A/N: This chapter ended up being a little shorter than I expected, but it's harder to flesh out a phone conversation with actions... Regardless, please enjoy 1500 words of Leon teasing his little brother~

Since Hop started on his Gym Challenge, Lee has been making an effort to touch base with him more often. While he hasn't seen Lee in person since the morning of the opening ceremony, Lee's called him a couple of times since then to check in and chat. It's a radical improvement on how often he got to talk to Lee before, and Hop really appreciates getting to talk to his brother regularly – especially now that he's traveling on his own for the first time.

But right now is the absolute worst time that Lee could have picked to call.

He just happens to call Hop right after Schildemilia leaves for the professor's RV, before Hop has even left the swamp where he caught Cramorant. Meaning the memory of Schildemilia's smile is still at the forefront of Hop's mind, and his brother is probably the last person on the planet he wants to know about today's startling realization.

Oh, I am so in love with her right now.

"Hop! Congrats on beating Nessa!" Lee's cheerful voice startles Hop back into the present. "You and Pincurchin were great!"

"Ah, uh…thanks?" Hop stutters. "My battle was yesterday morning, though…"

Lee chuckles. "Yeah? There's not a time limit on when I can congratulate you for winning a Gym Battle."

"I'm just saying. You're late," Hop says, relaxing into the easy banter with his brother. "Thought you were getting better about that?"

"I am!"

"Right," Hop smirks. "And oversleeping the morning of the opening ceremony was…?"

"Progress! I wasn't late to the ceremony itself, was I?"

"Only because you had me to literally drag you to the stadium."

"And I'm grateful for that!" Lee says cheerfully. "So, this is progress, too – even if you are in Motostoke, you haven't fought Kabu yet, so I'm not too late."

"Oh, um… I haven't made it to Motostoke yet."

"No? I thought for sure you'd have gotten there by now," Lee says. "Did you get lost?"

"Of course not! Unlike you, I have an existent sense of direction," Hop says. "I just got a little sidetracked."

"With what?"

"Schildemilia. Uh – I mean, I met Schildemilia. Er, that is, I've met her before, but I ran into her again – n-not literally or anything, but–"

"Ohhh, I see how it is. Schilly, huh?" Lee says. Hop can hear his smirk through the phone. "I like her. She's got my seal of approval."

Hop's cheeks flush pink. "I-it's not like that!" he exclaims. "I was just looking for a Pokémon, and I saw an Arrokuda that I thought might be the one she lost, so I went and found her, and we rescued it together! That's all!"

"That's all, huh? Are you sure?"

"Yes, Lee," Hop says insistently, eternally grateful that Lee can't see how hard he's blushing right now.

Lee hums. "So, what happened? What were you rescuing it from?" he asks curiously.

"It was pretty wild, Lee," Hop says, plopping down on the ground and stretching his legs out in front of him. "Kilo – that's her Arrokuda's nickname – it had gotten gulped up by a wild Cramorant, and we were trying everything we could think of to get it to spit it out. But then, Schildemilia came up with this brilliant idea to have it fight her Raboot so it would attack using Kilo, and then have my Snorlax take the hit instead! And after we rescued Kilo, I managed to catch Cramorant for myself!"

"Brilliant! That's your plan for Kabu, eh?" Lee guesses.

"Bingo! Between Cramorant's Water-typing and Snorlax's Thick Fat ability, I've got this battle with Kabu in the bag," Hop declares.

"I can't wait to see it," Lee says fondly. "And I'm glad to hear that Schilly was able to find one of her missing Pokémon. I can't imagine how upsetting it would be to lose your whole team like that."

"Oh, that reminds me – she wanted to thank you, too," Hop says. "She wouldn't have been able to spread the news about her missing Pokémon if it wasn't for your endorsement."

"Ah, she deserves it," Lee says. "Still, I'm always happy to help young love blossom!" he adds cheekily.

Hop splutters incoherently for a moment. "It's not – she's not in love with me!"

"But you don't deny that you're in love with her, eh?"

He moans and buries his face in his hands. He's sure he's as red as a Tamato Berry by now. "…I think I have a crush on Schildemilia."

Lee barks out a laugh. "Not to say that I told you so, but… I told you so."

"Teaming up with her felt so natural and fun…"

"Aww."

"She said I was like a human Pokédex…"

"Awww."

"She's just so earnest, and smart, and cute…"

"Awwww!"

Hop finally lifts his head out of his hands. "Lee, please shut up. I'm having a serious crisis over here!" he cries.

"My baby brother's got his first crush! I'm happy for you!" Lee says gleefully. "Ooh, I've gotta tell Raihan–"

"No!" Hop yelps, snatching his Rotom Phone out of the air as if that'll somehow stop his brother from calling anyone else. "Lee, you cannot breathe a word about this to anyone, you hear me? Anyone!"

"Not even Mum?" Lee pouts.

"Fine, you can tell Mum," Hop says, exasperated. "But that's it! No one else!"

"What about–"

"No, Lee! This is embarrassing enough as it is. I don't need you making it any worse."

"I'm your big brother! Embarrassing you is my birthright."

"Lee," Hop groans. "Promise me you won't tell anyone else. Please."

"Alright, alright. I promise," Lee says. "Your secret is safe with me."

"Thanks, Lee," Hop says, a tiny smile crossing his face.

"But let me give you a word of advice, brother to brother," Lee says. It's the most serious he's sounded throughout the whole conversation. "If you really like her, you should tell her how you feel sooner rather than later. If you keep putting it off, then…you may never get the chance."

Hop swallows, the sudden mood shift looming heavily over him. "I – I understand."

They fall into a comfortable silence, the only noises around Hop being the gentle trickle of water and Lee's steady breaths on the other end of the phone. He rolls Cramorant's Poké Ball in his hands; he ought to properly introduce it to the rest of his team soon. Before fighting Kabu would be good. He wonders how well it'll get along with Corvisquire. They're both Flying-types, but Corvisquire is incredibly intelligent – smart enough to use tools in the wild, even – while Cramorant…

Lee's voice breaks into the silence and Hop's thoughts. "Can I tell the person who endorsed you?"

"Wh-what?" Hop splutters. "First of all, no. Second of all, you still don't even know who that is!"

"No, but I'm gonna get it out of you someday," Lee vows. "And when I do…"

"If you do, you're not gonna tell them that I have a crush on Schildemilia," Hop interrupts.

"Why do you keep calling her Schildemilia?" Lee asks. "I thought she goes by Schilly."

"Um," Hop says eloquently. His cheeks turn pink again. "Uh, 'cause it's polite? I mean, she never directly told me I could call her Schilly, so I assumed…"

"Huh. She introduced herself to me as Schilly," Lee says. Then he chuckles. "Maybe you should just ask her. I bet she'd appreciate it."

"Really? You think?"

"Sure! Shows you're considerate of how she feels. Girls go crazy for that kind of thing. Or at least, that's what Raihan tells me."

"Well, I'll give it a shot the next time I see her," Hop says.

"You'll probably see her in Motostoke," Lee points out. "Both of you still need to earn Kabu's badge."

"Right! I should get a move on, then!" Hop says, freshly energized. He hops to his feet and pumps his fists in the air. "I'm off to Motostoke!"

"There you go! That's my little bro," Lee says fondly. "Good luck with the battle! Kabu's pretty tough, but I know you can handle him."

"You're gonna watch, right?" Hop says, plucking his phone out of the air as he starts jogging out of the swamp.

"You bet! You've watched all of my matches, so it's only fair that I return the favor," Lee says. "If Oleana gets mad at me because I'm late to a board meeting…I'll manage!"

"Just tell her you got lost trying to find the meeting room," Hop grins. "Knowing you, you probably will."

Lee laughs. "I can't argue with that. Anyways, sounds like you're already on the move, so I'm gonna let you go."

"Yeah, okay! Bye, Lee! Thanks for the advice!"

"Not a problem! Good luck with Kabu and Schilly! Love you!"

"Love you too!'

Hop hangs up the phone and slips it into his pocket without breaking stride. Next stop, Motostoke. He hopes he can get there in time to watch Schildemilia's battle against Kabu. Then, after they've both gotten their Fire Badges, he can talk to her again, maybe even have a battle? That would be fun.

But most of all, he can't wait to see her adorable smile directed at him again.