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The realization that the Battle Tower needed another level of difficulty struck Leon as he sat in his office late one evening.
He chewed on the tip of his pen, staring at the tier sheets across his desk. The goal of trainers being able to raise their ranking for awards, Dynamaxing, and the opportunity to battle Leon himself was already appealing to the masses. The higher the rank, the more complex the Battle Tower trainers- all hand-picked by Leon- for challengers to face. However, more than that might be needed for everyone. Ace trainers or veterans might expect battles to push them, testing their strength and knowledge.
Something else was needed to meet those demands.
Leon sighed as he leaned back in his chair, dragging his fingers through his hair. He was stumped on that. Between cleaning up the mess Rose left behind over the last four months, figuring out the logistics of the Galarian Pokemon League, and trying to connect again with Hop, his mind was out of juice. He’d need to double the time he had left before announcing the Battle Tower ready for everyone.
…..Wait.
Jolting up in his seat, Leon quickly pulled his keyboard towards him and rapidly typed in ‘battle facility double battles.’
Immediately, the search results flooded with articles, images, and clips featuring double battling options in most other battle facilities. The most noticeable ones were the Battle Subway and the Battle Maison, both having their own doubles masters. They were worthy challenges for trainers who took them on because of their skill in balancing their Pokemon on the field, whereas most people struggled.
“Double master, huh?” Leon hummed as he dug out his phone. He wasn’t an expert at double battles, but he knew someone who was .
The melody of harsh sand whipping in the wind greeted Leon before Raihan’s voice did. “Hey Leon! How’s it goin’?”
“Raihan, hi!” Leon responded cheerfully, eyes skimming over an article mentioning the Battle Tree- by the Kings, Battle Legends Blue did the double battles?! Raihan would be jealous of that. “Listen, I was wondering if you could swing by the Battle Tower tomorrow? I need some help with some training.”
“Let me check my schedule-” As Raihan’s voice faded away, Leon distantly heard the screech of Flygon in the background. Gigalith's Rock Blast soon followed. Battling his rival for so many years honed Leon in on what his Pokemon’s moves sounded like. “Yeah, I can come by tomorrow around five. That's good?”
“Perfect!” Leon grinned brightly. “And remember to bring your Pokemon!”
“As if I would forget!” Raihan laughed so loudly that he knew his fangs were showing, even if Leon couldn’t see him. “I must remind you who has the best Pokemon between us!”
Leon rolled his eyes as he shut off his computer. “Oh, please. You might have more dragons than I do, but we both know that when it comes to my Pokemon, they’re the best in Galar!” He teased, grabbing his satchel from under his desk.
“Guess we’re going to see who has the better team when we see each other tomorrow.” Raihan chuckled. “Ya better be ready, Leon. I don’t train easily.”
“Oh, trust me,” Leon replied, flicking the lights off in his office. “I’m counting on that.”
When Raihan met him the next day in the lobby of the Battle Tower at 5pm sharp, the first words out of his mouth were, “I will admit, I did not expect that coat and those jodhpurs to look that good on you,” startling Leon into laughing. “Kinda reminds me of Dragapult.”
“Ah, thanks! It’s just one of the color sets I’ve been testing for the Battle Tower. I’m leaning more toward this red version I got, though. Might save this one for more special occasions.” Leon chuckled, tipping back the cap he currently had on. White to match the coat he was wearing.
Raihan smirked, his snaggletooth peeking out. “Like a wedding?”
“Oh, shut up!” Leon chuckled, lightly swatting at his rival’s arm as he turned to the private elevator reserved for employees. It was a more direct route to the top than the public one. The two men stepped inside, and Leon pressed the button for the top floor.
As the elevator rose higher and higher, Leon glanced over at Raihan, who cleared his throat.
“So, what sort of training were you thinking of? You didn’t say much before having to hang up last night.” He asked.
“Ah, well,” Leon rubbed the back of his neck, chuckling a bit. “I was looking up another option to add to the Battle Tower before it opened since it lacks another difficulty level for older trainers or those who want to test themselves. A lot of other battle facilities offer double battling, which I haven’t done in years, but I figured it could work with all of the space at–”
“Wait—wait one minute.” Raihan turned to face him, and Leon clamped his mouth shut. “Leon, are you saying if I were to challenge you to a doubles battle right here, I’d win?”
“...Yes?” Leon replied with a Marsheepish grin, shrugging his shoulders. “I would still give you a run for your money!”
Raihan stared at him until Leon felt like sweating under that cyan glaze. The taller man finally turned away with an amused huff that morphed into a snicker. “Okay, as soon as your skills are up to my standards, we’re having a doubles battle so I can score a win against you.”
“Score a- oi!” Leon cackled, gently whapping his hand against Raihan’s arm. “What makes you think it will still be that easy to win against me?”
“The best doubles expert in Galar, that’s who.” Raihan shot back.
“Raihan. You’re nearly the only doubles expert in Galar.”
“Pretty much!”
“Arceus-” Leon rolled his eyes, letting out a fond, if a bit exasperated, huff.
The elevator finally stopped, and the two stepped out to the large dome, allowing one to see almost all of Wyndon in full glory. For a long time, Leon had always imagined this place as a king’s throne to look down at his subjects. Now, it felt more like a central point for the world to look up to. It was a bit daunting, especially with the unsteady horizon around the corner, but no less exciting.
“I’m surprised you didn’t bring Red with you. There’s so much space up here for her.” Raihan hummed, turning in a small circle to look around the massive observation deck. He stopped to stand straight and face Leon, still looking pretty lax.
Leon chuckled as he unclipped Astral and Destiny’s Pokeballs from his belt. “Oh, I thought about it, but she refuses to leave her eggs alone. So, she’ll just have to catch up later.” With a flick of the wrist, he released his Pokemon from their Pokeballs.
Astral let out that deep, guttural purr that rattled Leon’s bones as the Dragapult emerged. His Dreepies chirped from their places within his horns. Destiny clanked his shield along the floor, the Aegislash narrowing his singular eye at Raihan competitively.
“Going ghost today, huh?” Raihan smirked, taking his Pokeballs from his hoodie. “Fine by me!” He tossed them up in the air, and with a roar, his Duraladon and Flygon landed at his sides.
“Why am I not surprised you went with Arthur and Lancelot?” Leon scoffed, arching a brow.
Raihan shrugged as his Pokemon lumbered ahead to get into position. “Hey, if there’s any Pokemon I trust to help me with a newbie, it will be them.” He smirked.
Leon sputtered at being called a ‘newbie.’ Oh, Raihan was going to get it! Leon's Pokemon strove ahead as if sensing their trainer's competitive spirit rising.
“Let’s ensure we don’t knock each other out before you learn anything!” Raihan cackled before dropping down to his signature clawed pose.
“Sandstorm!”
Lancelot screeched as the Flygon soared into the sky, wings beating more furiously. The dome was filled with sharp, harsh sand that nearly blurred Leon’s vision. Destiny and Arthur, both being part steel, were unphased. Astral, however, growled in discomfort at the sand striking his scales. The Dreepies chirped in dismay, burrowing themselves further into their hiding places as cover.
“Going straight for a classic, huh?” Leon shouted over the roar of the storm. “Destiny, Astral, Shadow Ball! Go for each opponent!”
Both ghosts shrieked as their orbs of bone-chilling energy formed before launching them at Arthur and Lancelot. The moves dealt neutral damage, but they had a lot of power that should give Leon a headstart.
Raihan’s mischievous smirk reminded Leon of Piers when he plotted trouble. “Duck and cover, Lancelot! Arthur, Stone Edge!”
To Leon’s surprise, Lancelot turned and flew to land behind Arthur, crouching low. He might have avoided Astral’s Shadow Ball, but the recoil from Destiny’s attack would surely knock Arthur back against him.
Ragged, pointed stones busted from the ground in front of the dragons just in time to withstand the brunt of Shadow Ball. Giant dust clouds billowed from the blow, mixing with the sandstorm.
Raihan’s laughter could be heard over the sandstorm. “Been working on that one!”
As the stones subsided, Leon’s heart skipped a beat. Lancelot wasn’t behind Arthur anymore. The Flygon was slow in the open but in his element?
Feminine singing began somewhere in the storm. A chill went up Leon’s spine that had nothing to do with the ghosts he was commanding.
“Destiny, King’s Shield! Astral-”
The green blur shot through the sandstorm and slammed into Astral faster than Leon’s tongue could work. A roar of agitation came from the Dragapult as his back struck the newly formed protective barrier around Destiny, the Aegislash making a clunking noise of surprise.
“Crunch!”
Glimmering dark energy formed over the fangs in Lancelot’s jaws, growing in length and doubling in size. With an aggressive hiss, he clamped those dark fangs over Astral’s shoulder. The Dragapult’s roar of pain sent a shudder through Leon’s core.
“Astral, Dragon Breath! Get Lancelot off!”
Snarling in response, the Dragapult opened his mouth, and royal purple energy blasted out of it. Lancelot screeched as it hit him directly in the chest, knocking the Flygon off as intended. Hissing, Lancelot hovered in the air, his wings beating so fast they were practically a blur. Astral growled in response, his fading tail lashing.
The chuckle he heard from Raihan immediately tore Leon’s gaze from the two dragons to see what his rival found so funny. “You’re leaving your other Pokemon exposed, Lee,” Raihan smirked, his icy gaze flicking over to where Arthur was facing Destiny—just as the barrier of King’s Shield was fading away, leaving the Aeigislash exposed, as Raihan said.
Too focused on Astral, Leon neglected Destiny.
“Iron Head!”
Arthur roared in confirmation, shining silver energy settling over his body before he burst forward. Duraladons were always impressively fast.
Leon had to think fast-
“Counter it with a Scared Sword!”
Destiny barely switched into his offensive stance on time. Leon swore that he saw sweat form over the ghost’s metastatic body.
The noise that followed as the two moves collided was akin to shredding steel, which would have made any newbie trainer roll over in pain. It was more comforting to Leon to hear that sound, followed by Arthur’s groan of pain. The Duralodon pushed back from the recoil of the super-effective attack, striking him head-on.
“Keep going, Destiny!” Leon instructed, sweeping his hand out. “Sacred Sword, again!”
Leon could see Raihan’s eyes gleaming with mirth through the raging sand. “Strike with Dragon Claw!”
Leon was expecting the counter against Destiny and Arthur to happen again. With the dragon-type energy covering Arthur’s claws, the Duraladon would be more protected from the recoil damage than the steel-type move he used before. In his opinion, the clash of orange and purple was quite beautiful amidst the flying sand.
He was not expecting the cry of pain from Astral somewhere out of sight. Leon whipped his head just in time to see the Dragapult crash into the ground, Lancelot hovering over him with his claws still glowing in residual purple energy.
“Astral! Astral, get up!” Panic laced Leon’s voice.
A groan echoed from Astral as he tried to follow his trainer’s command, his Dreepies chirping frantically. Leon’s heart pounded as he whipped his head back and forth between Astral and Destiny. The latter was still waiting for another command but worriedly looking at Astral. By the Kings, which one did he focus on more?
Destiny could hold his own against Arthur with the type of advantage his moves had and his higher defense. Astral had more wins against Lancelot, often being Leon’s go-to against Raihan’s second-best Pokemon, but the sandstorm was chipping away at his health.
Leon’s heart skipped a beat as Lancelot loomed over Astral, the Flygon hissing slowly in warning. He didn’t have much time; he had to make a decision; Leon couldn’t let his Pokemon get hurt; he had to move, speak, bloody think-
“Heel!”
In an instant, Lancelot quieted himself and landed on the ground, wings folding against his back. From the corner of his eyes, Leon’s frazzled brain picked up how Arthur stood to attention, body relaxing.
Blinking out of his stupor, Leon snapped his gaze over to Raihan. His rival was no longer in his crouched position. He stood straight and lax, hands in his hoodie pockets.
“I saw enough to know what we need to work on. No point in beating up your Pokemon for it.” Raihan explained as he pulled out Arthur and Lancelot’s Pokeballs and returned the two. A breathless snort slipped from Leon at how Raihan nuzzled the Pokeballs before pocketing them. Honestly, he took after his type of specialty.
Without Lancelot around to power the sandstorm, the air began to clear as the magnified particles disappeared.
Walking over to Astral, Leon squatted down next to the Dragapult. Destiny joined them. The ghostly sword made a sound akin to scratching metal as he hovered over Astral, his single eye furrowed in deep concern.
“You did a good job, you two,” Leon said as he scratched under Astral’s chin. He earned himself a grumbling purr that vibrated down to his soul. The Dreepies chirped from their spots, their noodly bodies wiggling at the indirect praise. “Take it easy, alright?” He said as he returned the ghosts to their Pokeballs. He stayed there momentarily, looking at the ultra balls in his hands before sighing and standing up. Raihan walked over to him, and Leon offered him a wobbly smile to mask his shame.
“Not that great of a start, huh?” He chuckled quietly. He had really made a fool out of himself within minutes.
Raihan blinked, looking taken back. “What? No, Leon!” He shook his head in disbelief. “That was a fantastic first start!”
“It was?” Leon gawked. “I could barely keep track of both of your Pokemon!”
Raihan chuckled, light and easy. “Yeah, but it’s okay. You spend ten years doing single battles and nothing else. Your Pokemon are strong enough to get through a doubles match. They just need some time to learn the format and corporate.” He playfully bumped his knuckles against Leon’s shoulder. “Doubles are about teamwork. Your Pokemon should balance each other, support their strengths, and cover their weaknesses. It’s a difficult format for people to learn because they’re so used to building up each Pokemon’s strength for one-on-one matches.”
Leon nodded along to the information, weakly smiling at the end. “Like I did with mine, huh?” He chuckled.
Raihan nodded, adjusting his headband. “Yeah, but you’ll get there eventually. You already demonstrated that when you told Astral and Destiny to attack Arthur and Lancelot separately instead of the same Pokemon.” Raihan explained. He glanced down at where his Pokeballs were and looked up with a sheepish frown. “Hey, do you have spare potions on you? Just wanna heal up them from the blows they did take.”
Oh, right! Astral definitely needed some healing, too, after the blows he took from Lancelot. “I had a Nurse Joy-certified healing machine installed up here so my Pokemon could be healed between matches.” He explained as he turned on his heel, gesturing for his rival to follow. “Also, on each tower floor, challengers can heal their Pokemon before continuing.”
“Oohhhh, smart.” Raihan said as he followed. “Heard that other battle facilities do that, too. Are you going to implant the level adjustment ball seals, too?” He asked as the two trainers stopped in front of the healing machine.
“Yeah,” Leon answered as he placed his Pokeballs within the slots, stepping to the side so Raihan could do the same. “Everyone who battles will have their Pokemon set to level fifty, no matter what the Pokemon is.”
Raihan raised a brow at the information. “Even if the Pokemon are Legendaries or Mythicals?”
Leon snorted, shaking his head fondly. “Including them, although I doubt I’ll see any here.”
Neither of them brought up Eternatus.
The digital screen connected to the healing machine lit up on the wall above it. The images of the Pokemon within their Pokeballs appeared one by one, showing they were connected. When Astral’s image appeared on the screen, Raihan spoke up again.
“Astral still remembers Dragon Darts, right?”
Tearing his gaze away from the screen, Leon arched a brow at his rival. “Yes, he does.”
“I recommend adding it back to his active move set for double battles,” Raihan said, gesturing towards the Pokemon screen. “In double battles, the move can hit both opposing Pokemon simultaneously. You have a better chance at knocking one of the other Pokemon out if your second Pokemon attacks it next.”
“That... makes a lot of sense,” Leon cupped his chin as he thought. It had been years since Astral used Dragon Darts outside a singles match, but Leon could visualize it. His speed and the force the Dreepies could fire out from his horns meant the attack would strike before any other opposing Pokemon could. “Plus, I’m sure the Dreepies would be happy with being launched.”
Another thought came to mind: “What about switching up other moves from Astral’s current move set? And for my other Pokemon? People have been watching my team for years.” Indeed, there were fans out there who had memorized the type of moves Leon’s Pokemon knew and his older strategies. They would know what to expect if they came to the Battle Tower for a chance to battle Leon. He couldn’t let them think it would be that easy to beat him.
“That would be genius!” Raihan’s eyes lit up as if he heard an interesting new fact about dragons or history. “Mixing different moves and items would give challenges a run for their money! On top of the doubles, you’d make everyone second guess their strategies!”
Leon laughed shyly, taking his cap off to run a hand over his hair. “It matters most as long as everyone enjoys the battle. I don’t hold back for anyone, so I must improve, too.”
“And you sure will!” Raihan slung an arm over Leon’s shoulders. “You’re one of the fastest learners I know. You’ll be acing doubles within a week!”
Leon ducked his face, feeling his cheeks warm at the praise. “With your help, I don’t doubt that. You’re just as good at teaching as I am at learning… If you can stop by to continue helping me train, of course.” He spoke slyly, lifting his face to Raihan's gaze.
“Hmm…” Raihan pretended to think about it, tapping a finger along his chin. “I think I’ll be able to fit you into my schedule. Fridays are usually when I'm free.”
“Yeah, that could work. Oleana tends to take over most of the paperwork on those days. We can meet again next week to discuss more strategies and training?”
Raihan grinned at that as he pulled away, clasping his hands behind his head. "I'm sure I can fit you in as long as you promise to fit dinner somewhere there."
“Deal.”
A comfortable silence washed over the two as they waited for their Pokemon to heal. Shifting their stances, unfocused eyes darting around, and fingers flexing and unflexing at their sides.
Raihan cleared his throat, breaking the silence. “So… you brought a full team of six, right? Besides your Aeigislash and Dragapult?”
“I did.” Leon arched a brow at Raihan, a coy smile lifting the corners of his lips. “You didn’t just bring your Duraladon and Flygon, right?”
“Of course I didn’t!” Raihan cackled, eyes gleaming with that fiery competition that Leon could never tire of. When the machine finally let out that musical chime, letting the trainers know that their Pokemon were fully healed, Raihan grabbed his first, turning to Leon with a full-fanged smile. “Loser pays for dinner afterward?”
Leon laughed as he grabbed his warming Pokeballs; his Pokemon sensed his excitement rising. “You’re on, dragon boy!”
In the end, Leon won.
As he walked over to Raihan to give him the congratulatory handshake for a hard battle and join his selfie, his mind drifted to the possibility of doing this with so many future challengers once the Battle Tower opened. So many strategies, so many Pokemon, so many battles.
He couldn’t wait.