CYOA 2 – To The Victor Go The Spoils – Chapter 40: Old Faces (Patreon)

Last time: Hanzo fought hard and earned himself his last badge!

Warnings/content: Nothing to warn about!

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Hanzo’s teeth are chattering loudly. He feels like he’s never been this cold in his entire life – but he also can’t take his eyes off of his brand new Goodra now that they’re no longer underground and can finally feel the warmth of the sun once again.

The few people living in the tiny town keep flocking closer and closer to watch the commotion going on in front of the gym leader’s home.

They’re quite a sight for sure: a whole team of Pokémon, amongst who are a Gyarados and a shiny Rapidash – and now a Goodra the approximate size of a house, and him in the middle, looking like a nearly drowned rat.

At least he feels like that.

Cassidy comes out of the house with a blanket which he wraps around Hanzo. That makes it a little better but not by much; he really needs to get those clothes off, but first he simply has to admire Alfonse in his new body. The light is shining through the translucent goo that makes up the Pokémon. It drips from his short little arms to the ground and is reabsorbed into his legs.

Every little motion has him jiggling. King seems the most fascinated of them all, touching the Goodra’s body with his nose to watch it wobble around.

“So… uh… why’re you all wet again?” Lúcio asks next to him. He sounds a bit overwhelmed with the situation which Hanzo can’t fault him for, really.

“That’s… a lot to explain,” he replies haltingly. Peering around he looks for Reyes but can’t see him anywhere. He seemed seriously pissed off when they finally got up from that dungeon so Hanzo wouldn’t be worried if he doesn’t even appear again during their stay in Lavender Town. “I’ll tell you later. Right now I just really want to take care of my Pokémon and then take a very hot shower.”

.oOo.

He keeps pulling out his little case of badges to pop it open and just look at them. They’re all perfectly polished; two nice rows that make up eight badges. Every trainer’s dream.

Not many manage to get as far as Hanzo has. Not even Genji made it this far.

He sent him a picture of his badges a few hours ago and got a few shocked looking emojis back, followed by a few that look rather nauseated.

He doesn’t really know what that’s supposed to mean, but it’s so Genji that he can’t help but smirk a little bit. He wonders whether his little brother still likes his own decision and staying with Zenyatta.

Maybe he’s not even there anymore. Who knows. Hanzo did not really see Genji as the type that stayed in one spot – or with one partner – for too long, but then again… he would never have thought that Genji would stop his journey at all in the first place.

People could surprise you.

Not Reyes, though. Just as Hanzo thought, he is nowhere to be seen by the time he and his friends get packing. There’s a perpetual frown on Cole’s face but he does not divulge his thoughts and Hanzo does not ask.

He is preoccupied with himself and the imminent battles in his future.

Would he be able to power through? He has to. His team is downright vibrating with eager anticipation. He lets them have a bit of fun behind Lavender Town where Zeus can swim and the others can do their own thing but they’re mostly close to Hanzo, poking and prodding him and generally being restless.

They want it. Even Alfonse looks like his last evolution has given him a much-needed confidence boost.

Kikuri does not look too thrilled with his newfound height but it turns out soon that he will still be bullied around by the Salazzle so all things are right in her world.

King is uncharacteristically quiet. Focused. Every now and then a burst of energy will have his fire flare up and his feet dancing but all in all he is just staring Hanzo down. Waiting for him to get a move on.

So Hanzo cuts their last day off short and alerts the others that they can get going.

Lúcio turns his music to a very soft murmur that doesn’t manage to echo around the mountain as they begin their trek back into the darkness.

Hanzo finds himself tensing up and while Cole has let his Umbreon back out to light them the way, he lets King back out of his Pokéball for the much brighter flare and the added company.

The even rhythm of his hoofs against the gravelly ground is soothing to Hanzo’s soul. Unlike his usual demeanor, he is not running ahead this time, instead opting to stay within the group, his ears pricked in alertness.

He’s grown quite a bit.

“How is the League?” Hanzo finds himself finally asking. The question has been burning a hole in his chest and he’d been chewing on it for quite a while. He had not wanted to pose it but it just slipped out and now he can’t take it back. He glances toward Cole who finally has lost the earlier frown and is instead now looking thoughtful.

“I dunno if I should say anythin’,” he finally concludes.

“I won’t be angry,” Hanzo tries, though he can tell that it is not Cole fearing him to be mad at an ill-gotten advantage that makes him hesitate.

Cole shakes his head. “It ain’t that. I just think that me tellin’ you anythin’ might just be… dumb in and off itself. Might get too much in your head about it. It’s a scary situation to be in. I know that.”

They fall silent again. For the first time in a long time it hits Hanzo that Cole is the current Champion. That he actually went through all of these hardships before and actually managed to get out on top.

That in the end, if he actually manages to wrestle the Elite 4 down, he will have to fight Cole to try and wrest his title off of him.

He watches him from the side.

“Are you worried?” he asks softly, and when Cole turns to look at him with a frown on his face, he quickly clarifies: “That I will beat you and take the title from you. It’s prestigious, after all. A lot of money is tied to it.”

Cole’s face changes, lightening up, a crooked smile spreading on his mouth that Hanzo has grown very fond of. He reaches over and grasps Hanzo’s hand, entwining their fingers. “You know what? That’s actually the least of my worries. I won’t go easy on ya, but… yeah, I kind of look forward to rest.”

He looks older than he is in that moment, though maybe it’s just the darkness of their surroundings and Hanzo’s mind playing tricks on him.

“What are you worried about, then?”

“Bet he’s worried you’ll drop him like a hot potato once you’re on top,” Lúcio suddenly interrupts from behind them. His voice sounds light-hearted but Hanzo can see by the flinch on Cole’s face that he is spot on.

He can’t help but smirk and comments: “You’re an idiot, you know that?”

He takes the sting of his words with a squeeze of his hand. He doesn’t know whether it helped to alleviate Cole’s worries, but he does seem to relax a little bit beside him.

.oOo.

The trek through Mt. Silver is much longer than Hanzo had anticipated. They spent a good two or three days without any sunlight and while their journey had started more-or-less upbeat, their collective mood has been down for the last few hours of the journey.

It doesn’t help that they have to be alert to their surroundings at all times. Wild Pokémon have accosted them a couple of times, leaving Hanzo hyper-alert of Lúcio and the responsibility he has toward him to bring him to the Pokémon League without a scratch on his body.

King seems to share the sentiment as he has taken to walking very close to the musician, watching over him like a hawk.

Despite the ample cool white light that he’s been giving them throughout their trek through the mountain, once the exit comes into sight, their eyes just don’t want to adjust to the sudden brightness.

Still, their steps become faster and faster until their small collection of humans and Pokémon are flat out running toward the sunlight and fresh air.

Hanzo feels like he has spent much more time inside Mt. Silver than he actually has. Like he’s been down there for years without any real sunlight or a fresh breeze ruffling his hair. For one wild second he expects the outside world to have been razed to the ground, but the reality is the complete opposite:

The Pokémon League is even larger than he had imagined from the photos the public gets to see. It is a huge building looming just far enough that it would not be in danger of any stray rocks falling from the mountain.

Surrounding it is… nothing. Nothing but a sea of beautiful green grass and fragrant little flowers.

“Oh man… I hadn’t really felt like we were going up all that much, but… we’re on a damn plateau, aren’t we?” Lúcio’s voice is trembling from the slew of emotions that Hanzo also feels in that moment.

He peers over to where Lúcio has jerked his chin.

“Why don’tcha go and have a look?” Cassidy suggests mildly. He seems to thoroughly enjoy their reactions. Figures… he’s already used to all of this.

Slowly, Hanzo, Lúcio and the Pokémon make their way through the knee-high vegetation. They don’t need to go all that far to see that indeed there is a sheer drop down.

Hanzo’s heart starts beating faster and while he slows his approach down somewhat, the others go even quicker until they’re so close to the edge that it itches in his fingertips to grab them and pull them back.

Lúcio’s voice as he talks is scratchy, the excitement palpable: “This is insane! We’re so high up! I never would have guessed! It felt only like… like two or three ladders that we climbed? Damn!”

Hanzo lets his gaze wander along the edge of the horizon. Now that he knows how far up they are, it puts the scenery more into perspective. He eventually turns to see Cole standing on the white gravel walk, thumbs hooked into his jeans and slowly rocking on his feet.

He looks good like that. Perfect, even.

Hanzo finds his fingers closing around his phone and lifting it up to take a picture.

He needs to remember this moment for a lifetime.

.oOo.

The inside of the Pokémon League, for as grandiose as it is, is pretty much empty. There is a small Pokémon Center to the left with the Nurse Joy looking up from a magazine in surprise as the large entrance doors slide open for their little group of humans and Pokémon.

“Oh… oh! Three challen- no wait that’s Cole!” She’s beaming and running around the counter to all but throw herself into Cassidy’s arms. “It’s been ages! What have you been up to?”

“Oh, you know… this ‘n that…” he grins crookedly, turning toward the other two with her still in one arm. “Those’re Hanzo and Lúcio. Hanzo’s gonna challenge the League.”

She steps toward them, shaking both their hands with enough enthusiasm to make Hanzo’s shoulder ache.

“Wonderful! Wonderful! The registration desk isn’t here at the moment but I can do that for you! It’ll take a bit to get everything organized, you know? So I think we can start the event earliest like… the day after tomorrow. I’m really sorry for the inconvenience, but I’m sure Cole will let you all sleep in the Champion’s suite. And it’s nice to have some time to get ready, right?”

Hanzo nods slowly, following her back toward her station at the Pokémon Center. He isn’t sure whether to be relieved or annoyed at the delay. On the one hand it means he and his team will be well and truly relaxed by the time they have their fights; on the other it means there’s a lot more time for him to get into his own head.

The mindless babbling of the Nurse is surprisingly calming, though. She does not seem to expect him to answer, just prattling away while pushing a form and a pen toward him. He only listens with one ear to her tales while he fills everything out, the low rumble of Cole’s a nice backdrop as well.

“You can pretty much walk around freely. We got a cafeteria that’s kind of well-visited in the evening? Like the Elite usually go there to eat and sometimes we get visitors from all over the world cause the chef there’s kind of a big deal…”

She trails off, her gaze having become a little odd the longer she’s staring at Hanzo. She taps a finger against her chin, cocking her head from left to right before suddenly continuing in a slow drawl: “Hanzo… Hanzo… you know, your name has been kind of familiar…”

Eyes trailing toward the form on the desk, her mouth opens into a neat little ‘o’ of surprise. “Shimada! Hanzo Shimada! Ooooh… OOoohhh! I’m such a dunce!”

Before Hanzo can ask, she pulls out her phone and starts to furiously type on it. “I got orders, you know! Can’t believe I almost forgot.”

“Wait… orders?” he echoes with a frown, back stiffening a little.

“Yeah! I was ordered to send a message to all the gym leaders once you got here!”

.oOo.

Hanzo has left his team with the Nurse for the evening. While she does seem overly bubbly (and very friendly with Cole), he does not doubt that she knows exactly what a team needs before a fight as important as the Pokémon League gauntlet.

It leaves him feeling quite naked, though, as he steps into the restaurant with Cole and Lúcio. Like he needs his team to defend himself from… nothing, really. There is nothing untoward happening in the area. It is decorated quite posh with gentle classical music playing in the background.

At first he thinks that there is nobody here except the bartender but once his eyes have gotten used to the dim lighting he can make out a few people sitting at different tables.

He’s seen the Elite 4 in pictures in a few articles, of course. They have not been as stingy about their public appearances as Cole has been – but seeing them in person casually enjoying their meals has him suddenly hyper aware about what he is about to do.

He is about to challenge the Pokémon League to assert himself as the region’s most powerful trainer.

Cole puts one big, warm hand on his shoulder and gently steers him toward one of the tables after giving a friendly wave toward the general room. The only person waving back is an older gentleman sitting at one of the large windows and smiling toward them. Siebren de Kuiper.

He seems by far the most amenable of the four. No, wait… there are five people.

Hanzo plops into his seat a little inelegantly as he spies a face that he had not anticipated seeing again so fast: Gabriel Reyes.

He is sitting with another older man with a hard, unsmiling face and a receding hairline which Hanzo recognizes as Jack Morrison; one of the more mysterious members as to what his team might be consisting of.

He has been wondering about him for a while now during the times he thought about the Elite 4 and what strategy he might employ for each one.

Gabriel leans over to Jack who lightly inclines his head to him. They whisper with one another and while none is looking toward Hanzo he just knows they are talking about him. His skin prickles. He takes the menu Lúcio shoves toward him but does not open it; simply holds it in his hands as his eyes wander toward the other two, both sitting in profile to him and paying him no attention at all. Akande Ogundimu and Moira O’Deorain. They have not even lifted their heads from whatever documents it is they have on their respective tables in front of them yet he still has the feeling of some intense animosity directed his way.

Cole sits down next to him and leans far enough into Hanzo’s space that he can smell him; warm and thick and familiar. It’s very much relaxing.

“Don’t let them get to you. They’re all only half as bad as they look.”

Hanzo does not believe him for a moment. His gaze keeps moving toward Moira. She is wearing a sharp suit and her back is straight as a ruler. She looks completely no-nonsense and like she will punish his every misstep with glee.

Even without all the articles under his belt, it would have been easy to pinpoint her as the most dangerous of the four.

He swallows thickly, forcing himself to look away. He subtly nods toward the table with Morrison and Reyes.

“What’s that all about?”

Cole sighs, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Honestly, I thought he might be here. Had been here for a while too. Probably right after you beat him.” He lowers his voice somewhat and Hanzo has to lean toward him to understand his murmur as he continues: “They’re neck-on-neck about the Elite 4, you know. If you ask me, Gabe is holding back purposefully to remain a gym leader.”

Hanzo does not reply. A waiter is coming and taking their orders. He, too, is very familiar and friendly with Cassidy. He must be an absolute pleasure as a Champion; honestly Hanzo… gets it. Cole is easily lovable.

Though that doesn’t mean that he won’t give him a Hell of a fight. If he gets that far.

.o.

They’re only halfway through their meal when the doors to the restaurant fly open and a ruckus breaks out. Hanzo almost chokes on his water when he hears a very familiar voice shout: “D.Va’s in the house! Lock away your girls and boys!”

He turns around to see… yes. Her. Standing there with a huge, shit-eating grin, her hands on her hips. Behind her is… Winston. Looking even less pleased with her entrance than Hanzo feels. In fact, he looks like he’d rather sink into the ground right now.

He’s pulled of his glasses and is furiously cleaning them while studiously staring at the floor. Hoping that Hana will pull all the attention so he can probably slink back into the shadows.

However, she reaches behind herself and grabs his large forearm, pulling him with her into the restaurant.

She’s beaming as if the room doesn’t suddenly feel like the air has been sucked out of it. Hanzo briefly chances a look around only to see very pinched faces staring back at the new arrival – except Sigma who looks positively delighted, standing up to an impressive height and waving at Winston.

The researcher somehow extracts his arm from D.Va’s grasp and hurries toward the old gentleman.

Hana, meanwhile, unperturbed by the general reaction – probably because that is how people usually react to her, Hanzo thinks uncharitably – makes her way over to their table. She’s smiling at him but he feels like the expression on her face is… devious, to say the least.

There’s a certain lack of mirth in her voice as well when she claps her hand onto his back and says a bit too loud and enthusiastic: “What a surprise to meet you here!”

Cole sighs deeply, scratching fingers through his hair as he says: “Don’t bother. The Nurse already let it slip that she’s been contacting you all. You were pretty fast.”

Hana hums. She walks to the only empty chair and throws herself into it, pulling Cole’s plate toward herself but only stabbing at it with a fork without eating.

“Well that’s super sad. But whatever. I kind of extrapolated when you might get here… would’ve been here sooner if I hadn’t had to bully Uncle Winston into getting here.”

Her eyes are not straying from Hanzo for even one second, her grin becoming that of a shark as she croons: “The two of us are going to have So. Much. Fun.”