Hongbin is lazily piecing through worn journals, ink faded and pages crackling between his fingers, when the doors to the Pokemon Center fling open. He jumps in his seat, slamming the journals shut in surprise and eyes going wide as a man stumbles through the doors. Togepi is so startled by the noise that it rolls right off the front counter and squeaks as it lands in Hongbin’s lap.

The man rushes up to the counter, stopping so hard against it that a few files blow off onto the floor. His thick blond hair, curly and frizzy, falls messily over his eyes. Teeth dig into the full swell of his bottom lip and his cheeks are flushed red as if he’d just run the whole perimeter of the volcano on Cinnabar Island. He pushes forward five Poke Balls, still panting as he meets Hongbin’s startled gaze. Dedenne emerges from the nest of hair atop the man’s head, giving Hongbin the saddest, teariest little pout he’s ever seen.

“Can you heal up my Pokemon?” the man asks, speaking so fast his words are running over each other. “Please? I’m in a hurry!”

Hongbin kind of dumbly stares up at him, still holding on to Togepi in his lap in a tight grip. Confusion washes over him. It’s not like the Poke Center is particularly busy considering Cinnabar Island has an active volcano and the passenger ships don’t come off the Kanto Region mainland so early in the day, but Hongbin couldn’t even begin to guess why this man is so frantic.

“Y-Yeah,” he stutters, gathering all the Poke Balls and returning the man’s gaze with a resigned sigh. Chansey pops up beside him and Hongbin lays out all the Poke Balls on a tray. Once Chansey has marched off into the back with them, Dedenne gives him an adorable little greeting from the top of the man’s head.

But the man doesn’t say anything. He paces around the lobby enough to burn a hole in the tile flooring (or maybe Hongbin’s just seeing things because it almost looks like there are sparks coming off the soles of his shoes). Dedenne has to whine at him to get his attention after becoming so dizzy it nearly topples off his head. The man then sits down and fidgets restlessly, foot tapping and constantly shifting to sit on his hands so they stop pulling on the loose threads of his hoodie. When Dedenne yells at him, seemingly having had enough, the man starts to distract himself by pulling accessories out of his backpack and trying them on his Pokemon. Just as Dedenne squeaks its approval at a red bow on its ear, Chansey walks back into the lobby with the tray of five healed Pokemon.

Hongbin had been watching it all as if in a strange trance- the man was just too weird to look away. Even Gardevoir couldn’t stop watching.

The man immediately stands, scooping Dedenne up and placing it back in the frizzy nest of his hair. He takes all his Poke Balls from Chansey and briefly nods his head before bursting back out the door.

“Thanks!” he yells out behind him, the sound hardly a whisper of the wind as he’s taken off in a sprint down the road. Hongbin can almost hear Dedenne chirp as the Poke Center falls silent once again.

Hongbin presses his lips into a thin line, looking between his Pokemon. Togepi, Gardevoir, and both Chanseys all look back at him with big, curious eyes. It feels like everything had happened in the span of a minute. Chansey nudges him to snap out of it and Hongbin decides it would be better to put it behind him. He’s dealt with weirder trainers than the one that had come running through the front doors.

He takes out his lunch bag, pulls out a Poke Puff, and gives it to Chansey who preens under his affection. “You did a good job, Chansey, even if he was quite odd.”

Chansey chirps at him, standing on the tips of its toes to nuzzle against Hongbin’s palm. It purrs as he scratches the top of its head.

The Poke Center returns back to its usual quietness, filled with the crackling pages of the journal between Hongbin’s fingers. Togepi is back to playing with its favorite ball or munching on the treats Hongbin had packed this morning. Gardevoir practices some of its psychic moves on the potted plants behind the front desk. The Chanseys play nurse with each other in between taking care of the few Pokemon that come in during the day.

And Hongbin almost forgets about the strange man with Dedenne perched on his head.

 

 

Cinnabar Island is quite a desolate place, in part due to the active volcano on the island. Trainers come by to battle for their Volcano Badge, taking on the Fire Type gym leader Nayoung, but most of them are so strong and smartly battle with their water Pokemon that none of them even stop by the Poke Center. Anyone who makes the journey off the Kanto shore is likely in search of the Pokemon Lab, their desperation keeping them on the one main road to the lab tucked into the side of the volcano.

Hongbin doesn’t mind that the island is so empty. He helps out Nayoung and her trainers at the gym since she’s quite young to have taken it over. He helps tourists who wander into the Poke Center in search of the Lab. He takes care of any emergencies that happen on Seafoam Islands or handles anything that the Poke Center in Pallet Town can’t handle. And when he’s got a lot of time to fill at the Poke Center, he reads through the journals that’ve been scattered around the islands- lost artifacts of the Pokemon Mansion that hold the legends of Mewtwo.

And all his days had passed like this since he’d graduated and had been assigned to the Pokemon Center on Cinnabar Island.

He’s packing away the journals into his backpack at sunset, mindful of their worn bindings and tattered covers. Chansey had just finished healing Nayoung’s Pokemon and the gym leader had gone back on her way home for the day. Gardevoir was holding Togepi as it started drifting off to sleep while Hongbin pilfered through all the reorganized files on his desk for the keys. Just as he’s found his keys, the doors are flung open for the second time that day- hard enough that Hongbin jumps out of his skin and drops his keys.

Unsurprisingly, it’s the same guy from this morning. Hongbin didn’t expect to see him back here, much less with his blond hair somehow even more of a mess than before, but here he is. The man is trudging through the front doors, dragging his wet shoes on the floor with a squelch that makes Hongbin cringe. The noise had woken Togepi up and Gardevoir was struggling to calm it back down.

Dedenne is almost swallowed by the man’s messy hair, but it’s still perched atop his head with a cute smile forming around the sweet in its mouth.

The man puts five Poke Balls on the counter again, but his eyes are sad when Hongbin is close enough to meet his gaze. “Do you mind healing up my Pokemon? Please?”

And Hongbin, unable to deny him even though he was just on his way home, nods slightly and takes the Poke Balls off the counter. Chansey marches forward with the same little tray and takes all the Pokemon back into the healing ward.

A beat of awkward silence passes, the man finally taking a glance around the counter and spotting Hongbin’s backpack all packed up. “I’m sorry,” he murmurs softly, eyes downcast. Dedenne whimpers a little at his words, nosing gently at the man’s head. “You were on your way home, right? Am I keeping you back late? I’m really sorry about that- I’ve been stuck out on Seafoam Islands trying to get back to the Poke Center and I had to wait for someone to give me a ride because I can’t just swim back and my Chinchou-”

“Okay, breathe,” Hongbin interjects, dropping his hand on the man’s shoulder. When it looks like the guy has finally caught his breath, Hongbin gives him a little smile. “Firstly, this is my job, and secondly, this is the third time I’ve actually had to do any work today so maybe I should thank you for keeping me in practice.”

That seems to calm the man down, making the hard line of his shoulders drop with relief. He laughs a little under his breath, eyes curving up prettily as he smiles. “I’m Jaehwan,” he says, pushing his hand forward towards Hongbin. “Oh! And this is Dedenne!” he says, motioning to the little Pokemon on his head, even though it nearly rocks Dedenne off of the nest of his hair.

Hongbin introduces himself and all his Pokemon. Togepi returns with a teary eyed little greeting and Gardevoir chirps with a nod of its head. “What brings you out to Seafoam Islands anyway?” he asks, mindlessly twirling his keys between his fingers.

Jaehwan gets a surge of excitement, slamming his hands down on the front counter so hard that he blows away the files Hongbin had reorganized. He looks sheepish only for a second before this brightly burning fire of desire consumes the darkness in his eyes. “I’m looking for Articuno!” he exclaims, followed by Dedenne’s chirp of approval. Not even his mess of blond hair can cover up the excitement in his gaze.

Hongbin gives him a curious look. He’s heard of the rumors of Articuno hiding in the deepest level of the Seafoam Islands caves- and there have been a fair number of trainers coming to the Poke Center on Cinnabar Island to heal before going off in search of the legendary Pokemon, but no one has been successful yet. Most of the trainers had given up after Articuno had sent them off broken-spirited.

“Well, at least I’m trying to capture Articuno,” Jaehwan adds, physically deflating. “Articuno has defeated me and escaped me twice today. I just barely escaped with enough of my Pokemons’ health to make it back here.”

Hongbin gives a solemn nod, mindlessly twirling his keys around his finger. “You should be careful out there. You won’t survive long if you get stuck on Seafoam Islands and can’t Surf back here.”

Jaehwan presses his lips together, taking the thought into serious consideration. His brows furrow deeply, mouth slowly pulling into a pout, and Hongbin finds it quite adorable. Dedenne pokes his forehead, chirps in his ear, and even sends out a small electric pulse from its tail before Jaehwan’s whole face lights up. He leans against the counter, biting down on his bottom lip and eyes practically sparkling. "I can do it though! I've trained really hard with my Pokemon for this. They may look very cute but they're strong and tough!"

Dedenne chirps excitedly, squeaking loudly and sparking out of its tail. Jaehwan picks Dedenne off his head and coddling it to calm it down. His hand catches the electricity brewing at Dedenne's tail and leaves Jaehwan's fingertips crackling with electricity.

Chansey comes back with the tray of Poke Balls and Jaehwan tucks all his Pokemon into his backpack. He glances back up at Hongbin with this glimmering smile, plump lips pulling up in the cutest grin, effectively nailing Hongbin in place. Jaehwan's dark eyes sparkle brighter than the water during sunset and the stars at night and Hongbin feels his breath stutter. And Jaehwan, who knows he's got Hongbin's attention in his hands, leans even closer over the counter, eager words bouncing off his tongue.

"As a reward, date me when I come back with Articuno, okay?"

And while Hongbin's jaw hits the floor as he's still trying to process it, Jaehwan winks at him and heads back out the doors. He waves back through the glass doors before he runs off with electricity sparking from his feet and Dedenne squeaking from atop his head.

Hongbin flops into his chair, heart thudding and feeling boneless. Chansey reaches up to pet his head and gives him a cheerful and sympathetic little smile.

"Chansey, do you think I could throw myself into the volcano?"

Chansey gives him its usual happy little chirp in reply. Hongbin just sighs, rubbing his eyes until his vision fills with spots.

"I think I'll just keep that as my last resort."

 

 

Hongbin had almost doubted that Jaehwan was serious. It all had felt so ridiculous and unreal that Hongbin had just figured that Jaehwan was joking around to get under his skin. No one had ever been that strange- or stupidly brash- around him before.

Then again, it's not like he'd been around many people with Cinnabar Island being a near desolate wasteland.

But Jaehwan is relentless. He turns up the next day, the day after that, the day after that, and the week after that after adventuring on his own for Articuno. He flings open the doors, startling Hongbin out of his work, and gives him a big, lopsided grin as he leans over the counter. His hair is always in various states of a mess, some days more tame than others and other days it looks as if he'd just suffered an electric shock. The only thing unchanging from each day is the shine in his eyes and the tender attention he has for both his own Pokemon and Hongbin's.

And more than Hongbin would like to admit, Jaehwan is a little admirable for that.

Hongbin had just sent a young trainer off with her healed Wartortle when Jaehwan stops by the Poke Center for the day. It's in the middle of the afternoon, which is quite unusual for him, but at his feet are a train of his Pokemon. Instead of being in their Poke Balls, Raichu, Pikachu, Plusle, Minun, and Dedenne are all marching behind Jaehwan, chirping at each step. They aren't paying attention when Jaehwan stops at the front counter and it's a train wreck of Pokemon all toppling atop each other.

Jaehwan smiles really big and laughs, sitting on his heels and gathering all his Pokemon into a big hug. He rests Dedenne on his head, Plusle and Minun on each of his shoulder, and takes Raichu and Pikachu in each arm. "Hi!" he chirps, setting down Raichu and Pikachu on the counter to open his arms for Togepi, who has taken an extreme liking to him.

Hongbin smiles fondly, watching as Togepi waddles over to Jaehwan and jumps into his chest. He knows how shy and fearful Togepi is, and he's surprised at how it took Jaehwan no time at all to befriend Togepi.

"Not going out to search for Articuno today?" Hongbin asks, putting aside his journals and forward against the counter.

Jaehwan shakes his head, bangs flopping over his eyes. "Nope! I think these cuties deserve a break today. Do you mind if I go make some Pokepuffs in the kitchen?"

Hongbin shakes his head, pointing back towards the kitchen and watching as Jaehwan marches off with electricity sparking from his heels. He's relatively loud as he works, so Hongbin is left playing with Gardevoir while Jaehwan works in the back. Togepi marches back and forth between the kitchen and the lobby, holding up a little candy to Hongbin each time before stuffing it into its mouth. There are a lot of clanging pots and pans, a few moments of clattering metal and sharp cries of pain, but by sunset, Jaehwan's electric Pokemon come running out into the lobby and hop up onto the counter beside Hongbin.

Jaehwan comes through the kitchen doors with a plastic tupperware overfilled with Pokepuffs and Togepi cradled in his arms. "I've made way too many," he says, flushing pink, "would you like some to feed to your Pokemon?"

Hongbin smiles and reaches for the tupperware, taking three in one hand and holding them out to his Chanseys and Gardevoir. "Thanks," he says as his Pokemon take one each from his hand and munch eagerly on the treats. Gardevoir looks especially happy, nodding towards Jaehwan in thanks of the treat. Hongbin looks up to reach for another Pokepuff only to find that Jaehwan had set the container down and was feeding Togepi himself, splitting up the treat into small bites and giving each piece to Togepi.

Honestly, he's touched. Togepi is young and shy and naturally distrustful. It took Hongbin a lot of time to earn Togepi's full trust, but Jaehwan had a natural way with Pokemon; it's evident with his own Pokemon. Jaehwan feeds his little Pokemon, watching them play on their own and carefully picking each one up when they topple over. He shares his attention with his Pikachu and Raichu, giving them big smiles and little praises that make them preen and give him little electric shocks in return.

He's so focused on the Pokemons' affection for Jaehwan that he doesn't realize Jaehwan had been talking to him. His eyes widen and he stares back at Jaehwan questioningly, blushing heavily out of embarrassment.

Jaehwan just chuckles, the sound light and warm. "I said I'm going to head off to the volcano." He tucks the rest of the tupperware of Pokepuffs in his backpack and hikes his backpack up his shoulders. "I think going sightseeing would be a welcomed break for these babies."

All his Pokemon cheer in succession and latch onto his heels.

Hongbin smiles slightly, swallowing back his beating heart. "There's a pretty alcove on the backside of the volcano. No one knows about it since it's very secluded."

Jaehwan scoops up Togepi and hugs it tight, nuzzling it before looking back over at Hongbin with shining eyes. "I'll save it for our first date, okay?"

Despite himself, Hongbin just laughs and accepts Togepi into his arms. He's just a little tongue tied because he has dreamed about going out to the beautiful alcove with lights sparkling along the ceiling and clear blue water lapping against the shore with someone. "Try again when you've got Articuno," he finally settles on saying.

Jaehwan fist pumps the air and cheers not so silently to himself. He plucks Dedenne off his head and cuddles him close. He then takes off in a run with all of his Pokemon trailing behind him. "Next time you see me I'll be dressed up nicely for our date!" he shouts behind him, voice disappearing as the doors shut closed.

Hongbin smiles and holds Togepi close. Togepi reaches up for him, asking to be cuddled.

"He's pretty strange, huh?" he asks, not expecting that Togepi would respond. Togepi chirps at him happily and Charms him.

"I guess you like him though."

All of his Pokemon cheer in response, big smiles on their faces and eyes sparkling like Jaehwan's.

 

 

Hongbin is so caught up between taking notes from the journals and translating some of the old texts that he doesn't notice the commotion brewing outside the Poke Center until Togepi bounces in his lap and yells at him. He chuckles lightly, scooping Togepi into his arms before following the noise to the front doors.

A crowd has gathered outside the center consisting of almost everyone on the island. Most people make way for him when they've realized he's on the fringes of the crowd. He gets pushed to the center, doing his best to protect Togepi as he gets shoved particularly hard. The first thing he spots in the clearing is a girl, defiant in the hard lines of her stance. She stands tall and proud, chest puffed out, and a massive Nidoqueen at her side.

On the other side of the field is Jaehwan, standing with kind smile. Dedenne is perched on his shoulder and his Pikachu is standing firm at his side. His fists are clenched at his side and his eyes are filled with determination.

Beside Hongbin, Nayoung looks over at him with a terse smile before she turns back to the match. "Trainer Mimi of Pallet Town has challenged Trainer Jaehwan of Cerulean City to a battle! Only one Pokemon may be used and no substitutions can be made. Begin!"

There's a roar of cheers as Mimi sends out her Pokemon. "Nidoqueen, let's kick this off with Earthquake!"

Nidoqueen steps forward, exuding power and strength as the ground shakes beneath it. Nidoqueen stomps on the battlefield and the earth trembles, quaking beneath their feet, and immediately falling apart.

Jaehwan smiles even wider, looking down at his Pikachu proudly. "You ready, Pikachu?"

Pikachu cheers in response, cheeks sparking.

"Alright, Pikachu," Jaehwan yells, pointing straight at Nidoqueen, "take to the air and use Thundershock!"

Pikachu launches itself into the air, gracefully completing a flip before curling up and releasing a massive storm of thunderbolts. It's an impressive display of power and strength from a Pokemon as small as Pikachu, and Hongbin can see that Mimi is visibly startled by the attack.

Hongbin himself is in awe. He hadn't even imagined Jaehwan was even this close to being powerful with the way he always trips over his feet into the Poke Center and smiles like trainer fresh on their journey.

Mimi clenches her fist and grits her teeth. "Don't go easy on me, Lee Jaehwan! I've trained hard to take on the best electric trainer in Kanto!"

Jaehwan smiles kindly, eyes curving at the corners. "If you say so," he hums. He opens his eyes and an even brighter fire burns in the darkness.

"Alright, Nidoqueen, use Hyper Beam!" Mimi says, eyes dark with the desire to win. Nidoqueen roars, and begins to in a deep breath.

"Pikachu, dodge it with Bolt Tackle!" Jaehwan yells, cutting off Mimi's attack before Nidoqueen can complete it. Pikachu has already taken off in a dead sprint. Hyper Beam misses with Pikachu's quick evasion. Pikachu slowly picks up speed, sprinting faster and faster until it has a head on collision with Nidoqueen, throwing it back to the edge of the battle field.

Mimi presses her lips into a thin line, trying her hardest to think of her next move. Hongbin knows she has to land at least one hit to slow Pikachu down, that she's at a severe speed disadvantage, but with the way the battle is playing out, it's faring to be harder to land a hit. "Sludge Bomb, Nidoqueen!"

Nidoqueen fires off a storm of mud bombs doused in poison. Pikachu deftly avoids them all and takes up to the air with a mighty leap.

Jaehwan is still smiling, determination sparking off his body. "Pikachu, sprint for its blind spot and use Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu sprints low, keeping itself to the ground until it is just below Nidoqueen's jaw. It bursts forward and aims the Thunderbolt straight at Nidoqueen and hits right on its mark before Nidoqueen has a chance to evade the attack. It staggers back, electricity sparking around its entire body and grunting as it tries to stay standing. 

It was an incredibly powerful attack, one that would've taken out any smaller Pokemon than Nidoqueen, and Mimi knows it. But watching the battle continue makes Hongbin nervous. Jaehwan is much more powerful, even at a type disadvantage, but Mimi hasn't given up yet.

"Nidoqueen, Hidden Power!" Mimi yells. "We've got to end it in one shot!"

Nidoqueen is still sparking, battling paralyzation, but it starts to gather its energy for Sheer Force. Hongbin looks over to Jaehwan to find his eyes wide and his bottom lip caught between his teeth. He hasn't told Pikachu anything, but just like Hongbin, he can tell Mimi is pushing Nidoqueen too hard. Pulling off Hidden Power runs a high risk under paralyzation and Mimi is either being hard-headed or stupid for trying it.

Jaehwan in a breath, just as Nidoqueen has wound up its attack and electricity is crackling furiously around its body. "I forfeit!" he yells, hand raised as he looks over the field and right at Hongbin.

"I said don't go easy on me!" Mimi says, looking fired up and ready to command Nidoqueen to go through with the attack. But there's a particularly sharp electric shock that engulfs Nidoqueen in a bright yellow light. Nidoqueen roars, thrashing under the electricity that brings it to its knees.

Jaehwan is out on the field making a sprint towards Nidoqueen before Nayoung can even officially end the battle.

"Nidoqueen is unable to battle! Trainer Jaehwan wins the match."

Hongbin sprints out onto the field, sitting beside Jaehwan and running a quick physical scan of Nidoqueen. It's the most severe case of Paralysis Hongbin has ever seen, and it had been by just one attack from Pikachu. Jaehwan is fretting over Nidoqueen, quickly pulling out a Cheri Berry and feeding it to Nidoqueen immediately. He doesn't chastise Mimi for doing something so stupid, for not understanding her Pokemon's needs and being too brash, he simply does his work of taking care of Nidoqueen and the stress it had been under from battle.

Hongbin looks over to Mimi who looks utterly devastated. She pets Nidoqueen as the paralysis fades away, murmuring calm words until Nidoqueen at her face until she cheers up. "I really thought I could do it," she whispers, looking over at Jaehwan with tears of frustration and anger in her eyes. "I trained so hard for this and tracked you all the way to Cinnabar Island just to battle you and prove my strength as a Ground Type trainer."

Jaehwan smiles at her softly, tenderly tucking the flyaway strands of her hair back behind her ear. Hongbin watches in admiration and awe as he pets Nidoqueen, feeding it more of the berry. "Type advantage isn't everything," he says, scratching at the base of Nidoqueen's ear and listening to it purr. "You're very strong, but you're still lacking as a trainer. You can't just challenge blind and stay hard-headed. A good trainer is one who pays attention to their Pokemon, knows how to work with their strengths and weaknesses, and knows how to listen when their Pokemon are reaching their limits."

Mimi nods solemnly, taking it all in. She takes a Poke Ball off her hip and taps it to Nidoqueen's leg. "Nidoqueen, return," she sighs, looking sadly at the Poke Ball. "I'm sorry, Nidoqueen. I'll train to be better."

Jaehwan chuckles, ruffling her hair until it's sticking up. "Train harder and challenge me again later, okay?"

Mimi clutches the Poke Ball in her fist, nodding emphatically. "Okay, I will."

Jaehwan turns to look at Hongbin, smiling sweetly and eyes curving prettily. "Do you mind taking Nidoqueen in to heal? I'm still chasing a trail to Articuno."

Hongbin, heart beating heavy and loud in his ears, nods shyly and takes the Poke Ball from Mimi and fumbling with it as he catches the spark in Jaehwan's eyes. He means to say something but his voice is lost somewhere in his chest.

But Jaehwan smiles at him, recalls Pikachu, and starts pushing his way through the slowly dispersing crowd. "I'm still going to keep our promise!"

Hongbin swallows thickly, watching as Jaehwan disappears behind the crowd. He looks down at the Poke Ball in his hand before looking over at Mimi.

"Nurse Hongbin, you're blushing bright pink like your hair!" she teases, poking at Hongbin shyly.

Nayoung comes over to them, leaning in close and taking a good, hard look at Hongbin's face. Her brows have pulled into a frown and she pouts. "What haven't you been telling me, Hongbin?"

Hongbin shies away from both of them, making a quick scramble for Togepi and walking as fast as he can back into the safety of the Poke Center. He keeps his lips pressed tight as he heals up Nidoqueen himself and stays locked in the backroom until Mimi and Nayoung come searching for him. His face is still flushed and they don't let up on their teasing and pestering.

"Hush," he mumbles, handing Nidoqueen's Poke Ball back to Mimi and placing a few berries in her hand. "Run off now as I've still got work to do."

Nayoung bursts out in laughter. "The only work you get here is studying Jaehwan's mouth!"

Hongbin bites back his embarrasment and ruffles Nayoung's head hard for the comment. She's still laughing long after she's left the Pokemon Center with Mimi and has headed back up to the volcano.

Hongbin drops his head on his desk and sighs. Togepi pokes his head and giggles at his slow demise.

 

 

It's been nearly a month and Jaehwan has yet to catch Articuno. He stops by the Pokemon Center almost twice a day to heal, sometimes more to play with Hongbin and whatever Pokemon he's taking care of at the time. Togepi is always excited to see Jaehwan burst through the front doors, almost attempting to launch itself off the counter and right into Jaehwan's arms. And despite the fact that Jaehwan has come back every day with another loss added to the scoreboard, his smile is no less dazzlingly bright as he stumbles over his own feet to greet Hongbin.

And Hongbin is utterly smitten and totally in love because Jaehwan is sweet, funny, kind, and handsome and the spark in his eyes is addictive.

So Hongbin finds it strange when the day comes and goes and he hasn't seen Jaehwan at all. Jaehwan hadn't stopped by in the morning or stopped by in the afternoon to offer Hongbin to go out to eat lunch with him. Not even a peep from Dedenne or Plusle had rung past the front doors from the lobby. He tries to think nothing of it for most of the day, but it's especially hard to keep his mind off of the topic when no one comes in to ask for their Pokemon healed.

He's packing away his journals and searching for the keys when the emergency hotline rings by his files. He ruffles his hair out of a sudden bundle of nerves lodging itself in his throat and picks up the phone.

"Cinnabar Island Pokemon Center, what's your emergency?"

There's a laugh on the other end of the line, melodic and light, and Hongbin knows it's Jaehwan. "Hongbin-ah," Jaehwan sighs, voice crackling over the line. "Could you come get me from Seafoam Islands? Articuno got a good hit on me."

Hongbin swallows thickly, sensing the disappointment in Jaehwan's voice. "Yeah," he murmurs, grabbing keys and tucking them in his pocket. "Wait for me at edge of the island and I'll come fetch you in ten minutes."

Jaehwan is silent for a second too long before he hums and tells Hongbin he'll wait. "It's not like I can go anywhere," he says, attempting to joke around but his voice cracks and Hongbin knows he's not smiling at the end of it.

As soon as Hongbin hangs up, he looks back at Gardevoir and smiles sadly. "Will you come with me, Gardevoir?" he asks, knowing he'll need its steady presence more than anything. Gardevoir nods and floats over to his side, leaning into him comfortingly.

"Chanseys, you take care of Togepi while I'm gone, okay? You can handle anything that comes in," he says looking over firmly at all three of his Pokemon before he shoves a bunch of berries and Revives into his backpack and bursts out the door and takes off in a dead sprint for the edge of Cinnabar Island.

He has access to a small motor boat for these times, so after five minutes of sprinting across the island, he reaches the docks and hops into the boat. Gardevoir unties the ropes holding the boat to the docks and Hongbin jams the keys into the ignition and takes off at full speed for Cinnabar island. It doesn't even take five minutes before he's pulled up to the side of the island in deep waters where Jaehwan sits at the edge, feet dipped in the ocean and staring blankly down into the depths.

"You're awfully glum for getting a ride of a lifetime on a five star private motor boat."

Jaehwan just looks up at him with a sad smile. He stands to slide into his shoes and then hops into the boat.

The ride back is silent. Jaehwan doesn't say a word as they cross the ocean, only looking out distantly and holding one Poke Ball tight in his palms. They trudge back slowly together, not saying a word until Chansey has six Poke Balls on its tray and disappears into the back.

Jaehwan sighs then, looking down at his hands. "Hongbin, do you think I should give up? Have I been too ambitious this time around?"

Hongbin stalls for a moment, shocked to even be hearing Jaehwan look so disappointed and upset. The sad frown on his face is wholly unbefitting. "I knew you were kind of an idiot but I think this is a new level of stupidity for you."

Jaehwan snaps his head up, looking at Hongbin with a mix of shock and mortification, biting down on his lip to stem the embarrassed laugh bubbling in his chest. "You're right. Dumb question."

They stay silent for a while longer until Chansey comes back with one Poke Ball on the tray and five electric Pokemon bustling at its feet. All of Jaehwan's Pokemon take a running start for him and tackle him to the floor, nuzzling into his chest and chirping against his cheeks. For the first time that day he laughs along with them, cuddling them close and praising each one of them.

Dedenne sits right on his chest beneath his nose and Charms him. It sincerely chirps at him, sending a little electric pulse off it's tail as it cheers.

"I'm sorry," he says, looking at Dedenne sincerely before looking at each of his other Pokemon. "I won't give up, okay?"

Satsified, all of his Pokemon simultneously shoot him with electricity, shocking him through his toes to the roots of his hair. Hongbin laughs hard, tears streaming out of his eyes as Jaehwan stands looking burnt and clueless.

Jaehwan ends up laughing along until his cheeks are flushed and his breath stutters audibly.

Just as he's set to leave, Hongbin clears his throat and looks at him gently. "You promised me a date right?"

Jaehwan looks back just a smile takes up his whole face. "You better not back out on me now."

The door shuts behind him as Jaehwan takes off in a run with all of his Pokemon tagging on to his heels. Hongbin just laughs slightly and plops in his chair, reaching for Togepi who was pining for his attention.

"Wouldn't plan on it."

 

 

Hongbin doesn't startle this time as the doors are thrown open, banging against the wall as Jaehwan marches into the Poke Center.

"You know I really don't have the funds to replace those doors if you break them," Hongbin sighs, diligently taking the last of his notes before shoving his journal away and looking up from behind his pink bangs at Jaehwan. "I'm pretty sure those doors are about to come off of the hinges."

But Jaehwan smiles big and bright and leans right up against the counter, putting his face just centimeters from Hongbin's. "I was just so happy to come see you as soon as possible."

Hongbin's heart stutters, pounding against his ribs. He looks up into Jaehwan's bright eyes. "For what?"

Jaehwan steps back from the counter and fishes out a bunch of Poke Balls from his backpack. "Come on out everyone!" he yells, throwing all the balls up into the air. The red light from the Poke Balls opening is almost enough to blind Hongbin, but he looks through the spots of his vision to pick out Raichu, Pikachu, Plusle, Minun, Dedenne, and-

"-Articuno," he murmurs, jaw dropped to the floor. Behind Jaehwan floats the legendary bird, preening under the attention. It chirps pleasantly at Hongbin before pecking at Jaehwan teasingly. Hongbin can't take his eyes off of the legendary Pokemon, caught in a trance of marveling its beauty.

"That's right!" Jaehwan cheers, followed by chorused chirps of all his Pokemon still posing after they'd hopped out of their Poke Balls. "One Articuno finally captured! And you know what that means!"

Jaehwan looks at Hongbin knowingly, biting his lips in anticipation as Hongbin stands from his chair and leans in to kiss the corner of Jaehwan's mouth.

"A date, right?" he says, smiling softly. "It was about time."

Jaehwan just laughs and pulls Hongbin over the counter to plant a proper kiss on his lips. Hongbin doesn't let him go, taking his top lip between his and kissing until their lips are raw and red and their chests are heaving for air.

"Thanks for believing in me," Jaehwan mumbles, flushed pink at his ears and eyes catching Hongbin's lips.

Hongbin smiles and kisses Jaehwan again.

---

Notes about this part:

* Cinnabar Island in home to the Pokemon Lab where people can supposedly come with the remains of their Pokemon and revive them. It also contains journals scattered around the island that tell the legend of Mewtwo back in the Pokemon Mansion (the same city where the nbin pokemon au took place). 
* Later in the series, the volcano on Cinnabar Island explodes, ruining the island, and everything gets relocated to Seafoam Islands. This takes place before that happens.
* Yes if you haven't caught on yet all of the side characters are from Gugudan xD
* Jaehwan is from Cerulean City; in the game, if you travel the route out of town you'll find a power plant that houses the legendary electric pokemon Zapdos