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Hop thought he was being careful. That he was dealing with the situation as delicately he could. But during their long train ride to the Crown Tundra, when Hop sat next to Schilly and she ended up falling asleep resting her head on his shoulder that he was told otherwise.
“Is now really the right time for that?” Marnie whispered behind him in an effort to not wake Schilly up. “Her close friend is missing and could be dead for all we know.”
Hop’s crush on Schilly wasn’t a well-kept secret to anyone - well apparently to anyone but Schilly - so yes maybe Hop was enjoying spending more time with her. That doesn’t mean he’s going to ask her out now or anything!
“I know, I know.” Hop whispered back. “But…I still wanna be a good friend to her. We should all make sure she’s doing okay, right?”
Marnie stared at the boy for a second before signing and leaning back in her chair, most likely also planning to sleep. “Just be careful with her heart.”
All Hop could do was gulp and try to get some shut-eye himself, even with Schilly’s soft breaths so close to his ear making it impossible.
Getting separated from Bede, Marine, and Marvin certainly wasn’t a part of the plan, but the Crown Tundra’s weather was unpredictable and they had two different areas where this legendary horse pokemon that this Calyrex asked them to find. And considering this Pokémon knows more about this area then any of the locals it was their only lead to finding Sou.
Still, Hop did momentarily wonder if Sou was worth all of them dying from hypothermia in an abandoned graveyard where there’s a good chance no one would find their bodies.
“Hop!?” Even in the blizzard with whirlwinds pounding snow and ice against Hop’s face, Schilly’s loud voice was clear as day. “Where'd you go?! I can’t see!!”
Turning around and squinting, Hop could make out Schilly’s silhouette. The boy pushed his legs through several feet of snow and reached his shivering hand out, soon finding Schilly’s glove-covered hand.
“Hold on!” Hop shouted as loud he could, even if the roars of wind barely carried his voice. “We don’t want to get separated.”
“Right!!” Schilly squeezed his hand and Hop’s heart pounded. “We gotta keep pushing forward to find Sou!”
Hop’s grip on Schilly lessened slightly.
Right.
“Keep it together lover boy…”
Hop was really glad the storm had it impossible to hear anything.
“Hey wait, Kubfu, get back here!” Hop yelled running through the dojo halls. The mysterious and stubborn pokemon didn’t listen however and continued to cause mischief throughout the building.
Hop groaned in defeat and fell on the floor as Kubfu ran out to the training grounds behind the dojo. He can’t believe that Master Mustard is making the five of them raise a Kubfu to evolve before he relents what information he has on Sou because the Master believes they are ready yet.
Bede and Marnie were spending the day chasing Galarian Slowpoke and Marvin got wrapped into some scheme that another student - Avery - was planning. Leaving-
“I GOTCHA!”
-him and Schilly on Kubfu duty.
The pokedex holder walked back into the dojo with the fighting type pokemon kicking and punching in her arms in a futile attempt to escape. “Let's put him back in his pokeball for now!”
Hop nodded and grabbed the ball from his belt and sighed at sudden peace. Schilly sat next to him and Hop had to turn his gaze a bit so Schilly wouldn’t see his blush. It’s not fair how cute she looked with her hair in a bun.
Oh wait, now there’s silence.
Oh no no no no no…
Don’t do it Hop.
“So Schilly….”
Damn it.
“Aren’t you glad?” The boy asked. “We're so close to finding Sou now! Any day now and we’ll be reuni-”
“Hey, Hop, you have a crush on me right?”
“-ted….”
…..
…..
“AHHHHHH!!“
Hop’s face was getter redder than Leon’s Charizard’s flames and he wasn’t sure what was more worrying. The fact Schilly knew or the fact she said it in such a quiet tone.
“I’m sorry!” Schilly shook her hands in worry. “If I’m wrong about that…I really was hoping I wasn’t reading those signs wrong.” The girl hit her head. “Stupid!”
Hop grabbed her arm, stopping another hit on the poor girl’s head. “You’re not wrong!” The sudden courage he had quickly vanished. “It’s just…you said that all of sudden. I wasn’t expecting that.”
“Oh….” Schilly frowned. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine,” Hop shook his head. “But why ask now?”
Schilly was silent for a minute before speaking. Only the footstep of other students at the dojo filled the air. “...I can tell you all have been treating me differently lately, and I wanted to know if you were because of Sou or because you liked me.”
Hop really wished the blush would go away. “B-but why did you need to know that?”
“Um…” the girl bit her lip. “Can I tell you something I haven’t told anyone else?”
“Anything!” Was the immediate response.
“I’m…I’m scared to see Sou again…”
“HUH!?”
Several students turn their gaze towards the duo leaving Hop no choice but to whisper, “How come?”
Schilly looked uncomfortable, but nevertheless, she continued. “You remember what he said before being flown into the air right?”
Hop blinked as he recalled that dreadful day. “That he wouldn’t let the rusted weapons go?”
“And?”
“...And that getting them was the only reason he joined the gym challenge….” Hop trailed off.
Schilly nodded and raised her kness up so she could lay her head on them. “You know, Sou never watched a single one of my gym matches. Even when Marvin asked him to. And…and I know Sou joined the gym challenge to find answers about what happened after our encounter in the Slumbering Weald but he also said he’d join to help find my pokemon. So if the weapons were the only reason then-”
“-Sou didn’t care about helping you then.” Hop finished. However, the boy shook his head and cursed himself. “No, wait I didn’t mean it like that!”
“But you’re right!” Schilly’s normal volume returned. No longer caring if passersby listened in. “What if he doesn’t care and never did! That all our time together was a lie!” Schilly bit her lip as tears started to form. “T-that we were never friends….”
Hop couldn’t say anything after that. Didn’t know what to say. He just watched as silent tears fell from the girl he likes's face.
When Hop did finally find some words to say Schilly’s cries had reduced to a series of sniffles. “Why…why did you tell me this?”
Another sniffle. “W-we’re spending so much time looking for Sou that worrying about him not liking me feels silly and I-I figured if you liked me that wouldn’t judge me for feeling this way.”
The counter to that statement was on the tip of his tongue, but Hop held it back. He wasn’t sure about Marvin, but Bede would definitely yell at Schilly for this, and Marine probably would tell her to save those feelings till after they found him.
No, Hop wasn’t going to lie to Schilly about that. Instead, he nodded and beamed at the girl. “I would have understood even if I didn’t like you. But don’t worry. You’re secret is safe with me!”
If the younger brother of the champion wasn’t too busy slapping his face to rejuvenate his spirit as he jumped back up to his feet he might have noticed the rosy blush that the young dex holder was sporting. But that wouldn’t have mattered anyways.
Schilly’s bond with Sou came first at the moment.
After that Hop will shoot his shot with getting a date with the cutest girl in Galar.