"... and that's why it's going to be the best," Hop exclaimed. He kicked his feet in the air, slamming his back into the ground once more. Isabella laughed, lying her head down next to his on his rug. She loved spending time with him, especially considering his mom let them have privacy in his room. She turned her head to face him and he did the same. His amber eyes met her emerald orbs, and they grinned in glee. "Izzy, you should come with me."

Her eyebrows rose in shock and she took her head back a few centimeters. "Come with you..? On your challenge?" Hop nodded with vigor. "Oh, Hop, I don't know…"

Hop rolled onto his side and placed his hand on her arm, pulling her to hers. They were centimeters from each other. "Come on, it'll be so much fun! We could go to new places, see new Pokemon, meet new people, try new food..!"

He was grinning from ear to ear. She could see the sincerity in his eyes. "You're my best friend. I don't want to do this alone. I want you there," he insisted. "Not just me either! Right, Wooloo?"

As he said that, he turned his head upright to catch his partner's eyes. Wooloo gave a triumphant "baa!" sound in response. Isabella smiled.

"I don't know, Hop," she mumbled. "I mean. I'm not doing the challenge. I don't train my Pokemon. And what if I end up just getting in the way?"

Hop heaved an irritated sigh and pulled himself upright. "Izzy, when have you ever gotten in my way where I haven't just pushed you out of the way?" She laughed, sitting up with him.

"I mean. You're right."

He smiled at her in a genuine manner. Her Growlithe, Ruby, gave a soft bark as she pawed at Wooloo before walking over to Isabella and crawling into her lap. Isabella began to pet through her rough fur and massage Ruby's back. Ruby let out what appeared to be an attempt at a purr but wound up being more of a burp. Hop chuckled and then said, "I don't like being alone. And I'm sure I'd make new friends doing the gym challenge but.. I don't know. I think it would be good for us. Postwick is great but we're meant for something bigger than this place." He looked around his room, glancing at the posters on the walls.

"This was never going to be it for me," he laughed. With determined eyes, he met hers once more. "And you're way too smart to be cooped up in this small town. You deserve the adventure and getting to use all the skills you've learned." Isabella grinned and looked down, avoiding his eyes. She could feel the heat on her cheeks.

"Hop, stop. You're being sweet and it's weird," she laughed. He laughed harshly and pushed her onto the ground. Isabella began laughing and attempting to fight him off. They began rolling around on the ground as Wooloo began to cry out and Ruby began barking. Their ruckus erupted into a playful war back and forth. Ruby and Wooloo began to chase each other around the room, excited by the play fighting. From the other room, Rami came running in, holding an apple in his hands. Hop overpowered Isabella with a grunt and pinned her to the ground. He let out a triumphant laugh and she attempted to throw him off, giggling up a storm. Rami furrowed his brow and stomped one foot on the ground. He threw the apple at Hop's head, crying out with an agitated, "Aahx!"

"Hey!" Hop yelled out with a pained grimace, rubbing his head as the apple fell to the ground with a soft thud. Rami let out a gruff breath and stomped his foot at Hop again. This time, he leaned forward as if showcasing his bravado.

"Aax!"

Hop glared at Rami. "What?! I didn't even do anything!"

Faint footsteps sounded on the stairs as Rami stomped into the room. Hop's mom, Eleanora, turned the corner. She looked down to see Hop pinning Isabella against the carpet. She chuckled.

"Hop, that is certainly no way to treat a lady," she scolded. Hop flushed, throwing himself off of his friend and onto the ground behind him. Rami let out a proud, "Axew Ax!" Eleanora smiled.

"And of course, we have our mighty warrior to thank, don't we?" she reassured Rami. He turned around and grinned.

"Axew!" Eleanora chuckled before meeting Izzy's upside down glance.

"Come now, Izzy. Why don't you help me finish up the cooking? My boys can hang the rest of the decorations for the party. Your mom should be bringing over the rest later today," she tittered. Isabella beamed and leaned upright.

"Sure thing, mum," she cooed. Isabella met Hop's embarrassed eyes. "I'll think about what you said, alright?"

Hop nodded with a small smile. She could read the emotion behind that smile. She could tell that it was on his mind for awhile. At least cooking with his mom would help her think through things.

About two to three hours later, the cooking was almost finished. Isabella had a wonderful time cooking with Hop and Leon's mom. She spent a lot of time with them. Her and her mother both spent a lot of time with the Dandel's. They welcomed them immediately when they moved in. They brought them homemade curry on their first night in their house and helped them move their furniture and boxes in. Well, what little they had. Hop's grandfather built Isabella's bed. All she had was Ruby and her necklace from her father before he died. It was rough for her to leave everything behind but it was harder for them to stay after everything.

Isabella looked up from the curry she was stirring and out the kitchen window. Leon and Hop were hanging lanterns along the branches. Some of the professors assistants were here helping out, bringing side dishes. A bunch of the other residents from up the road were here, too. She loved being with them all. It was unlike the hospitality she had from Johto.

Leon jumped down off the bench he was standing on and put Hop immediately into a headlock. They immediately began wrestling around, which amused those around. Leon began laughing as Hop thrashed about, trying to wiggle out of his grip. Hop then, with ease, shoved his shoulder in front of Leon and grabbed his knee and pulled it forward, taking them both to the ground. Leon and Hop let go of each other, exploding with laughter. Leon's friend from the League, Chris, walked over, shook his head in dismay, and offered a hand to get them up. Isabella chuckled at the display. They were always roughhousing when they had a chance. Hop looked at his big brother and shook his head with a smile, waving a dismissive hand at him before walking over to his Wooloo. He bent down to him, giving him a soft pat before putting a tiny blue party hat on him. Wooloo cheered and began running around the party area, seeming to find anyone else to play with him. Leon beamed at his younger brother before scanning the area. His eyes fell on the kitchen window and he caught Isabella's eyes.

She jumped, alarmed that he could see her through the window with the sun beginning to set. He offered her a small wave to which she reciprocated. He grinned from ear to ear at her and beckoned for her to join him outside. She grinned but shook her head and pointed down to the large pot of curry. He drooped his shoulders down in an exaggerated fashion. Leon then waved his hands dismissively about the curry and beckoned as extravagantly as he could for her to come outside. People were glancing at him. Isabella laughed without the intention of catching Eleanora's notice. Leon seemed to be making a fool out of himself. Isabella exaggerated her head shake even more so at Leon, still giggling at the interaction. Eleanora glanced between the two. Leon folded his arms across his chest and dropped his head, frowning and doing his best to look as sad as he could. Isabella rolled her eyes at him with a grin, shook her head, and continued to stir the curry. Eleanora gave a knowing smile and approached Isabella. She placed a hand on the large wooden spoon in her hand, startling the young woman.

"Why don't you go get dressed?" she insisted. "This is almost ready. And it looks like someone wants you out and about." Eleanora nudged her head in Leon's direction. Isabella looked back over to the purple-haired man now helping his grandfather over to a seat out of the sun's direct light. Isabella looked back to Eleanora.

"Oh, he's just being a pain. I can finish up here," Isabella insisted. Eleanora shook her head and then began to scoot her out of the way.

"Ah, ah, ah. How often do we really get to see him?" Isabella nodded in agreement. Eleanora smiled. "Go put on that really pretty sparkly silver eye shadow your mom got you this Spring and the white dress we made. The one with the boning. I want to take lots of pictures of everyone together," she beamed. Isabella smiled. She loved that dress. "It's up in my closet. Go grab it and head over to your moms. She'll want to walk over with you, I'm sure.

As Isabella put the last loose wave in her hair, she let out a shaky breath. She had been contemplating for some time about making big changes once she became an adult. Her mom always made a big deal about big life changes when you become an adult: being able to drink, being able to buy certain adult things… being of age to make that one big decision. She had never wanted to do it before. Trevor hadn't brought it up much. They had gotten close a few times but she got scared to take the plunge with him. Having sex for the first time was a big thing. A person only gets to do it for the first time one time. Once it's gone, it's gone.

Isabella walked over to her full length mirror and looked over her body. The dress fit very well. It hugged all her curves and fell right above her knees. It was a plain a-line white dress. It had a sheer floral pattern hovering over it with cap sleeves. Her ruby red hair fell in loose curls down to right below her collarbones. Isabella smoothed out the fabric on her waist and sighed. Maybe she was ready for this. Trevor was a decent enough guy. He cared enough to come out for her birthday, after all. He cared enough to push her to think about her future, right? He mentioned that he had something special planned for them in Wedgehurst after the party. Maybe that's when it'll happen.

She walked back over to her vanity and put in her ruby earrings. With another shaky sigh, she put on clear lip balm and slipped on some glossy red flats before walking into the living room. Her mother stood by the door with her small dolly. On the dolly sat the small crate of lemon bars she prepared for the party. As she looked up from the dolly, her eyes lit up. "Darling, you look wonderful. Eleanora did a wonderful job on that dress. It's perfect for you." She hobbled over as quick as she could and enveloped her daughter in an embrace. Isabella held her mother close and gave a bright smile.

"Thanks, mama. Come on, let's get over so you can sit. You've been on your feet all day." Her mother took a step back. She gave a slight disapproving look.

"I'll be fine," she scolded. "I've taken my medicine. I'm having a good day, today." Isabella squinted her eyes but didn't argue further. She wrapped her arm with her mothers and they walked together out the door with the small dolly.

As they walked up the road, they could hear the party had begun already. The music was booming into the warm sunset air. The orange and blue hues were filtering through and it was almost as if the music was painting the sky itself. Isabella couldn't help but smile. She could feel how happy everyone was and she wasn't even there yet. As they got closer, Isabella could see Hop near the entrance to the property. He was wearing his nice button down shirt and a pair of clean khakis. This was rare for him. Isabella chuckled. Eleanora must've made him clean up for the pictures.

"Hey nerd!" she called out. Hop turned instinctively. His brow furrowed at her and he jogged over.

"You're one to talk!" he argued. "I'm willing to bet you told my mom to make me wear this stuff." Isabella laughed.

"No, she wants nice pictures," she laughed. "Come on, when's the next time she's going to have both her boys together?" Hop sighed but nodded.

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

Lisbeth smacked Hop's arm. "Hop, are you just gonna stand there or are you going to help the lady here take these lemon bars to the table?" Hop chuckled, albeit a little embarrassed.

"You're right, ma'am," he apologized. Hop reached over and grabbed the handles for the dolly, stuck his tongue out at Isabella, and then began walking with Lisbeth into the party towards the tables with the food. Isabella tried to stop him to ask where Trevor was but Hop was too quick to walk away. She bit the inner corner of her mouth and then began walking into the area. The music was blaring on the speakers and people were taking lots of pictures on their Rotom phones. It was a beautiful soft light due to the sunset and lanterns hung earlier. Isabella couldn't believe how beautiful it was. She smiled as she walked through all the people, exchanging brief greetings. She kept scanning the area but she couldn't find Trevor anywhere. He wouldn't know too many people here. He didn't talk to too many people in her town. He would only know Leon and Hop, and her mom. Isabella walked to the back of the area to get a clear look into the mass of people. She recognized almost everyone but couldn't see Trevor anywhere. She sighed and turned to the drinks table. She figured she might as well grab some mago punch.

Leon was behind the house with his friend, Chris. Chris and Leon met early on in his League career. He was his closest friend, his bodyguard, his go-to guy, and his connection with the world when he needs to be in meetings or other events. Leon often compared him to a secret agent. He always seemed to be nearby when he needed him but never overbearing.

"So, you think your brother is going to make it through the challenge?" he asked Leon, popping another chip into his mouth. Leon nodded.

"Yeah, man," he agreed. "Hop's is ridiculously competitive, and he's like me, y'know. He's got this need to be the best. He'll do great."

Chris nodded. "Hopefully he won't be as thick headed as you," he joked, giving Leon a light jab in the arm. Leon smirked at him.

"Y'know, you give me a lot of crap for no reason," he said. "Maybe one day, I won't take it anymore."

Chris let out a loud laugh. "Yeah, right! Like that'll ever happen. You have too much patience." Leon rolled his eyes with a smile and looked away from his friend.

Across the party, he saw her. Standing across by the punch table, Isabella was pouring herself a glass. How a simple white dress could look so perfect was beyond Leon. It was a different feeling. She was his little brother's best friend. He watched her laugh so hard she peed. He watched her get so angry she shoved Hop into a refrigerator box and sit on it. Hell, he and her had gotten into wrestling matches before over the last slice of pizza. Nothing should be different. He's seen her in dresses. He's seen her dolled up. He's always thought of her as family.

She turned from the table, and he saw the delicate curves of her face. His lips separated. It was as if the world surrounding her blurred from vision and sound deafened. She was glancing around the party, meeting eyes with people and smiling. She was with all those she loved and he could see that she was feeling the moment. She looked so in-tune with the world and it was as if, for the first time, she was more than the girl that hung out with his little brother.

Isabella turned and caught his gaze. She held it for a moment before a small smile formed on her face. It was a gentle and genuine look. It was a look he had not seen before. Her eyes were holding an emotion he didn't recognize. Was it a question? Or an answer?

He felt a rough nudge on his right arm that caused him to blink very harsh that brought him back to his senses. He glanced down to see Chris looking at him with an expectant look, shooting a glance between Leon and Isabella. Leon looked back to Isabella, and she raised an eyebrow at him. He gave her an awkward smile and gave her a soft wave.

"Uh, what the hell was that?" Chris laughed in a raspy tone, smacking Leon rough on the arm. Leon shoved Chris, furrowing his brow at him.

"Oh, shove off, dude," Leon snarled. "I just like… I don't know. I zoned out. I must've just been looking at Izzy."

Chris laughed, popping a chip into his mouth. "Sure," he snorted, gesturing to him with a cup in his hand. The liquid splashed from the side of the cup to the ground. "Too bad, though. Trevor's got his claws in that, already. And good luck with that guy." Leon said nothing in response. He simply looked down at Chris and nodded, shooting a glance back at Izzy. She was looking absentmindedly at her thumb. Leon sighed for a moment and Chris tapped him on his back.

"I'm going to go mingle," he said. "Ring me if you need me." Leon nodded as Chris jutted off into the crowd with a loud cheer. The people around him cheered back. Leon laughed. Chris knew how to liven up a party by simply existing. Leon looked back over to Isabella to see her glancing around the crowd. She seemed to be looking for something or someone, but he wasn't sure what. Perhaps this would be the best time to give her the gift he worked on. He set his drink down and walked over to her, pulling his shirt taut and fixing his hair.

"Hey, birthday girl," he joked with a smile. Isabella tilted her head to his, and her eyes lit up. "Can we walk for a sec?"

She smiled. "Yeah, of course."

Leon led her around the corner of the house, hoping that there would be no one on the side where there wasn't anything set up for the party. Unfortunately, there were some people gathered there. They were probably doing the same as him, and looking for somewhere a little quieter to talk. He sighed in exasperation. He glanced around the area, desperately searching for a quiet area. He met Isabella's eyes. "I know a spot."

He took her by the hand and led her behind the tree behind his childhood home and then into the small woods. After weaving around a few trees, the music from the party dimmed to a hum. She could barely see any of the people from the party through the trees. She found herself surprised to see a small stone bench in the clearing. Isabella looked at the surrounding area. "What is this?"

He smiled. "Mum likes the quiet. Granddad gets on her case sometimes. She comes out here when he's driving her nuts." Isabella laughed. Leon led her to the bench and sat down, tugging her to sit next to him.

"What is it, Leon?" she asked. "Is everything okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah, everything's fine. I just wanted to give you your gift." He took a second to look at her, reading her face. She was looking directly at him, a small smile on her lips. He felt at ease and uneasy at the same time. Isabella smiled further. Leon looked different today. She knew Eleanora would make her boys dress up but, even when dressed up, Leon was still wearing his hat. He was wearing nice dark wash jeans and a button down shirt like Hop. His was a long sleeve but, of course, he rolled up his sleeves. Isabella snickered. He probably did it just to spite Eleanora. He loved skirting the boundaries of irritating her. Yet, even put together as he was, he still seemed so chaotically calm.

Out of his pocket, he pulled out a soft padded box a little longer than the palm of his hand. He held it for a moment, debating on handing it over. He began to over analyze if it was overthought, if it meant too much, if she would read into it, if he read into it, or what might go wrong. He shook his head and handed it to her.

She glanced at him before taking the box. Isabella opened the box with grace to reveal a rose gold bracelet with three dragon pendants, each holding a ruby. Her eyes widened looking at the bracelet as she took in a large gasp. Leon froze for a moment. His heart began to race.

"I know how much you love dragons. And your birthstone is a ruby. And you love rubies. And.. you know, Ruby. And I know she was your dad's Arcanine's puppy. So…" Leon began to mumble. "I just wanted you to have something that. Y'know.. You could take with you." He glanced a few times up from the bracelet to her eyes, trying to gauge her reaction to it. He could tell she was feeling overwhelmed by it, but it was a good overwhelming feeling, and it made him smile.

"I talked to your mom about it. So, she actually gave me this idea but…" Leon reached over and pulled the bracelet from the box. He flipped it over to reveal a plate behind the middle dragon that revealed the name Alberto. Isabella covered her mouth, tears forming in her eyes. Leon immediately noticed and pulled back his hand a bit. "I'm sorry! I didn't want to upset you. I just-"

"No, no it's fine," Isabella interrupted. "No, it's perfect." Her voice cracked. She tried to sniffle without him hearing, but failed. She tapped the corners of her eyes to wipe the tears without smearing her makeup. She chuckled with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry. I'm trying not to cry." Leon smiled and placed a sympathetic hand on her arm. She looked up to him with a wide smile. "How did you just.. Remember all these things about me?"

Leon stared towards the bracelet, rubbing the ruby against his thumb. Memories flooded him of the movie nights he would spend every other weekend with Hop and Isabella when he would come home, weekend trips to Axew's Eye, camping, and all of the video chats. He remembered all the times of how lonely he was at the League whenever they would go home or when he would have to leave. He fondly remembered all the pictures they would send him. It pained him to remember how he missed a lot of it by being away by the championship duties.

"I remember everything about you and Hop. You guys mean everything to me," he soothed. There was a gentle but pained look in his eyes. He took the soft box and set it aside on the stone bench. He pulled her dainty wrist towards his abdomen and wrapped the bracelet around her right wrist and fastened it so it wouldn't fall off. He readjusted the bracelet so it was facing the correct way. He placed her hand in her lap and held it there. She was looking down at her hands, admiring the bracelet. He took one of his hands and lifted her chin. She met his eyes. She met that warm, friendly face. And yet, somehow, it felt different this time. Everything looked a little different. His eyes, nose, lips, chin. She looked everywhere, and then met his eyes again. Leon's lips parted only slightly. He paused for a moment. She held his eyes and felt frozen in time. Her heart felt anxious. She wasn't sure why.

"Hop told me he asked you to join him on his gym challenge," Leon abruptly stated. Isabella stared into his citrine eyes, wondering if that was his original thought or if he was going to say something else. Leon paused, looking back at her. He blinked a few times before leaning a little away from her. "I think you should go with him."

Isabella tilted her head, pulling her hands into her lap. "...I don't know..." she sighed. "I think Trevor got into my head a bit," she confessed. Leon gave a knowing nod. He had suspected as much. Isabella glanced to her side, looking conflicted. Leon lowered his hand from her chin and placed his hands onto hers. She looked down at them, enjoying the warmth more than she had anticipated. The only thought on her mind was that Trevor's hands never felt this warm. She unknowingly tilted her head at the thought, not knowing why that would even cross her mind.

"I don't have a plan. Not like my parents did. Not like you or Hop. I don't have anything marketable right now. Nothing concrete. Nothing to show for it. And.. I feel lost… Like I did when my dad died." Isabella glanced up to Leon and met his amber eyes. They filled with an understanding she never got anywhere before. "I don't know what to do, Lee," she admitted. Leon gave a soft pause before giving her a half smile and a gentle squeeze on her hands.

"At least go with Hop to the reveal for the gym challenges," he said. "I think getting a taste for the adventure and for what might be out there will help you get some much needed perspective." Leon gave a soft sigh and stood, pulling her gently to her feet and released her hands.

"Come on, you have a lot of guests to greet and we have a party to attend."