"Epic Hat" by Samuraiter for Crescendo-blaue

[pokemod]

Recipient: crescendo-blaue

Title: Epic Hat

Author: samuraiter

Rating: All Audiences

Verse: Games – Hoenn

Characters / Pairings: Brendan / Steven

Summary: Brendan has used his new crochet skills to make a hat for Steven.

Content Notes: Fluff. Time has advanced, so the characters are older. Special thanks to The Carjack Show for beta duty.

 

* * * *

To be a success as a Trainer in the long term, one had to acquire a raft of new skills, most of them unexpected. Brendan had learned a great deal about things like camping, cooking, fishing, geocaching, orienteering, sewing, and ... crochet. That one had not been a necessity, per se, but he had realized, after picking up a needle and thread and learning how to repair his clothes on the go, that he had a strong appetite for other types of crafting. He had realized, too, that he could make a variety of things, not only for himself, but also for others in the event that he needed a good gift in a pinch.

A scarf for May, his best human friend. Mittens for Blaziken, his best non-human friend. A Pokéball blanket to bring home to his mother. And ... a hat. For Steven. His fiancé. That one promised to be the trickiest. He did not get to see Steven too often, thanks to their equally busy schedules, but they both had a conference of Champions coming up in the Kanto region, and that presented the first chance they had to see each other since they had teamed up on a field trip to the Orre region to investigate a resurgent Team Snagem three months ago. Thus, Brendan wanted to have a gift on hand.

The clerk behind the counter at the arts-and-crafts shop did not seem too bothered to see a full-sized Blaziken helping Brendan to pick out the correct colors of yarn, though she did find the comically large mittens amusing. (In all fairness, in the middle of winter, a fire-type Pokémon needed a little pampering, and Blaziken had been appreciative of both the mittens and regular doses of hot chocolate.) Brendan caught her hiding a giggle behind one hand at least once, but all he did was smile and shake his head. The life of a Trainer was full of little absurdities. What was one more for the road?

"Here it is," he said to Blaziken, finding a shade of purple that he had been at pains to locate after digging through several racks of yarn, "and we've got a day or two to spare, depending on whether or not Pelipper's feeling any better." At that, Blaziken grunted assent. Pelipper had been showing his age, but he still happily served as the quickest possible method for getting from Point A to Point B in a hurry. Sadly, he had come down with a cold after his last flight, and Brendan had lost several days of travel time keeping him medicated, rested, and bundled up in a Heal Ball for safekeeping.

He pulled that Heal Ball from his belt, handing it to Blaziken for a second as he carried his purchases up to the counter, saying, "I guess we'll have to find out, huh?" A sheepish smile. All too often, he had to trust things to chance, but they normally worked out. He was optimistic. It was one of the things that had endeared him to Steven in the first place, not too long after they dealt with Team Aqua and Team Magma. Hard to believe that had happened ten years ago, but time flies when Trainers are having fun. Or saving the world. Sometimes, those two things happened to be one and the same.

* * * *

Steven did not have anything against a conference of Champions, but he had been to so many that they no longer had any lustre to them, setting aside that he enjoyed using them as a good opportunity to catch up with old friends ... and people who were more than friends. He had heard that Brendan might be there, though he did not expect him to be on time, seeing as to how he always got distracted by a task that needed doing or a person who needed helping. That tendency had pulled them both into more journeys and adventures than they could count, and Steven never got tired of it.

Metagross, upon which he had been sitting to collect his thoughts, made a querying whoosh noise, and Steven admitted, shaking his head, "No, no, I'm sure he'll be here. Just because he's not the current Hoenn Champion –" That was Wally, and had been for about three years. "– doesn't mean he'll pass this up. Besides –" He adjusted the silver ring on his right hand. "– it's been a while. I'd say we're about due for a meet-up." Not that he did not enjoy talking to Cynthia and the others, but he and Brendan had been engaged for ages. Their paths had to cross at least once in a great while.

He felt a prickling on the back of his neck, and he sighed, "Uh-oh." Sure enough, there was a big explosion behind the Pokémon League building, and he added, dismounting from Metagross, "I should've known there'd be something like this. I wonder who – ?" Not that it mattered. Rockets, Galactics, Plasmas, Flares – all that mattered to him was that they were there to make trouble, and both he and his compatriots had a duty to put a stop to it. Then, he looked up, and he saw a familiar sight descending, riding in a harness that made his Pelipper look like a parachute with wings and a bill.

"Steven," Brendan called down, digging in his bag, "catch!" He dropped something, and Steven reached up to grab it. It was ... a hat, crocheted together of several different colors, including the same purple as the stone in his engagement ring. It had oversized earflaps. It had a goofy pompom on top. It was suitably epic, if also about as tacky as anything Steven had seen in his day. He could not help but laugh as he put it on his head and turned to face the landing Brendan, fists on hips, grinning fearlessly. His fiancé had arrived just in time, and they both had yet another job to do.

"It's lovely," Steven said, the earflaps bouncing against the sides of his head as he jogged over to Brendan, "and I'll happily make fun of you for it later, but, for now, let's get to work, shall we?" At that, Brendan smirked, narrowing his eyes and nodding. They were at their best when they were accomplishing things together, and there was something to be done, that day. Another explosion sounded behind the Pokémon League building. Trainers were coming out of the woodwork to do what they did best, and that meant they needed their Champions to be there to lead them in battle.

Aside from getting its pompom blown off, the epic hat survived the craziness.

END.