The next morning, Raihan was the first to wake up and started a pot of coffee to have some to take with him to work that morning, but also to have ready for the girls when they woke up. It wasn't long after he started making it, that he heard footsteps of one of them approaching the kitchen. When he turned around, he was greeted by Nic, who was yawning as she entered the room.

She took a seat at the kitchen table and he placed a cup down in front of her. "Morning!" he said to her.

"Oh… thank you. Good morning," she responded, somewhat surprised by him offering her the coffee, though she wasn't complaining!

"I've gotta head out for the day to check on my Gym. With the Chairman in jail and Leon missing, the upcoming Gym Challenge season is most likely going to be put on hold, but most of us Gym Leaders are doing what we can until we know what's going to happen. Our new Champion is young, so no one expects her to know how to handle this kind of situation…" He sighed. Not only was Leon's disappearance hurting Hiki, but it was also causing problems within the League. However, the former Champion's friend along with his fellow Gym Leaders believed that it wasn't entirely fair to put all the blame on Leon. If it weren't for the Chairman's wrong decisions, he would still be the one in charge and be perfectly capable of keeping things running even with Leon not around. In the end it was all just one big complicated mess…

"It sounds like you've all got a lot going on right now… It must be stressful," she responded after taking a sip of the coffee he made.

"We'll get through it! The worst of it is already over…" He sipped his own coffee, then looked down at the small slip of paper he left on the table before she woke up. He pushed it down closer to her. "I wrote my number down for you in case anything would happen with Hiki while I'm out for the day. Give me a call if she might need anything."

Nic's eyebrows raised in surprise. She took the slip of paper in her hands and gazed up at him. He really did care for their friend. Maybe he wasn't nearly as bad as she thought…

Or at least, that's how she thought she felt until he opened his mouth again.

"Or just call if you happen to miss my voice," he teased, flashing a wink at her.

"Alright, alright, don't you have a Gym to get to, mister?" she responded while rolling her eyes. Did he flirt with everyone like this?

He chuckled a bit. "Don't worry, I'm going!" And with that he was out the door.

A few weeks had passed since Nic arrived in Wyndon to spend time with Hiki. One day in particular, the girls decided to take a walk through the city and do a little window shopping… something they did together in Kalos often! Hiki was really starting to enjoy all the different outings she did with her friends to get out of the house!

At one point, Hiki noticed Nic stopping at a little outdoor booth and picking up a brochure to read. She turned around to meet back up with her friend and find out what she was looking at.

"What'cha got there?" she asked.

Nic looked up from what she was reading. "Oh! Just some information on this place I heard about recently. It's called the Isle of Armor! Apparently a lot of skilled trainers have gone there to train themselves and their Pokemon. I thought it would be fun to go sometime!"

The Isle of Armor? Hiki was pretty sure she had heard of it before, possibly from Raihan or Leon when they were younger, but she had never been there herself. She looked over at the booth that was advertising it and noticed a sign. "It looks like they have special classes starting soon. You should go!"

"Huh? I don't need to go right now or anything! I'm here to spend time with you, remember!"

Hiki shrugged. "You've been really wonderful while you've been here, but I'm doing a lot better now! Besides, I know you've been wanting to get out and train with your Pokemon again, so I would hate to keep you from an opportunity like this!"

Nic thought about it for a moment and looked back down at the brochure, then back up at the bluenette. "Why don't you come with me? It could be a lot of fun!"

Hiki's eyes trailed down toward the ground. It did sound like fun, but… she would hate to be away somewhere if Leon happened to return. "That's okay! I'm going to stay here and try to make more plans for my Sanctuary… I appreciate the offer, but you should still go and enjoy yourself!"

After taking a moment to really think it through, Nic smiled. "Alright… I'll make plans to head out tomorrow morning!"

A few nights later, things had gone back to the way they had been just after Leon disappeared, with Hiki and Raihan spending their evenings hanging out and having whatever dinner Raihan picked up on his way to her apartment from his Gym.

Hiki's mood and overall well being had improved greatly since the first day of her boyfriend leaving and the Gym Leader was very thankful. It was nice to know that she was taking better care of herself and not letting everything that had happened get her so down. She still had her moments, and even when she didn't tell him so, he could still sense when she was feeling sad and would do his best to find a way to cheer her up.

Hiki got up to wash the dishes after their meal, when Raihan's Rotom phone floated up in front of him, ringing.

"Hm?" He looked at the device to see that the one who was calling him was… Hiki's friend Nic. Why on earth was she calling him and not her? He looked over at Hiki, who was too busy to notice, then took his phone call into the other room. "Wow… You've only been gone a couple of days and you're already missing me?" he teased as he answered.

"Shut up!" she responded on the other end of the call. "That's not what this is about. I need to talk to you about something important…"

Back in the kitchen, Hiki had just finished cleaning up. She turned around to see Raihan wasn't at the table anymore, but could hear him talking in the other room. She assumed it must have been something relating to the League…

She crouched down to the ground where her Ninetales and Sylveon had both just finished their own meals and pet them both, happily. She was starting to feel more confident about the home made Pokemon food she made for them! Maybe it was something she could use in her Sanctuary when she was able to open it!

Suddenly, Raihan rushed back into the kitchen, startling Hiki out of her current train of thought.

"How soon can you have a bag packed?" he asked, urgently.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Hiki stood and tilted her head in confusion. "Are you okay? What's going on?"

"We are going to the Isle of Armor… tonight."

"What? Rai… I already told Nic I think it would be best for me to stay here right now… I really don't want to leave, just in case-"

He interrupted her. "Nic found Leon."

Hiki gasped softly, her eyes widening. "Y… You're lying…"

Raihan stepped forward to place his hands on her shoulders. "Hiki, after everything I've watched you go through lately, why would I make something like this up? He's there… and he's safe."

Tears filled her eyes as she continued to stare at him in disbelief. He was really okay? She raised her hands to cover her mouth as she started sobbing and almost instantly, Raihan pulled her in for a hug, expecting this sort of reaction out of her.

"Everything is okay… We are going to go see him. I'll help you get packed if you want… but you're not staying behind. I won't let you…" he told her, knowing that because of her nerves, she might try to back out.

"What… if he doesn't want to see me?"

"Hiki… you and I both know that's not true…" He sighed and pulled back from their hug to look her in the eyes. "He loves you… he always has and I know he always will. I don't understand any of his recent actions myself, but I know that the moment you show up, it's going to mean the absolute world to him, especially if he's also going through a rough time."

Hiki wiped her face with her sleeve. It wasn't fair for her to believe she was the only one hurting right then… Leon had been through a lot too, even more than she had. She wanted to be there for him… She wanted to make everything better for him. After taking a deep breath, her eyes shifted back up to her friend. "You're right… I'm sorry for being so selfish."

He chuckled. "I think you have every right to be right now… It's alright."

She took a few steps back and really thought hard about the decision she was about to make. She really did want to go, but maybe rushing into it and going that very moment wasn't the best idea. "I'll go with you… but only if we wait to leave until morning. I want to prepare myself for anything that might happen, no matter what the outcome is."

Raihan smiled softly. "Tomorrow morning it is, then. Make sure you get plenty of rest tonight."