Chapter Text
The sky was dark and all of the Pokémon were rounded up for the night. Sung Hyunjae locked the doors of the Han Breeding Center and wiped the sweat off of his brow.
Because it was the eve of the New Year, many trainers stopped by to pick up their Pokémon. Sung Hyunjae couldn’t even count the many times Han Yoojin sent him to the back with vague descriptions of the Pokémon he had to find. It was also quite annoying when said Pokémon refused to leave, something Sung Hyunjae couldn’t blame them for. The Elite Four member was having a wonderful time staying in his partner’s home.
Han Yoojin was in the back, attending to last minute phone calls from trainers who were inquiring about his schedule in the new year. Sung Hyunjae chuckled at his partner’s strained yet kind customer service voice, answering the same question for the tenth time in a row.
It always amazed Sung Hyunjae when Han Yoojin could flip from a professional Pokémon breeder to a tactical Pokémon trainer. He recalled the battle he had long ago in the Transcendent hideout, where Han Yoojin didn’t hold back and provoked him with ruthless words.
(Not that Han Yoojin could have held back even if he wanted to…he wasn’t in the right state of mind at the time.)
Sung Hyunjae could feel it in his chest. He had the urge to battle.
“Ah finally!” Han Yoojin stretched as the final call ended. “We are officially closed for the holidays!” He grinned at Sung Hyunjae with a thumbs up, which Sung Hyunjae replied with a smile.
“Congratulations. You’ve worked very hard this year.”
“You can pat yourself on the back too, you were a huge help to the breeding center.” Han Yoojin walked to Sung Hyunjae and patted him on the shoulder. “Doing all of this unpaid overtime, such a good partner!”
“Oh?” Sung Hyunjae raised an eyebrow at him. “What do you mean by ‘unpaid’?”
Han Yoojin had a playful pout on his lips. “I thought you were helping me out of the kindness of your heart!”
“I am not that generous,” Sung Hyunjae’s eyes gleamed with mirth as he wrapped an arm around Han Yoojin’s waist. “And I do not condone overtime.”
“Huh? Do you seriously want me to pay you?” Han Yoojin scowled as he pinched the arm around him. “I didn’t know you were so greedy. Have fun filing taxes, asshole.”
“I don’t want monetary compensation.” Sung Hyunjae chuckled. “I know another way of repayment.”
“And that is…?”
“One battle with my beloved.” Sung Hyunjae smirked. “Right now would be the perfect time. All the Pokémon are away in their holdings. The field in the back is free for us to go all out.”
Han Yoojin groaned and shrugged Sung Hyunjae off of him. “I should’ve known. You Elite Fours are always battle hungry.”
“It’s our way of life. Your brother can tell you all about it.”
Han Yoojin rolled his eyes and sighed. “So are you sure you want to battle?”
“More than anything.”
Han Yoojin observed his partner’s eager smirk, the taller man’s entire body radiating with an intense excitement that could rival the electricity of his Pokémon. Han Yoojin would never admit it, but the older man’s love for battles was cute.
Yeah he wouldn’t be caught dead saying that out loud.
“Alright, fine. One battle. One Pokémon.”
Sung Hyunjae’s eyes widened, his mouth forming a small “o”. “Really Yoojin?”
Han Yoojin gave him a flat stare. “One or nothing. Don’t be greedy.”
“No, I wasn’t questioning that. I honestly didn’t think you’d indulge my request.”
“You literally just asked!” Han Yoojin scowled and pinched Sung Hyunjae’s cheek. “I’m not heartless you know! You had a request and I’m fulfilling it because I’m a kind and benevolent person!”
A gentle smile slowly appeared on Sung Hyunjae’s lips. Golden eyes softened at his partner’s blushing face. “Ah yes, my dear Yoojin is such a wondrous person. I am grateful for him.”
Han Yoojin scowled and started to stomp towards the door to the fields in the back. “Let’s get this going, I still need to prepare dinner before Yoohyun and Yerim arrive.”
Sung Hyunjae quickly followed, his heart racing with anticipation. His mind was already beginning to formulate plans against his partner’s team, debating which of his own Pokémon he should send as a representative of his power. He was only allowed one Pokémon; he had to make it count.
After doing a final check to ensure the fields were completely empty, Han Yoojin returned to the clearing to find Sung Hyunjae spinning a Pokéball on his finger, completely relaxed. The Elite Four had a different air around him, exuding the usual confidence yet there was an underlying hint of apprehension. Han Yoojin had been observing Sung Hyunjae for a long time, trying to understand everything about the elusive Elite Four, but even after almost a year of meeting him, there were still things he couldn’t read.
For instance, the twitch in the man’s lips as Han Yoojin selected a Pokéball off of his belt. Sung Hyunjae’s entire demeanor shifted as they both threw their respective Pokéballs to the center of the field.
“I choose you Hydreigon!”
“I’m counting on you Pawmot!”
Pawmot squeaked in fear as Hydreigon roared into the night sky.
“Oh my, is this a repeat to our first battle?” Sung Hyunjae’s eyes lit up as he observed his partner’s reaction to his chosen Pokémon.
Han Yoojin crossed his arms with a huff. “Hey, you know I don’t remember like half of that battle.”
“Then I guess I’ll have an advantage.” Sung Hyunjae raised an arm and the battle began. Without any direction, Pawmot leapt up with one of its hands encased in ice. “Ice Punch!”
“Hydreigon dodge! Counter with Dark Pulse.” Hydreigon flew higher into the air and released a beam of dark energy at Pawmot. Pawmot barely dodged the Dark Pulse, quickly breaking the ice off of its hand to gain speed. Pawmot landed a distance away and growled at the dragon hovering above.
“Stay calm Pawmot.” Sung Hyunjae commanded before yelling out, “Jump up and use Play Rough!”
“Shit!” Han Yoojin watched as Pawmot leapt into the air. “Hydreigon dodge!”
Hydreigon wasn’t able to avoid the move and was struck in its wing, thus lowering the mighty dragon closer to the ground. Pawmot let out a proud cry and its fist once again became encased in ice.
“End it with an Ice Punch!”
“I don’t think so!” Han Yoojin exclaimed as he pointed at Hydreigon. “Rise again Hydreigon! Use Protect!”
Sung Hyunjae quietly cursed as the Ice Punch was deflected, causing Pawmot to bounce away from the dragon. Hydreigon took the opportunity to fly back into the air.
“That was a close one,” Han Yoojin let out a deep exhale. “Pawmot has definitely improved since the last time I saw it battle. The strength of its moves is amazing.”
Pawmot blushed at Han Yoojin’s words and let out a proud cry. Sung Hyunjae smiled softly and nodded in agreement.
“I’m glad you chose Hydreigon for this fight.”
“Why?”
“Both of the Pokémon on this field were raised by Han Yoojin.”
“Flatterer,” Han Yoojin couldn’t hide the slight blush on his face. “But all I did was evolve Pawmot. I didn’t raise it at all.”
“Evolving my Pawmot led to our entire relationship,” Sung Hyunjae clasped his hands together, “Because of these two Pokémon, we were able to meet and bond. These two Pokémon represent our beginnings.”
Han Yoojin couldn’t find any words to respond to Sung Hyunjae’s heartfelt declaration. Instead, he ordered Hydreigon to fire off Draco Meteor. Pawmot ran, jumping to and fro to escape the deadly meteors that fell from the sky. Hydreigon dove to the ground and unleashed another Dark Pulse.
“Pawmot!” Sung Hyunjae cursed as Pawmot took a direct hit from the Dark Pulse. Pawmot yelped in pain as it crashed into the ground. “Can you stand?”
“Pawmot should have less than half its health left,” muttered Han Yoojin, “We need to finish this fast, Hydreigon’s special attack stat is lowered.”
Hydreigon roared out and once again rose into the sky to divebomb towards the fallen Pawmot, who was struggling to get up.
“Pawmot, use Ice Punch at point blank range!”
Han Yoojin scoffed. “There’s no use. Hydreigon, use Dark Pulse.”
With a great roar, Hydreigon shot out Dark Pulse. With its icy fist, Pawmot tried to use the ice as a barrier, but it was to no avail. The ice around Pawmot shattered and the Dark Pulse struck Pawmot down. Pawmot whimpered as it flailed on the ground, upset that it couldn’t break through the attack.
“And that’s the end of that.” Han Yoojin’s hands were on his hips as he proudly smirked. “This is my victory, Hyunjae.”
Sung Hyunjae wasn’t the least bit upset. In fact, he smiled at his partner and his confidence. “What a splendid match Yoojin. I still have much to learn from you.”
“Pawmot did amazing. Its speed was definitely a huge reason why the battle took as long as it did.” Han Yoojin grabbed some potions and tossed some to Sung Hyunjae. “Here, go help out your Pokémon.”
“Thank you.” Sung Hyunjae sprayed the potion on Pawmot, who whimpered sadly. “You did well, Pawmot. With more training, we can show off even more to Han Yoojin.”
Han Yoojin chuckled as Hydreigon curled close to its trainer, letting out soft rumbles as Han Yoojin praised his starter Pokémon. He knew that he had to use his most reliable Pokémon against someone like Sung Hyunjae. Their bond truly showed during the battle, and Han Yoojin couldn’t be prouder of his Hydreigon.
When Pawmot was finally fully healed, Han Yoojin cleared his throat. “So, are you ready to hear the verdict?”
“Ah, my amazing Yoojin is ready to give me his genius analysis?”
Han Yoojin rolled his eyes at the unnecessary compliment. “The main thing is that Pawmot needs to improve its aerial moves. A move like Ice Punch only slows down such a fast Pokémon like Pawmot. Try teaching it Mach Punch or maybe an electric move that can render flying Pokémon useless. You didn’t use any STAB moves…that’s a rookie mistake.”
“Hydreigon isn’t weak to electricity, so I hesitated to use Pawmot’s Double Shock attack.” Sung Hyunjae hummed appreciatively. “Still, thank you for the wonderful advice, I’ll take it to heart.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I always listen to my dearest Yoojin.”
Han Yoojin chuckled and Hydreigon let out a snort of smoke at Sung Hyunjae. Sung Hyunjae’s gaze softened at the sight of Han Yoojin’s smile and he let out a sigh. “Yes, there’s no one else except you. You’re truly the only one I can acknowledge as my Champion. Congratulations Yoojin.”
Han Yoojin’s laughs abruptly stopped. “What did you just say?”
“Oh?” Sung Hyunjae’s smile widened, “You didn’t realize that you’re now the Champion of the Pokémon League?”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“You defeated three of the Elite Four members. The only one left is Bak Yerim, but I’m sure she would just let you win.”
“Hey, what the hell are you talking about?!”
“If you’re worried about the gym badges, you already bypassed it by defeating the Elite Four. We actually oversee the Gym Challenges.”
Han Yoojin was getting more and more lost. “Stop stop stop. Sung Hyunjae, you better slow the hell down and explain everything.”
Sung Hyunjae tilted his head innocently. “I think I’ve done a thorough job of explaining the situation.”
“I haven’t done the Elite Four challenge.”
“Yes you have. You defeated Han Yoohyun at the Transcendent base, Riette was defeated not too long ago, and you beat me about five minutes ago.”
“None of those were official battles!”
“As a member of the Elite Four, I officially sanctioned the battles.”
“That sounds like absolute bullshit and you know it.” Han Yoojin scowled as Sung Hyunjae took his Elite Four ID card out, “Put that thing away, you idiot.”
“Denial won’t help you avoid Champion duties.”
“I AM NOT THE CHAMPION.”
“My Champion is being quite silly.”
“Please shut the hell up.” Han Yoojin groaned as Sung Hyunjae brought Han Yoojin into a tight hug. “Stop it! This prank isn’t funny.”
“It’s not a prank. I’m being completely serious.”
“How the hell can I balance being a Champion and a Pokémon breeder?”
“I don’t mind doing your clerical duties. All you have to do is show up for a battle if all four members of the Elite Four are defeated. That hasn’t happened since I assumed my Elite Four position.”
“If we have an undefeatable Elite Four, then why do you need a Champion in the first place?”
Sung Hyunjae cupped Han Yoojin’s face, his thumb stroking the apple of Han Yoojin’s cheek fondly. “You are the only I can ever acknowledge as a true equal. My true partner in every sense of the word. I want you by my side as the Champion, the only one who is allowed to rank above me.”
Han Yoojin was absolutely flustered and was about to argue more, but the roar of a familiar Charizard echoed in the air. He quickly separated from Sung Hyunjae as Han Yoohyun landed by them.
“Happy New Year hyung,” Han Yoohyun pulled Han Yoojin into a hug, “I’m sorry for being late, there were some last minute errands I had to run.”
“It’s alright, you made it in the end. I guess you’ll have to help me prepare dinner,” Han Yoojin glared over his shoulder at Sung Hyunjae, who smiled back, “Somebody kept me occupied and held me up. Nothing is prepped.”
“I can get rid of him, just say the word.”
“And it’s nice to see you too, Han Yoohyun.” Sung Hyunjae let out a light laugh. “You missed the wonderful spectacle. Han Yoojin defeated me in a Pokémon battle.”
Han Yoohyun stopped mid-step, “What did you just say?”
“My dear Yoojin bested me in a one to one battle.” Sung Hyunjae’s grin widened. “Your hyung is the new Champion.”
“I told you to stop!” Han Yoojin fumed. “I’m not the stupid Champion!”
“But hyung…you beat him,” Han Yoohyun’s eyes widened. “You can officially be the Champion of the League.”
“Not you too.” Han Yoojin groaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He felt a headache forming. “Don’t tell me you’re buying this.”
“Hyung should do what hyung wants,” said Han Yoohyun with hesitation, “but I also acknowledged hyung as a potential champion after what happened in the Transcendent base.”
“Oh Arceus.”
“Don’t worry Yoojin,” Sung Hyunjae gave Han Yoojin a hearty pat on the shoulder. “You won’t have to worry about the formal induction ceremony until Riette is free from community service and the League is reopened.”
Han Yoojin shoved Sung Hyunjae away. “That was not on my list of things to worry about, but now it is.”
“I promise to be there every step of the way,” vowed Sung Hyunjae.
“M-Me too hyung.”
“...You said that there hasn’t been a Champion battle in a long time right?” Han Yoojin asked apprehensively. “So I’m basically a figurehead?”
Han Yoohyun scratched his cheek. “In other words, yes. I suppose you can call it that. But we need a Champion in case of emergencies, and there’s no one else more suitable for the position than you.”
Han Yoojin quietly thought it over. “...I can still run my breeding center right?”
“Of course,” said Sung Hyunjae, “We would never take something as precious as your breeding center away from you.”
“Thank goodness.” Han Yoojin let out a sigh of relief. “I would’ve never forgiven you if you took away my breeding center.”
“So…”
“I guess I’ll give the Champion business a shot.” Han Yoojin said with a nonchalant shrug. “If I don’t have to do anything except a rare battle or signature, it won’t be too bad.”
Han Yoohyun’s eyes widened. “Really? You’ll do it?”
“Yeah yeah, I’ll be your stupid Champion for now. Hopefully Officer Song’s stress levels decrease after this.”
“I think Song Taewon’s stress will only increase,” Sung Hyunjae supplied with a grin. “He will be thrilled with the news.”
Han Yoojin rolled his eyes. “We can deal with that later. Now let’s get inside and start dinner. I want everything to be done by the time Yerim arrives.”
“Of course hyung.”
Along with Han Yoohyun, Han Yoojin walked back into the breeding center while Sung Hyunjae trailed behind. He fondly looked at Han Yoojin’s back and smiled.
“You truly are amazing, Yoojin. I will always choose you over anything else.”