeah?"
"Hey, Hop. You... alright? You sound annoyed." His brother chuckled from the other end of the phone.
Hop immediately sighed. "Shit- sorry, Lee. It's just been a long night." He glances towards the wall clock. "Why're you still up right now? I thought Raihan told you he'd kill you if you kept working late."
"Oh no, I'm not at the office right now; I'm at home. I actually called 'cause of something else," He pauses so Hop can focus. "I got a call earlier from Mustard. You remember him, right? Your friend went there a few years ago, I think. Anyways, he's gotten a few reports from his students about a weird growling sound late at night."
"Growling? It's a giant island with a ton of different pokemon, one of them is bound to growl!" Hop teases, and reluctantly lays his bag back down where it was. He sits back down at his desk, and pulls out a fresh sheet of paper.
"You asshole, you know what I mean. They said it didn't sound like any pokemon they know of living there. They tried to investigate, but kept coming up empty. They only found some weird scratch marks on trees."
Hop jotted down the information he was being given, his pen writing sloppily yet quickly. He always had a habit of fast note taking, no matter how illegible it was to everyone else. "Alright... I can look up a list of the pokemon known to live on the Isle. I'm sure it's just a rowdy Greedent or something. You've heard about those rumors of a giant one living in the Crown Tundra, right?"
"Yeah, could be. But I dunno. The way Mustard talked about, it... it wasn't normal. He seemed a little afraid. He even offered to give me a place to stay if I would fly out and investigate for myself. But, obviously with the next league season about to start up, I can't exactly drop everything."
"Wait... are you saying what I think you are?" Hop nervously laughed, once again waking up his Dubwool. The annoyed pokemon trotted over, staring at him. "Lee, I can't do that. I'm still an armature researcher, I can't investigate some folk tale." He reached over to pet it, watching as it leaned into his touch.
"I wouldn't have called if I didn't think you were qualified for the job. You're pretty damn good at what you do, Hop. You've got a great work ethic, and you know what you're talking about. I think you'd be great at figuring this out." When his brother tried to protest, Leon cut him off. "I won't force you into anything. But just think about it, yeah? I'll send over Mustard's number, and I'll let you decide if you wanna do this or not. No hard feelings if you don't want to, but I think you should try. Maybe this will be your first big breakthrough?"
Hop exhaled, resting his head in his palm. "I... I guess? I dunno. It still feels too soon to try something like this. But, I'll shoot him a text tomorrow and see what he wants me to do."
After a bit of small talk and an exchange of goodbyes, Hop hung up. He turned his phone off and laid it face-down on the desk. He whined, crossing his arms and laying his head down on the desk. A short getaway to research some mysterious pokemon sounded like a fun idea. But at the same time, he didn't want to go on a wild swanna chase and come home empty handed. Plus, Sonia could always use the extra help. That other assistant was still on thin ice, and Hop didn't care for her much. He would be more than happy taking over all of her work if it meant she would leave.
His phone pinged, most likely Leon texting him. He reluctantly raised his head, and grabbed his phone. Sure enough, the phone number was there, plus a line of encouragement. 'You're more capable than you think you are, bro. I promise. Text me tomorrow if you get the chance! Tell Sonia I said hi :)' He added the number to his contact list, then put the device into his pocket.
He stood up with a grunt, and motioned for his Dubwool to follow him. He slung his bag over his shoulder, locked up the lab for the night, and trekked back to Postwick. Wedgehurst at night was like a ghost town, only the dim streetlights breathing life into the town. The nicely trimmed bushes and leaf-covered roads led Hop down the trail home. Even if he was capable of either calling a taxi or flying home on his own Corviknight, walking home at nice was a peaceful experience. The world was quiet and dark, as if he was the only person who existed in it.
The cozy town of tightly packed buildings and greenery faded into long acres of farmland, moss-covered stone walls enclosing the path. Sleeping pokemon hid in the tall grass while nocturnal ones ran about and observed the young man and his Dubwool taking their time getting home. The night sky was clear as could be; the moon just bright enough to cast a soft white glow on the dirt path. With route 1 behind him, Hop entered the half opened gate and up to his house.
-
Hop couldn't sleep. As much as he tried to put on new music or close his blinds or change his sleeping shirt, he just couldn't. His mind was still on that weird growling Leon told him about. If his brother wanted him to go, why shouldn't he? Part of him wanted to think more problems of Leon's were being pawned off onto him, but he knew better than that. He wasn't a child anymore, he should know better than to think like that. This was an interesting research opportunity. Leon had been his number one supporter since day 1; this could very well be a way to get him more well known as a researcher.
But then again, it could be dangerous. Sure, it could very well be some weird folk tale. But it could also be some dangerous, unknown pokemon. He knew better than to rush into danger without properly preparing. But maybe this could be exciting. He had strong pokemon, he knew how to fight if he had to. But if he got hurt, if he got lost...
A head nudged at his feet before climbing into bed with him. Zacian. She laid over his legs, whining softly until he reached down to rub the space between her ears. Hop sat up, making more room for her to get comfortable. "You want me to go, huh? You only ever act like this when I'm stressed out. Can you tell or something?" He whispers to her, earning a soft howl in response. He reaches over to his nightstand and unplugs his phone. He opens the text from earlier, and makes a new contact in his phone. He drafts up a text, then deletes it. He drafts another, then deletes it.
Hop grumbles to himself, curling his legs close to his body. "Jeez... how do I even ask him this?" After typing out another, he gets nudged. Zacian whines, and tries to once again lay over him. He looks down at the types message, then back at her. He takes in a deep breath, hits send, then instantly throws his phone. He grabs his blanket, lays it over both himself and Zacian, and closes his eyes. Finally, he's able to drift off to sleep.
-
A loud alarm goes off, and Hop slowly blinks awake. He slowly sits up in bed, noticing his phone isn't charging where it usually should. He's confused for a moment, before he sees it across the room. He remembers why it's over there, and rushes over, almost tripping over his discarded blanket in the process. His stomach feels tight as he clicks the device on and notices a new notification. He braces himself, and opens his texting app. A text from Mustard.
'Hello Hop! Thank you for reaching out about our little situation. Leon said you'd be good for the job. If you could fly out here next week, my offer still stands as it would if Leon was coming. You'll have a room to yourself, and everything you'd need to get the job done. Thank you!'
Hop let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding. His heart was pounding and his fingers were shaking as he typed a reply, then slouched against the wall. His Dubwool, who must've fallen asleep in the living room, walked in. It happily 'baa-ed' at him. He stood up. "Breakfast is ready, huh?" Before he made his way out, he walked over to his bed, and once again laid his blanket over Zacian. He pet her softly.
"Thank you for always helping me. I dunno what I would do without you."
He crossed the floor and made his way downstairs, leaving his Zacian to rest as long as she wanted.