(3RD POV)
The room was quiet.
Not because there was nothing happening, but because neither of the two people sitting inside it felt any need to speak.
A large television rested against the far wall, displaying a scene that looked completely ordinary at first glance. The image shifted naturally as Leon moved through the distant Dragon Domain, occasionally showing his battles, conversations, or the strange landscapes he had encountered since arriving in this unfamiliar universe.
Lenora sat comfortably on one side of the room, her attention focused entirely on the screen.
Richard sat beside her with one arm resting against the back of the couch, watching their son with a calm expression.
For several minutes, neither parent said anything.
Then Lenora finally broke the silence.
"So... that is his team so far?"
Richard glanced toward her before returning his attention to the television.
"His partners, yes."
Lenora smiled faintly.
"I suppose calling them a team doesn't quite describe it."
"No."
Richard's gaze shifted toward Saphira.
"Saphira is obviously different from the others."
Lenora nodded.
"She always will be."
Saphira wasn't simply another Pokémon traveling alongside Leon.
She was his soul beast.
Their connection existed on an entirely different level from the relationships Leon could form with Pokémon native to this universe.
Still, Lenora's attention soon shifted toward Princess.
"And then there is the Snivy."
"Princess."
"Yes. Princess."
Lenora watched the small Grass-type moving alongside Leon.
"She certainly wasn't expected."
Richard smiled slightly.
"Neither was Kitsfrost."
Lenora glanced toward him.
"You're pleased with that one."
"I find the circumstances interesting."
"That isn't what I asked."
Richard chuckled.
"Then yes. I'm pleased."
Lenora returned her attention to the television.
"It hasn't even been two days."
Richard nodded.
"Not even close."
"And he's already formed two soul bonds."
Richard's smile widened slightly.
"That is quite a start."
"For anyone."
"Especially considering he hasn't exactly been searching for partners."
Lenora nodded at that.
Leon hadn't entered this universe with a carefully prepared list of Pokémon he intended to acquire.
Princess and Kitsfrost had simply crossed his path.
Circumstances had brought them together, and somewhere along the way, those encounters had become something far more permanent.
Once Leon formed a true soul bond with someone, neither Richard nor Lenora viewed that connection lightly.
Those Pokémon were his partners now.
Strength, distance, hardship, or whatever else waited ahead wouldn't suddenly change that fact.
Saphira's connection to Leon remained deeper because she was his actual soul beast, but that didn't make the bonds he had formed with Princess and Kitsfrost temporary.
Lenora smiled.
"He really doesn't waste time."
"He never has."
Richard's expression softened.
Their son had always possessed an unusual ability to adapt to whatever circumstances were placed in front of him.
Now, he was doing the same thing in an entirely unfamiliar universe.
Lenora's eyes moved between the Pokémon traveling alongside him.
"So, what do you think his final team will look like?"
Richard considered the question.
"That is difficult to say."
"You think he'll keep adding more?"
"I'd be surprised if he didn't."
Lenora laughed softly.
"That wasn't what I meant."
"I know."
Richard watched Leon for another few seconds before continuing.
"Princess and Kitsfrost are already part of his circle. The real question is who else ends up joining them."
Lenora nodded immediately.
"That is what I've been wondering."
Neither of them questioned whether Leon's current partners would remain with him.
There was nothing to question.
A soul bond wasn't something Leon would abandon because he encountered another Pokémon with greater potential.
The bonds themselves made that way of thinking almost meaningless.
What interested his parents was what Leon's growing circle might eventually become.
Lenora rested her chin against her hand.
"And whether one of them will be a Legendary."
Richard's expression changed slightly.
"There it is."
"You've been thinking about it too."
"Of course."
Lenora smiled.
"Not one belonging to some clan or group, though."
Richard nodded.
"That would complicate things."
"And not one that already has a trainer or established partner."
"No."
Their meaning was clear.
They weren't wondering whether Leon would encounter a Legendary Pokémon that already belonged to someone else, served some ancient faction, or existed as an important member of an established group.
They were wondering what would happen if Leon encountered a truly wild Legendary.
One without a trainer.
Without a partner.
Without a group it considered its own.
A Legendary free to make that choice for itself.
Lenora's eyes brightened slightly.
"That would be interesting."
Richard chuckled.
"Interesting is one word for it."
"You don't think he'd try?"
"I think Leon would approach it the same way he approached the others."
Lenora looked toward him.
"Meaning?"
"He'd decide whether he actually liked it first."
Lenora laughed.
"That sounds about right."
Richard smiled.
"And the Legendary would have to decide whether it liked him."
"That might be the harder part."
"For Leon?"
"For the Legendary."
Richard paused.
Then he laughed.
"Fair."
The television continued displaying their son's journey.
Lenora's amusement slowly faded into thoughtfulness.
"If one actually forms a soul bond with him, do you think it'll change?"
Richard glanced toward her.
"The Legendary?"
"Yes."
He didn't answer immediately.
That was the more interesting question.
A normal partnership was one thing.
A soul bond with Leon was another.
His existence was already unusual, even before taking into account everything carried within his soul, bloodline, abilities, and origins.
Richard had no reason to believe a Legendary Pokémon would remain completely unaffected by forming such a connection.
"Probably," Richard eventually said.
Lenora's eyes remained on the television.
"How much?"
"That would depend entirely on the Legendary."
"Species?"
"Species. Strength. Nature. Its own path before meeting Leon."
Richard leaned farther into the couch.
"And whatever compatibility exists between them."
Lenora nodded slowly.
"That is what I'm most curious about."
"Not whether he can capture one?"
"No."
Her answer came immediately.
Richard looked toward her.
Lenora smiled.
"I already know our son well enough to understand that throwing a ball at something powerful isn't the interesting part."
Richard's smile grew.
"The bond is."
"Exactly."
If Leon simply encountered a powerful Legendary and defeated it, that would certainly be impressive by ordinary standards.
But neither Richard nor Lenora cared much about ordinary standards.
They wanted to see what happened if a free Legendary Pokémon willingly chose their son as its partner.
Would Leon's strange soul affect it?
Would the bond draw out something previously dormant?
Would its abilities change?
Would Leon himself change because of the connection?
Or would the effects be something neither parent had considered?
Richard looked increasingly entertained the longer he thought about it.
Lenora noticed immediately.
"You want it to happen."
"I want to observe the results."
"That's a very Richard way of saying yes."
He chuckled.
"I wouldn't force it."
"I know."
Lenora's expression softened as she watched Leon moving across the screen with his companions.
"And neither would he."
Richard nodded.
That was perhaps the most important part.
Whatever Pokémon eventually joined Leon, Legendary or otherwise, Richard didn't expect his son to build his team by simply overpowering anything interesting enough to catch his attention.
Leon valued strength.
But strength alone had never been enough to make him care about someone.
Lenora watched Princess move closer to Leon while Kitsfrost remained nearby.
"He seems comfortable with them already."
"He does."
"And they seem comfortable with him."
Richard smiled faintly.
"The bond helps."
"So does his personality."
Richard looked at her.
Lenora raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"You said that very confidently."
"He is my son."
"He's also mine."
"Yes, but I clearly contributed more of the charming parts."
Richard stared at her for several seconds.
Lenora maintained a completely serious expression.
Then Richard started laughing.
Her expression lasted another moment before she joined him.
The television continued playing throughout their laughter, Leon completely unaware that his parents were watching his every misadventure from home.
Eventually, Lenora settled back against the couch.
"Two soul bonds in less than two days."
Richard nodded.
"One strange Dragon Domain."
"One Fairy Domain."
"A Stellar Legend."
"A Snivy carrying something she definitely shouldn't."
Lenora glanced toward him.
"And he's still only getting started."
Richard's smile slowly widened.
"That is the worrying part."
"The exciting part."
"Both."
They returned their attention to the television.
There was no need to interfere.
There was no need to rush him.
Leon had barely begun exploring this universe, and already his path had become considerably stranger than either parent had expected.
His current partners were only the beginning.
What eventually filled the remaining places beside him was impossible to know.
Perhaps they would be ordinary Pokémon with extraordinary potential.
Perhaps they would be creatures unlike anything this universe normally produced.
Or perhaps, somewhere out there, a wild Legendary with no master, no partner, and no group was wandering along its own path.
And sooner or later...
That path might cross Leon's.