"Dodge it Infernape, then use Flame Wheel!" Ivan called.

Ivan winced as Infernape's opponent, Gengar, deftly outpaced his own pokemon, slamming Shadow Claw into Infernape's back. Infernape tumbled, landing on all fours, trying to muster together a Flame Wheel.

"Gengar, use Dazzling Gleam!" Ivan's opponent, Gym Leader Fantina, ordered.

"Gen-gar!" the pokemon yelled in response. A bright, crystalline-colored ball appeared in front of the ghost pokemon, building up in energy and size. Ivan saw a ring of fire engulf Infernape, watching helplessly as his pokemon's move slammed directly into his opponent's attack. A large cloud of smoke erupted from the collision, causing Ivan to lift up his arm to shield his eyes.

"Infernape!" he cried out. When the dust cleared, he gazed down at his fallen pokemon, feeling just as helpless as his current pokemon partner was.

"Infernape is unable to battle!" the referee called.

Ivan growled softly, pulling out his pokeball. "Return Infernape."

"You're doing quite well." Fantina reassured. "Especially considering most of your pokemon have had a severe type disadvantage. You've come a long way."

She wasn't wrong. Ivan thought to himself. She's down to her last pokemon, but now, so am I. She wiped out 4 of my pokemon with only two of her own. I thought Infernape could handle her last one, but clearly I was off. "I'll admit Fantina." he announced. "You might just end up beating me."

"Don't give up on me." Fantina chimed in. "It's like I always say, 'never give up, never surrender'."

"Don't you worry about that," Ivan replied, smiling. "As it turns out, I've got you right where I want you." He reached for his last pokeball, feeling it expand slightly in his hand. "Come on out Kirlia!" he yelled, hurling the ball towards the field. It cracked open, revealing a bright, shimmering blue light that stretched toward the field. As the light faded, he saw the characteristic green and white appearance of Kirlia, his last hope.

"Well now," Fantina hummed. "This will be interesting."

"Kirlia!" Ivan yelled. "Use Charm!"

Several hearts began to swarm around Kirlia. Chiming its name, Kirlia pointed forward, sending the hearts directly towards the Gengar. The opposing pokemon watched as he hearts spun around it faster and faster, until they slammed into its ghostly form. The pokemon winced, but attempted to shake off the attack.

"A clever trick, but that won't save you from me. Gengar, use Shadow Claw!"

The Gengar lunged forward, taking a strong swipe at the pokemon. Kirlia howled as she was thrown back, falling to her arms and knees. "Kirlia! Are you okay." The pokemon nodded faintly, pushing itself back up to its feet. "Use Charm again!" Ivan watched Kirlia enact the move again, smiling as the hearts slammed into the opposing pokemon.

"You realize that doesn't do any damage, right?" Fantina asked.

"I'm aware." Ivan replied with a smirk.

"Sounds like you have a plan."

"Who, me? Never…" Ivan reassured. "Let's go with Draining Kiss next, Kirlia!"

"Counter with Shadow Claw!"

Kirlia lunged forward, as did the opposing Gengar. Ivan winced, preparing for the impact, only to find Gengar suddenly looking very panicked, stopping dead in its tracks while shivering. Kirlia connected her move, and Ivan sighed in relief as he saw energy flow back into his pokemon.

"My my, it appears you gave my Gengar a classic case of stage fright."

"Huh?"

Fantina cocked her head. "You mean you didn't do that on purpose?"

"Do what?"

The gym leader sighed. "Your Kirlia's ability is 'Trace', meaning that it copies the ability of the pokemon it's facing, or in this case, my Gengar's ability of 'Cursed Body'. As a result, it appears that you've disabled Gengar's 'Shadow Claw' move. Lucky you."

Ivan smiled. "I'll take it. Kirlia, let's hit her with another Draining Kiss!"

"Counter with Dazzling Gleam."

Gengar threw the luminous attack at the pokemon opposing it, only to watch it bounce almost harmlessly off Kirlia. Kirlia landed the attack directly, and the pokemon shivered again. At this point, Ivan noticed a small black aura emanate from his Kirlia. "You okay, Kirlia?"

"Kir~" his pokemon groaned.

"Looks like my Gengar isn't the only one having a bit of stage fright." Fantina commented.

"I guess that means that's the end of that." Ivan muttered. "Psybeam then!" Kirlia lifted its arms towards her horns, humming its name. A pink, circular ray of energy hurled its way towards Gengar.

"Dodge it Gengar, then use Dazzling Gleam again!" Fantina ordered.

The ray of psychic energy threw up a cloud of dust, the gym leader waving her hand to keep some of it out of her face. As the dust settled, Gengar was nowhere to be found.

"Where did-" Ivan was interrupted when Gengar jumped out of his pokemon's shadow, just out of sight of her pokemon. "Kirlia! Look out!"

Kirlia looked upwards, a look of panic mixing with a look of fear. The bright dazzling light now in front of Gengar slammed directly into Ivan' pokemon at point-blank range, throwing up a cloud of dust. Ivan took a step forward. "Kirlia,"

"Don't let up Gengar, use Shadow Claw again!"

The ghost lunged forward, slashing with ghost-like claws at Ivan's pokemon. Ivan heard a loud screech as Kirlia was knocked back towards him. Instinctively, Ivan held out his arms, catching his pokemon as the impact knocked him off his feet. Ivan felt pain rush through him as he crashed on his rear, gasping for air from the impact. "Ow-" he mumbled.

"Kir-"

"Kirlia-" Ivan muttered. "Are you, okay?"

"Hold up for a moment there Gengar!" Fantina called. "You alright there?" she called to Ivan.

"Kirlia, this Gengar is tough." he said. "If you wanna stop, I get that."

"Ki-Kir-"

"It's alright, I'm here, I promise." he mumbled. "Hey Fantina, I-"

Ivan was interrupted when Kirlia suddenly shot to its feet, seemingly full of energy. He gasped as his pokemon suddenly was enveloped with a bright, bluish light which seemed to pull in energy from the world around it. Ivan held his hand out to cover his eyes, noticing out the corner of his eye the referee doing the same. The light lasted for what seemed like forever, only to have it disappear as quickly as it came. He looked up to see a towering figure appear standing over him, holding its arm out defensively.

"Gar-de-voir," it chimed in a low, protective voice.

"What the-" Ivan stammered.

"Incredible!" Fantina exclaimed. "Your Kirlia evolved!"

Gardevoir pulled its hand back, arms close to its chest. Suddenly, she began charging up a dazzling ball of energy, then throwing it towards Gengar. Gengar had no time to react as the ball slammed directly into it, throwing it clear across the stadium.

"Gengar!" Fantina looked down to see her pokemon unconscious on the ground. Fantina looked shocked for a moment, then smiled softly. "You are so fantastically strong. I now know why I have lost."

"Gengar is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "Meaning gym challenger Ivan is the winner!"

Ivan almost didn't notice the referee's words, his eyes were glued to the pokemon standing in front of him. He made his way to his feet, stumbling as he did so. "Gardevoir?"

Gardevoir turned her head around, locking eyes with him. She smiled, closing her eyes as she did so. "Gar-gar." she hummed.

"You did so wonderfully!" Ivan exclaimed, pulling Gardevoir into a hug. The pokemon looked surprised as Ivan clung to her tightly.

"Woah, so your Kirlia evolved?" Lizzy asked.

"Yeah, and not a moment too soon." Ivan laughed. "We were in kind of a tough spot there for a bit."

"No kidding." Lizzy replied. "How does everything always seem to work out for you?"

"I dunno." Ivan replied. "I'm just in the right place at the right time mostly."

"Well congratulations." Lizzy continued, straightening her glasses. "I'm really happy for you."

"Thanks," he sighed, the stress seeming to wash away at that point. "We still on for dinner?"

"Yeah…I was meaning to talk with you about that."

"Oh, is there a problem?"

"No, no," she reassured. "Well, kind of."

"What's wrong?"

"It's…my parents-"

"Okay?" he responded

"They, um," Ivan watched through his phone screen as Lizzy shifted uncomfortably. "They, uh, want to meet you."

"Who, me?"

"Yes-"

"When?"

"Tonight."

"For real?"

"Yes, apparently, they want to "meet the guy that saved their daughter" or something like that."

"I see, it appears I've caught their interest," he said, smirking.

"That's what confuses me though,"

"Why is that?" Ivan asked. "Clearly my charm knows no bounds, how is that hard to believe?"

"It's just-" she sighed. "You rescued me from that creep over a month ago, and I'm surprised that they waited this long to try and talk to you."

"Well, they did give me that generous donation a while back."

"My point exactly." Lizzy said, adjusting her glasses once again. "It seems like they want to meet you for a different reason."

"Like what?"

"Like the 'I want to judge this guy that's hanging around our daughter' kind of reason."

"Is that right?" Ivan hummed.

"Right, which is why I don't think it's a good idea for you to come."

"Come on, Lizzy, how hard could it be?"

"You haven't met my parents." she said. "They're super picky about, well, everything. If they find anything wrong with you, they could try and get in the way of our, um, relationship."

"Oooh," Ivan grinned, raising his eyebrows repeatedly. "Relationship?"

"That's not-" Lizzy snapped, her face turning a bright red. "I didn't mean it like that!"

"You're right, sorry Lizzy."

"Be serious, you know what I mean."

"I do, so…what's the plan?"

"I was thinking that you just say that you're sick and don't show up."

"Okay," Ivan continued. "And how long do you intend that I be 'sick' for?"

"I-"

"Look, if what you say is true, then you hiding me from them is just gonna make us both look bad, wouldn't it?"

Lizzy paused. "I suppose, it's just-"

"It's just, what?"

"I-" she took a deep breath. "I just am sick of my parents getting in the way of my life. It feels like I can't do anything at all. I feel almost like a prisoner."

"That sounds really hard." Ivan agreed. "Weren't you telling me that you kept on having to sneak away to see me?"

"Yeah,"

"And I'll take it that they're asking to meet me because they suspect you're coming to see me."

"Probably."

"Then I'll be there tonight."

Her eyes widened. "Ivan-"

"Uh uh, not another word Miss Elizabeth." Ivan chimed, using a fancier voice with a touch of an accent. "If I intend to win over you parents, then I must begin my preparations at once."

"Ivan, I don't know if-"

"Lizzy, what choice do we have?" Ivan added. "Again, if your parents are suspicious, then us not being up front about our situation is only gonna make things worse. It's best we just come clean, own it, and try to keep the situation from escalating. That really seems to be the best play here, right?"

She paused again, nodding subtly. "Alright."

"Alright?"

"Alright, you win. Be ready at 5:30 and not a minute later."

"You can count on me!" Ivan cheered enthusiastically.

Ivan stood in front of his mirror, adjusting his tie for what seemed like the fifth time now. Infernape patted the back of his white shirt. "In-fer-fer" the pokemon cheered.

"You're right buddy, I do look good." He grabbed the suit jacket, slipping it over his shoulders, adjusting the coat as he smiled at his reflection. He stood up straight. "Hey Mr. and Mrs. Star, it's nice to meet you." he said at his reflection, holding his arm out as if to shake it. "Wait, no I probably should be more formal." He cleared his throat. "Hello Mr. and Mrs. Star, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." he smiled proudly at himself. "How was that?"

"In-in" the pokemon nodded approvingly.

"And now to check the…MUK!" He looked at his phone, which read 5:38 PM. "I'm late!" Ivan returned his pokemon immediately, dashing outside the door.

"You're late." Lizzy scolded.

"Fashionably late." Ivan corrected. "It's okay if I'm late due to trying to look nice."

"Well, Mr. 'Fashionably late', let me fix that tie for you."

Ivan smiled to himself as Lizzy approached, fidgeting with the fabric below his neck. He took a moment to glance down at the black, off-the-shoulder dress Lizzy was wearing, which struck a nice balance between form-fitting and classy, but didn't come off as gaudy or attention-seeking. Her hair was combed back into a tight, circular bun, and he smiled as he noticed the contact lenses in her eyes. "Do you always dress up nice for dinner with your parents?"

"My parents travel a lot. It's supposed to be a special occasion when they come to visit." She accented her last words with a tightening of the knot to his neck. Ivan feigned a choking noise as released the knot.

"Can't…breathe…" he gasped.

"Come on, let's go," Lizzy responded, a small smile gracing her lips. Ivan then noticed a butler, which seemingly spawned from the aether, pushed the door open for the couple. The two proceeded through the doors which opened into a large, cavernous opening. Ivan barely had a chance to look around at the ornate archway made of intricate marble, where columns connected the arch to a glassy, polished stone floor. Flowers lined vases around the room, and a winding staircase with stained glass accents stood majestically at the back of the room. "Come on!" Lizzy urged.

"I feel like a house just ate me."

"We can walk around after dinner if you'd like, but we really have to go."

"How come you've never invited me here before?"

"It's just-"

"Miss Elizabeth," a maid spoke softly. "Your parents are waiting in the east dining room."

"Thank you," she replied just as quietly.

"You have more than one dining room?" he asked, shocked.

"Yeah…"

"Why does your family need more than one dining room?"

"You don't know what a dining room does?" she asked hurriedly.

"Ha! That was a good one!" Ivan cheered, noticing his voice echoing slightly in the stone rooms they were passing. "Your sarcasm never ceases to please."

She sighed, slowing her slightly. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude."

"I don't think you're being rude," Ivan reassured.

"I just-" she took a deep breath. "My parents make me feel a little stressed out."

"I imagine so," Ivan replied, admiring a stained glass window littered with depictions of diamonds and pearls. "Growing up here and all."

"My parents care about me, and they give me just about everything I need…everything except for what really matters."

"Like what?"

"I'll tell you later," she responded, brushing the front of Ivan's suit coat. "We're here."

A couple of maids pushed a pair of large, darkly stained doors open, and the couple entered briskly into the main room. Ivan barely noticed the decorations on the table, first noticing the pair of piercing eyes seeming to pore into his soul.

Mr. Star's eyes were dark, which is why the fact they were piercing seemed so strange to Ivan. As he got closer, he noticed the pair of glasses on his face made the eyes behind them look somewhat more noticeable. He, much like Ivan himself, donned a dark gray suit accented with a black tie. Ivan noticed the man's goatee obscured a neutral expression, making it impossible for Ivan to read any emotion whatsoever.

Mrs. Star seemed almost identical in expression, wearing a long, black dress that accented her figure. Unlike Lizzy's dress, she wore a white, fuzzy coat that covered the shoulders, and extended down around the upper arms. Ivan could almost get a glimpse of emotion behind the woman's lips…perhaps a smile? Why is she looking at me that way? Ivan thought to himself.

"You're late, Elizabeth." the man stated coldly.

"I'm sorry father," Lizzy replied. "There was an issue with the car, and-"

The man held his hand up, causing Lizzy to quiet immediately. Ivan could finally see the man smile. "Don't worry my dear, I'm aware it wasn't your fault. I'll take it that this is the boy in question."

"Yes, this is Ivan."

"Ivan…"

"Ivan Steel, sir." Ivan finished. "It's…a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Steel." The man hummed as he spoke. "Please, take a seat, both of you."

Ivan stepped towards his chair, reaching out. Before he could, another servant seemingly materialized from nothing and pulled his chair back. Ivan blinked, standing in front of the chair, surprised. He frowned as Lizzy let go of his hand, taking a seat between him and her father sitting at the head of the table. With one smooth motion, all three of them took a seat at the same time, Ivan following mere moments afterward.

"The food will be here shortly." Mr. Star affirmed. "The first course will be Seaking Stew. I hope you're hungry, Ivan."

"Yes sir."

"Tell me, Ivan, what brings you to Hearthome city?"

"I'm a pokemon trainer from Sandgem town."

Mr. Star nodded. "That's quite a distance."

"Yes sir."

"And you're, what, 15 years old?"

"All day long, sir." Ivan replied, smiling. Ivan laughed awkwardly, shifting into clearing his throat as he watched Mr. and Mrs. Star frown slightly, and Lizzy angle her head down. "Excuse me, sir."

"I see, and, what do you hope to accomplish?"

"Well, I'd like to challenge the champion."

"Do you hope to replace her?"

"I'm…still deciding."

"Of course."

"He's very skilled," Lizzy added. "Today he beat Fantina."

"That's no small feat." Mr. Star replied. "On your first try?"

"Well, no," Ivan responded, a touch of embarrassment. "My second attempt, I'm sorry to say. I tried a few weeks ago, and have been training since that time."

"I see." Mr. Star continued. "Ah, and just in time." Ivan turned to see a few servers enter the room carrying bowls of soup on silver platters. The servers timed the placements of the plates so that each of the bowls touched the table almost simultaneously. Ivan glanced over to see Lizzy pick up the outermost spoon and begin sampling the soup, and began to copy her movements. Nothing but the sound of spoons lightly tapping the bowls prevailed in the air for a few moments, only to be broken by Mr. Star.

"Ivan, may I ask what your parents do?"

"My parents?"

"Yes…your parents."

"I, well, my father runs the beach. He trains lifeguards, manages the shops, and he does rather well for himself. My mother, um, works at a diner part-time and helps raise my baby sister."

"Ah, and how old is she?"

"She turned 1 just this last year, sir."

"I see, so for most of your life, you've grown up an only child?"

"Yeah, I mean, yes, I suppose you could say that."

"Hmm, very interesting."

"His family also seems to be active in the community, his father has worked with-" Lizzy was cut off again by her father raising his hand.

"Please, Elizabeth, let's not interrupt our guest."

Ivan watched her eyes tilt downward, her eyes making small peeks toward him as if to avoid detection. "It's alright sir." Ivan said more seriously. "I was done talking."

"I see…I think I'm starting to get an image as to who you are."

"Is that right?" Ivan replied, attempting to stifle any sound.

"Well Ivan, I think I can speak for all of us here when I say that you're not hard to read…like parsing through a picture book."

"Father-" Lizzy interjected.

"What makes you think I'm that easy to figure out?" Ivan retorted defensively.

"Well, let's review, for a moment, shall we?" Mr. Star replied calmly. "You come from a well-off family, wherein you were the only child. When you turned 10, you walked down the road to visit Professor Rowan, and have been on your journey ever since. However, things didn't go well for you right off the bat, and you made several long detours back home to stay within the comforts of home. While you've technically been a trainer for about 5 years, I'd wager you've spent at least half that time at home."

"Well…not half-"

"But more than I think you've mentioned to Elizabeth." Mr. Star continued. "Or perhaps we can focus on your journey itself, hmm? It's taken you about five years to accomplish what a 10-year-old should be able to accomplish in a matter of weeks. Remind me, Pamela, what's the average amount of time a trainer can clear all eight gyms in the region?"

"2-3 months." Mrs. Star added, Ivan just barely realizing that this was the first time she spoke that evening.

"Right, of course, so perhaps I was a little short in my estimate. Thank you for the correction."

"Of course, darling," she replied, taking a sip of her clear, sparkling drink.

"Not every journey is the same though-" Ivan interjected.

"Ah, yes, the 'not every journey is the same' trope." Mr. Star continued, lifting his drink. "This is true, though the number of badges obtained by a trainer often has a direct correlation to the skill and strength of the trainer. Not every journey is the same, because not every trainer is the same, I suppose?"

"Father, stop," Lizzy whispered desperately. "Please."

"I see before me a boy who has relied on his quick wit, smooth words, and copious amounts of luck combined with the generosity of others to help them get ahead in life. You see, that will only get you so far, especially if you want any hope of being able to be worthy of pursuing a relationship with Elizabeth."

"Father-"

"Now, there is still hope for you. Your concern for my daughter is admirable, and I believe that your intentions are as noble as they can be for someone of your disposition. However, I'm afraid that if you're here to vie for any kind of support from us, you'll have to show a bit more dedication, initiative, or any other worthwhile trait to gain any kind of approval from us."

Ivan stood up, his face red with anger. "Who do you think you are?!" He slammed his fist against the table to reinforce his point.

"And temperamental." Mr. Star sighed, taking a sip of his drink. "We can add that to the list of 'winning qualities'."

Ivan's expression softened, and he looked down for a moment. Mrs. Star hid her frown behind her drink, while Lizzy couldn't bring herself to look at him. "I-" he scowled, clenching his fist tightly. "Screw this, I'm out."

"Ivan!" Lizzy cried out.

"Just leave me alone," Ivan called out, slamming the door behind him.

"Who needs them, right?" Ivan muttered angrily. "Who are they just to drag me through the mud like that?" Ivan could hear his pokemon, Lucario, Infernape, and his newly evolved Gardevoir mutter their names softly in response. Gardevoir, flittered softly towards him, placing an arm on his shoulder.

"Gar-Gardevoir" the pokemon hummed.

"I mean, he wasn't even right about half of that stuff." He began shoving clothes into his backpack. "Sure I've taken some trips home, but that's not because I didn't want to be a trainer. I just wanted a break, you know?"

"Lu-car!" the pokemon chimed in agreement.

"And it's not like we haven't been working hard. We beat the gym, right? We've stuck with it longer than most trainers would in our position. Most trainers would've tapped out maybe a year ago." He clipped his backpack closed. "You all ready to go?" he asked his pokemon. The pokemon chimed their names, and he reached for the pokeballs, and began returning each one to its respective ball. Suddenly, there came a small tap at the door. "Who is it?"

"It's Lizzy."

Ivan paused. "What do you want?"

"I-" she hesitated. "I just want to talk."

"Is that right?" he said. "You didn't seem to want to talk at dinner."

"Ivan, I-" she stopped again. "Please, can you just open the door?"

Ivan opened the door abruptly. "Look, why are you even-" He stopped when he noticed the tear marks running down her face, little black particles and stains dripped all along her cheeks, and he noticed her eyes were red. Any semblance of anger melted away as he looked at her teary face. "Lizzy?"

Lizzy abruptly opened the door, wrapping her arms around Ivan's neck as she hugged him tightly. Ivan's eyes were wide open as he slowly put his arms around Lizzy's waist. "I'm so sorry, Ivan." she sobbed.

"Hey, look," Ivan sighed, arching over due to the height difference. "You're kind of hurting my neck a bit."

Lizzy pulled back, looking down to hide her face. "You have every right to be mad at me. I should've tried to tell him to back off way earlier than I did."

"No, it's my fault," he responded. "I should've been more willing to listen to you. It's just when you said 'picky', I didn't think 'hecking crazy', you know?"

"That's just how they are though," Lizzy added, making her way to the bed frame, sitting down. "They push away anyone who they esteem to be 'inferior' in any way. I just…I feel awful."

"Admittedly, it does put some things in perspective for me."

"What do you mean?"

"Well," Ivan started, taking a seat next to her. "You mentioned to me that you never really had any friends. I imagine it would be hard to have friends when your parents are practically interrogating every visitor who tries to meet you. I pity the 6-year-old who tried to play at your house."

Lizzy laughed, gasping slightly as well. "Yeah, that's true."

"It also explains why you fought me going to meet them, and why you honestly seem so scared to argue with them." he continued. "You've probably been feeling rather lonely for a long time, and so you sneak out."

"Yeah," she continued. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to try and be secretive, it's just…I was scared though."

"Scared? Of your parents?"

"Yes…and no," she clarified. "I was scared because, well, you're the first real friend I've ever had. You didn't seem to mind the fact that I'm a little, I dunno, weird-"

"You're not weird, Lizzy." Ivan corrected. "Liking books, nerding out about pokemon, and wearing cute glasses that you sometimes lose does not make you weird."

She smiled, grabbing her left arm with her right hand. "All you're doing is proving my point here."

"Well, Miss Elizabeth, I'm obligated to be truthful to you at all times, yes?" he replied in a posh accent. She didn't laugh in response.

"I'm really sorry Ivan," she muttered. "For everything."

"Well, that's life sometimes. We make mistakes, we learn, and we grow. That's just life."

"You just know exactly what to say."

"Well, what can I say? I've got talented lips." Ivan teased.

She stopped, looking up at him, smiling. Lizzy reached her hand up, lightly stroking his cheek. She pulled his face forward, placing her lips gently on his own. Ivan pulled back, looking shocked as his cheeks turned bright red. "I'm sorry!" Lizzy replied, turning her face away. "I didn't mean to make you feel-"

Ivan pulled her face towards his, planting his lips fiercely onto hers once again. They sat stationary for a moment, only their faces moving as they breathlessly savored the feeling. In a sudden movement, Ivan pushed her back down towards the bed, his right hand feeling through her hair, while his left hand pushed down slightly on her waist. Ivan could feel her moan slightly as his hand began to push down harder into her side. Her hands started running along his back, one making its way up towards the back of his hair, carefully tracing the feeling of Ivan's head. After what seemed like a blissful eternity, they pulled away, each one gasping for air.

"Wow," Ivan started, his figure still looming over hers. "I, um, that was-"

"That was amazing," Lizzy replied, smiling. Her red cheeks were accented by the slightly foggy glasses she now donned. She smiled as Ivan leaned in again, his intentions being clearer than a summer afternoon. "Uh-uh-uh, we have work to do," she replied.

"Huh?" Ivan responded, pulling back.

"Let me up, and I'll tell you."

"Do I have to?"

"Yes."

Ivan sighed, leaning back, and watching the girl next to him sit uprightly. As she did, she grabbed his hand, and kept it intertwined with her own, her other arm supporting her from behind. He carefully wrapped his other hand around her own, sandwiching her hand in a tight squeeze. "What's up?"

"Well, it's going to take a lot of work," she said.

"Doing what?"

"Running away together."

His eyes widened. "Wait, what? Running away?"

"Of course."

"What about your family?"

"I'll be long gone before they find out."

"What are you going to do?"

"Go on my journey of course."

"With me?"

"Obviously," she replied smiling. "I'm sure you'll have lots of tips on how to help me."

"I guess."

"I'll need to withdraw from my account. I'd keep my funds on my family card, but my parents might try and cut me off. It's my money though, they constantly seem to remind me of that fact."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Look, don't try to talk me out of it." she huffed. "I'm going on a journey, end of discussion. Even if I couldn't get any money, I would still rough it out just like anyone else."

"Hey, I'm not criticizing you," Ivan replied defensively. "I'm just surprised. This is pretty spontaneous for you."

"I know, isn't it exciting?" she eagerly stated. "I'll take it, you're ready to go?"

"Yeah,"

"Good, meet me by Hiker Bill's in two hours."

"Yes ma'am."

"And don't be late this time!"

"Trust me," Ivan smiled. "I won't."