A/N: For those who have been keeping up with the story since I first published it, you may have noticed that I've been posting twice a week. Twice a week is a bit too much for me right now, & after editing some future chapters, I can't keep up with that pace :( Posting will go down to once a week, and perhaps if I catch up with writing, I may go back to twice a week. Quality over quantity though, of course! And for those who have just found this story, ignore everything I just said, and welcome to chapter 15! Into Hammerlocke we go… – missusk

Team Roster: Jackson (Cinderace), Sap (Vikavolt), Hudson (Mudsdale), Rosa (Bellossom), Dia (Meowstic)

Chapter 15 - Butterfree & Floss

Opal dropped Dolly off at the entrance of Hammerlocke earlier that day. After a few errands and an odd episode with Opal carting Bede back to Ballonlea, Dolly and her team stopped for some lunch in one of the gardens of Hammerlocke. She had shared with them the news about Mateo, and she realized that as they settled in for lunch, she didn't have much of an appetite, nor did many of her Pokémon.

It had been a while since they last lost a team member, so the pain was fresh for all of them. They all felt the sorrow, so they were conscious of how Dolly's heart throbbed just as her black eye throbbed. None of them asked about it, because they all already knew. They had pieced it together as Jackson sat alone, staring at the ground, snarling at anyone who dared to come close.

Dolly and her team ate, but just barely. Eventually, they returned to their Poké Balls as Dolly and Jackson wove through Hammerlocke. Perhaps the fresh air and exercise would do him well, though part of her expected him to run away.

"Where'we off to now?" Jackson asked, kicking a stone across the cobblestone road. It was the first time he spoke to her after the Ballonlea Gym. He still hadn't looked at her since then, however.

"A city called Circhester," she answered. "It's through some new places, like some old ruins and then some snowy trails. Should be full of tough Ice-type Pokémon. With you around, it should be easy catching one,"

"Wicked," he said. "Can't wait for you to swap Dia out and I can get away from her, she's a right bi-"

"Jackson!" Dolly huffed as she stopped them in the road. "You can be angry, you can be upset, and you can take it out on me, but you can't take it out on your teammates. I know she's not your favorite, but we've got to try to get along with everyone on the team."

He shrugged and crossed his arms over his chest, kicking another stone down the road. No one kicked it back, and his shoulders drooped.

Dolly let out a sigh. No, his world was still grayscale, the color had not returned, nor would it ever at this rate.

"Come on, we need to talk."

They clambered up a few staircases until they were sitting at the edge of the roof of one of the houses overlooking the Wild Area. The people bustled about, unaware of the Trainer and her Pokémon sitting above. The sun was glinting down on them, shimmering against the golden fencing and edging. It seemed unfair, how bright the sun was.

"I know you're upset now that Mateo's gone,"

Jackson kicked his feet over the edge of the roof, swaying them back and forth. His arms were still folded across his chest.

"I'm upset too, and it came out of nowhere," Dolly continued. "It's never easy to stomach, and it never will be. I'm trying my best, Jackson, and it's so, so, so hard, but I'm clinging to what we said after Motostoke: that we can learn about this Curse, and that we can help other Trainers and other Pokémon. Everyone who ever joins the team agrees to it, knowing full well what may happen. Mateo agreed to the risk as well - he wanted to fight alongside us. I miss him more than anything too, but we've said our goodbyes and it's time to try to move on,"

"Easy for you to say!" Jackson burst out.

He stood and glared at her, that same anger blazing in him again. Dolly thought that although he was finally looking at her, she wished it wasn't like this.

"He was my best mate! I finally had someone to play with, someone competitive like me," he said. "He was my best mate, Dolly, I've never had a friend like him before, and now I never will!"

Jackson paced back and forth, furiously kicking another rock off the side of the building. They watched it fling off and tumble onto the road beneath them. He heaved out a breath and tore his paws over his ears before kicking another one. After that rock harmlessly rolled across the ground beneath them, Jackson sat back, folded his legs up, and rested his chin on his knees.

They sat in silence for a while, watching the pedestrians continue their days. Dolly sighed, thinking that although they were torn apart with grief, the world still turned. Jackson sniffed.

"No one else on the team even likes me…"

Her heart sank, that dirty water of despair leaking into her at his words.

"Jackson, you know that's not true,"

"Yes it is. They all think I'm annoying and they think I'm stupid," he said, trying to discreetly rub his eyes with his paw. "Mateo was the only one I could talk to, besides you, and you probably hate me now, too. I hurt you and now you hate me."

She saw a tear escape his eyes as he turned away from her, burying his face in folded arms.

"Oh, Jackson," she breathed.

She reached over and hugged him. After a second, he unraveled his arms and legs and clung to her jacket. She folded her arms around him, trying to embed into him every particle of love she had. Every bit and piece of affection that she had for her first partner was flourishing in her, and she tried to gently squeeze it into him. She stroked over his ears, rubbed his back, as her dear friend cried into her shirt. He was holding it all in for so long - not once had she seen Jackson release the sorrow that had built within him, only those small flowers had bloomed from his tears at Mateo's grave.

"Jackson, never in a million billion years could I ever hate you," she said finally, hugging her Cinderace tighter. "I can't even express how much I love you - every single bit of you, no matter what you might have done when you were upset."

Dolly stroked through his fur as they sat looking over the city. She curled around him, just like he used to curl around her head when they slept. She thought back to the moment he hit her. Dolly had never seen those emotions in Jackson before. Her silly, loyal, spitfire partner may have never experienced heartbreak until that moment. No wonder he reacted the way he did.

"It must have been scary, losing control like that, huh?"

He nodded into her jacket.

"I was just… so angry. I couldn't think about anything, like my whole brain was just this hot white color…"

"And that's why I don't blame you - not one bit. I know if you weren't experiencing that shock you would have never lashed out at me, ever."

They sat on the roof of a Hammerlocke house as Jackson's breathing slowed. She was rocking him slowly, trying to comfort him in every capacity she knew how. After a while, he sighed.

"I miss him," Jackson said quietly.

Dolly nodded.

"Me too."

More time passed as they watched the town move around them. The world still turned, and soon they would join again, but not quite yet, because slowly the color was returning. It was melancholy, pastel, and perhaps it would be for a while.

"I'm sorry, Jackson," she finally said into his fur. "I'm sorry for being a rubbish Trainer and not being more careful, for not realizing how much this was affecting you,"

He took a breath as well, still loosely holding onto her jacket.

"You're not a rubbish Trainer," he muttered. "You're real ace, everyone on the team thinks so,"

"And everyone on the team thinks you're a fun and inspiring leader, who always challenges them to do their best."

He lifted his head from her chest.

"...Really?"

"Really really," Dolly smiled, pulling back to look at him. "It's as true as Nosepass are ugly and it's just as true that Rosa has bad morning breath, no matter how many times she denies it. Who else would lead our morning calisthenics? Hudson? He doesn't even have arms."

Jackson let out a chuckle and she wiped a tear from his cheek.

"You're a natural leader, Jackson. Sap is gentle and protective, Hudson is silent and strong, Rosa has that blazing passion, but you are the one who leads them all. Your energy is contagious, and you always know what to do or say to make us smile. You are the one who can boost the morale of our team way better than I can - even I know that," she said, then she squeezed him into a hug again.

"I'm glad you picked me as your partner," he said.

"You're the one that picked me, remember?" she laughed. "Punched me in the face when we first met? No way I'm not taking a Pokémon that passionate!"

Jackson laughed again, and wiped his face with his paw. Dolly lightly bumped his cheek with her knuckles.

"I love you, buddy," she said.

"I love you, too," Jackson smiled, bumping hers in return.

"And either way, I kinda like having a black eye. Makes me feel like a badass," she grinned. "Maybe I should start wearing more leather, too, what do you think? Maybe start driving a motorcycle?"

"You can't afford a motorcycle," Jackson laughed. "And you sweat too much to wear leather,"

"Hey! You better watch it, mister," she laughed. "I'd be mad if you weren't right. I do sweat a lot, thanks for noticing."

He laughed again, shoving at her arm.

"But Jackson, thank you for being a steadfast partner. We'll keep Mateo in our hearts, and we'll lean on what he taught us while he was here. We'll be attentive to each other's feelings like he was. If he showed you how to be a best mate, then use that knowledge to care for others. I know that's what I'm going to do to be a better friend to you from now on. If you ever want to talk, or do something, just you and me, let me know, okay?"

Jackson nodded. Then, she slipped her hand into her pocket and took out a piece of cloth. She had held onto Mateo's bandana, the one that she bought for him in Stow-on-Side, waiting for the right time to offer it to Jackson. His lip quivered and the tears tumbled again as she tied it around his arm.

"Now," Dolly said, standing and dusting herself off. "What do you say we go and catch ourselves a couple nice new team members? Give you another chance to show someone the ropes? Maybe a pretty Gardevoir? This is where I would wink, but it would just look like I was blinking."

"Yeah whatever," he laughed, shoving her arm again.

They hugged again, took a couple deep breaths, and Dolly returned Jackson to his Poké Ball. It didn't seem so strange anymore that the sun was shining brightly. She headed back down the staircase, surprised to Sonia waiting at the bottom.

"Heya, Dolly! How are you holding up?" she asked, grimacing at Dolly's black eye. "Saw what happened in Ballonlea, I'm so sorry about your Riolu."

Dolly heaved a sigh and gave her a shrug.

"We're dealing with it the best we can."

"Let me know if I can do anything to help,"

Dolly nodded and Sonia lifted her hand to twirl it around her hair.

"I've got some information you might find interesting, though. I've been doing some research on the ruins in Stow-on-Side, about those sword and shield Pokémon. Like, what kind of Pokémon were they, and where they could be now."

"There's still so many questions," Dolly nodded. "But I learned something interesting too, as I was coming back from Ballonlea. Apparently, Opal knew somebody who used to have the Nuzlocke Curse. I don't know if he had any visions, but Opal said he broke the Curse."

Sonia's face broke into a grin.

"Well that's certainly something to be excited about! So, we know it's possible, then," she said as she looked about the town, setting her hand on her hip. "I was thinking about taking another look at the tapestries in-"

Suddenly the ground shook, and a deafening explosion came from the Hammerlocke Stadium. Dolly whipped around to the source of the noise.

"What was that?!" Sonia yelped, stumbling as the ground shook again.

"I think it came from the stadium!"

"That's where Chairman Rose's power plant is, isn't it?"

A beeping came from Sonia's pocket and she picked her phone up out of it. It was vibrating madly, and Sonia's eyes grew wide.

"A Power Spot?! If I'm getting readings… does that mean Dynamaxing is possible here…?"

"Hey, Sonia! And Dolly, too! You felt the shaking, right?"

Dolly turned to see Leon and Raihan both running up to them.

"Seems Chairman Rose is testing something again," Raihan said, bracing himself against the wall as another tremor shook the ground.

"This is bad!" Sonia said, whipping her head to Leon. "Pokémon might start Dynamaxing right in the middle of Hammerlocke!"

"Is that so?" Leon replied, crossing his arms. "I can make sure the chairman knows."

Dolly glanced at Raihan, who was already looking at her. After another second, he didn't break eye contact, and Dolly tore her gaze back to her two bickering friends.

"You'll just get lost, Leon, I'm going too!" Sonia huffed, setting her hands on her hips. She turned back to Dolly. "I'm really looking forward to seeing you compete in the finals, so leave the investigation on the quaking to us."

"Head to Circhester and get that Gym Badge!" Leon said with a nod. Then, as he looked between her and Raihan, his grin faltered.

"I'll make sure no one's hurt down here," Raihan added, tearing his gaze from Dolly.

Leon hesitated as he glanced between the two of them, his brow starting to furrow. It wasn't until they felt another tremor that Sonia pulled him back to Hammerlocke Stadium.

It only took a second after Leon turned around before Raihan took two long steps toward her, standing only a foot away. Her breath caught in her throat as he grinned, showcasing fangs she hadn't noticed before.

"There goes our hero. You alright, Dolly? Not hurt, I hope?" he asked, his eyes flitting about her body.

"No, I'm, um, I'm fine," she said, more quietly than she anticipated. She forgot how intense those bright blue eyes were.

"Huh," he muttered, scratching at his chin.

"What?"

"You're even more stunning than I remember."

Her voice caught in her throat. Dolly was suddenly very conscious of her throbbing black eye, her sticky hair from the drink that was thrown at her at the Ballonlea Gym, and the clothes she hadn't washed in a while. Was he making fun of her? The last time they saw each other he said she had beautiful eyes, though.

If that was the case, then… Huh. Stunning. She'd never been called that before. After all the cruel words and names she'd been called recently, 'stunning' certainly wasn't among them. She bit back a smile, looking into his eyes again.

"Um, really?" she asked as a blush crept up on her cheeks.

"I mean it," he grinned. "You're beautiful, Dolly."

She breathed out a laugh as her cheeks grew warmer. No, she had never been called that before either. Well, by her mum, and Rosa, but those didn't count. Her mum and Bellossom weren't a tall and handsome man. Even though she was probably just as ugly and cruel as all those people said, it was kind of Raihan to try to make her feel better.

"You're off to Circhester, yeah?" Raihan asked, taking a step back. When he did, her head seemed to clear. She nodded in response.

"Yeah, just a couple more Badges before getting one from you," she grinned, cautiously glancing back up to him.

He grinned too and gave her a wink.

"Ah, Miss Confident, huh? We'll see about that. Won't get a Badge from me if I've got anything to say about it. But then again," he said, looking down at her through half-lidded eyes. "Perhaps I could be persuaded otherwise."

Dolly's heart kicked, and her cheeks flared red. Little pebbles scratched the pavement when she scuffed at them with her shoe, unable to meet Raihan's eye.

"You um… you need to beat the Gyms to… to get Badges," she mumbled.

He raised an eyebrow at her, a bemused smirk making its way onto his face.

"I never said you didn't," Raihan said. "Did you think I meant… something else?"

Her thoughts scratched like a record as her eyes widened. His dangerous gaze was distracting as she tried to mumble out a retort, fumbling with her now-sweaty fingers. Raihan chuckled.

"Speaking of which, Dolly, I've been wondering - Could I tear you away from your Gym Challenge for an hour or two?" Raiahn asked. "Come get some coffee with me?"

She finally glanced up to Raihan, who was looking at her so expectantly. Coffee…? If she had caffeine this late she wouldn't be able to sleep at all. Maybe he didn't have that problem.

"My treat. Consider it a gift from your favorite Gym Leader," he hummed, toying with the strings on his sweater.

She wasn't sure if she had a favorite, but it would probably be Kabu before it was this guy. Kabu didn't look at her like that, didn't make her body feel... weird. But, she had to admit, Raihan was slowly making his way up the list, especially with how often he called her beautiful. Before she could answer, they heard a voice coming from the train station.

"Dolls!"

Her head shot up and she saw Hop standing in the doorway to the station. A smile broke onto her face as she watched her friend wave vigorously - and a little ridiculously - from the entryway.

Hop trotted up to them and she could still feel Raihan's eyes on her as she greeted her friend. They hadn't seen each other since Ballonlea, and it was sufficient to say that she immediately felt more at ease with him there. The odd tension in the air seemed to fade the closer Hop stepped to them.

"And Raihan too?" Hop continued, looking up to the Gym Leader as they met in the street.

"Just making sure Miss Dolly here makes it to her next route safely," Raihan nodded. "Don't want her to get swallowed up by another quake."

What happened to coffee? Probably for the best, though, she didn't really like coffee anyway. Maybe he'd buy her a chocolate milk some other time. She watched Hop look from Raihan to her, his eyes squinting as he surveyed the short distance between her and the Gym Leader.

"Well that won't be necessary, because I was just about to ask her myself," Hop said as he turned to Dolly, his golden eyes blazing into hers. "So, Dolls, I trained up a bunch in the forest, beat Opal, and now I need you to come with me to-"

"Aw, people call you 'Dolls'? You just keep getting cuter," Raihan interrupted, looking down at her.

She watched as Hop's mouth hung open, still forming the next word of his sentence. His brow twitched as he looked from her to Raihan.

"If by people you mean me," Hop growled, crossing his arms.

She watched Hop glare as Raihan lazily lifted an eyebrow.

"People call me a lot of things," Dolly interrupted, standing between the two. "Trust me on that one."

"I'm sure," Raihan continued, stepping an inch closer to her. He leaned down to her ear, still maintaining eye contact with Hop. "They probably all want to take you to coffee, too, huh Dolls?"

Her skin tingled, Raihan was standing awfully close. Dolly watched as Hop's fists clenched and the furrow in his brow grew deeper.

"Um, not really," she said, still looking between the two.

"Beautiful woman like you? That surprises me. Well, I wouldn't be shocked if there was someone who was too scared to ask, since he was too much of a boy and not enough of a man."

Hop's jaw was tensing, but neither of them moved. She resisted the urge to slap her forehead and trudged toward Hop.

"Sure, I guess. Anyway, Hop, you were saying? 'Come with me to Route 7,' right?" she sighed, tugging on his sleeve.

She had to pull pretty hard before he and Raihan broke eye contact. Was this some sort of dominance thing? Boys were so dumb.

"Bye Raihan."

"Bye Dolls," Raihan grinned as Hop shot another glare at him.

She and Hop made their way to Route 7 and Hop was grumbling the entire way there. Dolly only managed to make out a 'why was he standing so close,' a 'he can't call you that, I call you that' and a 'he's not a man he's a predator,' and then more incoherent grumbling.

"Alright," Hop huffed from beside her. "Finally, away from that guy. What's his deal? What was he talking about coffee for, you don't even like coffee... And why was he looking at you like that?"

Hop threw a glare over his shoulder, eyeing Hammerlocke as if the city itself was out to get her.

"How am I supposed to know?" Dolly said. "I'm always confused when I'm around tall, dark, men, and Leon, Rose, and Raihan certainly all have those three traits in common."

Suddenly he looked at her, brows furrowed.

"Even Lee?" he said as his shoulders slumped. "I knew you had a weird crush on Rose, but Lee too...? And Raihan…?"

Her heart leapt out to him and those sad, pitiful eyes. She wanted to tuck his lip back so it didn't quiver like that.

"No! No, I don't anymore, don't worry. I mean, I did fancy Leon at one point, but it was more like, being starstruck, I guess. I got over it. Rose too," she shrugged. "And Raihan..."

She looked at Hop again. Why was she defending herself like this? What did it matter?

"...Why do you care?" she asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

Suddenly his eyes grew wide, and her good eye could barely make it out, but it seemed his cheeks grew a shade darker.

"I-I just, he's my brother, that'd be weird, and, and, well Rose is like a hundred years old,"

"Oh no he's not!"

"And Raihan, well, I just don't trust him because Lee doesn't trust him," he grumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets.

She squinted her eyes - well, eye - again as he tugged at his collar.

"...I thought you liked Raihan? Thought he was cool? Aren't he and Leon good friends?"

"Uh, he, uh, well they are," Hop stuttered.

She took another step towards him and Hop stumbled backwards. Sweat was pricking on his brow. Often he was quick and clever, but that certainly wasn't the case today. Was the air thinner here? That's what it seemed to Hop, especially the closer he stumbled to the railing behind him.

"You used to rave all the time about their matches, saying how you liked Raihan's battle tactics?"

"W-well, I do, er, did, uh -"

"Don't you have his League card somewhere?"

"Th-that's hardly, I mean, I um,"

"So what's your problem with him now?"

"I-I don't have a problem with him,"

"You just said you don't trust him."

"I, uh, well, I mean…"

"What were you grumbling back there?"

"I, I-I was, I was, um,"

"Why were you glaring at him?"

"Erm, I, uh, I was just-"

And there was the metal railing behind him. Hop was backed up, flush against it, unable to retreat any further from the girl or the questions looming before him. Hop's face was flushed red at this point, still stammering out excuses and shifting his eyes to the side. He swallowed and glanced back down to her.

"What happened to your eye?!"

Dolly's jaw dropped.

"You just noticed that?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine," she huffed, taking a step back.

"What happened?" he asked, leaning towards her.

"Jackson hit me."

Hop's eyes widened again.

"He hit you?! Dolls, that's not okay, has he done it again? Or has he done it before? You need to tell me these things, did he hurt you anywhere else?"

Suddenly Hop was looking all over her, pushing her hair back, pulling up her sleeves, checking for rips in her clothes. He was riddling her with questions, poking about her body, stumbling through his sentences whenever she tried to speak. When he pulled her leg towards him, she tripped backwards, only for Hop to lunge forward to catch her.

"Hop," she huffed, clutching at his shirt. "You need to chill out."

"Whoops, sorry, I just, sorry,"

She heaved out a sigh, then a laugh. He lifted her up, but didn't let go. His hands were firm on her waist as his eyes flit around her face, around her neck, her collar.

"I'm fine, really,"

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Ye-"

He started to ask a thousand other questions, only to stop when Dolly put her hand over his mouth.

"Hop? Hop. Hop. Stop talking."

"Sorry," he muttered through her fingers.

"I said I'm fine, please believe me. Jackson was really upset and didn't know how to respond, so he lashed out. If it wasn't me, it would have been whoever was in front of him. We talked about it, and we're going to work on tactics for the future. I'm fine, I'm safe, really, I promise."

Hop's eyes softened and he nodded.

"When I take my hand off your mouth you're going to say 'Okay, Dolls, sounds good,' and then no more questions, got it?"

She felt him smile under her hand, then he nodded. Dolly moved her hand, raising an eyebrow.

"But are you sure you're-"

She shoved her hand over his mouth again and raised her eyebrows at him. Hop rolled his eyes and she hesitantly moved her hand.

"Okay, Dolls, sounds good," he said.

"Much better," Dolly said, brushing her hands off. "Now that that's over, what did you want me to come to Route 7 for? Do you want to battle?"

Hop grinned and nodded again.

"That's exactly it. You and I both know I've got to keep trying different strategies if I'm going to catch up to Lee. I want to be the one who beats the unbeatable Champion!"

Dolly gazed at her friend. It was all a little bittersweet as he continued. She had always known Hop's dream was to beat Leon, but how he talked about it in Stow-on-Side never left her mind. It had always been his goal, sure, but she never really knew why.

"Hop," she started, setting her hands in her pockets. "I know why I'm doing the Gym Challenge, and I know you want to beat Leon, but… why?"

Hop paused, then stood straight again as he looked out over the bridge. She went to stand beside him as they looked over the Wild Area together. The wind tousled her hair as she watched Wingulls flap beneath them.

"Before we ever started out on this journey, I remember watching Lee on the telly," Hop said, resting his arms on the bridge railing. "He was like a bright star, so strong I could hardly bear to look right at him. But now, I can tell just how strong he really is, and what he's got that I haven't… But I'm getting stronger, too. So, I think you know what's coming, mate,"

She nodded and smiled, readying her stance as they took their places across from each other on the bridge. They were thrown into battle, and Dolly's heart swelled as she watched Hop smile throughout it - much better than the last time they battled. Even though he continued to send out unfamiliar Pokémon (and still no Wooloo), she was impressed to see that Thwakey had finally evolved into Rillaboom.

Jackson was on the verge of winning when Rillaboom attacked with a Drum Beating. Jackson dodged just in time, but the vines kept going, one slapping across Dolly's leg and the other grazing her jaw. She fell backwards, hitting the ground with an 'oof.'

"Dolls!"

Hop rushed toward her, then fell to the ground beside her. He helped lift her off the ground as she clutched at her face again.

"Sorry!" Rillaboom called, rushing forward as well. "Still getting used to this form!"

Jackson stumbled to her side, watching as Hop reached for her face. She winced, her eye throbbing again. Yeah, that was going to bruise for a while. She had been hit in the face more times in these past weeks than she had in probably her entire life.

"Here, let me see," Hop said, gently moving her hand from her face.

The throbbing was already subsiding as Dolly let him move her hand, watching his eyes flit about her face. Suddenly she realized how close they were sitting, how close his face was to hers, and how she probably looked like a swollen Lickilicky. As Hop surveyed her injury, Dolly vaguely wondered if he thought she was pretty. Then she wondered why she wondered that and shoved that wondering away.

"Oh, it's not so bad," he smiled, still holding her hand softly. He let go, and tilted her head up. "Does it hurt?"

"Um, kind of," she said quietly, noticing again the bright specks of gold in his eyes.

Guess that wasn't just in the Glimwood Tangle. Neither were those Butterfree in her gut, and they were flapping full throttle when he looked at her like that, and then even more so when he tilted her jaw up like that. They'd been bruised up a ton before when they played together in Postwick, helping each other out with bandages and the like, so why was sitting so close to him so challenging now?

"Here," Jackson said, pulling out disinfectant and a bandage from her bag.

"Thanks mate," Hop said, taking the supplies from her Cinderace. "This'll sting a bit, 'k?"

Dolly nodded as he wiped at her jaw, the disinfectant cloth cleaning off the bit of blood from where the branch grazed her. She sat patiently, nervously, as Hop worked, peeling the bandage out of its wrapper and pressing it onto her face. Her heart kicked when he smiled, setting his hands down.

"Good as new. Did he get you anywhere else?"

She nodded, looking down to her legs. The vines had cut through the fabric of her leggings, and although it didn't sting as much as the sensitive skin on her face, her leg certainly looked worse. The cloth was torn, splotches of raw red were peeking through, and a small splash of blood had trailed down to her ankle. Hop followed her gaze and air shot in through his teeth.

"I-I can get it though," she said, reaching forward for the bandage.

He held it out of her reach. She grabbed at it again, only to have him catch her wrist and pin it on her lap. Her heart pounded when he stared into her eyes.

"Now you need to chill out. Just let me do it, Doctor Hop is here to help."

She tore her eyes away and pursed her lips.

"Fine."

He gently lifted the cloth of her leggings up higher, setting her legs onto his lap. He tore a new bandage open with his teeth, setting to work on disinfecting and wrapping the bandage around the cuts.

Yeah this was exactly why she wanted to do it herself. Did he really have to hold both her legs like that? What did he need to touch her thigh for? Her nerves were buzzing, and she tried to look at anything that wasn't his face, his eyes, his brows pulled together in concentration.

Dolly glanced around. She could look at… the dirty bridge. Or she could watch Jackson try to discreetly pick his nose. Two great options. Her eyes kept flicking back to Hop, unfortunately drawn to him much more than she was drawn to the bridge or her apparently infantile Cinderace. Her heart fluttered when he bit his lip, tightening the cloth bandage around her leg.

"Dolls," he sighed, finally sitting back. His other hand was still resting high on her knee. "Something tells me you're a magnet for injury. Your eye, your jaw, yeesh. Anything else you need fixing up?"

She could only shake her head. Maybe he could make those Butterfree stop slapping at her innards.

"Oh!" he shouted suddenly. "I almost forgot!"

Hop set her legs down gently, then scrambled to his bag and dragged it over to her. Dolly crossed her legs under her as he dug through its contents, trying to get a peek at whatever he was searching for. Jackson and Rillaboom had taken a seat by them as well, watching the two Trainers - Jackson with a lackadaisical grin, Rillaboom with a suspicious curiosity as he looked between the two.

"Here," he grinned, pulling out a haphazard bundle. A little bow perched on top of mismatched cloth tied together with string. "Wrapping's not too good, and it's a bit late, but happy birthday to my best mate!"

Dolly's jaw dropped - she completely forgot, when her actual birthday happened that was all the way in the Wild Area at that hostel, all the way when she first got Mateo. Her birthday was the last thing on her mind, especially with everything that had happened from the Wild Area to now, or even just Ballonlea to now. Her lip quivered and her heart swelled at the fact that he remembered.

"Aww, Hop, you didn't-"

"Just open it."

She grinned as she plucked off the little bow and tore apart the cloth wrapping. Her brows pulled together as she held the object in her hands.

"Floss?"

"So you don't use my League card and waste what'll be worth millions," Hop shrugged.

Dolly's jaw dropped again, then she finally let out a laugh and threw it at him.

"You're such a twit, I can't believe you remembered that all the way from Route 3."

Hop laughed too, falling back as he caught the floss pack.

"Okay okay, here's your real present."

He handed her another bundle - wrapped well this time - and sat back, setting his elbows on his crossed knees, head in his hands. She tore the paper off until all was left was a little box. She raised an eyebrow and glanced up at Hop, who was biting his lip in anticipation.

She lifted the lid and there sat five small, golden Pokémon charms: a Riolu, a Wooloo, a Noibat, an Eevee, and a Deerling. A breath escaped her lips.

"A merchant was selling them in Stow-on-Side," Hop explained. "He had all kinds of Pokémon charms. I figured they could go on your necklace, something to keep them close to you forever, close to your heart."

Dolly's lip quivered as she looked at the little charms. Her eyes started to burn as her brow furrowed.

"I went back after watching your battle with Opal, and the merchant said he had every kind of Pokémon, so I can always go back for you, if you... if you ever want more."

Dolly looked up at him, her hands trembling as the tears fell freely. Hop's brow furrowed and he lifted his head off his hands.

"Was that - was that okay? I didn't step out of line or anything, did-hrrmph!" Hop's sentence was cut short when Dolly launched herself onto him, toppling him over as she hugged him.

Through the fur of his jacket she managed out a 'thank you,' as she clung to him on the ground. He chuckled as he spit out her hair, and eventually lifted them both up. Dolly nestled into him, curling her arms around him with everything she had. He pat her back as she sniveled into the fur of his jacket, and she finally sat back, though her fingers were still clinging to him.

"You even got one for Faline… Thank you so much, Hop. This is the most thoughtful gift I've ever gotten,"

Her lip started to quiver again, and Hop breathed out a laugh.

"Don't cry! Please don't cry, Dolls, I didn't buy it so you would cry,"

"Okay, I'll stop," she nodded as the tears still flowed freely.

"These are awesome," Jackson breathed, opening the little box again. He fiddled with the little Riolu charm, rubbing over the golden sheen with his paw. "Tell him I said thanks, too."

"Jackson says thanks too," Dolly sniveled as the tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Dolls come on," he said softly, wiping her cheek with his sleeve and setting her glasses straight. "You're gonna bother all your face injuries."

She nodded again, and as Hop motioned to move his hand, she wove their fingers together and rested their hands in her lap.

"Really Hop, thank you."

He glanced from her face, to their hands, then up to her face again.

"Put them on!" Jackson said, moving Dolly's hair to get to the latch on her necklace. "He said they go on your necklace, right?"

Dolly slid the charms onto the golden chain. They twinkled next to the Pecha berry her mum gave her so long ago, its golden sheen shining in the sun. The clasp continued to fumble through her tear-soaked fingers, though.

"Here," Hop said with a chuckle, pulling the chain from her fingers.

He moved behind her as she pulled her hair to the side. In a swift click, her necklace laid neatly on her collarbone again. Her skin tingled where his fingers grazed, hesitating for half a second after he closed the clasp.

They both finally stood, brushing off the dirt from the bridge. Dolly snaked her arms around Hop's waist, hugging him against her again. She squeezed him as hard as she could, hoping that the motion would express how truly thoughtful his gift was - how special he was.

"You're my best friend, Hop, thank you,"

"Geez Dolls, I thought I was the touchy one between the two of us," he laughed, patting her back again.

He squeezed her in return, held on for another second, then let go. She glanced up at him and something shifted again in her heart. She vaguely wondered what Mateo would have said her aura was like. Super happy, yeah, but what else? What was this feeling that blossomed in her, magnifying and intensifying, whenever he so thoughtfully cared for her? Appreciation? Affection? Perhaps. Whatever it was, when it combined with the fluttering in her stomach, it was all a tad overwhelming.

"Probably shouldn't spend all day here on this dirty bridge," Dolly said, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Circhester's waiting, after all,"

Hop nodded, gazing at the new charms on her necklace. His eyes flitted back up to meet hers.

"No more face injuries though, got it? And get some cream or something for your eye, not sure it was just tears oozing out of it."

She smacked his arm as he laughed.

After a moment, Dolly pulled him against her again and then finally waved goodbye, watching curiously as his cheeks tinged just a bit darker as he turned toward Circhester.