TEEN: Pokemon: A Marvelous Journey (COMPLETE!)

[Max1996]

The Amara moments in the latest chapter were simply amazing!

 

[RedAgent14]

(quick note: there are a few instances at the end of chapter 57 where you use "are" instead of "were" when the sentence is in the past tense.)

I'll be honest: after reading the end of this chapter, I'm wondering if Amara will make it to the end of the fic. Her driving force for the entirety of the story (and for plenty of in-universe time pre-story, no doubt) was just shattered, and given how fast everything happened, she's probably still overwhelmed trying to process everything.
(This is all just observation and speculation on my part though; regardless of whether or not Amara's story ends here, I'm eager to see how the next parts of the fic play out.)

 

[Juliko]

Chapter 59: Amara, You’re My Sister!

“Amara!!” Julia made her way down the path leading to Mt. Silver, her hands cupped around her mouth. “Amara!! Where are you?!” She called and called out to her missing sister, but all she got in response was her voice echoing across the sky. Hikaru walked by her side, her nose to the ground, trying to catch her scent. Some police cars drove right by her, though they took care not to run her over, as they were also on the search for Amara. Thankfully for Julia, their sirens weren’t making that awful screeching sound. It was fine if she heard it from far away, but if the sound was really close to her, just hearing that blaring made her feel like rocks were being pounded on her ear drums.

“Heeeeey! Come on out, Amara!!” Perrine cried out. Again, she received no response. She walked right up to Julia, her face twinged with concern. “Any luck?”

Julia shook her head. “No. She’s probably further up ahead. She couldn’t have gone too far,” Julia tried to tell herself that Amara was close by. Mt. Silver, while a very famous landmark in Johto, was also known for being very dangerous if one didn’t come prepared. Amara may have strong Pokemon with her, but who knows just how powerful the Pokemon around here were. For all she knew, a wild Tyranitar might kill her with one swipe of its claws, or she might get trapped in a landslide. Whatever the case, Julia needed to find Amara NOW.

Caiseal held a hand just above his eyes to block out the sunlight, peering deeper into the woods. “I’m sure the police will get her this time. I mean, she left on foot, right?” Caiseal reminded them. “There’s no way she can avoid police cars now. Not at the rate she’s going.”

‘She’s avoided them before,’ Julia thought bitterly. Did he not remember that she managed to evade capture for nearly seven months straight, with the help of her Pokemon, no less? Or maybe he was just trying to be optimistic in light of recent events. She wasn’t sure. Right now, Julia felt like bug Pokemon were writhing in her skin. She couldn’t think of anything else but Amara. She was so close, and she evaded her grasp yet again. All of this running from the law needed to stop.

This whole thing had gone on long enough.

Before the kids could go any further, an officer Jenny pulled up on her vespa. “Excuse me, kids!” Jenny stopped right next to them with a determined look on her face. “I just got word from one of the other officers,” She explained, pulling out her radio. “They found Amara in a run-down shack about half a mile from here. They have the place surrounded.”

They found her? Already? That was fast. If they found her that quickly, then there was no time to waste. Without another word, Julia sprinted down the dirt path, so focused on what was in front of her that she wound up leaving her two friends and Hikaru behind. But they were quick to give chase, knowing how intent she was on finally catching Amara once and for all. Julia’s legs burned in protest, having done a lot of running already, but at this point, the pain didn’t faze her one bit. Amara was finally going to have to take responsibility for her actions. That thought kept Julia going.

But the desire to apprehend Amara was nothing compared to the worry that threatened to burst out of her rib cage like fireworks. Amara had just learned that a wanted criminal was responsible for the infamous Gyarados attack on Cherrygrove City. The same one that killed Chanel and many others. Julia remembered seeing Amara’s blanched face and a shocked, wide-eyed stare that she hadn’t seen on her sister since she learned that Chanel had died. It was like the world had turned over in that very moment. Just like that, Julia’s desire to apprehend Amara didn’t seem significant anymore. Amara needed someone, anyone, to be there for her and console her in her time of need.

This time, Julia was going to do just that, whether Amara wanted it or not.

It didn’t take long for the kids to see four police cars further down the path. Many police officers stood in front of a dilapidated shack, pistols in hand. Some of them had Growlithes and Houndours standing guard, tails up, backs arched, and baring their teeth at the shack like it was a predator. When the kids caught up and stopped to observe the sight, Julia’s hands flew to her mouth. Was all of this really necessary? She knew that at this point, Amara was wanted for everything she had done since April, but did she really need all of these policemen pointing their guns at her, ready to shoot if she so much as did anything? Amara’s mental state was already precarious. Would this just make it worse?

Every brain cell in her head was screaming: This wasn’t the answer. This wasn’t what Amara needed. Not in the state she’s in.

“Oh jeez,” Caiseal mused. “This is really serious.”

Perrine turned to Julia. “What exactly is going on?”

Julia wasted no time telling them everything that had happened, from encountering Amara in the woods by pure chance all the way to the current state of affairs. Caiseal and Perrine’s jaws nearly fell to the floor when she finished.

“Wait, so you’re saying that random Gyarados attack in Cherrygrove City last year wasn’t an accident after all?” Perrine asked, her brain still processing the revelation Julia dropped. “Pokemon Hunter J was responsible for the whole thing?”

“She practically admitted it right in front of us!” Julia exclaimed, flapping her arms up and down to empathize her point. “She even had the nerve to say that the deaths were necessary sacrifices for her big plan, whatever the heck that even is!” Replaying J’s words in her head made her blood boil even further. More so than when she had been angry at Caiseal’s biological father the other day.

“And what was the deal with her catching Ho-Oh and Lugia?” Caiseal inquired, looking just as bewildered as Perrine was in that moment. “What did she want with them?”

Julia held a finger to her chin. “All Raikou could tell me was that she wanted to get information from them. He said he, Suicune, and Entei didn’t have the answers she wanted, so she decided to go after the birds directly and use the three of them as some kind of blackmail,” She explained. “That’s all I got, though.”

Caiseal and Perrine exchanged looks. Just when they thought Hunter J couldn’t be more despicable, these new revelations skyrocketed her to a whole new level. It still didn’t explain exactly what her big plan was, but that wasn’t important right now. At this point, the birds and the three beasts were free, and J’s airship had gone down. But what exactly made it fall to the ground? All she could think of was that maybe Suicune did it in order to bring her down. Suicune was in the airship when Julia and Amara attempted to escape.

The deafening screech of a megaphone pulled Julia out of her reverie. “Amara Parisa, this is the police! Come out with your hands up!” The megaphone’s blaring made some Pidgey fly out of some nearby trees. Julia’s hands flew to her ears, but they barely did much to muffle the painful noise. She was able to look up and see who was using said megaphone. A large, muscular, brown-skinned officer held the megaphone in one hand, facing the shack and standing in front of one of the police vehicles.

Blood pounded against her temples. Amara didn’t need this. She didn’t need police officers barking orders at her like she was a Growlithe trained to follow commands. Julia made a beeline for the officer.

“Jule! Stop!” Perrine gave chase, but Julia outran her.

“Hey!” Julia pulled on the officer’s sleeve as hard as she could. The man swiveled around, mouth agape at the sight of a little kid trying to get his attention.

“This area is off limits, ma’am,” The officer—Julia glanced at the name tag sewn onto his uniform, which read Grossfield—told her in a calm, authoritative voice that left no room for nonsense.

“I’m Amara’s sister, Julia!” She cried out, taking a moment to rummage through her bag and pulled out her trainer ID. “Look! See? My last name’s Parisa, too!” Officer Grossfield cast a passing glance at it. “Will you please let me go into the shack to talk to her? I can get her to come out peacefully!”

“Not happening,” Officer Grossfield shot her down before she could elaborate further. “I’m not letting a kid walk into the line of fire, and Amara Parisa is a wanted criminal.”

Wanted criminal. Julia winced at the words being used to describe her sister. As much as she hated to admit it, they were right. Amara broke several laws, and her being put in jail was inevitable. But who knows what she was going through right now? She couldn’t give up. Not when she had finally come so far. Amara needed someone.

“Please, I know how to get through to her!” Julia pleaded, letting go of his sleeve. “She just found out that Hunter J made a Gyarados attack Cherrygrove City last year, and one of her friends was killed because of it! I heard her confess and everything, and I know Amara’s really upset!” Like earlier, Julia explained the whole situation to him as fast as she could get herself to talk. Officer Grossfield kept his eyes on the shack, but he did listen, and he didn’t interrupt her, either. “Please, just let me go inside. I know I can get through to her and have her come out peacefully.”

“Kid, this is a dangerous situation,” Officer Grossfield told her. “One of my guys already called your parents and they’re on their way here. Her Feraligatr is in there and could attack us at any moment. I am not gonna have you throw yourself in there and get yourself killed.”

“I have protection,” Julia gestured for Hikaru to come up. The mouse hopped onto Julia’s back and climbed it before perching on her shoulder. “Hikaru can subdue it if it attacks us. Plus, I have eight badges. See?” It took everything she had to keep herself calm and collected. If she started screaming at him now, he’d interpret her wish to talk to Amara as just a childish tantrum and push her aside. But these officers didn’t know Amara. They didn’t know the whole story. Julia did. She flashed her badges at him, but the officer shook his head.

“For the last time, no!”

“Sir, please! She’ll listen to me! I know she will!” Julia stressed, clasping her hands together as if she were in prayer. What was it going to take to convince this guy to let her in? She stole a glance over at the other officers. Wait a minute…an idea struck her mind like a lightning bolt. “Oh! Here’s an idea! You can have one of your officers stay with me!” She proposed. “That way somebody will be nearby in case something happens I can’t handle!”

Officer Grossfield glanced over at some of his comrades, megaphone still in hand. Julia’s hands tightened around themselves to the point of turning snow white. For a brief moment, the officer was silent. Then, another policeman approached him.

“I can accompany her,” The man suggested calmly. “Amara hasn’t given us a response. We ought to at least give this a try. At least until her parents get here.”

In the back of her mind, Julia knew the risks involved in throwing herself into this. For all she knew, either Amara would sick Feraligatr on everyone, or the officers might shoot her dead. She didn’t want either of those things to happen. She understood why Officer Grossfield wanted her out of the situation. It wasn’t for a kid to handle. But she also knew that Amara might not respond well to the police, in whatever her current state of mind was. Someone had to reach out to her and pull her out of whatever state she was in.

She didn’t come this far just to give up.

Finally, Officer Grossfield nodded in Julia’s direction. “Alright. I’ll let you go in there. But keep your Pokemon with you. Officer Kahn will accompany you. But the minute anything goes down, we’re getting you out of there.”

Julia beamed, smiling from ear to ear. “Thanks, officers! I’ll get Amara out from there, I promise!”

Now that she had permission, Julia sprinted into the shack, with the policeman from earlier—Mr. Kahn, shadowing her from about three feet away. Having witnessed the scene, Perrine and Caiseal could only watch as their friend disappeared into the squalid shack. Caiseal balled a hand into a fist, and Perrine fiddled with one of the strands in her hair.

“Please let this go well…don’t let Julia get hurt…” Perrine whispered to no one in particular.

***

Now that she was inside, Julia could see right away that nobody had lived here in years. Everything in the shack was either coated in a thick layer of dust, or had some kind of vine wrapped around it. The floorboards were pale and splintered, having rotted from age, with quite a few holes scattered here and there. Julia tip toed inside, taking care to avoid the holes. Several pieces of wood lay higgledy-piggledy in one corridor, with some having already slid off. Julia walked over them easily, as they weren’t so high that they proved to be too big of an obstacle. Dust particles danced in the sunbeams, and the floor made a harsh, squeaking noise with every step she walked.

So far, there was no sign of Amara, which was odd, since this shack didn’t look very big from the outside. Glass shards crunched underneath her sneakers. She glanced toward a window that had a fist sized hole in the glass. Julia ambled into another room, finally out of the hallway. This new room was much brighter, but not any better than the rest of the shack. It was empty save for some shabby furniture and a huge pile of wood and shingles in the middle of the room. She looked up, gazing at a huge hole in the ceiling. Perhaps the roof caved in somehow. One of the shingles was barely holding on by a thread, swaying in the wind. One touch and Julia was sure it would fall right on her head. At one point, Julia’s nose tickled from all the dust around her, and a sneeze escaped her.

“Ugh!” Julia covered her mouth afterward. “Someone really needs to clean this place up.”

Hikaru’s ears twitched. She glanced toward another door. “Pika!” She cried out, pointing further up.

Julia turned in the direction Hikaru was pointing. Something light blue with red horns was about ten feet away. Julia recognized it right on sight.

“Feraligatr!” Julia ran up to it. The big jaw Pokemon turned around, greeting her with a despondent, concerned look unfitting for a beast of its caliber. But it let Julia come close, knowing she had no ill intent. “Where’s Amara?”

Feraligatr let out a low growl, pointing to the next room. Julia then noticed a pile of empty PokeBalls scattered around Feraligatr’s tail. Completely empty, with no Pokemon in sight. “What happened to her Pokemon?” Julia asked.

The big jaw Pokemon explained everything. “She released you guys?! You included?!” Feraligatr nodded. “But what are you still doing here?” This Feraligatr had once been a Totodile that Amara stole from Professor Elm’s lab. In light of all that Amara had done to it, Feraligatr should have taken this chance to run for the hills. Julia figured it had every right to do so.

But the blue alligator could only cast a sad glance toward Amara. “I know she’s been cruel to me, and I can’t quite forgive her for everything. But seeing her like that…” Feraligatr’s growls quieted down to barely audible grunts. Julia could see sympathy in its gold eyes. “I can’t help but pity her. She’s just a girl, and…it seems wrong to leave her alone when she’s in such despair. I know now that there is some good in her. She did release us and apologized for what she put us through.”

Julia’s heart lurched in her chest. This giant alligator, who could easily rip a human being to bloody shreds if it wanted to, who endured a life of abuse and cruelty, still had it in its heart to stay with Amara while she was at rock bottom. Feraligatr had no obligation to stay by her side, but remained here with her anyway; even as her other Pokemon embraced their newfound freedom. She was especially confounded upon hearing that Amara willingly released all of her Pokemon and apologized to them. At first, she would have questioned whether Amara would ever do something like that, but the empty PokeBalls by Feraligatr’s tail told her all she needed to know. Perhaps J’s confession finally made Amara see the error of her ways.

All the more reason to be there for her now.

“I’ll talk to her,” Julia told it. “Stay here for now,” She stood on her toes and looked past Feraligatr’s arm to get Officer Kahn within her line of sight. “Sir? This Feraligatr was stolen from Professor Elm’s lab as a Totodile. He won’t hurt you.”

Officer Kahn gave an acknowledging nod.

Turning around, Julia slipped past the big jaw Pokemon and found herself in yet another room. Stray sunbeams made ethereal streaks of light mark the flooring, like they were stripes. Two chairs lay on the floor, toppled over on their sides. A small wooden bookshelf stood in the far right corner, coated in dust except for one hand print on the top. As Julia inched closer, she saw a figure sitting right behind it. Tall boots, skinny jeans, a gray jacket, and a disheveled ponytail gave it all away.

“Amara?”

No response. Julia walked closer. Amara was curled in a ball, with her knees against her chest, obscuring her face. The accessory that kept her hair up was close to sliding right off, leaving her ponytail unkempt and knotted.

“Amara?”

“Go away!” Amara cried out, but Julia noticed that the demand didn’t have the angry sharpness that her sister usually had. “I’m bad and you shouldn’t be around me!” She whimpered, her voice small, weak, and pathetic.

Julia crossed her arms. “That’s ridiculous. I mean, you’ve made some bad decisions, sure, but that doesn’t make you all-out bad.”

“Yes it does,” Amara’s voice trembled and was hoarse, probably from crying. “I’m an awful person. I treated you, Mom, Dad, and all of my friends and Pokemon like garbage and blamed you all for every bad thing that happened in my life…none of you deserved that.”

Julia squeezed her eyes shut. She could feel them turning moist. The last time she had seen Amara like this was when Chanel died. Her heart ached seeing her like this.

“I’m sorry, Jule…I’m so, so, so sorry…” Amara cried. “For all the mean things I said and did to you…and for all this. It’s okay if you don’t forgive me. It’s not like I deserve any after all the crap I put you through…I’ve been a horrible sister and a terrible person…I know nothing I say can ever change what happened or change how you feel about me.”

In that moment, Julia knew without thinking too hard about it that Amara truly meant every word she said. There was no mistaking the sincerity in the words she choked out. Normally, Amara rarely apologized for anything, even when she knew she was in the wrong. That was something she had inherited from their mother, who was the same way, so Julia knew she was dead serious when she actually did so. Feraligatr’s confession and the empty PokeBalls proved it as well. Here was Amara, curled in a ball, at what was literally the lowest point of her life. Julia knew it would be cruel to just dismiss her apology right then and there. Learning the truth about Chanel’s death was cruel enough.

Julia got down on one knee in order to put herself at Amara’s level. “Amara? I’m not mad at you. Not anymore. But no matter how many times you tell me to go away, I’m not going to leave you this time. Sisters don’t leave each other in the dust,” Julia told her.

For once, Amara didn’t say a word, nor did she try to drive Julia away like she usually did. Julia shifted herself closer, but still kept herself about two feet away to give her some space.

Amara continued to whimper, her sobs muffled by her arms hiding her face. “You’re absolutely right about everything. What you said to me in the cave...it’s all true. I just didn’t want to admit it until now,” Amara cried. “I should have just shut up and listened to you guys from the start instead of blaming you all for every single bad thing that happened. I completely ruined everything. I drove my friends away, I hurt my Pokemon, I made you, Mom, and Dad miserable every single day...I even took my anger out on complete strangers who didn’t even do anything to me! And for what? Chanel’s gone and...and…!”

A hand rested against her shoulder, calm and gentle. It still made Amara flinch, but even through the layers of her coat, she could feel her sister’s warmth.

“I know, Amara. I know,” Julia murmured. “And you’re right to be angry. That J lady killed Chanel and many other people. The whole thing is so unfair. True, you did take things way too far, and you did make some bad decisions, but you’re still my sister. Nothing can change that,” A brief silence. “I miss Chanel, too.”

“Yeah. She really liked you,” Amara murmured right back, lifting her head up just a bit. “She considered you her friend, too.”

It was then that Julia finally saw Amara’s face. Sunlight reflected off the tear tracks that drowned her cheeks, and her light blue eyes were glassy and moist. Her cheeks were red and splotchy, with her bangs wet and matted from crying, sticking to her forehead like she had been sweating. To put it simply, she was a mess, and she had every right to be. Julia couldn’t help but stare down at the rotting wood below her. The sight of her older sister looking so pathetic and broken was too much to bear.

“Hey. Do you remember that time when you and I made that pillow fort in the basement?” Julia asked. “And we pretended we were stuck in the woods and being attacked by wild Pokemon?”

For the first time today, Amara cracked a smile as the memory resurfaced. “Oh, how could I forget? I think you were five and I was seven. We took all the pillows in the house and made a fort. Mom’s Ninetales even played with us and we pelted him with bean bags!” As she recounted the memory, the sight of herself and her sister throwing bean bags at a larger Pokemon made laughter slip through her lips. “Man, Mom was so mad at us for hoarding all the pillows.”

“We had to clean up the whole mess,” Julia finished, giggling as she let the happy memory replay in her mind.

Oddly enough, the laughter eased the thick tension between them. Amara couldn’t remember the last time she laughed like this, and alongside her sister, at that. But it felt good. For just a moment, she forgot about her sorrow. She felt like her old self again. This was so much better than holding onto all that anger and taking it out on anyone who looked at her wrong.

“Personally, I wouldn’t mind doing that again,” Amara mused through her giggling. “That sure was fun.”

Julia grinned. Now this was the Amara she knew and loved.

“You know...you’re not wrong for feeling like the world forgot about Chanel after she died,” Julia whispered. “If someone I loved died and everyone told me to just get over it and move on, I’d be mad, too.”

“She had so much to look forward to…” Amara continued. “She lived a terrible life, what with her dad beating her up all the time, and just when she finally managed to escape that, she’s just...gone...all because some lady thought it’d be a wonderful idea to mind control a Gyarados and have it kill people for kicks! To think I thought that Gyarados was going berserk for the sake of it. Now that I know what really happened…” Amara hid her face in her hands, hoping her palms would cover it completely. They didn’t. “Arceus, how could I be so stupid? I thought Pokemon in general were responsible for Chanel’s death, all because of one Gyarados’ actions, and even that turned out to be wrong! I even tried to hurt my own Totodile with a rock! How could I let myself turn into this...this awful person?!”

In that moment, she was sick to her stomach as she finally accepted the guilt and shame that she had pushed away for so long. She had completely failed at not only being a good Pokemon trainer in general, but failed as a person. She exacerbated her grief into a warped state that completely changed her into someone nobody recognized. She didn’t even know who she was anymore. She berated her family over the slightest provocation, hurt her own Pokemon--which resulted in it being taken away, refused to do what the courts told her to do, ran away from home, caused her family a mountain of worry and pain, stole badges, assaulted random strangers for her own ends, and broke so many laws. Amara knew she had brought all of this on herself, that her refusal to heal and accept support from those who actually cared about her was the reason she was here now.

For a moment, the girls said nothing. Then Julia sucked in a gasp. “Oh! That reminds me!” Julia rummaged through her backpack, pulling out a crumpled up envelope. “Mom wanted me to give this to you,” She held it out for her sister to see.

Amara glanced at the envelope. What was this? It had Amara’s name on it, even though the wrinkles and folded edges made the writing look wobbly. Amara gingerly took the envelope from Julia’s hands, took the letter out, and began reading it in silence. Julia wanted to look over her shoulder to see what was written, but decided against it. The letter was for Amara’s eyes only, and it wasn’t her place to read it. Julia remained where she was, watching as her older sister’s eyes fixed their gaze onto the letter. Julia had to admit, she was surprised the letter managed to hold out for so long since she received it way back in Olivine City.

The silence hug over the girls like a thick fog. It was broken by a faint whimper as Amara stopped reading and held the letter close to her chest. Fresh tears cascaded down her cheeks, with some dripping onto the paper, leaving marks. The whimpers turned to sobs as she clutched the paper in her hands.

“Mom...Dad...I don’t deserve parents like them...I’ve been an awful daughter...why are they wasting their kindness on me?!”

Julia gripped Amara’s shoulder a little tighter. “Parents love their kids no matter what, even if they make bad decisions. That’s what good parents do,” She reminded her. Julia inched a little closer. “Plus, I know I’m not completely innocent in this, either. There were so many times when I wanted to hug you and comfort you and be there for you, but after all the times you told me to leave you alone and go away, I just gave up on trying. I was just so sick of people getting mad at me over wanting to help them, but I should have just said screw it and comforted you regardless of whether you wanted me around or not.”

“Jule, no!” Amara exclaimed, putting the paper down on her lap. “Don’t blame yourself! I was the one being the selfish idiot! I should have let you be there for me instead of treating you like crap and yelling at you over everything and making you my personal scapegoat! I never should have said those mean things about you in the cave! I’ve always known how hard you try to make friends and be a regular kid and learn how the world works and how hard things have been for you! But I completely ignored all that just for an excuse to stay angry!”

Julia let out a sheepish laugh. “For what it’s worth, I’d rather have lots of friends than be smart and get good grades, and you don’t need to be like me. Who would want to be like me, anyway?”

“Come on,” Amara gave her sister a light pat on the shoulder. “Don’t sell yourself short, girl.”

For sure, this was definitely the old Amara. The Amara she knew and loved with her whole heart. This time, Julia didn’t hesitate. She threw her arms right around her sister’s neck, burying her nose into the nape of her neck, savoring her scent. Truth be told, Amara’s skin did have a bit of a musty smell, probably from spending a bit of time here in this dusty old shack, and outside as well. But Julia didn’t mind one bit. Amara’s eyes shrunk as her sister embraced her. When was the last time they hugged like this? It seemed so long ago, like something like this had never happened. But Amara could feel her sister’s love and warmth, an oasis of calm in the world of raging chaos around her. The world of chaos she herself had created.

A swelling wave of yearning rose up in her chest. Despite all the times she had denied it, this was what she had wanted all along. Amara inhaled sharply, breath shaking. For so long, Amara had tried to harden herself against the world. A world that didn’t bother to give Chanel a chance. She had convinced herself that the world and everyone in it was her enemy, even people who were completely innocent. Now, the icy walls she kept all around herself finally melted. Why had she denied this for so long, when this was all she had wanted? Amara wrapped her arms around her sister and cried into her shoulder for the first time in years. Even though Amara’s wails rattled her ear drums, Julia didn’t have it in her to cover them. Amara’s face buried in her shoulder muffled the sound of her crying somewhat, and it didn’t hurt as much. But more than that, she was here with her older sister, comforting her like she had always wanted to do.

She wasn’t sure how long the two sisters stayed in that shack, mingled together in their shared sorrow. But after a while, Amara’s crying calmed, and she unwrapped herself from Julia’s arms, her face even redder and wetter than before. Her bangs had practically turned black from a combination of sweat and tears, and a string of mucus trickled out from her nose.

“Pika pikachu,” Hikaru chirruped, giving Amara a pat on the arm.

“Hikaru says she’s sorry for biting you,” Julia explained.

Amara flashed an apologetic grin and gently stroke Hikaru’s head. “It’s okay. I think I needed that.”

Another silence fell between them. Finally, Amara wiped her eyes with her arm and stood up. Julia followed suit.

“What do you want to do?” Julia asked.

Amara clenched her fists. “...I’ll turn myself in. I can’t keep running away anymore.”

Knowing what this meant, Julia slipped a hand into Amara’s. Her hand was rougher than it used to be, and she could feel some callouses in her palm. Nothing like Amara’s previously soft, tender hands. But it was still Amara all the same.

“I’ll take you out of here. This place is pretty disgusting,” Julia mused.

Slowly, the two girls exited the room, slipping past Feraligatr, who decided to follow them from behind. Julia saw Officer Kahn and exclaimed, “Amara’s coming out!”

The policeman ran out of the shack, giving the girls and Feraligatr room to make their way out. As they walked down a dirty corridor, Julia heard him shout, “Friendlies coming out! Hold your fire!” She winced. Were they actually planning on shooting Amara if she attempted to do anything? Straight up kill her? If things had gone differently, Julia wasn’t sure if she’d ever be able to forgive herself. She thanked her stars that she was able to get through to Amara and prevent anything bad from happening, not just to herself, but to Amara.

Bright light blinded the girls as they exited the shack. They barely found time to adjust when they heard a scream. “Amara!!” The girls looked past a police car and saw two familiar faces among the crowd.

Kassia and Truman. Their parents.

“Mom! Dad!” Julia waved to them as they exited the shack.

Without another word, the distraught parents sprinted over to Amara and wrapped their arms around her with a yelp. Julia let go, as the shock of their sudden appearance made her recoil. But the sight of her parents hugging their older daughter, crying openly was enough to make her turn away. She had cried enough already. Against her wishes, some stray tears trickled out.

“Amara! Amara!” Kassia wailed, stroking her daughter’s mangled ponytail, holding her so tight she didn’t want to let go.

“I’m sorry, Mom. Dad. For everything,” Amara whimpered.

“We’re so happy you’re safe,” Truman told her reassuringly, his voice shaky and sorrowful, but Amara could hear the joy clear as day. “Everything will be fine, sweetheart.”

Kassia cried into Amara’s hair, clutching the girl’s coat like it was a precious treasure. Truman’s big arms pulled them into his chest, and his glasses were blurred by his tears. Previously, Amara would never have wanted to be anywhere near them, much less touch them. She was too angry and full of hate to accept their love. But now, she couldn’t have been happier to be back with them after so long. Unfortunately, their reunion was short lived. A police officer yanked Amara out from their arms and slapped handcuffs on Amara’s wrists. He was quick to escort Amara to the car and guide her into the back seat, and another one spoke to her parents. Julia couldn’t make out what they were saying, as their voices were overridden by shouting and car motors blaring over everything. Not long after, the police car that had Amara drove away. For just a second, she managed to see Amara looking out the window with a lost, confused look on her face.

In that moment, she wasn’t a criminal. She was just a girl. A scared, frightened little girl with an uncertain future ahead of her.

As the car drove away, disappearing into the woods, Kassia cried again, burying her face in Truman’s chest. All Truman could do was hold her close with one hand. Julia couldn’t bear to look at them. Seeing her parents look so vulnerable, so sad, so visibly distraught from having to watch their daughter be taken to jail...yet again, tears trickled out from her eyes.

“Hey,” Perrine’s voice pulled her out of her mind. “You okay?”

Julia looked up, seeing the concerned faces of her friends. She was quick to wipe her eyes with her sleeve. “I’m fine. Sorta.”

Caiseal crossed his arms. “You don’t need to put on a brave face around us.”

“I know,” Julia’s voice trembled as she whispered a response. “I don’t...know how to feel about this.”

“It’s okay,” Perrine reminded her.

“Pika!” Hikaru agreed.

“Julia!” Her mother’s voice made her swivel around. Like with Amara, Kassia wrapped her arms around her younger daughter, holding her tight. This time, the moment was brief, and she let go soon after. “Thank goodness you’re safe, too! I got a call saying that Amara had been spotted here and I took the day off from work and got here as fast as I could and--!”

“Kass,” Truman’s hand rested on her shoulder, silencing her. “Breathe.”

Kassia took a moment to take some deep breaths. It took only two for her to compose herself enough to talk sensically. “Alright. I’m fine now,” She said. Truman took his hand back.

“So...what happens now?” Caiseal asked. “Is she gonna be okay?”

“We’re not sure,” Truman answered with a sad smile. “There’s a lot that needs to be done after this. But for now, the most important thing is that Amara’s safe and sound.”

A low growl pulled Julia from her mind. She glanced past her mother’s shoulder, seeing Feraligatr standing near some policemen, shifting around uncomfortably. One police man recoiled from the big jaw Pokemon, like he was afraid it would eat him.

Noticing what her daughter was looking at, Kassia flashed a smile and said, “Don’t worry, Julia. We’ll take him back to New Bark Town. I’m sure Professor Elm will be thrilled to see it again.”

She certainly hoped so. Where else could Feraligatr go, now that he had no trainer? Would he need to go to that facility where Geraldine was? Julia knew she could trust her parents, as they did have experience with those kinds of Pokemon. Still, anything could happen.

“Now that things have come to this,” Kassia began, once again interrupting Julia’s train of thought. “Julia, now that Amara’s been apprehended...would you like to come home?”

Come home? “Do you mean like...permanently?” Julia asked.

“Yes. You did go on this journey to find Amara, and now that the police have her, you don’t have to keep traveling,” Kassia continued. “We can take you home right now if you want.”

Her mother was right. The whole reason she went on this journey was solely to apprehend Amara herself, unreasonable as it was. She would never have left the house on her own if Amara’s theft and disappearance hadn’t happened. But so much had happened since then. She finally got over her fear and hatred of Pokemon battles. She battled gym leaders and won eight badges. She met Perrine, Caiseal, and so many other great people. She met and caught so many great Pokemon. Her best friends. She even got to see, talk to, and even ride several legendary Pokemon, Ho-Oh being the most recent one. If she hadn’t left that day, she and Amara would likely never have learned the truth about Pokemon Hunter J and her involvement in Chanel’s death.

Plus, Perrine and Caiseal intended to participate in the Pokemon League. She knew the answer right away.

“No, Mom. I want to keep traveling,” Julia answered calmly. “Perrine and Caiseal want to get into the Pokemon League, and I want to be there to give them my support. Once the League is over, then I’ll come back. That’s final.”

Both Kassia and Truman exchanged solemn expressions for a brief moment. Julia held her hands together in anticipation. Would they say no and take her back? They never did want her to go on a journey, though for completely different reasons than Amara. One of her legs began rapidly bouncing up and down on its own. She really hoped they would say yes and let her accompany Perrine and Caiseal to the League, if only to cheer them on like any good friend would. She didn’t want her journey to end just yet.

Then, they turned back to Julia and smiled. “We figured you’d say that,” Truman said.

The trio’s mouths fell agape. So that was a yes?

Kassia cleared her throat. “To be honest, I do want you to come back home, especially now that this is all over. I never really wanted you to leave on a journey because I wanted you to focus on school and learning more about the world. But…” She paused briefly before continuing. “After having seen you in Ecruteak, Olivine, and right now...I don’t think it’d be right to stop you. You’ve grown up so much since you left on your own. It wouldn’t be right to keep my children locked up in the house all the time.”

Julia couldn’t believe her ears. She was so sure they would say no, and that would be the end of it. But here they were, saying that it was okay for her to continue her journey if she wanted to. A grin spread across her face as she curled her hands into fists and began jumping up and down with glee. She did take a moment to stop and tell her parents something else before she forgot.

“For what it’s worth, I do plan on stopping by New Bark Town!” She added hastily. “Perrine and Caiseal are gonna participate in the Pokemon League, and we need to get through New Bark any way in order to get there, so we’ll at least visit!”

Truman nodded in agreement. “That’s no problem. You know we’ll be looking forward to it, Slick,” He told her. “I think it’s wonderful you want to be with your friends and support them in this endeavor.”

“Alright,” Kassia sighed, conceding defeat. “I’ll let you go with them for a while longer. But!” She held up an index finger as she fixed a firm stare in Julia’s direction. “Only on one condition.”

Julia raised an eyebrow. She had an idea of what the condition might be. “What’s that?”

“You go right back to school when the League is over.”

School. Of course. Julia wasn’t even surprised, but the thought of going back to school revolted her. She really didn’t want to go back to homework, teachers, textbooks, studying, and having to deal with the mean kids who picked on her. However, she knew in her heart that there was no room for debate in regards to this condition. The fact that her mother was letting her stay with Perrine and Caiseal at all was already good enough, and as much as Julia hated school, there was no avoiding it.

“It’s a deal,” Julia answered.

“You know once you come back, you may have to stay after school to do extra work to make up for all the months you missed. The school board may even put you in remedial classes. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Oh jeez!” Perrine exclaimed, playfully bonking herself on the head with her fist. “I forgot all about school! I bet I’ll have to go to summer school when my journey’s over!”

Caiseal shrugged. “Summer school’s really not all that bad. Some even let you take classes online.”

“They do?!” Julia yelped, intrigued by the idea of taking classes online. If she could do that, she wouldn’t have to go into a school building and put up with naughty kids or teachers giving her dirty looks.

“That does sound worth looking into,” Truman added. “But we can continue this discussion at a later time.”

Kassia took a moment to hug her daughter one last time. “We’re going to go to the detention center where Amara’s being held right now,” She told her, smiling warmly. “Hopefully we’ll see you when you come and visit in a short while.”

“You will. I promise.”

After Truman gave his younger daughter a goodbye hug, the Parisa parents got back in their car and drove away, with Kassia continuing to wave at the kids as the car disappeared. Julia and Hikaru waved right back, their smiles luminous. New Bark Town wasn’t too far from here, but on foot, they still had a lot of trekking to do. But Julia didn’t mind. She’d have a lot to think about on the way there.

Then, a low roar pulled Julia from her thoughts. She swirled towards the mountain, her green eyes shrinking in awe as she and Hikaru saw the three beasts standing atop a cliff face. Suicune met their eyes, uttering a low, grateful growl before leaping off. Entei followed suit, but Raikou remained for just a moment.

“Pikachu!!” Hikaru hopped onto Julia’s head, happily waving her arms up and down in her father’s direction. Julia realized in this moment that Hikaru hadn’t seen Raikou in a long time. Not since Olivine City. But the joy on Hikaru’s face warmed her heart. The Parisas weren’t the only family to be reunited after a long while, however briefly.

“You guys take care!!” Julia cried out.

Raikou gave a roar in reply before making a great leap, diving into the woods, probably into parts unknown. He sped away in seconds, like a brief flash of lightning in an oncoming storm.

“What did they say?” Perrine asked.

Julia pointed to the sky. “Suicune said he was the one who made J’s ship go down, and he did say he was sorry for knocking me and Amara off. Raikou said thanks for saving and the birds, and that we might meet again someday.”

A brief silence fell as the police cars drove away, probably to go after J and her lackeys. Once they were gone, the kids exchanged knowing glances. “So, shall we head to New Bark Town?” Perrine asked.

“You bet!” Both Julia and Caiseal announced in unison.

The kids sprinted down the dirt road with renewed zeal and a stronger resolve than ever before. The quiet morning gave way to an afternoon full of splendor, and Julia reveled in the satisfaction that even though her mission was technically over, her journey was still on. She didn’t want it to end just yet.

***

J’s airship landed in a cluster of trees, knocking down quite a few of them in its descent to Earth. Thankfully, it was far from both the mountain and any residential areas, so nobody got hurt or died. It helped that J’s airship was made from thick material, so thick that trees or rocks couldn’t land so much as a scrape on it. The hatch was still open, and the police stormed inside, arresting any Team Rocket grunts they had within their sights. Many of them resigned themselves to their fate, others struggled against the handcuffs slapped on their wrists and the officers’ grasps. Unfortunately, the one person they were looking for wasn’t here. J had somehow disappeared. The policemen looked in every part of the airship they could, but there was simply no sign of her.


Unbeknownst to them, J was all the way on the other side of Mt. Silver, hiding behind a big rock with a small, yellow, bipedal Pokemon by her side. Said Pokemon’s eyes were permanently closed, had yellow skin, a brown chest plate with pauldron-shaped extensions on its shoulders, a long tail, and hands and toes with three digits each. J held onto the Pokemon’s hand, using the other one to adjust her shades.

“Tch. I shouldn’t have acted so rashly like that,” J grunted under her breath. “Then again, this is what comes of not disposing of those girls sooner. That or not having checked Lugia and making sure my rings didn’t catch anything else.”

“Abraaaaaa…” The yellow Pokemon let out a big, drawn out yawn.

Her cell phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out and saw that she got a new message. It said something about an old book that she wanted being available at a library in Viridian City. J smiled to herself as she put her phone away. Well, she may have lost the legendary Pokemon, but there were other ways she could get what she wanted. She just needed to be patient and do some more digging.

“Abra. Teleport me back to my quarters,” J told it in a cold, stern voice.

“Abra!” Abra and J glowed in a rainbow hued light before disappearing into thin air.

High above the clouds, Ho-Oh and Lugia soared side by side, their wings glistening in the afternoon sunlight. Ho-Oh’s cherry red eyes took in the vast world around her, and her wings glowed in a luminous array of colors.

“I told you getting involved with the humans was a bad idea,” Lugia chided Ho-Oh without any hesitation whatsoever. “This is what happens. Arceus, I never want to be stuck in those PokeBalls ever again!”

Ho-Oh kept looking ahead, marveling at the sun and its golden light. “Come now, Lugia. Things worked out in the end. Those girls did save us, even though they had no obligation to do so,” Ho-Oh answered warmly. “You mustn’t be so cynical.”

“Well, call me when humans stop trying to hunt us down just because we exist. Then I’ll stop being cynical,” Lugia retorted.

Ho-Oh stifled a laugh. “Speaking of humans, I think I’ll fly over to Ecruteak City, if only to let the Kimono Girls know I’m alright,” Ho-Oh flapped her wings once and picked up the pace, flying ahead of Lugia. “I can’t wait to see what tomorrow briiiiiiings!”

Lugia jutted his chin outward. “I really can’t understand her sometimes. She’s too optimistic for her own good,” The diving Pokemon mused to himself. “But...I suppose that’s what I like about her,” A yawn slipped past Lugia’s beak as he remembered where he needed to be. “I better get back to the Whirl Islands. I’ve had enough crazy shenanigans for one century, and I could really go for some seaweed.”

With that, Lugia turned around and made his way back home. But even from high in the sky, the tip of Mt. Silver made a small dent in the clouds, and even he couldn’t help but admire the mountain’s effort to reach into the heavens. Nature was majestic like that.

***

A/N: And with that, Amara’s saga is finally over! I figured it was time to finally wrap it up, so now Amara’s been apprehended. But you won’t find out her fate until a little later. I was originally going to have her be an overarching villain for two sequels, going through both Hoenn and Kanto, but a friend of mine talked me out of it, saying that it’d not only make no sense, but drag things out for longer than they needed to. I’m glad I listened to him, as my original idea for Amara wasn’t the most well thought out. What the heck was I thinking with that? I decided to have her be apprehended before Victory Road, no later. But the story’s not over yet, so look forward to the rest!

 

[RedAgent14]

On the whole, I really liked this chapter; it wraps up one part of the story and sets the stage for another.

I'm still worried about Amara. With the way she was internalizing the guilt she felt, I feel like it'll take longer than just this one scene for her to really make sense of it all and move forward. Or that might be my mind going into melodrama mode, who knows...

Interestingly, this isn't the only fic I've read where Lugia is the cynic. I wonder if that's a common characterization.

 

[Max1996]

Great chapter, as always!

 

[Juliko]

For anyone who was wondering, the table of contents is FINALLY caught up! Now I can add to it as I post new chapters, that way you won't have to scramble through millions of forum posts just to get to a particular chapter!

 

[Juliko]

A/N: Hello! This chapter is a birthday present for my super awesome online friend, @System Error! He deserves all the best in the world and has always been there for me over the past few years, and I’m really thankful to have met him. Anyway, here’s chapter 60!

***

Chapter 60: I’m Home

Looking back, Julia never thought she’d ever have the guts to travel all over Johto. But here she was, on Route 46, walking alongside her friends, on their way back to New Bark Town, her home. It had only been a week since she saw Amara get arrested, but to Julia, it seemed like it happened only yesterday. The kids made their way down glossy, grassy meadows, feeling refreshed as the air was scented with frigid earth and dew. Tree-lined paths greeted them with their abundant patchwork of vivid colors, and the clouds speckled lavender and pink from the morning sun added to the area’s majestic beauty. Julia didn’t think it was as nice as seeing the world from atop Ho-Oh’s back, but it was still beautiful regardless.

As the kids walked, some of their Pokemon were out and about, relaxing and having fun. Baloo was chasing Karin around, and the two of them were laughing happily. At one point, Baloo jumped on Karin’s back, sending them both to the ground, but the two Pokemon weren’t one bit fazed, and they kept laughing. Fuwari was floating right next to Perrine with a smile on her face, the yellow flower on her head spinning like a top, catching the autumn breeze and allowing it to carry her into the sky. Mushi was riding on Perrine’s back, watching the world around him with curious eyes, but they fixated on the egg nestled in Caiseal’s arms.

Mushi extended one of his claws to try and touch the egg. But before he could reach it, Perrine’s hand blocked it. “Careful, Mushi. I know you want to touch it, but your claws are sharp. I don’t want you to break the egg by mistake,” She gently told him.

The mushroom Pokemon gave a defeated sigh as he pulled his claw back. Perrine frowned. She wasn’t trying to actively discourage him, but she did feel bad for taking a dump on his mood. “Don’t worry. Once the egg hatches, you can play with Caiseal’s new Pokemon whenever you want. How’s that?”

Liking the thought, Mushi nodded in agreement.

“So how much longer until we get to New Bark Town?” Caiseal asked as he shifted his arms a bit to carry the egg easier.

“Not too much longer,” Julia answered, pointing further down. “There are some ledges we can jump down not too far from here. I’m starting to recognize the area now, so I have a better idea of where we’re headed.”

Perrine raised an eyebrow. “You’ve been here before?”

“Just a few times,” Julia said, stopping at a small tree. “There’s a road nearby, and Mom and I often drove on it whenever we wanted to go the mall. It’s mostly a shortcut, though.”

In the distance, they could hear the subtle roar of cars and the screeching of tires against the concrete pavement of a street. Julia was quick to hop down one ledge without difficulty. Perrine and Caiseal followed soon after. But as Caiseal made his way down, he felt something wiggle against his arms. “Wha?” He looked down and only saw the egg. Last time he checked, eggs didn’t move.

“What’s up, Cash?” Perrine asked.

“I think the egg moved just now--”

Caiseal was right. As soon as he said that, the egg gave a slight wobble. “Whoa! It really did move!” Perrine exclaimed.

“The egg moved?” Julia rushed over to them upon hearing Perrine yelp. “Is it gonna hatch?”

“I’m not sure,” Caiseal mused. “Maybe it will.”

The kids couldn’t wait to see what kind of Pokemon would hatch. They were sure it would be some kind of electric Pokemon, as the egg shell was yellow and had black stripes on it. Most electric Pokemon happened to be yellow or had black stripes in some way. A plausible guess, but again, they didn’t know for sure what could possibly hatch from it. Still, the thought of guessing what was inside made for a good thrill.

By this point, Julia was still a little ways ahead of them, looking to see if she was any closer to New Bark Town. All she saw before her was a tree lined meadow and a sky that went on forever. Then she stopped, as something caught her eye. Poking out from a set of trees further down was what looked to be a silver pole. Julia hopped onto a nearby rock to see if she could see it better from higher up. The silver pole was attached to a red dome on top of a cylinder-like structure. Wait a minute...was that what she thought it was? Julia beamed. She recognized that tower-like structure anywhere.

“Guys! Look!” Julia cried out, pointing further down. “I can see Professor Elm’s lab from here! We’re almost there!” She hopped off the rock and sprinted down the meadow with enthusiasm. “Come on, you guys! Hurry!”

“Hey, wait up!” Perrine, Caiseal, and the Pokemon struggled to catch up, but they managed to do so not too long after.

They all raced through the meadow, letting the October breeze flow through their bodies as their legs carried them closer to their destination. Finally, after so many months, Julia was finally at the home stretch. It didn’t take long for lines of houses to come into view, the familiar streets and buildings still the same as they were before. As they made the transition from the wilderness to civilization, they raced right past Professor Elm’s lab, knowing where Julia really wanted to go first. They decided to save going to the lab for later, but Julia did make a mental note to tell Professor Elm all about her adventures once they found time to stop by.

But finally, Julia stopped to catch her breath. Her lungs burned from running so much, but her green eyes were dewy and bright with joy as she locked her gaze on one house in particular, the one she had yearned to return to for months now. A bright yellow house with a snow white roof, though Julia could see some fresh shoots coming out from the gutters lining the front. The six-foot-tall white fence that circled the massive expanse of land behind it had turned a slight gray hue, probably from use and the passage of time. The dark blue mailbox was still standing, and Parisa was still written on the side in white marker. The stone porch was still the same as ever, with the reddish orange flower pots her mother loved so much still standing on both sides of it, even though they were currently empty save for some old soil.

Her house. Her beloved home.

Now she was back.

“You guys,” Once Julia caught her breath, she turned around, facing her friends, and spread her arms akimbo, like she was showing them a treasure she found. “This is my house! Welcome to la casa de Parisa!” She announced, voice bouncy and abounding in enthusiasm.

Perrine and Caiseal gazed at the house in awe, as did some of the Pokemon, namely Baloo and Karin. Karin had been there before, but she had never seen the front of the house before. Julia took a moment to put her key in the lock and see if it still worked. When she turned it, the lock was undone and the door opened from the inside.

“Come on in!” Julia invited them inside as she walked in, stopping for a moment to marvel in her beloved home and take everything back in.

Because she had been outside for a while, everything seemed a little dim at first, but she knew it’d take a bit for her eyes to adjust to the change in lighting. Even with that, though, Julia smiled as she reveled in the sights and smells of her old home. The living room looked just the same as she remembered it. The green couch pushed against the wall, the big flat screen TV on a mahogany credenza, the big window overlooking the front yard, the pale white curtains framing said window on the inside, the beige carpeting, the big framed painting on the wall that depicted some water Pokemon playing in a pond on a beautiful spring day…Julia exhaled a happy sigh. Things barely changed a bit since she was gone.

There was someone occupying the couch. A certain Espeon was curled up on the left side of the couch, sleeping contentedly, her body rising and falling in tune with silent breaths.

“Lucretia!”

Lucretia woke up in alarm, her large ears standing up as the enthusiastic voice roused her from sleep. She stood right up, her once relaxed state kicked to the curb. But when she saw her trainer looking right at her, any irritation she could develop was nipped right in the bud. Lucretia bounded off the couch and nuzzled against her trainer’s legs, squealing happily. Julia bent down and ran her hands through Lucretia’s soft fur, showering her with affection.

“Hey, girl! I’m back!” Julia greeted her furry friend with a smile just as bright as Lucretia’s. “Sorry you had to wait so long!”

“Espeee!” Lucretia crooned, which told Julia she didn’t mind a bit.

“Your house is pretty nice, Jule,” Caiseal mused out loud, but at this point, his friend had dashed into the kitchen, so she didn’t hear him.

Even the kitchen looked the same as before. The island, the black refrigerator, the dishes carefully packed on the dish drying rack next to the sink. The only noticeable change was that the walls had been painted white instead of the pale, daffodil yellow they were before. Her mother had always mentioned wanting to paint the kitchen, as she felt the yellow paint was garish and ugly. The dining room was also the same as before, with the table and chairs being in the middle of the room. Julia noticed some new pictures had been hung on the walls. One of them showed her smiling and holding a tiny diploma, signaling her graduation from elementary school, before she went to Cherrygrove City Middle School.

She put a hand on the edge of the dining room table, gazing soulfully at the sunflower-themed place mats.

“I’m home,” She murmured in a voice so soft hardly anyone could hear it. Only now did it really dawn on her that she was home. In her house. In New Bark Town.

“Furret!!” “Azu!!” “Freeee!!” “Chokiii!” “Bella!” Familiar voices pulled Julia out of her reverie. Out from the den came a Furret, an Azumarill, a Togetic, a Bellossom, and a Butterfree, all five bounding right towards Julia.

“Neji! Aqua! Papillon! Tokiko! Blossom!” Julia opened her arms without hesitation, letting her Pokemon jump all over her and welcome her back. Neji curled his whole body all around his trainer like he was a blanket. Julia marveled in the softness of his fur, and it smelled like sunshine. If he had been standing up straight, he would have dwarfed her in size or toppled her to the ground. Papillon simply rested on top of her head, making herself comfortable in her trainer’s hair. Aqua, being only half Julia’s size, hugged Julia tight, though her stubby hands could only grip her hips. Blossom did the same. Tokiko buried herself underneath Julia’s chin, almost closing her mouth for her. Julia put one hand on Tokiko’s back, stroking it gently. All five of them laughed and cheered as they reveled in their reunion.

“Gosh, it’s so great to see you all again!” Julia cried out, stroking Aqua’s head with one hand and Neji’s side with the other. “Sorry I haven’t been around for so long. I bet you must have been lonely.”

A part of her was worried that since she hadn’t called upon the three of them in particular for a while, especially Papillon and Neji, they might have been angry with her or assumed she was neglecting them. Lavinia had thought as such and didn’t like Julia at first until they managed to get to know one another. Before they evolved, Rino and Rina thought that way as well before Julia reconciled with them. It had only been a short while since Tokiko and Blossom were sent here, so she wasn’t too worried about them. Still, anything could have happened, and the last thing Julia wanted was to make her Pokemon feel like they weren’t loved and appreciated. Thankfully, Aqua, Papillon, and Neji made no mention of it, and were showering her with affection. As far as she was concerned, this told her all she needed to know, and relief washed over her like a wave.

Even Hikaru came to greet them, and the five Pokemon freed Julia from their embraces, welcoming Hikaru back with just as much zeal. Lucretia came to greet her not long after, and the two of them started chatting amongst themselves right away.

“Are Rina, Rino, and Ladybug outside with the other Pokemon?” Julia asked.

“Furret!” Neji answered with an enthusiastic nod, pointing towards the door that led to the backyard.

Perrine raised an eyebrow. “Other Pokemon?” She asked, looking a little confused. “Aren’t these guys and the Nidos the only other Pokemon you have?”

“I was talking about my parents’ Pokemon and the ones they’re taking care of,” Julia reminded them. She had told them that her parents owned a Pokemon ranch a few times, but the last time she mentioned it was so long ago. They probably forgot about it, which was understandable. Now that they were here, she couldn’t wait to show them her other friends. “Come on! I’ll show you!”

She wasted no time taking Caiseal by the hand and dragging him outside, with Perrine and the Pokemon following after them. Admittedly, it took everything Caiseal had to keep a good grip on the egg with just one free arm. The kids were greeted by a big, green expanse of land that stretched on for miles. One part of it was kept in by the white fence, while the rest of it was held in by wire fences, which the kids knew was to keep Pokemon from running away. If they stood on the tips of their toes, they could see a cluster of trees way in the back, leading to a forest. Only one tree stood right in the meadow, completely stripped of all of its leaves, all of which blanketed its section of the meadow in a lovely patchwork display of vivid colors.

“Wow! Your backyard is huge!” Perrine exclaimed, in awe of the expanse of land before her.

Julia cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted into the distance, “Heeeeeey you guuuuuuuys!! It’s me, Juliaaaaaa!! I’m baaaaaaack!!”

In no time at all, the meadow began to rumble beneath them. One would think a small earthquake had hit New Bark Town. Perrine and Caiseal exchanged slightly frightened glances, wondering just what was happening. Julia didn’t look the least bit scared at all. Instead, she waved one of her arms into the air as a whole group of Pokemon came running towards the trio. Ursaring, Blastoise, Ninetales, Blissey, Ampharos, Sunflora, Sentret, Sandshrew, and many other Pokemon sprinted towards Julia, their faces beaming with smiles bright as sunshine. Even Rina and Rino joined the happy stampede. As soon as the Pokemon stampede got close enough, they all slowed down and welcomed Julia back. Sentret, Sandshrew, and Sunflora all danced around her, with Sentret nuzzling against her legs. Julia wrapped her arms around Blissey, who was only too happy to return the hug. Ampharos jumped up and down, cheering with delight. Ursaring wrapped its arms around both Julia and Blissey.

“It’s been so long, you guys! How’ve you been?” Julia exclaimed, releasing Blissey from her embrace and kneeling down to greet some of the smaller Pokemon. A Rattata came bounding towards Sentret, chasing it around like they were playing tag. Sandshrew found an opportunity to snuggle up against Julia’s leg. Julia returned the gesture by stroking the mouse Pokemon’s head. Sure, the texture of Sandshrew’s head was rough and gritty, but she didn’t mind a bit. Sunflora wrapped a leafy arm around Julia’s head, and the girl smiled at the affectionate gesture. Julia opened her eyes to see a big, red bug Pokemon with sharp pincers approach her bashfully.

“Hi, Scizor! I came back to visit!” Julia warmly greeted the big bug Pokemon.

“Wow…” Caiseal found himself speechless for a moment. Perrine was completely speechless. At least Caiseal had found his voice. “You and your family take care of all these Pokemon?”

“Yep!” Julia answered, cradling the Rattata in her arms as she stood back up to meet them at eye level. “Some of them are my parents’ Pokemon, like Blastoise, Scizor, Ninetales, Blissey, Ampharos, and so on. Some of the others they rescued from bad situations or were just dropped off here for some reason. Other times, Mom and Dad let people leave their Pokemon here for a while if they need certain help they can’t get anywhere else, or if they’re just busy or going on vacation and can’t leave them at a normal daycare,” She explained further.

She pointed to the Sentret, who was currently playing with Sunflora. “See that Sentret? Her trainer died a month before I left on my journey, and Mom brought her here herself before making her one of her own Pokemon,” She told them. “Sunflora’s been with us since I was eight. He was attacked by a bunch of Houndour and was close to dying before one of Mom’s friends brought him to the Pokemon Center. After all of his surgeries, he needed a quiet place to heal, so Mom brought him here. We have a bunch more Pokemon around here, but they’re probably further in, playing or something.”

Before she could elaborate further, Rina nuzzled against her leg. Julia leaned down to scratch the poison pin Pokemon’s ear. “Hey, girl. Did you miss me?”

Rina nodded affirmatively.

“This is a huge property you have here,” Caiseal said. “By the way, where are your parents? Aren’t they supposed to be here?”

Come to think of it...Caiseal was right. She didn’t see her mother or father. Julia looked back towards the house. “Maybe they’re inside and didn’t hear us come in? Let’s go check,” Julia suggested.

The kids swiftly went back inside. It was then that Julia happened to see a notepad on the kitchen counter. Had that been there before? Julia took a closer look, seeing that something had been written on it.

Julia

Dad and I are at the courthouse today. Won’t be back until about three or four at the latest. Pokemon were fed at six thirty this morning. Already gave some of the others their medication. Feed them again at noon or later, at whatever time you get here. You and your friends have fun.

Mom

So that was it. Julia sighed. They were at the courthouse, probably for Amara’s case. She wasn’t surprised. Earlier today, she did inform her parents by phone that she would likely arrive today or a little later, and it wasn’t like a court case could just be postponed at the drop of a hat. She checked the time on her phone and it read 1:12 PM. They had a few more hours before her parents would get home.

Caiseal peeked over her shoulder to read the note. “That’s understandable. Good thing they let you know.”

“Yeah,” Julia’s voice was a little further away this time. “I wonder what’s gonna happen to Amara?” But just as quickly, her train of thought went to other places. “Oh! Hey, guys? Do you want to help me feed the Pokemon?” She asked.

“Sure!” Both Caiseal and Perrine agreed.

***

The Parisas had a specific system for feeding the Pokemon they kept on their ranch. There were two large, concrete troughs in the backyard. One was for the big Pokemon, and the other one, shorter in terms of height, was for the smaller Pokemon. Each morning, usually one or two of the adults would put huge bags of Pokemon food on a cart, wheel it out to the troughs, and fill them up. Julia pulled the carts out from the side of the house, while she had Perrine and Caiseal both place the bags of Pokemon food on it. Since they were both kids, and the bags were fairly heavy, they needed to use all their strength just to be able to put them on the cart. It did help that the cart and the bags were right next to each other, but both kids felt like their arms were being torn apart just by holding them.

Once that was done, Julia opened the bags, and she, with Caiseal and Apollo’s combined help, poured the food into the troughs, filling them up. Perspiration began to turn Julia’s forehead slightly damp, though no sweat dripped into her eyes, thankfully. It wasn’t long before both troughs were filled up, and all the Pokemon gathered around, enjoying their afternoon lunch.

“Phew!” Julia wiped sweat off her brow with her arm. “I forgot just how hard that was.”

“Do your parents do this every day?” Caiseal asked.

“Pretty much. I started helping them out with it when I was eight.”

“Lediiii!” Not long before that, a Ledian came flying towards Julia, blue eyes gleaming with delight. Knowing who this was, Julia opened her arms and let the Ledian trap her in a warm, tight hug.

“Ladybug!! Hey, girl!” Julia greeted her old friend with the same enthusiasm as with her other Pokemon. “Sorry I’ve been gone for so long! I hope you weren’t too lonely.”

Ladybug shook her head before nuzzling into Julia’s chest, happy to be reunited with her trainer. As far as Julia knew, she hadn’t used Ladybug since Ecruteak City. She hoped she didn’t make Ladybug angry by not summoning her since then. But she could see Ladybug was happy to see her, so maybe her worries were unfounded.

She turned to Caiseal and Perrine. “Do you guys want to see my room?”

Once again, her friends said yes, and she escorted them into the house, up the stairs, and into her bedroom. Julia sat right down on her bed, reveling in the softness of her favorite pink and blue comforter. All of her books were still in her white bookshelf, having been untouched since she left. Her army of stuffed animals stood at the top of her bed, as if guarding it for her until she came back. The curtains had been pulled open, so the light gave her room a warm, atmospheric glow. Many toys and figurines were lined up on her computer desk, and her computer was turned off, having been so for months. The walls were still white, and the green and yellow rug still covered the wooden flooring. Julia smiled, soaking up the image of her room and the idea that she was back home. It was just the way she remembered it.

“You have a cute room. I think you have way more stuffed animals than I do,” Perrine mused, scratching Mushi’s back with one hand. Ladybug sat down next to Julia, nuzzling against her arm, whereas Hikaru got down and rolled around in the comforter, savoring its softness. Tokiko pulled out one of Julia’s stuffed animals, a Clefairy doll, and showed it to Hikaru.

“Man, I forgot just how much I missed my room,” Julia said, lying right down, spreading her arms akimbo as she gazed up at the ceiling.

Her bed was just as soft as it was the last time she slept in it, before she went on her journey. But lying in her bed now seemed a little jarring. She had spent most of her journey sleeping in Pokemon Centers or in sleeping bags in the tents they set up when they couldn’t find any lodging. Then she realized she couldn’t spend all her time just lying around reveling in being back home for the first time in forever. Perrine and Caiseal were her guests, and she needed to be a good host for them. She sprung right back up like a jack-in-a-box.

“Do you guys want anything to eat or drink?” She asked, sliding off her bed.

“We had lunch, remember?” Perrine reminded her.

“Oh. Right,” She stole a glance at her DVD collection on her shelf. “Do you want to watch a movie, maybe? I have some good ones I’d love to show you!”

After a brief discussion, the kids decided on a movie and went down into the living room. They still had a couple hours before Julia’s parents returned home, so they figured this would be a good way to kill some time. But Julia didn’t get the chance to turn on the TV, as the soon was suddenly aglow with a flash of white light.

“Whoa!” Caiseal yelped. The girls swiveled in his direction, and the source of the light was the egg in his hands. “I...I think it’s about to hatch!” He exclaimed.

“Stay calm,” Julia told him, gesturing for him to take the egg out of the container. “Perrine, get some of the pillows off the couch and put them on the floor in a pile.”

Perrine nodded and completed the task without a word. Once she threw the pillows on the floor, Julia gingerly took the glowing egg out of Caiseal’s hands and placed it on the pillow pile. By this time, Hikaru, Tokiko, and Ladybug all came downstairs, mesmerized by the light coming from the egg. The kids and the Pokemon all gathered around it in restless anticipation. Julia kept her eyes covered, as the light was proving to be too bright for her sensitive eyes.

The egg grew bigger, and a let of arms, legs, and horns grew out from it, with the body keeping its ovular shape. Not too long after, the light dissipated, materializing into a new Pokemon. The Pokemon was a bright yellow color with black stripes coiling around its body, stopping at its chest, which had a black lightning bolt shape in the center. Two horns protruded from atop its head, shaped to resemble the prongs of a plug. Its legs were black, but it's ovular feet were the same shade of yellow as its body. Its arms had two black stripes each, ending with three white claws on each hand. Its slanted eyes took in the crowd surrounding it, looking rather curious.

“Bibibibi?” The Pokemon had a scratchy, nasally voice.

“Hey! It’s an Elekid!” Perrine exclaimed, clasping her hands together.

“He’s so cool!” Julia crooned. “Welcome to the world, little Elekid!”

Caiseal was silent as he opened his PokeDex to examine it.

“Elekid, the electric Pokemon. Elekid are able to rotate their arms to generate electricity, which makes tje prongs on its head glow light blue, but they cannot store the energy they make, so they tire easily as a result. Elekid is still capable of storing energy in its body, and if it touches any metal, it accidentally discharges all of its built-up electricity. When their prongs shine a bluish white, this means Elekid is fully charged, and it’s wise not to touch Elekid when its in this state, lest you be electrocuted. Elekid love to go out and play during storms, especially when they hear thunder rumbling. It’s been proven that if you record the sound of thunder with a tape recorder and play it, an Elekid’s mood will improve. A weak electric current runs between its horns, and the area should not be touched under any circumstances.”

Down in the bottom right corner of the screen, a pink female sign materialized next to the picture of Elekid. “Elekid’s a girl. I wonder what I should call her?”

Elekid stood up on her short, stubby legs, eyes fixated on the blonde youth before her. Caiseal smiled sweetly as a warmth lurched in his chest. He wondered if this was what a father felt when he saw his child be born into the world. “Hi there, Elekid. I’m Caiseal, your new trainer. Nice to meet you,” He extended a hand out to Elekid.

“Bibi!” Elekid squawked, taking Caiseal’s hand with her tiny claws.

All of a sudden, a sharp jolt ran through Caiseal’s fingers, nearly singing them from the inside. Caiseal let out a yelp as he drew his hand back. Some sparks of electricity crackled around Elekid’s claws as Caiseal pulled his hand away. “Did you just electrocute me?!” Caiseal yelped.

Elekid simply smirked and let out a proud giggle. “Bihihihi!”

Julia and Perrine exchanged worried glances. Was this going where they thought this was going to go?

Undeterred, Hikaru greeted Elekid warmly and extended her hand out as a show of friendship. Elekid took it, and electricity danced over their hands. Thankfully, Hikaru wasn’t bothered, as she was an electric Pokemon, so she could handle it.

“I guess Elekid can’t quite control her powers yet?” Julia suggested. Elekid was a freshly hatched baby, and baby Pokemon often don’t have a good hold on their powers upon being born.

“How about we take her outside?” Perrine piped in. “Maybe playing with the Pokemon will help her let off some steam?”

“Good idea!” Caiseal agreed, nodding.

Not wanting to risk getting electrocuted again, he had Hikaru hold Elekid’s hand as they all walked back into the backyard. All of the Pokemon were now scattered around the backyard, minding their own business and enjoying themselves. Elekid let go of Hikaru’s hand and looked all around, taking in her new surroundings. Fresh air caressed her body, and the grass beneath her tickled her feet. Elekid could only stare at the vast expanse of land before her, in awe of just how big this new world was.

“Are you gonna name her, Cash?” Julia asked.

Crossing his arms, Caiseal flashed a smirk in her direction. “Yep. I even have one picked out already: Electra.”

Electra...no other name could ever be so perfect for this Elekid. The girls nodded at Caiseal’s suggestion, agreeing that it was a great name for Elekid.

But their happiness was short lived when they heard a cry nearby. Even more so when they saw lightning dancing all over one part of the yard. Blastoise let out a pained yelp as electricity ran through its body. “What the?!” The kids ran over to see what was going on, and the answer was in plain view. Elekid--now Electra--was spinning her arms rapidly, unleashing a Thundershock attack on Blastoise.

“Hey! Stop that!” Caiseal scolded, putting both hands on Electra’s sides and pulling her away. The electricity immediately dissipated, and Blastoise was left panting. Julia was quick to check on him and see if he was okay. Thankfully, the attack was rather weak, and Blastoise didn’t take too much damage, but since water was weak to thunder attacks, she still pulled a potion out and sprayed some of his wounds just to be on the safe side.

“You okay, Blastoise?” Julia asked, stroking Blastoise’s arm. The giant turtle Pokemon gave a low, reassuring growl, thanking her for her help.

Caiseal put Electra down on the grass and glared right at her, his expression hardening when he saw the smug smile on her face. “Why were you doing that to Blastoise? That’s not nice. Don’t do that again!” He scolded with the same stern, authoritative tone he used with Abby way back when.

Electra paid him no heed. She ran across the field, spinning her arms like they were windmills, sending electricity all over the place. Sunflora and Sentret were nearly hit by it had they not managed to run the second they saw it coming. Blissey was quick to escort some of the smaller Pokemon to another part of the yard, getting them out of harm’s way. Sandshrew was struck by the attack, but being a ground type, it didn’t feel a thing. The electricity crackling on its hide was little more than a light tickle.

“What are you doing?!” Perrine yelped.

“Oh jeez! I think we have a new Tsubasa on our hands!” Julia exclaimed, immediately running towards Electra.

Caiseal thanked his lucky stars he kept Electra’s new PokeBall on him, having taken it off the container as soon as she had hatched. He pulled it out and shouted, “Electra! Return!”

The red light shot out from the PokeBall, but Electra kept hopping and running around, so the beam kept missing. At one point, Electra hopped on a big rock, turned around to face the kids, used one of her fingers to pull the bottom of her eye socket down, and stuck her tongue out, blowing a raspberry at them.

“That Elekid’s totally messing with us!” Julia yelped, her face turning red as a beet from the anger rising in her chest.

Caiseal’s palm met his face. “I think Dad gave me a monster…” He groaned.

“Bihihihihiiiiii!” Electra stood on the rock and gave a loud, roaring laugh, like she had won a Pokemon battle.

Suddenly, Julia felt one of the PokeBalls in her bag open. A white light shot out from her bag, turning into Tsubasa. The bird Pokemon flew over to Electra with confidence, squawking and trilling like she usually did. Oddly enough, Electra actually stopped to listen.

“What are they saying?” Perrine asked.

“Tsubasa’s like, ‘Hey there! You’re pretty strong for a little thing! Wanna battle me?’ and Electra says, ‘Sure! I’ll take you on!’” Julia translated.

Before long, Electra was shooting thunderbolts at Tsubasa, who gracefully dodged them by flying in circles. The kids exhaled big sighs of relief. Leave it to Tsubasa to curb a freshly hatched Elekid’s mischief despite being rather mischievous herself. Then again, if she could handle Twilight just fine, then a baby Elekid would be a piece of cake for her.

“It looks like Electra’s a little prankster,” Perrine said, crossing her arms. “I think you’ve got your work cut out for you, Cash.”

“Don’t remind me,” Caiseal retorted. But in all honesty, he did genuinely like Electra. Plus, he still had his other Pokemon, who were much bigger and stronger than her. Perhaps they could teach her a thing or two, maybe even train her. It helped that Flippy and Mallow were ground types, so Electra’s attacks wouldn’t have much of an effect on them.

“Oh my. What’s all this?”

A new yet familiar voice made the kids swivel towards the house, locking eyes with Kassia and Truman, Julia’s parents. Their eyes were large like saucers, and the two of them could only stand just a few feet from the kids, looking very bewildered.

“Hi, Mom! Hi, Dad! Sorry about the mess…and all the lightning,” Julia ran right up to them. “Caiseal’s egg just hatched into a…rather naughty and mischievous Elekid.”

“We can see that,” Truman said.

“Did you guys come in just now?” Julia asked.

“Only about ten or so minutes ago,” Kassia replied, using one hand to smooth out part of her coat. “Do you kids want to come inside? I bet you’re all hungry after having traveled for so long.”

***

At about four thirty, Kassia started dinner, and since there were six people here, making a big meal for six was going to take more time than usual. Kassia settled on making meatloaf and heating up white rice and some bags of broccoli. Dinner was a lively affair, as most of it was taken up by the kids telling Julia’s parents about Electra’s antics early. Everyone chatted and laughed, having a merry time. Even Kassia’s Vaporeon came to join them, nuzzling against her leg and staring at her with his big eyes, not so subtly begging for some broccoli. He had been sleeping up in her bedroom the whole time the kids had been home, so nobody had noticed his absence until just then. The kids got a good laugh out of Vaporeon’s deliberate use of his cuteness.

Even Julia, who normally didn’t like making small talk and preferred to eat during dinner, was happily conversing with everyone. Here she was, with her family and friends, and she felt safe, secure, and sure of herself here. This was what she had always wanted, to be with the people she loved who she knew loved her as she was, and didn’t try to make her feel insecure or change her into something she wasn’t for their own convenience and comfort, as many others had attempted. The whole dining room was awash with warmth and light, and Julia wished every day would be like this. But now that her parents were home, Julia had plenty of questions for them swimming in her mind, dying to get out into the open.

Questions about Amara.

Kassia and Julia were the first to finish their meals and were quick to rinse their plates before putting them in the dishwasher. Julia offered to put them away, as she figured her mother was tired from the long day she had. As she bent down and looked up, she saw that her mother had a distant look on her face. Kassia stared out the window blankly, like she was lost in the wisp of a new daydream. Julia heard the flick of a match and saw the flame light up the end of a cigarette at the corner of her vision. Kassia puffed out a thin cloud of smoke that filtered through the screen window right in front of her. Julia waved her hand as some smoke floated in her direction.

“Mom? So…how’s Amara?” Julia asked sheepishly, closing the dishwasher. “You guys were at the courthouse today, right?”

“Well…” Kassia paused for a moment to smoke again before continuing. “In light of Amara’s crimes, we had to meet with a judge and our lawyer to discuss what to do with her. Our lawyer recommended that Amara be sent to a correctional center in Violet City that specializes in helping troubled kids with their behavioral problems and getting them off the blacklist,” She explained.

“Do you mean, like, actually helping her and not just keeping her there forever?” Julia asked. As much as she wanted Amara to take responsibility for her crimes, she didn’t want her sister to be in jail forever.

“Yes. Nothing’s quite set in stone just yet, but her overall sentencing will be on December 1st at ten in the morning,” Kassia explained further. “Amara’s staying in another juvenile detention center in Cherrygrove until then, as the judge doesn’t think having her home is the best idea at the moment.”

December first. A little over a month in jail, and Arceus knows how long afterward. Julia frowned, and her heart felt heavy, like someone had dropped a cinder block in an empty potato bag. “Is she gonna be okay?”

“I don’t know, sweetie,” Kassia told her, stroking her daughter’s hair with one hand. “Personally, I like to believe she will, but Arceus only knows what the future holds.”

She went on to explain that unlike before, Amara was very remorseful at the meeting, genuinely wanted to atone for what she did, and was willing to cooperate with the authorities this time. Julia chalked it up to Amara finding out the truth about J’s involvement in the Gyarados attack and realizing she needed to stop being miserable and hating the world for wanting to move on after Chanel’s death. Their lawyer thinks Amara’s remorse might actually turn things around, as the judge was genuinely interested in giving her one final chance to redeem herself, but again, there was a lot that needed to be done before the sentencing. The only thing they knew for sure was that there would be no trial, since Amara admitted to everything and pled guilty to a huge number of crimes, and that if Amara had any chance of getting off the blacklist in any fashion, she absolutely needed to follow the rules and restrictions placed upon her this time, without fail.

“I see…” Julia looked out the little window that overlooked the backyard. She could see streaks of pink in the sky just above the woods. It was still light out, so the sun wasn’t quite setting just yet, but was about to, and she always liked the beautiful colors the sunset would make as it dipped into the horizon. The cluster of trees, both leafy and leafless, almost looked black against the vast expanse of sky.

Kassia smushed her cigarette into a white ash tray on the mantle, though some smoke still lingered. “Amara talked a lot about you at the meeting.”

Julia looked up. “Huh? She did?”

“Yeah,” Kassia flashed a warm, gentle smile in her daughter’s direction, but the faraway look in her eyes still lingered. “She said you’re the reason she finally came to her senses. If you hadn’t chased after her all over Johto and accidentally helped her find out the truth behind Chanel’s death, things could have gone very differently.”

Could they? Julia found that hard to believe. She was sure all she did was make things worse and completely fracture their family. It didn’t change the fact that Amara was in jail, and would probably stay there for months, maybe years. For all she knew, she might never be able to get off the blacklist and become a Pokemon trainer for real. Julia hated that her mind always seemed to want to focus on the bad things rather than any good that might have come out of…well, everything in life.

“She’s really changed, Julia. It’s like she’s her old self again,” Kassia whispered. “And we have you to thank for that.”

“I don’t know…” Julia murmured, unsure. “I feel like all I did was drive everyone apart.”

Kassia walked over to her and kneeled to her level. “Don’t sell yourself short, Julia,” She told her with confidence. “You became a Pokemon trainer. You traveled all over Johto, and you never stopped trying to help Amara see the error of her ways. You made so many amazing friends and experienced so many wonderful things. You’ve really grown up since you left the house, and I couldn’t be more proud. Besides, no matter what you and Amara do, you’ll both always be my daughters.”

Julia didn’t have it in her to contradict her mother. All she could do was smile sadly. She wanted to believe Amara still had a future ahead of her. But what good was a future in jail? At this point, Julia decided she had all the answers she needed for right now.

Seeing her discomfort, Kassia changed the subject. “Saoirse’s remains are in the living room. Want me to show you?”

Instead of an answer, Julia ran into the living room without a word. Right as she glanced over at the fireplace, she saw it immediately: A small, bronze urn deliberately carved to resemble a Snubbull. It looked exactly like Saoirse, only without her dress and bows. Julia walked over to it to get a better look, but she could feel her heart pounding in her chest. Saoirse was here! Her mother kept her word about cremating her and bringing her back here. Sure, Julia knew she’d never be able to hug Saoirse, dress her up, or be with her the way she used to ever again, but knowing her ashes were in that little urn…that was enough. Saoirse was still here, just in a different form, her mind reassured her.

But she sharply inhaled when she saw something else right next to Saoirse’s urn. Another one, only a milky white color and shaped like a Meganium. A possible answer struck her with all the strength of a Thunderbolt attack.

“Mom? Did…did your Meganium die, too?”

Kassia gave a slow nod. “Yes. He passed away a few months ago from old age,” She explained, her voice low and somber. “His organs were failing, and we had to put him down.”

Julia’s fingers slid across the smooth, white material of the Meganium-shaped urn, and her heart ached with sorrow for her mother. “He was your first Pokemon. Your best friend…”

“He was. But he’s in a better place now. He lived a good, happy life, as did Saoirse,” Kassia put a hand on Julia’s shoulder and pulled her close. Julia closed her eyes, basking in her mother’s warmth and the soft knitted fabric of her tan sweater. In doing so, she silently prayed that her mother’s Meganium was doing okay in heaven, and was sorry for not having been able to say goodbye. But maybe that was for the best. After having seen Saoirse die in her arms, she wasn’t sure if she could handle watching yet another beloved friend pass on before her eyes.

“I’m gonna miss him.”

“Me too.”

“I miss Saoirse, too.”

“I know.”

Mother and daughter stared at the urns in silence for a brief moment, praying their beloved friends were in heaven. Then, Kassia gave a low yelp. “Oh! That reminds me!” She inclined her head towards the entrance to the dining room. “Caiseal! Perrine! Can you come in here please?”

The kids ran right inside, and Kassia took a moment to rummage through her large, orange purse. “I almost forgot. I have something for all of you.”

“All of us?” Julia asked.

It took a short moment, but Kassia pulled out a small but thick brown paper bag that had been rolled up. She handed it to Perrine, who gingerly opened it with both hands. When she opened it, Perrine’s eyes shrunk in awe. “Whoa! Look at these!” She exclaimed. Caiseal and Julia put their hands inside to pull whatever it was out of the bag. In their hands were six, greenish gray crystals that had some yellow and purple streaks going across them here and there. One singular stone fit right into their palms. The kids’ jaws fell open in awe at the shimmering stones.

“Oooh! These are all Moon Stones!” Caiseal cried out.

“Are these really for all of us?” Julia asked.

Kassia nodded. “A friend of mine gave them to me, as she had no use for them. Since you kids told me you were stopping by, I thought these would make a nice gift, in case you had any Pokemon who could use them to evolve,” She winked in Julia’s direction. It didn’t take much for her to figure out which Pokemon she was referring to in this case: Rina and Rino.

Perrine let out a jubilant cheer. “Thanks, Mrs. Parisa! In fact, I know one Pokemon who would love this!” She shoved one Moon Stone into Julia’s hand and kept the other one as she pulled out a PokeBall. “Come on out, Baloo!”

Baloo the Jigglypuff appeared in front of them, her wide, teal eyes as charming as ever. “Jigglypuff!”

“Hey, Baloo! Guess what I have?” She presented the Moon Stone to her pink friend. “It’s a Moon Stone. You can use this to evolve! Do you want to evolve?” She asked. “If you don’t want to, it’s okay.”

Baloo eyed the pretty stone in her trainer’s hand curiously. This would help her evolve? Baloo had always wanted to evolve for a while, but never paid it much mind. She had always been strong in battle, and never worried too much about battling, even when she lost. But seeing this stone in front of her eyes made the balloon Pokemon stop to think. She could use this to finally evolve further and be as strong as she could possibly be. Who said she couldn’t?

“Jigglypuff!” Without any hesitation, Baloo crooned happily as she took the Moon Stone into her stubby hands.

In an instant, Baloo’s body was engulfed in white light, illuminating the entire living room. Julia covered her eyes with both hands, as the light was too blinding for her eyes to handle. Gradually, Baloo grew taller, stopping at Perrine’s height. Her ears grew longer and thinner, the tuft of hair on her head thinned out at the top, and her body became more ovular. Soon, the light dissipated, and out came a Pokemon that didn’t look too different from what Baloo originally looked like. The only real differences were her more oval-shaped body, her height, her longer, thinner, white tipped ears, longer limbs, and a big white tummy.

“Wigglytuff!” Baloo’s voice was slightly lower pitched than it had been, and now she was exactly the same size and height as the kids.

“Yay!” Perrine wrapped her arms around her newly evolved friend, though because of Baloo’s larger size, Perrine couldn’t wrap them all the way around. But neither of them minded a bit. “You’re a Wigglytuff now!”

Caiseal pulled out her PokeDex to examine her. “Wigglytuff, the balloon Pokemon, and the evolved form of Jigglypuff. Wigglytuff’s body is very soft, rubbery, and elastic, allowing it to inhale large amounts of air and expand like a balloon, especially when angry. Some have been able to grow to over twenty times their normal size. Their fine fur is very soft to the touch, said to feel so good that if someone were to touch it, they can’t stop doing so. Often times, when two Wigglytuff snuggle together, they won’t want to be separated. They shed their fur when the seasons change, which can be gathered and spun into a luxurious yarn. Many Wigglytuff often compete to see who can inflate themselves the most.”

True to form, Perrine found herself snuggling against her friend, unable to let go. Her smile was big and languid, and her eyes were already closed. It didn’t help that she was making weird noises as she nuzzled into Baloo’s fur. “Wiggly?” Baloo scratched one of her ears, looking somewhat confused.

Everyone sans Perrine burst into laughter. Well, the PokeDex was right about Wigglytuff’s fur being irresistable. Julia made a mental note to stroke Baloo some time in the future. If someone as strong willed and fiery as Perrine couldn’t resist its allure, Julia was sure she’d fall victim to it as soon as her fingers grazed Baloo’s fur, and she wouldn’t mind it one bit.

“Do you want your other Moon Stone, Perrine?” Julia asked, holding out the Moon Stone Perrine had shoved into her hand earlier.

“Nah. You can keep it. I only wanted one anyway,” Perrine replied, finally letting releasing Baloo.

So Julia now had three Moon Stones. Two was all she needed, so she wasn’t sure what she’d do with a third. She shrugged and shoved all three of them into her bag. Perhaps in the future she would catch another Pokemon that could evolve with a Moon Stone. That’d be nice, she thought. As the night went on, the kids readied themselves for bed, as they decided to stay for just a few days in order to rest, train, and relax before heading to Tohjo Falls, as the Pokemon League was still a ways off. Truman had Caiseal sleep in his room, while he himself decided to sleep on the couch in the living room. Perrine and Julia decided to sleep in the latter’s room, and thankfully, the bed was big enough for the two of them. They had already taken their showers and changed into their nightwear by eight thirty.

“Hey, Perrine!” Julia said, sitting on her bed stroking Neji’s fur.

“Hm?” Perrine sat on the floor brushing her hair with a brush she had kept with her. “What’s up?”

“I was thinking...I’d love to show you and Cash around my neighborhood. Both here and in Cherrygrove City,” Julia explained, scratching behind Neji’s ear. The long body Pokemon gave a delighted purr as his trainer’s fingers lovingly stroke his ear. “There’s so much I want to show you guys! Like my school, this ice cream place Mom and I go to, the bookstore, the movie store…”

“Sure. That’d be great,” Perrine agreed, putting her brush back in her bag. “I have wanted to see more of Cherrygrove, so count me in.”

Julia looked down at Neji. “Hey Neji! Do you want to come with me?” She asked. “We haven’t spent much time together in a while, so how’s that?”

“Fuuuur!” Neji crooned with delight.

“Great!” Julia held out two fingers. “I’ll bring Papillon and Ladybug with me, too. I’ll leave Tsubasa and Twilight here at home for the time being. They’ll probably appreciate having time to themselves...and they’ll likely spend it fighting and sparring.”

Perrine let out a giggle. “I can imagine.”

The girls settled into Julia’s bed, draping the coverlet over themselves, and their bodies filled with calm, tingling warmth. Their eyes grew heavy as the soft embrace of darkness overtook them. Neji coiled at the foot of Julia’s bed, with Hikaru, Tokiko, and Karin snuggling up against him, also basking in the warmth of his fur. Julia relished in the sensation of her favorite comforter protecting her from the frigid November air, even though her windows were closed. Julia wasn’t quite used to sharing her bed with someone else, especially since she hadn’t done so since she and Amara were toddlers. But she wouldn’t trade this for the world: Sleeping in her comfy bed, with her friends, both human and Pokemon by her side, lost in the loving haze of a happy dreamland.

Tonight, as she finally fell asleep, she was truly home at last, and she couldn’t wait for tomorrow.

***

A/N: Alright, another chapter is done! I wish I had gotten this out sooner, especially since this one was mostly a breather chapter meant to let the characters unwind. Anyway, just so you guys know, there’s gonna be a bonus chapter, which introduces a totally new character, who will appear in the chapter that takes place immediately after this one, and the bonus one will be the set-up for said chapter. Look forward to it! See you guys later!

***

Spoiler: Pokemon Parties

Julia's Party
Hikaru (Shiny Pikachu, Female, Jolly Nature)
Ability: Static
Attacks: Thunderbolt, Disarming Voice, Quick Attack, Volt Tackle

Papillon (Butterfree, Female, Calm Nature)
Ability: Compound Eyes
Attacks: Confusion, Bug Buzz, Air Slash, Quiver Dance

Neji (Furret, Male, Bashful Nature)
Ability: Keen Eye
Attacks: Dig, Hyper Voice, Sucker Punch, and Quick Attack

Karin (Smoochum, Female, Impish Nature)
Ability: Forewarn
Attacks: Pound, Confusion, Powder Snow, and Sweet Kiss

Lavinia (Scyther, Female, Rash Nature)
Ability: Steadfast
Attacks: Quick Attack, Fury Cutter, Wing Attack, and Agility

Ladybug (Ledian, Female, Timid Nature)
Ability: Early Bird
Attacks: Bug Buzz, Swift, Drain Punch, and Reflect

Perrine’s Party:

Kitsune (Ninetales, Female, Quiet Nature)
Ability: Flash Fire
Attacks: Heat Wave, Extrasensory, Confuse Ray, and Faint Attack

Florian (Meganium, Male, Gentle Nature)
Ability: Overgrow
Attacks: Petal Blizzard, Vine Whip, Body Slam, and Grassy Terrain

Baloo (Wigglytuff, Female, Docile Nature)
Ability: Cute Charm
Attacks: Hyper Voice, Wake-Up Slap, Disarming Voice, and Body Slam

Mushi (Paras, Male, Quirky Nature)
Ability: Effect Spore
Attacks: X-Scissor, Stun Spore, Growth, and Giga Drain

Fuwari (Skiploom, Female, Relaxed Nature)
Ability: Leaf Guard
Attacks: Bounce, Giga Drain, Fairy Wind, and Energy Ball

Chirin (Ampharos, Male, Adamant Nature)
Ability: Static
Attacks: Discharge, Cotton Guard, Power Gem, Signal Beam

Caiseal’s Party:

Mallow (Marowak, Male, Lax Nature)
Ability: Lightning Rod
Attacks: Bonemerang, Bone Rush, Headbutt, and Rock Smash

Apollo (Typhlosion, Male, Bold Nature)
Ability: Blaze
Attacks: Flamethrower, Flame Charge, Rollout, and Smokescreen

Ravenclaw (Murkrow, Female, Hardy Nature)
Ability: Super Luck
Attacks: Wing Attack, Steel Wing, Dark Pulse, and Roost

Heracles (Heracross, Male, Relaxed Nature)
Ability: Moxie
Attacks: Brick Break, Megahorn, Aerial Ace, and Endure

Flippy (Quagsire, Female, Jolly Nature)
Ability: Damp
Attacks: Water Pulse, Mud Bomb, Ice Beam, and Slam

Electra (Elekid, Female, Naughty Nature)
Ability: Static
Attacks: Thundershock, Low Kick, Quick Attack, and Leer

 

[Juliko]

A/N: Whoa. This was a long one. I think this is the first long bonus chapter I’ve ever done for this, which to me means I wrote a LOT of material, some of which I’m actually pretty proud of! This one’s kind of a departure from the other bonus chapters, as it focuses on a totally new character, who will appear officially in the very next chapter. Also, she’s an unlikable little brat. Yes, this was done intentionally. The conflict in this chapter will be resolved in the next one.

***

Content Warnings: Bullying, invasion of a disabled person's privacy, and ableism.

***

Bonus Chapter 4: A Sister’s Grave Mistake

When Lakeisha Knowles was three years old, she thought her new little sister was the best thing in the whole world

It had been a golden morning when her parents came home from the hospital with a bundle of blanket in her mother’s arms. She had wanted to see the baby first, but Tammy, her older sister by five years, got the first look. But she finally got to see her new sister, and was in awe—a tiny baby with a smushed up face and beautiful brown skin, a little lighter than her own, but she was told it would get darker as she got older. She had ten perfect, curled up fingers and toes, and a head of soft, curly black hair. The baby’s nose twitched as she floated through the peaceful haze of some invisible dream, swaddled in the little flannelette blanket, like it would protect her from all the evils of the world. To everyone in the Knowles household, she was the perfect addition to their family.

“What’s her name, Mama?” Lakeisha had asked, her brown eyes shining with delight. “What’cha gonna call’er?”

Her mother smiled at her before answering, “Her name’s Merlin. Merlin Ayala Knowles.”

Lakeisha couldn’t have come up with a better name herself if she tried. She had a little sister, Merlin, and she loved her already.

At first, things were great. Lakeisha helped her mother feed her, clothe her, keep her occupied while her mother was busy with other things, like making dinner or helping Tammy with homework. Lakeisha did everything she could to spend time with her baby sister, except change diapers, because nobody likes doing that. Lakeisha especially liked watching her mother dress her up in cute outfits, even more so when Lakeisha herself picked them out. Merlin was often decked out in frills, ribbons, and bows, because mothers love being able to put their baby daughters in cute clothes. But when Merlin turned one year old, Lakeisha noticed something odd. Merlin would cry and howl if someone tried to put accessories in her hair. Ribbons, hair clips, head bands, beads; Merlin would throw her arms out and resist any attempt to put them on her head. Even when they successfully got one on, she would yank it out and throw it away.

Her mother took it in stride at first. “I think Merlin says hair accessories are so not her thing,” She said, winking at Lakeisha as Merlin threw away yet another cute bow. This one was pink with white lace trimming. Lakeisha sighed. She did think Merlin looked cute with ribbons in her hair.

In the months after that, Lakeisha and her family noticed other things about Merlin that seemed…strange, for lack of a better word. She never seemed to look at anyone’s faces, even when they would put their faces right in front of her’s. She wasn’t crawling when she was supposed to; she wasn’t sitting up when she was supposed to, only ever wanted to eat carrot slices, drank excessive amounts of milk, and cried if someone tried to touch her ears in any way. Lakeisha didn’t quite mind very much. She still played with Merlin, and she knew Merlin loved her. As far as Lakeisha was concerned, Merlin was so much better than any doll she could ever have.

One day, when Lakeisha was seven, her mother sat her down and told her something very important. “Lakeisha, dear? We took Merlin to the doctor last year, and they told us she’s...autistic.”

Autistic? Lakeisha’s ears perked up. This was a new word she hadn’t heard before. “What’s autistic mean?” She asked, cocking her head to one side.

“Well, it’s a way of saying that Merlin isn’t going to be like other kids. She sees the world in a different way than we do,” Her mother explained. “You know how Merlin hates having accessories in her hair? And how she likes to flap her hands and twirl around in a circle when she’s excited? And how she didn’t start talking until last year?” She pointed to her brain. “She has autism. Her brain grows differently than ours, so the way she processes the world around her is different as well.”

Lakeisha didn’t quite know what to make of that. “Is it a disease or somethin’?”

Her mother shook her head. “No, it’s nothing like that. Not at all,” She reassured, keeping both hands on her daughter’s shoulders. “It just means the way her brain is wired isn’t like everyone else’s, so she learns things at her own pace, on her own terms. But I want you to know it’s not a bad thing.”

So that was it? Merlin was just different? Lakeisha shrugged. She wasn’t sure what the big deal was. Merlin was still Merlin, even if she was kind of strange. It wasn’t like she had turned into some alien monster out to eat everyone. For a second, she thought Merlin was sick with some disease. A sigh of relief escaped her lips, thankful that wasn’t the case. She glanced past her mother’s shoulders and saw Merlin sitting on the floor, holding a toy car backwards and spinning one of its wheels over and over with a big smile on her face. Lakeisha couldn’t help but grin at the sight of her happy little sister.

“Okay!” Lakeisha chirruped.

Shortly after, she went over to play with Merlin, teaching her how to talk and say Pokemon names. Who cares if Merlin’s autistic? She thought. Merlin was still her little sister, and she loved her. That was all that mattered.

Unfortunately, after Lakeisha turned ten, she would no longer love Merlin the way she used to.

​

***

“Tammy!!” Lakeisha, now eleven, pounded her fist on the wooden bathroom door, her eyebrows furrowed in irritation. “Are you done yet?! You’ve been in there for, like, twenty minutes straight!”

“Will you relax, Keish?” Her older sister exclaimed from the other side. The bathroom door wasn’t very thick, so either girl could hear one another speak on each side of it. “I’m almost done. You really need to be more patient.”

Patience was the last thing on Lakeisha’s mind. Today was the first day of fifth grade, and she needed to get in the bathroom and fix her makeup right now. She wanted to make her first day of school as good as possible, and for that to happen, she wanted to look good, dress nice, and feel good. A good first impression was everything. She wanted to take control and make sure the day went smoothly, and she’d have started by now if Tammy hadn’t been hogging the bathroom.

Thankfully, what little patience she had was rewarded when her older sister finally came out of the bathroom. As Tammy passed by, Lakeisha ran in there, intent to freshen herself up without interruption. Tammy, with her short, cropped bob cut freshly dried, cast an annoyed glance in Lakeisha’s direction as she slammed the door behind her. Lakeisha pulled her hair into a fluffy ball, tying it in place with a black band before slipping on a red headband that went all around her head. She splashed her face with water to make her eyes less swollen and to wash out the phlegm that accumulated around them as she slept, dried it with a towel, and spread some cream on her cheeks to fill up pores and keep her skin soft as dew. After that, she brushed her eyelashes and put some chapstick on her lips to give them some much needed moisture.

When she looked into the mirror, a new girl looked back at her. One who was ready for fifth grade. She smiled. Perfect! The effort she put in would be worth it.

But as she made her way to the kitchen, a familiar voice made Lakeisha’s smile change into a frown.

“—Aunt Florence’s name comes from either the Latin name Florentius or the more feminine Florentia, both of which are derived from the word florens, which means to flourish or be prosperous.”

Lakeisha facepalmed. ‘Ugh! It’s seven in the morning and Merlin’s already gabbin’ about names! Can’t she take a hint?!’ She screamed in her brain as she walked inside.

She found her mother standing in front of the dishwasher, taking some clean plates out and putting them in the cupboard just above it. The scent of warm butter and invigorating cinnamon wafted through the air. Tammy was sitting down at the table, taking a sip of some coffee, watching as the youngest sister looked through a book and talked about its contents. Lakeisha cast a glare in the girl’s direction, hoping it’d tell her to shut up. It didn’t, obviously. Merlin didn’t notice; for she was too busy talking to Tammy with a big, pleased smile on her face.

As Lakeisha fixed herself some Kalosian toast and a banana, she sat down at the table, sizing Merlin up. It was almost surreal to think that the tiny baby she once fawned over grew up to be a rather pretty little girl of eight, with long, sleek black hair that went down to her back and big, brown eyes that seemed eager to learn everything about the world around her. But Lakeisha could only scowl at her with furrowed eyebrows, her eyes in narrow slits, and a displeased frown, eyeing the red dress she was wearing. The red, long sleeved dress that went past her knees seemed too big for her, like it was weighing her down, and she could see wrinkles along the skirt. She could also see subtle rips and dirt spots along the cuffs of the sleeves. As far as Lakeisha was concerned, Merlin should have gotten rid of that dress long ago.

However, what irritated her the most was Merlin’s interest in names and their origins.

“Her middle name, Shakira, comes from the male name Shakir, which means thankful in Arabic. Shakir itself comes from the word shakara, which means to thank.”

“Merlin, knock it off!” Lakeisha exclaimed. Tammy and Merlin turned their heads in alarm. “Tammy don’t need you blabbin’ about names all the time. Land sakes, it’s seven in the mornin’!”

Merlin frowned, shooting an equally irritated glare right back at her. “Tammy was the one that asked me about Aunt Florence and where her names come from,” Merlin protested, her tone firm and resolute.

Tammy brushed some hair behind her ear. “Simmer down, Keish. No need to get all wound up.”

Before the conversation could get heated, their mother came into the room. “Morning, girls!” She greeted them with a luminous smile, and the atmosphere around her radiated with energy. “You excited for your first day of school?”

“Yep!” All three girls exclaimed in perfect unison. Lakeisha hoped she could just get to school already, if only to get away from Merlin.

Not long after, a man came running down some stairs, dressed in a sharp, well ironed suit, suitcase in hand. His tie was neatly done, and his badge hung from the front pocket of his blazer. “Mmm! Is that cinnamon I smell in that coffee?” He wasted no time treating himself to some coffee, taking a good, long sip, allowing himself to savor the spicy cinnamon taste. “You sure do know how to make coffee taste good, Dora,” The man beamed before kissing his wife on the cheek.

Dora laughed sheepishly and playfully whacked her husband on the chest with one hand. “Not in front of the kids, Greg!”

Tammy stifled a laugh. “Too late, Mom. We see you guys all lovey-dovey all the time, so we’re already desensitized,” She retorted. Merlin roared with laughter. Lakeisha simply rolled her eyes as she finished her breakfast, wondering where the nearest bucket was.

Once she ate all her food, Lakeisha didn’t waste any time changing her clothes, grabbing her bag, and sprinting outside to get her bike. She had already packed her books, pencils, and other school essentials last night to make sure she was extra prepared. She hopped on her bike and sped away before her parents could even tell her to have a good day. As far as Lakeisha was concerned, the sooner she was away from Merlin, the happier she’d be. School wasn’t very far by bike, and it took her all of ten minutes to get there. She wanted to get there as early as possible, if only to have lots of time to talk to her friends before school started. She found her friends right away, and chatted with them almost non-stop until the bell rang and the kids had to go inside.

When she got inside, Lakeisha was already smiling, and she sat right down in an open seat in the middle of the classroom. But before she could open her backpack, she felt a light tap on her shoulder. She turned around and saw a girl behind her she didn’t recognize. She looked to be the same age as her, with long, ash brown hair tied into pigtails, with her bangs parted down the middle. Her deep, dark brown eyes really stood out against her peachy skin.

“Hey. You’re friends with Mikayla Haigney, right?” The girl asked curiously. Lakeisha looked down and noticed a pretty pearl bead bracelet on her right wrist. “Lakeisha, is it?”

“That’s me!”

“I’m Kirsten Seeley. Mikayla told me about you,” Kirsten introduced herself right away, flashing a friendly grin in Lakeisha’s direction.

Lakeisha’s smile grew bigger, and her eyes lit up as she turned herself all the way around. One of her friends actually told someone about her? She was the kind of girl who really wanted people to like her, and this new girl seemed pretty cool. Maybe she could be a potential friend? Lakeisha seized the opportunity. “Oh yeah! Are you the one who moved here from Goldenrod City last year?” She asked. “I didn’t see you in school last year. Which teacher did you have? Mrs. Rosewood?”

“I had Mr. Graves,” Kirsten told her. “He’s really cool.”

Lakeisha remembered a Mr. Graves from last year, but not for homeroom. That must have been why she didn’t see Kirsten before now. Lakeisha shrugged. It wasn’t too big a surprise to go a whole school year and not notice someone if you spend every day with the same people all day.

“Oh! I forgot! I’m Lakeisha.”

“Great to meet you,” Kirsten rested her chin on her hands, her dark eyes sparkling with delight. “I like your boots. Where’d you get them?”

She looked down at her tan boots. “Mom got them for me last year when I passed a math test. I don’t remember where she got them from, though,” Lakeisha kept herself cool and composed, but inside, her organs were doing happy dances. First this new girl noticed her, then she complimented her shoes? As far as Lakeisha was concerned, this was going to be a great first day.

“By the way, I should probably warn you,” Kirsten said, creeping closer to Lakeisha and pointing to someone a few desks up. “See that girl over there? Short brown hair, pink shirt?”

Lakeisha turned to face the front of the classroom. A crowd of students had already come in, but Lakeisha was able to pick out the girl Kirsten was referring to right away. A girl with short, chin-length, dark brown hair sat two desks up from Lakeisha, and she wore a short sleeved pink shirt. Lakeisha could just barely see the girl drawing something in a notebook, but she couldn’t make out the drawing itself. She did find herself liking her bright yellow, Pikachu themed backpack.

“What about her?”

“That’s Julia Parisa,” Kristen explained. “She was in my class last year, and she’s a major weirdo. You should stay away from her.”

Raising an eyebrow, Lakeisha’s curiosity was piqued. “Weird how?”

Another girl chimed in before Kirsten could answer. “She’s, like, a total freak. She talks endlessly about Pokemon, and it gets super annoying,” The girl elaborated. “She also flaps her hands up and down and cries a lot during class.”

Flaps her hands? Cries a lot? Talking about something non-stop, to the point of being annoying? Deja vu began to creep up on Lakeisha. That sounded a lot like Merlin.

“She also says she can talk to Pokemon and understand what they’re saying,” Kirsten added.

“Whaaat?” Lakeisha looked at her with disbelief. “No way. Nobody can do that.”

“Exactly,” The other girl drew the word out to empathize her point. “Like I said, total freak. She probably says that to get attention.”

Kirsten gave a scornful laugh. “You’re probably right, Paisley. She didn’t have any friends when I last saw her, so that’s probably why!”

“Man. She sounds like a real baby,” Lakeisha mused out loud. She had never shared any classes with this Julia girl before, so she rarely ever saw her. But if she was really like that...Lakeisha crossed her off the list of potential friends. There was no way she was going to be friends with someone like her. She wanted to be with cool kids.

“Girls?” The laughter stopped when the teacher approached their desks. Lakeisha, Kirsten, and Paisley turned right back around, facing the front of the classroom. “You’ll have more time to chat during lunch. Homeroom’s about to start in a few minutes.”

“Yes, Mrs. Quimby!”

Over the next month or so, Lakeisha did notice that Julia wasn’t like the other kids. She focused a lot more on her schoolwork than Lakeisha cared to do herself, always taking notes and scribbling everything down like her life depended on it. She never looked anyone in the eye when they talked to her, and she always made weird noises. One day, the girls had their first science test, and Lakeisha was writing her answers down. But she noticed a shadow looming over the paper a few times. It would appear, and then disappear as soon as she turned to face Julia. Was she...looking at her test and copying the answers? Lakeisha fumed. The nerve of this girl! At one point, she turned around and saw Julia looking right at her paper. She slammed her hand on Julia’s desk, frightening her into backing off before raising her hand.

“Mrs. Harlacher! Julia’s cheating off me!” She shouted loud enough for the whole class to hear.

The teacher walked over to Julia’s desk with a disappointed expression. “Is this true?”

“Yeah it is!” Lakeisha didn’t give the girl a chance to defend herself. “I saw it!”

Julia said nothing. Lakeisha gave her a vicious glare that seemed to strip her of any attempt at communication. She couldn’t believe this girl had the nerve to straight up cheat, and off her own paper, no less. She thanked her lucky stars Kirsten warned her about her. She didn’t like her before, but after seeing this, she decided she straight up hated her. Julia made high pitched whining noises as the teacher took her test paper, admonished her, and made her stand out in the hall until class was over. But even as Lakeisha finished her test and had some time to herself, her anger still didn’t subside. Not even when the teacher made them both stay after class.

“Julia. It’s wrong to look at someone’s test and copy their answers,” Mrs. Harlacher kneeled down to her level and told her of what she did wrong in a calm, soft voice. Lakeisha wished she’d just yell at her. That would have been more satisfying in her eyes. She didn’t care that Julia looked sad. As far as she was concerned, she deserved whatever punishment she got.

“It is?” She asked.

“Yes.”

“But...how do I...know the answers? I don’t...know how...to study...what do I do?”

Lakeisha’s jaw dropped. This girl was saying she didn’t know how to study? She facepalmed harder than she ever did in her life. How could a girl in fifth grade just stand there and say she didn’t know how to properly study for a test? Lakeisha was sure she was just making excuses and trying to worm her way out of punishment. No wonder Kirsten didn’t like her. The teacher told Julia that she could retake the test at a later time, and that she would call her parents and discuss how to help her understand the concept of studying, since she figured the transition from fourth to fifth grade was stressing her out.

“Now, I want you to tell Lakeisha you’re sorry and that you won’t look at her work again,” Mrs. Harlacher told her gently.

The girl averted Lakeisha’s eyes and shifted around uncomfortably, but she took no time at all to choke out a pitiful apology. “I’m sorry. I won’t do it ever again.”

Lakeisha’s glare didn’t soften. ‘I don’t believe you. You’re not sorry at all! You’re a cheater and I’ll make sure everyone knows it!’ She thought bitterly. Without a word, Lakeisha stomped out of the classroom and headed to her next class. Her emotions were at war with each other. One part of her was saying she should have forgiven her and to let this go. What little kid didn’t cheat at one point in their life? Maybe she’d get better. But Lakeisha didn’t listen, and chose to let her anger simmer. It wasn’t just the fact that this freak had the nerve to cheat off her that made her mad.

She had the same fearful, wide-eyed, innocent expression that Merlin had whenever she got into trouble.

Was she just like Merlin?

That made her blood boil even hotter.

***

At lunch, Lakeisha told her friends all about it. “And she was all, ‘I’m sowwy! I won’t do it ever again!’ What a load of crap! She can say sorry all she wants! I’m not buying it!” She chowed down on some cheese crackers once she finished the tale. “I don’t know why Mrs. Harlacher didn’t scream in her face!”

Kirsten brushed some polish onto her nails, blowing on them as she listened to Lakeisha. “I know, right? Told you she’s a freak. You’d think at her age she’d know better than to cheat,” Kirsten chimed in.

“What she did was wrong, there’s no denying that, but don’t you think you’re being a little harsh?” One of Lakeisha’s friends reminded her. Her skin was much darker than Lakeisha’s, and every strand of her thick, black hair was tied into thin, immaculate braids that draped down to her upper back. She took a minute to eat some gummy worms before adding, “I mean, it’s not like we never did stupid stuff. Remember that time I forgot to study for a math test and I copied off Amy’s and I got in trouble for it? I did it, too, and I got over it.”

“You guys were in third grade then, Cindy,” Lakeisha sneered. “We learn to know better than that before we start middle school!” She slammed her plastic water bottle onto the table, making it rattle slightly. “I mean, how stupid can you be?!”

Paisley leaned closer to Lakeisha. “I heard one of the teachers say she’s autistic. That means she’s totally mental!” She whispered, finishing with a scornful giggle.

“That’s not nice, Paisley,” Another girl gently admonished her. “You really need to grow up.”

Kirsten shot a glare in her direction. “You need to quit being such a goody two-shoes, Amy.”

Lakeisha nodded in agreement. She had to admit, she liked that Kirsten was honest and straight up with people. She was the boss and made sure other kids knew it. But her expression softened when she saw Amy shrinking into her seat, quietly finishing her apple. More so when she saw Cindy staring down at her lunch, looking like she was about to cry. Did Kirsten go too far? Lakeisha shook her head. Amy had always been a bit of a stick in the mud. Maybe she just needed to loosen up a bit. Besides, Lakeisha couldn’t care less about Julia Parisa. She cheated off her test, and as far as Lakeisha was concerned, she was on her hate list forever. She wasn’t quite sure why Cindy looked so pained, though.

At recess, Lakeisha and Kirsten hung out while Amy, Cindy, and Paisley went somewhere else. The girls talked about all sorts of things, such as fashion, their families, and their favorite Pokemon. “I really like that one called Smeargle,” Lakeisha told her with a smile. “I think they’re just so cute!”

“Ugh!” Kirsten scrunched her face into a snarl. “Smeargle? Seriously? You have bad taste in Pokemon. They’re so stupid looking, and they don’t even know any real attacks!”

“So? That don’t mean trainers can’t teach’em, and they can paint with their tails! Ain’t that cool?”

“Not cool. Smeargle is a useless Pokemon. I don’t know why you’d ever like something so dopey,” Kirsten sneered. “Cool Pokemon like Rapidash and Clefable and Lapras are where it’s at!”

Lakeisha’s enthusiasm dwindled. She really did like Smeargle, having done so since she was little, and the other Pokemon Kirsten mentioned were cool, too. But it did hurt to be told she had bad taste in Pokemon. At the same time, she didn’t want to get on Kirsten’s bad side. She wanted to be friends with her, and if agreeing with her would cement their friendship, then maybe it was time to make some changes.

“Yeah, I guess Smeargle does look kinda dumb,” Kirsten agreed sheepishly, then changed the subject quickly. “By the way, did you finish your homework for Galarian class?”

Kirsten proudly shook her head. “No. Homework is stupid. I don’t need to read dumb books and learn how to write sentences in order to be a designer.”

She didn’t do her homework? Lakeisha’s jaw dropped. “But if you don’t do your homework, the teacher’ll get mad and your grades’ll suffer.”

“Do I look like I care? Cool kids don’t care about school. Come on, Keish. Do you really wanna be a teacher’s pet?”

So being smart was a bad thing? Lakeisha couldn’t see why Kirsten would think that. Studying and being smart was what helped her (Lakeisha’s) mother get her office job. But she wanted Kirsten to like her. Was school really as important as people were making it out to be? Lakeisha shook her head. Maybe it’d do her some good to not think so much about school. Besides, what’s a few missed assignments?

“Naw. I ain’t gonna be one of those,” Lakeisha told her.

Kirsten flashed a smile in her direction. “Wanna come over to my house some time?” She asked. “I have some cute dresses that I’d love to show you.”

Over the next year, Lakeisha and Kirsten grew closer and closer as friends. Gradually, she broke away from her usual friend group of Mikayla, Amy, and Cindy and spent more time with Kirsten, and occasionally Paisley. In fact, there were days when the two were never seen without each other. They went to each other’s houses, rode their bikes around Cherrygrove, and went to the mall together when allowed. Lakeisha found herself happier than she’d ever been. This was so much better than having to stay home and put up with Merlin. One day in January, when Cherrygrove had been blanketed with a thick layer of snow, the kids were outside during recess, making snowmen and having snowball fights. Kirsten and Lakeisha went to another corner of the blacktop, and at one point, Lakeisha had been complaining about Merlin and her odd habits.

“I tell ya, she’s weirder than weird. She don’t look at nobody when they talk to her, and when I try to make her, Mom and Dad tell me not to force it,” Lakeisha told her. “And this one time, when we were at my cousin’s house, she kept talkin’ about their names and their origins non-stop. I had to practically clamp my hand over her mouth to make her shut up!” Lakeisha leaned against the cold metal fence and groaned. “Ugh! It was beyond embarrassin’! Nobody paid it any mind, but Merlin should know better than to gab about that stuff at a party!”

“I bet. Sounds like you have it rough,” Kirsten agreed, adjusting one of the scrunchies that held up her pigtails.

Lakeisha let out a grunt, but inside, she was happy she had someone who agreed with her. “All my friends love her and say I’ve been bein’ mean to her, but they don’t gotta live with her. It’s like Merlin thinks she’s the boss or somethin’! It drives me nuts!”

Kirsten rolled some snow into a ball, kneeling down to polish it some more, even though the cold stung her exposed palms. “You’re her big sister, so you should put your foot down. Let her know you’re the boss. Make her stop her weird habits, even if you have to beat it into her,” Kirsten suggested. “You can’t let your little sister rule the house like she’s a queen and walk all over you. Don’t let her get away with her shenanigans.”

The more she thought about it, the more it all made sense. Kirsten was right. Lakeisha is Merlin’s big sister, so she’d have to listen to her when she put her foot down and set her straight. If her mother and father weren’t willing to do so, Lakeisha decided she would be the one to do it. She wasn’t going to let Merlin walk all over her. It was high time Merlin learned to act like a normal kid. She resolved to get started the second she got home today.

“Hey. Look,” Kirsten nodded toward the side of the school. Lakeisha turned and saw Julia sitting in front of a cage where a Cyndaquil and Sentret were being kept. They couldn’t make out what she was saying, but they could tell Julia was having a conversation with them. Lakeisha could only grimace, but Kirsten smiled and shouted, “Look, Lakeisha! It’s the Pokemon Whisperer!” She broke into laughter soon after. Lakeisha soon broke into giggling herself. That was kind of a funny nickname. “If she likes Pokemon so much, why doesn’t she just move into the forest and be one?”

Julia stopped talking, but didn’t look in their direction. She put her hand through a hole in the cage and stroke Sentret’s fur. Lakeisha frowned, offended by her lack of reaction. Then another thought hatched into her head: She was rarely ever allowed to get mad at Merlin at home, so why not hurl it all out at this girl? It’d be her just deserts for cheating off her science test.

“Hey, Freak Girl! You cheat off other kids’ tests today?” Lakeisha sneered. “Nobody likes no fakers and cheaters! You probably too stupid for school!”

“Ooh! Good one!” Kirsten gave her friend a proud slap on the shoulder.

Although the gesture stung, for the first time in a while, Lakeisha felt on top of the world. But a piece of her consciousness was scolding her for picking on the girl like that.

​

***

Another month later, Lakeisha was in her room listening to her IPod, laying on the couch leisurely without a care in the world. It was a Saturday, and Lakeisha couldn’t wait to spend a relaxing day at home. As the song she was listening to slowly transitioned to a new hip-hop number, Merlin’s voice cut through her earbuds. But it was faint enough that it didn’t outright startle her.

“Hey, Lakeisha! Mom and I are going to New Bark Town for a bit!” Merlin exclaimed. “Do you want to come with us?”

“No. I don’t,” Lakeisha snapped, gesturing for Merlin to go away. “Leave me alone. I wanna relax!”

Merlin’s footsteps were drowned out by the rapper’s booming voice pounding into Lakeisha’s ears. All throughout the time her mother and sister were gone, Lakeisha remained on the couch, letting hip-hop music weave its way into her soul, pushing all of her stress away. Sure, New Bark Town wasn’t too far, and she was sure they’d be back within the next hour, but Lakeisha made sure to savor every bit of free time she had. Then, something jumped on her, startling her out of her reverie and knocking her IPod out of her hands.

“Wha?!”

“Chiko!” Lakeisha looked up to find a Chikorita staring her in the face, standing right on her abdomen. What in the world was this random Pokemon doing here? Chikorita smiled at her, its cherry red eyes beaming with delight. “Chikori!”

“Hey! Get offa me!”

“Chikorita!” Merlin quickly scooped the rogue Pokemon into her arms. “Don’t jump on her like that. You scared her,” She gently scolded Chikorita, stroking the leaf on its head with her free hand. But she just as quickly looked up at Lakeisha, her face aglow with joy. “Lakeisha, look! I got my very own Pokemon! Isn’t he cute?!”

Merlin’s proclamation hit Lakeisha harder than a wrecking ball. “You got a Pokemon?!” Lakeisha shouted. Merlin grimaced and backed away a few steps.

“Keish, keep your voice down,” Her mother said. “Use your inside voice.”

“She ain’t old enough to get her own Pokemon yet!” Lakeisha continued to shout, pointing right at Merlin as she did so. “Y’all never told me she was gonna get her own Pokemon!”

“Lakeisha, your father and I discussed this a week ago. Don’t you remember?” Her mother reminded her.

Had they? Lakeisha stopped to think. Come to think of it, she did vaguely remember hearing her parents talk about getting Merlin a Pokemon. They had said something about promising Merlin her own Pokemon if she brought her math grades up. But she remembered being too busy blasting her music at a high volume while working on her homework that day. Plus, Lakeisha was sure Merlin wouldn’t be able to get her own Pokemon until she turned ten, and her ninth birthday wasn’t until September. But here was Merlin with a Chikorita. Lakeisha was twelve already and she didn’t have her own Pokemon. This was too great an injustice for her to bear.

“Why does she get a Pokemon and I don’t?! I’m old enough to get a trainer’s license!” Lakeisha protested.

Her mother scowled and crossed her arms. “But you haven’t been helping out around the house for the past few months, and your grades have been slipping,” Dora said sternly. “You need to learn to be more responsible. If you can’t be more considerate of others and do your part around here, how can we trust you to take care of a Pokemon? You’ve already failed to turn in six different homework assignments, and your recent behavior towards Merlin hasn’t been good, either.”

As much as Lakeisha hated to admit it, her mother was right. Lakeisha cared less about school every day, and willingly left several homework assignments undone. She refused to do chores around the house when asked, such as emptying the dishwasher, cleaning her room, and dusting the furniture every now and again. Furthermore, she began cracking down on Merlin’s stimming, scolding her harshly whenever she did anything, or didn’t do anything, such as flap her hands, talk about names, and forced her to make eye contact against her wishes. She even attempted to do Merlin’s hair once by putting hair clips in it, knowing that Merlin had hated hair clips since infancy. Merlin wanted no part of it, but Lakeisha had pinned her down to the floor. Merlin’s screaming got her father’s attention, and he pulled Lakeisha off of her. But she didn’t see anything wrong with that. She was just showing Merlin who was the boss.

“Aww, come on! You guys treat me like I’m nothin’ and act like Merlin’s the queen!” Lakeisha protested, throwing a small pillow at her little sister. Merlin managed to dodge it, but her heart palpitated in fright all the same. “You don’t deserve no Pokemon, you freak!” Lakeisha stomped upstairs, leaving a confused Merlin and her angry mother downstairs.

“Lakeisha Ann Knowles! You know we don’t call names or throw things at people in this house!!”

Lakeisha paid her mother no heed.

***

Months passed, and not much happened except for one thing. Shortly after sixth grade started in April, Julia Parisa stopped coming to school. The teacher said she had went on a Pokemon journey, but Lakeisha didn’t believe it. She didn’t think someone like Julia could ever handle going out into the world on a journey. She was under the impression that she transferred to another school. ‘Good riddance,’ She thought scornfully, not long after the announcement was made. ‘We’d be way better off with less freaks stinkin’ up our air!’ But while one person she didn’t like left, another was still a thorn in her side, at least in her mind.

One night, Lakeisha was at her computer, chatting with Kirsten on an online message board. Loud, booming rap music echoed from her large speakers, nearly making the entire house rattle. Lakeisha was lost in the music, sending messages back and forth to Kirsten, paying no attention to anything else. But her door swung open, and Merlin came running into her room, hands on her ears, eyes moist with tears and a red face pulled into an irritated scowl.

“Lakeisha!” Merlin exclaimed. “Turn your music off! I’m trying to sleep!”

“Go away, Merlin!” Lakeisha snapped, keeping her eyes on her screen.

“Turn it off now! It’s nine forty at night!” Merlin stamped her foot to get her sister’s attention. She could feel the floor vibrating beneath her, and the music pounded deep in her ears. “I can’t sleep! It’s too loud!”

“Shut up and get outta my room already!” Lakeisha snapped back, finally taking her eyes off the monitor. “Arceus, why do you gotta be so annoying?! Get over it!”

But Merlin didn’t leave. Instead, she made a bold move. She pushed Lakeisha’s chair to the side and turned the music off of Lakeisha’s computer herself. Lakeisha’s chair had wheels, so she wound up sliding to the side easily, even with her weight on the chair. At this point, Lakeisha exploded. “HEY!! Don’t touch my computer you brat!!” Lakeisha pulled a silver thermos she had on her dresser and threw it right at Merlin. She attempted to dodge, but the thermos hit her on the arm before tumbling to the ground. She let out a pained cry as it made contact. Not long after, Lakeisha lunged at Merlin, pinning her down on the floor. Merlin howled and cried out for her parents as loud as she could muster, simultaneously struggling to break free from her sister’s grasp.

Thankfully, the brouhaha didn’t last long. Greg came running up the stairs and pulled Lakeisha off of his youngest. “Whoa whoa whoa! What’s goin’ on here?!” As he pushed Lakeisha to the side, he helped Merlin back to her feet, gasping when he saw tears cascading down her cheeks.

“That stupid brat was messing with my computer!” Lakeisha screamed.

“You wouldn’t turn your loud music off and I’m trying to sleep!” Merlin screamed back with just as much vigor. “She threw her thermos at me, too!”

“Alright girls, calm down! Both of you!” Greg got right in between them, intent on preventing another fight. “Merlin, I get how you’re feeling, but the next time Lakeisha plays her music too loud or throws things at you, let me or your mother know. We’ll handle this. You’d best get back to bed, sweetie.”

“Okay, Dad,” With a tearful sniff, Merlin walked back to her room.

Greg pivoted back towards his older daughter, keeping her in place with a vicious scowl. “Lakeisha, this is the fourth time I’ve told you to turn your music off!” He scolded, towering over her like a big Snorlax. “We’re all tryin’ to sleep, and you should’ve gone to bed forty five minutes ago! It’s a school night! You can’t stay up all night blasting that music like that, and you shouldn’t have tried to hurt Merlin like that!”

“I wasn’t hurtin’ her!” Lakeisha protested as she turned her computer off. “She turned off my music after I told her to go away!”

“That ain’t no excuse, and we’ve told you a million times not to throw stuff at your sister! We don’t throw things in this house! Now you get to bed now!” Greg hollered before leaving the room. “We’re gonna talk more about this after school tomorrow!”

Reluctantly, Lakeisha did as she was told. She was grounded for three days as a result of her behavior. Near the end of October, things came to a head. At recess, one of her friends approached her, looking worried, with Cindy and Amy following close behind.

“Hey, Keish?” A fair skinned girl with deep red, braided pigtails tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention. “Can we talk to you for a minute?”

“Sure, Mikayla. What’s up, you guys?”

The trio of girls exchanged glances before Mikayla talked again. “Listen. The three of us have been talking,” By the three of them, she meant herself, Amy, and Cindy. “And I know this is gonna sound weird, but...we don’t think you should hang out with Kirsten anymore.”

Lakeisha raised an eyebrow. “Where’s this comin’ from all of a sudden? Y’all can’t be serious.”

“We are!” Cindy exclaimed. “She’s a bad person, and we don’t want her turning you into one either.”

“It’s true,” Amy added. “Ever since you started hanging out with her, you’ve been changing a lot, and not in a good way. You don’t hang out with us anymore, you’ve been caring less about school, and you’ve gotten into trouble with the teachers. That’s very unlike you.”

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her own friends, trying to tell her who she can and can’t hang out with? “So what? I don’t like school no more. Only nerds care about school, and I ain’t no frumpy, uncool nerd!” Lakeisha protested.

“And Kirsten’s been being really mean to us ever since she came here!” Mikayla cried out. “She’s always asking people if she can copy their homework, and she never does anything herself!”

Amy and Cindy nodded in agreement. “She’s copied off my homework and Amy’s too,” Cindy continued. “Last month she saw the burn scars on my arm and I asked her not to tell anyone about it, and she promised to keep it a secret. But the next day, I found out she told the whole school about it! Kids have been calling me Teddy Rueger because of it!”

“Come on, Cindy,” Lakeisha waved her hand dismissively. “That burn on your arm is pretty ugly. You can’t deny that!”

She had meant to lighten the situation, but Cindy’s eyebrows furrowed, and her eyes moistened right away, like she was going to cry. Amy put a hand on Cindy’s shoulder and shot a glare in Lakeisha’s direction. “Wow. Kirsten really is rubbing off on you if you have the nerve to be that cruel!” Lakeisha could see the angry disappointment in Amy’s face plain as day. “Did you know that last week, Kirsten stole my gym shorts from the lockers and played keep away with them with Paisley and one other girl? I got them back, but she said I had a big butt and everyone laughed at me!”

Mikayla raised her hand. “She’s not the only one she tried to humiliate! A week before that, she pushed me to the floor in the halls and flipped my skirt! Right in front of the boys!” She interjected. “She had her phone out and tried to take a video of me, probably to post on the internet or spread it around! I ran off before she could do so, but every single one of them laughed at me!” At this point, her voice trembled. “I told the principal about it, and he gave Kirsten three detentions!”

Lakeisha fumed. She couldn’t believe her friends were talking trash about Kirsten! She didn’t believe them for one second. There was no way any of this was true. “That’s a load of crap coming from you! You’re the one who introduced me to Kirsten in the first place, Mikayla!”

“That was before I found out what she’s really like! She’s bad news, Keish! We just want you to see reason and drop her!”

“Me? Drop her? No way!”

Cindy stepped forward. “It’s not just her, either. Over the past few months, you’ve been really mean to Merlin. You didn’t used to pick on her before, and now you freak out if she so much as does anything at all. This isn’t like you.”

As far as Lakeisha was concerned, Cindy didn’t know what she was talking about. Sometimes, when Lakeisha would want to hang out with Mikayla, Amy, and Cindy, her mother would ask her to take Merlin with them. Her friends loved her and were okay with it, but Lakeisha wished she’d find her own friends to hang out with. Merlin got along very well with Lakeisha’s friends, and unlike her, they didn’t make a huge deal out of Merlin’s habits and stims, and they were delighted when she told them where their names came from. One time in August, Merlin had wanted to give a present to Cindy but left it at home by mistake and was very upset. Lakeisha yelled at her for crying over something so stupid, and told her that big girls don’t cry in front of others, and that it was embarrassing. Instead of agreeing with her, all of Lakeisha’s friends leaped to Merlin’s defense, Cindy in particular.

“Why are you being so mean to her?! She’s not doing anything wrong! Quit making such a big deal out of it!” Cindy had yelled back at her that day. Lakeisha couldn’t answer, as Cindy’s glare had cut right through her.

“Tch! You ain’t the ones who gotta live with her!” Lakeisha sneered, putting a hand on her hip. “How do I know y’all ain’t just makin’ this up?”

“Why would we make this all up? You know us better than that!” Amy asserted.

“You know what? I bet y’all are jealous ‘cuz Kirsten thinks I’m cool and you’re not!”

Cindy narrowed her eyes into slits. “We couldn’t care less about being cool, least of all your definition of it!”

The bell rang before the discussion could continue further, but after that, Cindy and the others didn’t speak to Lakeisha for the rest of the day. School came and went, and Lakeisha rode her bike back home. But when she went into the house, her ears were assaulted by the sound of hollering and screaming coming from upstairs. And she knew who was doing the screaming. When she closed the door behind her, she saw her mother on the couch reading a magazine and her father in the kitchen making coffee. Lakeisha’s jaw dropped. They were acting like there wasn’t a child annoying everyone with her screaming.

“Mom! Dad! Why ain’t you goin’ up there makin’ Merlin stop screaming?!” Lakeisha interrogated them on the spot, pointing upstairs.

“You know forcing her to stop makes it worse, Keish,” Dora reminded her. “It’s better to wait and let her let it all out.”

“Why’s she even doin’ that anyway?!”

“She had a hard day at school. She needs her space, so let’s leave her alone for now, okay?” Dora closed her magazine and stood up. “I’ll make pork loin steak for dinner tonight.”

Pork loin. Her favorite. But as much as Lakeisha enjoyed the idea of having her favorite dinner tonight, there was no way she’d be able to put up with Merlin’s screaming until dinner. How long would it be until she stopped? Twenty minutes? Thirty? An hour? Screaming back at her never worked. Lakeisha had tried it and failed. She grunted as she stomped up the stairs. Why did they have to put up with this all the time? To think all of her friends liked Merlin. They didn’t have to put up with her screaming for what seemed to be hours, so what would they know? Then, as Lakeisha passed the bathroom, she suddenly stopped, remembering what Mikayla had told her earlier.

“She had her phone out and tried to take a video of me, probably to post on the internet or spread it around!”

It was like someone had switched on a light bulb in her head. That’s it! She could record a video of Merlin’s tantrum on her phone and send it to her friends, that way they’d see that Merlin wasn’t the sweet little angel they thought she was. Not only that, Merlin would finally get a good reality check and see that once they found out what she was really like, nobody would like her or fawn over her ever again! Lakeisha smirked. This would be absolutely perfect. She wasted no time getting her phone out and tip-toeing to Merlin’s room.

Once she was close enough to the door, Lakeisha got her phone to the video setting and pressed the record button, holding it at the entrance, high enough so she’d get a good view of Merlin. Merlin was lying on the floor screaming, her face red and splotchy with tears, and she wasn’t wearing anything but a small white nightshirt. She kept thrashing and flailing her arms and legs all around, like an Octillery swinging its tentacles about. Lakeisha made sure Merlin didn’t see her, but kept the phone on her for about thirty seconds. Once she felt her eardrums throb, she pressed the stop button and retreated to her room.

She leaped on her bed, saved the video she took, and looked up Cindy, Amy, Mikayla, and Kirsten’s phone numbers. Then, once she got them all onto one message, Lakeisha attached the video. A part of her mind was telling her to stop, that this was wrong, that Merlin’s private moment shouldn’t be exposed like this. But Lakeisha didn’t listen. She pressed send, and the video went out to her circle of friends. She decided to refrain from posting it on the internet. That’d be too much. A light rap at her door made her turn off her phone.

“Keish? You in there?” It was Tammy. “Can I come in?”

“Sure!”

Tammy came into the room and sat down at the foot of her sister’s bed. “Hey there. We haven’t hung out much in a while, huh?”

Lakeisha rested her chin on her hands and positioned herself on a lopsided pillow. “I guess so. School take up a lot of your time?”

“Yeah. It sure does,” Tammy said, grinning sweetly. “But the good news is, school’s off for the week because of a special holiday, so I have a lot of time on my hands!” She lowered herself to her sisters level. “Hey. How about after school tomorrow, you and I go out and get ice cream after dinner? I hear Al’s added pistachio flavor to their menu recently!”

Ice cream with Tammy. It had been a while since the sisters had spent time together, just the two of them. Lakeisha had always looked up to her, and wanted to be cool, pretty, and popular just like her. Lakeisha always felt she could go to her for advice, or someone to cry on when she had a bad day. The idea was very appealing.

“Sure. I’d like that a lot.”

***

Lakeisha had been happy all morning, and continued to be so as she skipped onto the blacktop, feeling light as a feather. Things had been going so well since last night, and she was sure that today was going to be a great day. She couldn’t wait to gossip with her friends about the video she sent to them, finally having proof that Merlin wasn’t the perfect little sister they all thought she was. That’d show her! She was sure everybody would laugh at how stupid Merlin acted in that video. Maybe they’d even share it to the whole school and have everyone laugh at her for being such a brat. As far as Lakeisha was concerned, Merlin deserved to be knocked down a peg. Maybe having people laugh at her would teach her to not think she was so much better than everyone else.

But reality isn’t very forgiving at times, as Lakeisha would learn the hard way.

It didn’t take long for Lakeisha to find Mikayla, Amy, and Cindy nearby. “Hey, girls!” She greeted them cheerfully, practically jumping right next to them. “How y’all doin’ today?”

Her enthusiasm evaporated when all three of them turned to face her, and not with expressions as joyful as her own. They all had vicious scowls on their faces, save for Amy, whose eyes were wide with worry and concern. Lakeisha didn’t have it in her to wave at them anymore. Why did they all look so freaked out?

“What’s with this video you sent us last night?” Amy was the first to ask, holding her cell phone out, with the video of Merlin on the bathroom floor on display, but on pause. “What’s this about?”

Lakeisha shrugged. “That’s what I gotta deal with everyday. Merlin bein’ a brat and throwin’ tantrums over nothin’ all the time like a little baby,” She explained in a smug manner. “I know y’all think she’s so sweet and nice and smart and perfect, but the truth is, she ain’t. That’s what she’s really like,” She pointed right to the video. She was half tempted to press play, if only so she could have her friends hear Merlin’s screeching to turn them off to her even more, but since she knew it was Amy’s phone and not her own, she refrained from doing so. “She looks so stupid in that, right? I don’t blame ya if you think it’s real embarrassing. No kid her age would ever act like that!”

She could see it now. Her friends watching the video, laughing at Merlin, calling her names, and feeling sorry for Lakeisha for having to deal with such a terrible little sister. Now that they knew the truth, Lakeisha was sure they’d like her way better than they’d ever like Merlin. Who would want to be anywhere near a nine -year-old who cries for hours in the bathroom like a lunatic? She could barely hold back giggles herself by holding a hand to her mouth.

The fantasy in her head never came to be. It was blown to smithereens by Cindy’s screaming.

“What is wrong with you?! How can you be so horrible to her?!”

“Huh?” Lakeisha recoiled. She had never heard Cindy scream that loud before. But she had no time to process anything, as before long, Cindy was right in her face, red with rage.

“You think this is funny?! Humiliating your sister like this and parading this around like she’s some kind of freak show?! How dare you!!” Cindy roared like an angry Pyroar. At one point, Lakeisha was sure she felt spit on her cheeks.

“Wait, you don’t think it’s funny?” Lakeisha asked, completely bewildered. This was not how this was supposed to go.

Amy put a gentle hand on Cindy’s shoulder and pulled her back, but her expression was much more stony and austere. “Keish, this is not cool. At all. This kind of stuff is supposed to be private. How can you possibly think doing this to Merlin is okay?”

What? Everything was fizzling into oblivion before Lakeisha’s eyes. They were taking Merlin’s side? Why? This made no sense! They were supposed to be laughing at Merlin, not defending her!

Mikayla crossed her arms. “Let me guess. I bet Kirsten put you up to this, didn’t she?”

“No! No she didn’t!” Lakeisha snapped. “Why are you all so mad?! You’s supposed to be on my side!”

Cindy facepalmed. “God, you’re awful! You can’t take a video of someone’s vulnerable moments and show them to the world like they’re joke bait! How would you like it if somebody did that to you?! Huh?!” Again, she wasted no time going back to her tirade. “She’s your sister! I’m sure if somebody else did this to her, you’d kick their teeth out!”

“You’re not the one who has to put up with her and her crap every single day!” Lakeisha snapped back. This whole thing was going all wrong. “She embarrasses me all the time and she goes on and on about names and acts like she’s better than everyone else ‘cause she’s autistic and stuff and I can’t stand it! I can’t stand her!”

“You’re the one embarrassing her from what I can see!” Cindy yelled. “You’ve gone too far this time! I never did understand why you were always so mean to Merlin recently, but now I get it!”

Before Lakeisha could say any more, Cindy turned on her heel and marched right into the building, stomping the whole way there. All three girls’ jaws hung open, in awe of their friend’s explosive outburst. But more than that, Lakeisha trembled. Was Cindy going to show the video to the teachers and tell on her? She better not! She clenched her fist. If Cindy snitched on her, she was going to make her pay.

“You really did it this time,” Mikayla sneered. “I never should have introduced you to Kirsten, and I definitely wouldn’t have gone anywhere near you if I had known you’d pull this stunt!”

“You better delete that video, Keish,” Amy told her, and her firm tone left no room for nonsense. “For both your sake and Merlin’s.”

Delete it? After all the trouble Lakeisha went through to even record it, she was not going to let someone make her get rid of it. Not even her friends. “No way! I ain’t gettin’ rid of it no matter what!”

With a displeased huff, Amy walked away, leaving Lakeisha in the dust. She couldn’t believe what was unfolding before her. Her friends were leaving her one by one. Not long after, Mikayla gave her another angry glare before going after Amy, more than happy to get away from Lakeisha at this point. Lakeisha looked all around the blacktop. Where was Kirsten? She didn’t see her around. She had to be nearby. She needed someone, anyone to console her right now. The bell rang before she could go find her. With a heavy heart, more for herself than for Merlin, she walked into the school building, wishing today would just be over already.

The first three periods moved at a Slugma’s pace, and Lakeisha couldn’t focus on her schoolwork at all, not that she really wanted to. She was sick of papers, homework, reading, worksheets, and teachers expecting her to be a perfect little angel. What was even the point of school? Why should she care about it and getting work done? She wished she could go to Kirsten’s house and play dress up with her. That was way more fun than school. But when she got to social studies class in fourth period, things got odd. When she came into the classroom, she saw the teacher, Mrs. Cabanos, give her a strange look. Lakeisha couldn’t make out what it was. Was she angry? Sad? Worried? She tried not to think too much about it as she sat down and pulled her notebook out. At least social studies was somewhat interesting.

Instead of writing something on the board like she always did when class started, Mrs. Cabanos simply stared at the class. “Children? Before we begin, I’d like to take a moment to discuss something important with you,” She began. Lakeisha froze. This didn’t sound good. Mrs. Cabanos never said or did anything like this at the beginning of class. “We all have things we prefer to keep private for one reason or another, like little harmless secrets, special places you like to go by yourself, treasures you find, or your own personal thoughts, and that’s okay.”

Lakeisha shrank in her seat. She knew what Mrs. Cabanos was talking about. She knew about it, too? Anger simmered in her heart. Cindy must have snitched on her!

“Now, I’d like to ask you all something. Can you tell me some examples of what it means to invade someone’s privacy?” Mrs. Cabanos asked. One student raised his hand. “Yes, Michael?”

“Reading someone’s diary?”

“That’s one. How about you, Tyson?”

“Asking someone lots of really personal questions about stuff they don’t want to talk about and being annoying about it? Like about their body or their private life?”

Mrs. Cabanos nodded. “Yes, that can be problematic. People are required to respect someone’s personal boundaries,” She turned to another student. “Do you have anything, Angelica?”

“My sister said she saw a guy watching her change her clothes once. She screamed at him and made him go away. Does that count?”

“It sure does. That’s called peeping, and it’s not okay,” Mrs. Cabanos explained. Another student raised their hand. “Lyra?”

“Does telling people about a secret someone said to you that you’re not supposed to count?” Lyra asked.

“Yes, it does,” Mrs. Cabanos agreed. “If you tell someone a secret that you don’t want them to disclose, but they go and tell people against your wishes, that’s an invasion of privacy.”

Another boy raised his hand. “Does flipping a girl’s skirt or dress and showing her undies count? My mom said somebody did that to her once at work.”

“Yes it does, Wilberto, and that’s not a nice thing to do.”

After that, the classroom was silent for a moment. Mrs. Cabanos nodded before breaking the silence. “Those are all very good examples. But sometimes invading someone’s privacy isn’t entirely all that obvious. Other ways to invade someone’s privacy are taking photos or videos of them without permission. I want you all to think of a moment in your life when you felt sad, angry, scared, confused, or distraught. When you felt vulnerable and wanted to be left alone with your thoughts and feelings. A moment when you had a really bad day and just wanted some time to scream it all out in a safe place.”

Again, the class fell silent, other than the rhythmic tapping of someone’s pencil. Lakeisha could only grimace at what was going on around her. She wished she was an Abra so she could teleport back home and get away from this. So much for having fun in social studies class.

“Now, imagine you found out someone took a photo or video of you during that moment and spread it all around your neighborhood, or on the internet,” Mrs. Cabanos continued, walking around the classroom as she did so. “Probably to hurt you, bully you, blackmail you, or as a means of getting revenge in some way. How would you feel if that happened to you?”

It was like Mrs. Cabanos was flashing a neon sign that said ‘We Know What You Did!’ in front of the entire classroom in an attempt to turn everyone against Lakeisha. Could Mrs. Cabanos have made it any more obvious? Lakeisha kept her head down, focusing on her notebook and reading her notes despite her earlier aversion to doing so.

“Personally, I’d be very angry and hurt, especially if it was done by someone who was supposed to love and protect me,” Mrs. Cabanos said. “Exposing someone’s private, vulnerable moments to the world is an invasion of someone’s privacy and personal boundaries. It would be like someone yanking your clothes off and showing you naked to the whole world. It’s especially bad to do it to someone who may not be able to talk or express themselves verbally or who may not understand what’s going on.”

‘Ugh! Can’t this class just end already?!’ Lakeisha yelled in her head. Normally, she liked Mrs. Cabanos because she was always nice to the students, and she always helped them with their work when they needed it. She never made anyone feel bad about themselves. Now though, Lakeisha wished she’d shut up.

“The reason I bring this up is because I was informed that someone did this to somebody else. Not here in school, but regardless of whether it’s at school, home, or in any other public place, exposing someone’s private moments and disregarding their personal boundaries, in any fashion, is not okay,” Mrs. Cabanos’ voice hardened on the word okay. Lakeisha could see her balling her fists, like she was doing all she could to keep herself composed. “Nothing good comes of showing off people’s vulnerability like a funny sideshow attraction. All people deserve to be treated with respect and dignity, and everyone has the right to maintain their privacy, even people who aren’t able to express themselves. If someone tries to do any of these things to you, to make you uncomfortable or deliberately hurt you, you have the right to say no or seek help from someone you know you can trust, like a teacher or a parent.”

The air in the room was thick and heavy. Lakeisha eyed the clock. It was still moving slower than a frozen Slugma. She wished she could just get out of here. She knew Mrs. Cabanos wasn’t outing her directly, but she could tell everything she was saying to the class was secretly directed at her. Then, the door opened, and a student came in to hand a note to Mrs. Cabanos before leaving just as quickly. Mrs. Cabanos glanced at it, then looked towards the middle of the classroom.

“Lakeisha? You’re wanted in the principal’s office,” Mrs. Cabanos told her.

“Oooooh!” Several students exclaimed, locking Lakeisha in place with their knowing stares.

“Now now. There’s no need to ooh,” Mrs. Cabanos gently admonished them for being quick to assume she did something wrong.

Only Lakeisha knew they were actually right. With an air of dread hanging over her, Lakeisha stood up, flung her bag on her back, and made her way to the principal’s office, pursing her lips as she walked out of the classroom.

“Alright, kids. We’ll be moving on from the sixties to the seventies today, so turn your books to page 178.”

​

***

‘Why does this have to happen to me?!’ Lakeisha thought grimly as she stomped down the hall, making no attempt to soften the stamping her shoes were making against the tile flooring. The halls were empty, so Lakeisha didn’t see anything wrong with stamping her feet. There weren’t any teachers around to tell her to pick up her feet when she walked. That would have just annoyed her even more. She approached the door to the principal’s office, walked inside, and stopped in her tracks.


Her parents were standing in the middle of the office. The principal sat behind his mahogany desk, hands folded, with a grim look on his face. Her parents’ eyes were narrowed to slits, and Lakeisha could see her mother clenching her teeth, like she was trying really hard not to lose it in front of the principal. All eyes were on her.

The principal—Lakeisha read the nameplate on his desk, Mr. Lindbeck—pointed toward an empty chair. “Have a seat, Miss Knowles. Your parents and I have a lot to discuss today.”

Knowing he was dead serious, Lakeisha sat right down, feeling smaller than a baby Caterpie about to be eaten by a Pidgeotto horde. Her parents were here. That in and of itself told her she was in big trouble. But was her taking that video of Merlin and showing it to her friends really that bad? It wasn’t like she posted it on the internet.

“I’ll cut to the chase,” Mr. Lindbeck began, unfolding his hands. “It has come to my attention that you recorded a video of your younger sister and showed it to your friends.”

“Who told you that?” Lakeisha asked. She already knew the answer, but she wanted to hear it from him.

“That’s not relevant. Can you show us your cell phone?”

Her cell phone? Lakeisha clutched her backpack tightly.

“Lakeisha,” Greg hissed through his teeth. “Hand him your phone. We ain’t playin’ around.”

Trembling, Lakeisha rummaged through her bag and pulled out her phone.

“If you please, show your parents the video, if you still have it.”

Show them? Lakeisha’s stomach dropped. If they saw it, they’d kill her. But at this point, she was already in deep trouble. Not showing them would just make things even worse for her. Reluctantly, she pulled up the video and pressed play. Merlin’s screaming rang from the cell phone, a little staticky because of the video quality. Greg looked away with a pained grimace. Dora yanked the phone out of Lakeisha’s hand and watched, horrified.

“This is from yesterday!” Dora exclaimed, like she had seen a bloody crime scene playing out before her. “Lakeisha Ann Knowles, you recorded this?!” She yelled right in her daughter’s direction.

Lakeisha said nothing. But as far as the adults were concerned, her silence spoke volumes.

“Mr. Lindbeck, we assure you, we had absolutely no knowledge of this until just now,” Greg told him in a pleading, worried tone. “We certainly didn’t raise her to think doing this to her sister was okay, I can tell you that much.”

“Hold up! What’s the big deal?!” Lakeisha exclaimed, unable to keep silent anymore. “Why is everyone gettin’ all mad about this?! I didn’t do nothin’!”

Dora leaped on her as soon as she finished. “Didn’t do nothin’?! Do you have ANY idea how serious this is, Lakeisha?!” She roared loud enough to make someone’s eardrums explode, if such a thing was possible. “What in Sam Hill were you thinking, girl?! I cannot believe a daughter of mine would hurt her sister and violate her like this! You even had the nerve to send it to all your friends, all so you could have them laugh at her and bully her?! How could you?!”

Lakeisha shrunk into herself, holding her head down and wincing as her mother’s yelling rang in her ears. She had heard her mother yell before, but never this loud.

“Mom, please. It was a mistake—”

“You’re damn right it was a mistake!! What you did was stupid and wrong! Merlin don’t deserve this, especially not from her big sister!!”

“Mrs. Knowles,” Mr. Lindbeck stood up from his desk, holding a hand up to remind her to calm down. “Please. Let’s discuss this calmly.”

“You really expect me to be calm at a time like this?!” Dora snapped back, eyes wild and glowing with fury.

Mr. Lindbeck put his hand back down. “Lakeisha. You may think what you did was harmless and trivial, but recording a video of your sister having a meltdown and sharing it with your friends, without her permission, is a gross violation of her privacy, dignity, autonomy, and rights as a human being,” He explained in a firm, composed voice. “I was informed that you did this deliberately in an attempt to humiliate Merlin and hurt her. It’s another kind of bullying, and we don’t tolerate that here, whether it’s in school or not. You cannot intrude upon a person’s desire for solitude and broadcast it as entertainment for others.”

“Aww, come on!” Lakeisha protested. “It ain’t like she gonna think so! Her brain don’t work like normal kids! She’ll probably think she got famous or somethin’! She ain’t never gonna understand! She don’t even go here!”

“Lakeisha, enough!” Greg was quick to shut her down.

“But—”

“We don’t wanna hear it! Now shut your mouth and let Mr. Lindbeck speak! You are done talkin’ back to him!”

“Why in the world would you do this to her?!” Dora interrogated her on the spot. “She’s your sister, by God!”

Lakeisha couldn’t answer. Any answer she had would just make them angrier, not that she cared at this point. But more than that, Lakeisha wanted to erupt like a volcano. Even now, her parents were more focused on Merlin than her. Her attempt at finally convincing people that Merlin was really a stupid idiot who didn’t deserve to have everything handed to her had fallen apart all around her.

“Answer me! This is serious!”

Her throat closed up. Nothing came out. Mr. Lindbeck sighed. “If you’re not going to tell us your motive behind this, then we have no choice but to punish you,” He told her. “You need to understand that your actions have consequences, especially for the people you choose to hurt in doing so.”

Lakeisha could only glare at him. What did he know? He wasn’t the one having to deal with Merlin every single day, listening to her babble about names 24/7, putting up with her tantrums over petty things, and having her parents treat Merlin like some queen when she doesn’t deserve it. Would Merlin even think she’d be hurt by this? For all Lakeisha knew, she’d probably like the attention, or maybe she’d be too stupid to understand why people would laugh at her.

“First off, you are going to delete that video right this minute. It’s not something the public has any right to see,” Mr. Lindbeck handed the phone back to her. Lakeisha took it in her hands, but her fingers didn’t move. “We’re waiting,” He added after a short minute. Reluctantly, Lakeisha pressed the trash can icon and deleted the video. Within seconds, Mr. Lindbeck took the phone back. “I’ll be keeping this with me until the day is over. You can pick it back up, but I’m sure your parents won’t be letting you use it for a while.”

“Oh, trust me, she won’t!” Dora exclaimed, slamming her hand on the armrest of her chair. Greg nodded in agreement.

“Why are you guys treating me like I’m some kinda criminal?!” Lakeisha shouted, spreading her arms out. “It ain’t like I killed somebody!”

Mr. Lindbeck folded his hands together once more. “The simple act of invading someone’s privacy isn’t technically considered a crime, but there are certain methods that are, indeed, considered criminal. Many are considered a civil rights violation. Lakeisha, if you and Merlin were adults and you pulled this stunt on her, Merlin would be well within her rights to take you to court and file a lawsuit against you,” Mr. Lindbeck said, his tone leaving no room for nonsense. “You’re very lucky you had the decency not to post it on the internet. Otherwise, you’d be in far more trouble than you are now. Since your recklessness and blatant disregard for your sister’s personal autonomy was just limited to some of your friends, and that one of them was smart enough to tell me and one of the teachers, there’s no need to take this further than the school and your home.”

Lakeisha clenched her lips shut. How could this get any worse? As far as she was concerned, this whole thing was being blown way out of proportion. Why couldn’t her friends have just laughed at the video instead of freaking out and telling the teachers about it? What even was autonomy anyway? She didn’t care about that. She didn’t want to deal with any of this.

“But what you did was wrong, and you need to take responsibility for your actions today.”

Lakeisha rolled her eyes. In her mind, Merlin needed to take responsibility for ruining her big sister’s life by acting like a little brat, not the other way around. She was sure that was what Kirsten would say.

“Don’t you roll your eyes at him, young lady!” Greg shouted, appalled by his daughter’s blatant disrespect for the principal.

Thankfully, Mr. Lindbeck paid the eye rolling no mind. “In addition to confiscating your phone for the entire day, you will have three days of detention after school with Mrs. Cabanos starting tomorrow.”

“Detention?!” Lakeisha stood up from her seat in alarm. They couldn’t do this to her! She had never gotten detention before. Only truly bad kids got detention, not people like her. “That’s not fair!”

Her parents had no sympathy. “And you think takin’ a video of Merlin’s meltdown and showin’ it to all your friends for kicks and giggles is?” Dora asked, wagging her finger at Lakeisha. The latter was sure if her finger had gotten any closer, her mother’s fingernail would have cut her nose. “You should have thought of that before doing something this stupid!”

“Rest assured, Mr. Lindbeck,” Greg said. “We’ll make sure she learns her lesson, especially when we pick her up later today.”

“Pick me up?” Lakeisha swirled towards her father, bewildered. “But I rode my bike here! You don’t need to pick me up from school.”

Dora looked her daughter right in the eye, sending such a furious glare at her that she was sure the look could kill her had it been any stronger. “We ain’t done yet, missy. We trusted you. We told you to leave her alone when she was upset, and I find out you pull this? Lakeisha Ann Knowles, it’ll be a long time before I trust you again. Ugh!” Dora ran her hands through her hair with a grunt. “I can’t even look at you right now! You’re grounded for a month! No ridin’ your bike, no phone, no new makeup or nail polish, no goin’ off to hang with your girl friends until Arceus knows how late in the night, nothing! Your father and I will drop you off and pick you up after school every day until we say otherwise! Do you understand me?!”

Lakeisha slumped back down in her chair. Tears welled from within her eyes, but she steeled herself to hold them back. “Yes, ma’am.”

“And when we get home, you will tell Merlin you’re sorry and swear on your life that you will never, ever, EVER record videos of her again WITHOUT her explicit permission! Do you understand me?!”

Lakeisha nodded, having no energy left to speak.

Mr. Lindbeck waved his hand at her. “I have more to discuss with your parents, so you can return to your classroom now.”

At this point, Lakeisha wished she could disappear. She took her bag and stomped out of the office, slamming the door behind her. She could hear her mother yelling again, but she didn’t stop to let herself be scolded further. She wanted to explode, as all the anger that simmered inside her was dying to come out. She hated this! She hated all of this! All she wanted was for Merlin to be knocked down a peg, and here everybody was taking her side and treating Lakeisha like a criminal! She clutched the strap on her backpack as she made her way back to the classroom. Lakeisha didn’t want to take responsibility. She didn’t want to apologize to anyone, especially not the little brat who ruined her life in her mind. It wasn’t like she stabbed Merlin and killed her. All she did was record a dumb video. Besides, she had still sent it to some of her friends. One of them could still spread it around, and her plan could still work. Still, this whole thing could have gone perfectly had they just did what Lakeisha wanted them to do!

And she knew who was to blame for the teachers knowing about it in the first place.

***

At recess, Lakeisha wasted no time confronting Cindy on the spot. “You snitched on me!!” Lakeisha screamed in Cindy’s face, interrupting a four square game she was playing with three other students. “You told Mrs. Cabanos and showed her the video, didn’t you?!”

Cindy paid her no heed, passing the ball over to another boy. “Yeah, I did. What’s it to you?”

Lakeisha’s face heated in an instant. To think her friend had the nerve to act so smug. She was proud of having snitched on her! This was an offense that in her mind could never be forgiven. “My life is ruined because you told the teacher about the video and showed it to them! My parents grounded me for a month and I have to be stuck with my dumb sister all the time!”

“Oh, boo-hoo. You had it coming,” Cindy retorted, refusing to take her eyes off the game.

“Cindy Stuart, you’re supposed to be my friend!” Lakeisha shouted. “You’re supposed to be on my side! How could you turn your back on me like this?!”

“You’re a jerk face, that’s why,” Cindy sneered without hesitation; catching the ball before throwing it to the same boy she threw it to earlier. “Guess what? I don’t want to be friends with you anymore. Now go away.”

Lakeisha could only stand there, frozen in shock. Cindy didn’t want to be her friend anymore? How was this possible? They had been friends since kindergarten. They had been thick as thieves, practically joined at the hip, and now she was willing to cut her off and throw her to the Lycanrocs? All because Lakeisha wanted to show her a video of Merlin being a brat? This couldn’t happen. She couldn’t let this happen. As much as she liked Cindy, she felt she needed to pay for throwing her to the Lycanrocs like that. Lakeisha yanked on Cindy’s arm, pulling her out of the chalk square on the blacktop.

“You can’t do that to me! What is wrong with you?!” Lakeisha screamed again.

Undeterred, Cindy fired back, “I should be the one asking you that! You didn’t used to be like this! What happened to you?!”

In that moment, Lakeisha stopped. Cindy took the chance to pull herself out of her now ex-friend’s grasp, still holding her in place with a vicious, pained scowl.

“You used to be nice! You used to be cool! You used to care about other people, your sister included! Two years ago you protected Merlin from bullies! You two were practically joined at the hip! Now you treat her like crap and expect us to do the same when she never even did anything to you! Why?! Is it because she’s autistic?! Do you think that makes her some drooling idiot who sits around throwing tantrums all the time?! You know she’s not like that! You’re smarter than this! I know she’s not like that! We all do! I’d kill to have a little sister like her!”

By this point, a group of kids had gathered around the two of them to watch the tirade. Even the kids playing four square with Cindy stopped to watch her tear Lakeisha a new one.

“I hate this new you! Now all you want to do is follow Kirsten around and be just as shallow and mean and superficial as she is! Life isn’t about being popular and having sparkly clothes and acting like you’re better than everyone else! Why don’t you stop being a big fat jerk face and apologize?! Actually, wait. Don’t. You’re probably not sorry at all!”

“Why you even takin’ this so personal?! Merlin ain’t even your sister! You don’t gotta put up with her being autistic and rulin’ the house like a spoiled brat like I do!”

“My mom is autistic!” Cindy yelled.

Finally, Lakeisha stopped talking. In that moment, she remembered. Cindy had mentioned that her mother was autistic at some point a few years ago. When was that?

Cindy balled her hands into fists. “Something similar to what you did to Merlin happened to her once when she was a teenager. She’s never told me much about it, but from what little she did say about it, it really hurt her. Everyone she met never let her live it down, even after she went to a fancy college, started her own company, helped many other autistic people get jobs, met my dad, and had me. People still mention it to her years after the fact, and seeing the expression on her face hurts. It hurts so, so, so bad to see my awesome mom be degraded by complete strangers because some idiot wanted to ruin her reputation for kicks and giggles.”

Nobody knew what to say. The entire circle of children was silent, even Lakeisha. “I…I had no idea,” She murmured after about a minute.

Cindy looked away, unable to face her former friend. “Yeah, I told Mrs. Cabanos the second you told me what you did. I even showed her the video and had her tell the principal. Families aren’t supposed to hurt each other the way you probably hurt Merlin. Call me a snitch if you want. I don’t care.”

“Woo! Go Cindy!” One kid in the crowd cheered her on.

“Honestly, I’d rather hang out with Julia than with you now. She’s actually nice!”

“You’d rather hang out with a stupid freak girl who cheated off my science test?!” Lakeisha screeched. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her own friend was admitting to what she did and straight up abandoning her. Telling her off right in front of what’s probably the entire school. “You’ll be committing social suicide by doing that!”

“Shut up. You don’t tell me who I can and can’t hang out with. I’m done with you, Lakeisha. Merlin deserves a way better sister than you. Come on, guys,” She gestured towards the students she was playing four square with. “I’m not gonna waste my time hanging out with heartless idiots who get off on hurting people for kicks,” With that, she and her friends walked away without another word.

Leaving Lakeisha alone in a circle of other kids. This couldn’t be happening. One of her friends straight up left her in the dust. She swiveled around, looking at the other kids around her, hoping someone—anyone—would remain by her side. Somebody here had to take her side, right? Her chest palpitated wildly with anxiety.

“Come on. Cindy’s full of it. You don’t believe any of the stuff she says, right? I ain’t like that!” Lakeisha exclaimed in a last ditch attempt to salvage whatever dignity she had left. She even saw Amy and Mikayla in the crowd.

The crowd dispersed, with the kids returning to where they were previously on the blacktop. Mikayla took Amy by the hand and led her away, with the two of them walking to the other side of the blacktop, far away from Lakeisha. The disappointed looks on their faces told Lakeisha everything she feared.

They didn’t like her anymore. They didn’t want to be friends with her anymore. Everything was falling apart around her. Her vision blurred. She ran to the chain link fence and sobbed. How could this have gone so horribly wrong? Now practically all of her friends wanted nothing to do with her. She wished Kirsten were here to console her. She would know what to do. But she had no energy to walk around the blacktop and find her. She sat down on the concrete and cried into her hands. She hated this. She hated all of it.

Only one thought lingered in her mind.

This was all Merlin’s fault.

“Lakeisha?” A soft voice pulled her out of her reverie. She looked up to find Mrs. Cabanos kneeling down next to her with a sympathetic look on her face. “Are you okay?”

Okay? Lakeisha’s sorrow morphed straight into anger. Mrs. Cabanos had the nerve to all but out Lakeisha to the entire social studies class about her video and ask if she was okay? Of course she wasn’t! She could see it on Lakeisha’s face. Not only that, starting tomorrow, Lakeisha was going to be stuck with her after school for detention. Never before had Lakeisha been so insulted by someone’s weak attempt at kindness. Was Mrs. Cabanos pulling some kind of trick? Pitying her in an attempt to make herself feel better because she was an adult, therefore in a position of authority? She didn’t know, and she didn’t care.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Lakeisha seethed as she suddenly stood up and bellowed, “Shut up and go away, Four Eyes!!” With that disrespectful rhetoric, she stomped off to the other side of the blacktop. She wished school would just end already.

***

School couldn’t have ended fast enough for Lakeisha. As soon as she saw her mother’s car pull up, she got right inside, hanging her bike on the back of the car in doing so. Normally, she would spend a lot of time lingering after school, talking to her friends and making plans for the weekend. Now that she was grounded, she couldn’t do that lest she incur her mother’s wrath yet again. All throughout the ride home, neither mother nor daughter spoke to one another, and the air was thick with the anger that emanated from the both of them. But there was one thing Lakeisha was looking forward to when she got home: Tammy. Surely she’d be able to help Lakeisha and be there for her. She’d take her side, right?

But when Lakeisha raced up to Tammy’s room to tell her what happened, she saw her older sister with her arms crossed and a disappointed look on her face.

“Dad told me about what you did,” Tammy said sternly.

“It ain’t what you think, Tammy!” Lakeisha protested, waving her arms up and down in doing so. “I was just tryin’ to—"

Tammy held a hand out, signaling for her sister to be quiet. “Stop with the excuses! I can’t believe you’d do this to Merlin! You better apologize to her for this, or I’ll make you!”

“Not you too! You’re supposed to be on my side! You’re my sister for Pete’s sake!” Lakeisha screamed. Now Tammy was taking Merlin’s side, too. It was like the whole world was against her. All of this over a dumb video that everybody was blowing out of proportion.

“Just because you’re my sister don’t mean I’m not gonna tell you when you do somethin’ stupid,” Tammy reminded her. “Why’d you even do it anyway? Merlin didn’t even do anything to you.”

Lakeisha clenched her fist before shouting, “I hate Merlin!” Tammy sat on her bed, taking it all in. “I hate her! She’s stupid and is always embarrassing me in front of my friends and I can’t do anything without Mom making me drag her with me all the time! I want a normal sister who don’t babble about names all the time and scream about everything! She’s a spoiled brat and you know it! Somebody oughta put her in her place and tell her the whole world don’t revolve around her!!”

Tammy facepalmed before letting out a groan. “You don’t mean that.”

“Yes I do! I’m sick of Mom and Dad treatin’ her like a queen when she don’t deserve it! She thinks she’s so much better than everybody else in here ‘cause she’s autistic and can use it to get away with all sorts of crap!”

“No, she doesn’t. Stop right there,” Tammy asserted, pointing a finger in Lakeisha’s direction. “I don’t know where you’re getting all these ideas from, but none of what you’re sayin’ about Merlin is true. You know it and I know it.”

“Everybody’s gettin’ all mad over a dumb video and treatin’ me like a criminal! I’m the only one gettin’ punished and Merlin don’t even get yelled at for nothin’!!”

“Listen, Keish. If you’re thinking Mom and Dad love Merlin more than you and me, don’t,” Tammy wasted no time trying to set her sister straight. “If you were havin’ a meltdown and I took a video of you and showed it to my friends for kicks, or even put it on the internet, I’d be in just as much trouble as you are now! Mom and Dad would roast me alive if I had pulled that stunt! It’s not about them liking Merlin more than us. She ain’t the center of the family, and neither are you and I. They’re trying to teach you right from wrong, and you can’t deny what you did was pretty stupid.”

As much as she hated to admit it, a part of Lakeisha knew what her sister was saying was true. Dora and Greg loved all of their kids and treated them equally. Nobody was ever shoved aside in favor of someone else. They always helped their kids with their homework, listened to them when they had problems, supported them when they needed it, and attended whatever school events they could when they had the chance. Even if they couldn’t, they always found a way to make up for it. A part of her knew none of this was Merlin’s fault, that Lakeisha did all of this to herself and was just using Merlin as a scapegoat and an excuse to be angry. But Lakeisha didn’t want to believe that part of her consciousness was right. She didn’t care that what she did was wrong.

“You brought this on yourself, so it’s on you to make it right with Merlin,” Tammy said. “Just apologize, do all your chores, bring your grades up, and listen to Mom and Dad for the next month, and this’ll all blow over before you know it.”

“You don’t get it,” Lakeisha whimpered. “My friends don’t like me anymore because of Merlin. Mikayla, Amy, and Cindy want nothin’ to do with me no more. My favorite teacher has it out for me. My reputation in school is ruined!”

Tammy crossed her arms again. “Reputation isn’t everything. That’s the problem with you, Keish. You put too much stake on trivial things and make stupid decisions because of it. Besides, why is Merlin being autistic suddenly a problem to you now? You never cared about it before. You know Merlin’s always going to be autistic. It’s a part of her, and there’s no changing it.”

‘Well, there should be a way to change her brain and make it normal!’ Lakeisha thought bitterly. Even better, she wished she could put Merlin on a rocket and send her off to Mars forever.

A knock on the door pulled her out of her dark thoughts. Lakeisha swirled around to find her mother standing outside Tammy’s room. “Lakeisha,” She used her thumb to point behind herself. “Downstairs. Now.”

Pursing her lips, Lakeisha begrudgingly followed her mother downstairs into the living room. Merlin was sitting on the couch, her eyes red and puffy from crying, but calm and quiet. Greg sat next to her, rubbing her back in a comforting manner.

“Don’t you have something to say to Merlin?” Her mother asked. “We’re waiting.”

Lakeisha found herself in front of Merlin, who didn’t meet her eyes. She tried to force the words to come out of her mouth. I’m sorry. I did something bad to you and I shouldn’t have. There’s no excuse for it. But the words didn’t come out. They lingered in her head, but Lakeisha couldn’t bring herself to say it all. In fact, she didn’t even see Merlin at this point. Merlin, the little sister she used to love and care for. She saw someone who ruined her life. Someone who was an inconvenience, a burden, a thorn in her side that should never have been born. Someone who embarrassed her and cramped her style on a daily basis, making her the subject of gossip in school. Someone who would likely never really grow up and would always be a little kid in her brain. She didn’t care what anyone else said at this point. She didn’t want to accept that her thoughts and actions towards Merlin were wrong. For once, just once, she wanted Merlin to just go away. Leave her alone and never come back.

Why should she be sorry? As far as Lakeisha was concerned, Merlin was the one who should apologize for ruining Lakeisha’s life with her silly habits, her lack of knowledge of things that to everyone else were so obvious a baby could figure them out, her creepy obsession with names and their origins. Lakeisha conjured up every possible mean thought she could think of in regards to her sister.

Merlin turned everyone in school against her.

Merlin destroyed the friendships she had and drove them all away.

Merlin got everything handed to her on a silver platter.

Merlin got a Pokémon and Lakeisha didn’t.

Merlin killed her chances of being popular.

Everything always had to be about Merlin, didn’t it?

Why couldn’t Merlin just not be autistic?

Why couldn’t she be normal?

“No.”

“Wrong answer, Keish,” Greg hissed.

“Don’t care. I ain’t sayin’ sorry!” Lakeisha screeched. “I didn’t do nothin’ wrong!”

In her anger, she attempted to stomp back to her room, but her mother grabbed her arm and yanked her back. “You’re not going anywhere until you apologize to Merlin!”

“I hate her!!” Lakeisha finally shouted for all to hear. Then she shot Merlin a hateful gaze and screamed, “You ruined my life!! I wish I never had a sister like you!!” With enough struggling, she broke from her mother’s grasp and sprinted up the stairs, ignoring her parents’ scoldings

“Lakeisha! Lakeisha Ann Knowles, you come back down here right this instant!!”

She slammed the door behind her and threw herself onto her bed, burying her face into her pillows and cried. Not for Merlin, but for herself. She hated everyone. She hated her former friends for abandoning her, snitching on her, and not laughing at the video like she wanted them to. She hated Mrs. Cabanos for daring to tell the entire class about what she did and having the audacity to pretend she didn’t utterly humiliate Lakeisha afterward. She hated her parents for wanting to lock her up, monitor her every move, being obsessed with her grades and friends, and stop her from having fun, especially for wanting to keep her away from Kirsten. She hated everyone in her family for being right about what she did and wanting her to take responsibility for it. She hated the world for making her suffer for what she felt was a stupid thing blown way out of proportion. Why couldn’t everyone just get over it and move on? Lakeisha didn’t see why this had to be such a big deal.

Most of all, she hated Merlin and everything about her.

And she vowed to hate her until the day she died.


***

A/N: Yep, this chapter turned out way longer than I intended, but I’m kinda proud of how it turned out. For those wondering, I wanted to try writing from a bully’s point of view and show some bits and pieces of Julia’s time at school before she started her journey. And yeah, Lakeisha’s being pretty ableist to both Julia and her sister. Her behavior will be addressed further in the next chapter, where I intend to have Julia, Perrine, and Caiseal run into her and Merlin before they leave for Tohjo Falls.

Random fact: Some of the characters are named after directors and actors who worked on the Pokemon animes, both the regular one, Origins, and Generations, in some way. Cindy Stuart is named after Eric Stuart (Voice of Brock, James, Squirtle, and many other Pokemon), Mikayla Haigney is named after Michael J. Haigney (Director, script adapter, writer, and voice of many Pokemon characters and creatures such as Charmander, Psyduck, Geodude, etc. in the 4Kids era), and Mrs. Cabanos after Christine Marie Cabanos, who voiced Mew and various Pokemon in Pokemon Origins (and is super adorable at it, too!).

 

[Juliko]

Chapter 61: The Quarrelsome Sisters

In the months that followed Julia's departure from home, Cherrygrove City's trees had long since shed their lustrous foliage, their once emerald leaves having wilted, curled inward, and forming a colorful blanket all across town. But the suburban homes that lined the streets were still as clean and stately as ever, with some citizens having set some pots of flowers just outside their windows. The gardens were still neatly trimmed and well taken care of, with lively pansies, vivacious zinnias, delicate forget-me-nots, and many other blossoms placed within brick lined beds or in grassy areas around town. Some gardens were lined with bushes that were trimmed so neatly, not a single leaf was left out of place. With her friends, both human and Pokemon, following behind her, Julia happily skipped across cobblestone sidewalks, humming a merry tune as they made their way towards a large, whitewashed, modern-looking building that loomed over everything else.

"See that big building over there?" Julia pointed across the street, right at the building in question. "That's where I go to school!" Big, silver letters on the front of the building read Cherrygrove Middle School.

Perrine held a hand just above her eyes to get a better look without the sun beating down on her. "It's a little smaller than my school."

Caiseal shrugged. "It's bigger than mine, I can tell you that much."

A short way off, Julia turned to find a small, fenced in park, with the ground consisting entirely of sand. There was a set of swings, some monkey bars, a jungle gym, a rusty carousel, a big slide, and three Pokemon spring riders made to resemble a Rapidash, a Dragonair, and an Arcanine. "There's the park! I know it's not much, but when I was younger, my parents would take me and my sister there on occasion, usually back when Amara was doing cheerleading!"

Ladybug sat down on the Arcanine spring rider, her round hands gripping the handles, but she couldn't make it move. Neji gently pushed on the front of the Arcanine, making it wobble just a bit. Ladybug bounced up and down, making it move right along with her. Neji cheered, clapping his small paws together as his attempt at helping Ladybug proved successful.

"Amara used to be a cheerleader?" Perrine asked, eyebrow raised. "I can't picture her doing that at all."

"Yeah! She used to be a cheerleader back in third and fourth grade!" Julia explained, pointing to a large, empty, grassy field just across the street from the sandy park. "Mom, Dad, and I would go and watch her practice at times, or watch the soccer games whenever they were going on. But I never liked going to them. They were always too loud, so sometimes I'd go to the park to get away from it."

Julia remembered all too well. Big, shiny lights that brightened up the entire field. Young girls in green and white uniforms dancing, shouting, and shaking big, puffy pom-poms. The cheers of the audience ripping into her eardrums, making her skull vibrate. Sneaking off to play on the swings, go down the slide, or spin around in the carousel when she had the chance, sometimes with other kids who happened to be there. Wishing she could just go back home and get away from all the lights and the noise.

"Pika?" Then, Hikaru's ears stood up.

"Hm?" Caiseal was the first to noice. "What's up, Hikaru? Hear something?"

"Pikapi!" Hikaru pointed a little further down the field, past a cluster of trees.

"She says she hears someone and a Pokemon down that way," Julia translated.

"Want to go check it out?" Perrine asked.

The kids and Pokemon nodded, wasting no time running towards the area Hikaru was pointing to. After going through the forest, they made it into a clearing that overlooked the main neighborhood. Once they got closer, the noises became clearer. "Chiko! Chiko!" They all heard a high pitched cry a few feet down. The kids made their way towards an empty, flat lot. Empty save for a young girl, a Chikorita, and another Pokemon. The mammalian Pokemon was a dull beige color, with brown ears, a matching tuft of fur around its neck, brown stripes on its wrists and ankles, and a long tail that ended in a tuft of fur covered with what looked to be green paint. Upon closer inspection, it also had a round structure on its head that resembled a hat or beret, with a single horn sticking out from its head.

"Smeargle!" The Pokemon stood proudly on a rock, swinging its long tail like it was a rope.

"Hey! It's a Smeargle!" Caiseal exclaimed, pulling his PokeDex out to examine it.

"Smeargle, the painter Pokemon. The special fluid that oozes from Smeargle's tail is used to mark their territory, and the color is predetermined from birth. Said secretions change the intensity of its hue depending on Smeargle's mood and emotional state. There have been 5,000 confirmed Smeargle markings and symbols found and recorded over a period of 700 years. When Smeargle become adults, their comrades plant paw prints on their back. Many towns occupied by Smeargle are covered in graffiti. Many famous artists have collaborated with Smeargle since the thirteenth century, with some paintings having been preserved in museums and sold for millions of dollars. Unlike most Pokemon, Smeargle cannot learn attacks entirely on its own, so it compensates for this by using its own special move, Sketch, allowing it to permanently copy whatever attack its opponent is using against it in the moment."

From the looks of it, the girl and her Chikorita were battling this Smeargle. Julia could see a PokeBall in the girl's hand. Was it her Chikorita's, or was she saving it for that Smeargle?

"Chikorita! Use Razor Leaf!" The girl commanded, pointing right at Smeargle.

With a swing of its leaf, Chikorita sent a barrage of sharp leaves flying in Smeargle's direction. The painter Pokemon leaped off the rock and landed nimbly on the ground. More leaves went flying at it, but Smeargle kept doing cart wheels, dodging every attack. Only two of the leaves managed to scrape the beret on its head, and even then, Smeargle managed to leap onto the remnants of a rusty pipe that led to the roof of a house. Smeargle looked down at the girl from above, wondering how she was going to try and get it to come down.

"Nnngh!" The girl gave a displeased grunt. "Stay still already! I wanna catch you!" She gave a sideways glance toward Chikorita. "Razor Leaf again!"

As ordered, Chikorita swung the leaf on its head, sending several leaves barreling toward Smeargle. The painter Pokemon leaped out of the way once more, landing back on the ground, feet first. Before the young girl could call out another attack, Smeargle attempted to flee the scene. Julia and Neji locked eyes, knowing what the other wanted to say without saying it. They nodded, and Julia pointed towards Smeargle. Neji hopped away gracefully, outrunning Smeargle and blocking its path. Smeargle attempted to run past it, but Neji kept blocking its way.

"Hey there, Miss!" Julia called out to the girl. "Need some help catching that Smeargle?"

The girl swirled around, seeing the trio of trainers just a few feet behind her, eyes wide from their unexpected appearance. But she caught a glimpse of that Furret making sure Smeargle didn't get away. Were these trainers trying to help her? As surprised as she was by this turn of events, she smiled.

"Look out!" Caiseal cried out.

Smeargle's tail glowed in a pale blue light. The painter Pokemon aimed it right at Neji, and before anyone could react, the air around them dropped several degrees, and out from Smeargle's tail came a blast of freezing cold wind, snow and all. Neji was hit so hard by the blizzard that he fell to the ground easily. Even Ladybug couldn't help but shiver, nestling herself against Julia in an attempt to keep warm. Frigid wind cut through their win, sending ice through their veins.

"Neji!" Once the attack dissipated, Julia wasted no time running to her fallen friend, cradling the upper half of his body in her arms. Wasting no time, the Smeargle hopped away from the scene.

"Hey! It's getting away!" Perrine yelled, sprinting down the sidewalk. But when she turned a corner, Smeargle had completely disappeared. It was as though it had disappeared into thin air.

"Awww. Guess I couldn't get Smeargle today," The little girl groaned ruefully. Chikorita nuzzled her leg in an attempt to comfort her.

Julia put Neji back in his PokeBall and got a better look at the girl. She looked to be about Violet's age—nine or ten—with long, straight black hair that went down to her lower back. Her deep brown skin contrasted sharply with the bright red dress and pink cardigan she wore. The girl bent down to stroke Chikorita's head reassuringly, smiling as she did so. A pang of guilt shot through Julia. Despite her attempt at helping this kid, it seemed all she did was make things worse.

"Hey there," Julia walked up to the girl with furrowed eyebrows and a sad smile. "Sorry for getting in your way and making that Smeargle escape. I had meant to help, but I guess I messed up instead."

Oddly enough, the girl shook her head. "That's okay! I really do appreciate your help! I can catch it next time!" She replied cheerfully, balling her hands into fists and standing on the balls of her feet. "I'm not gonna give up just yet! Are you guys Pokemon trainers?"

"Yep. We sure are," Perrine said, introducing herself and her friends right away. "I'm Perrine, and these are my friends, Julia and Caiseal."

The girl's eyes sparkled with delight. "Ooooh! You guys have cool names!" She exclaimed. "The name Julia comes from the male name Julius, which has ancient Roman roots, and comes from the Grecian word ioulos, which means downy-bearded. It can also be spelled with a G and an I, Giulia, and pronounced Yoo-Lee-Uh or Khoo-Lya. The name Perrine is a feminine version of the Kalosian name Pierre, which itself is a Kalosian translation of the name Peter, and it means pebble, and Caiseal…" The girl paused for a brief moment. "That's a new one. I've never heard the name Caiseal before. How do you spell it?"

The kids exchanged glances. All they did was introduce themselves, and this girl was telling them where their names came from. Some of them, at least. Still, it was nice to learn these little bits of knowledge, and from the delighted look on her face and how high her voice rose, Julia could tell she was pretty enthusiastic about it.

"It's spelled C-A-I-S-E-A-L," Caiseal spelled his name out.

"What's your name?" Julia asked.

"Oh!" The girl gasped, realizing she had forgotten to introduce herself. "Sorry! I didn't mean to be rude. I'm Merlin!"

Julia had only one thought in her mind: Thank Arceus this kid isn't anything like Abby!

"And this is Chikorita, my best friend!" Merlin picked her friend up to give the kids a better look. Chikorita gave a friendly chirp as it waved its leaf at them in greeting. Merlin put it back down soon after. Hikaru approached it, and the two Pokemon began chatting amongst themselves, becoming fast friends already. "Is that a Pikachu? It's soooo cute!" Merlin cooed over Hikaru straight away.

"Yep. That's Hikaru. She's mine," Julia told her.

Caiseal crossed his arms again. "Are you here all by yourself, Merlin?" He asked, concerned. "From the looks of it, it seems like you're a fairly new trainer."

Merlin nodded, confirming his suspicions. "I turned nine this past September, and Chikorita is my Pokemon, but I don't have a trainer license just yet," She explained, her sweet voice not losing a beat. "I plan to get one next year, though! Then I can travel all over the place! Plus," She pointed towards an area further down from the lot. "I live just down that way, so I'm not too far from home."

"You should still be careful, though," Perrine warned. "You're just starting out, and any wild Pokemon could easily hurt you if you and Chikorita aren't strong enough. That Smeargle's no exception."

Merlin shifted her feet a little bit before giving a response. "I understand. But I still want to catch that Smeargle, because my big sister—"

Before she could elaborate further, a voice from around the corner interrupted her. "Merlin! There you are!"

Another girl came bounding down the sidewalk, her fluffy black ball of hair bouncing as she caught up with Merlin. Once she got close enough, she put her hands on her knees and stopped to catch her breath. Julia's eyes widened when she got a better look at the older girl. Her skin was slightly lighter than Merlin's, and she was wearing a pale yellow sweater, a short, peach colored skirt, white thigh-high stockings, and tan boots. A perfectly normal looking girl, but Julia's heart pounded anxiously, with each beat sounding with greater urgency than the last one. Her voice disappeared, her throat closed, and a subtle ringing echoed in her ears. Her whole body turned rigid, but her arms and legs were wailing in protest, every blood cell in her body screaming at her to run.

Then the girl stood upright, and it hit Julia right then and there. She knew this girl!

"Arceus, Merlin! What have I told you about—huh?!" The girl took notice of the three trainers, Julia in particular, and her jaw dropped in an instant.

Finally, Julia regained her voice. All that came out of her mouth was a surprised, "…Lakeisha?!"

The older girl, Lakeisha, immediately recognized Julia and pointed right at her. "Whoa! Am I seein' things?! Is that you, Julia Parisa?!"

Perrine and Caiseal's eyes went straight to Julia. "You know this girl?" They asked in unison.

"Yeah. Lakeisha Knowles. She and I go to school together," Julia replied, her previous enthusiasm evaporating straight away.

"You do?" Merlin asked. "Wait, did you say your last name is Parisa? You go to school with my sister?"

It was Julia's turn for her jaw to drop. Merlin was Lakeisha's sister? Lakeisha was Merlin's sister? Julia's mind reeled from the impact this revelation made on her psyche. Perrine and Caiseal exchanged worried glances, noticing Julia's discomfort immediately.

"Huh. I always wondered where you went after sixth grade started," Lakeisha said, her previous surprise having faded in an instant. "Mrs. Cabanos said you left on a journey, but I didn't believe a word of it!"

Julia narrowed her eyes into slits. "I did go on one. I'm still on it right now!" Her voice hardened, giving it a sharper edge than usual.

Lakeisha huffed. "Whatever," She grabbed Merlin by the arm and yanked her away. "Sorry my stupid sister bothered y'all. She ain't got no sense of personal space."

"You shouldn't say ain't!" Merlin admonished her. "It's not a real word!"

"Shut up! You ain't the boss o' me," Lakeisha got right into Merlin's face, hissing the sentence out like it was poison. "And I told ya not to go off somewhere without tellin' me!"

"I did tell you!"

Julia wanted to disappear. Of all the people she had to run into, it had to be this girl, Lakeisha Knowles. But before she could go on a painful trip down bad memory lane, she noticed Merlin trying to wriggle from her sister's grasp. Lakeisha didn't let go one bit, and her hand was getting slightly pale from gripping her sister's arm so tightly. Merlin also flapped one of her hands up and down, grimacing from Lakeisha's fingernails digging into her skin. Why was Lakeisha being so rough with her? Merlin hadn't done anything to them.

"She's not bothering us," Perrine chimed in. "We saw her hanging out with her Chikorita and we stopped over to have a chat. We were telling her about our adventures."

Lakeisha raised an eyebrow at the orange haired girl, giving her the stink eye. "Who are y'all supposed to be?"

"I'm Perrine, and that's Caiseal. We're Julia's friends."

For a moment, Lakeisha stopped, finding herself staring right at them. Feeling her sister's grip lighten up, Merlin took the chance to slip away, running right to her Chikorita before using her other hand to rub her wrist in an attempt to soothe the pain. Then, Lakeisha snorted and broke into laughter, so much so that she held a hand to her stomach and bent over, like she heard the funniest joke ever. Perrine and Caiseal exchanged bewildered glances. Red flowered all across Julia's cheeks from shame, and Merlin could only stare at her sister with a disappointed look.

"You's pullin' my leg!" Lakeisha roared through her laughter. "You guys? Friends with Freak Girl over there? Yeah, right! She ain't got no friends last I checked!"

Merlin narrowed her eyes at Lakeisha. "Why are you laughing? You shouldn't laugh at people."

Julia put her hands on both Perrine and Caiseal's wrists without warning. "Well, sorry to bother you guys! We'll be leaving now! Bye!" Just like that, she ran away from the two girls, dragging Caiseal and Perrine with her like she couldn't get out of there fast enough.

But she could only go as far as two blocks before she ran out of breath and stopped to rest. Perrine and Caiseal weren't quite sure what they saw, but from the looks of it, Julia was under quite a bit of duress. Then, Julia let out a loud groan before slumping to the ground.

"Uuuuuugh! Why did I have to run into Lakeisha Knowles of all people?!" Julia yelled, covering her face with both hands. "And of course, the first thing she does is call me Freak Girl! Why can't she leave me alone?!"

"Pika?" Hikaru ran a paw over her friend's leg to console her, though the mouse Pokemon knew it wouldn't do much.

"I take it you two don't get along, do you?" Caiseal asked, pointing his thumb behind himself.

Julia's hands flew off her face as she exploded into an angry tirade. "Understatement of the millennium!" She shouted. "She and her friends pick on me all the time! They hate my guts! They're always calling me names and calling me a dummy or a freak and all sorts of stuff! They somehow found out I can talk to Pokemon and they think it's some kind of ploy I made up to get attention, which it isn't!"

Perrine's eyes widened. "Wait, that girl bullies you?"

"Yes! I admit, I did something bad to her once when I was in fifth grade," Julia's voice softened just a smidge. "One time, I had trouble with a science test and had no idea how to study for it, so I looked at her test and copied the answers. I know now that's cheating, and I apologized and stopped, but Lakeisha's had it out for me since then. She never lets me live it down, and I can't stand it!" Julia shook her fists up and down to get the lingering anger out of her, but it didn't quite work.

"Oh wow. We had no idea," Caiseal said, running a hand through his hair. He and Perrine remembered Julia telling them that she had to deal with bullying, both from kids and adults, but they didn't expect to run into one of them on their journey, much less said bully and her sister. Then again, Cherrygrove City was still a fairly small town. Not as small as New Bark Town, but still a tight knit neighborhood. It would be possible for them to run into someone she knew, and sure enough, they did.

"For what it's worth, Merlin seems nice," Perrine told her reassuringly.

Julia let out a sigh before wrapping her arms around herself. "I guess…" She started to have second thoughts about staying here for another day. If Lakeisha was still around, Julia didn't want to stay here a minute longer. Just as she stood up and opened her mouth to suggest leaving, another voice stopped her from doing so.

"Julia?" The kids turned around to find Merlin walking toward them with Chikorita at her side. "Sorry my sister was mean to you. It wasn't nice of her to laugh at you and say that stuff about you."

It didn't take long for Julia's body to relax. Merlin was apologizing for what her sister did? Her frown turned upward. At least Lakeisha's sister wasn't mean. She hadn't expected someone she just met to be so considerate and stand by her so quickly. Her heartbeat slowed to a steady rhythm. "It's okay, Merlin. You don't need to apologize."

"She's always mean to me too, so I know how you feel," Merlin explained. "She hates that I'm autistic."

Wait, what?

Julia's ears perked right up. Did Merlin just say she was autistic? Was this really possible? "You're autistic?!" In an instant, her irritation morphed into euphoria, and Julia smiled so big her cheeks hurt. "So am I!"

Just like that, Merlin lit right up. "You are?! You're just like me then! I've always wanted to meet somebody like me!" She cheered, jumping up and down, flapping her hands simultaneously.

What were the odds that she'd find another autistic person in Cherrygrove City, much less one who was the sibling of someone she hated? Julia didn't like Lakeisha, but she did find herself liking Merlin. Maybe she could be a new friend? But she didn't want to associate with Lakeisha any more than she really needed to. Putting up with her in school was bad enough. But Merlin had mentioned Lakeisha was mean to her as well. Perhaps sticking together would be a better idea, and Merlin could probably learn a thing or two from another autistic person. It certainly explained her interest in names and their origins, and they both liked Pokemon, so that was one thing they had in common.

Suddenly, a low grumble echoed from Julia's stomach. Caiseal stifled a laugh. "Guess we better get lunch started, huh?"

"Yeah," Julia mused. "We haven't eaten much since this morning."

"Oh! Oh! Can I join you guys?" Merlin asked excitedly, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "I'd love to hear about all your adventures! Can I see your Pokemon, too?"

Julia smiled again. She really did want to get to know Merlin better, so why not? "Sure you can."

"Hold up!" And she turned rigid as soon as Lakeisha walked onto the scene. "You can't just go off with people you don't know! Besides, you shouldn't poke your nose into places yer not wanted!" She scolded her right away.

"But I asked nicely and they said yes!" Merlin told her.

Lakeisha pointed to herself with her thumb. "I'm in charge here, and I say y'all can't go, 'cause I know all you gonna do is bore them to death with yer talkin' 'bout names!"

What was her problem? Julia couldn't help but be quite miffed with the way Lakeisha was shooting Merlin down and stomping all over her interest in names. Why was she making Merlin out to be some nuisance? Merlin hadn't done anything as far as she had seen. Was this what Merlin had to put up with every day? It reminded her of how she and Amara had fought and argued before Amara ran away. It was like Lakeisha was convinced Merlin was some walking disaster who would cause chaos if she wasn't there to constantly watch over her. Julia's hands clutched the straps on her backpack tightly, and she remembered she was a different person from before. She wasn't going to let Lakeisha boss Merlin around like that. Not on her watch.

"Come on, it's no big deal," Julia stepped in right away. "We're just going to have a picnic on the soccer field over there, and we all have Pokemon with us, so if anything happens, we can handle ourselves and protect Merlin," She made sure to choose her words carefully and spoke in a calm, collected manner. The last thing she wanted was to make things worse for Merlin and rile Lakeisha up even more. Then again, a lot of things riled her up no matter what Julia did or didn't do. "Why not let her have a little fun?"

A brief silence fell upon the five kids. Hikaru and Chikorita exchanged worried glances. Lakeisha balled her hands into fists before sighing in defeat. "Fiiiiine. But I'm goin' with you! I'm still her big sister, so as much as I hate it, it's my job to make sure she don't run off or cause trouble or do somethin' stupid!"

Merlin facepalmed. "You always think I'm gonna do something bad!"

"Cause you always do!" Lakeisha barked.

It was Julia's turn to sigh. "You don't have to come with us, you know. Nobody's forcing you to stay."

Lakeisha crossed her arms. "Believe me, I'd love to sit at home right now, but I can't. Mom says I gotta keep an eye on Merlin, so you're stuck with me!"

That was the last thing she wanted: to be stuck with Lakeisha. Julia sighed, but a reassuring hand rested on her shoulder seconds later. She turned to find Perrine next to her.

"Don't worry. If she picks on you, we have your back," Perrine whispered. "Plus, we can keep her occupied, and you can have some private time with Merlin."

Good point. Julia nodded, remembering that as long as her friends were here, she'd be just fine.

***

There were a few wooden picnic tables near the soccer field, so the kids decided to have their lunch there. They had plenty of food for five people, since they brought some food with them from Julia's house, and most of the Pokemon were let out to play. Julia stayed with her friends as much as possible, sitting opposite of Lakeisha. At one point, she saw Merlin struggling to open a pack of fruit gummies. Lakeisha wasn't doing much except for staring at the trees with a bored look on her face, and Julia could tell asking her to help was just going to make her snap at her.

"Hey, Merlin. Want some help with that?" Julia asked.

"Yes please!" Merlin replied. Julia walked over and gently pulled the fruit gummy pack open with two fingers on each side. "Thanks, Julia!"

"Don't mention it."

Merlin gave a merry grin and her hands flapped up and down to further convey her joy. Lakeisha stole a glance at her in that moment, but she quickly slammed her hand on the table, making Merlin flinch inward.

"Merlin! I told ya to quit flappin' yer hands all the time!" Lakeisha snapped. "You look stupid doin' that! You gotta learn to act like a normal person!"

Julia could only stare at Lakeisha, bewildered. Why was she yelling at Merlin over something so harmless? She could see that Perrine and Caiseal didn't mind, and as far as she could tell, Merlin was happy doing it. Julia had done it plenty of times herself, and her friends never made it into a big deal. They knew she did it to let out some extra pent-up energy or when she was really happy. But she could see the fury in Lakeisha's eyes, and her teeth were tightly clenched.

"It's no big deal," Julia told her, winking at Merlin, letting her know she was on her side rather than Lakeisha's.

"Maybe not to you, freak," Lakeisha hissed back.

Julia recoiled, like she had been slapped in the face. The second Julia opened her mouth, Lakeisha never wasted an opportunity to call her some mean name. It was all too common in school, and even now, Lakeisha seemed to insist on making Julia miserable, even among her friends.

"Hey. Nobody's a freak here," Caiseal asserted sternly.

In an instant, Julia's smile returned. Leave it to Caiseal to step in and let Lakeisha know he wasn't going to tolerate her messing with his friends. Merlin slipped off the bench and walked over towards Florian, who was lying on the grass playing with Chikorita. Merlin smiled and petted Florian's side. The green sauropod smiled back, enjoying the affection this new girl was showering on him. Julia stole a glance in her direction. Did Merlin like Pokemon just as much as she did? Whatever the case, Julia was happy Merlin was enjoying herself at the moment.

"Hey!" Lakeisha shouted suddenly. Julia's hands flew to her ears. "Merlin! You gotta ask before pettin' somebody else's Pokemon! Are you stupid or somethin'?!"

Merlin's hands flew to her ears as well. Both Chikorita and Florian shot a glare in Lakeisha's direction, looking at her like she broke a priceless vase.

"Will you calm down?" Perrine exclaimed. "She's fine. She can pet our Pokemon if she wants. You don't need to scream at the top of your lungs, and calling her stupid isn't necessary."

Lakeisha crossed her arms and let out a grunt, not saying anything in response. Caiseal and Perrine were starting to see why Julia hated her so much. Julia herself took this moment to slip away from the table and join Merlin, not wanting to waste another minute on Lakeisha and her screaming and name calling. The atmosphere at the table was awkward, with only Perrine, Caiseal, and Lakeisha there. What could they possibly talk about? They could tell Lakeisha wasn't interested in saying much, and the contorted grimace on her face and her furrowed eyebrows told them all they needed to know about how much she hated being here. But they couldn't sit here and not talk. They didn't want to make her feel like she was being left out.

"Umm...I like your hair," Perrine said. "It looks cool all up in that fuzzy bun."

"Whatever," Lakeisha waved her hand at them dismissively, brushing off the compliment.

"So...do you want to be a trainer as well?" Caiseal asked.

"Yeah, but I can't be one yet," Lakeisha replied tersely. "I'm grounded until next month, and my parents say I gotta bring my grades up and do my chores and be more responsible before I can get one," There was a sharp undercut of bitterness in her voice. "Every one of my friends and classmates have Pokemon already and I don't! It ain't fair!"

Perrine brushed some hair behind her ear. "It'll be worth it in the end. You'll get a Pokemon eventually."

Out on the soccer field, Merlin and Julia were leaning against Florian's back, enjoying some alone time together. "So Merlin, you're a big fan of names and their meanings, aren't you?" Julia asked, curious about Merlin's interest. "How come you like them so much?"

Merlin stretched her legs out, relishing the feel of the blades of grass tickling her legs. "I don't know. I just do. I think it's cool how some names can be spelled or said differently depending on where you live," Merlin explained. "Did you know there's an actual term for people who study names? I looked it up and they're called...ono...ma...tologists, I think," She carefully sounded out the big word by pausing at various intervals.

Julia had never heard of an onomatologist before. She wondered if that was what Merlin wanted to be when she grew up. If she did decide to be one, Julia was sure Merlin would be a great onomatologist. "I didn't know that. Thanks for telling me."

"Umm…" Merlin shuffled her hands together. "I heard Lakeisha picks on you a lot in school. She talks about you, and not in a nice way."

"Why am I not surprised?"

"She says you're weird and stupid and full of yourself and a big cheater."

Despite having been called those things many times before, every utterance of them was like having an anvil dropped onto her head. "Even less of a surprise!"

"But I don't think that's true at all!" Merlin exclaimed, balling her hands into fists and looking right at Julia. "I think you're really cool and nice and smart!"

Warmth flowered in her chest. Julia averted her gaze, scratching her cheek with her finger. "You think so? You don't need to flatter me…" She was suddenly bashful upon hearing Merlin's barrage of compliments. Were they genuine, or was Merlin just flattering her? Julia wished she could tell for sure. She never was good at being able to figure out whether someone was genuinely trying to be nice or simply being sarcastic, unless it was really easy to see.

Suddenly, Merlin stood up. "That reminds me! I want to show you something cool!" She said, gesturing for Julia to get up.

The two girls stood up and made their way into the forest, with Hikaru, Papillon, Neji, and Chikorita following from behind. Perrine noticed Julia waving at her and pointing into the forest, letting her know that was where they were going. Perrine smiled and flashed a thumb's up, telling her it was okay to go in. Permission received, the girls and Pokemon entered the forest, reminding themselves not to go in too far, lest they get lost.

Caiseal felt something pull on the back of his shirt. He looked down to find Electra looking up at him expectantly. "Bibi!"

"What's up, Electra? You hungry?"

"Bibi!" Electra nodded.

"Alright. I have some food for ya," Caiseal set down a bowl and poured some Pokemon food in it. Electra sat right down and began eating, taking pieces of food into her hands and swallowing them one by one. The electric Pokemon beamed as she relished the taste of the spicy spheres of food provided for her.

Lakeisha stood up, walking over to Electra with a curious look in her eyes. "This your Pokemon?"

"Yep. That's Electra. She just hatched from an egg yesterday," Caiseal told her.

"Huh. Never seen an Elekid in person before," For the first time, Lakeisha spoke in a soft voice as she got a better look at Electra. Her brown eyes gladly took in the sight of the happy Pokemon savoring its meal, and she found herself smiling. She had to admit, this Elekid did look cute.

"Careful," Perrine warned before taking a sip of water. "She can be mischievous. She might zap you."

That was all it took for Lakeisha to back away two steps. But she stole a glance towards the field and noticed two people were missing. "Where's Merlin?"

Perrine used her thumb to point behind herself. "They went into the forest just now. I saw them," She said. "They'll be fine."

Lakeisha shrugged, her lips curling in distaste. "Yay, now I can get some peace and quiet," She mused out loud. "No more addle-brained freaks leechin' offa me like parasites."

What did she say? Both Caiseal and Perrine whipped their heads in Lakeisha's direction. Parasite? Leech? Addle-brained? They weren't quite sure what that last word meant, but from the smug way Lakeisha said it, there was no doubt she meant it as an insult, and that was the second time she referred to Julia as a freak. Caiseal balled one hand into a fist. What was with this girl? They were not going to stand around and listen to her degrade and demean their friend like that. Perrine stood up from her bench, but Caiseal spoke first.

"Alright, I think I've heard enough of this," Caiseal wasted no time marching right up to her, his angry eyes locking onto the girl with a hard, steady gaze. "What is your problem? This whole time you've done nothing but talk trash about our friend!" He exclaimed. "Not once did you even call her by her name! You keep calling her a freak!"

Lakeisha scowled at him, crossing her arms. "Y'all are probably blind or somethin' 'cause she is one!" She a big ol' weirdo! Y'all could really benefit from stayin' as far away from her as possible!" Lakeisha sneered. "You be committin' social suicide by hangin' with that freak!"

"Sorry, but you don't have the right to tell us who we can and can't hang out with," Perrine asserted. "She's a great person, and I don't know why you hate her so much."

"Her? A great person? Puh-lease!" Lakeisha rolled her eyes, like the idea of Julia being a good person was something out of myth. "I known her since fifth grade, and lemme tell ya, she ain't no little miss nice girl!" Lakeisha gesticulated at them as she told her side of the story, wildly wagging her index finger at them. "Last year she had the nerve to cheat off my science test, and she wasn't sorry for it at all! She say she can talk to Pokemon, but my friends and I know nobody can do that! She lyin' through her teeth just to get attention! She don't even act or dress like a normal girl and she makes weird noises and cries a lot in class and she act like she better than everyone else!"

With every second Lakeisha talked, both Caiseal and Perrine wanted to duct tape her mouth shut. They couldn't believe this girl was spouting this nonsense at them. Julia did admit to cheating off of Lakeisha's test, but they could tell she was remorseful. Sure, they didn't know what she was like before they met her on their travels, but they knew for sure she was nothing like how Lakeisha was making her out to be. Even some of Julia's other Pokemon sent glares in Lakeisha's direction.

"First off, a lot of the crap coming out of your mouth is straight up not true," Perrine held her hand up, silencing the girl. "We've been by her side since April, and not once has she ever acted like she was better than everyone else. She's kind and caring and sweet and always tries to make people and Pokemon happy. She doesn't do it in conventional ways, but she's earnest and nice all the same. You'd know that if you, oh, I don't know, maybe got to know her better instead of jumping to conclusions about her. Or by whatever lies your girl posse fed you. She's saved our butts more times than we can count. Second of all, she already told us about the cheating incident, and she apologized to you for it. Why are you even holding it over her head?"

"And third, so what if she's not normal? We really couldn't care less about who's normal and who isn't," Caiseal said.

"Well, you should care!" Lakeisha snapped back.

"It's not like she's hurting anyone with being the way she is."

"Yeah? Well, it's annoying and embarrassin'! I know my friend Kirsten wouldn't want me hangin' with no weirdos like her!"

"And one other thing: Why are you so hard on Merlin?" Perrine asked. "She's barely done anything, but you've done nothing but scream at her and call her names and act like she committed murder. You really need to take a chill pill."

"You ain't the ones who gotta live with her! She needs to learn to act like a normal person and not like some drooling freak who screams if she don't get her way! You saw her flappin' her hands like some ninny!"

Caiseal shrugged. "Doesn't bother us a bit. Don't see why you have to get all wound up about it. Plus, we only just met her, but even we can tell she's not the person you're making her out to be."

Lakeisha kept trying to contradict their arguments one by one, but she could tell they weren't going to budge. She huffed and turned away, with her back facing them. "Man, first Merlin and now Freak Girl. I swear, am I some kinda autistic people magnet or somethin'? I don't wanna be surrounded by no weirdos all the time," She hissed under her breath.

But it was just audible enough for Perrine and Caiseal to hear. They exchanged knowing glances. So it wasn't just Julia she hated. Then again, they had seen her be nothing but harsh towards Merlin, so it wasn't that big of a surprise. Even so, it was clear she had some kind of beef against autistics. Why?

***

"They're over here!" Merlin guided Julia and the Pokemon through the forest, taking care to step over some stray tree roots poking out from the ground. The trees were evenly spread out, so the path was just big enough for the girls and the Pokemon to maneuver through without having to worry about getting lost or forgetting where they were coming from. After a bit, Merlin finally stopped.

"Found it! This is my secret spot!" Merlin exclaimed, pointing to a tiny clearing just a few feet away.

Since it was fall, the trees were turning brilliant shades of orange and red, but plenty of branches were bare enough to let just as much sunlight filter through, giving the clearing an ethereal glow about it. A big log lay in the middle of said clearing, probably a tree that fell down long ago, and some vegetation was growing out from some of the cracks. But on the left side of the log, a cluster of pink and purple wildflowers sprang out from the ground, a splash of color amongst the thick forest landscape.

"Ooh! These are pretty!" Julia crooned, kneeling down to get a better look at them.

"Those are Johtoan anemones," Merlin explained, sitting on the log. "They grow around here a lot, and I like them. In fact, whenever I'm sad or want to get away or just whenever I feel like it, I come here and play for a while. I've been bringing Chikorita here with me, too."

It didn't take much for Julia to figure out why, but Merlin wound up explaining it anyway. "At least when I'm here, I can flap my hands and spin around and make Pokemon noises whenever I want and nobody will yell at me or tell me to shut up."

"I can relate," Julia sat down on the log next to Merlin. She knew that feeling all too well. Wanting to find a special place to run to in order to get away from the noises and sights that overwhelmed her, or when she wanted to cry or play by herself in peace, without anyone scrutinizing and judging her. Yet another common thread the girls shared. Julia wondered if Merlin often came here so she could get away from Lakeisha and her constant scoldings. It seemed possible, considering their strained relationship.

Both Hikaru and Chikorita stopped to sniff the anemones, relishing their sweet scent. "So...I take it Lakeisha's mean to you a lot, huh?" Julia asked, mentally hoping she wasn't crossing a boundary she wasn't supposed to.

"Sadly yeah," Merlin admitted, flashing a sad frown. "She didn't used to be like that, though. When we were babies, we got along great, and she always played with me. She even protected me from bullies."

"Same as my sister and I."

"But she started hanging out with this girl named Kirsten, and that's when she started being mean."

Kirsten? A bell rang in her head louder than a Hyper Voice attack. "Kirsten Seeley, right?"

"Yep! That's her! Lakeisha really wants to be friends with her, so she's started acting like her and doing stuff she's not supposed to, like not doing her homework or chores, back talking Mom and Dad, staying up past bedtime, saying mean things to people, all that stuff. One time I heard Mom and Dad yelling at her because she tried to sneak out of the house to see Kirsten. They say she's a bad influence."

Yet again, Julia wasn't surprised. "They're kinda right. Kirsten's terrible. She's been picking on me since fourth grade," She said. Bad memories flashed through her mind in that moment. Scornful laughter echoing in her ears. A clique of girls with their hands over their mouths, whispering to each other about how weird Julia was. Nasty comments about her fashion sense, her awkward ways, her interest in Pokemon and drawing over the things they liked such as makeup, clothes, boys, and hip hop music. The scrutinizing, hateful looks they shot her way that seemed to scream, "Are you serious right now?" whenever she said or did something. Just thinking about it all made her bristle like a Jolteon readying its spikes to defend itself. No wonder Lakeisha was such a snotty priss, and Merlin was suffering for it.

"Just last week, Lakeisha used her phone to record a video of me when I was really upset and shared it with her friends."

"Wait, what?!" Julia yelped, swirling around with eyes wide as saucers. From the way Merlin explained it, it sounded like Lakeisha did it without Merlin's knowledge. "She did that?! Isn't that, like, an invasion of privacy?"

"Yeah. She wanted to show it to all her friends and make them laugh at me," Merlin's voice trembled the more she elaborated. At one point, Julia could see her eyes moistening just a bit, like Merlin was trying really hard to hold back tears. "But they all know me and they were really mad when Lakeisha showed it to them, so they don't talk to her anymore."

It was like Julia saw a dragon Pokemon drop meteors onto the planet. Lakeisha actually recorded a video of her sister without her knowledge and showed it to her friends as a way to bully her? What did Merlin do to deserve that? As far as Julia knew, nothing. It was great that her plan backfired, which she felt was the best case scenario, but now she hated Lakeisha even more. To think she would stoop so low as to throw her own sister under the bus just to get into some girl's good graces. Adding the fact that she hated Merlin being autistic, it just made the transgression even more diabolical.

She couldn't hold it in anymore. "That's awful! Lakeisha should never have done that!" She cried out, slamming her hand onto the log. "Sisters shouldn't hurt each other like that!"

Merlin nodded in agreement. "I was pretty mad, too. But…" She stole a glance at some trees nearby. Dappled sunlight danced across the dirt, filtering through the foliage in a beautiful, silent performance. "I thought maybe if I did something really, really nice for her, something that'd really make her happy, maybe she'd love me again like she did before. That's why I'm trying to catch a Smeargle. It's her favorite Pokemon ever, and she loves Smeargle."

Julia's heart broke for the girl in that moment. She's been through so much already, yet still believes in her sister and wants to do something nice for her in the hopes of making her happy. Julia wanted to support her little goal with every fiber of her being. She had done the same thing herself once before, but it had ended in bitter disappointment. Considering Lakeisha's current personality, she was sure it would end the exact same way. What could she do? Encourage her, or tell her that it might end up backfiring horribly, like Julia's attempt at making Amara happy on her thirteenth birthday did? The last thing she wanted to do was get her hopes up and then wind up disappointing her. Maybe it was better that she didn't sugarcoat it.

"It's great that you want to make Lakeisha happy," Julia began, hoping she chose her words carefully. "But there is a chance it won't work, and for all we know, she might just get mad and yell at you again. I tried to do the same with my sister once, and she got mad and said I got her the wrong size shirt, even though she never mentioned wanting that shirt in a certain size. I'm not trying to discourage you or anything," She quickly added. "I'm just saying anything can happen. But I could be wrong and she might end up liking it after all. I don't have the right to tell you what you can and can't do."

Thankfully, to Julia's relief, Merlin gave a sheepish smile. Julia really didn't want to hurt her feelings, but what was the point of trying to sugarcoat things? "I get it. I like that you're straight up with me. You don't try to make things all confusing or lie to me."

"Well, I try...but I usually wind up making things worse or hurting peoples' feelings more than anything, even when I don't mean to…" Julia stammered, running a hand through her own hair. But there was something she did want to say to Merlin, and now was the time to say it. She shifted closer to Merlin and in that moment, a switch in her brain flipped to give her a newfound confidence.

"In all seriousness though, what Lakeisha did to you isn't okay," Julia told her, sounding determined and resolute. Any trepidation in her voice had vanished into thin air. "The way she treats you is not okay. Calling you names, telling you you cramp her style or are useless and that you'd be better if you weren't autistic...she's wrong about you. I can tell you're a good kid. You're smart, nice, creative, and compassionate. There's nothing wrong with you, nor is there anything wrong with being autistic. Anybody who says so and tries to make you feel bad about who you are isn't worth your time. I think your love of names and their meanings is cool, and if you want to jump up and down or flap your hands if you're happy, I say do it! I do those, too!"

It was possible that anything she attempted to say to Merlin in that moment only came off as hollow lip service. She wished she could come up with something better to say to her, something that proved for sure that Lakeisha was wrong in her faulty perceptions of her. But she was dead serious about everything she did say, and hoped Merlin wouldn't feel like she was alone in the world. They were both autistic, so why not support each other? Merlin deserved to know someone who was in her shoes, who understood the struggles of trying to navigate a society that only wanted her to be something she wasn't instead of accepting her for who she was.

Merlin smiled again. "Now I know for sure. I wanna be a great trainer like you someday!"

That was the conclusion she came to? Julia's brain reeled, not from disgust or bewilderment, but with joy. Merlin really wanted to be like her?

"Ohhh!" But before the two of them could talk some more, Merlin let out a sharp cry, pointing towards some trees. "There's that Smeargle again!"

Sure enough, a Smeargle was using its tail to paint something on a tree. Merlin leaped off the log and balled her hands into fists. Understanding what she wanted, Chikorita ran right in front of her, its body in a battle stance. "I'm gonna catch you this time!" Merlin exclaimed. "Chikorita, use Tackle!"

Chikorita made a mad dash toward Smeargle, running as fast as it could. Unfortunately, Smeargle could hear the leaf Pokemon coming and jumped in the air, evading the attack. Julia pulled out her PokeDex and held it over Chikorita.

Then, Smeargle let out a yell and held its tail in the air. The tip of its tail glowed in a white light before generating a cluster of small, sharp rocks. Smeargle aimed its tail at Chikorita, and the rocks went flying towards it. Chikorita dodged a few of them by running around, but some of them managed to strike the leaf Pokemon in all directions.

"Chikorita!" Merlin cried out.

"It's okay!" Julia reassured her. "That was Rock Throw. Chikorita's a grass type, so Rock Throw doesn't do a lot of damage."

"But it keeps jumping around! Chikorita can't get a hit on it!"

Merlin was right. Smeargle leaped from branch to branch swiftly, never losing its balance in doing so. Chikorita used Razor Leaf at one point, but hardly any of them landed so much as a cut on the painter Pokemon. The girls had to admit that Smeargle sure was agile. But there was one thing that might be able to put a stop to it.

"Hey, Merlin. See if your Chikorita knows Vine Whip!" Julia suggested.

Vine Whip? Merlin raised an eyebrow. Did Chikorita even know that attack? The only ones she saw it ever use were Tackle and Razor Leaf. Well, there was only one way to find out. "Chikorita, use Vine Whip!"

On cue, two long vines sprouted out from the buds circling Chikorita's neck. Smeargle attempted to leap off another tree branch, but the vines coiled around its legs, dragging it right down to the ground. Smeargle's body landed on the grass, and it was unable to prepare itself for a landing.

"Wow! It worked!" Merlin cheered, jumping up once. "I should have done that sooner!" It didn't take long for the gears to start turning in her head. Now she could finally land some hits on Smeargle. "Chikorita, don't let go of Smeargle no matter what!"

Chikorita nodded, tightening the vines around Smeargle's legs.

"Now use Razor Leaf!"

With one swing, Chikorita sent a barrage of sharp leaves in Smeargle's direction. Finally, all of them bombarded the helpless painter Pokemon, cutting through its fur in all directions. Because its legs were caught in Vine Whip, Smeargle couldn't run, and therefore was unable to escape. It couldn't even reach its tail, as it had fallen too far out of its reach to use it.

"Yay! Chikorita's attacks worked!" Merlin exclaimed, wasting no time pulling out her PokeBall. "Alright! Let's do this! PokeBall, go!" With a great heave, Merlin threw the PokeBall with all the strength she could muster.

The PokeBall landed on Smeargle, turning it into light and sucking it in. Chikorita withdrew its vines, and everyone watched in anticipation as the PokeBall swayed from side to side. The red light blinked rapidly, seemingly without end. Both Julia and Merlin crossed their fingers, praying Smeargle would stay inside the PokeBall. The minutes seemed to move at a Slugma's pace. Finally, the PokeBall dinged, the red light disappeared, and the PokeBall stopped swaying.

All the joy that they had kept inside finally bubbled over. Merlin and Chikorita both jumped up and down, cheering and rejoicing in their victory. "Yay! Yay! Yay! I finally caught Smeargle!" Merlin yelled loud enough for the whole forest to hear, and Julia wasn't even bothered by the noise. She could only smile, proud that she helped a new trainer catch her first Pokemon all by herself. Merlin gave Chikorita a tight hug before scooping up the PokeBall.

"I couldn't have done this without you, Julia. Thanks so much!" Merlin wrapped her arms around her new friend. Julia's cheeks flowered red, a little cowed by the sudden affection being showered on her. But it felt good all the same. She stroke the back of Merlin's head with one hand, her fingers gently running through her thick, dark hair.

"You and Chikorita did all the work. All I did was ask if it knew a certain move," Julia told her. She actually did use her PokeDex to examine Chikorita's moveset, and sure enough, it did know Vine Whip. From the looks of it, Merlin didn't have a PokeDex, nor did she mention ever getting one, so she probably had no way of knowing whether it knew anything other than Tackle and Razor Leaf. Or maybe Merlin just didn't think to ask Chikorita if it knew any other moves. But that was okay. Things turned out alright in the end.

Merlin held the PokeBall aloft. "I'm gonna go show Lakeisha! This'll make her happy for sure, and maybe she'll love me again!"

And Julia's doubt and worries came rushing right back. Merlin made a mad dash for the soccer field, with Chikorita following from close behind.

"Wait, Merlin!" Julia and Hikaru both gave chase. "I don't think that's such a good idea!" Her past experience with Amara told her that there was only one way Lakeisha would react to Merlin's gift. It was the most likely possibility, and things were sure to get ugly. Julia and Hikaru decided to follow her out, if only to be there for her and have her back in case the inevitable happened.

Sure enough, when they got back to the picnic tables, Julia and Merlin could only watch in bewilderment as Lakeisha and Perrine were in the middle of shouting at each other in a heated argument.

"What the heck is going on here?" Julia asked.

Caiseal wasted no time answering. "Lakeisha was going on and on about how awesome her new friend Kirsten is, and Perrine, who's not a moron, pointed out all of her flaws and how her bad influence is clouding her judgment and on how she treats Merlin, and then this happened."

The two girls didn't notice Caiseal, Julia, and Merlin, as they were too busy arguing.

"Like I just told you, your bullheadedness is what drove your other friends away, not Merlin! You need to cut that Kirsten girl out of your life and make better choices for yourself! And you wonder why you got grounded!"

"Y'all ain't got no right to boss me around! Don't be actin' all smart and full 'a yourself just 'cause you went on a journey and stuff! No way am I gonna hang around no weirdos!"

"Arceus, do you even listen to yourself?! Do you ever NOT say anything without putting other people down?! Even your own family?! Do you ever say anything but no?! Are you actually from Nopeville in Idunwannaland or something?!"

"I don't gotta listen to you! And by the way, you's a fashion disaster! Kirsten could teach you a thing or two about how to actually dress cool! Sleeveless vests are so last season, and yer skirt's so dirty and ripped you look like a dang hobo, and you say you's rich?! When's the last time you even took a bath?! Maybe you should be the one to ditch Freak Girl and Blondie and hang out with people who're actually worth somethin'!"

"Who peed in your cereal this morning?! Why does everything have to be some sort of problem for you?!"

"I ain't the one with the problem! You guys are the ones with all the problems! Y'all should be grateful I got the decency to point them out! It ain't my fault I'm surrounded by nothin' but lame-o losers like y'all!"

Both Julia and Caiseal facepalmed. Now Lakeisha was just being petty and deliberately reaching for something to snipe at her about. Perrine's clothes weren't dirty or ripped, and everyone had taken a shower last night. Who was she to boss them around about their personal hygiene or their tastes in friends? She wasn't their mom.

Merlin was quick to put an end to the verbal brouhaha. "Lakeisha! Look look look look!" Merlin got right in between them, moving so close to her sister that she was almost centimeters from her face.

"Ugh! Back off, will ya?!" Lakeisha shoved her back with one hand. "I told ya a million times not to get all up in my face!"

"Calm down," Caiseal chided her tersely. "Jeez."

Merlin presented Lakeisha with the PokeBall. "Ta-da! I caught your favorite Pokemon, big sis! A Smeargle!" She proclaimed proudly, her brown eyes twinkling with joy.

A heavy silence fell on the quintet. Merlin was smiling, but the kids could see Lakeisha's eyes flashing fire, and her mouth was in a very prominent frown. Oh no. This wasn't good.

"I know Mom and Dad say you can't have your own Pokemon yet, but I decided to catch a Smeargle for you so you don't have to get one from Professor Elm!" Merlin chirruped, holding the PokeBall closer to her sister, prompting her to take it.

But Lakeisha didn't take the PokeBall. Julia shivered in anticipation of what was to come. Already, everything she feared would happen was unraveling right before her. Merlin's eyebrows furrowed once she saw that Lakeisha didn't smile.

"What's wrong?" Merlin asked, confused.

Everything came crashing down not seconds later. Lakeisha raised her hand and smacked the PokeBall right out of Merlin's hands, sending it rolling on the grass. Caiseal was quick to grab it, but everyone's mouths fell agape, and Lakeisha exploded in a blaze of fury.

"You serious?! What is wrong with you?!" Lakeisha roared, shouting right in Merlin's face, not even caring that her little sister folded into herself and covered her ears. "I don't like Smeargle no more! Arceus, you's so stupid! Beyond stupid! Why'd you hafta come here and humiliate me like this?!"

Humiliate? What in the world was she implying? That Merlin caught a Pokemon for her just to make her look bad in front of complete strangers? Where was the logic in that? Or was there any? Now the kids knew she was just being petty and needlessly cruel for the sake of it.

"Hey! Stop that!" Julia yelled, but Lakeisha paid her no heed, continuing her spiteful tirade.

"I wasn't-" Even Merlin tried to get a word in, but again, Lakeisha wouldn't let her.

"Do you get off on ruining my life?! Ugh!" Lakeisha ran both hands through her hair, ruffling the strands that kept her bun in place. "You's the absolute worst! All you do is eat away at my life! I wish I never had no sister, especially not a freak like you! The whole world is better off without you, and I wish you'd never been born!"

Nobody said a thing. The hateful words hung suspended in the air before clattering down around Merlin like raging, ice cold hail. Any joy she had vanished, and Merlin's eyes shrunk smaller and smaller until they were little more than dots. Merlin just stood there, completely still, unable to move or speak.

"You take that back!" Julia reached her arm out and shoved Lakeisha to the side. "Stop being so mean to her! You can't say stuff like that!"

"I can say whatever I damn please! Somebody gotta tell her what you guys don't wanna!"

It was Perrine who swiveled around and saw Merlin's cheeks drowning in swift waterfalls of tears. Her dark eyes blurred under the liquid onslaught, and she broke into despondent sobs. Her passionate wails cut through the arguing, and Perrine was quick to rush to her side, consoling her right away.

"Quit yer crying you-" Lakeisha attempted to needlessly admonish her yet again, but this time, Merlin wasn't going to let her walk all over her.

"FINE THEN! I HATE YOU!" Merlin screamed through her tears. "You're always mean to me for no reason and I'm sick of it! I wish Julia was my big sister instead of you!" With that rhetoric, Merlin ran into the forest, bawling like no tomorrow, with Chikorita giving chase. The kids could only stay in the field, figuring Merlin needed some time alone. Lakeisha turned on her heel and ran into another part of the forest, growing sick of being ordered around by Julia and her friends.

"Wow," Caiseal was speechless.

Julia knew this would happen, but it didn't make her any less angry. Her entire being burned with fury, and she curled her hands into tight fists. How could Lakeisha say those things to her sister? She didn't even care that she stomped all over Merlin's kindness and generosity! Or maybe she knew and did it purely out of spite? There was no excuse for this. Any of this. She had gone way too far, and all over Merlin wanting to do something nice for her. The anger she had when Fergus kicked Caiseal around rose right back into her soul, threatening to explode from her being at any moment.

Using it as fuel, Julia walked in the direction Lakeisha went. "You guys go check on Merlin," She ordered.

"What are you gonna do?" Perrine asked.

"What else?! Give that heartless brat a piece of my mind once and for all!" Julia snapped, her eyes flashing fire. Perrine was so surprised by the unbridled fury her friend displayed she recoiled backwards. "She is NOT getting away with this! I won't let her!"

Perrine and Caiseal could only exchange worried glances, but they did make their way to the clearing to see if Merlin was okay.

***

Julia stamped her feet as she trekked her way through the woods, her green eyes scanning the area for Lakeisha. She couldn't have gone too far, since this was her neighborhood. Julia made no attempt to soften her footsteps, as leaves crumpled and twigs snapped under her feet. Good. Merlin's tears and angry face flashed through her mind once more. No way was she going to let Lakeisha get away with hurting her sister like this, especially when Merlin went out of her way to catch a Pokémon for her! What did Merlin even do to deserve that? Julia hated Lakeisha before, but now she wanted to rip her head off.

It didn't take long for her to notice Lakeisha's fluffy black ball of hair and her bright yellow shirt a few feet away. Julia pursed her lips together as she stomped over to the girl, put a hand on her shoulder, and spun her around so fast and so hard, Lakeisha almost tripped on a stray tree root. Lakeisha's brown eyes shrunk from the shock of seeing Julia's contorted red face staring right at her.

"Wha?! Hey!"

Julia wasted no time letting loose. "What is wrong with you?!" She bellowed. "You should be ashamed of yourself, treating your little sister like that when she went out of her way to catch a Pokémon for you!"

As she expected, Lakeisha crossed her arms and scowled. "She's the one who oughta be ashamed! All she ever does is embarrass me and make me look like a fool in front of everyone!" Lakeisha snapped back. "Why do you even care, anyway?! This ain't none of your business!"

Of course. Classic Lakeisha. Always blaming everybody for the problems she herself causes. What did Julia even expect at this point? Someone needed to give this girl an attitude adjustment. "I care because she doesn't deserve to be treated the way you treat her! All she's done is be nice to you, and she caught you that Smeargle out of the goodness of her heart, and you act like she freaking pooped on your shoes!" Julia didn't even try to lower her voice. She yelled in Lakeisha's face and had no intention of stopping any time soon. Being civil with her didn't work. She refused to listen to reason, nor did she seem to want to understand why Merlin does what she does. What was it going to take to make this girl listen? "What did she ever do to you that was so bad?!"

For a brief moment, Lakeisha said nothing. But as far as Julia was concerned, her silence spoke volumes.

"Oh, wait. Don't tell me. You hate the fact that Merlin's autistic, don't you?" Julia asked, scowling right back at Lakeisha. "That's it, isn't it? You yell at her if she so much as does anything, like flap her hands or talk about name origins or repeat words over and over or jumps up and down. I'm not stupid. I've seen the way you treat her, and what you're doing to her is wrong. You think she's an embarrassment, don't you?"

Lakeisha stamped her foot and let out a grunt. "Yeah, I do! I always gotta put up with her actin' like a baby over everything! I can't even be around my friends without being told to bring her with me! She cramps my style! I don't wanna have to babysit her in front of my friends!" Lakeisha spread her arm out for extra emphasis, her fluffy ball of hair bobbing with every movement of her head. "She's nine years old yet she acts like a freakin' baby! Who wants to be around a kid whose sister flaps her hands and makes weird noises and goes on and on about names?! It's her fault all my friends except Kirsten abandoned me! My parents like her way more than me!"

"Your parents don't like her more than you, and she's not hurting anyone. You're making her out to be some life ruiner," Julia said. "Come on. You know she doesn't do that stuff to deliberately annoy you."

"So what?! It ain't normal, and I'm sick of havin' to put up with her!" Lakeisha barked back. "She ruins everything!"

"She caught a Smeargle for you!" Julia exclaimed. "She went out of her way to catch you a Pokemon, and you repaid her by calling her names and telling her the world would be better off if she'd never been born! Do you have any idea how cruel you've been to her all day?"

"I never wanted no Smeargle, and I don't want no stupid sister like her!"

That did it for Julia. Hearing this girl go on and on about her little sister like this was too much for her to bear, especially when Julia knew that none of what Lakeisha was saying was even true. Merlin didn't deserve this. No wonder she told her she wished Julia was her big sister instead of Lakeisha.

"Shut up, Lakeisha! Just shut up!" Julia snapped, raising her hands in the air like she was getting arrested. "You know what? I understand now! Merlin's not the problem here! You are! If anything, you're the one embarrassing her and ruining her life!"

"Oh, great!" Lakeisha face palmed. "Now you're takin' her side!"

"Somebody ought to! You certainly won't!" Julia couldn't believe how thick-headed this girl was. "All day, she's done nothing but try to please you and make you happy! I'd be over the moon if my sister caught a Pokémon for me! You should have been happy and said thank you to her! Instead all you've done is treat her like dirt and humiliate her in front of everyone! If anyone's the embarrassment here, it's you!"

Julia hoped this would get through her thick skull, but she had her doubts. She could see Lakeisha's hand curling into a tight, trembling fist. The girl looked down at the dirt beneath her shoes, seeing nothing but earth. It was Julia's turn to cross her arms.

"This is what I hate about you autistic people," Lakeisha hissed through her teeth. "You're all liars and cheaters and fakers and whiners who want everything handed to you!" She snapped, her face contorting into a twisted snarl. "Why can't you all just leave me alone?! I have to put up with you people all the time and I'm sick of it!"

What was she going on about? Liars, fakers, and cheaters? Where did she get that idea? Julia stood her ground. "That's not true and you know it."

"It is so!" Lakeisha pointed her index finger right at Julia. "You cheated off my science test!"

It was Julia's turn to face palm. Why was she bringing that up? She should have put that to rest long ago. "Ugh! That was last year, and I already apologized to you for it! You need to let that go!" Julia yelled.

"How do I know you don't cheat off other kids' as well?! You cheated off me even before that, too!"

"I stopped!" Julia told her. "My parents and teachers explained what I was doing was wrong, I learned from it, they taught me how to study on my own, and I know better now. Have I cheated off your work since then? Huh?"

"You lie! You crazy people just don't wanna work hard and want everything spoon fed to ya! You're all whiny babies! You and Merlin both!"

It slowly dawned on her. Lakeisha hated Julia because she thought she was Merlin all over again, and she believed autistic people were little more than spoiled brats who threw tantrums 24/7. Julia let out a sharp, exasperated groan. Why was she even listening to this girl whine about stuff that wasn't true? It was time to set her straight.

"None of that is true. What's it going to take for you to understand that?" Julia lowered her voice but remained stern and hard as stone. "Did you ever even consider how Merlin felt while you were calling her names, putting her down, yelling at her, and treating her like dirt? Or do you think she has no feelings or can't feel at all? Well, guess what?! She does! How do you think she feels, being continually told that she's an embarrassment, a burden, an inconvenience, and making her cry just for something that isn't anyone's fault?! By her own sister, no less?!"

For once, Lakeisha said nothing. Any words she tried to say had instantly dried up in her mouth. That was good, since Julia was sick and tired of hearing her whine and moan. She was in no mood for excuses or frivolities.

"I've been in her shoes," Julia hissed. "I know exactly what it's like to be shunned and treated like dirt because I'm not like everyone else. You should know! You and Kirsten and the rest of your girl posse pick on me all the time, even when I didn't do anything to you or talk to you!"

"That's—"

Julia held her hand up. "Shut up and listen for once!" She bellowed, leaving no room for Lakeisha to talk. "And by the way, I know about the video incident. Merlin told me about it earlier. I think I understand now. Merlin's not the one ruining your life! You're ruining hers and your own! You're the one creating problems for yourself and blaming others instead of, y'know, taking responsibility and apologizing!"

"Shut up!"

"No, you shut up!" Julia slammed her hand on a tree right next to her. The bark rattled against her palm, and her hand vibrated soon after. But in all honesty, it felt good. "You want Merlin to not be autistic, right? Well, guess what! Merlin's always going to be autistic! There's no cure for it, and as far as I'm concerned, there shouldn't be! You need to suck it up and deal with it instead of acting like a spoiled brat! The world doesn't revolve around you, and nobody should have to change themselves just so they can meet your stupid standards!" Her voice grew hoarse from all of her yelling. She stopped to catch her breath, but each gulp of air burned her throat and lungs. But she wasn't done yet. At this point, Lakeisha couldn't bring herself to say anything more.

"She's your sister. She's a good kid and I really like her. Why can't you love her for who she is and accept her? She's the only sister you have," Julia's voice was no longer sharp with anger. Instead, it softened to a hoarse whimper. "You really hurt her, and you don't even care. I doubt you can even fix it at this point. If you keep this up, you're going to wind up being all alone. How many more people are you going to end up driving away? Do you really believe yelling at her and treating her like dirt is going to make her normal? Is sucking up to Kirsten really that important to you?"

Lakeisha took two steps back, recoiling like she had been slapped in the face. Even Julia found herself surprised by the change in her expression. This wasn't the confident, boastful girl who always had that smug look on her face. Here she was, small, weak, and wracked with doubt.

"I…" Any words Lakeisha could come up with were stuck in her throat, the hollow sound of her voice breaking in her ears. But as far as Julia was concerned, that was an answer in and of itself. No excuse Lakeisha could come up with would ever absolve her of her actions, before and after today.

Neither girl spoke to each other for several long moments until Julia turned away from her. "Since you're too busy acting like a brat and wallowing in your unfounded self-pity, I'm going to go check on Merlin. That should really be your job, you being her sister and all, but honestly, I doubt Merlin wants to even see you after your little tantrum. Call me when you decide to stop being an awful person. Kissing up to Kirsten isn't all there is in life," Julia told her bitterly before marching away, leaving Lakeisha alone in the forest.

As she made her way back to the soccer field, Julia found herself...smiling. It was as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. By Arceus, it was so satisfying to finally tell Lakeisha off for everything she did to Julia back in school! She had wanted to stand up to her for months but never had the courage to do so. Julia reminded herself that she wasn't the same person she was before she left on her journey. Lakeisha didn't have power over her anymore. But more importantly, she needed to see if Merlin was doing okay. Obviously, she wouldn't be, what with everything Lakeisha had said to her, but someone needed to be there for her and give her some much needed comfort and reassurance.

But when she made it back to the soccer field, she found Caiseal and Perrine at the picnic tables. "What are you guys still doing here?" She asked curiously.

Perrine answered first. "We did check on her, but she said she needed some space, so we decided to leave her be."

So that was it. Julia nodded in agreement. That was understandable. After what she had been through just moments ago, Merlin deserved to have some time to herself. She had been through enough already.

Caiseal glared down at the picnic table, resting his chin on his hand. "Tell me you ripped that Lakeisha girl a new one."

"You bet I did!" Julia exclaimed. "I've been wanting to do that for years! Ugh! I can't believe her!" She sat right down next to Perrine and buried her face in her hands. "She's been nothing but awful to Merlin and doesn't even care! Merlin doesn't deserve this at all!"

Perrine looked over her shoulder, towards the forest. "I just hope she's gonna be okay after this."

***

Merlin sat in front of her favorite log and cried pitifully, with Chikorita by her side. She couldn't believe her attempt at being nice to her sister had to end so horribly. Julia did warn her beforehand that it might not work, but a part of her didn't want to believe it. Surely, the older sister she knew and loved was still in there somewhere. But even with the knowledge that it might backfire, it still hurt to know that Lakeisha straight up hated her. This hurt much worse than when she found out about the video Lakeisha took. At least with that, nothing really came of it because her parents made sure Lakeisha was punished and because Lakeisha's friends were smart enough to not spread it around, knowing Merlin wasn't the kind of girl Lakeisha was making her out to be.

And yet, this was so much worse. Merlin knew Lakeisha had always liked Smeargle. When did she suddenly not like it anymore? Did Kirsten do something to her to make her change her mind? Of course. It all came down to that girl. But what could Merlin do about her? They had never met, and there was no way Merlin could go to Lakeisha's school and make her not hang out with Kirsten, no matter how much she wanted to. But Kirsten or no Kirsten, her relationship with Lakeisha was ruined. At this point, Merlin didn't even want to look at her. If she wanted to be cruel, then fine! Merlin was tired of putting up with her garbage. She knew she deserved better than this. Why couldn't Julia be her big sister? She was nice, smart, and never treated Merlin like she was a nuisance.

Chikorita stroke Merlin's hair with a single vine. It knew its attempt at consoling her wouldn't do much, but it didn't want to sit there and do nothing. Appreciating its kindness, Merlin pulled Chikorita closer and gave it a hug, burying her face into its body to cry some more. Her chest hurt, and she hated how all of this anger just didn't go away. Why couldn't it all just disappear already? She didn't want to sit here and be miserable, but what could she do?

"I don't get it," Merlin whimpered, sobs muffled by Chikorita's soft fur. "Everything I do is all wrong to her...she really hates me now. I didn't want to believe it at first, even after the video, but…I want the old Lakeisha back!" She wailed, holding her Pokemon tight. After a while, her chest began to hurt from so much crying, and whatever sorrow she had left turned to anger. Why did she have to go through this? She put Chikorita down and stood up, her eyes red and puffy, but flashing fire all the same.

"Nnnnnngh!" Merlin growled, stamping her feet, hoping this awful anger would just leave. But it didn't. She wished she could just punch something. She found a rock nearby and picked it up. It was about as big as her hand, and with a pained cry, she threw it at a nearby tree, watching as it bounced off the trunk and back onto the grass.

"I hate you!" Merlin screeched, picking up more rocks and throwing them at the trees one by one. "I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you! I hate you, mean Lakeisha!" She yelled loud and clear. If people were nearby, they would have heard her, but at this point, she didn't care. She threw another rock, watching as it flew into the foliage.

"Spin!" A high pitched shriek pulled Merlin out of her funk. She and Chikorita looked up to find a Spinarak popping out of the tree, hanging from it by a strand of silk. The Spinarak eyed Merlin with its large eyes. The girl could see a small mark on its head.

"Whoops!" In that instant, she realized that rock she threw just now must have hit Spinarak on the head. She had no idea there was a Spinarak in that tree, and the revelation that she hurt it by mistake sent a wave of guilt over her. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you!"

Unfortunately, her apology fell on deaf ears. Spinarak let out another shriek, and all of a sudden, more Spinarak appeared, along with a group of Ariados, all of them with eyes shining with anger.

All of which were on Merlin.

"Oh no! We gotta run!" Merlin wasted no time sprinting for her life, with Chikorita following from behind. The army of spider Pokemon disconnected themselves from their trees, landed on the ground, and charged at Merlin, running as fast as their spindly legs could carry them.

"Yeeeeeeek!"

Merlin immediately hid behind Julia. The kids were about to ask her what happened, but the answer came swarming all around them. An army of Spinarak and Ariados surrounded them, eyes glowing with fury.

"Where'd these guys come from?!" Caiseal yelped. Apollo and Mallow were quick to hop to his side.

Julia held Merlin close as Hikaru, Neji, Papillon, and Lavinia all readied themselves for battle.

"As far as I'm concerned, they're gonna go back to where they came from!" Perrine exclaimed. "Kitsune, use Flamethrower!"

"Niiiiine!" Kitsune exhaled a stream of fire at the spider army, sending quite a few of them scattering across the field. Some of the Spinarak spat long threads of string at them.

"Apollo, you do the same! Mallow, block them with Bone Rush!"

Apollo mimicked Kitsune, spitting fire at the Spinarak army and reducing their strings to cinders. Mallow managed to knock away a few String Shots with his bone before proceeding to smack some of the Spinarak like he was playing Whack-A-Diglett.

"Papillon, use Gust!" Julia commanded.

"Freeeee!" The butterfly Pokemon flapped her wings as fast as she could, generating a small tornado that ripped through the soccer field, sweeping up quite a few Spinaraks before spitting them out. Only one Ariados was caught in the tiny funnel of air, while the rest used their sharp legs to keep themselves firmly planted into the ground.

"Hey! I heard a scream!" In that moment, Lakeisha came running. "What's going on—whaaaaa?!" As soon as she saw the army of spiders, she stopped in her tracks. The Spinarak and Ariados didn't pay her any heed, continuing to focus their attention on the group.

"Get back, Lakeisha!" Julia barked. "Lavinia, Slash attack, and don't let up!"

Happy to oblige, Lavinia let out a battle cry as she swiped her way through a group of Spinarak and Ariados, cleaving them to the point of clearing an entire path for Lakeisha to walk into if she could. She didn't slice them to death—Lavinia may like a good fight but wasn't a murderer—but made sure to inflict just enough pain to make them regret ever crossing her. Several Spinarak went flying, and others scurried back into the forest, but a good majority of them remained.

"Ugh! There's too many of them!" Julia exclaimed, continuing to hold Merlin close.

Apollo got down on all fours, set his neck aflame, and roared at the spider army, commanding them to go away. Kitsune did the same, only her tails stood up and she bared her fangs. Unfortunately, the Spinarak and Ariados had them surrounded, and their eyes glowed with an intense desire to eat them alive.

Not a chance.

"Hikaru, use Volt Tackle! No mercy!" Julia cried out.

Hikaru got down on all fours and sprinted towards some Spinarak and Ariados just behind the kids. As soon as she got close, electricity exploded from her body as she barreled through a large group of them. Many of the Spinarak were sent flying, and some of the Ariados scurried back to the forest. Finally, there was an opening.

"Come on! We need to go!" Julia cried, taking Merlin by the hand before making a break for it. The kids and Pokemon, Lakeisha included, followed suit, running from the army of spiders.

"What's with all these Spinarak and Ariados?!" Lakeisha cried. "Why're they attackin' you guys?!"

"I have no idea!" Julia answered back. "We just need to get as far away from them as we can! As soon as we're out of their sight, they'll likely fall back! Just keep running and find a place to hide!"

Lakeisha focused on running, but she noticed the sudden confidence in Julia's voice. Had she ever sounded like that before? Some of her Pokemon stopped to hold off the army to bide time for them to escape. Neji used Quick Attack on a few of them, allowing Papillon to fire another Gust and Lavinia to fire off several Air Slashes at them. Lakeisha had to admit, she was impressed. Normally, Julia would cry if she was in a sticky situation, or even in one that wasn't worth making a fuss about. But here she was, commanding her Pokemon like a pro and keeping calm, like she wasn't about to be eaten by a group of poisonous spider Pokemon. Had she really changed this much over the course of a few months? But the most striking thing was that not once did she let go of Merlin. She kept the frightened girl by her side and attempted to calm her every chance she got.

Something that was supposed to be Lakeisha's job.

"Over there!" Caiseal pointed to an empty alley between two buildings.

Knowing what he wanted them to do, the kids and the Pokemon slipped into the alleyway, hiding behind a dumpster. Lakeisha's hands covered her nose to protect it from the awful stench in the air. The other kids did the same, but they all kept their eyes on the Spinarak and Ariados running past. None of them noticed they were there, and the kids didn't breathe, hoping the army wouldn't be able to notice them. After a while, the spider Pokemon disappeared, and the kids exhaled.

"Good. I think we're safe for now," Julia reassured them.

Perrine ran a hand through her orange locks. "What in the world was all that about?" She asked no one in particular. All everyone could do was exchanged confused looks. Nobody seemed to know why a large group of Spinarak and Ariados attacked them.

Except one, and her guilt overtook her.

"I'm sorry! This is my fault!" Merlin cried piteously, burying her face into Julia's shirt. "I was in my secret spot and throwing rocks at trees to let off steam. One of them hit a Spinarak on the head by accident. I didn't know it was there, honest I didn't! I even told it I was sorry but it didn't work! You're all getting chased around because of me!"

Other than Merlin's remorseful sobbing, nobody said a word. The Spinarak and Ariados were all after Merlin? That was why? Even Lakeisha was quiet despite clenching her teeth together in an attempt to suppress her still simmering anger. She was tempted to admonish Merlin for putting them in this situation, but refrained as she found Julia kneeling to her level and stroking her hair in sympathy.

"It's okay, Merlin. You didn't know," Julia told her in a soothing voice. "I know you weren't trying to hurt it on purpose. Let's just focus on solving this problem for right now."

Lakeisha couldn't believe it. Here was Julia, a person she hated with every fiber of her being, doing everything she can to console Merlin, her own little sister, and not even batting an eye at the situation they're in. She looked up and saw Perrine and Caiseal staring right at her with stern, stony expressions, like they caught her doing something she shouldn't have. They didn't use words, but Lakeisha could read their eyes plain as day.

This is all your fault. If you hadn't been so mean to Merlin, we wouldn't be in this situation. You got us into this mess, and you're too selfish to try to fix it.

The worst part of it was…they were absolutely right. This wasn't Merlin's fault. Lakeisha had caused all of this.

"Watch out!" Perrine cried out, pointing to the top of one of the buildings.

Five Ariados peered down at them from the rooftop, aiming their hind quarters and firing a barrage of purple poison stingers at them. The kids ran out of the way as Apollo and Kitsune spat fire at them once again. Suddenly, three of them jumped right in front of the kids, bearing their fangs, blocking their path. Then, before anyone could react, all three of them fired String Shot.

At Merlin.

"Yeeek!" Merlin screeched as sticky string coiled around her arm. It was tight against her body, and it felt like it was pressing down on her chest. Julia tried to pull her back, but another Ariados fired a barrage of white needles at her. The kids knew it was Pin Missile, so the attack wouldn't cause poison, but the pain was too much. Julia tightened her grip on Merlin's free arm, but the pain forced her to let go, her hand unable to hold any longer. The Ariados quintet took the opportunity to grab Merlin with their fangs, throw her on their backs, and scurry away.

"Merlin! No!" Lakeisha screamed in horror, watching as the spider army made their way back to the forest with a crying Merlin in tow.

"Papillon! Follow them! Don't let them get away!" Julia commanded.

Papillon gave a reassuring nod before flying over the Spinarak army, watching them from five feet above to maintain a safe distance.

The kids nodded at each other, knowing what needed to be done. They were going to save Merlin no matter what it took. Lakeisha could only shiver from the terror of it all, wrapping her arms tightly around herself like a force field. This couldn't be happening! Her little sister was kidnapped by an army of poison Pokemon that were likely to either eat her or straight up kill her, and there wasn't a single thing she could do.

A hand on her shoulder pulled her out of her mind, stopping her from thinking the worst. "Come on. Let's save Merlin," Julia said calmly. There wasn't a single trace of fear in her voice. The familiar timid quiver Lakeisha always heard wasn't present.

It was enough to convince her that this was not the time to sit around whining and moaning. Lakeisha nodded. The kids sprinted back to the soccer field, following the Spinarak army to find where they were taking Merlin. Sure enough, they made their way back to the forest, only going deeper inside. The kids kept a safe distance from them in order to watch them without being seen. The Spinarak and Ariados gathered around one set of trees with a huge web in between them. One Ariados, bigger than the rest, was sitting right at the top, watching as the quintet that caught Merlin stuck her to the web. Needless to say, Merlin cried out and began thrashing despite the string around her preventing her from moving.

"Somebody help meeeee!"

"This is bad," Caiseal said. "They're probably gonna eat her at this rate! Apollo, use—!"

"No!" Julia threw her hand out, preventing Apollo from using any attacks. "Don't use any fire attacks! You'll set the forest on fire and wind up burning Merlin to a crisp!"

Lakeisha looked all around the forest. She was right. One fire attack could set the whole forest ablaze, and Merlin would be unable to escape.

"We can't use electric attacks either," Julia warned. "That might wind up doing the same thing, and we don't want to accidentally electrocute her, either."

"Isn't there some way we can attack them without hurting Merlin in the process?" Perrine asked, her eyebrows furrowed with concern. "Considering there's so many of them, we can't necessarily sneak around and grab Merlin when they aren't looking."

As the kids talked amongst themselves over how to save Merlin, Lakeisha could only watch as the Spinarak and Ariados surrounded Merlin, ready to consume their prey. In that moment, all of the remorse and guilt she had pushed away for so long came crashing down, and Julia's words finally settled into her soul. She was absolutely right. Lakeisha had been nothing but cruel to Merlin, all for the sake of being popular, and this was what it led to. She didn't want Merlin to die. Especially not like this. Everything that had happened today was all her own fault, not Merlin's. She couldn't deny it any longer. She had brought all this on herself, and in turn hurt everyone in the process. When did she turn into this awful person?

Memories of times gone by came rushing back. A young Lakeisha celebrating the birth of her new sister. Lakeisha and Merlin playing together. Lakeisha teaching Merlin her ABCs and Pokemon names. The girls playing on the swings in the park. Lakeisha protecting Merlin from bullies. Lakeisha comforting a crying Merlin when a cousin tried to force her to look them in the eye. Even the memories of all of her recent transgressions came rushing back to her like a tornado barreling through a town. Believing everything Kirsten told her without any thought of skepticism. Her sudden desire to be hyper vigilant and controlling over Merlin and her habits. All the times she yelled at Merlin, pinned her down, and called her names over nothing. Taking the video of her meltdown, and finally, rejecting the Pokemon Merlin caught for her and saying she wished Merlin wasn't her sister.

She also thought about Merlin, and how she must have felt during all of this. Lakeisha had convinced herself Merlin had no feelings and wouldn't be hurt by cruel words and actions. Her brain was way too backward to process such a concept. That was what Kirsten had taught her to believe. But as the image of Merlin crying and running away after her cruel admonishment flashed through her mind, the realization hit Lakeisha like a truck. Of course Merlin would be hurt! She had been hurt many times before. Being bullied by other kids. Learning how and why she was different from everyone else. Her older sister suddenly deciding she didn't love her anymore out of the clear blue sky. Lakeisha's chest ached. Merlin had been so sad and lonely. All she wanted was for Lakeisha to love her again like before, and all Lakeisha did was stomp all over it and treat Merlin like garbage. And for what?

Lakeisha pursed her lips together. Enough was enough. No more. Not when Merlin was going to probably die.

But what could she do? She had no Pokemon, and didn't know how to fight or fend for herself. Then she noticed a PokeBall in Caiseal's hand.

Merlin's PokeBall. The one with Smeargle in it.

"Caiseal!" Lakeisha cried. "Can I borrow Smeargle for a bit?"

"Huh?" Before Caiseal could respond, Lakeisha swiped the PokeBall and released Smeargle. The painter Pokemon only tilted its head, bewildered by the scene unraveling before its eyes.

"Smeargle!" Lakeisha kneeled down to its level. "I know we only just met, but we need your help! My sister's in trouble! I can't help her by myself, so we need your powers! Please!" She pleaded tearfully.

Beside them, Julia sent Neji, Karin, and Papillon out, commanding them to deal with the Spinarak army. Lakeisha and Smeargle locked eyes, exchanging no words. Smeargle examined her in silence, wondering what all the hubbub was all about. But it could tell this was a dangerous situation, and it sensed no malice in the girl's heart. Hearing Merlin's cries, Smeargle nodded. Lakeisha gave a grateful smile.

"Go, Fuwari! Use Fairy Wind!" Perrine sent out Fuwari, who generated a gust of shimmering pink wind that sent a few of the Spinarak flying. The web Merlin was stuck to wobbled just a bit, but the Ariados guarding it didn't move an inch.

"Karin, use Powder Snow!" Julia cried out. Karin exhaled a cloud of glimmering white snow that made quite a few of the Spinarak and Ariados shiver. Finally, several of them scurried away, having had enough. Papillon sent blades of air towards several Ariados with a flap of her wings, and Neji popped out from the ground at one point, driving a few others away.

"Ravenclaw, use Wing Attack on that Ariados! No mercy!" Caiseal sent out Ravenclaw, who wasted no time ramming herself into the Ariados guarding Merlin. Ariados swiped at the little crow a few times with its claws, but Ravenclaw deftly dodged every swipe before pecking the giant spider all over.

"Julia!" Lakeisha tapped Julia's shoulder. "Can you use your PokeDex to check Smeargle's attacks?"

Julia's jaw dropped. Normally, Lakeisha never bothered to ask her to do anything. More than that, she actually called Julia by her name for once. But knowing this was a bad situation, she didn't want to waste time gawking. She pulled out her PokeDex and looked over Smeargle's attacks. "Here they are," She gestured for Lakeisha to look. All she needed was a passing glance, and she memorized them right away.

"I want to battle, too!" Lakeisha announced. "This is all my fault and I need to fix this!"

It must be confessed that Julia was tempted to tell her to stay out of this. In all honesty, she was convinced Lakeisha was just going to make things worse for everyone again. Julia couldn't bring herself to believe Lakeisha was actually remorseful for what she had done. The girl had always been so selfish and boastful for all the time she had known her, never seeing fault in her own actions. What made her think this would change anything? Julia wasn't gullible. Not like before. But a part of her reasoned that maybe Lakeisha was genuine in her desire to help. Why would she even ask about Smeargle or talk to it if she didn't? Besides, this wasn't the time to play the blame game. Rescuing Merlin was top priority.

Reluctantly, Julia nodded. "Alright. We need to get that big Ariados off the web. I think it's the leader," She pointed to the web. Ariados used its body to cover Merlin, as if protecting her from the other Pokemon, but the girls knew it was only protecting its food. "I'll have Caiseal and Perrine focus on the army. You and I will deal with the leader. On my signal, you get Merlin free. Got it?"

"Got it!"

"Karin, use Powder Snow again!"

"Smeargle, use Rock Throw!"

Karin blew another powdery cloud of snow, this time aiming it right at Ariados. The big spider attempted to dodge, but the sudden blast of cold air made its body turn rigid, shivering in the onslaught. Then, Smeargle waved its tail and fired off a barrage of sharp rocks that pelted Ariados in all directions. Ariados then readied the spines on its rear and fired off several poison stingers.

"Protect!" Lakeisha cried out.

Smeargle waved its tail, generating a glowing shield shaped like an oval, blocking off the Poison Sting attack. Ariados raised its spines again, preparing for another attack.

"Neji, use Sucker Punch!"

"Fuuuuur!" The long body Pokemon sprinted towards the Ariados leader swiftly, its arm glowing in a black light. Then, once he got close enough, Neji landed a sound punch right on Ariados' face, with such force that it actually knocked the spider right off the web. Ariados rolled six feet away from its web, its head throbbing from the sudden pain.

Leaving Merlin all alone.

"Now's your chance!" Julia cried out.

Without another word, Lakeisha and Smeargle ran over to Merlin. "Use Fury Swipes, but take care not to scratch her," Lakeisha whispered.

Smeargle nodded and raised its tail, generating a set of long claws that made clean cuts through the web. Just like that, Merlin was free! She almost fell to the ground, as she was four feet into the air, but Lakeisha caught her, softening her landing. Chikorita joined them shortly after.

It didn't take long for the Ariados leader to get back on its feet and crawl back to the kids, its large, purple eyes shining with indignation. Merlin hid right behind Perrine, clutching the edge of her vest. Julia stepped forward.

"Excuse me, Ariados!" Julia exclaimed, balling her hands into fists. "Please, listen! Merlin wasn't trying to hurt your friend on purpose! It was an accident!"

Ariados raised its fangs.

"The heck is she doin'?" Lakeisha asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Trying to talk it down," Caiseal answered tersely. "And considering she's scared of poison types, I'm kinda surprised she's so composed right now."

Lakeisha's jaw dropped. Julia was trying to talk it down despite being terrified of poison types? If it had been Lakeisha, she would have ran for the hills hours ago. But Julia showed no signs of fear. This was not the easily frightened girl she used to pick on in school. She truly had grown since she left school. Lakeisha looked down in shame. Why had she ever been so cruel to her before? She used to think Julia was just some drooling idiot who got off on using others to get her own way, mostly because Kirsten had told her so, but all of her actions today proved she was nothing like Kirsten described...and how Lakeisha imagined she'd be.

"We're sorry we had to resort to battling you guys," Julia continued, her voice calm and collected. "We just want you to listen to reason. Now, will you tell your friends to fall back and leave Merlin alone?"

The two had a brief staring contest, and the air around them was tense. Then, Ariados hissed at the rest of its army, and just like that, the spider Pokemon began scurrying away, back to where they came from. Ariados hissed twice more at Julia before turning away and leaving. As soon as the spider Pokemon disappeared, Julia fell to her knees.

"Uuuugh! I don't ever wanna do that again!" Julia groaned. Her legs felt like jelly, and she was sure she'd have a breakdown any minute. "I could practically smell Ariados' breath on me!"

"Merlin!" Lakeisha cried, flying over to Merlin and twining her arms around her sister. "Thank Arceus you're safe!" Merlin could feel warm tears on Lakeisha's cheeks. They were sticky and wet. "This was all my fault! I put you in danger! I'm so sorry!"

This time, Lakeisha didn't begrudgingly fake being guilty or try to make the whole thing Merlin's fault. This was all her own doing, and the remorse she held in was finally released. Now her little sister was safe, and for now, that was all that mattered. All of a sudden, she felt Merlin's hands pushing on her shoulders. With a grunt, Merlin broke from the hug and walked a few feet away, looking down at the ground, like she absolutely refused to look at Lakeisha at all. Chikorita walked to her side, nuzzling against her leg lovingly.

Lakeisha's eyes blurred. She knew Merlin was mad at her for the things she said earlier, but did she have to continue being mad? Lakeisha shook her head. No, she had every right to be angry. Saving her from a group of Spinarak and Ariados wasn't going to magically undo everything Lakeisha did and said to her. Goods deeds weren't simply rewarded just like that, and Lakeisha knew she had no right to expect anything from Merlin at this point. But perhaps now was a good time to tell her she was at least serious about how she felt now. Lakeisha was hurt, yes, but Merlin was hurting more. What right did Lakeisha have to complain when she was the one who caused all this? She slowly walked over to Merlin but kept herself at a small distance of about two feet, knowing Merlin needed her space.

"Merlin. I'm sorry. For everything. For this, all the mean things I said to you, the video...for being such an awful sister to you for over a year," For once, Lakeisha kept a low, calm tone of voice, and she wasn't tempted to needlessly scold her like she did before. "You have every right to be mad, and if you don't wanna forgive me, that's alright. I know just sayin' sorry ain't gonna change what I put y'all through."

Merlin said nothing. The other kids remained silent as well.

"I was lyin' when I said I didn't like Smeargle no more. It was awful sweet of you to catch 'im for me. I was too stupid to see that," Lakeisha flashed a grateful smile before bending down to Smeargle's level. "You were a great help today, friend."

"Smeargle!" The painter Pokemon flashed a grin right back at her.

Then, Lakeisha walked over to Julia. The latter didn't meet her gaze, but she could hear Lakeisha's voice trembling. "Julia. Perrine. Caiseal. Thank you...for helping Merlin."

Julia's jaw dropped. This was the first time Lakeisha had ever thanked anyone, especially unprompted. Better yet, Lakeisha wasn't screaming or complaining this time. Julia could see the sunlight reflecting off the fresh tear tracks on her cheeks. But Julia crossed her arms and locked Lakeisha in place with a stern glare.

"Especially you, Julia," Lakeisha continued. A new set of tears sprung forth, and her voice trembled. "And...I'm sorry. For bein' so cruel to you and pickin' on y'all for stupid reasons. Even before all this. Everything you said about me is true," She wrapped both arms around herself in a futile attempt to keep herself together, but the proud, stubborn facade she kept up had already crumbled. "I am selfish and shallow. I'm always tryin' to be like other people, tryin' to fit in and be popular and be normal. Lettin' people tell me what to do, what to think, how to treat other people even when I know in my heart it's all wrong...I threw my friends and my sister under the bus for Kirsten, and look what happened!"

Smeargle placed a paw on Lakeisha's leg, suddenly feeling sorry for the girl. It didn't quite know what was going on, but seeing how despondent she was broke its little heart.

"Everything I said about you is wrong. You're a better person than I could ever be. You put your life on the line for someone you don't even know and someone you hate," Lakeisha pointed to herself in regards to that last statement. "You've been a better sister to Merlin in a day than I have in the last year. I...I can't say much else other than...I'm sorry…!"

Truth be told, Julia wasn't quite sure how to feel about this. In a way, seeing Lakeisha so despondent and fragile was almost jarring. As much as she wanted to believe Lakeisha and forgive her, she couldn't bring herself to let her guard down. Julia had been through enough bullying and deception. For all she knew, this whole thing could be some kind of farce. But something in the back of her mind convinced her to at least give her an answer.

"Lakeisha," Julia hoped she was choosing her words correctly. The last thing she wanted to do was say something that would wind up making things worse than they already were. Or even start a whole new conflict. "Thank you for apologizing. I won't lie, you really put everyone through the wringer, and I don't think I can forgive you just yet, for both the things you did to me or to Merlin. The only way I'll believe you for sure is if I see for myself that you're committed to being a better person and changing your attitude and the way you treat people, Merlin included."

For once, Lakeisha was silent, staring down at the floor with a resigned, guilty expression.

"But that doesn't mean you can't start now," Julia told her, smiling this time.

Then, Merlin walked back toward the group, looking just as tearful as Lakeisha, her lips pursed together tightly. "Thank you...for saving me…" Merlin whispered.

Perrine knelt down to her level. "No thanks necessary."

Caiseal noticed Lakeisha steal a worrying glance in Merlin's direction. It didn't take much to figure out what it was about. "You'd best not force it," Caiseal told her calmly. "She'll forgive you on her own time. You have to earn her forgiveness first."

Lakeisha gave a slow nod. "I know."

"In case you're wondering," Julia chimed in. "We'll be leaving for Tohjo Falls first thing tomorrow morning at about nine, so you don't have to put up with me for much longer."

"I see…" Lakeisha turned to Merlin. "We better get home now."

Without another word, the Knowles sisters waved goodbye to the trio and made their way back home. The kids began putting their Pokemon back in their PokeBalls in preparation for tomorrow. They began chatting amongst themselves as they made their way back to Julia's house.

"Man, I can't wait to tell Yvette and Geoffrey about this next time I see them," Caiseal mused to himself. "This was just wild!"

Perrine laughed. "I know, right? We practically took on an army of poisonous spiders! You were amazing out there today, Jule," She gave her friend a gentle tap on the shoulder. "You really managed to talk that Ariados down in spite of your fear of poison types!"

Julia blushed. "Oh, it's not that big a deal…" She murmured, cheeks red from the praise. She wondered if she really deserved to be talked up like this. "Ummm...would it seem cruel if I told you I still suspect Lakeisha isn't serious about...changing her ways?"

"Pika?" Hikaru raised her ears, confused by her trainer's anxiety.

"What do you mean?" Perrine asked.

"I don't know. I've been picked on for so many years by so many different people...I guess it's made me inclined to think nobody really changes for the better, y'know? My family is one thing, but people I go to school with…" Julia found herself ashamed of her line of thinking. Nobody was perfect. She herself did things she wasn't proud of, like cheating off of Lakeisha's test for one, and she learned her lesson. Amara was angry at the world until J confessed to being involved in Chanel's death, prompting Amara to realize the error of her ways and finally turn herself in. "I want to believe Lakeisha's apology was genuine. I do. But I think a part of me is convinced she's not sincere or is just trying to trick me again like before. Ugh!" She ran both hands through her hair. "That sounds too mean! I shouldn't be thinking like that!"

"There's nothing wrong with being a little guarded and cynical," Caiseal reassured, pointing his thumb to his chest. "Speaking as someone who is both of those things, having gone through what I did, it can be hard to trust people and tell if someone really wants to be a better person or go back to their old ways. Nothing's ever really set in stone. It's really up to them if they want to make that change."

Good point. Julia nodded. "Yeah, I suppose so."

***

The next morning, the kids ate breakfast and prepared for the trip ahead, with Kassia telling them everything they needed to know about how to get to Tohjo Falls.

"Go east, and you'll find a man and a small boat on a long pier," Kassia explained. "He'll take you to Kanto, but you need to pay a five dollar fee to get on the boat. When you get there, you'll find a small building, and you need to go in there and show the person inside your trainer IDs and PokeDexes so he can run a background check. This is to make sure you're legitimately coming into Kanto for benign reasons and not trying to enter the region illegally. None of you have criminal records, so I think you'll be able to get through border security just fine, but keep your IDs and PokeDexes with you at all times just to be on the safe side."

The kids processed the information, nodding when she finished. "We understand, Mom," Julia told her. "We'll be back when the League is over."

Not a second later, Truman handed the three of them boxes wrapped in colorful cloth. "Kassia made lunch for you all so you won't go hungry during the trek."

"Thanks!" All three of them said in unison.

Kassia smiled before giving Julia a quick hug. "You take care, dear. Be safe. I love you."

Julia savored her mother's warmth. "Love you too."

With smiles on their faces, the kids waved as they made their way east, watching as Julia's parents disappeared into the distance behind them. A great meadow spread out before them, with the ocean about a hundred feet away, almost a straight blue line from where they were currently at. The sun was shining, and the sky was a pure, majestic blue, without a single cloud in sight. A perfect day to head to the Pokemon League.

It was then that it dawned on Julia. "Wow. We're really going into a whole new region, aren't we?" Her hands gripped her backpack in excitement. She had never left Johto before, so Kanto would almost be like a whole new world.

"We sure are, and it's gonna be awesome!" Caiseal exclaimed, throwing a fist in the air.

The kids enjoyed the pleasant walk, as the meadow was so wide and open, they could see far into the distance. The air was frigid, but not so much that they couldn't handle walking a long distance. Even Hikaru was enjoying herself, happily perched on Julia's shoulder and watching the world go by. Then, her ears stood up.

"Pika!" Hikaru chirruped.

The kids stopped walking, turning to Hikaru. "What's up, girl?" Julia asked. Hikaru pointed behind them, and the kids turned to look. A voice was carried on the wind.

"Heeeeey! Wait uuuuup!"

It was Lakeisha! Her legs pushed down on her bike pedals with all the strength she could muster as she rode to catch up to the trio. The kids' jaws dropped. What in the world was she doing all the way out here? Caiseal facepalmed, expecting more drama. Perrine and Julia could only watch with bewildered expressions as Lakeisha finally caught up, panting as she got off her bike.

"Finally...caught ya…" Lakeisha gasped for air with every word she spoke.

"Lakeisha? What are you doing here?" Julia asked.

Once she finally caught her breath, Lakeisha wiped her mouth before talking. "I got...somethin' important to give to ya," She explained, her voice hoarse from biking such a long distance. "I know I'm still grounded, and I had a hard time convincin' Mom and Dad to let me come down and see y'all. I can only stay twenty minutes, and they're timin' me by the clock."

Lakeisha rummaged through her pocket, pulled something out, and opened her hand to show it to her. Julia leaned in to get a closer look. There were two items in her hand. One was a small plush keychain made to resemble a Pikachu. Another was a small slip of paper with a set of numbers on it. A phone number, maybe? Julia gingerly took them into her hands.

"What are these?"

"I wrote my phone number down so you can call and talk to Merlin if you want to," Lakeisha explained. "The plushie keychain is a present from Merlin, to thank ya for bein' her friend and helpin' with catchin' Smeargle for me."

Presents? For her? From Lakeisha Knowles of all people? Perrine and Caiseal exchanged shocked expressions, completely caught off guard by her sudden generosity. Julia was at a loss for words. Lakeisha had come all this way, at Merlin's request, to give these presents and see her off. The Lakeisha she knew in school would never do that for any reason, let alone have anything to do with Julia at all. For a second, Julia thought she was hallucinating or dreaming. Was any of this even real? Did she really deserve this? Or was this yet another trick?

"Are these really for me? Why?"

Lakeisha's cheeks flowered a deep red. "Don't get me wrong, this don't mean we're friends or anything," She stammered. "We's too different from one another. But...it's clear you really make Merlin happy. She really wants to be your friend, and considerin' you two are so much alike...she deserves to have someone like you in her life. As her sister, I don't think it'd be right to stop her from finding people who make her happy. Just because we two can't be friends don't give me the right to ruin this for her."

For a moment, everyone was silent. Noticing how awkward the atmosphere around them became, Lakeisha continued talking. "Also...I know it doesn't mean much just sayin' it, but...I'll work on not being so mean and nasty to you or anybody else. I can't keep lyin' to myself and blamin' other people for problems I caused. I don't wanna be that person anymore. The person Kirsten wants me to be."

Julia looked down at the slip of paper and the Pikachu keychain in her hands. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined this day would ever come. A school bully apologizing for their cruelty towards her and her own sister. Actively working to make amends for what they had done. Going out of their way to see her off, risking all sorts of consequences on top of her current grounding. Before, Julia had seriously doubted Lakeisha could ever see the error of her ways, but now...this proved she was at least trying. She smiled and stuffed the gifts in her backpack.

"You didn't need to go out of your way to do this for me, but thank you. I really appreciate this," Julia told her gratefully. She did feel like just saying thanks felt hollow. Just saying it didn't seem to fully convey how deep her gratitude was in this moment. She did know one thing for sure. "I think you've made a good first step in doing just that."

Lakeisha hoisted herself back on her bike, avoiding Julia's eyes. "Uhh...that's...about it, I guess. Good luck in the Pokemon League!" With those final words, she pedaled away from the meadow, heading back the way she came.

"Wow. Didn't expect that," Caiseal mused.

"Me either," Julia agreed, pulling the paper and her PokeGear out so she can add the phone number to her list. She did find the idea of talking to Merlin on the phone quite appealing, and she did want to deepen her friendship with her. Lakeisha did risk yet another grounding, or adding more to her current one, by doing this for her and acknowledging her past actions...so maybe there was hope for her yet.

"So! You guys ready to head to Kanto?" Perrine asked.

The kids didn't need to be told twice. The trio raced down the meadow, one step closer to the final leg of their journey.

But this wouldn't be the last time they'd run into an acquaintance of Julia's.

***

A/N: Okay, what is it with me and these long chapters? It's even longer than the previous bonus chapter! But I'm pretty proud of how this one came out, so I have no problem with it. I admit, I guess I made the whole "Don't expose a disabled person's vulnerable moments and invade their privacy" moral pretty heavy-handed. No denying that. But I've seen lots of stories involving autistic people having their private moments exposed to the world for profit and sympathy, usually by their own parents, such as the crappy Autism Every Day commercial by Autism Speaks, and that awful autobiography by Judith Newman called To Siri With Love, where the authoress not only exposes information about her son that the public has no right to know, such as medical info and texts he sent to his friends, but claimed she plans on sterilizing him under the belief that, as an autistic person, he's not capable of raising kids. Yeah, gag me with a spoon. Considering so many people are rather thick-skulled about whether autistics even deserve the right to privacy, why bother being subtle about it? Some anvils deserve to be dropped, and be dropped hard.

Oh, and there's another bonus chapter coming up right after this. Don't worry, it'll be the last one for this arc, and it'll yet again set up the conflict for the next official chapter. Since Pokemon Sword and Shield are out now, what do you guys think of it? Like it? Hate it? Feel it deserved to be better? Kinda meh on it? I'm still playing Shield right now, and I like it fine, even though I'm still bummed about several of many favorite Pokemon not being available in the game. But as a loyal Pokemon fan, I'm not gonna let that dictate whether I can enjoy the game for what it is. I'll probably be playing Shield for a good while yet. Enjoy!

 

[namohysip]

Aw, now this is an adorable story (at the start for what I’ve read so far, at least.)

--

Heya! So this is your Secret Santa review, and I tried to read as much as I could for a few weeks so I could give you as much as possible. I ended up reading the first seven chapters, and then I read the final chapter published so far in an effort to give you what you had requested in your Secret Santa request – feedback on how your efforts to improve have done.

So, first, some general feedback about a few things from the early chapters.

I thought that the main character was charming and, in a way, easy to sympathize with. Perhaps some of this stems from the fact that I’m also familiar with autism, but I saw where you were coming from with some of her quirks and behaviors. Unfortunately, I think one issue with the narration at the same time is that these quirks are laid on a bit too thickly—not in how often they happen, but how much the narrative focuses and spends time on it, sentence after sentence over the same incident.

I think, from a narrative standpoint, a lot of the characters are presented in a very black-and-white standpoint as well, where it’s very clear that the characters who are nice to Julia are good guys, and those who are rude or unkind to her are bad guys. Perhaps in future chapters there will be more layers to both individuals, but I think right now, the vast majority of characters are presented flatly and with little nuance—and that somewhat weakens the narrative.

From a mechanical standpoint, I think the prose here is nice. The beginning few paragraphs in particular impressed me with setting the scene, and while I had a mental reference (as it’s a canon location) I had a better sense of scale of the place compared to its tiny spot in the games. I think the battles in particular, while a bit formulaic at times, were also well balanced and gave a sense of how strong everyone was relative to each other. I think it was also a good call to show what it would look like to have a Pokémon battle a human, such as with Totodile near the start, since one of those questions that I always keep in mind from story to story is how strong humans are in each one.

Those were just some general thoughts. I think I’ll get a little more in depth for the latest chapter—I’m skipping ahead to see if your efforts to improve paid off!

--

So, let’s fast forward all the way to… chapter 61!

So this was actually a very opportune chapter for me to grab, wasn't it? Almost nothing here was unfamiliar to me! We have a new character and a few different Pokemon (but referring to the last chapter's party roster filled most of that in) and we're even back in Cherrygrove! It also looks like the story for this chapter operated more like a between episode of sorts, since it feels like it summarized / paralleled / abridged the story that had happened before.

Things are still laid on a little thick, and Lakeisha in particular is another example of how black-and-white things are depicted here. The third-person omni perspective, as I mentioned before, adds to this gripe I have with the narrative style. I don't know what had been shown between chapter 7 and now, but since this chapter was so self-contained, it really seems like that same thick-painting style is still present, when I feel like a more subtle, nuanced approach would work better for such a long story. I'm not sure what the purpose of introducing these new characters is aside from just giving a very explicit "Julia has changed since chapter 1" outline, which was probably already shown a lot previously.

Oh! But now let's take a look at quotes, since I want to get more in-depth with the latest chapter. Just a few of them.

Neji gently pushed on the front of the Arcanine, making it wobble just a bit. Ladybug bounced up and down, making it move right along with her. Neji cheered, clapping his small paws together as his attempt at helping Ladybug proved successful.

The last part of the final sentence seemed a little redundant, and this is something I see a lot in the narrative style. Basically, I don't think 'as his attempt at helping Ladybug proved successful' is necessary -- no new information is added. It's very obvious why Neji is pleased.

"Hm?" Caiseal was the first to noice.

*notice

The girl swirled around,

*twirled? Swirled is an odd word to use in this context, since it makes me imagine she's a strawberry smoothie.

Smeargle had completely disappeared. It was as though it had disappeared into thin air.

Redundant sentences, awkward word repetition.

She replied cheerfully, balling her hands into fists and standing on the balls of her feet.

"balling" and "balls of her feet" are right next to each other, making for slightly unwieldy sentence structure.

"Yep. We sure are," Perrine said, introducing herself and her friends right away. "I'm Perrine, and these are my friends, Julia and Caiseal."

Another bit of redundancy, you don't really need 'introducing herself and her friends right away' here.

"Are you here all by yourself, Merlin?" He asked, concerned.

Quick dialogue rule: Even though it ends with a ?, because the following sentence is a simple dialogue tag, you don't actually capitalize the 'he' in it. You treat the ? as if it was a comma.

It was Julia's turn for her jaw to drop. Merlin was Lakeisha's sister? Lakeisha was Merlin's sister? Julia's mind reeled from the impact this revelation made on her psyche.

Another passage that could probably have been distilled into a single sentence; the first sentence was good, but the following ones were either recapping what had just happened, or could have been quickly combined into the first.

"Whatever," She grabbed Merlin by the arm and yanked her away.

I'm not sure what's going on here grammatically, but because what follows the dialogue is an action, you're correct to capitalize She. However, because it was an action tag, you actually end the dialogue in a period rather than a comma.

Lakeisha got right into Merlin's face, hissing the sentence out like it was poison.

This is an odd phrase to envision. And this ties back to the odd similes used in the story, which I noticed are less frequent in this chapter, but still present.

Lakeisha snorted and broke into laughter, so much so that she held a hand to her stomach and bent over, like she heard the funniest joke ever.

The final clause, 'like she heard the funniest joke ever,' is a bit of a cliche phrase, an odd simile, and probably not necessary / a bit redundant considering that the action was already described. Less might be more in this case.

It didn't take long for Julia's body to relax. Merlin was apologizing for what her sister did? Her frown turned upward. At least Lakeisha's sister wasn't mean. She hadn't expected someone she just met to be so considerate and stand by her so quickly.

This is also something that happens a lot -- the whole scene sometimes pauses to get into Julia's head for thoughts that disrupt the pacing, since by perhaps the first half of the quoted passage, the reader probably already gets the signal. Not everything has to be outlined so meticulously; subtlety can get a lot more payoff.

What was her problem? Julia couldn't help but be quite miffed with the way Lakeisha was shooting Merlin down and stomping all over her interest in names. Why was she making Merlin out to be some nuisance? Merlin hadn't done anything as far as she had seen. Was this what Merlin had to put up with every day? It reminded her of how she and Amara had fought and argued before Amara ran away. It was like Lakeisha was convinced Merlin was some walking disaster who would cause chaos if she wasn't there to constantly watch over her. Julia's hands clutched the straps on her backpack tightly, and she remembered she was a different person from before. She wasn't going to let Lakeisha boss Merlin around like that. Not on her watch.

Same thing here, but even more.

Kirsten? A bell rang in her head louder than a Hyper Voice attack.

It's a cute analogy, but another one of those similes that seems more forced than it needs to be.

It was like Julia saw a dragon Pokemon drop meteors onto the planet.

Ditto here.

--

It's such an amazing coincidence that I was able to see this chapter right after finishing the 7th, since it practically seems like the story arc had been aligned just in time for Christmas. Anyway, I can definitely tell that your writing style has improved since the beginning chapters, and while I still have some issues with the phrasing used or the narrative being too direct with its omniscient perspective, I do appreciate the story for what it's setting out to do.

Thanks for the read. Hope this is helpful while you continue Julia's adventure, and Happy Holidays!

 

[Juliko]

I had meant to reply earlier, but I was in Las Vegas and barely had any internet service. But anyway, @namohysip Thanks so much for your review! I'm aware that my earliest chapters were...not quite the best, and many others have commented on their flaws before. I admit, I've never been the best at nuance, and I've been trying to rectify this, but whether I'm successful or not is still up for debate. But I'm glad you at least gave my story a shot! The most recent chapter you read actually has more context behind it if you read the bonus chapter that comes before it. Then again, it's a long story, so if you don't want to commit to reading it, it's totally fine. Thanks so much for your feedback, and I'll see if I can actually apply some of this stuff in my stories in the future.

 

[Juliko]

Bonus chapter 5: Anything But Normal

I don't want to be here.

Ten-year-old Julia Parisa sat in the middle of her science class, staring down at paragraphs and paragraphs of notes she had written down in her notebook. But she could barely make heads or tails of any of it. Up front, the teacher was droning on about photosynthesis and how plants get nutrients from sunlight. Next to her, Lakeisha Knowles was staring at her freshly manicured pink fingernails with a smug look on her face. On her right, Tommy Alcott was writing additional notes into his notebook.

I hate this place.

Saying she hated school was an understatement. She loathed school and everything about it with every fiber of her being. It was only the fifth day of school, and already she felt like she was in prison. One of the fluorescent lights kept flickering and blinking above her head, and the constant flickering was stinging her eyes. Her teacher was talking so fast, Julia could barely keep up, and by the time she wrote one thing down, her teacher would already be onto something else, and Julia wound up forgetting what she had said just two seconds ago. Her teacher had said to take notes on the lesson, and Julia wanted to write everything down. But how could she write everything down when she was speaking really fast?

Not only that, at her other school, all of her classes were in one room, nowhere else. Here, she had to go to different rooms, some on the first floor and some on the second floor, every time the bell rang. The school only gave students five minutes to get from class to class, and to her, that was no time at all. She had already been late to Galarian class twice because she didn't get there fast enough, and that was because she had to run from one far end of the first floor, up two short flights of stairs, and down two more halls. It especially didn't help that it was against the rules to run in the halls, but running was the only way she could get to class on time. That was just too much for her to handle. How could anyone manage it? At least in elementary school, the classes were all in one room so she didn't have to worry about trying to make it to class on time and winding up out of breath when you got there. Why did things have to be different here?

By this point, some of Lakeisha's personal items were starting to get onto Julia's desk. A few stray pencils and her compact mirror, mostly. Julia pushed them back a few times, but after a few minutes, they'd wind up back where they were before. Couldn't Lakeisha keep everything on her desk? This wasn't her house. All of the other noises, scents, and feelings pounded on her senses, at war for her constant attention. Her teacher talking about something else. What was she talking about? She had barely managed to finish processing everything she had said just seconds before. Lakeisha sitting way too close, to the point where Julia could practically feel her body heat, and she was too afraid to ask her to back off a bit. Clinking and scraping. One of the kids shouting an answer to a question. A hand flew to her ear to protect it, but it barely did anything.

I want to go home.

As much as she wanted to, she couldn't. She couldn't just leave school. It was against the rules, and if she didn't follow the rules, she'd get in trouble. Getting in trouble was the last thing she wanted. The importance of adhering to everyone's rules and regulations in school had been drilled into her psyche since infancy. Any deviance from the rules was taken very seriously, like arresting someone who committed a grave crime. But she felt like a Pokemon trapped in a tiny cage, compressed and unable to move. Nothing made any sense right now.

She stole a glance at the clock. It was eleven thirty. Another half hour before lunch, and then recess. Time was moving at a Slugma's pace. She wished it'd be twelve right now, so she'd stop feeling so bad. She waited with bated breath for the electric bell to ring. Freedom.

"Julia?"

Julia was pulled from her reverie. The teacher was staring at her. The whole class had their eyes on her.

"Y-Y-Yes?"

"Can you tell me what a chloroplast is?"

A wave of relief washed over her. Yes! A question she could actually answer. It helped that she had written it down just yesterday. She flicked through some pages and found the answer.

"A chloroplast is a green plant cell that…" For a brief second, she paused to compose her answer. "Umm...absorbs sunlight and uses it with water and...carbon dioxide to make food for the plant?" Was that right? Julia held her hands to her chest. She hoped that was right. "It's part of photosynthesis!" She hastily added.

Fortunately, her teacher smiled. "Very good."

Julia hunched back over her desk once the teacher was back to her lecture in an effort to make herself as small as possible. She hoped the class wouldn't keep staring at her, expecting her to get the answer wrong and then laugh at her for it. It had happened too many times before. But even when she got the answer right, she still felt like she was being scrutinized. She still felt...wrong. Her head spun. Everything was still too bright. Almost blinding.

"...Freak," She heard a malicious whisper from right next to her. Julia furrowed her eyebrows. Oh great. Lakeisha was insulting her again. Way to ruin her already unstable frame of mind.

Even as lunch and recess finally arrived, Julia still felt like garbage. Kids flooded the concrete blacktop, engrossed in their own activities. Julia made a beeline for a more secluded spot, away from the yelling, screaming, and potential bullies waiting to pounce on her. Said secluded spot was a large wooden cage with steel wire mesh, keeping in two Pokemon, a Cyndaquil and a Sentret. The two Pokemon were happily sharing a meal together, munching on some Pokemon food that was in a big silver bowl, big enough for two Pokemon to share. Julia had found it two days ago and got along nicely with the two Pokemon inside. She resolved to always visit them during recess, which was the only time in the day she could do so.

"Hello!" Julia greeted them with a smile, squatting down to their level as she approached their cage. Sentret and Cyndaquil chirruped with delight, waving their little arms at her in return. Warmth lurched in her chest. At least they were happy to see her. She was sure they were the only ones in the whole school who genuinely liked her. Other kids and the teachers? Not a chance. She wished she could open the cage and hug them, but she wasn't allowed to, so she had to make do with petting them through the wire, slipping her fingers through the small holes to scratch their fur.

"Did any of the teachers let you out today?" Julia asked. Cyndaquil and Sentret jabbered away, telling the girl about their day. She smiled as she listened to their story. "Sounds cool! I bet everybody liked you!" The Pokemon told them that a teacher brought them into a class and the other kids got to play with them. Julia wished someone would bring them into her class someday. She stroke Sentret's ear with one hand, taking care not to get her hand too deep into the cage, lest she get stuck in the wire mesh.

"I wish I could let you guys out." Julia mused. "I bet you don't like being stuck in here all day."

She wondered if the Pokemon felt stuck in here, similar to how she felt trapped in school. But from what she heard, Sentret and Cyndaquil belonged to one of the teachers, so she couldn't just open the cage and set them free. Even if she wanted to, there was a lock on the door, and she had no key. There was no way she could just let them out. However, Sentret and Cyndaquil smiled at her, enjoying her company just as much as she enjoyed theirs, so they didn't seem to mind. Their friendship soothed her troubled soul.

Like she did over the past week, she hung out with them until the bell rang, and then it was off to social studies. The students settled into their desks, and Julia had pulled her notebook out before her ears caught the devious sound of gossip.

"I saw the freak talking with the Pokemon again."

Julia flinched. That was Kirsten's voice. Snickering soon followed. She kept her eyes on her notebook, but she heard every word. Kirsten Seeley was gossiping with her friends again. Just what she needed. Feeling eyes piercing at her back, their lips spreading malicious slander right behind her, knowing she would hear.

"Just look at her. She dresses like she's five years old!"

"My three-year-old brother has better fashion sense than she does."

"God, I can't stand her. She's so annoying, always gabbing about Pokemon all the time."

Everyone she knew always told her to ignore people like Kirsten and her friends, but it's hard to ignore things like that when it happens every single day, every minute, every second, knowing that it would never stop. She wished she was an Abra so she could just teleport back home. School couldn't end fast enough.

Eventually, school ended and Julia was back in the safety of her house, thanks to Kassia dropping her off and picking her up by car every day. She wasted no time rolling around in the backyard, riding Meganium's back, or snuggling with Ninetales. Clouds gathered in the sky, telling the sun to tone back the light a bit, which was perfectly fine with Julia. Overcast weather wasn't bright or blinding, and she really didn't want to stare at a blindingly blue sky right now. She snuggled up to the fox Pokemon, wrapping her tails around herself like they were a soft, fluffy blanket.

"I don't like fifth grade," Julia told Ninetales. "Everything's so different from fourth grade, and I feel like everybody wants me to go super fast and just remember stuff they say after only hearing it once. But I just can't! And I really don't like Mrs. Finney, my Galarian class teacher."

"Nine?" ("How come?") Ninetales asked, curious.

"She keeps looking at me and looks like she's mad all the time," Julia replied, not quite sure how to explain what she was feeling. "She probably thinks I'm a bad kid, and I haven't done anything."

Ninetales didn't quite know what to say about that, since she had never gone to a human school before. All she could do was lower her head down and nuzzle the girl's head reassuringly. Julia appreciated the gesture and stayed with the fox Pokemon until dinner. After that, she did her homework, took a bath, played some more, used the blow dryer to dry her hair, and went to bed. She was doubtful that the next day would be any better than the past week. In school, every day seemed the same as the one before, and she had no reason to think anything would change.

***

The next morning, something new happened. In homeroom, Mrs. Quimby and a new boy she didn't recognize stood in the front of the classroom. The boy was about her age, but slightly taller, with black hair and fair skin, wearing a red and white hoodie over a black shirt, long yellow shorts with black pockets, and shoes of all three colors. Even his hat, which was turned backwards, was black and yellow. His eyes were a subtle brownish color, but outside the light, they almost looked grey.

"Class! We have a new student joining us today!" Mrs. Quimby announced with unabashed cheer before turning her gaze to the boy. "Care to introduce yourself?"

The boy nodded before talking. "I'm Ethan Goldsworthy. I just moved here from Olivine City. It's nice to meet you all!"

Most of the kids clapped and chatted amongst themselves, happy to finally have someone new with them. Julia kept her head down, focusing solely on drawing a Pikachu in her notebook. As soon as Ethan was seated, many of the girls gathered around him, bombarding him with questions. Kirsten, Lakeisha, and several members of their girl posse in particular.

"You're from Olivine City?! That's so cool! Did you go to the beach a lot?"

"Yeah. My mom loves the beach, and we saw a lot of water Pokemon, too."

"I wish I could live in Olivine City! Why'd you move to a silly place like this?"

"Well, my dad lost his old job, and he found a new one here. Plus, we wanted to live closer to my grandparents and my aunt."

"Do you have any brothers and sisters?"

"I have a twin sister, Eden. We don't look anything alike, though. Her hair's way longer and curlier."

Giggling and squeeing soon followed. The high pitched voices grinded at Julia's eardrums. She covered her ears with both hands, muffling the sound somewhat, but she wished they would just stop. He didn't need them pestering him with a million questions. But walking up to them and telling them so would just cause more problems than they were worth, so Julia shrank into her seat. It was morning, and already, Julia wished she was back home.

As it turned out, she wound up sharing a lot of classes with this Ethan kid. Math, social studies, Galarian, and so on. Finally, after what seemed to be forever, recess finally came around, and Julia wasted no time retreating to her favorite spot, the cage where Cyndaquil and Sentret were. She greeted them with a smile, handing them some cookies she brought from home, having saved them beforehand.

"Sorry I wasn't able to bring anything healthier," Julia told them, slowly sliding the cookies through the spaces in the wire mesh, taking care not to break them. The Pokemon took the cookies and chowed down, happy to have an extra meal. Cyndaquil in particular let out a delighted squeal after it finished its treat, and Sentret could only recoil from how sudden it was. Julia smiled as she watched them enjoy the snack she brought them. At least they appreciated the nice things she did for them. The last time she tried to do something nice for someone, like buy them a gift or bring some food her mother made, the recipient told her to go away and left her in the dust.

Suddenly, a shadow loomed over her, pulling her out of her memories. She looked up, and for a moment, she didn't breathe. Ethan was standing just a few feet away from her, looking over his shoulder like he was running away from enemy spies.

"Jeez. Those girls just won't leave me alone!" Ethan exclaimed before turning around, his jaw dropping when he met eyes with Julia.

Only one thought swam through Julia's mind in this moment: Her secret hiding spot was discovered! This new guy found her out! What was he doing here? Julia wished she could just tell him to go away, that this was her spot, but she knew that wasn't quite true. Anyone had a right to be here and play with the Pokemon if they wished. Another, slightly darker thought pushed that one out of the way. Was he here to bully her? Julia stood up to run, but Ethan extended his hand out to stop her.

"Wait! Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Ethan apologized. "I'm just trying to get away from Kirsten and her friends. They're all over me!"

Kirsten? Did he say he wanted to get away from her? Does he not like her? Just like that, Julia's interest was piqued. Then, Ethan saw the Pokemon and smiled. "Wow! A Sentret and a Cyndaquil? Cool!" He kneeled down to their level and stuck his fingers through the openings in the wire mesh. Cyndaquil gently nudged its nose against his fingers, sniffing him.

"Be gentle with them," She told him, kneeling back down.

"They're so cute!" Ethan cooed, stroking Cyndaquil's fur. "Man, if I ever become a trainer, I'd pick Cyndaquil as my first Pokemon for sure!"

"Do you like Pokemon, too?"

"Sure do! Hey, I saw you in homeroom. I'm Ethan. What's your name?"

"Ju...Julia…"

"Nice to meet'cha!" Ethan greeted her with a warm, welcoming grin. "So do these Pokemon belong to anyone?"

"One of the teachers. I don't know which one, though."

From then on, the two found themselves talking about their favorite Pokemon all throughout recess. Julia couldn't believe her luck. This new kid actually wanted to talk to her and seemed to like her! Could this mean...she made a new friend? But he didn't say anything about wanting to be friends, so she didn't want to count her Torchics before they hatched. Plus, for all she knew, other kids might try to claim him as their friend and convince him to stay away from her. But for the first time since she started school, she was actually happy.

When the final bell rang, Julia was among the many students who flooded the front of the school. But she didn't want to get to her mother's car just yet. She looked all around, wondering where Ethan was. Children shouting and parents calling for their kids all mixed into one another, making it hard to tell whose voice belonged to who. But if she couldn't find Ethan by sound, she could find him by sight, namely his big red hoodie, black hair, and yellow shorts. Sure enough, she found him standing by the fence and ran over to him.

"Hey, Julia!" Ethan exclaimed. "You heading home yet?"

"My mom's here, but I wanted to see you first," Julia told him. Her fingers clutched the straps of her backpack as she attempted to push the words out. She had to ask the question now. Waiting until tomorrow would just make her antsy. "Umm...would it be okay if we...I dunno...we...became friends?"

There was a brief silence between them, but Ethan wasted no time breaking it. "Sure! I'd love that!"

What?

Julia looked up, and she saw his eyes for the first time. They were dark brown, like chocolate, and there was no trace of scorn or hatred in them. They didn't scrutinize or judge her like everyone else's eyes did. For once, she didn't feel compelled to look away. Ethan's eyes didn't burn into her and send pain into her soul. With those three little words, the world was suddenly in alignment.

The sound of a car honking pulled them out of their conversation. "Sorry. Mom's waiting for me," Ethan told her, waving as he made his way towards a green car. "I'll see ya tomorrow!"

"See ya!" Julia waved back with just as much enthusiasm.

She didn't think she'd live to see the day. A new friend! She actually made a friend! With a light heart full of happiness, she went back home wearing a smile on her face the entire day. Her parents weren't quite sure what to make of her sudden newfound happiness, but were overjoyed all the same. She didn't even mind doing her homework straight away. Julia felt like she was walking on air in a cloudland of her own making. Not once had she ever thought she'd ever find a friend in school. She had some when she was in first and second grade, but she had lost contact with them and never saw them again since.

Now she had a reason to actually look forward to school.

***

Of course, having a friend didn't mean school got any easier for Julia. It was still as confusing as ever. Studying for tests was definitely one of the hardest parts. Back in elementary school, all Julia needed to do was remember what she learned from her homework and in class, and she usually passed them with flying colors. Now, the teachers kept saying to study for tests, look at their notes, and read through their textbooks. But which notes was she supposed to look at? Which parts did she need to read in her textbooks? How was she supposed to know which ones were going to be on tests and which ones weren't? What did study even mean in this context? How was she even supposed to go about it? Nothing made any sense, and everything the teachers said was no help. It didn't help that even her parents were stumped when they tried to help her with her homework, often spending three hours just staring at papers and trying to figure out the answer.

It was like school was trying to make her brain explode. So much to do, and she had no idea how to go about any of it. She didn't even know how to put any of this stuff into words to explain to her parents. At one point, Julia found herself in trouble. A science test she had completely threw her for a loop. Nothing made sense, and she didn't know any of the answers despite doing what the teachers told her. Her brain was completely blank. How could she possibly pass? What could she even do? She couldn't ask for help, as that wasn't allowed during testing. She found herself looking at another student's paper and copying the answers. Of course, the student told the teacher, Julia was scolded, and given a zero for the whole thing.

She wasn't sure how long the day went on. Everything was little more than a thick haze, and she had no way of getting through it. When she got home, her parents wasted no time bringing the subject up.

"Julia. Why did you look at that girl's answers?" Her mother asked. "You shouldn't do that. That's cheating, and it's wrong."

"It is?" Julia's mind was blown. That was cheating? Her mother nodded. "Nobody told me that!"

"We're sorry. That was our fault. We should have explained this to you much earlier," Her father said. "But that doesn't mean you're not in trouble. You can't look at peoples' answers on their tests and homework. It's like stealing work that other people did themselves. You need to study on your own and write your own answers."

Study. There was that word again. How was she even supposed to do that? Nothing she did worked. Her eyes blurred. Why didn't they get it? She tried and tried and tried, but none of what she was supposed to learn stayed in her head. Why were they expecting her to just know everything without trying? Nothing made sense. Tears sprung forth, her pulse screamed in her wrists, and it was at this moment that she lost control entirely.

"I don't know how to study!" Julia screamed, wishing everything would just go away. "I don't know how! How do I look at my notes?! How do I know which stuff is more important than everything else?! What do I even need to look at?! Do I just stare at my papers until it's all in my head?! I don't know what to do!"

All her parents could do was stare at each other. Julia broke into pitiful sobbing, finally managing to process that she had done something wrong. No way was she ever going to look at someone else's answers ever again. She didn't want to be that kind of person. She barely noticed her parents pulling her into a hug, telling her that they'd find a way to help her and make school easier for her. But because she did something wrong, they declared that she wasn't going to have dessert after dinner, nor could she watch TV for the rest of the night. Julia was fine with that.

Her parents came to the conclusion that three things led to this incident: The stress of the transition from fourth to fifth grade, the differences between study methods between grade levels, and her lingering sense of inadequacy. They worked with the school to help Julia understand the concept of studying better, along with teaching her various methods she could use to study for tests and seeing which ones best suited her needs. Once she got that down, school gradually got better, and she wasn't as hopelessly confused as she was before. Julia didn't want to be a cheater, so she worked as hard as she could to bring her grades up, though math was still a struggle.

But even with all of that, she still found something to look forward to: Ethan. She always sat next to him at lunch, and did everything she could to find time to talk to him during recess. It helped that he did genuinely enjoy her company, and they talked about lots of things: Pokemon, their favorite shows and games, their family, the occasional gossip about some classmates, and so on. One day in September, Julia and Ethan were sitting against the fence that closed in the blacktop, talking amongst themselves. Julia was showing him a manga that she liked, and Ethan liked what he had read so far.

"Wow! This is really good!" Ethan exclaimed. "I used to think it was some stupid girly book, but thanks so much for proving me wrong!"

Julia grinned. "Told you it was good!" She had tried convincing him to read the manga for a while now, and only a week ago did she manage to get through to him. She would bring volume one with her for him to read at lunch, and they would sit and read it during recess. Ethan was a slow reader, but Julia didn't mind. At this point, he was only a few pages away from the ending. Once he got that done, he shoved the book into Julia's hands.

"Hook me up with volume two, please!"

"Will do!" Julia stuffed her book into her backpack, delighted from finally being able to share something she liked with someone.

"Oh! I forgot to mention!" Ethan balled his hands into fists. "Next week, my mom's gonna take me to Professor Elm's lab and let me get a Pokemon!"

A Pokemon? Julia's green eyes lit right up. "Really? Awesome!" Ethan had been talking about wanting to get a Pokemon for a while, but his parents wouldn't let him even though he had turned eleven back in August. They reasoned that he needed to be more responsible and get his grades up before they'd let him have a Pokemon. It seemed like they finally relented.

She knew which Pokemon he was going to get. "You're gonna get a Cyndaquil, right?"

"Sure am!"

"Are you gonna name it?"

"Name it?" Ethan scratched his head, pondering her question. "Nah. Not really. I'm no good at coming up with nicknames for them, so I'm gonna leave them as they are."

Julia shrugged. She would have been happy to suggest potential names for him, but every trainer had their preferences, so she decided against trying to convince him to nickname his Pokemon. Like her father said, just because she liked or didn't like something, it didn't mean things had to be the same way with everyone else. "Is your sister gonna get a Pokemon, too?"

"Yeah," Ethan replied, crossing his arms. "She said she wants a Chikorita, but for all I know she might change her mind. She always changes her mind all the time, and it's really annoying. One second she'll say she wants an orange dress, but then she'll say she wants a blue dress. She never wants to decide on anything right away, and she takes forever in doing so!"

"My sister's like that, too," Julia told him. "She takes forever whenever we go shopping for clothes. It really drives me nuts."

The two of them laughed as they told each other stories about their siblings and their occasional bad habits. Warmth lurched in Julia's heart in this moment. She had always wanted to gossip with someone and share funny stories with them, but nobody ever wanted to listen to anything she had to say. Who would want to hang out with a weirdo, they said. Now, with Ethan here, she felt on top of the world.

"That reminds me, I wanna show you something cool!" Ethan exclaimed, digging through his pockets. Oddly enough, his hands didn't feel anything. "Huh?" He rummaged through his big pants pockets, but there was nothing in them. "Awww, man! Did I leave them in my bag?"

"Leave what in your bag?"

Ethan stood up. "I brought some cards my dad got for me. I think I left them in my backpack. You stay here. I'll be right back!" With a quick wave, he ran over to the bleachers, and from where Julia was, they were about thirty or so feet away, which was far by her standards.

Now she found herself alone. Unlike before, Julia was content. She knew he'd be back, and she had another book with her, so she pulled it out to read for a little bit, if only until Ethan got what he needed. But three pages in, and a big shadow loomed over her, along with a set of tan sandals decked with artificial flowers entering her vision.

"Hey, Julia."

The venomous voice made the girl turn rigid with tension. She stood up in alarm, clutching her book tightly against her chest, more so when she saw four girls standing right in front of her-one of them being Lakeisha from her science class. All four of them glared right at her with angry eyes, but the leader of the little posse was a girl with ash brown hair tied into pigtails and dark brown eyes. Knowing what was going to happen, Julia attempted to run, but Lakeisha blocked her path, hand on the fence, with the rest of them surrounding her.

"Go away, Lakeisha!" Julia exclaimed.

"Nuh-uh. Kirsten got a bone to pick with you," Lakeisha sneered.

Kirsten, the girl with the ash brown pigtails, crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows, her dark eyes locking Julia in place. "Listen, we've noticed that you've been hanging around Ethan a lot lately."

"Yeah? He and I are friends," Julia replied.

One of the girls behind her broke into a chuckle. "She actually thinks she's friends with him? What an idiot!" She snickered.

"Shut it, Paisley!" Kirsten hissed. Paisley glared back at her before Kirsten turned to face Julia again. "I'm just going to be straight with you. Stay away from Ethan."

"Why?" Julia asked. She couldn't quite comprehend what was so wrong about being friends with someone, much less why Kirsten cared so much about anything she did. Since when was being friends with someone a crime?

"Because he's my man," Kirsten snarled, slamming a hand onto her own chest with dramatic flourish. "A stupid freak like you has no right to even so much as breathe the same air as him!"

"Yeah!" Paisley chimed in. "Kirsten got first dibs!"

Julia furrowed her brows, not liking what Kirsten was implying. "So you basically want to hog him all to yourself like he's some kind of rare jewel?"

Kirsten waved a dismissive hand in her direction, acting like Julia said something silly. "All I'm saying is that a cool guy like Ethan deserves to be around people who are actually...y'know, normal. He doesn't need a pea-brained, frumpy, pathetic freak like you polluting his good social standing."

Bile rose in the back of Julia's throat. The more she heard Kirsten talk, the more she wanted to just push past the girls and get away from this gong show. Who did Kirsten think she was? Julia couldn't believe how entitled this girl was acting. It didn't take much for Julia to figure out that Kirsten just wanted Ethan for herself, and not out of genuinely wanting to be friends with him. She just wanted him so she could show him off like a trophy she had won. In fact, she and her friends fawned over any cool looking guy they saw, exalting them like they were untouchable, heavenly Gods, and when they got close enough to them, paraded him around, flaunting the fact that they were friends with him while threatening anyone who tried to do the same. Just last year, Julia saw Kirsten, Paisley, and the other girl here (Not Lakeisha, as she was in a different class at the time) harass a poor girl to tears because a boy Kirsten liked said hello to her. She told the teacher about it, Kirsten was suspended for three days, and the girl had left school completely, never to be seen again.

Now it was happening to Julia, and all because Ethan wanted to be friends with her? That was what Kirsten considered some kind of unforgivable crime? Where was the logic in that? Or was there any? This was just too ridiculous, and Julia could tell Kirsten didn't learn her lesson. Or maybe she didn't want to.

"Yeah," Lakeisha added. "Besides, we all know yous a big fat cheater! He deserves better than you!"

Really? That again? Julia clenched her teeth. Why was she still bringing that up? She had already apologized to Lakeisha for cheating off her test and promised to never do it again. What more did she even want from her?

"So do Ethan a favor and stay away from him. Forever," Kirsten told her, leaning way too close into Julia's personal space. "All you're going to do is drag him down and cramp his style."

"Go away!" Julia slipped away from Kirsten, finally breaking past Lakeisha, out from the vicious circle. "You don't get to decide who should be friends with who, not me or Ethan!" She snapped, unable to listen to any more of Kirsten's inane threats. "He's not your property! Why not let Ethan make his own decisions for himself? Besides, he told me himself he doesn't like you, so maybe you should respect his wishes instead of trying to scare me away from the first friend I made in years!"

At this point, Julia was done with these hacks. She attempted to run, but Paisley shouted, "Grab her, Deanna!" Hands suddenly locked onto Julia's arm, fingernails digging past the fabric of her orange sweater sleeve, cutting into her skin. Kirsten wrapped both arms around Julia's other arm, trapping her completely. Julia pulled and struggled, but the group's grip was strong on both sides. Not even kicking her feet outward did any good.

Kirsten's face pulled into a contorted snarl. "If that's how you wanna play it," She shouted loud enough to make Julia's eardrums throb in pain. Raising her hand up, ready to drop it down and slap her, she yelled, "Then I'll make sure Ethan won't have anything more to do with an idiot like-"

"HEY! Leave her alone!"

Red and yellow entered Julia's blurring vision. The invasive, cruel hands released her from their grip, and Julia fell to her knees, trembling. There was Ethan, standing by Julia's side, shooting an angry glare at the quartet in front of him.

"Ethan!" Kirsten stammered, putting on a fake smile. "What a surprise to see you! You won't believe what Julia's been trying to do! She-"

"Take your excuses and shove it! I saw and heard everything!" Ethan yelled, not falling for Kirsten's attempt at deflecting the blame one bit. "First you and your posse constantly harass me non-stop, and now I find you're trying to hurt my friend?! You're unbelievable! And you wonder why I don't want anything to do with you!"

Kirsten jerked backward, her eyes shrinking in shock.

"Ethan, come on! Just drop her!" Lakeisha protested. "That freako's a faker and a cheater!"

"Yeah!" Paisley chimed in once more. "She lies about being able to talk to Pokemon just so she can get attention!"

"I do not do stuff to get attention!" Julia yelled.

Thankfully, Ethan stood his ground. "That doesn't make it right to pick on her! You guys are terrible! Now leave!"

The girls could only exchange bewildered glances before Lakeisha, Paisley, and Deanna finally walked away. Kirsten stayed behind. "You'd really rather hang out with this freak brain than people who are actually cool?" Kirsten sneered, pointing at Julia like she was a Grimer polluting the air around her. "Come on. She's just a whiny brat who uses other people to do stuff for her because she can't be bothered to grow up and be normal for a change."

"That's not true!" Julia shouted. What was with Kirsten and her habit of always putting Julia down every chance she got? It was like she didn't have anything better to do than make snide comments about her.

"And how exactly are you so much better?" Ethan asked. "All you've ever done is chase me around and treat me like your property! I'm not some porcelain doll you can hoard all to yourself! I've told you no over and over again, and you just don't listen! You're full of it! Just leave us alone!"

For a moment, there was silence. Kirsten couldn't think of anything else to say. Her eyes were wide like saucers, and she looked like she had seen a ghost. Later, her body relaxed and her eyes returned to their usual miffed glare. "Fine. Have it your way."

With that, she turned on her heel and walked away, her sandals scraping against the concrete with every step. Not long after, Ethan turned around, facing Julia with a concerned expression. "Hey. Are you okay? Do you want to talk to one of the teachers?"

Julia was speechless. This was not the outcome she expected. She was sure she would get beat up or smacked around, just like in second grade, with no other kids bothering to come help or console her. That was how it had always been. Teachers would help her out, sure, but she had always wished for a friend to save her and be there for her. Against all odds, Ethan was here. Ethan, who actually chose to be friends with her and didn't hesitate to stand up to Kirsten. Was this some kind of dream? Julia's vision blurred as the realization overwhelmed her. This wasn't a dream at all. Tears fell down her cheeks.

"Ethan!" With a wail, Julia threw herself onto him, wrapping her arms around him so tight, she didn't want to let go for fear that this whole thing might turn out to be some cruel dream. She cried into his shirt, repeating his name over and over again as though it were the only thing keeping her alive. In this moment, no words could even hope to convey her infinite feelings of sheer gratitude.

Realizing what was going on, Ethan smiled and rubbed the girl's back with one hand. He flashed a smile and consoled her. "It's okay. I'm here now. Kirsten's gone." He whispered.

Once Julia calmed down, she and Ethan decided to tell one of the teachers what had happened. Julia chose Mrs. Cabanos, the social studies teacher. While Julia was admittedly still wary of teachers overall, she did find herself liking her, as she always explained things in ways she could understand, and if any students needed help, she always lent a hand. Ethan did most of the explaining, as Julia's voice had gotten hoarse from crying so much.

"My word!" Mrs. Cabanos explained, holding a hand to her mouth. "Thanks for telling me this, you two. I'll have a word with those four right away."

Later in the day, Ethan and Julia learned that Kirsten and her posse were sent to the principal's office and given two detentions. Julia knew this wouldn't do much to change their attitude towards her, except maybe hate her even more, but she was happy to see them get at least some form of punishment. But more than that, she was on cloud nine. Ethan actually cared about her enough to tell off Kirsten and didn't just leave her in the dust.

The next few months were the happiest Julia had ever experienced. They had their snags, but through it all, she spent as much time with Ethan as she could. He made every day better for her, and she didn't want to miss out on any opportunity to hang out with him. Going to his house, inviting him to hers, going to the movies, playing with his Cyndaquil, playing video games together...this was what Julia had yearned for for so many years, to just hang out with a friend and do the kinds of things friends did. Every girl she knew in school shared stories about how they hung out with their friends and did stuff together. She always wanted to do things with someone as well, but nobody wanted to be her friend. Until now, that is. Sure, they never had a chance to go to the mall, since that was the typical hangout place for kids her age, but she didn't mind. The mall could get noisy anyway. Just spending time with him was good enough for her, and she would never forget the precious memories she made with him.

***

It was late February, and the air still had a frosty bite that lingered. Julia had been happy all day, because her parents told her some wonderful news. Because they were impressed with how her grades have improved and with how she helped them with taking care of the Pokemon on their ranch, they talked to Professor Elm and decided to arrange for her to get her very own Pokemon on her eleventh birthday this coming April. The second she heard the news, Julia screamed with joy, jumping up and down and flapping her hands wildly, much to Amara's irritation. Her own Pokemon! Her very own, special friend to call her own! Just thinking about it made her want to explode.

Because of this wonderful news, Julia went through the entire school day with a big smile on her face. Not even Kirsten's glares, Lakeisha's whispers, or Paisley's snide comments could bring her mood down. She couldn't wait for recess to get here already so she could tell Ethan all about it. He wasn't present during homeroom for some reason, and she decided to ask him about it at recess. Still, it took everything she had not to just go over to him and tell him during class, as she didn't want to be disruptive or get in trouble. Even so, this news was too awesome to keep under wraps, and she kept bouncing in her seat all through class. Everything around her seemed to sparkle under a light, happy glow.

After what seemed to be an eternity, recess finally arrived, and Julia sprinted out onto the blacktop, eager to finally tell Ethan the great news. But when she got there, a huge crowd began to gather. Was something going on? Covering her ears, Julia approached the crowd and tried to see what was going on, but everyone else was simply too tall for her to look over their shoulders and see. She then began to push her way through the crowd, muttering "Excuse me" every time she accidentally bumped against someone.

"I challenge you to a battle!"

"Oh, it's on!"

White lights flashed in the middle of the crowd. A battle? Julia shivered when she heard one of the voices. Was that...Ethan? When she got closer, she saw Ethan and another kid standing several feet away from each other, with a Cyndaquil and a Rattata in battle ready positions.

"Think you can beat me, Ethan?"

"Sure can!" Ethan exclaimed, throwing his hand out. "I like to go one-on-one, all or nothing! Cyndaquil, use Ember!"

Cyndaquil fired off a barrage of tiny flames.

"Use Quick Attack, Rattata!" The other kid shouted.

Being an agile Pokemon, Rattata deftly evaded the attacks by leaping from side to side before charging right at Cyndaquil. The force of the attack was enough to make Cyndaquil go rolling across the concrete, but it got right back on its feet soon after.

Everyone cheered all around Julia, shouting encouragement and throwing their fists into the air, charging the air with electrifying excitement. But Julia's face blanched, her blood ran cold, and her eyes shrunk with terror, like she saw a ghost. The two Pokemon kept ramming into each other, exchanging blows and tackles, with the occasional Ember thrown in for good measure. Julia's heart thundered in her chest, screaming at her to get out of there. Her vision blurred, and the air around her was suddenly suffocating. It hurt to breathe, but she couldn't stop her rapid breaths. Images flashed through her mind.

Fireballs making wood explode into infernos. Blue beams of light soaring in the air. A purple moth Pokemon flapping its wings, spreading dust. Lightning bolts dancing across the floor. Wooden panels nearly falling on top of her. Herself, stuck in the corner of a burning shed, unable to escape, unable to do anything except cry and pray for help. A teacher's face twisted in a hateful snarl. The sting of the rapid slaps across her face returned to her cheeks. The same teacher's explosive yelling rocking her already ringing ears.

"Yeah! Way to go, Ethan!" Cheering brought Julia back to reality, but the suffocating feeling didn't go away. She barely even noticed Ethan approaching her, as he was little more than a blur made of yellows and reds.

"Did you see that, Jule? Cyndaquil totally whipped Wilberto's butt!"

Ethan was smiling. His eyes were sparkling. Julia's breath hitched. Why? Why was he smiling? Why was he enjoying a Pokemon battle? Why was he enjoying something so cruel and violent? Why was his Pokemon enjoying it as well? This couldn't be true. Her heart continued to pound in her chest with increasing intensity. Every beat, every breath hurt worse than the last. Darkness began to close in on her.

Her legs carried her away, and Julia ran. She needed to get out of here.

"Huh?! Hey, wait!" Ethan gave chase, grabbing her by the arm once they reached the bleachers. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

It was in this moment, amidst an unexpected, burning rush of anger finally seared away at any self-control she had crumbled away. The words spilled out before she could stop herself. "Why are you in a Pokemon battle?! They're cruel and violent! How can you hurt your Pokemon like that?!

Ethan's eyes widened, and he jerked back in surprise. "Huh? What are you saying-?!"

"I hate Pokemon battles! How could you do this to me?!" Julia screamed in his face, having lost all control. Voices in her head told her that she needed to calm down, that she shouldn't yell at him for participating in Pokemon battles. Just because she didn't like them didn't mean she had to hate people who did. But she was too far gone to think clearly in that moment. Her heart was racing and her face turned crimson. "I thought you were my friend!"

"I am your-!"

"I don't wanna be friends with somebody who's cruel to their Pokemon like that! I hate you!"

Normally, the noise around her would have overwhelmed any other quieter noises that might have been nearby, but Ethan made a noise that was somewhere between a gasp and a sob. She heard it plainly, but at this point, she didn't care. She only barely noticed the look of profound hurt and confusion on his face before turning on her heel, grabbing all her stuff, and sprinting up the bleachers, back into the halls. Veins throbbed in her head, and she took a moment to take heaving breaths. For her, this was the ultimate betrayal. To actively participate in something so awful as a Pokemon battle...how could he? The last thing Julia wanted was to be friends with anyone who would engage in such cruelty. She didn't want to see him again. She didn't want to be in the same room as him. She had finally made a friend, but look what happened. She had always been afraid of people not wanting to be friends with her, but this situation was the reverse of what she had imagined. She decided not to be friends with him anymore! Irony of ironies.

A sudden sensation overwhelmed her once more, like a door swinging open on a cold winter night. She was alone again. Her chest and stomach felt sore. Now she was right back to having no friends...only she was the one to throw him aside. She felt like she had broken something that she could never replace.

This had to be rock bottom.

"Julia?"

She looked up. A black haired woman wearing thin spectacles came down the hallway, her pink sweater and brown jeans a splash of much needed color in the beige, bland hall. It was Mrs. Cabanos. "What are you doing in here?" The teacher briskly approached her, eyebrows furrowed in concern. "Shouldn't you be outside with the other kids?" Her voice was sweet with sympathy, but Julia narrowed her eyes at her. The sympathy was like a pick trying to unlock the feelings she kept all around her soul, and Julia was in no mood for any advice from any teacher.

"I'm going to the bathroom," Julia told her tersely, walking quickly down the hall before Mrs. Cabanos had the chance to question her any further.

She didn't want anyone asking questions. She didn't want anyone telling her parents about her fight with Ethan. She didn't want the problem to be solved. She wanted it all to just go away. She wanted this awful feeling in her chest to just leave her alone. She hid in the bathroom until the bell rang, and the rest of the day moved at a Slugma's pace. Even when her mother picked her up, she didn't dare tell her what was wrong, no matter how many questions she asked. Julia burst into her room and finally broke down, bawling into her bedsheets as she lamented the loss of her first friend in what seemed to be years. She didn't care if anyone heard.

It took all of five seconds for Amara to come stomping into her room, her face contorting with anger. "Quit your crying, you brat!" Amara yelled. "I'm trying to do my homework!"

But Julia didn't stop crying. There was no way anything could make her stop at the moment. "Ethan's...not my friend...anymore!"

Amara had no sympathy for the girl's plight, scowling at her like she saw her pick trash out from the trash bin. She didn't even ask what was wrong, or go inside to comfort her. "Get over it, you pest! One of my friends freakin' died!" Amara argued. "My problems are way worse than yours, so don't act like you've got it bad!"

"Amara! That's no way to talk to your sister!" Her mother scolded.

Julia's crying overrode all other voices as she lost herself in her sorrow. Only now did it finally sink in that she was back to being friendless all over again.

And now, she might not ever make another friend.

***

A/N: Well, it turns out that not only is this the last bonus chapter, but the last chapter I'm posting this year. Ehhh...this wasn't necessarily the chapter I wanted to end the year oh, but oh well. Also, for clarity: Yes, Ethan is basically the player character from Gold/Silver/Crystal, pretty much Jimmy from the Legend of Thunder special just with a different name. Yes, Julia is being bratty, petty, and pretty much caused her own problems here. Yes, this was deliberate and will be addressed in the next chapter. Anyway, I hope everyone had a merry Christmas (or a happy holiday, whatever you celebrate) and have a Happy New Year!

 

[Juliko]

Chapter 62: Fractured Friends

It took them about an hour to find the pier, but the kids found a man with a boat there, who offered to take them to the Kanto border for $5 per person, along with checking their trainer IDs. The boat ride was fairly pleasant, though Julia found that the man drove the boat a little too fast for her liking. She stayed seated the entire time, clinging to metal handles on the side like they were her lifeline. The boat ride only took about thirty minutes, but when they hit land, they got off the boat and found themselves in front of a long black fence, reaching nearly seven feet high. A big metal gate loomed over them, guarded by two soldiers holding rifles on each side.

Julia shivered. "Wow. This looks...kinda scary," She said.

Perrine cast an aside glance, noticing a small building just a few feet away. A small, square, metallic building no bigger than a tolling booth on a big highway. The kids could see a large, bearded man through the square window. Figuring he must be who they needed to check in with, they walked right over.

"Excuse me, sir?" Perrine took the initiative by speaking first. "We're heading to the Pokemon League."

"Hm?" The man looked up from his magazine, repositioning himself to look at them face to face. "Hello there, kids. I need to see your IDs and PokeDexes first."

Without a word, the kids handed the man their IDs and PokeDexes. Julia watched anxiously as the man scanned them in some sort of scanner before looking at his computer. Julia knew for sure she had no criminal record, what with being only eleven, but what if the guy found something that would prevent her from going into Kanto? For all she knew, they could be sent back to Johto for any number of reasons. Being too young to enter a whole new region. Not being well dressed. Not having piles of brain bogglingly complicated paperwork on her to ensure legitimacy for...just about anything. What if the guy asked her for a document she didn't have? What could she do? She figured the rules for this sort of thing were very strictly enforced. Julia's leg twitched on its own, the anticipation close to killing her.

Then, the guy smiled as he handed their IDs and PokeDexes back to them. "Alright, you're all set. Welcome to Kanto," He told them, signaling for the soldiers to open the gate. One soldier undid a big lock with a key, and the other one pulled the metal gate open.

"Thank you, sir!" Julia said, bowing in a ninety-degree angle, the anxiety that was pooling inside her fading away as soon as she heard those magical words.

The kids said goodbye to the man who took them here by boat and made their way through the gate. But Julia did shiver a bit when she saw one of the soldiers looking at her with a tiny smile. She couldn't quite make out what that was about. Was he smiling at her to be nice, or was it some sort of roundabout way of telling her that if she did anything bad, he would throw her in jail with no mercy? Julia stayed as close to her friends as possible, not wanting to think too much about it.

Once the gate was far behind them, Julia exhaled, holding Hikaru close to her chest. "Thank goodness we got in! I was so afraid they'd throw us in jail or something!" Julia exclaimed.

"Pika!" Hikaru winced as Julia's grip on her tightened.

"Throw us in jail? Why?" Caiseal asked, confused.

"Anything! Not having a certain set of documents or...or...them thinking we're secretly trying to smuggle drugs or something! I don't know!" Julia cried out. "I've seen the stories on the news!"

Perrine put a reassuring hand on Julia's shoulder. "It's alright. We managed to get through okay, and nobody's getting arrested. Besides, it's actually pretty easy for kids to get into Kanto for the League," Perrine reminded her. "You only need a lot of documents and a passport for crossing the border if you want to get into Johto or Kanto for anything except the League, like to live there or something. That's what my mom told me, at least."

So that's how it worked. Julia smiled down at Hikaru, who smiled back at her. It then occurred to the girl that they were in a completely new region, far from the familiarity of her Johto home. Her legs trembled from the wonder of it all, even as they continued their trek. Still, the sky above was as blue as ever, with a few clouds dotting it here and there. Julia wished she had bought some sunglasses, as the sun made everything she saw a little too bright for her liking, though she didn't think this to be something to complain about.

Then, a roar in the distance broke the peaceful silence. A stream of fire shot out from further down the road. "What's that?" Perrine asked.

Caiseal silently pointed further down using his thumb, gesturing that they should go check it out. Nodding, the trio ran down the rugged road before them to see what the fire was about. It wasn't too far to get to on foot, only about thirty or so feet away. Once they made it to a flat, wide plain, they found two male trainers and their Pokemon engaging in battle. One trainer with a red shirt and yellow shorts had a Typhlosion, and the other one, a bespectacled boy with short, pale brown hair, had a small, humanoid looking Pokemon that had pale purple skin, brown hips, matching feet, and three protrusions on its head.

"Tyrogue, use Brick Break!"

"Defense Curl!"

The Typhlosion curled into a ball as Tyrogue's hands turned flat and smacked it hard. All Typhlosion did was tremble from the pain, but the trio could see the confident, knowing gleam in the black haired boy's eyes. He definitely had something planned, seeing as he didn't look one bit scared during the battle.

"Now use Flame Wheel!"

In an instant, Typhlosion exploded into flames. Tyrogue was slow to react, and its hand burned from the exposure to the blaze. Typhlosion then uncurled and rammed right into Tyrogue, sending it soaring across the battle field, only stopping just five feet from its trainer. Undeterred, Tyrogue picked itself back up, getting back on unsteady legs.

"Gotta say, Ethan, you always go for the jugular, don't you?" The bespectacled boy called out.

Ethan?

Julia's eyes shrunk in an instant, and her face blanched just as quickly. The name rang in her head with as much clarity as a loud church bell. A shiver ran up her spine, and she clutched the straps on her backpack tightly. She knew that name. Memories flooded her mind when she saw the black haired boy, his red shirt, bright yellow shorts…it all came back to her in an instant.

No. This couldn't be him. Could it?

"You know me, I like to go one on one, all or nothing!" Ethan exclaimed proudly. "And I'm finishing this battle!"

"Not if I can help it!" The brown haired boy shouted back. "Tyrogue! Use Headbutt!"

Tyrogue lowered its head, charging at full speed towards Typhlosion. Ethan's confidence didn't falter one bit.

"Typhlosion, Swift!" Ethan called out. On cue, Typhlosion opened its mouth, firing off a stream of yellow stars that pelted the humanoid Pokemon like hailstones. Tyrogue kept running, even as the barrage of stars pelted and scratched its skin. Once it got close enough, Tyrogue leaped, ramming its head right underneath Typhlosion's chin, shutting its mouth closed and ending the starry assault. Typhlosion's teeth rattled, vibrating as it fell to its knees.

"Oooh," Caiseal watched the battle, his hazel eyes intense and enthralled. "I bet that Tyrogue's gonna beat Typhlosion."

Perrine balled her hands into fists. "I really want Typhlosion to win!" She exclaimed, her voice bursting with enthusiasm.

Typhlosion took a brief moment to compose itself before getting back on its feet. "You okay, Typhlosion?"

The volcano Pokemon gave a reassuring growl.

"Alright! Use Flamethrower!" Ethan cried out.

The back of Typhlosion's neck burst into flames before it fired off a blazing spiral. Tyrogue attempted to run, but the flames quickly caught up to it before trapping him in a fiery cyclone. Tyrogue howled and screamed in pain as its whole body burned from the outside. Any movement resulted in agony. Even its trainer seemed to realize that there was no way Tyrogue could get out of this. Thankfully, the flames dissipated after just a few minutes, and Tyrogue was on the ground, its skin charred, but not to a fatal degree, and completely unconscious.

It was pretty clear who won this battle.

"Yeah! We won!" Ethan jumped into the air, overcome with joy. Victory was ensured. Typhlosion flexed its muscles and let out a victorious roar. Ethan then swiped his nose with his thumb before flashing a thumb's up. "You rock and you rule!"

"Ha! Totally called it!" Perrine exclaimed, playfully poking Caiseal's shoulder. "I knew that Typhlosion would win!"

"Why am I not surprised?" Caiseal mused. As much as he wanted Tyrogue to win, he knew that the possibility of Typhlosion being the one to achieve victory was much higher. Tyrogue was a fairly young looking Pokemon, and Typhlosion was a third stage evolution. Ethan being the one to win was practically guaranteed from the start, so perhaps the loss on Tyrogue's part was inevitable.

Tyrogue's trainer went right up to his fallen Pokemon, gently cradling it in his arms with a slightly sad smile on his face. "It's okay, Tyrogue. You were great out there," He told him reassuringly. The humanoid Pokemon opened its eyes and flashed a grateful grin in return. Not long after, Ethan and Typhlosion approached them.

"That was a great battle, Theo," Ethan said. "Your Tyrogue is really strong. Sorry if we went kinda overboard."

Theo stood up, gently setting the now conscious Tyrogue down on the ground, letting it stand back up. "It's okay. We didn't make it all the way here for nothing, so it's no problem," Theo extended his hand out, and Ethan gave it a firm shake. "Thanks for the battle. Tyrogue and I had a lot of fun."

As their trainers spoke, Typhlosion approached Tyrogue, smiling as it let out a low growl, thanking it for the battle. Tyrogue grinned right back, not holding anything against the volcano Pokemon for that last attack. Battles were supposed to be tough and competitive, and Tyrogue had been through similar battles before, so what was there to gripe about? The two Pokemon high fived each other, tired but satisfied.

Theo returned Tyrogue to its PokeBall. "I'll see you at the Pokemon League, then?"

"You bet!"

With a grateful wave, Theo ran over the hill behind Ethan, disappearing into the wilderness. Ethan waved right back, though slower than how Theo waved. It was then that Typhlosion let out a grumble, pulling on Ethan's shirt. "What is it?" Typhlosion pointed behind itself. Ethan turned around and saw Perrine, Julia, and Caiseal just a few feet behind him. Ethan's eyebrows rose as he took in the sight of the three strangers in front of him, but greeted them with a welcoming grin.

"Hello there. I didn't know I had an audience watching my battle just now," Ethan said.

"Sorry if we scared you," Perrine told him. "We saw you battling that other kid, so we decided to stay and watch. You were awesome, by the way."

Ethan used his finger to rub underneath his nose. "Thanks. Typhlosion worked real hard, so he deserves all the credit."

Typhlosion let out a pleased grumble.

"I take it you guys are heading to the League as well?"

"We are!" Caiseal exclaimed.

"Cool! I'm Ethan, by the way. Ethan Goldsworthy," He wrapped an arm around Typhlosion. "And this is my partner and BFF, Typhlosion!"

Julia's only response was a sharp intake of breath. Her heart pounded so hard, it felt like it was going to break her ribs and fly right out of her chest. Every heartbeat hurt worse than the last.

"I'm Perrine. It's nice to meet you!"

"My name's Caiseal, and this is Julia…" Caiseal turned around to introduce Julia, but backpedaled when he saw the wide-eyed, frightened, Deerling in the headlights look on her face. "Uhh…Jule? You okay?" Caiseal pulled his hand back, not wanting to invade her space, but his eyebrows furrowed in worry. Perrine's eyes tightened when she saw her friend's distressed expression, more so when she saw Julia's leg bouncing up and down.

"Is something wrong?" Ethan asked.

Finally, Julia found her voice. "…Ethan…?" Her emotional paralysis ceased, and she walked two steps closer to him, her legs shaking with every step. This time, Ethan got a better look at her, a spark lit his mind alight.

"Wait a minute. You look familiar…" Ethan mused, his eyebrows furrowing. "Did we go to school together once?"

Caiseal and Perrine exchanged glances. Did Julia know him? She said his name like she had known it long before they even met.

"Yes," Julia sputtered, voice quavering, eyes fixated on his shoes. "I'm…Julia Parisa. We…used to be friends."

Friends? Used to be? Everything made sense now. She recognized him and was shocked from seeing him again. But from what Julia had told them, she barely had any friends during her early childhood, and she never mentioned knowing a kid named Ethan before. More than that, this made Ethan the second person they encountered that she knew. Meeting so many people she knew was starting to become a little too much of a coincidence for her liking. Julia's leg continued to bounce rapidly, and her hands gripped the straps on her bag like they were the only thing keeping her alive.

As soon as he heard Julia's full name, Ethan's eyebrows lowered, and a dark expression replaced his once sunny smile. "Parisa…now I remember you," Ethan's voice adopted a harsh, venomous edge, pushing away the warmth it once had.

A shiver ran up Julia's spine. Goosebumps broke out all across her arms. She continued to stare at his shoes, mentally preparing herself for what was coming.

"Some friend you were!" Ethan exclaimed. "You completely ditched me! You just tossed me aside, started avoiding me, and treated me like I didn't exist the second you saw me battle someone! Now years later you just show up and start talking to me again like nothing ever happened?!"

What? Perrine and Caiseal gaped. What in the world was this kid saying? But Caiseal wasn't going to stand for it. He marched straight over to Ethan and wagged his finger at him. "Hey! Leave her alone! Who do you think you are, accusing her of being some lowlife who uses people for her own convenience?!" Caiseal bellowed.

"Yeah!" Perrine wasted no time joining in. "She's done nothing but help people and care about others for the entire time we've known her!"

Ethan crossed his arms and raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "Yeah, well, she certainly wasn't like that with me," He retorted. "I have to admit, I am surprised you're even here of all places," Ethan said to Julia. "This is where strong trainers who've gone through a ton of battles gather. Don't you hate Pokemon battles?" Ethan deliberately drew out the word hate as though he were talking to a toddler.

The condescension in his voice made Caiseal's blood boil. He reached out to grab a chunk of Ethan's shirt, pulling him so close they could smell each other's breath. "You've got some nerve making fun of our friend! I dare you to say that again!"

"Cash! Don't!" Thankfully, Perrine got in between them, preventing things from getting ugly. Caiseal didn't let go, but his grip loosened. But man, did he want to punch this kid's lights out. He wished that Theo and his Tyrogue had beaten him in that battle earlier.

"…Please stop."

The kids all turned to face Julia, whose frightened expression changed into something more solemn. She gently removed Caiseal's hand from Ethan's shirt. But the kids could see that her green eyes were moist, and her voice quavered, almost on the verge of tears.

"Everything Ethan said is true," Julia admitted softly. "I was cruel to him. He was my friend, but I abandoned him over a really stupid thing that wasn't worth making a fuss about," She turned to Ethan and bowed. "We're sorry for bothering you. We'll be on our way now…and I'm sorry for everything."

She took Perrine and Caiseal by their hands and left Ethan and Typhlosion alone. Once they were out of sight, they found a cluster of tall rocks near a rocky beach. An ideal place to rest, as the kids were admittedly getting a little tired. However, Julia sat down on a smaller rock and stared at the ground, stray tears escaping her eyes and dripping off her nose. Perrine was the first to approach her.

"So…you knew him. Ethan," Perrine started, letting the sentence drift off, unsure of whether she should even ask or not. Was this even the right time to do so? She didn't want to pry, but she was curious about their shared history together, as was Caiseal. "Do you…want to talk about it?"

Julia was silent.

"You don't have to say anything if you're not comfortable. He's full of it," Caiseal piped in. "He had no right to—"

"No. Please don't," Julia raised a hand, cutting him off. "He never bullied me, just so you know. Like I said, everything he said I did is true."

The idea of Julia refusing to be friends with someone over a dislike of Pokemon battles seemed outlandish to them. Julia, their nice, sweet, kind, caring friend, who always put her Pokemon's well-being first, being that judgmental and petty? But they did remind themselves that they had only known her for a few months, so for all they knew, she was probably very different when she was younger. People could change over the course of a few months or years depending on the decisions they made. Caiseal himself was one such example.

"He said you guys used to be friends?" Perrine asked.

Julia nodded. "He transferred to my school when I was in fifth grade," She began. "He was the first friend I made in years."

She and Ethan bonded over their love for Pokemon, and grew very close. But Ethan was popular with the girls for his personality, good looks, and the fact that he was from Olivine City, to the point where some girls even made a fan club. He didn't like that, and always spent his time with her. At one point, Ethan had defended her from bullies, and Julia considered him a miracle sent to her by God. He was everything she had ever wanted in a friend and more. Perrine and Caiseal listened in silence as Julia told the story of her former friendship with Ethan.

"How come you never mentioned him to us before now?" Caiseal inquired, more curious than angry. He knew she didn't intentionally keep him a secret, especially not out of malice, but his desire to know more did get the better of him.

"To be honest, I had completely forgotten about him after a while," Julia answered, her voice trembling. "He left on a journey not long after we stopped being friends. I guess I thought he'd never come back."

Perrine took a bite out of a granola bar before asking her next question. "Sorry if we're touching on a sore spot, and you don't have to answer if you're not okay with it…but how come you stopped being friends with him?"

As much as it pained her to say it, Julia knew there was no point it keeping it all in anymore. Just knowing the gravity of her actions weighed her down and made her chest feel like someone had but a cinderblock in an empty paper bag. "Remember how I told you guys that before I started my journey, I hated Pokemon battles with every fiber of my being? That I used to think battles were cruel and violent and could get Pokemon fatally hurt or killed?"

"I remember you mentioning it a few times," Caiseal replied, kicking a small stone with his boot, sending it rolling into the grass. "You stopped thinking that after you met Falkner in Violet City, right?"

"Yeah," Julia said, pausing for a brief moment before continuing. "But before that, I really, really hated Pokemon battles, so much so that I convinced myself anyone who even liked them or participated in them was somehow completely evil beyond redemption, regardless of their actual personality or whether I knew them beforehand or not. If you guys had met me long before I changed my views on battles, you would have hated my guts for sure."

Once again, Perrine and Caiseal exchanged bewildered glances. That explained a lot. "Yeah, that is a pretty messed up way of thinking," Perrine said.

"So one time, I saw him battle a kid at school, and it…just made me so angry," Julia explained. "I considered it a huge betrayal. Though at the time, I never told him about the bad experiences I had in second grade that made me hate battles. At the time, I was just trying everything I could just to forget about the whole thing. Plus, I never really had the thought to do so. But I yelled at him for getting into a battle and…" Julia paused. It hurt just to admit the awful truth, but she knew she had to do so. She pushed the awful words out with all the strength she had. "I decided I didn't want to be his friend anymore and just…ditched him."

Her friends said nothing, silently taking it all in.

Caiseal was the first to speak. "Not gonna lie, that was a pretty cruel thing to do."

"I realize that now," A stray tear escaped from her left eye, running down her cheek. "I basically caused not only my own suffering, but hurt one of the first friends I ever made because of my own closed-mindedness."

"But you're not like that anymore," Perrine asserted. "We've seen you battle all sorts of trainers, and you're nothing like how you used to be."

"He doesn't know that, though," Julia reminded her. That had been the last time she and Ethan had ever talked to each other, and he wasn't there with her during her journey. Only Perrine and Caiseal witnessed her growth from the shy, easily frightened homebody to the trainer she eventually became. The kids had to admit, she made a good point.

"He's here now, so why not apologize to him?" Perrine suggested, holding her index finger up for good measure. "It's clear you feel bad about the whole thing. For all we know, maybe he'll forgive you. You can show him for sure that you're not the person you were in fifth grade."

"I suppose…" Julia balled her hands into fists. That would be the best solution. It was the right thing to do. Even so, she still felt unsure. "But I doubt it'll work. Usually when I do something bad or make someone angry, they stay mad at me forever, no matter how sorry I am. Just saying it probably won't even help."

As much as Julia wished saying sorry to someone would magically fix things, she wasn't naïve. Past experiences taught her that simply apologizing doesn't smooth things out and make everything peachy keen. When she cheated off of Lakeisha's test in fifth grade and apologized for it, Lakeisha refused to let her live it down and was still angry at her about it long after the fact. Other, similar incidents plagued her and made her wonder if she truly was as bad as people said she was.

"I say do it anyway," Caiseal said. "It's better to do it now than not do it and regret it long after the fact."

Julia winced. Another good point.

"But can I offer some advice? I wouldn't recommend telling him about the bad experiences you had in detail," Caiseal explained. "The reason being that if you do so, you might wind up making the whole thing about you, and to Ethan it'll seem like you're just making excuses for yourself rather than being sincere."

She shrugged, figuring that was the case. That sounded reasonable enough. The last thing Julia wanted was to make excuses for herself, especially since she was the one who caused the rift between them in the first place.

"And you can't force him to forgive you, either," Perrine chimed in. "If they're not ready to forgive you, it's better not to press the issue. My mom said that if you do something really bad, there will be times when people may never forgive you, and it's better to accept that than dwell on it forever."

Julia nodded, remembering the things she herself said to Lakeisha the day before. It became clear how she needed to go about this. "Thanks, guys. You two are way too good to me."

Perrine flashed a grin. "Of course. That's what friends are for. We wouldn't be giving you advice like this if we didn't care about you."

Friends…It was because of them that Julia was here now.

She needed to resolve things with Ethan. Strengthening her resolve, she stood up, ready for anything.

Now was the time to set things right.

***

She didn't need to worry about Ethan having left the area. As it turned out, he stuck around. She could hear his voice when she walked a little further down the trail. Julia looked over a small cluster of bushes to find Ethan, Typhlosion, and another Pokemon taking a break. The other Pokemon looked like a rounder, less angular Porygon, with a blue beak and a matching tail that stood straight up, like a metronome. Typhlosion and the round Porygon ate food from two gray bowls, and Ethan sat on a rock, taking bites out of a sandwich.

Julia shivered. She took a few minutes to plan out her apology, down to the letter, but she was sure it would all go away the second she attempted to approach him. How could she even go about talking to him? He made it clear he wanted nothing to do with her, so why irritate him further? Her resolve wavered. Maybe this was a bad idea. Perhaps it would be better to leave him alone. That was what he wanted, right? But the practical side of her pestered her to go through with it anyway. If she didn't apologize to him now, for all she knew, she might never get the chance to do so. She didn't want to spend the rest of her life regretting this. Even if they could never be friends again-Julia was sure this would be the case and resigned to accept the outcome, should it come to pass-she couldn't let this pass up. She needed to apologize to him. Not for herself, but so he could have some semblance of peace.

"Hey, Porygon2! You want the rest of this?" Ethan held out the rest of his sandwich. Porygon2 let out a mechanical chirrup before floating over and taking the sandwich into its mouth. Porygon2 then sat back down, chowing down and savoring every bite. Ethan smiled, extending his hand out to rub Porygon2's head. "You're a good egg, my friend."

"Pooooor!" Porygon2 warbled, having finished the first layer of bread.

Ethan's eyebrows furrowed, and his eyes had a wistful glint. "I gotta say...I sure didn't expect to run into Julia again," He mused out loud, talking to no one in particular. Julia noticed Porygon2 stealing an upward glance in his direction. It was listening. "Man, it's been so long since we saw each other...but it still feels like it was only yesterday we were hanging out at recess, gushing about Pokemon the whole time."

Typhlosion stopped to look up, its ears twitching upon hearing Ethan speak.

Julia's chest tightened. She felt the exact same way.

"Still, it looks like she's moved on. On one hand, I'm kinda happy. She made some friends and she looks a lot happier than she was before. But…" Ethan kept his gaze on Porygon2 as he spoke. "I can't forget what she did to me. I know I shouldn't dwell on it, and for all I know, maybe she didn't know what she did was wrong. She did say she was sorry, but...I don't know. It sucks, knowing someone wanted to be your friend at first, only to just up and ditch you all for little to no reason.

No denying that.

"I guess I still wonder why she even ditched me at all," Ethan said. "Did she just not like me anymore? Did I do something that made her mad or hurt her feelings? I don't know…I really thought she was different from all the other girls."

By other girls, Julia knew he was referring to Kirsten and her posse. Conviction sparked back to life the second he said that. She knew for sure she wasn't like the other girls he knew, and now was the best time to prove it once and for all. It could either go well or really badly, but getting it done and over with would be better than not apologizing at all.

She walked out from behind the bushes. "Ethan?" She called out. Ethan looked up, and when he saw his former friend, his expression immediately soured. He averted her gaze, keeping his eyes on Porygon2.

"What do you want?" Ethan hissed.

His bitter tone made her wince. But she expected this response. After what she had done to him, he had no reason to be happy to see her, much less trust her. It was understandable. But she steeled herself, reminding herself to just apologize to him. Why give up now?

"Listen…can we just talk?" Julia asked. "There's something I really need to tell you."

Ethan stood up, facing her. Did that mean he was listening? Julia knew this was it. All or nothing. Everything she had planned out in her head was threatening to fade away, but she forced her brain to keep it in. She needed to do this now.

"Ethan. I came here to…apologize to you. I'm…really sorry for how I treated you back in fifth grade," Julia finally pushed it out, squeezing her eyes shut, knowing Ethan's angry gaze was on her. "It was wrong of me to stop being friends with you over something as trivial as a Pokemon battle, and you didn't deserve that at all."

The boy's jaw fell loose, mouth ajar, as he took in his former friend's apology.

Caiseal's advice echoed in her mind when she continued on. She hoped her apology sounded sincere, not manipulative or fake. How could she know if she was doing it right? But right now, there was no turning back. Carefully planning her words, she spoke again. "The truth is, before I met you, I had really bad experiences that made me hate Pokemon battles…and people who liked them. I won't bore you with the details, as they're not important, and it's still no excuse for the way I treated you."

"You're right. It isn't," Ethan said, crossing his arms. "You really hurt me when you suddenly screamed in my face saying you didn't want to be friends anymore. I kept wracking my brain about it for months, wondering what it was I did wrong that made you do that. I had thought the whole thing was somehow my fault."

Julia fell silent, letting him speak.

"You want to know the worst thing about it, though?" Ethan inquired, slamming his palm on his chest. "You were the best friend I ever had. When I moved from Olivine, most of the girls were all over me, constantly fighting over me and competing over who was gonna use me as their personal arm candy. Kirsten and her whacked out fan club even bullied other girls to tears just for talking to me! And for what? All because I'm from a beach town or that my dad is a famous basketball player? And for being nice and actually caring about my appearance?"

'Definitely agree on that one,' Julia thought.

Ethan paused to take a quick breath before continuing. "You weren't like that. All you wanted was someone to talk about Pokemon with, and I…really enjoyed the time we spent together. But then one day you just toss me aside and ditch me? Just like that? What you did to me wasn't right!" He shouted.

Silence fell between them. Typhlosion and Porygon2 exchanged fleeting glances, hoping this would turn out okay. Every word Ethan said hit Julia right in the gut, because she knew everything he said was true. Of course he was angry. He had every right to be so, especially since she knew in her heart that the incident wasn't Ethan's fault at all. To think he genuinely thought it was for so many months…her eyes blurred, and tears threatened to come out. Ethan never should have had to go through that kind of pain. Knowing that she herself had caused it due to jumping to conclusions made her feel like a stone had been dropped into her stomach.

But right now, this wasn't about her. This was about Ethan.

"You're right. It wasn't. I was too judgmental for my own good back then, and you never should have had to deal with the pain that I subjected you to," She admitted, her voice trembling. "I'm sorry. For having been an awful friend to you. For all the pain I caused you, and everything else you said, too. I mean it."

Another silence. It took everything Julia had to not just break down crying right then and there. Everything was becoming too much. The bright blue sky, the pebbles in her shoes, Ethan staring at her…but she couldn't break down. For all she knew, Ethan might see that as Julia trying to fish for sympathy.

"There's something else you should know, too," She said. "Before I met you, I didn't have any friends. Nobody liked me. You have no idea how much your friendship meant to me when I was younger. I was so happy to finally meet someone who didn't think I was just a dumb kid who loves Pokemon and acted like a five-year-old. But I know now I still had a lot to learn about what it means to actually be a friend to someone."

Ethan kept his arms crossed, but was silent, still listening.

"I want you to know that I'm no longer the same person I was in fifth grade," Julia affirmed, completely resolute this time. "Personally, I'd love it if we could be friends again, like before, but I completely understand if you don't want to. I just want to make things right between us once and for all, and to thank you for what we had before I ruined everything. That's…about it, really."

A sniffle made her look up. Ethan's face wasn't contorted with anger anymore. His eyebrows were still furrowed, but his gray eyes had a wistful look, and his features softened, making him look more sad than mad.

He uncrossed his arms. "…Thank you. For apologizing. That…means a lot. I…" He stumbled over his words, unsure of how he should respond. After a moment, his voice hardened, and he spoke again. "But I won't lie, I can't just take you at your word. Just saying you're sorry isn't enough to convince me you're serious about this."

She had expected that. She knew that from the start. Just apologizing alone wasn't going to magically fix things. But she was just happy to finally get it all off her chest.

Wait a minute…Was there a way she could convince him she was sincere?

A light bulb flashed bright in her brain. There was one! Why hadn't she thought of it before? She flashed a confident smile.

"You're absolutely right," Julia said. "Words alone aren't enough. That's why…" She rummaged through her bag and pulled out Hikaru's PokeBall, pointing it right at Ethan.

"I know only one way to prove it. I want to prove I'm serious, if you'll let me. Ethan Goldsworthy, I challenge you to a battle!" She proclaimed, her green eyes sporting a determined gleam. Ethan's jaw hung loose once more. "One on one, all or nothing, just the way you like it."

It was a spontaneous decision, made right on the spot, and inside, she found herself surprised that she'd be so bold. But she wanted to prove to Ethan that she was sincere in wanting to make amends with him. What better way to do so than a battle, the very thing that had caused the friction between them in the first place? A battle could easily prove to Ethan that she was no longer the scared, overly judgmental girl she was in fifth grade. Win or lose, she intended to see this through.

Ethan composed himself and flashed a confident grin. "Didn't expect that. You're lucky I never turn down a challenge!" He turned towards his Typhlosion. "Hey Typhlosion! You up for another battle?"

Typhlosion gave an approving growl. Ethan turned back towards Julia, grinning. "I accept your challenge!" He exclaimed. "But don't think I'll go easy on you!"

"Wouldn't have it any other way!"

Unbeknownst to the two of them, Caiseal and Perrine were hiding behind the bush Julia used a little earlier, and they could only watch, wide eyed and loose jawed, as the former friends decided to settle things with a battle.

***

A while later, Julia found her friends and told them how the apology went. Caiseal and Perrine didn't expect her to challenge him to a battle, and felt compelled to share their concerns. Perrine was the first to approach her about it. "Are you sure about this?" She asked. "Was there really a need to challenge him to a battle? I mean, all you needed to do was apologize."

"Yeah. I mean, not that we don't like the idea, but was this necessary?" Caiseal asked, sharing Perrine's sentiment.

Julia looked straight at their hair, her voice firm and resolute. "For me it is," She began. "It's like you guys told me. Just apologizing in itself isn't going to magically fix things, and I need to prove to him that I'm serious in wanting to make things right beyond a shadow of a doubt. What better way to do so than to battle him? Plus, we can let off steam this way. Since the whole thing started because I hated Pokemon battles and decided they and anyone who liked them was evil, I can show him that I'm not the same person I was in fifth grade."

That made sense. Once the duo took a short moment to think about it, they smiled and nodded in approval. "Alright then. Who are we to stop you?" Caiseal said, crossing his arms. "If you don't mind, I'd like to be the referee for this one."

"Awwww! I like being a battle referee!" Perrine mock groaned.

"Come on, Perrine. You already refereed a bunch of battles before," Caiseal playfully scolded her. "How about giving me a shot at it?"

"Sure. Feel free."

It wasn't long before the kids were back in the same spot where they watched Ethan and Theo battle. This time, Ethan and Julia were on opposite sides of the clearing. Typhlosion was already out of its PokeBall, so it already stood in position, ready for battle. Julia already knew who she wanted to use for this battle.

"Hikaru, I choose you!" Julia called out, throwing Hikaru's PokeBall. The orange Pikachu materialized onto the ground, the air sparkling around her as she made her entrance. She stood on all fours, tail high in the air, ears up and ready for whatever commands Julia gave her.

"Whoa! Is that a shiny Pikachu?" Ethan yelped, taken aback by Hikaru's odd fur color. "Where in the world did you get that?"

"Ehehehe…" Julia laughed sheepishly, rubbing her hair with one hand. "It's a long story. But she is technically my first Pokemon. Her name's Hikaru."

Ethan cracked his knuckles. "This ought to be a fun battle."

Two trainers and their first Pokemon, engaged in a battle. Julia couldn't help but smile at the realization. She wondered if Ethan caught on to that as well.

Caiseal took this moment to speak. "This is a one-on-one battle between Ethan Goldsworthy from Olivine City, and Julia Parisa from New Bark Town! As such, each trainer is only allowed to use one Pokemon!" He proclaimed. Seeing that both trainers and Pokemon were ready, Caiseal wasted no time raising both arms in the air. "Ready? Begin!"

"Dibs on the first move!" Ethan yelled, pointing his index finger at Hikaru. "Typhlosion, use Swift!"

The volcano Pokemon leaped into the air and rotated its body in a front flip, shooting a barrage of glowing yellow stars in Hikaru's direction.

"Use Thunderbolt, Hikaru!" Julia cried out. Hikaru didn't dodge, knowing Swift was an attack that never missed. Instead, she fired streaks of lightning, using them to destroy the star shower. But Typhlosion landed back on the ground before the attack could hit it.

"Now use Flame Wheel!"

"Counter it with Volt Tackle!"

Typhlosion let out a roar, and its entire being burst into flames before it charged at Hikaru. The mouse Pokemon sprinted forward, her body an explosion of electricity, following suit. The two Pokemon collided in an instant, and a cloud of dust burst forth, nearly covering the entire field. It didn't take long for it to fade, and both Typhlosion and Hikaru skidded backwards, reeling from the pain of the collision. But they remained steadfast, standing right back up.

"You okay, girl?" Julia asked.

Hikaru smiled and flashed a thumb's up. "Pika!"

"We're just getting started!" Ethan exclaimed. "Typhlosion, use Dig!"

Typhlosion dug a hole in the ground, diving right in. Hikaru looked around, ears up, trying to figure out where it might pop up from.

"Don't panic, Hikaru!" Julia reminded her. "Focus! Feel for Typhlosion in the ground!"

Feel for it in the ground. Hikaru took a breath and closed her eyes. She could hear the sound of claws scratching at dirt, and subtle vibrations went through her paws. Gradually, the vibrations strengthened, and the ground began to shift. Julia saw a piece of the ground pop up from behind Hikaru. Now was her chance.

"Jump! Behind you!"

"Chuuu!" Hikaru did a backflip, just as the ground beneath her exploded. Typhlosion flew out from the soil.

"Now use Flash!"

Hikaru let out a cry as her body was enveloped in light. Typhlosion made the mistake of turning around in an attempt to attack her. As soon as it laid eyes on Hikaru, the volcano Pokemon was instantly blinded.

"Hit it with Quick Attack!"

Still glowing, Hikaru landed on her feet and wasted no time sprinting right into Typhlosion, ramming her body against its torso. The force of the impact made Typhlosion skid across the field, and for a brief moment, all the air was out of its stomach, rendering it unable to breathe.

"Typhlosion!" Ethan exclaimed. But it didn't take long for Typhlosion to shake off the impact and be back to its normal self. The volcano Pokemon flashed a reassuring grin, which told Ethan all he needed to know.

"Alright! Use Flamethrower!"

A stream of fire escaped Typhlosion's mouth. Hikaru ran from the flames, but they always stayed about two feet away from her, threatening to catch up. Julia had to think, and fast. Dodging Typhlosion's attacks wasn't going to win the battle.

"Hikaru! Use Disarming Voice!" Julia shouted.

Once Typhlosion's flames disseminated, Hikaru let out a sharp cry, and a ring of pink rings bedecked with hearts shot towards Typhlosion.

"Flamethrower again! Full power!"

Typhlosion took a breath and fired more flames. This time, they completely overpowered the Disarming Voice, cutting right through the rings and striking Hikaru head on. Her body seared with pain, but the mouse managed to free herself from the flames. But Julia could see black marks on her yellow fur, and Hikaru herself stopped to gasp for breath.

Ethan crossed his arms, flashing a confident grin in Julia's direction. "I gotta say, I didn't think you'd hold out for this long," He said. "Most Pokemon get beat the second they're hit with Typhlosion's Flamethrower."

Julia wasn't sure if Ethan was offering a genuine compliment or just flattering her. Whatever the case, she wasn't giving up yet. "Hikaru and I have been through a lot together," She told him. "A little fire isn't going to knock us down. Not even a little bit."

It was then that Ethan found himself speechless. There was a gleam in Julia's eyes that he didn't recognize. He never saw her with that look before, but he knew it all too well. Lips in a thin, firm line, eyebrows furrowed, eyes that gleamed with knowledge of pain and hardship, happiness and sorrow, and the resolve to keep going...that was the look only a trainer who went through thick and thin alongside their Pokemon had. One who witnessed and participated in many battles, experiencing wins and losses. He never expected Julia of all people to be a trainer, let alone strong enough to make it into Kanto of all places.

In a way, it made the battle all the more invigorating. He saw for sure that the girl standing on the other side of the field wasn't the shy crybaby he knew in school.

"Guess I better turn up the heat, then!" Ethan proclaimed. "Typhlosion! Use Flamethrower one more time!"

"Thunderbolt, Hikaru!"

Both Typhlosion and Hikaru fired their attacks, flames and electricity colliding, sending sparks and embers all over the place. The two remained firmly in place for several minutes, trying to put as much power into their attacks as possible. Surely, one of them had to overpower the other. Eventually, the flames grew in size, overwhelming Hikaru's Thunderbolt. Hikaru had no time to dodge, and before she knew it, she was engulfed in flames. She howled and cried as fire sent pain through every nerve in her body. Eventually, the stream of fire ceased, and Hikaru could only stand there, swaying back and forth with a dazed look in her eyes.

Julia clasped her hands together. "Hikaru!" It was pretty clear her friend couldn't battle anymore. Unable to stand, Hikaru flopped on her side, letting out a gasp as she collapsed.

Caiseal stole a glance at the fallen mouse Pokemon before extending a hand towards Ethan. "Hikaru is unable to battle! Typhlosion is the winner, and with that, Ethan Goldsworthy wins the match!" He proclaimed.

"Alriiiiight!" Ethan jumped up once, cheering and throwing his fists into the air. Typhlosion let out a triumphant roar, flames bursting from its neck. "You rock and you rule!"

Just like that, all the energy Julia had was sapped right out of her. Oddly enough, as drained as she felt, she didn't feel sad or angry. The battle was quite satisfying, and she knew she would lose, so the loss didn't sting as much as she expected it to. Ethan had been on his journey longer than she had, so of course he had more experience and more time to train. She felt...relieved, like a cinder block had been lifted off of her back. She walked over to Hikaru and cradled her in her arms. Hikaru opened her eyes, seeing her trainer's sympathetic expression.

"Pikachu…"

"You did great, girl. I'm so proud of you," Julia whispered softly, using one hand to stroke Hikaru's ear.

"Hey," Ethan's voice pulled the girl out of her reverie. She stood up, seeing Ethan standing in front of her, a smiling Typhlosion by his side. "Is Hikaru okay? I think we might have gone a bit overboard with that last attack. Sorry about that."

Typhlosion leaned closer to Hikaru, growling and asking if she was alright. Hikaru smiled and gave a friendly squeak in return.

"She'll be fine," Julia replied. "It's nothing a few potions and Oran berries can't fix."

Hikaru nodded in agreement.

"That was a great battle. I really enjoyed it," Ethan said.

Julia didn't quite know what to say to that.

"Awww man. She lost," Perrine groaned. "I was kinda hoping she'd beat him."

"She doesn't seem too torn up about the loss though," Caiseal noted, having noticed the smile on his friend's face.

"So, uhhh...thanks. For the battle, I mean," Julia stammered, putting Hikaru back in her PokeBall. "We should probably get going. I don't want to waste your time and make you late for the League."

She turned on her heel and was about to rejoin her friends. She didn't expect things to magically go back to the way they were before. Just because she wanted it that way, that didn't mean Ethan or others wanted the same. At this moment, she did what she felt needed to be done, so there was no point in pushing the issue further. Why force him to be her friend again? She apologized, showed him she was sincere through the battle, and that was all.

"Wait! Don't go!"

What? She stopped in her tracks, turning around. Why was Ethan stopping her? Didn't he need to go back on his journey? What more did he want? Ethan pulled out his PokeGear, similar in model to Perrine's and Caiseal's.

"This is gonna seem weird, but…" Ethan's face flushed red as he struggled to get the words out. "Do you...I don't know...want to exchange numbers?"

Julia was sure her ears were playing tricks on her. But she heard Ethan's question loud and clear, as did everyone else. Caiseal and Perrine exchanged shocked glances. Why would he want her number? Julia was sure he wanted nothing more to do with her.

"If you don't mind, I was kind of hoping...maybe...we could...maybe start over?" Ethan stammered. "Be friends again? Like we used to, I mean."

Be friends again? What? Julia's eyes widened. Was she dreaming? No, she couldn't be. If she was, she wouldn't have heard what he said so clearly.

He wanted to be friends with her again? Actually wanted to?

Julia's heart threatened to burst out of her chest. She told herself not to expect something like that to happen. All she needed to do was apologize and move on. Earlier, Ethan had made it clear he never wanted to see her again. Did the battle really change his mind, and that quickly? Any words she could possibly say in response were stuck in her throat. Was this some kind of miracle? Her brain reeled from the question...but more than anything, she wanted to explode and cry from too much joy.

"I'm sorry for all the mean stuff I said to you earlier," Ethan said bashfully. "Now that I know the whole story...somewhat, I think I understand you a little better now. Plus, you proved that you're not the same person you were before, so...but I understand if you don't-"

Ethan was cut off by a warm body slamming into him, and the feeling of skinny arms wrapping around his neck. He looked down and saw Julia clutching him tightly, green eyes moist with fresh tears.

"Of course I want us to be friends again!" Julia wailed, breaking into relieved sobs. "Ethaaaaaan!"

Her response told him everything he needed to know. With a sympathetic smile, he gently rubbed Julia's back. Now this was the girl he knew...and cherished so much back then. Maybe things could go back to the way they were before. Truth be told, he had already accepted her apology long before she even proposed the battle, but he didn't want to let her know that right away, in case she turned out to be just faking remorse. So many others had done so long before they had even met. The last thing he wanted was to give someone another chance but have mud thrown in his face for it. But he could tell for sure that Julia meant everything she said, apology and all.

It took a moment for Julia to calm down, but once she did, they exchanged numbers on their PokeGear. Perrine approached her and gave her a playful slap on the back.

"Isn't this great, Jule?" Perrine exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. "I bet you didn't expect that to happen, now did you?"

"No I didn't."

"So, are you guys planning on getting into the Pokemon League?" Ethan asked.

"I'm not, but Perrine and Caiseal are," Julia pointed out.

Perrine confidently smacked her own chest with one hand. "I bet we'll be facing each other when we get there!"

"There's a possibility," Caiseal added.

Then, a spark lit Ethan's mind alight. "Hey! Here's an idea! Tohjo Falls isn't too far from here, and since we're all heading to the same place, how about we travel together?"

It took no time at all for Julia to raise her hand. "That's a great idea! I say we do it! I wanna hear all about your adventures!"

Perrine and Caiseal nodded in agreement. "I don't see why not. This'll be fun!"

"It'll be nice to finally talk to another boy for once," Caiseal remarked playfully. Ethan scratched his nose after hearing that one.

With that, the trio became a quartet. This was all so much to take in. Running into an old friend, finally patching things up, joining up in the last stretches of their journeys...but for now, in this very moment, Julia couldn't have been happier.

"Alrighty, then! Next stop, Tohjo Falls!"

***

A/N: Happy 2020, everyone! The first MarJour chapter of the new year, and it's...March. Eh, at least the wait wasn't as bad as the Harriet arc, when I didn't start a new chapter until long after the year had started (August). I hope everyone is happy and healthy, though considering a lot of bad stuff that's been going on IRL (I think you'll have an idea of what I'm referring to), it's probably going to be hard to be so. Even so, remember to stay safe and do all you can! Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long to come out. Then again, that'll ultimately depend on how motivated I am to actually churn something out.

 

[Juliko]

Chapter 63: The Path To The Pokemon League

"So this is Tohjo Falls, huh?" Julia peered into the cave entrance before her, surprised at how wide it was. It was big enough to hold a hundred people in one line, if such a thing was possible.

Vines and vegetation hung over the arch, with one big string of it standing low enough that the kids could touch it with their hands, or pull on it if they wanted. Perrine held a hand behind one of her ears, and she caught a rushing sound. "I hear water inside."

"It's probably the waterfall," Ethan pointed out.

Caiseal was the first to take a few steps inside. "Wow. It's dark in here," He said. The cave seemed to lead into a dark, black void, and he couldn't see anything inside it.

Ethan pulled out a PokeBall. "I got this covered. Go, Porygon2!" Out from the PokeBall came the round, less angular Porygon that Julia saw earlier.

"Oooh! A Porygon2?" Immediately, Perrine squealed in awe of the Pokemon. "I've never seen one in person before!"

Although she already knew about it herself, Julia examined it with her PokeDex to refresh her memory. "Porygon2, the Virtual Pokemon, and the evolved form of Porygon. Porygon2 is an upgraded version of Porygon made by scientists and endowed with artificial intelligence enabling it to learn new gestures and emotions all on its own. It can even remember unnecessary information, such as how many steps one can walk from the ground to the top of Mt. Coronet. It is also capable of exhibiting behavior that was not programmed into it. Originally, Porygon2 was designed for space exploration and planetary development, and is able to survive in the vacuum of space, but it cannot move around very well in zero gravity, and its inability to fly beyond 50 feet in the air put a stop to that idea. It is able to generate electricity and manipulate the air around it to enable levitation. As of the late 2000s, Porygon2 have become very popular with trainers because of their friendly, helpful nature, as have the other members of its evolutionary family."

As stated, Porygon2 did levitate about two feet from the ground, low enough so Ethan could pet it without bending down. "Hey, buddy. Want to shed a little light on the subject here?"

Figuring out what he was asking, Porygon2 nodded and in an instant, its whole body glowed in a white light, illuminating the inside of the cave. When Caiseal looked into the cave again, a path was visible, and small rocks jutted from the cave walls.

"Good thinking, Ethan!" Caiseal exclaimed. "I can actually see where we're going now."

"I would have had Hikaru use Flash, but she's tired from the battle earlier," Julia pointed out.

The kids made their way into the cave, engaging in small talk as they walked. Perrine was the first to ask Ethan, "How'd you even get a Porygon2 anyway? Aren't they super rare?"

Ethan rubbed his nose with his index finger. "Not as rare as they used to be," He said.

He went on to explain that he came across it as a Porygon while in Goldenrod City. Ethan found himself in the slums and didn't know his way around, and he found some kids throwing rocks at it. Ethan stepped in to stop them, using Typhlosion, a Quilava back then, to drive them away. The Porygon wound up getting attached to him and never left his side. Not wanting to leave it alone, Ethan decided to have Porygon join his team. When he was in Mahogany Town, a few weeks before the red Gyarados incident, someone noticed his Porygon and gave him an Upgrade to help it evolve.

"Awwww! That's so sweet!" Julia cooed. She always liked hearing about people saving Pokemon from bullies and abusers, this being no different. The story reminded her of when he stood up to Kirsten, Lakeisha, and the rest of their posse on her behalf back in school. "Porygon2's super lucky to have you as its trainer."

"Poriiiii!" Porygon2 warbled, its ovular arms whirling around in a circular motion.

The sound of running water grew stronger the further in the kids went. Before long, the quartet found themselves in front of a large lake that stretched over several acres. A large waterfall rained down at the very back of the cave, sending ripples all across the lake. Some Magikarp leaped into the air before diving back in.

"Oh no!" Caiseal exclaimed suddenly.

"Huh?" Julia turned around. "What is it, Cash?"

"I completely forgot!" Caiseal shouted. "None of us have any water Pokemon big enough to cross water!"

Just like that, all the energy was sucked right out of the girls. He was right. None of them had any Pokemon that could swim across water, let alone one big enough to carry four people. Perrine left Luminita at home, and while Caiseal had Flippy with him, she could only carry one person. If she carried all four of them one at a time, she'd get tired quickly, and the last thing Caiseal wanted was to put her through something so unnecessary. Julia wished that she still had Geraldine. She was big enough to carry all four of them, but considering she wasn't here, that was an option they couldn't pursue.

Oddly enough, Ethan wasn't worried at all. "I guess it's a good thing we decided to join up. Don't worry, guys," He told them reassuringly. "I got this," He pulled out another PokeBall. "Come on out, Lapras!"

Out from the PokeBall came a large, dinosaur-like Pokemon, with a long neck, four flippers, a blue hide decked with darker spots and a cream colored underside. Its ears were tightly curled inward, resembling cinnamon rolls, and a heavy, grey shell with blunt knots covered its back.

"Puuuuu!" Lapras let out a friendly coo as it materialized in the water, leaning its head down so Ethan could pet it.

This time, Julia found herself in awe. "Oooooh! A Lapras! It's so cute! I've always wanted to see one in person!" Julia exclaimed.

Perrine pulled out her PokeDex. "Lapras, the transport Pokemon. Lapras are a gentle, friendly Pokemon that are intelligent enough to understand human speech, and enjoy ferrying people across water over long distances. Their smooth skin is very cool to the touch. In previous years, many Lapras were hunted and poached, with their hides and shells sold on the market, and almost faced extinction. In the late 1980s, the World Union for Conservation of Pokemon declared them a protected species, declaring it illegal to hunt or kill them, and over the next few decades, their dwindling numbers rapidly increased to the point where they are no longer facing extinction. However, because of the new overabundance of Lapras in the wild, the fish Pokemon population has gone into a subtle decline. Lapras are a popular transportation Pokemon in regions such as Kalos and Alola. In the evenings, or if it's in a good mood, Lapras like to sing, either for fun or so it can call upon more of its kind. Their melodies are considered very enchanting."

"What are you guys waiting for? Hop on!" He told them, gesturing towards Lapras' shell.

Without hesitation, the quartet hopped onto Lapras' back and let the transport Pokemon ferry them over the water. That was one problem solved. The kids made a mental note to catch some decently large water Pokemon in the future, should they ever find themselves in this kind of situation again.

"We really owe you one. Thanks, Ethan," Caiseal said. "Sorry we're using you like this."

"It's no biggie. Trainers should always help each other," Ethan reassured.

Lapras let out another coo, echoing Ethan's statement.

Julia looked over Lapras' neck and tensed up. "Umm...why are we going towards the waterfall?"

The roar of falling water grew from a dull hum to an explosive bellowing the closer Lapras swam. Normally, unless someone wanted to see them up close, people went away from waterfalls.

"Isn't it obvious?" Ethan asked. "We need to go up the waterfall or we won't make it to the League."

"WHAT?!" Julia yelped.

Going up the waterfall? Actually climbing it? Was that even possible? Julia felt her heart fall to the pit of her stomach. "Isn't that, like, really dangerous? What if we fall off Lapras' back and get killed?" She hated the whine her voice took on. But climbing a waterfall? She was sure doing that was practically signing her own death warrant. The knobs on Lapras' shell weren't big enough to really hold onto, and Julia was sure if Lapras actually climbed the waterfall, she herself would wind up sliding off, falling into the water, maybe hitting her head on a rock and bleeding to death. If there were straps and seat belts that could keep everyone in place, that'd be one thing, but there weren't any.

"Don't worry," Ethan reassured, gesturing towards Porygon2, who was levitating right next to them. "Porygon2 knows Psychic, so if you guys ever do fall off, he can use his powers to catch you. Kinda like telekinesis."

Porygon2 nodded, affirming Ethan's point.

As much as she wanted to believe him, hearing that didn't make her feel any better.

"It'll be okay," Perrine said. "Just hold onto me. We won't let you fall off."

Without a word, Julia wrapped her arms around Perrine's waist and moved closer, burying herself in the fabric of her friend's vest.

Before long, the waterfall was right in front of them. The kids found themselves getting wet just from being ten feet away from it, what with the water spraying and splashing all over the place. "Alright, guys. You better hang on tight, because this might get kinda bumpy," Ethan warned.

Ethan and Caiseal clung to Lapras' neck. Perrine had her arms around Caiseal's neck, and Julia remained firmly clutched to Perrine, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Lapras! Use Waterfall!"

The transport Pokemon let out a wail, its eyes glowing a turquoise hue. Lapras swam closer to the waterfall, and upon making contact, it began sliding right up, avoiding the sharp corner of the wall that connected it to the ground by moving its body in a curve. A wall of water overwhelmed the Pokemon from all sides, threatening to push it all the way down. The kids held on tight as water splashed all around them. Lapras swam and pushed onward, its eyes locked onto the top of the waterfall. Gradually, the kids found themselves getting higher and higher off the ground. Julia kept her legs firmly on Lapras' shell, her whole body rigid with fear as she prayed that they'd make it up safely.

Then, Lapras' body rocked, like a car hitting a speed bump. No longer did they feel water crashing into them. The kids opened their eyes, with Julia turning around to see what was behind her. It was the waterfall, and in front of them was solid water. In that instant, the fear melted away. Julia raised one arm into the air and let out a cheer.

"We made it!"

Lapras trilled, echoing Julia's statement.

"I knew we would," Ethan said, using one hand to stroke Lapras' neck. "Thanks a lot, Lapras. You did great."

In response, Lapras gave a light coo.

Ethan then turned around and said, "That was the hard part. The rest of it is gonna be smooth sailing, though we will be going down another waterfall. But that's usually easier than going up one."

Now that, Julia didn't mind. She exhaled a sigh of relief, her limbs relaxing. It helped that Lapras was moving slowly. Julia was not in the mood for a Pokemon swimming really fast in here. Lapras swam through the water at a steady, rhythmic pace, and the passengers on its back decided to kill some time by sharing stories and talking amongst themselves.

"Hey, Jule," Ethan said after half an hour. "I never got to ask you this before...why did you hate Pokemon battles so much?"

Julia raised her eyebrows. Only now did he think to ask? Julia shrugged. Better late than never. "It's kind of a long and stupid story," She wasted no time relaying the tale to him. With every word that came from her mouth, Ethan's eyes shrunk, like he heard a horror story.

"Whoa! Seriously? That really happened to you?" Ethan yelped, unable to completely process what he had just heard. "And a teacher actually had the gall to blame you for the whole thing?"

"Yeah. It was pretty rough."

"No wonder," Ethan folded his arms, lamenting having ever yelled at Julia earlier today. Just remembering the reunion made him cringe in disgust, especially now that he knew for sure that Julia didn't ditch him solely to string him along. He couldn't believe he had never asked her about it before now. It surely shed a new light on Julia's reaction to having seen him battle all those years ago. "I'll bet it was really traumatizing. If someone ever did that to me, I'd probably be scarred for life, too. Now I feel even worse about having said all that stuff to you. Again, sorry for that."

"It's okay!" Julia waved both hands. "It's all good! I wanted to mention it earlier, but decided not to because I didn't want to sound like I was making excuses. Besides, you had every right to be angry at me."

Their voices echoed inside the cave, and Julia could feel her ears vibrate just a little bit. But she didn't mind. The vibrations didn't hurt, and sharing the story with him made her chest feel a little lighter. Ethan smiled. "Well, I'm glad you told me anyway. Now we can start fresh."

Start fresh...Julia didn't mind that idea at all.

Her ears eventually caught the dull roar of falling water. It grew louder the more Lapras swam. Ethan turned around, facing the water. "Looks like we're heading for another waterfall," He turned back towards the trio. "Hold on tight, because we're going down."

"Pooor!" Porygon2 trilled, floating right beside them, ready to use Psychic to levitate them, should something bad happen.

Julia clung to Perrine, who clutched Lapras' neck tightly. Caiseal held onto Ethan, and the quartet readied themselves for the sharp drop. Then, air rushed right through them as they descended from the top of the waterfall. Julia didn't dare open her eyes, afraid of what she might see, and her grip tightened around Perrine's waist. Not seconds later, the speed in which they fell slowed, and they felt like they were floating. Everyone opened their eyes to find a veil of purple light surrounding them. Perrine opened her eyes and turned to her right. Porygon2's eyes were glowing purple, its beak pointing them towards the bottom of the waterfall.

They were floating. Gradually, Porygon2 lowered everyone, Lapras included, down onto the water, causing very little disturbance to the lake. Water still splashed around when Lapras settled, but because they floated down slowly, rather than crashed into the lake, the landing didn't send water flying all over the place. Porygon2's eyes went back to normal, and everyone let out big sighs of relief.

"Safe and sound," Julia exclaimed.

Lapras cooed in agreement, as did Porygon2, who floated over to Ethan.

"Thanks, Porygon2," Ethan reached his hand out to scratch underneath Porygon2's chin. "I owe you one."

Shortly after, once they made it to dry land, they descended from Lapras' back, and Ethan put it back in its PokeBall so it could rest. It didn't take long for them to see a light at the end of the tunnel. "There's the exit!" Perrine pointed out.

When they exited Tohjo Falls, Julia had to squeeze her eyes shut, as the sudden light blinded her. But now they were out and back into green pastures and high standing mountains. From here, they had to walk through Routes 26 and 23, with the former being mostly flat land with the occasional lake and forest, and the latter being a more rugged, mountainous path. The quartet wasted no time making their way down Route 26, admiring the scenery around them, happy to be out of the dark cave, and passing the time by further exchanging stories of their adventures. After about a two hour walk, they stopped for lunch, just before heading up Route 23. Some Pokemon popped up every now and again, such as Ponyta and Doduo, either racing across the plains or picking some berries off a tree.

But it was Route 23 that wound up taking quite a toll on them. Winding paths spread out before them like ribbons scattered on the ground, with many of them consisting only of large rocks piled precariously on top of each other. One misstep could easily lead to a slip and fall. The only way was up, and the kids ascended the path. Every footfall seemed to drain the energy right out of them. Julia in particular heaved and huffed with every step, her legs feeling like jelly after only spending an hour just walking up the path. She wished she had kept Twilight with her. Riding on her back would spare her legs the agony of the painful ascent, and Ponyta were well built for traversing this kind of terrain. Many days were spent just trying to put one foot ahead of the other, and with no Pokemon Centers nearby, the kids often camped out in their tents. After a few weeks of traveling on foot, Julia was having trouble keeping track of how long they had been on the road. She did know that the Pokemon League was due to start soon, and it had been early November when the kids made their way back to New Bark Town.

"How much...farther...until we get to...Victory Road?" Perrine huffed, face red from exhaustion.

Caiseal pulled out a map as Ethan stopped to catch his breath. "According to this, Victory Road is just past the top of this hill," He said, pointing towards the apex of the hill.

"Yay!" Julia threw her arms up with melodramatic flourish. "Finally!"

Pushing through their exhaustion, the quartet made it to the top before descending right down, and before long, Victory Road was right in front of them. Moss and lichen lined the cavernous entrance like a veil, with several vines dangling from the top and the sides. It wasn't as big and imposing as Tohjo Falls was, and when Perrine peered inside to get a look, she could make out the inside of the cave much better than she could the falls. Boulders jutted from the walls on both sides, with tired mud splashed on its surface like paint on a canvas. The kids couldn't tell if they were regular boulders or an Onix's horn. Looking up, Julia could see two Zubat hanging from the ceiling further down, their blue forms dark against the light from the outside.

"This looks scary," Julia whimpered. She knew they'd be safe, since they all had their Pokemon with them, but her whole being trembled with fear. Just seeing those Zubat made her as rigid as a steel pole.

"I have an idea," Perrine pulled a PokeBall out, releasing Fuwari. The Skiploom greeted her with a chirp. "Hey, Fuwari. Can you put a Leech Seed on this boulder here and keep doing so when we go farther in?"

"Pupu!" Fuwari nodded and floated towards a bounder, shooting a seed from the flower on her head. It landed right on the rock, and a ribbon of vines wrapped around it.

Seeing the confused looks on the group's faces, Perrine explained, "I'm gonna have Fuwari mark some of the rocks so we don't get lost."

"Good idea! I wish I had thought of that," Julia said, remembering she had brought Papillon with her this time around. She could have had Papillon use String Shot and make a big silk rope, but wondered if doing so for a long time would just stress her out. Leaving marks like Fuwari's Leech Seed was probably less taxing. It helped that Porygon2's body began glowing as soon as they went inside, illuminating the inside of the cave straight away.

As the kids made their way inside, Caiseal spoke. "Alright, you guys. Victory Road is known to have some really strong and dangerous Pokemon, just behind Mt. Silver. First off, we stay together no matter what. Second, we need to be extremely careful," He advised. "It doesn't look like there are any lights in here, so keep an eye out, like for a sudden pit, falling rocks, or sleeping Geodude."

Julia held her hand flat to her forehead, doing a captain's salute. "No need to tell me twice!"

"You sound like you've done this before," Ethan noted.

"Caiseal's actually been stuck in a dangerous cave once before," Julia told him. "So this isn't his first rodeo."

The kids kept their eyes open, looking all around to make sure the path before them was clear. But at one point, Ethan's foot caught on a rock that seemed to stick up out of nowhere. With a yelp, he fell flat on his face. Julia ran over to help him up, and he groaned as he glanced at the offending rock. Porygon2's light revealed that the rock had eyes, a mouth, and two long arms. A Geodude. The rock Pokemon gave an annoyed glance before floating away.

"Sorry about that, little Geodude," Julia said just before it disappeared. "You okay, Ethan?"

"Yeah," He looked down to see if he had scraped his knee. There was no sign of blood or any other injury, just a spot of dirt and gravel, but his foot trembled from the sudden jolt of pain. Nothing too bad.

Fuwari held her hands to her mouth, snickering to herself alongside Porygon2, who let out a warbling giggle.

They stopped for a bit so Ethan could wipe the grime off his knee with a napkin, then went back to their trek. The cave seemed to expand in size the further in they walked. Jagged stalagmites jutted out from the ceiling, pointing downward, like rocky icicles, with plenty more of them lining the walls. Fuwari marked some of them with Leech Seed, so the kids would know they had come through here.

"So how long do you think we'll get to the Pokemon League?" Julia asked Caiseal. "What time is it?"

"Let me check," Caiseal opened his PokeGear, and his breath hitched when he checked the time. "Whoa! It's 7:30 PM already?!"

"I didn't realize it had gotten so late," Perrine said.

Ethan scratched the hair sticking out from underneath his hat. "Last I checked, Victory Road stretches out pretty far," He told them. "I think by the time we get out, it'll be almost midnight,"

"That's really late," Julia piped in.

Caiseal and Perrine exchanged looks. "So should we camp out here for the night?" Perrine asked.

"We didn't see any Pokemon Centers around here, so as much as I don't like doing so, this might be our best option," Caiseal said.

Camping out inside a cave...Julia shivered. Sleeping in a dark, scary looking cave, completely exposed, open to attack from all sorts of strong, dangerous looking Pokemon. But there weren't any inns or Pokemon Centers on Routes 22 and 23, and they did have their camping gear. What else was there to really do? She reminded herself that their Pokemon were with them, and they could protect their trainers if need be.

"Pupu?" All of a sudden, Fuwari floated towards an opening that led down another path. Her ears perked up, then she yelped and floated over to the trainers, flapping her hands frantically. "Pupupupuuuuu!"

"What's wrong, Fuwari?" Perrine asked.

Fuwari pointed towards the path that led downward. Julia knew what Fuwari said, but knowing that Ethan didn't know about her ability, and was unlikely to believe her if she told him, she decided on a different tactic. "Maybe she hears something down the path."

"Let's follow her," Caiseal suggested. Everyone agreed, making their way down the path.

Once they got further in, they heard what was making Fuwari so frantic.

"Help! Someone help! Please!" A terrified male voice echoed from further in.

"Sounds like someone's in trouble!" Julia exclaimed, her previous fear melting away. "Hellooo!" She wrapped her hands around her mouth and called out to whoever was yelling.

"Oh, thank Arceus!" The source of the voice came running towards the kids. A young kid about twelve bounded up the path, glasses obscuring his eyes, a bush of black hair atop his head, stopped to catch his breath. His deep, copper skin almost blended with the darkness, had Porygon2 not used Flash, and he was wearing long, blue jeans, tall brown boots, and a thick, heavy tan jacket. "You have no idea how happy I am to see somebody here!"

"What's wrong? We could hear you screaming," Perrine asked.

"You gotta come quick!" The boy gripped Perrine by the arm and pointed down the path. "One of my friends is hurt real bad! She needs help!"

Everyone's jaws fell ajar. Someone was hurt? From how frantic and scared the boy was, it sounded serious. They wasted no time following him, and the boy escorted them to where his friend was.

Down by a cluster of rocks were two trainers, a boy and a girl. A tall, stocky, heavy set kid with an olive green mohawk was leaning over a young girl lying on the ground, her face in a twisted, pained grimace. The girl's black, braided pigtails were splayed across the dirt, and she wore a light grey tangzhuang decked with pink flowers. One of her black pant legs was ripped, and her leg was a ghastly mix of red and purple. The larger boy held a wad of towels to her shoulder, and Julia could see it stained with dark, red blood. This was definitely a serious situation.

"Hey, Zack!" The boy with the glasses shouted, waving towards his friend. "I finally found somebody who can help us!"

"Oh, goodness!" Julia was the first to run over to them. "What in the world happened here? Is she okay?"

"It hurts…" The girl choked out. "Ugh...can't move…"

"Hang in there, Yue," Zack reassured her, but Julia could tell from the quiver in his voice that even he didn't sound so sure. He looked up at her and said, "We were just hanging around until this Rhydon came out of nowhere and started barreling through the cave walls in a frenzy. We all tried to battle it, but it wiped out some of our Pokemon in no time flat, and we tried to get away, but some rocks fell on top of Yue. One big one broke her leg, and…"

Reluctantly, Zack pulled the wadded up cloth away from Yue. The quartet recoiled. Jutting out from Yue's left shoulder was a long, sharp rock the size of a machete, and blood stained the entire left sleeve of her shirt. More of it began to trickle downward, and Zack immediately put the wad back on her shoulder.

"Oh lord!" Caiseal evaded his eyes and began rummaging through his bag to see if he had anything that could help.

"We want to get her out, but we're afraid if we move her, we might make things worse," The kid with the glasses cried. "There's no cell reception either, so we can't call for an ambulance!"

"Darn it!" Caiseal growled, slamming his backpack shut. "My pack of gauze is too small for this!"

What could they do? They were all just kids, with none of them having any kind of medical knowledge or experience whatsoever, save for some things they caught on TV. Julia knew for sure they couldn't just yank that chunk of rock out of Yue's shoulder. If they did, she might bleed out or worse, and manipulating her broken leg was definitely not an option. Julia scrambled to find something in her brain that would help in at least getting these trainers out of here without worsening Yue's pain. Think, think, think.

Gradually, a solution formed in Julia's mind, as seamlessly as weaving cloth.

"Ethan. Can you have Porygon2 use Psychic on Yue to levitate her? He can get her out of the cave without causing her any further discomfort."

Immediately catching on, Ethan flashed a wide grin. "That's a great idea!" But the grin turned into a frown as soon as he remembered something else. "But Porygon2's using Flash right now. If he stops, we might not be able to see."

"It's okay! Hang on a sec," Julia pulled out a PokeBall. "Come on out, Hikaru!" The orange Pikachu appeared from the PokeBall. "Hey, girl. Would you mind using Flash, please?"

Hikaru nodded, and her body glowed in a bright orange light, illuminating the inside of the cave. The light from Porgon2's body vanished, and its eyes glowed purple. A similarly colored aura appeared around Yue, and she was slowly lifted into the air, but still low enough for Zack to keep the wad on her shoulder.

Perrine stepped forward to talk to the trio. "We'll help you carry her out of Victory Road. Once we get outside, we can call for help, and we'll stay with you guys until she's safe and sound. Is that okay?"

Zack playfully smacked his friend on the back. "Man, Alex! You really lucked out finding these guys!"

Alex broke into tears. "Indeed we did! Thank you so much! Really! You're lifesavers!" He wailed with relief, taking Perrine's hand into his own and shaking it up and down like he had never done so in his life.

With that, the kids decided to make their way out of Victory Road. Staying in there wouldn't have been good for Yue, and they weren't very far into the cave anyway. Fuwari's Leech Seed marks helped in showing them the way back, so there was no chance for them to get lost.

"You know...I could get used to this," Yue quipped, using one hand to hold the wad to her shoulder, relieving Zack of the responsibility. "I wonder why I never thought of this myself. Then again, my poor Hypno got his butt whooped by that Rhydon…"

"We'll be out of here in a few minutes, so it won't be much longer," Julia reassured her, keeping her eyes on the grey shirt she was wearing. Although it was hard to see because of the darkness, even with Hikaru's body lighting up the cave, Julia could make out the pink flower patterns on her shirt. She found the girl's clothing to be quite pretty. Except for the blood stains, of course. She wondered if Yue was from further East.

Before long, they made it out of Victory Road the way they came, and the sky was a deep, rich blue. Ethan wasted no time using his PokeGear to call for help, telling the operator exactly where they were. Porygon2 gently put Yue on the ground, taking care not to disturb her broken leg or the rock lodged in her shoulder. The kids kept her comfortable for about thirty minutes, which was enough time for an ambulance to arrive. Paramedics secured Yue's leg and wrapped thick gauze around the rock in her shoulder to keep it steady, as they didn't want it to wiggle around and cause more bleeding.

"Is there another path that leads to the League?" Julia asked, having noticed that the ambulance came from around the cave. "I thought Victory Road was the only way to get there."

"Nope, there's another way there," Zack chimed in to explain. "There's another road that goes way around the cave, but not many people know about it," He pointed towards some bushes further up. Julia squinted, barely making out an opening that led to a dirt path. "Usually only police cars and ambulances use it, in case somebody gets hurt."

Yue smiled as she was lifted onto a gurney. "Well, at least this way, I can make it to the League before you guys do. Haha," She gave a playful retort, finding the knowledge that she didn't have to go through Victory Road to get to the League appealing.

Alex turned to the quartet again and bowed. "Seriously, thanks so much for helping us. You have no idea how grateful we are."

"Don't mention it," Perrine waved her hands dismissively. "We're just happy you're all okay."

"Are you guys headin' to the League as well?" Zack asked.

"We sure are," Caiseal told him.

"Cool! So are we! Maybe we'll see you all there when Yue's better!"

"I hope so!" Ethan exclaimed, giving Zack a friendly pat on the shoulder. "But for right now, you guys stick by your friend and take care of her. Okay?"

"No need to tell us twice!" Alex nodded in agreement.

When the ambulance drove away, the kids parted ways with Alex and Zack, watching as the two of them made their way down the side road. A good alternative to going through Victory Road with a berserk Rhydon on the loose, even though that path was likely a lot longer. Julia looked inside the cave, and it was completely pitch black.

"So...should we camp out here for the night?" Julia asked. "I don't know if I like the idea of sleeping in a cave with an angry Rhydon running around."

Caiseal wasted no time pulling out his tent and any materials that could help set it up. "I say we hit the hay tonight. We can go back in first thing in the morning, and we'll get to the League by the afternoon. Sleeping in Victory Road might be too dangerous."

Nobody had any arguments there. The kids set up camp and went to sleep for the night. Porygon2 and Fuwari remained outside their PokeBalls for extra security, and Julia kept Hikaru out of her PokeBall, feeling safer with her friend by her side. Plus, Hikaru's long ears could hear noises she couldn't, so if anything happened, she'd be the first to hear it and let them know ahead of time. With that thought in mind, Julia drifted off to sleep.

***

The kids all woke up at seven in the morning, ate a quick breakfast, and made their way back into Victory Road, refreshed and ready for anything. This time, they managed to walk further in than they did last night. Fuwari continued to mark various boulders with Leech Seed, and Hikaru used Flash to light the way instead of Porygon2, figuring the latter could use a break from doing that. The kids stayed together at all times, keeping an eye out for any dangerous Pokemon heading their way. But at one point, a Zubat came flying in front of Julia's face.

"Eeeek! Go away go away go awaaaaay!" Julia wailed, flailing her arms in an attempt to brush the Zubat out of her face. Thankfully for her, the Zubat took the hint and flew away, but even after it left, she froze in place, shivering and whimpering. "Nnngh!"

"What's wrong?" Ethan asked. "You okay?"

"She's scared of poison types," Perrine told him.

Julia took a few minutes to compose herself before they got back to their trek, and they hadn't encountered any more Zubat since then. Probably because Hikaru's glowing body scared most of them away. They weren't sure how long they had been in Victory Road, but there was one thing they did notice: Other than Alex, Yue, and Zack, they hadn't seen any other trainers here. One would think the cave would be crawling with trainers, since the League is just around the corner. The kids chalked it up to the League still being some ways off, and didn't want to get there too early. At least with this, they could get through the cave without much trouble and sign up for the League without doing a lot of waiting.

At one point, Caiseal pulled out his PokeGear to check the time. "Wow. It's almost eleven right now," He exclaimed, pulling up the map next. He smiled at what he saw. "Oh cool! After we go through this last stretch, we'll make it to the League by eleven thirty!"

Perrine threw her fists into the air. "Woohoo! Record time, baby!" Fuwari floated around her with just as much enthusiasm.

"You got that right!" Ethan cried out, throwing one fist up.

Julia smiled. Her legs had started to feel heavy from so much walking, so knowing they were finally going to get out of Victory Road assuaged any worries she might have cultivated.

But their happiness was short lived.

The ground beneath them began to shake. Caiseal fell to his knees. Perrine and Ethan hugged each other for balance. Julia clung to a nearby boulder. The rumbling escalated, like a small earthquake was going off.

"What's happening?!" Caiseal yelled.

Hikaru's ears perked up, as she caught a strange sound. "Pikaaa!" She pointed towards the wall a little further down.

Nobody had the chance to ask her what she heard, as rocks exploded from the wall. The kids barely managed to scurry five to six feet away, avoiding any debris that might have fallen on them. A roar broke the silence, and although the ground stopped rumbling, the kids could tell whatever caused it was right in front of them. A large hole appeared where the wall once was, and a large, grey, armored Pokemon with a drill for a nose barreled out from it. Its red eyes gleamed with fury, and its cream colored abdomen was covered with nicks and scars, probably from other Pokemon. The Pokemon towered over all four of the kids, and when it saw them in its line of sight, it let out a piercing, animalistic roar.

"Is that the Rhydon the other kids told us about?!" Perrine yelped.

Nobody dared answer, not that they had the chance to do so, as Rhydon immediately charged at them. The kids leaped out of the way, but the bipedal rhinoceros turned right around, its horn rotating faster than a power drill. Julia didn't need to look at it to see that this Rhydon was out for blood.

Caiseal wasted no time sending a Pokemon out. "Flippy! Use Water Pulse!" The smiling Quagsire materialized quickly, and fired off a sphere of water, sending it flying towards Rhydon. Although the attack made contact, it did nothing to slow it down. Rhydon slammed right into Flippy, sending the mud fish Pokemon rolling across the dirt. She hoisted herself back up, but Rhydon wasn't done yet.

"Fuwari, use Energy Ball! Help Flippy!" Perrine cried.

"Pupuuuu!" A green ball of light materialized over Fuwari's flower. She bent down and fired it off, and the green sphere hit Rhydon straight on the head. This time, Rhydon was pushed back two feet and felt the light burn its hide, but only slightly.

Then, Rhydon's hand glowed in an orange light. The drill Pokemon raised it high in the air before slamming it down on Flippy's head. The force of the hit was so strong, half of Flippy's body sunk into the ground, like she was little more than a mole prop getting whacked by a mallet.

Julia pulled a PokeBall out. "Neji! Use Sucker Punch!" On cue, Neji popped out of his ball and landed a solid punch on Rhydon's cheek, pushing it away from Flippy. Without another word, Neji used its front paws to dig the dirt out from around Flippy.

Rhydon let out another deafening roar. Julia's hands flew to her ears, as did everyone else's. Its footsteps thundered as it barreled towards them yet again. Fuwari fired another Energy Ball, holding it off for just a little bit to let the kids find safety, but the drill Pokemon smacked her out of the way like she was a Beedrill. But Fuwari reoriented herself before she could hit the cave wall. The Pokemon traded blows back and forth. Even Flippy, who managed to get out from being stuck in the ground, got in on the action. Water, grime, and light hit Rhydon from every direction, but the drill Pokemon swung its tail and limbs wildly, with no restraint whatsoever. The kids found a large boulder to hide behind, but they could tell that Rhydon would find them soon enough.

"That thing sure is tough!" Caiseal exclaimed.

"Can our Pokemon even stand a chance against it?" Julia asked, her eyebrows furrowed in worry. "You saw what it did to that girl from last night!"

When she turned to Ethan, her breath hitched. Ethan was...smiling? He stared at the Rhydon, watching as it struggled to defeat three Pokemon, with a big smile on his face. "Ethan? Are you listening?"

"You know...I wanna catch that Rhydon!" He proclaimed.

Caiseal, Perrine, and Julia all exchanged wide eyed stares. He wanted to catch that Rhydon? A Rhydon that not only broke a girl's leg, but nearly killed her by destroying part of a cave enough to send debris into her shoulder? Julia thought about pleading with him to drop that idea. That Rhydon was too dangerous. But a voice she didn't recognize prevented her from doing so.

"Why won't anyone let me sleep?!"

Was that...Rhydon's voice?

"All I wanna do is sleep, but all these darn humans and Pokemon keep waking me up! Just leave me alone! Is that too much to ask?! What do I need to do to get some peace around here?!"

Was that why Rhydon was rampaging?

"You actually want to catch that thing?!" Caiseal cried out.

Ethan swiped his nose with his thumb. "You bet I do! Besides, I never turn down a good challenge, and if I catch this Rhydon, it won't bother anybody who tries to walk through here!"

He had a good point. If he could ever hope to catch this Rhydon, any trainers coming through Victory Road won't get hurt like Yue did. Even so, this Rhydon was putting up quite a fight. Fuwari bombarded it with Energy Ball attacks like no tomorrow. Neji kept digging holes underground to make it lose its balance. At one point, one of Rhydon's feet fell into a hole, and the drill Pokemon fell on its rear end, but it got right back up. Maybe...they could all fight this one together.

"Hey Ethan," Julia said. "Do you want us to help you weaken it? I think I have an idea of how we can beat it."

When she told him of a potential strategy she thought up, Ethan was completely on board, having already pulled a PokeBall out. "Let's do this! Go, Lapras!"

Neji, Flippy, and Fuwari scurried away as Lapras materialized in front of Rhydon. The drill Pokemon didn't even blink, as it proceeded to dredge its foot into Lapras' shell. "Use Hydro Pump!" Lapras opened its mouth and fired a highly pressurized blast of water right into Rhydon's face, sending it rolling across the ground, similar to how Rhydon manhandled Flippy earlier.

"Awesome!" Perrine cheered. "Fuwari, use Energy Ball one more time! Make it count!"

"Puuuu!" Fuwari generated another green sphere of light, firing it at Rhydon's abdomen instead of its head. Rhydon barely got the chance to dodge it, as its body was too heavy for it to move that quickly. It didn't help that Lapras' attack soaked it to the bone, exacerbating the pain.

Caiseal threw his arm outward. "Flippy! Blind it with Mud Shot!"

"Quaaag!" Flippy leaped into the air as six spheres of glowing mud appeared before her. Using her tail, she smacked all six of them like they were baseballs, sending them in Rhydon's direction. Rhydon stood back up and did away with two of them by rotating the drill on its nose, but one of them fell right on its eyes, blinding it. The rest of them pelted Rhydon from above, making it fall to its knees.

"It's working!" Julia cried out. "But don't let up!"

Julia and Ethan met eyes and nodded.

"Hikaru!"

"Porygon2!"

"Use Flash!" Both trainers shouted in unison.

Both Hikaru and Porygon2 did the same before letting out battle cries, letting their bodies shine white. When Rhydon attempted to charge at them, the light from their bodies blinded it further. Rhydon held its arms up, but it was futile.

"Now, Ethan!"

"Alright! Lapras, use Sing!"

Lapras opened its mouth, and a low, calming melody echoed throughout the cave. Hikaru and Porygon2's bodies dimmed, and Rhydon could see again. It attempted to charge at Lapras once more, but the energy in its body seemed to slip away. Its legs grew heavy, and its eyes began to close, refusing to stay open. Rhydon willed its eyes to stay open, but its body refused. Then, Rhydon let out a yawn before falling on its stomach, grumbling away as it allowed itself to fly away to dreamland. The kids exchanged worried glances. Was it over? Was Rhydon asleep? Lapras' song ended a few minutes in, and everyone stopped to watch if Rhydon would suddenly wake up and start rampaging again. It didn't.

Ethan pulled out a black and yellow Ultra Ball. "Alright! You're mine!" Ethan threw it right at Rhydon's head. The capsule opened, Rhydon turned white, and was sucked inside. The Ultra Ball landed on the ground, wobbling from side to side. Julia crossed her fingers. Perrine and Caiseal stared at the Ultra Ball hard, with Fuwari and Flippy by their sides in case it popped out. Ethan, Porygon2, and Lapras all held their breath. They didn't breathe.

There was a sudden ping noise.

The Ultra Ball stopped moving.

Everyone fell to their knees, exhaling huge sighs of relief. Even Lapras and Porygon2, who barely moved much, got in on it. But Ethan's exhaustion was replaced with triumph as he pulled the Ultra Ball out and held it into the air with a big smile on his face.

"Yes! I caught myself a Rhydon! You rock and you rule!" Porygon2 swiveled around in the air, while Lapras clapped its two front fins, cheering joyously.

Julia used her hand to wipe some dirt off her shoulders. "Wow. That wound up going a lot better than I expected," She kneeled down to pet both Hikaru and Neji on their heads. "You guys did great. Nice job."

Perrine did the same with Fuwari, who smiled under her trainer's praise. "You were awesome today, Fuwari. You rocked."

Fuwari flung her stubby hands out and chirruped. "Pupupupuuuuu!"

Then, her whole body flashed in a white light. Gradually, Fuwari enlarged in size, and the kids watched in awe as three, round appendages began to bloom from her body. In a few seconds, the light vanished, and Fuwari was no longer a Skiploom. Her body was a rich blue color instead of green, and the flower on her head had been replaced with a leaf and a big cotton ball. Furthermore, her arms had increased in length, with cotton balls at the ends. Her eyes were still the same shade of red as they were when she was a Skiploom.

"Jumpluff!" Fuwari raised her fluffy arms up, rejoicing in her evolution.

"Yay! You evolved!" Perrine wrapped her arms around her blue friend and held her close.

"Well, what do you know? Looks like we both got new Pokemon!" Ethan pointed out. He caught a Rhydon, and Perrine's Skiploom evolved into Jumpluff.

Julia turned to Ethan. "So what do you plan on doing with Rhydon?" She asked.

"Well…" Ethan looked down at the Ultra Ball in his hand. "I have always wanted a Rhydon of my own, so I think I'll keep it. Maybe I can teach it a thing or two," He explained, taking the time to put Lapras and Porygon2 back in their PokeBalls.

Reasonable enough. Julia smiled, knowing for sure Ethan would take good care of Rhydon. For all she knew, maybe they'd become friends. She certainly hoped so.

"Alright. What do you say we get out of here?" Caiseal suggested, using his thumb to point towards the cave path.

Everyone nodded in agreement. It was high time they left Victory Road.

Just like that, they were back to walking, their eyes gleaming with determination, though mostly relief from the knowledge that nobody else would get hurt just trying to get through here. Then, a light appeared at the end of the tunnel. Knowing what this meant, the kids broke into sprints, running towards the exit. Finally, they had reached the end of Victory Road, and beyond it…the kids were more pumped than ever before, even in spite of how eventful today and last night had been. They could all feel that they were going to have unforgettable experiences ahead of them.

The light blinded them as they exited the cave, but when their eyes adjusted, their jaws dropped in awe of what they saw before them. Two archways led up a large flight of stone stairs, and PokeBall statues lined the premises. A large, gold and silver building whose architecture looked ancient and modern at the same time loomed over them, as if to say, "You've finally made it. Now take your first step to glory!"

Here was the Indigo Plateau, and by extension, the Pokemon League! The quartet had made it at last!

***

Spoiler: Pokemon Teams

Julia's Party:
Hikaru (Shiny Pikachu, Female, Jolly Nature)
Ability: Static
Attacks: Thunderbolt, Disarming Voice, Quick Attack, Volt Tackle

Papillon (Butterfree, Female, Calm Nature)
Ability: Compound Eyes
Attacks: Confusion, Bug Buzz, Air Slash, Quiver Dance

Neji (Furret, Male, Bashful Nature)
Ability: Keen Eye
Attacks: Dig, Hyper Voice, Sucker Punch, and Quick Attack

Karin (Smoochum, Female, Impish Nature)
Ability: Forewarn
Attacks: Pound, Confusion, Powder Snow, and Sweet Kiss

Lavinia (Scyther, Female, Rash Nature)
Ability: Steadfast
Attacks: Quick Attack, Fury Cutter, Wing Attack, and Agility

Ladybug (Ledian, Female, Timid Nature)
Ability: Early Bird
Attacks: Bug Buzz, Swift, Drain Punch, and Reflect

Perrine's Party:
Kitsune (Ninetales, Female, Quiet Nature)
Ability: Flash Fire
Attacks: Heat Wave, Extrasensory, Confuse Ray, and Faint Attack

Florian (Meganium, Male, Gentle Nature)
Ability: Overgrow
Attacks: Petal Blizzard, Vine Whip, Body Slam, and Grassy Terrain

Baloo (Wigglytuff, Female, Docile Nature)
Ability: Cute Charm
Attacks: Hyper Voice, Wake-Up Slap, Disarming Voice, and Body Slam

Mushi (Paras, Male, Quirky Nature)
Ability: Effect Spore
Attacks: X-Scissor, Stun Spore, Growth, and Giga Drain

Fuwari (Jumpluff, Female, Relaxed Nature)
Ability: Leaf Guard
Attacks: Bounce, Giga Drain, Fairy Wind, and Energy Ball

Chirin (Ampharos, Male, Adamant Nature)
Ability: Static
Attacks: Discharge, Cotton Guard, Power Gem, Signal Beam

Caiseal's Party:
Mallow (Marowak, Male, Lax Nature)
Ability: Lightning Rod
Attacks: Bonemerang, Bone Rush, Headbutt, and Rock Smash

Apollo (Typhlosion, Male, Bold Nature)
Ability: Blaze
Attacks: Flamethrower, Flame Charge, Rollout, and Smokescreen

Ravenclaw (Murkrow, Female, Hardy Nature)
Ability: Super Luck
Attacks: Wing Attack, Steel Wing, Dark Pulse, and Roost

Heracles (Heracross, Male, Relaxed Nature)
Ability: Moxie
Attacks: Brick Break, Megahorn, Aerial Ace, and Endure

Flippy (Quagsire, Female, Jolly Nature)
Ability: Damp
Attacks: Water Pulse, Mud Bomb, Ice Beam, and Slam

Electra (Elekid, Female, Naughty Nature)
Ability: Static
Attacks: Thundershock, Low Kick, Quick Attack, and Leer

Ethan's Party:
Typhlosion (Male, Hardy Nature)
Ability: Blaze
Attacks: Flame Wheel, Smokescreen, Dig, and Fire Blast

Porygon2 (Mild Nature)
Ability: Download
Attacks: Tri-Attack, Psychic, Flash, and Discharge

Lapras (Female, Calm Nature)
Ability: Shell Armor
Attacks: Waterfall, Body Slam, Sing, and Ice Beam

Rhydon (Female, Brave Nature)
Ability: Lightning Rod
Attacks: Hammer Arm, Earthquake, Stomp, and Drill Run

 

[System Error]

Posting it here for once. Because if I'm going on a reviewing spree I may as well do this out in the open too.

- Shoutouts to Flash of all things? Guessing there's no need to Up-Grade it through a trade either as that'd be highly inconvenient! Then again, so is getting one.
- Oh and I guess the next few paragraphs explains it.
- Driving bullies away with a Quilava? Man this guy is metal.
- Well this is horribly awkward. You'd think Tohjo Falls is terrible from a design standpoint. And hey, mentioning Geraldine too! Gone but not forgotten, good.
- Hm, so far he has pet his Porygon2 and Lapras...
- Should they ever find themselves in the situation again. Say like, a place that has too much water?
- That spiel of Julia's reminded me of the absurdity of the spinning animation for climbing waterfalls in Gen 2.
- "Just hold onto me. We won't let you fall off." <- Who is we? Also good thing no one said but what if Perrine falls off?
- So what there's like one big conga line of holding onto each other? Also I almost read it as Perrine having her hands around Caiseal's next.
- Shipping intensifies?
- "Do you want to use WATERFALL?" 'nah i'll just go down with psychic power'
- Randomly, always laugh at people for saying there's no victory road in Gen2, or that it got neutered. There is, it's just all in but name.
- Also slipup here: you say they're on Route 22/23. But it's really Route 25/26 if we're talking right out of Tohjo Falls. Route 22 doesn't even have anything to do with the path there, that's off in Kanto.
- Yeah but Twilight has a prosthetic leg. That'd certainly change things. Maybe.
- In before the Leech Seeds wither too much or somebody takes the markings down.
- Julia held her hand flat to her forehead, doing a captain's salute. <- Man this almost seems sarcastic out of her.
- camp out here <- Shouldn't it be camp in here for the night? Maybe. This is very unprecedented.
- Well if we're talking the routes that it actually should be located in, I heard there's a rest house on Route 26.
- Had to look up what a tangzhuang was. Would be neat for Gasha given she's Chinese, if she didn't wear all sorts of fancy outfits instead.
- I'd like to think a huge rock falling would do much more than just break a leg, but...
- Holy hell and suddenly blood.
- "Man, you guys are in a pickle alright," <- This reaction seems so horribly jaded or unphased by seeing someone IMPALED BY A SHARP ROCK. It's just unfittingly to the point of unintentional hilarity how he reacts here.
- Well the P2 would have to hold everything steady to make getting out a comfort, but I assume it's going to do that
- Zack says there's no other way but Victory Road to get there...and then goes on to describe another way to get to the League besides Victory Road in the exact same paragraph.
- Was half-expecting a dream sequence for whatever reason...
- I got this random funny mental image of that one Zubat who wasn't scared by Hikaru actually being super friendly and wanting to come say hello, but Julia's reaction told it she didn't want it there, so it just flew off dejected.
- without doing a lot of waiting <- Well they would be waiting! Just sitting around waiting instead of waiting in line.
- Shoutouts to random hugs
- Overpowered thing that ignores quadruple effective hits. Or maybe, actually underpowered trained Pokemon.
- Well this is the strangest reason I have seen for a Pokemon going on a rampage: being a horrible grump.
- Wait what? That's it? Just status it? Ha.
- Rhydon willed his eyes to stay open, but its body refused. <- Randomly refer to it as a male here when it's otherwise an it. This also directly contradicts the teams where it's referred to as a female.
- There was a sudden ping noise. <- Heh, direct sort-of reference given it's more or less the same wording?
- Speaking of, man you unintentionally wrote a hilarious parallel to a scene in the Norigin with the Rhydon fight there.
- Dorky poses and celebrations on catching Pokemon shoutouts.
- Let's see if the Rhydon really turns out to be for real. I strongly suspect Geraldine 2.0 just not nearly as bad, though.
- A bit amusing that the building that is pretty much stopping Johto from having its own league is gold and silver, instead of being, you know, indigo.

Progression! Moving on forward! Just keep going and going. Interesting way to handle this in whatever any event, and serving as a reminder that things can get real in a hurry around these parts. And that the Pokemon League is probably horribly irresponsible for allowing such deadly dangers to serve as a gatekeeper. Wonder how they're going to pass the time though, because they got to the League early? Filler next, I guess. Maybe! Let's see whatever it has in store!

 

[Juliko]

Dang. Lots of errors I failed to see. Thanks for pointing those out. Will fix pronto.

Zack says there's no other way but Victory Road to get there...and then goes on to describe another way to get to the League besides Victory Road in the exact same paragraph.

Technically, he meant that no, VR isn't the only way to get to the League.

 

[Juliko]

Another day, another chapter! Let's get this show on the road!...ish.

***

Chapter 64: It's Way Out of Your League

A large, muscular man stood just five feet from the edge of a steep cliff, with an entire city spread out below him. The man was shirtless, and only wore tattered white pants, a black belt, and black bracelets on his wrists. His messy, black hair was tied into a long, scruffy ponytail that stretched down to his upper back. He took a deep breath before spreading his arms akimbo, taking in the air around him. Behind him, a grey, humanoid Pokemon with four arms, wearing nothing but a black speedo, mimicked his movements. Then, he raised one of his legs, knee high, and slowly turned to his left, adopting a fighting stance. The Pokemon behind him did the same.

The air was clear, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The man could see troves of people crowding around the big Pokemon Center down below. From high up as he was, they almost looked like dots moving around on a map. The Pokemon League was only two days away, and many trainers had made it to Pokemon League Village earlier than expected. They say the early bird catches the Caterpie, after all. Slowly, he turned to his right, repeating his earlier stance. Not even the frigid mountain wind could make this man shiver from cold. He hadn't spent thirty plus years training and honing his strength for nothing. Come rain or shine, blizzards and droughts, he would train until he trained no more.

"Machamp. The Pokemon League draws near," The man said in a low, brusque voice. "You'll need to be at full strength to defeat whoever manages to win the competition."

"Machamp," The Pokemon, Machamp, growled.

He turned around, facing Machamp, his partner of many long years. Veins and arteries outlined the Pokemon's stout, muscular arms. The two extended their arms out, thrusting in and out, mimicking punching gestures. No contact was made, but the man could feel sweat trickling down his back. He needed to focus. He and Machamp both. They mock punched the air with fervor, in further preparation for the events to come. Not even a voice calling out to him pulled him from his training.

"Hey, Bruno!" A young woman made her way up the path, approaching Bruno from the side. Her wavy grey locks extended down to her lower back, and a yellow crop top and white capris hugged her slim figure, hidden underneath a long, black winter coat.

Finally, Bruno stopped thrusting, as did Machamp. They both turned toward the woman with serious, stony expressions. "Hello, Karen. What brings you here?"

Karen shrugged. "Seriously, Bruno? Even in winter, you come up here completely shirtless and spend every single day training?" Karen quipped. "I swear, you're gonna sign your own death warrant one of these days."

Bruno cracked a playful grin. "Says the woman who climbs a mountain wearing bright yellow high heels."

Paying the remark no mind, Karen brushed some hair out of her face. "Anyway, I figured you'd be up here, so I brought you something warm to eat," Karen pulled a plastic tin box out of a yellow purse. She opened it up, and inside were six piping hot, oval shaped croquettes, cooked golden brown. A crispy aroma embraced Bruno's nostrils. Machamp wasted no time taking one and throwing it into its mouth. Karen broke into merry laughter. "Well, you're quick on the draw, aren't you, Machamp?"

"I thank you for your generosity," Bruno also took a croquette into his hands before eating it whole. When he finished, he spoke again. "It looks like we've got a good crop of trainers for this year's League."

Karen turned towards the cliff, seeing the same view Bruno did. "A little less than last year, but still a decent amount of people," She mused. "By the way, how's Lorelei doing? Have you two tied the knot yet?"

That was all it took for Bruno's cheeks to flush crimson. He turned around, evading Karen's gaze. Only now did his body shiver from the cold mountain air. "...No. I'm waiting until after the League is over," He stammered. "It's going to get busy, so I wanted to wait until things calm down."

"Understandable," Karen noted. "But I wouldn't put it off for too long if I were you," She gestured down the mountain. "So what do you say we get back to Pokemon League Village? You ought to put a jacket on. I don't want you getting frostbite or hypothermia up here. Not when your little niece is coming to visit you."

Bruno smiled and stretched his arms out. "I suppose it won't hurt to finish my training for today. Let's go."

The three of them, Machamp included, slowly made their way down the mountain, excited for what the immediate future would bring. "By the way, isn't Gladys making her debut in the Elite Four this year?" Bruno asked.

"She is!" Karen exclaimed. "She's gotten popular since she took up the mantle way back in February. I admit, I'm still a little sad Koga retired, but he said he's wanted to spend more time with his family for a while, so I'm glad he's happy."

Early in the year, Koga, who was once a member of Johto's Elite Four, announced his retirement, stating he wanted to remain with his family in Kanto. Not long after, a new candidate was chosen among hundreds of veteran trainers. Her name was Gladys Tatham, and she specialized in fairy type Pokemon. Should a trainer ever manage to win the Pokemon League, they would be one of the first trainers to face off against the fledgling Elite Four member, should they ever get past the one before her.

"Here's hoping whoever wins can actually get past Will," Bruno said. "There's a reason he's been an Elite Four member for five years now."

Karen stretched her arms outward. "I kinda hope I get to do some battling of my own once this is done and over with. I'm really itching for a good fight, and my boyfriend and his band are gonna be here, too. One of them is even participating in the League, from what Ben told me."

The air around them crackled with anticipation, and the duo couldn't wait to see how the League was going to play out. However it'd do so, they'd be ready for it.

***

Unfortunately, not everyone who arrived at the League was as excited or jubilant. In the lobby of a large Pokemon Center, right in the middle of Pokemon League village, a young girl of fourteen sat at a table by the window, staring down at a badge case. It was studded with all of the Johto gym badges except for one. The Rising badge was missing, and she could see it even as her neatly arranged, raven bangs obscured her turquoise eyes. She had spent so many months training and battling gym leaders just to get to the League, but no matter how hard she tried, she still couldn't beat Clair, even in the League's opening week. Now here she was, two days before the League was to begin, and all of her efforts had been completely in vain.

"This shouldn't be happening…" She murmured to herself, resting her head on the palm of her hand, continuing to stare at the empty space in her badge case. Her ears caught the clamor of several trainers crowding around the counter, chatting as they waited to be registered for the League. She looked up, shooting smoldering scowls at the smiling kids and their Pokemon.

Look at them. All smiles and joy, like the League was just going to be all fun and games. The girl couldn't believe what she was seeing. The trainers acted like complete nitwits as far as she was concerned. Why did they have to be so happy? For all she knew, they were just carefree small town nobodies who probably fought the gyms just for fun, or solely to bask in the feeling of being on TV. Just seeing the trainers smiling so brightly made the girl want to vomit. Some of them didn't even look like they had any right to set foot in the League. How could this even happen?

Those trainers didn't have their livelihoods on the line. Not like she herself did.

"You? Become a trainer? Give me a break, Milly. You have better things to do than lower yourself to such a plebian standard. You are going to the Azalea Women's Academy and I will hear no more of your complaining!"

The venomous voice echoed in her mind once more. Milly held a hand to her forehead, feeling a headache coming on. She could hardly remember the argument that followed. It seemed so long ago. All she remembered was that her mother yelled, she yelled back, and the very tail end of it.

"Fine. You have one chance. If you earn enough badges to at least be able to participate in the Pokemon League, I will leave you to determine your own path in life and let you do what you choose. However, should you fail, and you know I'll be able to find out if you did, I will bid you to return home and do everything I ask of you for the rest of your life. After all, nobody likes a nuisance who's full of foolish pride."

"I failed…"

"Pipipi?"

Something nudged at her leg.

Milly looked down. A pale yellow, serpentine Pokemon with a large head rubbed its head against her mauve stockings, its tiny white wings fluttering in a poor attempt to fly. The drill at the tip of its tail wagged and the Pokemon warbled, looking up at its trainer. "Pipipipipi!"

"Hey, Dunsparce," Milly leaned down to stroke Dunsparce's head with one hand. "You worked so hard for me. I'm sorry it was all for nothing."

Dunsparce shook its head, as if trying to tell her that all the time they spent together wasn't for nothing. Milly appreciated its attempt to reassure her, but the fog that clouded her soul refused to dissipate. Although she knew she couldn't register for the League, she really didn't feel like going back to Azalea Town right now. Staying here for a while longer had its perks, if only so she could watch the other matches and learn a thing or two. Furthermore, Pokemon League Village had a lot of neat shops and attractions she could look at. She had some funds to spare.

"Will Milly O'Connell please report to the front desk?" A Nurse Joy's voice echoed from the PA system. "I repeat, Milly O'Connell, please report to the front desk."

That was her cue. She pulled herself up from her table and dragged herself over to the counter. A smiling Nurse Joy greeted her, holding a tray that contained five PokeBalls.

"Good morning! All of your Pokemon are back to perfect health!" Nurse Joy beamed.

Milly glared at her. Did this Nurse Joy really have to look so happy? Her stomach churned. It was like the whole world was mocking her for not having been able to get a Rising badge and register for the League. Milly took her PokeBalls and put them in her purse.

"Thank you, ma'am," Her voice barely rose above a bitter utterance. She returned to her table and pulled out a magazine.

"Pipi?" Dunsparce warbled.

"I'll be fine. Don't worry," Milly reassured it.

But she wasn't fine, and she was sure she'd never be okay again.

***

"Whoa…!" Julia watched in awe as a brand new town sprawled out before her and the other kids. It was a bustling hub, with skyscrapers as tall as the ones in Goldenrod City situated on one side, and lush parks and suburban homes on the other side. A big Pokemon Center was situated right in the middle, the red and white PokeBall shaped roof standing starkly against the forest greenery. A big stadium rested in the middle of a large, blue lake in the far left side of town, and two slightly smaller stadiums were situated on the right side, just a ways from a tall cell tower. "Is this really Indigo Plateau?"

Ethan wiped his nose with one finger. "Technically, Indigo Plateau is the name of the land this town was built on," He explained. "The town you see is actually called Pokemon League Village."

"I've heard about it!" Perrine exclaimed, raising one hand. "I learned about it in school! It was built around sixty years ago, when the Johto and Kanto Leagues decided to move to one place."

She went on to explain that originally, Johto had its own League that took place on Mt. Silver, but after many years, the Pokemon battles and additional construction began damaging the ecosystem, and various Pokemon started attacking trainers due to the buildings encroaching on their nesting grounds. In response, both the Johto and Kanto governments decided to move the Johto League to Indigo Plateau, sharing it with the Kanto League. They also had the Johto League take place two months before the Kanto League as a means to make sure Johto League challengers didn't mistakenly challenge the Kanto League, and vice versa. At the time, there was only one tiny residential area around Indigo Plateau, and the influx of new trainers posed a new problem: There were no places for the extra trainers and their Pokemon to eat and sleep, as the buildings at the time couldn't accommodate so many trainers. Even the Pokemon Center at the time, big as it was, couldn't fit the myriad of trainers and Pokemon.

Then a governor posed an idea: What if they built a bigger residential area on Indigo Plateau? Said area could have restaurants, shops, and extra lodgings for incoming trainers, and they could fund it by selling League-related merchandise and promotional materials. Before Pokemon League Village was built, the Pokemon Leagues had already noticed a spike in handbook and T-shirt sales, so they decided to invest in promoting and marketing their League merchandise, using the money from sales to fund the construction of Pokemon Village. The business venture worked like a charm, and Pokemon League Village was founded.

"So that's how it went!" Caiseal said. "Anyone want to head to the Pokemon Center?" He gestured towards the big building right in the middle of the residential area.

The quartet made their way down the hill. Julia inhaled the cool, late November air. It was frigid, but much softer than it had been early in October. She still found it hard to believe that a month after they had left Blackthorn City, here they were in the Pokemon League, with most of that time being spent on the road. Routes 26 and 23 were a lot tougher and took far more time than she had expected. Maybe that was a good thing, now that the League officially started in two days.

December 1st...Julia had started her journey in April. With this, it'd be nine months since she first left. Time sure flew by fast. Needless to say, the Pokemon Center was packed with trainers. Crowds and clusters of trainers took up the entire lobby. Some were in their own groups, chatting amongst themselves or grooming their Pokemon. Others were sitting on the benches or at the tables, eating lunch or taking a moment to rest. Several were already at the front desk, with a Nurse Joy taking time to sign them up for the League. Julia's hands covered her ears, the cacophony of a million voices mingling into one big, chaotic concerto of noise grinding her eardrums. But one thing Julia did notice was that there weren't a whole lot of kids in the building. Many of the trainers happened to be adults, from their early twenties to senior citizens.

"Let's go get registered. We might as well get it done and over with since we're early," Ethan suggested.

Without a word, the trio followed him to the register, waiting for the trainers in front of them to disperse. They did after a few short minutes, and a Nurse Joy welcomed them with a smile. "Hello, children! Are you here to register for the Johto League?"

"Yes, ma'am," Perrine went first.

"Alright. I just need your PokeDex, your badge case, and your trainer ID."

Perrine pulled all three out. Nurse Joy slid Perrine's ID into a card reader before immediately handing it back. Glancing at the badges in her case, she slid the PokeDex into a machine next to her computer, and Perrine watched as Nurse Joy's fingers danced across the keyboard like a group of dancers on a stage. Not long after, Nurse Joy took the PokeDex out and handed it back to Perrine, along with her badge case.

"Congratulations, Perrine Innocenti! You are now an official participant in this year's Johto League! Good luck!" Nurse Joy complimented.

"Thanks!"

Ethan and Caiseal went next, and before long, they were officially registered as well. "Hey, Jule. Aren't you going to sign up?" Ethan asked Julia.

"Huh?"

"You know. For the League," Ethan clarified. "You have all eight badges, so you're perfectly eligible."

The realization hit Julia like a whack on the head. She hadn't told him yet, had she? She waved a dismissive hand and said, "Actually, I'm not signing up for the League."

Ethan's eyebrows shot up. "Really? Why?" He exclaimed.

"Well…I never really went on a journey to become a super strong trainer," Julia explained, scratching the back of her head. "I had my reasons for going on one, but to be perfectly honest, I'm just happy with being able to spend time with my friends and Pokemon. Besides, there are so many others who really want to get into the League, and seeing as I'm not a huge fan of battling, I'd rather not get in their way."

"We asked her about it a few times before, and trust us, her mind's pretty much set," Caiseal chimed in.

Ethan was silent for a brief moment, then smiled. "I understand. I know I shouldn't force you to participate if you really don't want to. It's cool."

Julia looked down at her shoes with a shy smile. She was so glad nobody was forcing her to sign up for the League.

"So now that we're registered, what should we do now?" Perrine asked. "The League's not for another two days, so we have plenty of time on our hands."

Ethan balled his hands into fists. "I know one thing we can do! I say we get some training in!"

The kids all nodded in agreement. What better way to kill some time than having the Pokemon do some training before the big day?

After leaving the Pokemon Center, they found a clearing nearby. It was big enough for an Onix to curl up on, which was perfect for the kids. Caiseal let Electra out so she could run around and play, Julia sat on a bench nearby, while Perrine and Ethan let out two of their Pokemon, the former releasing Mushi, and the latter sending out a Beedrill. Julia shivered, holding Hikaru close like she was a security blanket. Just what she needed, a poison type Pokemon in her midst. But she didn't dare scream or cry out. Just because Ethan owned a poison type, it didn't mean they were bad, she told herself. For all she knew, maybe Ethan's Beedrill was a really nice Pokemon.

"Mushi, use X-Scissor!"

"Go, Beedrill! Poison Jab!"

Mushi the Paras propelled himself into the air, his pincers glowing in a green light. Beedrill's conical stingers glowed purple, and the giant bee began thrusting them in quick motions. Mushi hopped all over the place, avoiding the onslaught.

It was here that Julia remembered she had brought a book to read while the training was going on. She pulled her backpack out and dug into it to get the book out. She clasped her backpack closed and set it on the edge of the bench, smiling as she opened her book. At least with this, she could take her eyes off of Beedrill and not feel as scared knowing it was there. Hikaru settled next to Julia, curling into a ball and closing her eyes so she could bask in the sunshine. But before her mind lulled into dreamland, she heard a faint click noise, then the sound of objects falling to the ground.

"Wha?!" Surprised by the noise, Julia swiveled sideways. Her backpack had fallen to the ground, and some books, her sketchbook, PokeDex, trainer ID, and pencils spilled out from it, scattering all over the place. "Oh!" She got down on the ground and gathered everything up. "How in the world did this happen?" She asked herself. "I must not have closed my bag all the way."

"Pika?"

Rustling noises caught Hikaru's ears. She stood on her hind legs to see where it was coming from. When she turned around, she saw something scuttle away, but couldn't make out what it was. The rustling noises stopped. However, Hikaru did catch a set of tiny white wings. What was that, and what Pokemon could possibly have wings that small? Was it even a Pokemon at all?

"There! Everything's in order," Julia mused, closing her backpack a second time. She stole a glance at Hikaru, noticing she was staring at the bushes. "What's up, Hikaru? See something interesting?"

"Pikachu," Hikaru pointed to the bush, explaining she might have seen something there. Julia looked, but saw nothing.

"Maybe it was a Pokemon. Probably nothing to worry about," Julia said.

By this time, Beedrill and Mushi stopped training, and settled on munching on some berries they found. Ethan and Perrine chatted amongst themselves, and Electra was running all over the place, spinning her arms and shooting electricity around, though was careful not to go too overboard, lest she wind up electrocuting everyone.

"Does anyone want to get lunch?" Caiseal asked. "I hear there's a great dining hall in the Pokemon Center that's got great pizza and subs!"

Perrine beamed. "I could go for a meatball sub right now! Let's go!"

"Dibs on the pizza!" Ethan cried, being the first to sprint away, with Beedrill following close behind him. Everyone else followed suit.

Her backpack randomly spilling open wouldn't be the only weird thing to happen today.

The dining hall in the Pokemon Center was a large, well lit room filled to the brim with tables and chairs. Round windows let some natural light in, and there were eight stands selling all kinds of food, from salads to sweets. There was even a little place that sold Pokemon food, both the bagged kind to special confections such as PokePuffs. It helped that the hall was packed with trainers, though the lines moved relatively quickly, so the kids still got their food. Once they received their orders, the quartet made their way to a table in the middle of the hall. Julia helped herself to a garlic knot, a bottle of water, and a slice of cheese pizza, and ordered a bright pink, frosted PokePuff for Hikaru.

"Mmmmm!" Ethan took a big sip of some soda, grinning from ear to ear as he indulged himself. "Gah! This soda really hits the spot!"

Caiseal dipped a Kalosian fry into some ketchup before eating it. "Sure is crowded in here today. Way more than I expected," He mused.

"Really?" Perrine raised an eyebrow. Mushi sat on her shoulder, munching on a piece of lettuce that Perrine gave her earlier. "I thought it'd be a lot more packed than this."

Not paying the conversation any mind, Ethan put his glass of soda down before taking a bite out of a pizza. Hikaru was busy chomping on her PokePuff, savoring the sweet frosting that melted on her tongue. Mushi finished the lettuce he ate, and was about to have Perrine give him more, but when he opened his eyes, he saw something strange. Ethan's soda glass had a very faint, purple aura around it. That was odd. Soda didn't glow. Then the glass started to tremble. Very slightly, but Mushi could see it.

The glass trembling against the table caught Hikaru's ear. She looked over, and before she could do anything, the glass tipped over.

Right onto Julia's tray.

"Yeek!" Julia backed away from the table as soon as she saw a wave of brown soda fall across her food. The glass rattled against the table, and Ethan stood up from his seat in alarm.

"Whoa! What?!" Both Perrine and Caiseal followed suit. Perrine wasted no time handing Julia a wad of napkins.

"Oh no! My food's all ruined!" Julia cried out as she wiped her tray down. The soda mixed with her garlic knot and the pizza, turning them brown and soggy. She hadn't gotten the chance to eat them yet, making the loss all the more irritating.

"How in the world did this happen?" Ethan asked out loud, using his own wad of napkins to clean up. "I didn't bump into it, that's for sure. Sorry about this."

"It's okay, Ethan," Perrine reassured. "We know you didn't do it, and if you did, it wouldn't have been on purpose."

Some of the soda started to seep off the edge of the table. Julia bent down to wipe it off, taking care not to get any on her clothes, letting out an irritated sigh. She had really wanted to eat lunch. Her stomach rumbled, further adding insult to injury.

"Need some help?" A voice asked right behind her.

Julia turned around, seeing a girl in a wheelchair right behind her. The girl had black hair tied into buns and braids, and warm brown eyes. A large, white cast was wrapped around her foot. Wait a minute...she looked familiar. Had they met before?

A bell rang clearly in her head. She had seen this girl before! "Oh! I know you!" Julia exclaimed, standing right up. "You're that girl who got hurt in Victory Road! Your name was...what was it?" She searched for the girl's name in her head, groping around until she found it. "Yue, right?"

"Yep! Yueqing Lu. Yue for short," Yue introduced herself.

The difference between how she looked in Victory Road and now was like night and day. Her grey, bloodied tangzhuang was replaced with a clean, fresh white one with pink flower decorations on the sleeves. She was also wearing brown pants, and one black shoe, what with her other leg being in a cast. Her braids were no longer askew, and her face wasn't twisted up in pain. Without waiting for Julia's answer, Yue pulled some napkins out and scrubbed the table down, letting them absorb the rest of the spilled soda.

"Hey there!" Caiseal approached her with a smile. "Man, you look way better now than you did yesterday."

Yue nodded in agreement as she finished cleaning up. "I know, right?"

"But I'm surprised you're not still in the hospital. I thought you'd be in there longer," Perrine said, a little concerned. "I mean, you did get impaled with a big rock. Are you sure you're okay?"

"It's fine. It turns out it wasn't as bad as it looked," Yue reassured them with a wave of her hand. "All I needed was a few stitches and this cast here," She pointed to her leg. "They let me out this morning, so I'm in the all clear! Good thing too, because I really didn't want to miss out on my chance of getting into the Pokemon League."

"How are Zack and Alex?" Julia asked. "Where are they at?"

"They're outside training. I just came in here to grab a bite to eat myself," Yue said.

A sigh of relief escaped Julia. Yue's injuries looked quite severe when they saw her in Victory Road, so seeing her here now, safe and sound, was a big weight off her shoulders. Yue caught sight of Julia's soda covered food and grimaced. "Oooh. Your lunch got ruined, huh?"

"Yeah…"

Then, a smile flashed on her face faster than anyone could see it. "If you want, I can buy you a new meal. My treat."

"Really? You would?" Julia couldn't believe this random girl they just met last night was being so nice to them. She wondered if she really deserved her kindness. "I mean, you don't have to spend your money on me. It's yours to use."

Again, Yue brushed off her worries. "It's fine. Besides, you guys really got me out of a jam, so let's call it even."

"Thanks so much!"

Yue wasted no time buying a new meal for Julia as they threw away the napkins they used to clean up the soda. The scratchy irritation in her heart was wiped clean with Yue's generous offer. For a second, Julia thought she was dreaming. Most people she knew would never offer to help her out the way Yue did, at least not without something in return. Still, she figured it'd be rude to decline her offer, and it'd be much worse if she and her friends hadn't stopped to help her out in Victory Road. But as the girls went to one of the stands, Mushi began making growling noises at Hikaru, waving his pincers up and down frantically.

Hikaru's mouth fell ajar when she heard what Mushi was telling her. She pulled up the glass and set it back up, taking a moment to look around. When the girls came back, Yue decided to join them. But after a few minutes, Perrine noticed Yue staring off into the distance.

"What's wrong, Yue?" Perrine asked.

Yue leaned further in, whispering, "Do you get the feeling we're being watched?"

Watched? By who? The kids looked around. There were so many people here, it'd be hard to see just who was watching them. They couldn't see anyone in particular looking in their direction, other than some Pokemon that happened to glance their way.

"I don't see anyone looking at us," Julia said. "What makes you think we're being watched?"

Yue sighed. "I swear, for just a second I saw somebody looking at us."

As if to see if what she said was true, Hikaru looked around again. Her eyes caught sight of one girl a few tables down looking at them with a stony, almost stern expression. Was that her? She couldn't quite tell. As soon as Hikaru met her gaze, the girl looked down and started eating her lunch.

It'd turn out that Yue was completely right to be suspicious.

***

After lunch, the kids decided to check in and pick their rooms for the day, just to have them ready. "Alright! This'll be my room!" Julia exclaimed, walking into a small bedroom with one bed, a computer, a desk, a big TV, a phone, and a few other necessities. She sat right down, marveling at how soft and plushy the comforter was. "Oooh! This blanket feels nicer than the one I have at home!" Julia plopped down and began rolling around, savoring the blanket's softness.

"Pikachu."

"Hm?" Julia stopped as Hikaru got her attention. "What's wrong, girl?"

Hikaru told her what Mushi had seen at lunch. "Whoa, what?" She immediately sat up in alarm. "You're saying something made Ethan's drink fall over on purpose? And Mushi saw it?"

"Pikapi!" Hikaru nodded, explaining that Mushi saw the glass glow in a faint purple light before it fell over.

A purple light. As far as Julia knew, drinks didn't just fall over all on their own, and she knew for sure Ethan didn't knock it over. If he did, she would have heard him yelp from his arm hitting the glass, or she might have seen it offhandedly. He would have even mentioned it if he did knock it over on accident. But a glass spilling all over her food while being enveloped in a purple light? That was just plain odd.

Or maybe...maybe Mushi might be onto something. What if something intentionally spilled her drink?

Even so, the possibility of someone, or something doing that didn't seem plausible. But she knew for sure Hikaru had no reason to lie. Her Pokemon weren't liars. Julia simply smiled and stroked Hikaru's head. "Thanks for letting me know. Let's keep an eye out for anything suspicious going on. Think you can do that?"

Hikaru nodded a second time. "Chuu!"

Unfortunately, the rest of the day didn't turn out much better. For one, she wound up tripping in the middle of the Pokemon Center lobby. When she looked down, she saw what appeared to be a hole the size of her hand. A hole, in the middle of a tile floor. She didn't sprain or twist her ankle, but with how big the hole was, and how it was in a building of all places, she could tell it didn't just spring up there at random. Water sprayed all over her face when she went to get a drink from a water fountain, her bag spilled open again (This time, she actually saw it happen on its own, purple light included), a child's ball nearly hit her in the face when she was passing some kids playing (One of the kids mentioned the ball just randomly changed direction in mid-air), and at dinner, one of the kid's drinks almost spilled on her food again. Thankfully, she saw it coming and picked her food up, so nothing got wet or soggy. Except for the table, obviously.

When night fell, the kids retired to their assigned rooms and slept for the night. Hikaru slept at the foot of Julia's bed, sleeping soundly, lost in dreamland. But at one point, her ears caught the subtle sound of...footsteps?

Wearily, she opened her eyes just a bit. A large figure bent down on the ground, holding something. Hikaru couldn't make out what it was. The figure looked human, a silhouette against the shadows. For a second, she thought it was Julia. Was this a dream, or was it real? Hikaru let out a yawn, her eyes closing once more. Maybe she really was dreaming. More footsteps, and a door clicked closed. Hikaru was lost in her dreams once more.

Only for them to be completely obliterated by shrill, frantic yelling.

"Where is it?! Where the heck is it?!"

"Pii?!" Hikaru's eyes slammed open in alarm. What was going on? Did something happen? She stood on all fours, wide awake, ready for any danger. But all she saw was Julia scurrying all over the brightly lit room, rummaging through drawers and looking underneath any piece of furniture she saw. "Pikachuuu?" Hikaru asked, rubbing her bleary eyes with one arm.

"My bag is missing!!" Julia cried out.

Her bag? Missing? Hikaru looked around. She was right. Julia's backpack was nowhere to be seen, and she knew for sure Julia left it on the credenza the TV was situated on just last night.

"Urrrgh!!" Julia let out a frustrated growl. This could not be happening. She knew for sure she had her bag in here. How could it just up and disappear? Her whole being was thrown completely out of alignment. "Where'd it gooooo?!" She yelled.

"Jule?" Perrine and Caiseal opened the door, peeking inside. "You okay? We can hear you screaming," Caiseal pointed out.

Julia wasted no time informing them of what had happened. "What?! Your bag is gone?" Perrine yelped.

"YES! I know I placed it right there last night!" She pointed to the credenza. "I checked to see if it fell off but it wasn't on the floor!" One word began crashing into the other. "I looked and looked everywhere and I can't find it and my PokeDex and ID and PokeBalls are in there and what if something bad happened to my Pokemon I don't know--!!"

"Pikachu!" Hikaru hopped onto Julia's shoulder, her weight pulling the girl out of anxiety's grasp for the moment.

"It'll be okay, Jule," Caiseal reassured. "We can help you find it."

"For sure! Anyone who messes with you messes with us!" Perrine proclaimed with a confident air, pointing a thumb to both herself and Caiseal.

But Julia didn't have time to shower them with gratitude. Hikaru hopped off her shoulder, having noticed something. An odd scent wafted into her nostrils, and she could tell it wasn't Julia's. But she could tell the aromas were mixed together, her nose twitching when she sniffed the credenza. The scent was strong. Maybe...what she saw last night wasn't a dream. If she followed this scent, maybe they could find Julia's bag!

"Pika pika!" Hikaru waved to the kids.

"Hikaru says she can track it by smell!" Julia said.

The mouse Pokemon leaped out of the room, the kids wasting no time following her from behind. Hikaru kept her nose low to the ground, not wanting to lose the scent at any cost. Thankfully, it was still strong enough that it lingered. Hikaru took them from Julia's room, down several halls, and into the main lobby. It wasn't as packed with trainers as it was yesterday because it was still early in the morning. But the trio passed Ethan and Yue, who were both sitting at a nearby bench. The two exchanged confused glances.

"Hey guys!" Ethan called out. "What're you up to?" He asked.

Caiseal stopped to explain, and both trainers' jaws fell ajar. "Seriously?! Someone stole Julia's bag?!" Yue exclaimed, unable to do anything except blink, wide eyed.

"Yeah. We're looking for it now. Julia's Pikachu is following a scent, so we might be onto something."

"Pikachu!" Hikaru called out from near the entrance, farther down from where Caiseal, Ethan, and Yue.

The trio, now a quintet, gathered around an open trash can. Lo and behold, Julia's backpack was right in there. Since the trash can had no lid, and already full, the bag stood out like a sore thumb. "There it is!" Julia pulled it out of the trash right away, immediately overcome with relief. "Thank goodness I found it!" She held it to her chest like it was a precious treasure, vowing never to let it out of her sight again. But there was still no answer as to how it wound up here of all places.

"Ew! There's ketchup on the bottom!" Julia groaned, noticing a big smudge of ketchup on the bottom right side of her backpack. "Wait! Is everything inside it?!" She rummaged through her bag, setting it down on the ground and pulling out whatever was inside.

Pokedex, check. Trainer ID, check. PokeBalls, check. Sketchbook and pencils, check. Favorite books, check. Badge case, check. Clothes, check. Julia smiled again. Everything was here. She didn't know what she'd do if anything got stolen.

"Whoa! Look!" Yue exclaimed, pointing to her sketchbook.

Julia turned to look, freezing at what she saw. The front of her sketchbook had various messages written on them in harsh, black marker.

Skank.

Slut.

Trash.

Phony.

Unfit to be a trainer.

Kill yourself!

"What in Arceus' name is this?!" Ethan demanded, yanking the sketchbook from the ground, baring his teeth with rage. "Who in their right mind would do this?! You don't say this kind of stuff to people! I mean, telling you to kill yourself?! I swear, whoever's responsible for this is a dead man!!"

Perrine bit her lower lip. "Well, this confirms somebody seems to have it out for you, and the earlier incidents were definitely deliberate."

All Julia could find it in her to do was just stare at the ground, her brain threatening to burst from the questions that raged inside. Who, or what, would do this? To her, no less? As far as she could remember, she hadn't done anything bad to anyone here. The only people she interacted with were Perrine, Caiseal, Ethan, Yue, Zack, and Alex, and the latter three didn't know her long enough to decide that they hated her. She especially couldn't picture Yue having done this. Why would she, when she bought her a new lunch as thanks for helping her out in Victory Road?

Julia was no stranger to people hating her or being called degrading names. Both kids and adults did it at various points in her life. They always hurt, like a thousand Beedrill things, and whenever she told her parents about it, oftentimes they told her to ignore it. But that never worked, and they were never the ones being on the receiving end of bullying nearly every single day. For completely asinine reasons, at that. Asinine to her, at least. They never spent days doing nothing but cry and constantly question what she had done to deserve it, or if they had been right about what they always said about her, to her, to others, even when she was within earshot. None of it ever had anything to do with her being a trainer, or her capability of being one, and she had certainly never been called names like slut, skank, or trash before. Nobody had ever told her to kill herself, either. Her vision blurred, and she could feel her hands trembling.

More than that, rage simmered red hot in her chest. All that ran through her mind was: 'Who did this? What right do they have to mess with my stuff and degrade me like this?!' One part of her wanted to cry, but every other part of her wanted to just get out there, find the person responsible, and strangle them until they couldn't breathe.

"You okay, Jule?" Caiseal asked.

"No," Julia snapped.

Of course she wasn't. Who would be after seeing their things get stolen and vandalized like this?

"Oh dear."

The kids turned around. Yue's face went pale, like she had seen a Ghastly. "I...I think I saw who stole your bag."

"What?!" Julia stood straight up, her desire to know overpowering everything else. "When?!"

"Just a little earlier," Yue went on to explain that she woke up early and couldn't get to sleep, so she decided to wheel into the lobby for an early breakfast. As she made her way through the lobby, she did catch a glimpse of a girl with dark hair in a neat bob cut standing in front of the trash can. The girl also wore a long sleeved white shirt, a pale blue miniskirt, and light purple stockings. She had assumed the girl was just another trainer throwing something away, so she went and got breakfast. When she came back, the girl had disappeared. Yue had met up with Ethan not long after, so she hadn't had any time to think too much about it.

"Should we report this?" Perrine asked. "This is clearly vandalism."

"Who do we even report this to?" Caiseal asked back. "And would they even take someone's sketchbook getting written on that seriously?"

The kids winced. Good points. It'd be one thing if someone had actually gotten hurt, or something really important was stolen, like money. Julia's sketchbook was just a sketchbook, not something that would be considered important enough to report a crime. Even Ethan found himself deflating, frowning as he handed Julia her sketchbook back.

"Well, at least we have an idea of what this mystery thief looks like," Perrine added, optimistic.

Julia put her things back in her bag, but kept her sketchbook out. She stood up, and Yue wheeled over to her with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. We'll find out who did this. I can ask Zack and Alex if they can keep an eye out for that girl I saw."

"Thanks," As much as Julia appreciated everyone's reassurance, that wasn't what she wanted. She didn't want reassurances or to be told everything will be okay. That wasn't going to fix anything. She wanted whoever did this to be punished, and she'd gladly do it herself if she ever found out who was responsible.

The kids decided to tell Nurse Joy about the vandalism, and she promised to keep a watchful eye and report anything suspicious to her superiors. Satisfied, Yue broke off from the quartet to join her own friends, and the kids were left to their own devices. One thing Julia felt she really needed to do was buy a new sketchbook, so she went and did just that, yanking her drawings out from the old one so she wouldn't unknowingly throw them away. There wasn't much usable paper left in the old one anyway, so she had no problem throwing out her old sketchbook, but she wanted to save her other drawings as well. Sure, stashing them in the new one would make the edges of the paper peek out and get bent, but that was still better than them getting vandalized or trashed.

Nobody was in any way prepared for what would come right after that.

Once again, the dining hall was packed. People of all ages lingered around the tables, either to get breakfast or just to talk to each other. Julia helped herself to some bread, a banana, and two hash browns. One for herself, and the other for Hikaru, who sat on her shoulder like usual. But she kept staring into space, even as she paid for her food. Hikaru could feel her trainer's anxiety like a shadow creeping over her. Her ears drooped, and she hated feeling so helpless. She wished there was something she could do to make it all stop. But what could she do? She was just a mouse Pokemon. Julia kept sighing every time she turned the other direction, and every movement she made was rigid, like she was afraid she'd fall apart if she wasn't vigilant.

"Ugh...I hate feeling like this…" Julia sighed.

"Pikapi…"

Julia stroked her friend's ear with a sad smile. "You're upset too, huh?"

"Chuu…"

They sat down at an empty table, with Perrine, Caiseal, and Ethan joining her soon after. The kids were vigilant, keeping an eye out in case anything were to happen. As worried as Julia was, she definitely appreciated everyone having her back. She was sure she'd be a complete wreck without their support. But in her heart, she felt bad that they were putting so much time and energy into trying to help her, when they were all here for the Pokemon League. When the kids finished, they all gathered their trays and walked back where they came, with Julia following close behind.

"Hey, Ethan," Julia said. "What were you and Yue talking about earlier? Before we met up with you?"

"I told her I caught that Rhydon that caused her and the guys so much trouble," He explained. "I had Rhydon come out and apologize to her for how it hurt her."

"Really? That's bold," Caiseal exclaimed.

Ethan gave a sheepish laugh. "I wouldn't be a good trainer if I didn't hold my Pokemon accountable for their actions, even if they occurred before I caught it. Right?"

Just hearing that made Julia feel a little bit better.

But before she could finish her next thought, she felt something sharp jam into her arm!

A pained scream escaped her as her hands released the tray she was holding, causing it to clatter to the ground. "Jule!" The kids swiveled in her direction, immediately crowding around her. "What happened?!" Perrine cried out.

"Something just stabbed me in the arm!!" Julia pushed out, voice hoarse. Her hand tightly gripped the throbbing area on her arm. She didn't feel anything that cut through her skin, nor any blood or other injuries, but the stabbing pain lingered, even with her sweater sleeve having muffled it.

Something yellow glinted under the fluorescent light, catching Caiseal's eye.

"I think this must have been what you felt," Caiseal picked up the offending object and showed it to everyone.

It was...a pencil. A plain, yellow pencil with a very sharp lead tip.

"The heck?! Someone stabbed you with this?! How?!" Perrine demanded, unable to fathom how this could have happened.

Nothing made sense. Perrine, Ethan, and Caiseal were the only kids around Julia at this moment. Others were a few feet away, not anywhere near close enough to have been able to stab Julia with a pencil. People were starting to mutter already, with some having hands over their mouths, looking just as horrified as the quartet did. Ethan stood up and yelled, "Did anyone here see anything?! Anything at all?!" When a chorus of nos responded back, Ethan let out an angry growl. "I'm getting security!"

Ethan wasted no time gathering some police officers, who questioned some other trainers nearby and made sure Julia was okay. But since nobody saw what happened or how it happened, there wasn't much they could do. Julia pressed her lips into a thin, firm line. Why was this happening? She hated this, and all she wanted to do was scream at the top of her lungs. But this wasn't the place to do it. All she knew for sure was that she needed to get out of here. Away from the noise, the uncertainty, whoever had it out for her.

"Huh? Julia?" Perrine noticed her walking away. "Are you-?"

"I need to be alone for a bit."

"You sure?"

"Yes," Julia's voice was low, but hard as stone. Perrine fell silent, knowing she was dead serious. Caiseal and Ethan watched as she left the dining hall, with Hikaru on her shoulder.

Perrine could tell they were just as worried as she was, and she frowned. "I don't know how I feel about her going off by herself," One of her fingers twirled around the curly ends of her orange hair. "I mean, yeah, Hikaru is with her, but after all that's happened…"

"I agree, but we can't treat her like glass," Caiseal reminded her as he bent down to pick up the tray Julia dropped. "She probably just wants some space. Besides, she can take care of herself. We just gotta have a little faith."

Ethan shrugged. "If you say so."

***

"WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO MEEEEE?!" Julia found a quiet clearing in the nearby park and let out a loud, shrill scream. She checked to make sure nobody was nearby so she could let it all out in private without scaring anyone. Once the coast was clear, she screamed out her pent up rage. Her throat hurt and her voice was hoarse, but she still felt like garbage. She found a big oak tree nearby and began kicking the bark with one foot over and over. Hikaru could only watch from a short distance as her trainer finally lost control, throwing her anger out in every direction.

After a few minutes, her legs began to burn and her lungs begged for air. Energy dispensed, Julia fell on the grass panting, face red from loss of oxygen. "I hate this...I don't get it at all…!" Tears finally escaped her eyes, and she let them flow, allowing the bright blue of the sky to sting her eyes. But the pressure in her chest still lingered, and knowing that some person she didn't even know was stalking her, attacking her, vandalizing her possessions, and Arceus knows what else really didn't help matters. Nothing she did could keep her frantic thoughts at bay. All she wanted was for the person responsible to be caught and punished.

But she did know one thing for sure. Pencils didn't just fly in the air and stab people. She would have noticed if someone was right next to her, and if they did stab her with a pencil, she would have grabbed them and kept them from going anywhere. But since nobody else was around her, that could only mean one thing.

Remembering Mushi mentioning that a purple light was around Ethan's drink when it spilled...was a Pokemon doing this?

Or better yet...was a trainer forcing their Pokemon to commit these transgressions?

That had to be it! Why else would her drink magically spill over all on its own, or a pencil just fly in the air and stab her in the arm?

"Pi?" Hikaru's ears twitched.

"What's wrong, girl?"

Rustling leaves caught their attention. A Pokemon? Hikaru got down on all fours, ready for battle in case it was a wild Pokemon. Julia steeled herself, mentally preparing for the worst. Then, something popped out of the bush. A pale yellow, serpent-like Pokemon with a big, round head, tiny white wings on its back, a drill-like tail, and dark teal eyes and markings on its back and mouth.

"Pipipipipi!"

"Awww! It's a little Dunsparce!" Julia cooed, her anger melting away for the moment. "So cute!" She pulled her PokeDex out to examine it."

"Dunsparce, the land snake Pokemon. Dunsparce are a meek, timid Pokemon that, when spotted by humans, use their drill-like tails to burrow underground. Their bodies are so flexible that they are capable of moving around backwards, even when digging. Their nests are very complex and elaborately made, all with maze-like structures, similar to how Diglett make their nests. Because of this, Diglett and Dunsparce often share their tunnels, coexisting happily with one another, even though Dunsparce is a normal type, not a ground type. Dunsparce prefer to dig their tunnels so deep into the ground that no light ever reaches it, often remaining virtually motionless to preserve energy during the winter months. Although Dunsparce have wings, they are not capable of extreme flight, but can fly just one foot off the ground."

True to the PokeDex's analysis, the Dunsparce kept its head downward, avoiding eye contact, and its body curled inward, as though it was trying to hide itself. Julia then noticed something else. A red bow was tied around the end of Dunsparce's tail, just underneath the drill.

She smiled. "Hello, little Dunsparce! What are you doing out here?" She asked in a sweet, welcoming voice. "Is your trainer around? Are you lost?"

Dunsparce shook its head. But the next thing Dunsparce did made Julia and Hikaru exchanged awkward glances.

The land snake Pokemon burst into tears. "Pipipipipiiiiii!" ("I'm so sorry!")

Dunsparce was...apologizing to them?

"Uhhh...why are you sorry?" Julia asked, her eyebrows high up her forehead. This was just weird, though still not one of the weirder things she experienced over the past few days. "I don't remember you doing anything to me personally."

"Pipipi!" ("Well, I did!") Dunsparce wailed, the wings on its back fluttering rapidly. "I was the one who tripped you with that hole I dug in the ground and made the water fly in your face with Secret Power!"

What? Julia and Hikaru's jaws fell open. This Dunsparce was responsible for two of the weird things that happened to Julia yesterday?

"And it wasn't just me either!" Dunsparce confessed tearfully. It went on to explain that its trainer told her Kadabra to magically make Julia's items fall out of her backpack, spill her drinks, and was even the one that telekinetically used a pencil to stab Julia in her arm.

"Wait, you mentioned your trainer…" Julia said. "Did she tell you and Kadabra to do all that stuff to me?"

Dunsparce nodded. "Yes. She made us do all of it. I knew it was wrong and tried to convince her not to, that the whole thing wasn't right, but she wouldn't listen to me!" Dunsparce cried. "Even Kadabra didn't wanna do all that mean stuff!" The land snake held its head down once more, avoiding the girl's gaze. "She forced Kadabra to undo the lock on your door, stole your bag in the middle of the night and wrote insults on your sketchbook, too. She wanted to steal one of your badges, but someone saw us and we left before she could do so."

"Pikaaaa!" Hikaru shouted, the realization hitting her like a ton of bricks. So she hadn't been dreaming after all! Someone really did steal Julia's bag and defaced her sketchbook. The fact that it had happened at all convinced her she hadn't dreamed it up, but having someone confess only solidified how suspicious the whole thing was.

"I see…" Julia wasn't sure how to feel about this. As angry as she was about it all, she could tell Dunsparce was contrite. A Pokemon that wasn't genuinely remorseful wouldn't go behind their trainer's back to confess what they had done. She couldn't bring herself to be mad at this little Dunsparce.

But before she could question it further...

"Dunsparce! There you are!" A girl came bounding toward them. Dunsparce shivered, recoiling as the girl scooped it into her arms. "You should know better than to wander off the second I take my eyes off you!" She looked back at Julia with furrowed eyebrows. "Sorry. Was my Dunsparce bothering you?"

Julia shook her head. "Not at all. It came up to my Pikachu and they started playing. He's so cute!"

"I see. Well, I better go," The girl pushed the words out before running further into the park.

Julia narrowed her eyes. Was that Dunsparce's trainer? Wait…

Something Yue said made alarm bells blare in her head.

Didn't she say the person who stole her bag had black hair, a white shirt, a light blue skirt, and mauve stockings?

Black hair. A white shirt. Julia saw some diamond shapes on it. A turquoise skirt. Mauve stockings.

'Was that her?!' Julia screamed in her head.

Not wanting to lose this chance, she silently gestured to Hikaru. Taking the hint, the mouse nodded, and the two of them made their way in the direction the girl went. They didn't see her, but when they walked further down, they froze in place when they heard yelling.

"Dunsparce! Why the hell didn't you hide like I told you to?!"

No doubt about it. That was her voice. Julia kneeled down and inched closer to the bush, as did Hikaru, who stayed low to the ground. Peeking through the leaves, they saw the girl from just now. She fit Yue's description perfectly. Dunsparce and a large, yellow, bestial Pokemon carrying spoons in its hands stood in front of her. Dunsparce kept fluttering its tiny wings and making frantic noises.

"You were supposed to steal her badge case!" The girl admonished Dunsparce harshly, like a parent scolding a naughty child, but the land snake Pokemon didn't stop whimpering.

Julia's eyes shrunk. Steal her badge case?

"Pipipipipiiiii!" Dunsparce kept shaking his head. ("I don't want to steal! This is all wrong and you know it, Milly!")

"I don't want to hear your whining!" The girl-Milly-snapped back. "We nearly blew it last time! Now go out there and swipe that idiot's badge case! She's obviously not gonna use her Rising Badge, and I need one!"

This girl wanted to steal her Rising Badge? Julia's hands trembled. Was that what this was all about? Gradually, red dotted her vision.

Thankfully, Dunsparce stood his ground, refusing to obey her demands. Milly let out an exasperated sigh and turned to her other Pokemon. "Fine! Kadabra, you steal it!"

Kadabra shook its head as well, agreeing with Dunsparce. "Kadabraaaa!" ("No! I am not stealing someone's stuff!")

Milly marched over to Kadabra and wagged her pointer finger at him. "No excuses! You go out there and steal her Rising Badge! You nearly blew our cover when you stabbed her with the pencil! I need that Rising Badge NOW! If I have to make you use Telekinesis to get it, so be it!"

There was the confession. Julia saw red. But not solely because of what had happened. The vandalism, the degrading names on her sketchbook, the pencil. Those were bad, yes, but what she just heard, to her, was even worse. This girl was actually forcing her own Pokemon to attack her! Even though they were making it blatantly clear they didn't want to!

That did it. She lost it, and was glad to lose control.

"It was you!!" Julia shot up from the bush, shouting at the top of her lungs. Before Milly could react, Julia bounded over to her and grabbed her arm, her fingers keeping an iron grip. Milly used her other arm to try and pry her off, but Julia wasn't going to let her go. Kadabra and Dunsparce backed away, with the former putting its hands in the air like it was getting arrested.

"I heard everything! Now start talking!" Julia roared right in the girl's face. She didn't care if she was being blunt, rude, or mean. This girl was the one who was harassing her-and using her Pokemon to do it-it was high time she received some due punishment!

"Pika pikachuuu!" Hikaru growled, tail in the air, arching her back, sharing the same sentiment.

Milly evaded her fiery gaze. "Hmph. You're being irrational. I have no idea what you're talking about," She hissed through her teeth.

"Liar!" Julia shouted. "I am NOT gonna let you turn this around and make me feel like the crazy one! I literally just heard you yelling at your Pokemon! You can't fool me! You might as well fess up and confess!"

The girl fell silent.

"Who even are you?! I don't even know you, and yet I find out you've been messing with my stuff, harassing me from afar, and having your own Pokemon attack me for no reason! Why?! What did I ever do to you?!"

Milly fired back with a hard, stony glare. "Do you really need me to spell it out for you?" Her voice was an acid whisper. "I heard you say you have all the badges, but don't want to participate in the League."

Julia's grip loosened on Milly's arm, and the latter pulled it back.

"Yeah. So?"

"That makes you a disgrace to trainers everywhere!" Milly suddenly shouted.

That was it? For a second, Julia thought she heard wrong. But she was sensitive to shouting, as hard to process as it was. She heard everything loud and clear.

"Absolutely pathetic. Carefree small town girl, wakes up one day and decides to become a trainer. Winning all the badges, and yet you don't participate in the League?" Every word she spoke was drenched in venom. It practically cut into Julia's very bones. "You don't have the slightest notion of what it means to be here! The fact you even have every single badge means you've obviously worked hard and sacrificed a lot just to get here! You're here at the League, which some people can only dream about and never be able to work towards no matter how hard they try, and you don't even participate?! And for what?! Because of some whim?!"

"Whoa! Hold on!" Julia couldn't stand to listen to this girl prattle on any longer. "You make it sound like trainers absolutely have to get into the League if they have all the badges! What's wrong with not participating? I didn't become a trainer so I could defeat the champion or be famous! Other people do, and that's why I'm not signing up, because I know so many others want to! What right do I have to take that away from them? Besides, my friends are participating, and I'm here to support them!"

As far as Julia knew, participating in the League was entirely optional. She checked. Perrine and Caiseal even said so one time. As long as a trainer had eight badges, no matter how much time passed, they'd still be eligible for the League, whether they were a young kid or a veteran trainer. Sure, the League only happened once a year, and for many trainers, it was the biggest thing ever, but there was no rule that said that trainers were obligated to sign up or else. No trainer was the same, and people had the right to do what they wanted, as long as they weren't hurting anyone.

Milly crossed her arms. "Tch. I'm not surprised you still don't get it. A trainer who doesn't make use of this huge opportunity, especially when they actually can do so, is a pathetic waste of space!"

Gradually, the pieces came together. But the more she put it together, the more ridiculous it sounded.

"So...you're saying you hate me and harassed me all this time because I don't fit your idea of what a Pokemon trainer should be like?" Just asking it out loud made it sound even more nonsensical.

Milly said nothing, but as far as Julia was concerned, her silence spoke volumes. Not even blinking twice could make the whole thing make any form of sense.

"You can't seem to comprehend how important the League is!" Milly shouted. "It's a trainer's one chance to show the world that everything they've worked so hard for is actually worth it! Their chance for fame and glory! Just being able to participate is an achievement in and of itself! Every trainer wishes to stand on that stage, battling against the Elite Four, to make their name known to the world! People sacrifice everything to get here! Some put their entire livelihoods at stake! Others get disowned by their families just for daring to walk this path!"

"But who are you to say I'm a bad trainer just because I don't want to be in the League?!" Julia shouted back. "So what if I don't put everything on the line?!"

Milly stepped forward, crouching too close into Julia's personal space. She was sure she could smell peppermint on her breath. "Unlike you, I NEED to be here. I NEED to get into the League no matter what! My entire future is at stake! You obviously don't need your Rising badge, and that's the one badge I don't have! You might as well give it to me!"

So that was why she wanted her badge. Julia held her backpack close. "No way! I earned it! It's against the law to steal another trainer's badges!"

"Pikachu!" Hikaru bellowed in agreement, as did Dunsparce and Kadabra.

"In that case…" Milly took two steps back. "How about we battle for it? I challenge you to a battle! If I win, I get your Rising badge!"

"No!" Julia shouted. She was not going to let this crazy girl take her badge. "You're out of line!"

Without warning, Milly stomped over to Julia, grabbed a chunk of her shirt, and pulled her so close, their noses almost touched. The closing distance was too much, and she could feel the girl's fingernails in the fabric of her shirt, nearly touching her chest. Using both arms, she pushed the girl off of her.

"Battle me. Or else," Her acidic whisper made goosebumps break out on her arms.

She wanted to run. Get away. Get security and tell them everything. But something inside her wanted to put this girl in her place. "Pikachu!" Julia looked down, seeing the determination on Hikaru's face. She wanted the same thing. Maybe this would be a good way to blow off steam and give this girl what for.

"Fine. I accept your challenge, uhh…what's your name?"

"Tch. You don't even know my name? Man, you're dumb," Milly talked slowly, like she was talking to a toddler rather than a trainer her own age.

"What?! You expect me to read your mind?!"

"Normally I don't dignify pathetic town girls like you with my name, but I suppose I'll make an exception. It's Milly O'Connell. What's yours?"

"...Julia."

***

"I wonder what Julia's up to?" Perrine wondered out loud as she, Ethan, and Caiseal walked out of a store. "I hope nobody's been harassing her."

"Same here," Ethan agreed. "I'll call her up and see."

He nearly pulled out his phone, but saw several kids running towards the park. "Come on! There's a huge battle going on!" One boy shouted, with many other kids following behind him.

A battle? Caiseal approached one boy and made him stop running. "Excuse me. What's going on?"

"Two girls are duking it out with their Pokemon down at the park! One of them's got a shiny Pikachu!"

"Hurry up, Fabian!" Another boy called out. "Jared sent me a video just now! Dunsparce girl is getting her butt whooped!"

A shiny Pikachu? Two girls in a battle? Only one person they knew had a shiny Pikachu. Overcome with worry, the trio set forth. When they got to the park, a huge crowd gathered at the park. Lightning flashed, and hues of purple and blue light streaked the air. Then, a cloud of dust exploded, sending debris everywhere. Several kids covered their faces to keep the dust out of their eyes, with Ethan pulling down his hat. After a brief moment of silence, everyone opened their eyes.

A Dunsparce lay on the ground, unconscious, its body covered dirt and grime. In contrast, an orange Pikachu stood tall and proud.

"Whoa…" That was all Caiseal could think to say.

"We did it!!" Julia cheered loud enough for the whole crowd to hear, jumping up and down. Hikaru did the same before leaping into her trainer's arms. "You were awesome, girl!"

"Did you see that?!"

"Awww man, that was awesome!"

"That shiny Pikachu rocked!"

"You gotta admit, Dunsparce was pretty cool, too!"

"I knew Pikachu girl would win!"

Again, in stark contrast, Milly was on her knees. All the proud confidence had disappeared from her eyes, and she couldn't do anything but stare at the grass beneath her.

"Jule!" Perrine ran straight over, with the boys following suit. "What in the world is going on?"

"Hey guys!" Julia greeted the trio with a bright, radiant smile. "I battled the culprit and kicked her butt, what's what!"

Caiseal raised his eyebrows. "The culprit? You mean the one who's been harassing you?"

She gestured towards the other side of the clearing, and the kids saw the trainer in question. When she saw the state Milly was in, Julia frowned. No longer was she the boastful girl who confronted her nearly two hours ago. She sat on the ground with a tear stained face, sad, pathetic, and desolate. She put Hikaru down and walked over to her as the crowd dispersed. When she got close enough, she kneeled down to her level.

"That was a great battle, Milly," Julia told her in a soft, gentle voice. "You and Dunsparce were great, too."

Milly's fists trembled. "No...I'm a failure…" Her voice was shaky and unsteady, with every word breaking as she spoke. "My life as a trainer is over…"

Her life? Over? What did she mean? Regardless, Julia gave a sympathetic smile. "Milly. It's not the end of the world if you don't have all the badges. Even if you can't participate in the League this year, you can always do so next year, or the year after that, or everything after. You'll still be eligible even if you got your badges a long time ago. There'll be more chances-"

"No! I need this!!" Milly shouted. "My entire life hinged on being able to get into the League this year!! You don't get it!! I had one chance to get into the League!! ONE CHANCE!!"

"Why?"

A brief silence fell between them, even as the other kids approached Julia from behind, curious to see the culprit in person. Sunlight reflected off the tear tracks on Milly's cheeks.

"When I get home, and my mom finds out I didn't make it into the League, I won't be allowed to be a trainer anymore," Milly confessed. "I made a deal. If I earned eight badges and at least got to battle in the League, I'd be allowed to keep traveling. I'd even be able to see my dad. But if I didn't, my mom will have complete control over my life, and she'll never let me see my dad or Dunsparce or any of my friends ever again!! And I'll have to spend my whole life with her using me as a weapon against him, making me her clone, and keeping me in a bubble!"

"Pipipi?" Even as injured as he was, Dunsparce crawled over to Milly and nuzzled her hand with his head.

So that was why she was so intent on getting her Rising badge. Julia sighed. From the way she talked about her parents, it sounded like they were divorced, and that her mother was extremely controlling. It also sounded like she was close with her father. Julia knew no amount of family issues would erase her actions towards her. There was no excusing what she did. But she could tell Milly was sincere for once. Dunsparce looked up at her with sympathy. All she wanted was to prove to her mother that she was serious about being a trainer and freeing herself from someone else's control.

"...I get it," Julia murmured. "You want to be free. I know that feeling. You're sick of people jerking you around, using you, and deciding what you should and shouldn't be."

Nobody said anything, so Julia was able to talk to Milly without interruption.

"But just because you want to be free, does that really make it right to stomp all over other people and their feelings just because they don't feel the same way as you?"

Milly looked up, stunned.

"I'm a trainer like you. My Pokemon and I fought lots of battles. We won, we lost, we had our highs and lows, and I don't regret becoming a trainer one bit," Julia explained. "I didn't become a trainer for fame and glory, and I got stronger because I have friends who support me and love me for who I am. Your Pokemon love you, too. But…" She frowned. "You know in your heart what you did to me and to your Pokemon was wrong. Dunsparce loves you, and he doesn't want you doing all these bad things, much less to other people. You're just going to ruin your life if you keep this up."

"Pipipipipi!" Dunsparce warbled, echoing Julia's statement.

The girl could only stare in silence, Julia's words cutting deep. Julia did smile at Dunsparce and stroked his head. "I mean, you're not really alone, are you?"

"...I'm sorry."

"Hm?"

"For everything."

Without another word, Milly stood up. Julia followed suit, squaring her shoulders. "I can't say I forgive you quite yet. Some of the things you did and said were really cruel, and I don't think your dad or your Pokemon would like seeing you do that stuff. Got it?"

Milly nodded and was about to walk away, but Julia reached her hand out.

“Wait! Do you have someone you can talk to about what your mom’s doing to you?” Julia asked. As angry as she was about what Milly did to her, if everything she said about her mother was true, then Milly was going back to her abuser, who would probably do Arceus knows what to her. She couldn’t let that happen. “Does your dad know what’s going on?”

A brief bout of silence. “I…I haven’t told him,” Her small frame trembled, and her fists shook. “He has so much on his plate already.”

It was then that Dunsparce found an opportunity to chime in, flapping its wings as it did so. “Pipipipi!” (“Milly’s dad isn’t mean like her mom is! They love each other very much!”)

So she was close with her dad. Sometimes just having one person one can rely on can make a whole world of difference. Julia winked at Dunsparce before talking to Milly again. “Even if he does have a lot on his plate, I would suggest telling him anyway. Or if not him, someone else you can trust, like a favorite teacher or a friend or a friend’s parent. What your mom is doing to you is wrong, and you deserve better. But if you don’t tell someone, nothing will change.”

In her heart of hearts, Julia knew simply telling her to seek help wouldn’t simply solve everything. She wasn’t some knight in shining armor who could just swoop in and save people in distress willy-nilly. Although Milly had no response to Julia’s proclamation, she did flash a small smile at her before walking away, Dunsparce following from close behind. Why she did that, Julia had no idea.

When Julia reunited with her friends, she took the time to explain to her trio of friends what had happened. “No way! That girl was responsible for everything?!” Perrine yelped.

"Yep. Her name's Milly O'Connell."

"It's a shame we didn't see the battle until the end," Caiseal mused, crossing his arms, eyeing Milly as she approached a security guard. "I bet you beat her down real good!"

Julia flashed a grin and held two fingers up. "You bet I did!"

"She totally did!" An unfamiliar voice cried out. The quartet swiveled around to see Yue's two friends, Zack and Alex, behind them.

"Whoa! You're Yue's friends! Hi!" Ethan greeted them, waving his hand.

"Man, girl! You were awesome!" Alex exclaimed. "It's a shame you're not signing up for the League! You really whipped that girl a new one!"

Zack playfully smacked Julia on the back with one big hand. "Great job out there! Maybe I can challenge you to a battle sometime!"

Normally, Julia didn't like it when people crowded around her, especially people she didn't know. But her friends were here, happy that she was safe, and here were these new people, who watched her showdown with Milly and were showering her with praise. Warmth lurched inside her. This was what she had always wanted. If she hadn't become a trainer, she wouldn't have met these awesome people who loved her for who she was, and even people who wanted to be her friend despite having just met. To these people, she wasn't some scared autistic crybaby, a nuisance, a problem that needed to be fixed or pushed to the side.

Absolute bliss.

"You know...I could battle you right now if you want," Julia told Zack. "I have other Pokemon, and I'd love to see yours, too."

The large boy's palm met his fist. "Aww, it's on!"

Mystery solved and worries gone, the kids spent the entire day training amongst themselves and making the most out of their final free day. But at one point, Julia had to go inside to use the bathroom, and as she was walking through the lobby, she saw Milly sitting at a table talking to someone on her cellphone. Her sensitive ears managed to catch a few stray words, and from those, she made out that Milly was talking to her dad, asking him to pick her up and telling him a bit about what was happening. So Julia’s suggestion wasn’t in vain after all. She smiled to herself and fist-pumped the air in front of her, skipping to the bathroom with a renewed spring in her step. Hopefully after this, Milly would be on the road to better things.

Her relief later gave way to anticipation. After all, the Pokemon League was tomorrow.

Then everything would begin.

***

A/N: Happy belated Easter!...ish. Also, I REALLY wanted to write Julia and Milly's battle, but the chapter got long, so I decided to have it happen off screen. Maybe I'll write it as a bonus episode when I get to the sequel, maybe even from Milly's POV. I hope everyone's staying inside, safe and healthy and taking care to wash your hands and do all you can to prevent getting COVID-19. I hate being stuck in the house all the time. I wanna go back to Barnes and Noble again! But all we can do is take all the measures we can and keep healthy. As for how Dunsparce managed to make a hole in the floor and splash Julia with water...explanation: Dunsparce dug a hole underneath the ground and made it appear on the floor, and used Secret Power on the water in the fountain. I thought about having Dunsparce do everything by using psychic attacks...until I looked up that Dunsparce can't learn attacks like Psychic or Telekinesis.

 

[System Error]

- Typo in the chapter title. It's it's not its.
- Elite Four intensifies. And...feeding each other?
- And an original Elite Four character too. How'd you come up with her name anyway? Do like the interesting implication though, that you specifically mention that it is the Johto Elite Four. Does that mean there's still a Kanto one, and if so how's it work and what happened with Bruno to make him go from one to another?
- Guess that easily explains why Will was there for five years though.
- Oh hey the return of the Dark Nightwingz hinted.
- Well this mom character of this suddenly introduced character is a real witch.
- Backstory! Interesting take, having them share the league location while still being different. Though they have the same champion, making it still confusing.
- Perception of time is pretty trippy. Certainly didn't feel like a month in-universe that they took to get there.
- Started her journey in April. Noted!
- Hm, another odd take. There's lots of adults around. Though this gives the amusing impression that many of them have been trying for DECADES at this thing, yet have always failed. Then you have the kids who just got through the region without too much trouble.
- So why was Ethan traveling with less than 3 Pokemon before during the trip through Victory Route if he had a Beedrill on hand which wasn't in the party count before?
- But what was the book?
- Well what could it be if not a Pokemon, Hikaru? An angel?
- The thing about the backpack spilling not being the only thing to happen is kind of awkward without an establishing bit to make sure the thought is shifting to Julia. She doesn't even say or think what she wants from the food place, or even acknowledges it there.
- Calling them Kalosian fries makes me think of how people wanted to rename them Freedom fries at one point. It's questionable if they're even from France, it may have been from Belgium.
- That was odd. Soda didn't glow. <- Insert Nuka Cola joke here. Though references aside, learned there is in fact an easy mixture to make Mountain Dew glow.
- Surprised no one else saw it glowing, though.
- Quite the Chinese name indeed. Aside, this is why it does bug me whenever any writer replaces a common term with Pokemon-world counterparts, like Kalosian fry example above. How do you write places and regions it hasn't touched yet, besides writing around it?
- Hey, recurring characters too. Or League bait. Or both.
- Well Julia you kind of helped save this girl's life, so that explains the kindness. Or I guess she's still untrusting of people at first meeting them given the next few paragraphs.
- Suspicious people!
- Wow this room has computers and TVs included? What the hell is the League's budget like if they can afford to blow money on this for even single rooms?
- A hole in the middle of the Pokemon Center. Just sort of mentioned and nobody seeming to question it or mentioned to clean it up.
- one of the kid's <- Singular possessive when it should be kids'
- Uh so okay. These rooms have TVs, desks, computers, comforters, implictly exotic beds, and Italian cupboards. But they don't have locks. What the actual hell, Pokemon League Staff of the Pokemon League Village?
- Maybe should've had her say the bag is gone instead of just throwing it into an expositionary sentence saying she said it was gone.
- Wow, rude. Julia is like, probably the opposite of a skank and slut.
- Man, and wild to see her actually want to resort to actual murder to the person responsible. How far she's come.
- Ghastly <- Typo, Gastly.
- Well theft and mischief are crimes.
- She was just a mouse Pokemon who could easily shock and subdue whatever's responsible on sight.
- And the Rhydon actually apologized? Talk about forced loyalty.
- Well we can add attempted murder to this mystery pissed-off vandal's list of crimes if it was a lead pencil. A poisonous lead pencil.
- And so Julia throws a temper tantrum. Kind of. Though no one blames her for this one, really.
- Okay, so why didn't this girl steal the badge case when she stole the bag? She had the chance to deface the sketchbook, why didn't she take the badges?
- Cruel pranks, fine. Attempted murder with a lead pencil, fine. Theft? STOP RIGHT THERE!!!
- For a slim girl Julia can cling surprisingly hard.
- "You've been <- Oh dear, a sentence that was left unwritten.
- Wow, a bitter rant. Well written though.
- The thing about the rule makes me wonder. There's seemingly no rule that the badges expire when used. How many times have some of those veteran adults entered and failed?
- Others get disowned by their families just for daring to walk this path! <- Harsh. Maybe made up too. Maybe true too, but not mutually exclusive either.
- Well it kind of makes you wonder too. Was this Milly girl being sent to the women's academy because she has an overdemanding parent who wants her to be a certain way? Or because she's such a disgrace to their name that it is the only way the family could get her out of their hair?
- How funny would it be if there just so happened to be another Shiny Pikachu girl running around having a battle at the exact same time?
- No longer was she the boastful girl who confronted her nearly two hours ago <- So wait uh hold up. Their whole battle and confrontation took two hours?! Even for time seeming to go faster than expected, I find that hard to believe. Especially since it seemed to be a total stomp.
- Milly's evil plan: steal a badge. She'd either go to jail or the league. Either way she'd be free of her mother! And yet she somehow messed that up by not stealing the badge when she had the bag...
- And so her story kind of fizzles out at the end there. Hard to feel sympathetic for her no matter what her reasons, really.

Well! Other than that huge massive question I had of why she didn't just take the badge case when she had the bag, this was a filler chapter. One that didn't really seem to accomplish much. Gave Julia a bit more confidence, though she stuck to her ways in the end and this character didn't really do much besides being a trickster out of spite. The battles really begin next time, though. So I guess this is a way to get Julia as involved with something as much as possible she won't be involved in them. Interested in seeing how you handle that one. So kicking back and waiting for that moment in time!

 

[Juliko]

Okay, so why didn't this girl steal the badge case when she stole the bag? She had the chance to deface the sketchbook, why didn't she take the badges?

She tried to do so, but Yue saw her and didn't want to risk getting caught.

- Cruel pranks, fine. Attempted murder with a lead pencil, fine. Theft? STOP RIGHT THERE!!!

More like finding out someone was coercing their Pokemon into using their powers to hurt an innocent human, even when the Pokemon make it clear they're not okay with it.

- "You've been <- Oh dear, a sentence that was left unwritten.

Deleted it. Thanks.

- Uh so okay. These rooms have TVs, desks, computers, comforters, implictly exotic beds, and Italian cupboards. But they don't have locks. What the actual hell, Pokemon League Staff of the Pokemon League Village?

Let's just say she had her Kadabra undo the locks.

Man, there's a lot I missed with this one, didn't I? Oh well. Glad you liked it though, and I did have a bit of fun writing this one. I really wanted to include Julia and Milly's battle, but the chapter was getting long already, so I had it happen off screen. Maybe I'll write a bonus episode later on that shows it, maybe even from Milly's POV.

No longer was she the boastful girl who confronted her nearly two hours ago <- So wait uh hold up. Their whole battle and confrontation took two hours?! Even for time seeming to go faster than expected, I find that hard to believe. Especially since it seemed to be a total stomp.

Again, I wanted to write their battle scene and actually have the time pass, but the chapter was getting long, so I had it happen off screen so I wouldn't drag it out longer than needed. But time did pass during the battle and the kids seeing the very end of it.

 

[Juliko]

Edited chapter 64 a bit to add some explanations for stuff I forgot to put in.