"Congratulations? But what for? I haven't done anything especially amazing recently..." Hop scratched the back of his head and glared his golden eyes up at the star-dotted sky. "Wait... Are you thinking about what I think you're thinking about?! But how do you know about that, anyway?"

"Well, it was all over my Chatter. I couldn't help but notice it. I wish you my humblest congratulations on this wonderful occasion," Leon said, a goofy smile on his face.

"What do you mean: 'It was all over your Chatter'?! It wasn't. Nobody was there but the four of us, so... you're lying. Definitely." Hop nodded his head. He seemed proud of what he had come up with.

"But, it is all over my Chatter. They're real proud of you. But, if you're really desperate to deny it, li'l bro, I'll give you proof." He fished his Rotom phone out of his pocket. I leaned over his shoulder in intrigue, not knowing what exactly what was going on.

Hop looked onward as well. Leon was on his Chatter account and tapped into the Direct Messages tab. He scrolled to the message that Sonia had sent in the group chat he had made with all the gym leaders in it, as well as Sonia. The reactions were positive from everyone in the group chat, Opal remarking that she was finally allowed to congratulate Bede on getting a boyfriend, since he was so reluctant to tell his grandmother in the first place.

Hop ran up to Leon, snatched the phone out of his hands, and gave it to Bede. Bede put it into his pocket and watched onward as Hop let out his expected anger on his elder brother. He grabbed the man by the sides and, before anyone had a chance to say a word, took his pent-up frustration on his brother. He shook Leon, and shook him hard. I heard the cracking of Leon's back, but Hop wasn't to be deterred. He continued to shake his elder brother, to the point where the man was writhing in the teen's grip.

The twenty-five year old male couldn't stand getting that kind of treatment from his younger brother, so he punched the teen in the stomach. Hop punched him in the jaw, and he began to bleed. Leon was sweating, trying to break out of Hop's grip. He pushed the boy away from him and grabbed an ice pack from his bag, resting it on his jaw. Hop looked at what had resulted from his fight with Leon.

Leon had a black eye and bruises all over his face, as well as a jaw that wouldn't stop bleeding. Hop flinched when he realised what he had done to his elder brother. Golden eyes looked the twenty-five year old up from shirt to hair. Hop shivered.

I patted the teen on the shoulder, who was in an absolute conundrum with how he had treated his elder brother. Bede looked at the blue-haired boy reassuringly. Tears prickled in Hop's golden eyes as he walked over to his brother, ready to apologise to him.

"Lee." Hop croaked out. "I'm so..."

Leon ran over and hugged the teen. "Don't apologise. I'm fine, and it was my fault that this fight broke out, anyway. If I hadn't run me bloody well mouth, this probably wouldn't 'ave happened."

"Mm, but..." Hop frowned. "I really hurt you by shaking you and I'm truly sorry for that." A tear came down from the teen's cheek as he squeezed the life out of his elder brother.

"I swear, Hopscotch. I swear that I'm fine, li'l bro." Leon gave his brother a half-hearted smile in response, his golden eyes gleaming as the sunlight poured into his eyes.

"Huh, didn't know he nicknamed you Hopscotch." Bede smirked and looked at the blue-haired teen. "That's actually quite the endearing and adorable nickname."

Hop's face flushed a bright red, and he glared at Bede before looking back at his elder brother. "I'm sorry. I took it too far. I should 'ave just told you when you were makin' me feel uncomfortable, but..." He sighed, and his shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry!"

"It's okay, Hopscotch. I forgive you," the Battle Tower owner soothed, patting his little brother on the back. "Now, as an apology for keeping you so long, I was thinking of letting you stay the night at the Rose and the Rondelands. Would that make you four happy?"

"Of course it would," Ori murmured under her breath. "But why? That place is bloody well expensive, you know. I'd rather you wouldn't spend that kind of money on us."

"No, it's perfectly fine. I can afford it. A night or two at a fancy hotel didn't hurt anyone," Leon replied, smiling his usual smile.

"Now, I don't see why you shouldn't be taking a flying taxi there. Couldn't hurt based on all the effort you put into walking all the way over here, could it?" Bede teased the Chairman.

"How dare..." Leon began, before realising his lapse in judgement. "I'll have you know that I'VE gotten better with directions!" He proclaimed, sounding like a little kid.

"Nobody'd guess that, based on how long you took to get here from... well, wherever you were," Bede muttered, realising that he had begun to doubt Leon once more.

We eventually ended up calling the Flying Taxi service to take us to the hotel. The sky was tinted a navy blue and stars glowed like lanterns, dotted over the night sky like a connect-the-dots puzzle. Ori's eyes glanced up at the view and she clutched my hand, her other hand petting her Machoke. She'd told me a million times to call the Pokemon 'Ani', but something had made me refuse.

I smiled at her and gripped her hand a bit harder than she was gripping mine. My green eyes darted upward and met hers for a second. She shuffled closer to me, and fell asleep on my shoulder. Poor girl, today was quite the eventful day for her. I clutched her hand tighter, and soon I had also fallen asleep.

I had been shaken awake by an exasperated Bede once we had made it to the hotel. It took a team effort from Leon and I to get Ori awake, but as she blinked her serene brown eyes, I knew it was worth it.

Her gaze fixed on me, we entered the hotel one after the other. We went up the elevator and realised we had three rooms to the four of us.

Bede and Hop could share, and Ori and I could share, so it wasn't much of a problem. What about Leon? He was looking around, seeming lost. He must've realised that being here isn't the same as being at the battle tower. He ended up having his own room, and all of us walked towards our rooms.

"Ani, you tired?" Ori asked the Fighting-type Pokemon, who nodded in response.

"Machoke," the Pokemon said.

Her Machoke was a female...

"Machoke?" The Pokemon looked up at me, scratching the top of her head with a balled fist.

"Ani, you can have your own bed. Marnie and I can share!" Ori offered.

"Choke, Machoke." Ani nodded.

Oh no. Oh no.

My face turned a beet red. Great, I'm in for an awkward night.